Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Habánské sklepy Rýnský ryzlink 2005 pozdní sběr

Variety: Rhine Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appelation, Bzenec village, Zadní hora vinyard
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: golden
Bouquet: dried lemon peel, hint of bottleness
Taste: medium body, nice lemony acidity accompanied by dry lemon peel in sugar, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: lemon risotto
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 180
Stopper: cork
Nicely aged delicate RR with excellent acidity given the vintage.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Home Ranch Pinot Noir 2006

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation: Sonoma
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: bricky red wit orange meniscus
Bouquet: cherries, jammy tones,sweet spices, leather
Taste: medium to full body, round, cherries, coffee, bottlle tones, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: turkey with cranberry sauce
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 200
Stopper: cork
More full bodied and "rustic" type of Pinot Noir.
P.S the pic is from 2009 vintage, which was sealed under screw cap already.

Patina Pinot Noir 2006 Orange

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Country of origin: Australia
Wine appellation: Orange
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.1%
Color: bricky red wit orange meniscus
Bouquet: cherries, strawberry marmalade, leather
Taste: medium body, wild strawberries, cherries, higher acidity, medium tannins, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pork loin
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK450
Stopper: cork
Regular Pinot Noir with surprisingly good acidity, but otherwise nothing special.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

De Salis Sauvigon Blanc 2010

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Australia
Wine appellation: Cerntral Table land
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.8%
Color: very pale yellow
Bouquet: fresh cut vegetables, almost like a dill
Taste: medium body, tones of citrus and dill, quite flat, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 78
Price: CZK 500
Stopper: Screw cap
Very strange nose and taste of dill in cucumber pickles.

Settesoli Nero d' Avola Shiraz Sicilia 2006 IGT

Variety: Nero d' Avola, Syrah
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Sicily
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: light ruby red
Bouquet: plum, plum cake blackberry
Taste: medium body, blackberry, very fruity and straightforward wine, black sour cherries at the mid palate with slight bitterness at the end of the taste, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: BBQ
Overall score: 78
Price: CZK 99
Stopper:screw cap
Regular Fruity BBQ wine, nothing complex

Fonte Al Sole Ruffino Toscana 2004 IGT

Variety: 85% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Tuscany
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium red with garnet meniscus
Bouquet: red fruit, red currant, cherries, earthiness
Taste: medium body, similar to nose dominant role plays the cherries with red currant nicely accompanied by matured tannins and touch of spice, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: dry fermented salami
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 170
Stopper: Screw cap
Very reasonable Chianti style of wine with rustic and tanniny character.

Vinařství Dufek Tramín červený 2006 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Gewurtztraminer
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation,  Svatobořice-Mistřín village, Tabule vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: spicy, rose petals
Taste: medium body, lychee, spices, nice crisp acidity balanced with slight residual sugar, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: green chicken curry
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 180
Stopper: cork
This was really good Gewurtztraminer, it has everything in it: expressive bouquet of roses, spices, lychee and moreover it is not dull and bitter, which sometimes this variety can be, on the other hand there is lively acidity supported by residual sugar, which goes well with Gewurtztraminer.

Vinařství Líbal Sauvignon 2010 VOC

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Znojmo sub-appellation, Horní Dunajovice village, Frédy vineyard
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Residual sugar: 9,5g/l
Acidity: 6.5g/l
Color: very pale yellow
Bouquet: white currant, gooseberry,  white peach
Taste: medium body, white currant, elderberry, peach, very high crispy acidity is nicely balanced with slight residual sugar, which makes it nicely drinkable, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 295
Stopper: cork
I was quite interested in tasting of this wine, which was all over the Czech Republic in the press given the double gold medal from the competition of Sauvignons from all the world in San Francisco. Very good SB indeed, but probably overrated.

Louis de Montgérac Réserve Bordeaux AOC 2003

The wine did not change in the last 5 months, so I will not reproduce the tasting notes from April rather I will copy the link.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Chille
Wine appellation: Central valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: very pale almost like a water
Bouquet: very fresh, lime, white grapefruit, gooseberry, grass
Taste: medium body, white grapefruit, lime, lively acidity accompanied by nice astringency, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: see food
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 179
Stopper: screw cap
Very good SB fo the price, it is scored more than one year ago when we tasted it for the first time here.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Fontanafredda Barbera Piemonte "Briccotondo" 2007 DOC

Variety: 100% Barbera
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Piemonte
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: dark ruby red
Bouquet: lovely plums and cherry character with touch of black chocolate really inviting to sip
Taste: medium body, excellent balance of dark black fruit, especially blackberries and black overripe cherries, plums and black chocolate, silky smooth and round tannins with medium finish nicely lingering on the palate
Recommended food pairing: dry salami, sausages
Overall score: 88
Price CZK170
Stopper: cork
This was absolute positive surprise for me. Excellent structure, balance between fruit and oak, smooth tannins, nice gentle acidity and proper bottle aging made drinking of this bottle so enjoyable that I even forgot my half day shooting for TV:).

Monday, September 19, 2011

Feudo Monaci Primitivo Salento IGT 2009

Variety: Primitivo
Country of origin:
Italy
Wine appellation:
Salento
Vintage:
2009
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: dark red with ruby meniscus
Bouquet:  overripe black cherries, plums and cocoa
Taste: medium body, good structure, black overripe sour cherries, underpinned by 70% cocaoa dark chocolate flavor, longer finish
Recommended food pairing: chocolate dessert
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 120
Stopper: cork
Good chocolate style of Primitivo, nicely drinkable.
The vineyard: parcels trained by the alberello pugliese and cordone speronato systems on deep, dry, clay  soil with some tufaceous limestone.
The vinification: the bunches are picked by hand towards the end of August, early in the morning. They are carried to the cellar and immediately pressed. The vinification is carried out at a controlled temperature with 10 days maceration and frequent remontages. The malolactic fermentation having taken place, the wine develops in steel until June.

Echave Crianza 2006 DO

Variety: Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Navarra
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Residual sugar: n/a
Acidity: n/a
Color: medium ruby red with watery meniscus 
Bouquet: aroma of spices, wood, with red cherries 
Taste medium body, sour cherries, hint of black currant, higher tannins and slight acidity, medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: fuet sausage
Overall score: 78
Price: in Spain  EUR 5
Stoper: cork

Reasonable drinkable Crianza, rather woody and peppery than fruity

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Vinselekt Michlovský Cabernet Moravia 2007 jakostní

Variety: Cabernet Moravia
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation, Hovorany village, Podvinohradí vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: lighter ruby red
Bouquet: violet flowers, cherries, light spiciness of green pepper
Taste: light medium body, fairly fruit driven, very good structure and balance in the mouth, light spiciness and main sour cherries tones are underpinned by touch of cocoa, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Camembert cheese  
Overall score: 81
Price:
CZK 90
Stopper:
cork
Nicely done CM with all the typical characteristic for the variety, cherries and red currant fruit with pepperness and good drink-ability.

Wine Dietrichstein Rizling rýnsky 2010 neskorý sber

Variety: Rhine Riesling
Country of origin: Slovakia
Wine appellation: Modranská appellation, Modrá village
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light watery yellow 
Bouquet: expressive, apricot, linden tree
Taste: light to medium body, good structure with dominant lime lively acidity accompanied by apricot in the medium palate, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing:fish
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 120
Stopper: 
cork
Nice Riesling with apricot dominant flavor  and very good acidity, strangely it is made from Slovak grapes, I guess 2010 vintage of Riesling was not the most successful for them.

Wine Dietrichstein Sauvignon blanc 2009 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Mikulov village, Za cihelnou vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: light yellow 
Bouquet: expressive, tropical fruit, white currant
Taste: medium to full body, tropical fruit supported by the ripe white peach, touch of white grapefruit at the end, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: porkloin with plum sauce
Overall score: 84
Price:
CZK 170
Stopper:
cork
Fuller and tropical type of  Sauvignon  Blanc
Could not find the label on net, but refer to previous tasted varieties, it is exactly the same.

Wine Dietrichstein Ryzling vlašský 2009 pozdní sběr

Variety: Welsh RieslingCountry of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Mikulov village, Za cihelnou vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: light yellow 
Bouquet: strange, green tones of herbs, apple
Taste: medium body, green apple, citrus tones with very small residual sugar, slight bitterness at the end, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: roasted chicken
Overall score: 78
Price:
CZK 150
Stopper:
cork
Last of the Dietrichstein wine tasted and the worst, It has strange nose reminding me of room plants and strong apple tones. In the taste it is OK, but the bouquet lowers the score.

Wine Dietrichstein Pinot blanc 2009 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Pinot Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Mikulov village, Za cihelnou vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: light yellow 
Bouquet: very nice, gentle citrus tones and white flowers, lime leaves
Taste:full body, round, bread tones accompanied by nice flavor of gentle lime sirup with slight residual sugar, white grapefruit at the end, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: matured sheep cheese with orange marmalade
Overall score: 87
Price:
CZK 170
Stopper: cork
Exciting, full and round PB with good firm structure of fruit , neutral bread tones and balanced by slight residual sugar, which does not make it sweet rather more complex and approachable.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Country of origin: Australia
Wine appellation: Western Australia, Margareth River
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: aroma of white currant with gooseberry overlaid by grassy tones
Taste: light to medium body, upfront lime flavor underpinned by nice white currant tones with good texture and acidity, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 400
Stopper:
screw cap
Nice blend, partially aged in oak, but almost invisible in taste and in excellent lightly aged conditions.

Vinselekt Michlovský Pálava 2008 pozdní sběr

Variety: Pálava
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Mikulov village, Pod svatým kopečkem vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yellow 
Bouquet: expressive, flowers, spicy, tropical fruit
Taste: medium body, good structure, lively acidity, spicy,  medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing:pork
Overall score: 85
Price:
CZK 120
Stopper:
plastic cork
Nice example of Palava from Mikulov appellation.  Good acidity and structure with typical spicy and notable tropical fruit.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Weingut Heinz Schreieck Riesling kabinett trocken St. Martiner Schloss Ludwigshöhe 2006er

Variety: Riesling
Country of origin: Germany
Wine appellation: Pfalz
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: dominant minerality, lime and proper aged tones
Taste: light body, citrus tones, with nice acidity still being present even given the vintage, strong mineraly, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: on its own or cod fish
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 169 in 2008
Stopper: cork
I really like this wines with character. there is about 3 cm of wine stones sediment at the bottom of the bottle and the wine is so light and refreshing that it is a joy to drink and so different from new world.
 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Weingut Heinz Schreieck Grauburgunder kabinett trocken Maikammer Heiligenberg 2007er

Variety: Pinot Gris
Country of origin: Germany
Wine appellation: Pfalz
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: neutral, bread tones
Taste: medium body, citrus tones, minerality, nicely balanced and round due to bottle aging, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: cheesecake
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 169 in 2008
Stopper: cork
Nice mineral type of Pinot Gris, I bought this wine in tasting of German wines about 3 years ago. I should have Rhine Riesling from the same producer in the cellar.

Jacques & Francois Lurton - Les Fumées Blanches Sauvignon Blanc 2005

As the tasting notes are the same as in August please follow the link.

Vinařství Libor Veverka Sauvignon 2008 pozdní sběr

As my tasting notes are almost identical to the one tasted here in May I will not reproduce them and rather include the link.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Chateau Valtice Aurelius 2005 výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Aurelieus (Neuburger x Rhine Rieslig)
Country of origin: Czech Republic  
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Dolní Dunajovice village, Kraví hora
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: ripe grapes, tones of apricot and honey
Taste: medium body, minerality, nicely round, canned citrus with slight residual sugar at the end, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Asian food
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 170 (in 2007)
Stopper: cork
Very different from 2004 vintage tasted about a year ago three times here . This vintage has less acidity, more structure and slight residual sugar when compared to 2004.
P.S. I will add the pic later when photo is taken so far refer to 2004 label here. the only difference is the vintage, higher contain of sugar in grapes (selection of berries vs. late harvest) and golden medal for 2005 vs silver for 2004. Village and vineyard is the same.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Eminens Merlot C. Sauvignon, Tempranillo Tinto Crianza 2004

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Somontano
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol content: 13.8%
Color: dark black garnet red color
Bouquet: canned fruit, cherries, and black currant jam with coffee
Taste: medium body, strong coffee tones with canned red berry fruit, soft tannins and already shows bottle aged tones, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: cofee truffle
Overall score: 83
Price: EUR 6.50
Stopper: cork
Very different from what we drank so far, international varieties are more typical for somontano than for other DO

Marques de Arienzo Crianza 2006 DOCa

Variety: 95% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and Mazuelo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Rioja
Vintage: 2006  
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium garnet red with bricky meniscus
Bouquet: red fruit with dominance of canned sour cherry supported by light wood
Taste: medium to full body, reminding me of sour cherries in alcohol and nice matured tones, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: dry sheep cheese
Overall score: 83
Price: EUR 5.50
Stopper: cork
Rioja with less fruit and more aged and big barrel tones   

Bodegas Antigua Usanza Crianza 2008

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Rioja
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium ruby red
Bouquet: sour cherries
Taste: medium body, predominat fruity flavor of sour cherries with less wood one would expect, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: BBQ
Overall score: 78
Price: EUR 5.50
Stopper: cork 
Very basic crianza

Bodegas Miguel Angel Muro Bujanda Crianza 2007

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Rioja
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: medium ruby red
Bouquet: very expressive with overripe black cherries and almost like forest fruit
Taste: medium to full body, excellent clean fruit characteristics of overripe cherries almost towards a marmalade with light underpinning of wood, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: duck liver pate with cranberries
Overall score: 88
Price: EUR 8.50
Stopper: cork
This was the best crianza rioja tasted so far. It is from small family winemaker making modern style of Rioja using 50% of French oak, which is not typical.

Luis Angel Casado Manzanos-Jilaba Reserva 2004

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Rioja
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: darker red with good intensity given the vintage
Bouquet: red berry fruit, cherry marmalade, spices, nice wood
Taste: medium body, gentle tannins, round, cherry preserve with clove and licorice spice tones, medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: dry salami
Overall score: 86
Price: EUR 10.50
Stopper: cork   
This Reserva is from "small" winemaker in Rioja Alavesa in Basque region. we had personal tasting from winemaker daughtern nice 20 years old blond chick. The wine is gentle and sophisticated

Torrelongares Tempranillo-Garnacha Crianza 2005

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Ribera del Duero
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium red with garnet meniscus
Bouquet: nice red fruit with strong coffee tones
Taste: medium body with red currant, sour cherries and vanilla and coffee tones from barrique with medium finish
Recommended food pairing: jamon serrano
Overall score: 85
Price: EUR 5.50
Stopper: cork 
It is quite pleasant wine from 600 m altitude wineries with good balance between fruit and oak. 

Vega Vija Roble 2009

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Ribera del Duero
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: intense ruby red color with violet hues
Bouquet: very fruity with dominance of black sour cherries
Taste: dominant sour cherry with light vanilla from oak aging, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: liver pate
Overall score: 84
Price: EUR 6.50
Stopper: cork
Nice fruit driven dark tempranillo

Berberana Seleccion de Oro Criado en Barrica de Roble Americano Colleccion Privadas 2008

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Castilla la Mancha
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: light ruby red
Bouquet: just fruit and no complexity
Taste: medium body, red sour cherries (not overripe) and strong acidity with less tannins, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fuet
Overall score: 80
Price: EUR 4.50
Stopper: cork
Base tempranillo for the price

Vina Arnaiz Arco del Sol Crianza 2007

Variety: Tempranillo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Ribera del Duero
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium ruby red
Bouquet: very fruit driven with main fruit being ripe cherries
Taste: medium body, fruity, cherries,sour cherries, touch of chocolate, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fuet
Overall score: 78
Price: EUR 3.50
Stopper: cork
Reasonable tempranillo for the price