black clover » Wine

Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils 2006 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

dz — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:51:12 +0000

This wine brings a really nice pretty color, reminds me a little of a Cote Rotie. Bright and vibrant with that subtle lush whitish crap that rounds out the outer part of the wine glass. A little tight nose. Some nice old world light cherries coming through on the palate with nice fresh baked bread. A really nice complete yeast, slightly beer like and slightly toast like. Just nice yeasty goodness. Maybe a little woody cedar cranberry skin as well. Really elegant mouth feel, clean and smooth with beautiful silky old world fruits. Reminds me of a lush gourmet fruit leather. Really nice wine. Some good tannins on the finish with a little dandelion. At $36 this is a little steep but for a Chateauneuf-du-Pape it's a wonderful value in my book. Bravo.

Pairs brilliantly with cheese, crackers, and friends.

Monte Da Peceguina 2005

dz — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:55:00 +0000

A damn hand-drawn flower done in crayons on the label? WTF? Seriously, are we drinking wine here or what? How good can this weak sauce be? Let’s find out.... The nose brings some nice holiday-time fresh sugared cranberries with mint garnish. Just an intoxicating, extremely pleasant and unexpected nose. The first sip. Whoa. Incredible mouthfeel on this wine, gorgeous cedar and unrefined yet pleasant fruit notes. Nothing overly impressive about the flavor profile on this wine but the mouthfeel is solid. Then comes the finish. One of the top finishing wines I’ve probably had to date, long, lingering, lush, vivid. The finish pops with old world fruit and new world fruit, the perfect balance. Absolutely incredible finish to this wine. This is easily in my top two all time Portuguese wines, and believe me, I’ve had me a ”few”. If one ever required proof that judging a book by its cover is a bad thing, go find this wine. Definitely pick this flower child up.

Yalumba Museum Reserve Muscat

dz — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:52:00 +0000

The nose on this highly-anticipated by my liver dessert wine is quite nice. Really complex actually, I’m getting nice amaretto cookies slathered in maple syrup with some nice anise and almost fennel bulb and honey action as well. On the palate this wine is, well, I don’t know. What the hell is this? Sugar-flavored honey rum laced with sugared butter cookies topped with a generous helping of brown sugared molasses encrusted sugar cubes rolled in a sugar encrusted boston baby sugar pancake? Fuck. This is one sweet dessert wine. After the diabetic seizures subside the wine finishes with some nice maple syrup notes. Excuse me. Was this actually intended to be poured into a glass and drank? Did I miss the memo? Or is this intended for my pancakes? I really like the complex flavor profile on this wine but man, I could never put something this sweet in my mouth again. Absolutely MAJOR pass as a wine to serve friends and family with the intention to be drunk. Maybe pass it off to the sweet tooth in the family. Geez. I never knew C&H made a wine. Now I know.

Domaine Lionel Bussy 2005 Chablis

dz — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:49:00 +0000

Out of the bottle this wine brings a ridiculous golden straw color. The nose is really nice, some spring meadow flower bouquets and slight crisp apple. There’s also “something” on the nose that I just can’t quite figure out. Reminds me of those clear-colored gummy bears, kinda’ pear-like yet uniquely not pear. What in the hell is that flavor? Whatever it is it’s nice. The palate brings some extremely pleasant action, like licking a huge clothesline of freshly washed clothes drying in the cool spring air after being pelted with grapes. Really nice. Smooth, lush, really complex and beautiful. There’s something about this wine that reminds me of my childhood. The finish brings some light lemon almost lemon meringue type notes, nice crisp apple and pear finish… Wow. Nice. Absolutely solid. $22 is slightly moving towards the pricy side but really this is an excellent bottle of wine. Highly recommend even at $22. A green light girl. Absolutely brilliant Chardonnay.

2004 Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes

dz — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:03:00 +0000

The nose brings some sweet, rose petal water and gasoline. Whaa? Say what? Ok. Immediately I'm intrigued. This could be good. I like intriguing noses. But. One taste, one HALF a taste, and it’s all over. Dear god. Somewhere, someone found a way to make a liquid substance SWEETER than pure sugar. Geeez. This is sugar water yet, somehow, incredibly, insanely, more sweet then sugar syrup. It defies the laws of physics and defies anything and everything good about wine. Pass.

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy 2006

dz — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0000

The nose on this wine brings some seriously dark ass blue berries, and maybe not even real blueberries but the fruit filling in those blueberry hostess pies (hate those things). Really tight, not giving a whole lot else other then that, maybe a little too much alcohol on the nose? On the palate the wine is dark ass cherries and black tar licorice, anise notes coming through. A little too much alcohol on the nose for me, slightly overjuiced. The finish is one of the LONGEST finishes of any wine I’ve ever had, though certainly not the most pleasant finishing wine that I’ve ever had. Alcohol, some shoe polish and absolutely some Nyquil liquid cold medicine on the finish. Hmmm. All I can say is this isn’t a bad wine, just PLEASE, can you knock of the 16% wines Dooker? Is that too much ask? A nice wine with bootlegged everclear notes is NOT what I want. Ehh.

Rombauer 2006 Carneros Chardonnay

dz — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:44:00 +0000

This is easily the most anticipated chardonnay I have yet to review. Why? Because Rombauer is the chardonnay name I hear dropped more frequently then just about every other Chardonnay. This is the chard drinkers chard. Typically I am not an oak and butter Iron Mike to the jaw kind of drinker but as I like to say, I’ll go down any road there is just to see what’s around the bend. Nose on this wine is some of the most ridiculous OAK I have ever smelled in a white wine nose (surprise!). Smells like an oak plank piled high with some fried food, or fried batter. Like eating at Skippers out of solid oak basket. The palate is, shockingly, more OAK. Geez. I didn’t know the carpenters union made a wine. This is like eating a liquefied hard wood floor, like shoving a fresh sheet of plywood from the hardware store directly into your mouth with some minor glue notes. Yeah ok, so maybe there are some subtle lemon and crisp apple notes, maybe even some buttery notes, but I can only speak for myself here – when I eat plywood, all I taste is plywood. Does anything else matter at that point? This is an absolute major pass in my book. Perhaps if I were a termite I might rank this shit off the charts. This is a full-on termite wine. If you’re a termite, or just happen to LOVE OAK, this may be your go-to white wine. Never had a white wine this oaky, I’ve never wanted to have a wine this oaky, and I never want to have this again. Not my style. Somebody, please, call pest control.

Opolo Vineyards 2005 Summit Creek Zinfandel

dz — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 02:35:00 +0000

As requested, I'll start publishing my tasting notes out here on my site (notes and ratings can also be seen here as well.

This wine brings some Oceanspray regular cranberry drink action initially, but really opens up upon the swirl. Nice boot strap molasses going on once the bouquet opened up and the cranberry nearly vanishes. The palate brings some cheap black licorice, spiced prune juice with some raisins and whole black peppercorns floating on top. Incredible amounts of alcohol in this, absolutely RIDICULOUS amounts of alcohol on this wine. 16.5%? Are you serious? Sixteen FIVE? How much wine did you have before ending fermentation?! Now, it doesn’t have that rubbing alcohol taste and smell going on but make no mistake, this IS prune juiced spiked with sneaky Everclear. And not even good prune juice. Way too sweet for what I look for in a Zin, and seriously, not even a pleasant sweetness either. This is like half way evaporated prune juice sweetness. Seriously NOT my style of wine, this is the antithesis of what I look for in a zin. Absolute major RED light and honestly, I really am in a good mood. This is simply not something I would EVER put in front of my loved ones or close friends.

Wine

dz — Mon, 04 Jun 2001 20:15:44 +0000

So as the world turns, and it's fatal aspects of fate play out, it just so happens that all my years of studying wine have finally paid off. All the bottles, all the tasting notes, all the vine yard maps and wine labels - and it has all paid off.
The Senior Partner of my law firm found out through the grapevine (pun intended) that I am a publicly professed wine connoisseur, as is he. Admittedly I am a young wine connoisseur, but I am on the pathway to oenophile attainment, and knowing that a millionaire partner with a millionaire wine cellar is interested in knowing what I have to say about wine is a very good thing.
I was called into his office. His door was shut. And he proceeded with a two question "Wine Quiz."

First Question - Name the five first growth, or Premier Grand Cru, wines from France.
I went four outta' five. Not bad. That's like batting .800
The answers by the way are Chateau Marguax, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, and Chateau Latour.

Second Question - Name the senior partners favorite Washington State wine. Hint - It's a red.
This one took me a second, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a lucky guess, but I nailed it! Somehow the words just came out. They started deep in my chest, and then they rushed to the surface of my lips and I spouted out "Leonetti's. A Leonetti's cab!"
And I was right! Unbelievable. I received a bottle of his wine and was sent off to study some more.

And this is the point in the story where I went over board. Way over board. Not only did he stroke my wine-oriented ego, but soon thereafter I was confident enough to take him up on a second wine quiz. This time, however, I need to know all of the wineries and their classifications as set down in 1855 in preparation for the Paris expo. For those of you concerned ; I need to have the following list memorized by this coming friday, June 8th. Shit!

FIRST GROWTHS
(PREMIERS CRU)Château Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac
Château Margaux Margaux
Château Latour Pauillac
Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan
Château Mouton-Rothschild Pauillac
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECOND GROWTHS
(DEUXIÈMES CRUS)

Château Rausan-Ségla Margaux
Château Rauzan-Gassies Margaux
Château Léoville-Las Cases St.-Julien
Château Léoville-Poyferré St.-Julien
Château Léoville-Barton St.-Julien
Château Durfort-Vivens Margaux
Château Gruaud-Larose St.-Julien
Château Lascombes Margaux
Château Brane-Cantenac Cantenac
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac
Château Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-
de-Lalande Pauillac
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St.-Julien
Château Cos-d'Estournel St.-Estèphe
Château Montrose St.-Estèphe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD GROWTHS
(TROISIÈMES CRUS)

Château Kirwan Cantenac
Château d'Issan Cantenac
Château Lagrange St.-Julien
Château Langoa Barton St.-Julien
Château Giscours Labarde
Château Malescot-St.-Exupéry Margaux
Château Cantenac-Brown Cantenac
Château Boyd-Cantenac Cantenac
Château Palmer Cantenac
Château La Lagune Ludon
Château Desmirail Margaux
Château Calon-Ségur St.-Estèphe
Château Ferrière Margaux
Château Marquis d'Alesme-Becker Margaux
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOURTH GROWTHS
(QUATRIÈMES CRUS)

Château St.-Pièrre St.-Julien
Château Talbot St.-Julien
Château Branaire-Ducru St.-Julien
Château Duhart-Milon Pauillac
Château Pouget Cantenac
Château La Tour-Carnet St.-Laurent
Château Lafon Rochet St.-Estèphe
Château Beychevelle St.-Julien
Château Prieuré-Lichine Cantenac
Château Marquis-de-Terme Margaux
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIFTH GROWTHS
(CINQUIÈMES CRUS)

Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac
Château Batailley Pauillac
Château Haut-Batailley Pauillac
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac
Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse Pauillac
Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac
Château Lynch-Moussas Pauillac
Château Dauzac Labarde
Château d'Armailhacq, Pauillac
(previously Château Mouton-Baron-
Philippe from 1956 to 1988
Château du Tertre Arsac
Château Haut-Bages-Libéral Pauillac
Château Pédesclaux Pauillac
Château Belgrave St.-Laurent
Château de Camensac St.-Laurent
Château Cos-Labory St.-Estèphe
Château Clerc-Milon Pauillac
Château Croizet-Bages Pauillac
Château Cantemerle Macau

Life’s Eternal Metaphor – Wisdom in Wine

dz — Sun, 18 Mar 2001 21:05:47 +0000

As most of you know, I am heavily engossed in the art, consumption, and lifestyle of wine. That is, I am I wine enthusiast. That is, I like wine! Wine to me is life. The Color; The Bouquet; The Emotions; The pure and elemental qualities that make wine a part of me. And in a subtle sense, wine seems to emulate life. And it is with such a remark that I introduce to you my rant. Wine is life - there is no other.

"Uvas y queso, saben a beso"
Grapes with cheese, like a kiss are these.

"E habera vino ne Gloria? Colo, colo! Colase como xarbe! Meu compadre, o que ben sabe corre sin trigo nin broa.
And would there be wine in heaven? Drink, drink! What a beautiful thing! It's as smooth as syrup! Oh, how it slips down, my friend, with neither wheat nor corn bread.

"Quen bebe, vive"
He who drinks, lives.

"El agua hace mal, el vino cantar."
Water makes you sick, but wine makes you sing.

"Por la manana puro, por la tarde sin agua."
Take wine pure in the morning and uwatered in the afternoon."

"Antes de comer, dos vasos has de beber. En comiendo, otros vasos seguias bebiendo. Mas despues de haber comido, tampeco te sentaran mal mas vasos."
Two glasses before eating. Two more while you eat. And after you have eaten, a few more won't do you any harm.

"Comer sin vino, comer mosquino."
A meal winthout wine is a stingy one.

"Pan de antedia, vino de ano, y carne de ese dia."
Day-old bread, wine a year old, and fresh meat.

"Al buen amigo, tu pan y tu vino. Al malo, tu perro y tu palo."
For a good friend, your bread and you wine. For a false friend, your dog and a stick.

"El vino, para que sepa a vinom, bebelo con un amigo."
For wine to taste of wine, you must drink it with a friend.

"Vino y amigo que se torvieron, nunca a ser buena volvieron."
Wine or friendship gone sour will never be restored.

"Viejo que vino no bebe, cerca esta de la muerte."
And an old man drinks no wine is near death.

And my personal quote in plain english -
"Thee who does not find wine, does not find themself."