One More Thing

This blog used to have a decorative template. I don't remember what it was, but I know it had one and now it is gone. I guess you can only neglect your wine blog for so long before something bad happens.

2006
Cupcake Vineyards
Merlot
California Central Coast
$? (Whole Foods Market)

Seems bland and watery at first, but rather pleasant after it gets a little air. Very subtle, nothing stands out, mildly tannic, fruity but the fruit is so subtle that it could be almost anything. Light-bodied but still noticeable and able to hold it's own with food.

2 - Good

Beaujolais Nouveau 2003

2003
Domain du Vissoux
Beaujolais Nouveau
France
$13.99 (Grape Vine Market)
Cloying sweetness, way too much. Fruity and simple with bitter finish. Shallow.
1 - Okay (Worst of Tasting)


2003
Mommessin
Beaujolais Nouveau
France
$9.99 (Grape Vine Market)
Fizzy-feeling, tart. Not fruity. Some minerals.
2 - Good


2003
Chateau du Basty
Beaujolais Nouveau
France
$9.99 (Central Market)
Strong, tart, fruity. Minerals and cherries. Very light.
3 - Very Good

2003
Joseph Drouhin
Beaujolais-Villages Primeur
France
$10.79 (Grape Vine Market)
Tart, dusty, tasty. Fresh fruitiness. Thin, but fun. Everything in it is good, there just isn't enough.
3 - Very Good

2003
Georges DuBouef
Beaujolais Nouveau
France
$9.99 (Grape Vine Market)
Salty, tart, tightly fruity. Sight effervescence and some minerals. Definite hints of red licorice. Giggly and delightful.
3 - Very Good

2003
Moillard
Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
France
$10.99 (Grape Vine Market)
Complex, interesting fruit. Very different from other Beaujolais's Nouveaux. Bitter, warm finish. Pronounced herbs. Very intense.
3 - Very Good


2003
Michel Picard
Beaujolais Nouveau
France
$8.79 (HEB)
Fruity and tart. Feels very round and has just enough "dirt" to be well-grounded.
4 - Delicious.


2003
Louis Tete
Beaujolais Nouveau
France
$9.79 (Grape Vine Market)
Sprightly. Pronounced minerals. Tight fruit. A medley of berries.
4 - Delicious

2003
Pierre Chermette
Beaujolais Primeur
France
$11.99 (Central Market)
Bold, beautiful berries on cool limestone. Vanilla effervescence. Beaujolais Nouveau as it should be.
4 - Delicious (Best of Tasting)

Status Report

For those of you that are wondering, the Beaujolais Nouveau tasting is still going on, as it actually takes a surprisingly long time for a single person to guzzle 15 bottles of wine. Especially since one of them sucks enough to discourage enthusiastic drinking but not enough to pour down the drain. Two more bottles remain unopened currently. So the end is in sight. Worry not, oenophiles.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/12/08/MNG1S3IB5J1.DTL

2000
Navarro Correas
Malbec
Maipu, Argentina
$9.99 (Grape Vine Market)
Big, tannic, very hot and very harsh. Leathery and sour.
2 - Good September 20, 2003

2000
Aresti Montemar
Cabernet Sauvignon
Curico Valley, Chile
$6.87 (HEB)
Very, very tart, acidic, woody. Not much else.
2 - Good

2002
Yellow Tail
Shiraz
Southeastern Australia
$6.89 (HEB)
Very big. Bursting with fruit. Feels tingly. Some earthiness. Very full and acidic taste. Any more flavor would be too much.
4 - Delicious
Le Souris: Take it or leave it.

2002
La Playa
Sauvignon Blanc
Colchagua Valley, Chile
$6.99 (Central Market)
Extra minerals. Bitey, with lemons and olive juice. Sour, but rather pleasant.
3 - Very Good

2000
Neonato By Marques de Marrieta
Rioja
Spain
Fresh, lemony, but with some underlying body. Tart with sour cherries.
3 - Very Good

2001
Marchesi Di Barolo
Maraia Barbera Monferrato
Barolo, Italy
$ (HEB)
Exquisite. Richly fruity, mellow-ish, yet complex, bitey, and intense.
4 - Delicious

2001
Bolla
Bardolino
Italy
$6.87 (HEB)
Thin and flabby. Somewhat herbal and has hints of garlic. Tobacco and a bit of raisins.
2 - Good (11/15/2003)

2001
Bogle Vineyards
Old Vine Zinfandel
California
$8.99 (World Market)
Slight sweetness, good acids. Feels shallow, but warm. Pleasantly tart.
3-Very Good
Le Soursis: "Crapulent"

2002
Yellow Tail
Cabernet Sauvignon
Southeastern Australia
$5.99 (HEB)
Bitey. Tastes meaty. Strong herbal aroma.
4-Delicious

1996
Artero
Reserva Merlot
La Mancha, Spain
$8.99 (Central Market)
Tightly wound, acidic, and woody, with olives. Probably needs to breathe. Sweet, almost tropical floral aroma.
2-Good

2003
Santola
Vinho Verde
Portugal
$6.99 (Central Market)
Sparkly, minerally, but not at all metallic. Tart, not seet. Apples, lemons, pears. Very summery.
4 - Delicious

2002
Milton Park
Shiraz
Southeastern Australia
$9.99 (Central Market)
Tastes relaxed. Acidic finish. Soil, vibrant raspberry taste. Feels like there's more there, hiding. Restrained.
3 - Very Good
Le Souris: "All the reds taste the same (trust me, I've had a lot of them.)" {How do they taste?} "Like cherry Kool-Aid with no sugar and a little alum."

????
Rene Barbier
Portugal
$4.99 (World Market)
Dry, tart, sparkly, very minerally and good. Feels very cool and summery. Disappears if it breathes too much.
4 - Delicious

Twenty-four days and counting

It's that time of year again. In just over three weeks, people will shout from the rooftops "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrive!!!" Or perhaps there will just be the colorful signs from Georges du Bouef proclaiming the same. But what matters is that there will be brand new Beaujolais Nouveau for me to partake in and, hopefully, to savor. I haven't a clue whether this year's crop is supposed to be good or bad, sweet or dry, salty or bursting with fruit. And I'm quite happy to remain ignorant before the fact. I want to discover it on my own. I plan to buy one of each brand of Beaujolais Nouveau offered in the Central Texas area. That's if they are bad. If they are good, I will buy more bottles. It will be a joyous and festive occasion indeed.

It is for this occasion that I'm temporarily suspending my boycott of French wine, which has scarcely even inconvenienced me to this point. My boycott of French cosmetics may well end up killing me, but that's another matter entirely.

A nearly six month hiatus was all that was required for me to wrap up construction of my wine rack in all its glorious splendor and 30 coats of polyurethane. Now I can freely share with the world six month of tasting notes which are now hidden from the world (actually sitting on a desk in a pathetic pile of paper scraps most unelegant). So, World, get ready!