St. Julien 2006 The Society exhibition Bordeaux, France

Deep ruby and a black inky core. And what does is smell of - black berry fruits, vanilla, smooth oak and a mushroom edge. This all follows through to the palate but with a depth of flavour that is gorgeous, it starts simple and then Wham! Blackberries, old smokey oak, vanilla...... Layered and complex coming in waves. Elegant, stylish but with muscular firmness - charming.
This wine is from the Wine Society, their 'own label' range called their 'Exhibition' range. It is from the south ofbSt Julien Appelation in the Medoc in Bordeaux, France. The actual Chateau is Chateau Beychevell. Score 94, but at a price - £19. Is it worth it? Yes, definitely, and will be buy more- yes!

Sherry revival. Palo Cortado.

First sniff - Bread and cucumber are my first impressions and then damp cardboard with a slight leafy edge. First taste has a saltiness, warmth and a yeasty finish. Length is long, salty, sour, yeast ...... complex, very complex. Lying in front of the fire with peanuts and a couple of olives left from last night, can you imagine anything better - I can't.

Blind Tasting results.

Bodegas Virgen del Aguila Coleccion Reserva 2007 from Carinena DOC in Aragon, Spain. It is made up of 60% Tempranillo, 20%Grenache and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and the alcohol is 13.5%. It has been aged in French and American oak for 12 months and then another 24 months in bottle.
So overall I feel happy with what I surmised, alright I got the grapes sort of right but the wrong dominant one and missed the Cabernet.
This wine was from Tesco's and I know it was a steal, if I remember correctly about £5. Not bad and I would give it a score of 83.
Happy drinking!

It is Blind Tasting Friday - the first of 2013 for this!

Ruby with a slight hint of purple, medium opacity, the stem is easy to see through the glass.
Perfumed and fresh on the nose with red fruits and a twist of spice. Definite florality, say roses.
On tasting it - Fruity, sharp acidity that jumps around the mouth and an after lingering spice with a touch of smoke and a meaty salami. Tannins were minimal and felt ripe. Good length with sweet spice remaining, but it is the acidity that is the memorable feature of this wine - is it genuine? Has this wine come from a cool region or has it been acidified? The alcohol is not standing out, probably 13%'ish but balanced.

My thought summary : I think this wine comes from the old world, I feel that the acidity has been played with and the area that the grapes originated is warm, maybe not hot, but warm. Oak plays a definite part in this wines character, it does not have the smokey/nutty character that I would think of for Italy, but the savouriness......
So I feel either southern France or northern Spain, it has a feel of a Rioja, but not overpowered by oak, so I am going to say it is from the Navarra region of Spain or maybe more to the east towards Barcelona......
Grapes Garnacha, Tempranillo...... In that order ( though I would have expected higher alcohol if Grenache is the dominant grape, it was fairly transparently.....Grenache characteristic).

I will give the results later.

Puccini Memoro. Vino Rosso Italy

Inky and black at the core - promising.
Rich warm fruit and vanilla spice on the nose, again promising.
Tasting - Rich chocolate, red fruits and a hint of coffee to start, but the best was had, and from there on it fell away and lacked depth, character and real quality oh what a shame. A fun wine for glugging but not going to be remembered for long, though at just over £5 on special offer at Tesco's how dare I complain! A bargain and delightful to start with.
On investigation this wine is made in a New World style, grapes from different regions and different vintages, a first for this type of Italian wine I feel, and on second thoughts would I have thought it was Italian if tasted blind - absolutely not!
Score : 78

Puccini Toscana 2008

This Super-Tuscan ( I feel in the loosest sense of the word ) from Piccini is a rounded cherry and plum mix, with a good lick of Oakey vanilla. Rich and silky, and it went soooooo well with our roast beef and Yorkshire pud, something we have not had for 5 years+. Bonus - alcohol was only 13%, so no aftereffects!
Score 84 and only about a fiver from Tesco's. I bought 6, so more for a rainy day...... Or should I say days as we have had a few in the last year.

Tesco's Finest Valpoicella Ripasso 2009

An inky blackness and purple at the rim introduces this wine to you, followed fast by meaty, herbal aromas with a hint of violets, enticing! Tasting it gives fruit, spice and those herbs again, and a hint of sour cherry rounding it all off. Overall feelings are juicy, fruity and elegant, silky in the mouth and wickedly leading you to have more.
Score is 85.

Seigneurs D'Aiguilhe 2006 Comtes von Neipperg from the Cotes de Castillon in Bordeaux, France.

A gentle enveloping Bordeaux red! Silky, oak, firm but not overpowering and the plummy fruits with spice - charming, not too heavy but enough to work with food..... Turkey and ham pie with Kohlrabi and mushroom mixed in, this is a combination made in heaven. The wine has enough acidity to cut through the fatty (but yummy) pastry and balances with the strong meaty flavours. I must remember this next year when 'turkey time' returns!
Score 89 and a price of £7.11 on a special from Waitrose.

Casa Marin from the San Antonio valley in Chile, an unusual Sauvignon Gris.2008

We had this wine with a lovely Sweet Potatoe and Goats cheese Ravioli, and the lime apricot flavours with fresh and zesty acidity really cut through the cheese and played to the sweetness of the potatoe. The tropical fruit was a welcome memory of fun times had over travels in Chile, and especially after all the rain we have suffered. Breads notes add an extra dimension, this has many structural parts, a little stunner!
We followed on with a Kohlrabi gratin, hassle-back potatoes and Cola Ham, stunning combination with the freshness of the wine, but then the meal was also tried with Chateau Musar and was a show stopper.......overall feelings on the Sauvignon Gris,juicy, warming, pithy and silky in the mouth. Score was a well deserved 89, and I am so pleased we still have one more bottle left in the cellar.

Happy New Year 2013 with a bottle of Chateau Musar 2001from the Lebanon

A lovely wine for the start of what I expect to be a fun New Year! Sweet red fruits with some delicious ageing thrown into the mix, cigar smoke ( hate it on a man but love it in this wine), a touch of spice from those well used barrels which knock the edges off this velvety liquor and make you drink more than you know you should. But hey ho, another day another ...... Well maybe not today!
Cherry and spice - such good partners, score - oh who cares if it is not 100, I thought it was last night! But today lets say 91, but maybe I should just have another....
Happy NewYear to all who visit, lots of exciting times ahead.