Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Cigar

It isn't too often that you have an opportunity to find a vintage cigar, unless you've been diligent about putting some down in the humidor and leaving them, so when I spotted these at the store a few weeks ago I jumped on it.

These use a 12 year old Honduran broadleaf wrapper with the binder and filler from both the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. As is my custom, I went with the robusto size which checked in at 7 inches and a 48 ring gauge.

Despite the dark maduro look, this was only medium bodied. The draw was fairly even, though there were a couple of spots where it was tight and hot. The flavor was somewhat nutty, with some cedar and earthiness to it.

At $10, this was a very good smoke and I will likely pick up a box to have on hand.

Cheers!

2005 Beaucanon Estate "Longwood" Cabernet Sauvignon

Last night we decided to grill a couple of steaks and I needed a cabernet to pair up with them. As I stood browsing in the cabernet section of the local Publix, I was struck by how many of their admittedly light selection we have had. I was just about to settle for a reliable standby when I spotted this one. Racking my brain, I could not remember ever having any vintage of this so thought "why not"?

This is a single vineyard bottling, so we were expecting something special. We were not disappointed. The nose was rich with cassis, leather and blackfruit. Initially on the palate, it was fairly closed down but with just a little bit of aeration it opened up quite nicely. There was blackberry, currant, plum and hints of raspberry followed by firm tannins. The tannins were well integrated, showing a lot of aging potential. It finished with hints of vanilla and oak.

Normally, I wouldn't put this in the everyday bucket because of the price ($20.99) but I am going to make an exception. For a single vineyard wine of this caliber, I'd normally expect to be paying $30, $40 or even more... for this price it is a steal.

Cheers!

2005 Chimney Rock Stag's Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes you just need to drink really good wine. Like on Tuesday. (Ok, really any day of the week would serve as an excuse, we just choose this one!).

This was a full-bodied Cabernet. The nose had some black currant and plum, while the palate carried this plus some tobacco nuances, smoke and silky smooth tannins. The finish seemed to never end, with a soft hint of oak.

Good cabernets can be fantastic, and this was a very good cabernet. At $39.99 it isn't one that we are going to drink on a regular basis, but like I said to begin with -- sometimes you just need to drink a really good wine.

Cheers!

2007 Beringer Founder's Estate Sauvignon Blanc

This was an incredible surprise. I have the Founder's Estate wines before, and thought that they were okay -- good for parties where you don't necessarily need a great wine. Looking for something inexpensive the other day, I chanced to pick up a bottle of the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc for $9.99.

After getting it chilled down, we popped the cork and headed out to the lanai to enjoy the early evening before cooking dinner. The nose was loaded with grapefruit -- I mean, just tons of it. There was also a note of flint and limestone. On the palate the limestone was much more prominent and balanced nicely with the citrus and acidity. This finished nicely, with nuances of white pepper.

This may be our new favorite everyday white wine. If you haven't tried it you are missing out.

Cheers!

2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

This has long been one of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs outside of New Zealand. It's a bit more expensive that what we normally drink at $15.99 a bottle, but it is darn well worth it in my opinion.

The nose has a very sharp acidity punctuated with ripe pear, melon and hints of candied apples. On the palate, this wine is very lush with pear, a zesty lemon-lime acidity, and just hints of peaches and fresh hay. This sauvignon blanc is pretty full-bodied, notwithstanding the acidity, and has a lingering finish.

This one is actually a blend of 94% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% Semillon.

Cheers!

2006 Post House "Penny Black"

Back a couple of weeks ago, we went to the monthly wine tasting at Michael's Wine Cellar, which I wrote about here. As I noted then, this was an outstanding wine which we enjoyed immensely. We had brought home a bottle, but didn't get around to opening it until just the other day. It was still a tasty treat!

This wine was deep, saturated purple-black in color with hardly any lightening around the edges. It looked like an inky and brooding wine! The nose had dark fruit, blueberry and peppers. On the palate it was somewhat earthy initially, giving way to some cocoa, cedar, plum and cherry with tannins that were just a touch on the gritty side. The finish was impressive, lasting more than a minute with ease.

This is a blend of 38% Shiraz, 32% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot and was $21.95.

Cheers!

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Tasting

We had the opportunity yesterday to attend the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits tasting at our local ABC Store (University in Sarasota). There was a lot of good wine and food, and a very good crowd. I think we tasted most of the wine there between the two of us, but we didn't get tons of notes. I'll highlight as much as I can from memory and the few notes that I do have.

There were 12 tables with wine and spirits. Neither of us tried any of the spirits. And unfortunately, they didn't have the cigar table outside :-(

If we tasted the wine, we tried to note the vintage and price; the tasting sheet included neither so a lot of that information is missing.

Table 1

• Accuro Torrontes (2008) - This was a bit acidic, with little fruit and a touch of sweetness
• Bufani Pinot Grigio
• Goerg Piesporter Domherr Riesling Kabinett (2007, $11.99) - This was very tasty, with a nice hint of petrol and some sweetness
• Nugan Chardonnay
• Pozzi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - I believe it's the same vintage as the one we recently reviewed here
• Young Mel Sauvignon Blanc - I believe this is also the same vintage as this one here

Table 2

• Penfolds Thomas Hyland Shiraz - always tasty, this was rich with spicy peppers and dark plum fruit
• Penfolds Cabernet/Shiraz Bin 389 - A nice, full-bodied red with an undercurrent of spice
• Sebastiani Sonoma Cask Cabernet Sauvignon
• Sebastiani Sonoma Cask Chardonnay
• Cupcake Chardonnay
• Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc
• Castello d'Abola Pinot Grigio
• Butera Insolia
• Dooley's Toffee Liqueur
• Firefly Lemon
• Firefly Mint
• Firefly Peach
• Firefly Raspberry

Table 3

• Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
• Murphy Goode Fume Blanc
• Silverado Sauvignon Blanc
• Jekel Johannisberg Riesling (2007, $10.99) - This was a surprisingly good Riesling that had an almost German petrol nose to it. Slightly sweet, but very well balanced
• Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante
• Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon (2006 & 2007 tasted, $13.99) - Good, value priced cabernet
• Bonterra Zinfandel ($14.99) - Spicy zinfandel
• Relax Cool Red
• Byron Pinot Noir (2007, $23.99) - Allison really liked this one; it was one of the last ones I tasted and definitely had palate fatigue so didn't get any notes
• Martin Codax Albarino - Not sure if this was the same vintage, but we've reviewed Martin Codax 2007 here
• Mirassou Chardonnay
• Bacardi Dragon Berry
• 3 Olives Triple Expresso

Table 4

• Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon ($11.99) - Allison gave it a happy face
• Casa Lapostolle Rapael Merlot
• Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc
• Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (2008, $29.99) - Always excellent, this exploded with grassy, herbal notes surrounded by bright floral overtones and a firm acidity
• Chandon Brut
• Terrazas Chardonnay (2007, $11.99) - Very, very oaky with just hints of fruit
• Seagrams Sweet Tea Vodka
• Zaya Rum

Table 5

• Beringer California Collection Chardonnay
• Beringer California Collection Pinot Noir
• Beringer Founder's Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• Beringer Founder's Estate Chardonnay
• Meridian Chardonnay
• Cellar 8 Zinfandel - Fairly fruit forward, with just hints of spice

Table 6

• Woodhaven Chardonnay
• Alcanta Crianza - Interesting blend of Tempranillo and Monastrell that was very fruit driven
• Champy Bourgogne Pinot Noir
• Cristia Raseau CDR (2007)
• Girls in the Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
• Water Wheel Memsie Red (2006)

Table 7

• Cruzan Single Barrel Rum
• Sauza Hornitos Plata

Table 8

• Madiran Laplace (2004, $11.99) - 60% Tannant, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon - interesting blend that was somewhat acidic
• Chateau Galoupet Rose (2008, $14.99) - Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre blend that showed a lot of bright fruit
• Chateau Galoupet Red (2005, $14.99) - Also a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre that was full of red licorice
• Eric Rocher Viognier

Table 9

• Jordan Chardonnay
• Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir (2006, $33.99) - Wow! This was a fantastic Pinot; full of raspberry and dark cherry fruit it was still massive even after a couple of cabernets! Our favorite of the night
• Sbragia Cabernet Sauvignon (2005, $29.99) - Former winemaker for Beringer Vineyards, this Cabernet is an outstanding effort with tons of dark fruit, silky tannins and a lingering finish
• Simi Cabernet Sauvignon
• Mumm Napa Brut
• Bertani Valpantena (2005, $17.99) - A Ripassa style wine with dark fruit and hints of raisin
• Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay
• Zolo Torrontes (2007, $10.99) - Good fruit, with a hint of sweetness... very good

Table 10

• Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon
• Estancia Merlot
• Estancia Sauvignon Blanc
• Simi Chardonnay ($9.99) - Not an oaky chardonnay
• Wente Charles Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon
• Wente Pinot Noir (2006, $17.99) - Light purple color but a robust Pinot with good red fruit
• Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay
• Tamas Pinot Grigio

Table 11

• Amarula Cream
• Artesa Chardonnay
• Voga Italia Pinot Grigio
• Seven Daughters Red - Apparently non-vintage also, made from 7 different red grapes. I didn't note the particulars, but remember 50% Merlot and the rest all over the board... neither of these two wines were memorable
• Seven Daughters White - Apparently non-vintage, this is was strange blend of 24% French Colombard, 19% Chardonnay, 17% Riesling, 17% Symphony, 11% Orange Muscat, 6% Gewurztraminer and 6% Sauvignon Blanc... they forgot the kitchen sink!
• Markham Sauvignon Blanc (2006, $12.69 sale price) - Allison noted that it was very nice
• Markham Merlot

Table 12

• Nuvo Sparkling Vodka
• Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka

For $10 each, this was a very good tasting. You also got a $5/off coupon good for yesterday only, so really this was $5 each! There was a range of quality and prices represented, and a wide range of styles and countries.

Finally, in addition to the 12 tables above there was a mystery tasting table with 6 wines - 3 red and 3 white. For each wine, you had two opportunities to score points - the varietal and the country of origin (total of 12 points). The person with the highest score picked up a $25 gift card. The wines were:

• German Riesling (I got both - 2 points)
• French Vouvray (I said US Chardonnay - 0 points)
• South African Sauvignon Blanc (I said New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - 1 point)
• Australian Cabernet Sauvignon (I said US Merlot - 0 points)
• US Zinfandel (I got both - 2 points)
• US Pinot Noir (I got both - 2 points)

Total score for Gary = 7 points. I didn't win; the winner had 8 points so definitely not too bad. I should have done this first, rather than towards the end of the tasting although I'm not sure I would have done any better.

Cheers!

2007 Francis Coppola Diamond Series Sauvignon Blanc

Francis Coppola's winery produces an amazing array of wines. From the high-end Bordeaux styled blend Rubicon to the everyday Diamond Series of wines, they are consistently high quality. We particularly like the Diamond Series Claret, and are apt to open it with a grilled steak just about anytime. So it was somewhat surprising that Allison didn't care for this one at all. And while I enjoyed it, it didn't seem to live up to what I was expecting.

The nose was wonderfully reminiscent of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which for me is pretty much the standard for new world sauvignon blanc. There was a lot of grassy, herbal notes with sweet fruit on the nose. The palate was full of ripe kiwi, lemon and fresh-cut grass with a good, crisp acidity.

The problem is that it felt disconnected somehow. The fruit at times overshadowed the acidity, while at other times the acidity would kill the fruit. Also, it had an extremely short finish that ended with a hint of burnt almond. It was interesting; not bad, just interesting. At $9.99, there are certainly some other Sauvignon Blancs that we will likely reach for before this one.

Cheers!

2005 Sasyr Toscana Rocca delle Macie

Not too long ago, Allison and I went to our first Lakewood Ranch Wine Club tasting (read about it here) where we tried the 2006 version of this. We were not terribly impressed then, but being the open minded wine drinkers that we are we decided to give it another shot. At the time I picked this up, I didn't realize it was a different vintage but the end result is still the same... we don't care for it.

The 2005 is also a blend of Sangiovese (60%) and Syrah (40%) but it seemed more fruit forward than the 2006 did. Actually, it seemed a whole lot more fruit forward; not quite a fruit bomb, but awfully close. Lots of berry and plum flavors going off against a backdrop of slight vegetal and woody undertones. The tannins were very rough on the finish, which fortunately didn't last long.

Not sure why the price difference, but this one came in at $16.99 a bottle vs. the $23 we were told the 2006 cost. In either case, in our opinion it is not worth spending the money on.

Cheers!

2005 St. Francis Winery "Red"

Here was another recommendation from Steve over at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. I was in search of Tiz Red, which they have discontinued, and he suggested this as an alternative. Seeing that it is produced by St. Francis Winery, how could I say no? St. Francis has long been one of those wineries that I've admired for consistently high quality wine year in and year out.

The nose was full of brillant red cherry fruit, and at first blush we thought we might be in for a fruit bomb. As we tasted it, the cherry hit the front palate explosively but quickly gave way to some spicy pepper, plum and hints of cedar. Medium-to-full bodied with elegant tannins well integrated, this was a tasty wine from start to finish.

This is a blend of 58% Merlot, 25% Syrah, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Zinfandel. At $9.99 a bottle, it is a very good value and definitely one you should try.

Cheers!

2004 Graham Beck Shiraz

By now it should be apparent that we are big fans of spicy Shiraz, and while we think that Australia really sets the bar for high quality at reasonable prices, South Africa is really beginning to offer some serious challenge to this status (or at least in our minds anyway). We recently had an opportunity to try this one, and it seriously rocked.

The nose was fat and rich with dark fruit and woodsy aromas. On the palate, hints of pepper, herbs, coffee and oak all intermingled. This was seriously full-bodied, but somehow not over the top. I think that it struck a perfect balance of finesse and weight. The finish was massive, filled with sweet tannins that lingered for a long, long time.

At $11.99, this was a fantastic bottle of wine. We drank it solo, but I'd love to pair it up with some grilled sausages and peppers. This is going on the everyday list of wines.

Cheers!

2007 Lonen Cabernet Sauvignon

This was recommended to us by our friend Steve over at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits last week. Apparently they had tasted it at a sales meeting, and he was pretty impressed with it. We are always up for a good Napa Cabernet, and since it came with such a great recommendation, we decided to take a chance.

Lonen Winery offers their wines through their website, and of purchases made there, 10% is donated to the Musella Foundation which aids in brain tumor research. You can read the sad story of how they came to be involved with this organization on the website as well.

The nose was full of bright red fruit - cherry and plum - and hinted at what was going to be a pretty substantial wine. On the palate, there was the red fruit plus hints of some blueberry, cassis and touches of leather. The tannins were pretty pronounced, and a bit on the gritty side -- definitely not smooth nor silky. And the finish was rather short and abrupt.

This one was $20.99 a bottle, and while we did like the wine it never seemed to really all meld together but was rather clunky feeling. With some bottle time, the tannins could settle down which I think would help a lot. We'll probably try it again in the future to see.

Cheers!

Taste Dining & Travel - Walking Progressive Dinner for Summer

Tonight we ventured downtown for a walking progressive dinner in downtown Sarasota. The event was sponsored by Taste Dining and Travel and in addition to introducing folks to 3 local establishments also supported couple of charity organizations:

Meals on Wheels

All Faiths Food Bank

The evening started at Sarasota Vineyards for wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres. There were 4 wines being sampled:

• 2007 Bosco del Merlo Pinot Grigio (Italy) - lighter style, with crisp acidity
• 2007 Third Wife Chardonnay (US) - leaner than a lot of Chardonnay, and not quite as oaky as many California Chards
• 2007 Third Wife Cabernet Sauvignon (US) - lighter style cabernet, with a lot of early fruit followed by medium tannins and oak
• 2006 Campus Oaks Zinfandel (US) - from Lodi, with bright fruit and a mild spice

Next, we moved next door to Barnacle Bill's Seafood for dinner, where we had previously been offered a choice of entres that included Bouillabaisse, Shrimp & Lobster Newburg, Wild Salmon, Halibut or Strip Steak. We both went with the Bouillabaisse which was made with fish, shellfish, lobster, tomatoes, white wine, saffron, olive oil, garlic, herbs and vegtables. This was a large meal... and quite tasty.

Finally, we ended up at Mozaic for dessert & coffee. The dessert was a mixed plate which included a molten lava cake, some type of whipped cream with fruit and I believe a cream brulee served in an egg shell (I didn't hear the server give all the specifics so you'll have to forgive me on my guesses here!). It was all pretty tasty, but honestly after all of the food and wine so far it was difficult to truly enjoy. I could have skipped dessert all together and been perfectly happy.

Needless to say, we had a great time! We made some new friends and are looking forward to the next one in about 6 weeks.

Cheers!

2007 Dry Creek Vineyards Fume Blanc

Dry Creek Vineyards has always been a good producer, and we have on numerous occasions enjoyed a number of their wines. However, it has been a couple of years since we've had anything from them. Spotting the 2007 Fume Blanc the other day, it seemed like a good time to rectify that oversight.

The nose was full of herbs and citrus fruit. It was almost a little overbearing. However, the palate was somewhat of a disappointment. Yes, there was the lemon-lime zing, some straw and perhaps even a hint of kiwi but it was all very subdued. There was some minerality and acidity, but somehow it seemed sort of "flat". Our general take was that while decent, it wasn't the quality that we were expecting from this producer or at this price point ($12.99).

Cheers!

2007 Pozzi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Of course montepulciano is the grape, and d'Abruzzo means "from Abruzzo"... so there you go! Seriously, Abruzzo is on the eastern side of central Italy, with poor grape growing land in the lowlands to the south and central part of the region. The best montepulciano definitely comes from the northern part of the region. Typically these are lighter styled wines, with a lot of fruit when young giving way to a more earthy and rustic profile as they age. Generally, I don't think that these improve terribly much beyond 4-5 years after release.

This past Saturday we stopped in at our local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits to pick up some wines for the coming week as well as to see what might be open for tasting. This Pozzi was one of the offerings, and we thought it good enough to pick up a bottle.

This wine definitely leans to the lighter style, with a lot of red cherry and licorice on the nose. The palate showed the fruit as well as a hint of mint undertone, as well as some very faint minerality.

Honestly, there was a lot of stuff going on both on the nose and palate. Unfortunately, it never really seemed to mesh together but rather seemed to all be vying for attention. In the end, I don't think either of us really cared for this wine. At $7.99 it wasn't bad by any stretch, it just wasn't our style.

Cheers!

2008 Ruffino Orvieto Classico

Orvieto is located in the Southwestern part of Umbria, near central Italy. Orvieto is also a style of white wine typically made with Grechetto and Trebbiano grapes. Of course, Ruffino is probably best known for their Chianti's, and even though they don't own vineyards in Orvieto because of their reputation they are able to source excellent grapes to make this Orvieto Classico.

The nose explodes with wildflower, ripe apple and fig while on the palate there is a balance between the fruit, wet limestone and clean acidity. It is very refreshing and smooth, with a weight somewhere between a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc; sort of middle-lightweight.

We paid $6.99 which definitely puts this into the "everyday wine" category. Excellent by itself, and works equally well with a light salad or fresh seafood simply prepared.

Cheers!

Michael's Monthly Wine Tasting - July 2009

Yesterday was the July tasting at Michael's Wine Cellar. This was our second foray into this event, and we were both pleased and disappointed at the same time.

The things that pleased us were that it seemed to flow a little bit better than last month, and we were able to get in and out in good time. The disappointment was that there was a lot of stuff that was tasted last month. I was talking to the wine rep from Terry Seitz Wines and she was telling me that in her portfolio there is only around 50 wines and as a result we'd probably see a couple of repeats on a regular basis. Now, this makes sense but I've got to believe that some of the other distributors have hundreds of wines in their book and we shouldn't see as much duplication. In any event, there was still a lot of new stuff to try and we took full advantage.

Anyway, here was the lineup and some of our notes (if there aren't any notes, either we didn't taste it, it was a repeat from last month or it just didn't stand out in any way):

Table 1

• 2008 MAN Vintners Chardonnay, South Africa, $9.95
• 2007 Girard Sauvignon Blanc, US, $14.95
• 2008 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Gris, US, $15.95
• 2008 Dom. de la Petite Cassagne Rose, France, $9.95 - This was listed on the tasting sheet, but wasn't actually available - bummer!
• 2007 Ponzi Vineyards "Rosato" Rose, US, $14.95 - I really liked this one a lot; it was bone dry, with red cherry fruit and crisp acidity
• 2006 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, US, $43.95 - Allison thought that this was a good cabernet but probably not at this price point

Table 2

• 2008 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio, Italy, $14.95
• 2007 La Luciana Gavi, Italy, $14.95 - We both thought that this was a lot more fruit forward in style than other Gavi's we've tasted. It was good, just not great
• 2007 Lucien Albrecht "Balthazar" Pinot Blanc, France, $12.95
• 2007 Di Majo Norate Sangiovese, Italy, $9.95
• 2005 Falesco Vitiano, Italy, $10.95
• 2006 Felipe Rutini Malbec, Aregentina,$15.95

Table 3

• 2007 Amani Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa, $13.95
• 2007 Morgenhof Estate Chenin Blanc, South Africa, $13.95
• 2007 Iona Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa, $17.95 - A very New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc, with lots of citrus fruit and some grassy herbaceousness
• 2008 Post House "Blueish Black" Shiraz/Pinotage, South Africa, $14.95
• 2005 Avontuur "Vintner's Red" Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc, South Africa, $11.95
• 2006 Post House "Penny Black" Merlot/Shiraz, South Africa, $21.95 - This was probably our favorite of the day - 38% Shiraz, 32% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot - We brought a bottle home, so I'll post a separate review of this shortly which is reviewed here.

Table 4

• 2007 Perrone "Sourgal" Moscato d'Asti, Italy, $15.95 - Excellent Moscato, with rich flavors and lots of effervescence
• 2007 Honig Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, US, $15.95
• 2005 Quinta Do Feital Auratus, Portugal, $15.95
• 2008 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec, Argentina, $9.95
• 2007 Bernard Baudry "Les Granges" Chinon, France, $17.95 - Disappointing, very acidic with little fruit
• 2007 Adelsheim "Wallace Brook" Pinot Noir, US, $17.95

Table 5

• 2007 Two Angels Sauvignon Blanc, US, $12.95 - Another New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc, but without the solid crispness; this almost felt flabby like a chardonnay
• 2005 Lincourt Chardonnay, US, $16.95
• 2007 Merryvale "Starmont" Chardonnay, US, $16.95
• 2006 Klinker Brick "Lodi" Zinfandel, US, $17.95 - Tasted last month, and it is still a big fruit bomb without any spice to it
• 2006 Dead Letter Office Shiraz, Australia, $18.95 - This was a good Aussie shiraz, with a nice balance of black fruit and moderate spice

Table 6

• 2007 Brampton Charodnnay, South Africa, $9.95
• 2008 Mulderbosch Rose, South Africa, $10.95
• 2008 Dom. du Salvard Cheverny, France, $13.95 - This is one that needs to be hand sold to folks, but once they've had it they'll come back for more. Blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc that is full bodied, with pear and apricot on the front which finishes with a hint of wildflower and a touch of acidity. Perfect party white!
• 2007 Oliver Savary Chablis, France, $22.95 - Yum! This was a fantastic Chablis with clean mineral and limestone
• 2006 Clayhouse Vineyards "Adobe Red" Zinfandel, US, $14.95
• 2007 Albet i Noya Tempranillo, Spain, $12.95 - This was an interesting Tempranillo that sees no oak aging so it shows a lot more fruit than is typical. Still had some weight to it, but there was hardly any tannin or earthiness to it at all.

Table 7

• 2007 Kilda Chardonnay, Australia, $8.95
• 2008 Ironberry Chardonnay/Viognier, Australia, $9.95
• 2007 Gini Soave Classico, Italy, $18.95
• 2007 Gouguenheim "Valle Escondido" Malbec, Argentina, $9.95
• 2006 Ironberry Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot, Australia, $9.95
• 2007 Hugh Hamilton "Jim Jim" Shiraz, Australia, $11.95

Table 8

• 2008 Borsao Rose, Spain, $7.95 - Interesting rose from 100% Grenache; medium-bodied, with dark fruit and some clean acidity
• 2008 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, $11.95
• 2007 Borsao Camp de Borja, Spain, $7.95 - What's happened to this? It didn't use to be such a fruit forward style...
• 2008 Susana Balbo "Crios" Rose de Malbec, Argentina, $11.95
• 2003 Dom. de Triennes St. Auguste, France, $14.95 - Allison said she liked this one, but I thought it had a strange astringency to it
• 2005 Guigal Rouge Cotes du Rhone, France, $13.95

So, aside from many wines being duplicates from last month, this was a very good tasting. If you aren't a member of the Conoisseur club I definitely recommend joining. Just these monthly tastings are worth the $10 one-time membership!

We hope to see you there next month. Cheers!

2006 Page Wine Cellars "3 Doves" Merlot

We drink very little Merlot, because typically it is too fruit forward for our taste. Occasionally however, we will find one that is more full-bodied and less fruit driven. Allison tasted this one the other night at Sarasota Vineyard, and thought that it was pretty good there. So she brought a bottle home with her.

On the nose, there were notes of cherry and bell pepper. The palate was full of red cherry and plum, with touches of chocolate and fig and a hint of smoke. There was a fair amount of tannins, that were not very well integrated and gave the finish a slight harshness.

Overall, we didn't like this one as much as we thought we might. It definitely wasn't the hardcore fruit drive merlot but neither was it the big, full-bodied heavyweight merlot that we do like. At the price point ($26) it definitely isn't one that we are likely to buy again.

Cheers!

NV Roederer Brut Premier

A lot of people think that champagne is for the holidays or special occasions, and fail to appreciate it for a great everyday wine. We happen to love champagne, and while we don't drink it as frequently as we might like to, we are not afraid to pop a cork any day of the week.

One of our favorites over the years has been Louis Roederer NV Brut Premier. Being non-vintage, it is very consistent year to year rather than being subject to what a particular year might offer. Each year, some of the juice is held in reserve so that each new bottling is a blend of several different vintages. If I recall correctly, Roderer NV is typically juice from 4 to 5 different years. It also typically has some bottle aging before it is released.

In recent years, the price has crept up. When we left Birmingham in 2008, it was $50/bottle. We were extremely excited the other day to find it locally for $34.99! We quickly picked up a couple of bottles, and you know we just had to open one of them shortly thereafter.

The nose was rich with notes of wheat and wildflower. The palate was full-bodied and yeasty, with notes of almond and honey. There wasn't a lot of bubbles like we've seen in the past, however the ones that were there were extremely fine and lasted throughout the bottle which was open for nearly 90 minutes.

If you are looking for a champagne that you know will be consistently good, this is a perfect selection. While maybe not an everyday champagne, it is an excellent value.

Cheers!

Sidebar - A lot of local wine shops don't carry tons of good champagne except around the holidays. If you are looking for a great online source, be sure to check out D and M Liquors in Sanfranciso. We've had excellent success with them over the years.

2004 Trimbach Pinot Blanc

We don't often drink wines from Alsace, and I'm not really sure why. They are darn tasty, great all-around wines that give plenty of options for pairing with food or just for having a glass of wine in the afternoon. They do tend to be a little bit higher than a lot of whites we typically drink, partly due to the dollar vs. Euro and partly because of their pedigree. In any case, that typically are not too much higher. This one clocked in at $14.99.

This Pinot Blanc was pretty substantial. The nose was rich with white flower and apricot notes, while the palate was creamy, with some hints of almond and oak. The finish was quite substantial, lasting for nearly a minute.

At first I didn't care for this very much, as it seemed pretty oaky but with a little bit of aeration it developed quite nicely. The other thing I would note here is that while some white wines from Alsace can age pretty well, this one is recommended to drink a lot younger than this one was. I think that it would have been a lot more lively and fruit driven had it not been 5 years old.

Cheers!

Mozaic Restaurant - Downtown Sarasota

Allison wanted to go down to the bayfront last night and watch the 4th of July fireworks. Since we were going to be down there anyway, and had been wanting to try Mozaic we made reservations for 7:30.

Mozaic appears to be fairly small when you first walk-in, but they have an upstairs area and is pretty decent sized after all. We were promptly greeted and seated, even though we showed up about 15 minutes early for our reservation. We were given a table upstairs and next to the railing, so we overlooked the front door and dining room, as well as had views of the sidewalk through ample windows along the front and could somewhat people watch.

The service overall was very, very good; however, at times, it tended to be a little too slow. We were promptly brought water and our drink orders taken but it wasn't until our appetizers were at the table that we got silverware and utensils. Not a major issue, just a minor pet peeve.

Allison ordered wild mushroom ravioli for an appetizer. The ravioli was freshly made, and she declared that it was perfect. I had a duck leg confit, which was served over an orange infused risotto, and it too was spot on.

For an entre, I selected the trio - grilled lamb rack, spiced duck breast and blue crab flan. The lamb was perfectly medium-rare, and there were 2 pretty good sized pieces. The duck was cooked just right, although the spice could have been a bit over the top. I really am not sure what the blue crab flan was supposed to bring to the dish. It was good, but there was very little crab and it just didn't work with the other meat in my opinion. This was served with potatoes gratin and some grilled vegtables. Over all, I loved this dish.

Allison ordered the special - grilled Ahi Tuna. The tuna was cooked rare, exactly as ordered. Unfortunately, it was over salted and she had to trim the edge off in order to eat it. The restaurant did not charge us for this, which was the right thing to do in my opinion, and both the owner (or manager - not sure which) as well as the chef both came over to the table to apologize.

I elected to forgo desert, instead settling for a cup of decaf coffee while Allison ordered a chocolate mousse with sorbet which she absolutely loved.

We decided to go with a bottle, rather than individual wines, this time and choose a 2006 La Spinetta Ca'Di Pian Barbera d'Asti. We were looking for something that would go with the range of dishes we had ordered and overall this worked pretty well. It was a touch heavier that I thought it would be but quite delicious. Notes of red cherry and cassis balanced by mild tannins and acidity. The wine prices appeared to be very reasonable.

Overall, we gave this visit 4 stars - only because of the tuna. We had a great time, and will definitely be going back.

Cheers!

By the way - they also have a Saturday afternoon wine/food tasting. For $15 you get 5 wines and 3 small plates, plus a $10 gift certificate for the restaurant! Wow!! We can't wait to try this one out next week.