Hello again,

During the past several days some very interesting wines have been available for sampling at Colonial’s tasting bar.  They range from New Mexico sparkling wine to white a Bordeaux-style blend from Australia.  

2006 Brazin Zinfandel Lodi, California - $18.99   This is a great Zin with lots of character.  The usual waves of dark fruit and spice are there, but underneath it all is chocolate note that makes it a little deeper than your typical Zinfandel.   Plus, there is acidity to balance the rich tannins, making the finish pleasantly long but not overly dry. 

2005 Big Guy Red California 24.99- A red blend from Bell Vineyards in California.  It is mostly Merlot with a good amount of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon thrown in for a very pleasing balance of fruit and spice.  A great bouquet of black fruit and spice leads to the deeper notes of red cherry, coriander, and cocoa on the palate.  Try it with spicy or smoky pork dishes for a good pairing.

2007 Coppola Pinot Noir Monterrey County California- 20.99  This Pinot is on the soft side and very light on the palate.  Typical Pinot characteristics of cherry and raspberry with a little earthiness on the finish.  It is very easy to enjoy and can be served with a little chill for those who like reds in the summer.

2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay - 19.39 Tasty fruit flavors of citrus, pear, and peach that give way to vanilla and soft notes of ginger.  Pair with lighter  dishes, Thai chicken, for example.

2008 Cape Mentelle Sauv Blanc / Semillon Margaret River, Western Australia - $20.59  Delightful creamy citrus with a crisp finish.  Some light mineral notes at the end.  This wine is a good match for fried fish or creamy pasta.

2007 Ferrari and Perini Barbera, Colli Piacentini, Italy  - $14.99  This soft, fruity wine offers a different take on the usually dark, intense Barbera grape.   It is violet colored in the glass and has aromas of roses and ripe cherries.  This wine was far more popular than I expected it to be, the result being that many people saw this as a great summertime red.

Gruet Blanc de Noirs, New Mexico, United States - $19.99  What I like so much about this wine is it’s stony, dry qualities.  There is fruit, but it takes the back seat to a chalky crispness most California sparklers lack.  The Blanc de Noirs makes superb use of Pinot Noir to balance all this dryness with delicate peach and pear flavors.  It is suitable for special occasions but priced for regular consumption.  Don’t be bashful, enjoy this wine, especially with fried foods like fish or chicken.  Take it to the next level and make popcorn and movie night “popcorn, bubbly, and movie night.”

2007 S. A. Prum Essence  Riesling, Mosel, Germany- $15.99  People from both ends of the Riesling spectrum like this wine.  Why?  It has distinct fruit aromas and flavors without being overly soft and sweet.  The soft fruit gives way to crisp, citrus minerality.  I enjoyed this wine with smoked Gouda and Golden Delicious apples. 

As always, more wines to come.  Hope to see you at the tasting bar from 1-7pm Tue - Sat.

Until then,

Hello wine lovers,

Here is another set of tasting notes of some wines that have been featured at the free tastings at Colonial Wines, as well as a few from my own “personal research” (drinking wine).

First up is Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Bourgueil 2006.  That is a real mouthful and not especially helpful if you aren’t familiar with the Loire Valley, so to help those who don’t know, allow me to clarify. Bourgueil is a French town in the northwestern region along the Loire River which runs east-west.  The reds are almost entirely Cabernet Franc but are allowed to blend small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon.  This particular example is very typical with notes of raspberry and woody graphite ( a bit like pencil shavings).  It is medium bodied with noticeable but soft tannins.  The 2006’s are perfect now and should be consumed during summer evenings with kabobs, grilled chicken, or my favorite, falafel.  Everyday price $17.69.

Next is the Anne Amie Winemaker’s Selection 2006 Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  I LOVE this wine!  So aromatic and full of spice, so powerful yet delicate on the palate.  It reminds me of Burgundy with a little more aggressive tannin.  It’s like a young Gevrey Chambertin at half the price.  These are a good value at the regular $35.99 price tag, but an absolute steal at the sale price of $24.99. 

Matthews Estate Columbia Valley Red Blend 2003 53% Cabernet Sauvignon 26% Cabernet Franc 21% Merlot 

Pronounced bouquet of red cherry and cassis with a little anise and leather.  It’s mouthfeel is very silky and more dark fruit and spice appears on the palate.  The finish is very long and somewhat intense.  I would hang on to these wines for at least a few more years but could also recommend them now for a good pairing with a rare filet of beef.

Normally $64.99; during the tasting $51.99. 

Until next time,

Drink on!

Hi everyone,

This week I tasted Atteca 2007 Old Vine Garnacha.  Now this is a grape I really like, Garnacha  (Grenache in France), performs really well in hot sunny vineyards with arid growing conditions.  When the vines are young they produce a fruity, perfumed, medium-bodied red wine good for light meals and easy drinking.  When the vines have achieved an age of 75-100+ years they are capable of producing wines with a amazingly full character while remaining very smooth on the palate.

They are available from Spain, Southern France,  Australia, and the US, but usually command a more modest price from Spanish producers.  Bodegas Ateca’s OV Garnacha  is a great example of the grape.  The bouquet is full of smoky bacon and blackberries that continue with more fruit and spice on the palate.   Cherry, plum, and dark cassis are all there, as is a pleasant mineral aspect on the finish.  I highly recommend this wine for all around enjoyment, but for an interesting food pairing try it with spicy foods like barbeque, Indian foods (especially lamb dishes), and spicy fajitas.   

Atteca Old Vine Garnacha 2007 Bodegas Ateca, Calatayud DO, Spain  $16.99

At a recent gathering several of our wines were tasted and evaluated.  Really, the basis for the tasting was to familiarize with some wines that had new or previously untasted vintages.  Below are a few of those as well as one or two from a recent store tasting.

1998 Chateau Meyney,  St  Estephe, Bordeaux, France $33.99     This wine has a bright ruby color and lots of violet flower and dark cherry in the bouquet.   The body is on the medium side of full, with velvety tannins that linger on the palate with red fruit, mineral, and spice flavors.  These 98’s already have a good amount of age and have developed nicely.  A great find for those who want to try Bordeaux that has aged nicely and still has a lot of life.

Borsao Grenache75%, Tempranillo25 % Campo de Borja, Spain $9.99       I have tried this wine for the past three vintages and the newest is just as good and even more perfumed with cinnamon and juicy red fruit.  This wine is full bodied, but is silky and finishes so softly,  it really offers the best of both worlds for a very modest price.

Treana White Blend Paso Robles California 2007 47% Viognier  53% Marsanne.  I was really impressed with this wine.  Extremely pronounced aromas of honeysuckle and peach that evolves into more complex mineral and apricot.   This wine is can be used as a great accompaniment to smoked salmon or prosciutto.  A great alternative to the usually lighter Sauvignon Blancs in the same price range.

Candor Zinfandel 2006 and 2007 multi-vintage blend , Amador, Lodi, Paso Robles.    California winemakers don’t have much a tendancy to mix vintages as they do for mixing fruit from several appellations.  Winemaker J.C Diefenderfer, who was present for this tasting, does both with this suprisingly textured Zinfnadel.  Mostly sourced from old vines, this red has tons of aroma and is very complex in it’s presentation of fruit, spice, and mineral flavors.  

Free Tastings are held Mon-Sat 2-7pm. 

Until next time, Salut!

Hello wine lovers,

I am just going to get this ball rolling and post some notes about a few of the wines that have been tasted recently at Colonial.   This is just a preview, more wines are coming in the next day or two.  Enjoy!

First up is the Albarino by Martin Codax.  This wine hails from the heart of Albarino territory in western Spain, Rias Baixas (say “reese buy-shus”).  A great alternative to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc because of the medium body of the wine.  Lots of pleasant peach aromas and light mineral finish.   An awesome value for under $15.

We also tasted the Il Leo Chianti Superiore from Ruffino.  This 2004 was very soft but had oodles of stamina, the finish on this wine just keeps going.  Lots of prune and red cherry fruit with leathery spice.  Everything that is classic Chianti in this bottle.  Normally $14.39, marked down to $9.99 for the tasting.

Lastly, we poured the White Oak Napa Merlot 2004.  Loads of black fruit and spice made this a must-have steak wine for weekend cookouts.  I found it to be very full bodied (almost 20% Cabernet Sauvignon is blended in) but silky enough to be smooth on the palate with a pleasant anise finish.  Regularly priced around $28, marked down to $20 for the tasting. 

More coming soon, Salut!