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Recent Entries
Month Archive
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Sunday, November 29
2007 DOMAINE ROGER PERRIN CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE... 35.99
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Sun 29 Nov 2009 09:07 PM PST
We have all heard by now the rave reviews of the 2007 vintage in southern Rhone. Robert Parke Jr. declares it the best vintage in this area of his 30 year career. I have been searching for some deals out of Chateauneuf -du-Pape from the 2007 vintage. Now I know that thirty-six bucks does not sound like a deal, but let me tell you that anything under fifty bucks IS a deal from this region. I had this wine with my Thanksgiving meal, and it did not let me down. This wine was a big boy with loads of black pepper and dark fruit on the nose. The wine filled the palate with black pepper, cassis, forest floor notes and hints of mushroom. There was some nice black tea and leather notes on the back end which told me that this wine could sit in your cellar for the next ten years and it will only get better. If you do not have the patience for that, it is a great experience now but if you are in to putting wine away and would like a bargain for your cellar... This is the ticket. 92 points.
Wednesday, November 25
2008 PORTTEUS RATTLESNAKE HILLS PURPLE HAZE RED... 11.99
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Wed 25 Nov 2009 08:47 PM PST
Paul Porteuas came by the store the other day, and we had a nice little chat about what is going on at his winery. In the discussion he mentioned some of the wines he was producing, in particular the blends. He mentioned the Purple Haze which is a blend of 50% Petite Sirah and 50% Sangiovese. This peaked my interest because this is a blend that I have not seen from Washington State. I am sure there is another one out there, but I have never seen it. He and his wife assured me that it was very good wine, so I pulled the trigger and ordered some for the store. This wine has one of the most interesting flavor profiles I have tasted in a wine. The nose had notes of sour pie cherries and red currants. On the palate it reminded me of cranberry infused applesauce. Now this may sound strange for a red, but it was not a bad thing. After it had breathed awhile the nose started to pick up some old world style earth and toast. The palate had a definite cranberry, cherry play with good acidity and a freshness that told me this wine would get a lot better after a couple of years in the bottle. This is a great food wine and will mellow with some age. 88 points
Thursday, November 12
2007 STEPHENSON CELLARS VIOGNIER... 19.99
by
Brazenly Lucid
on Thu 12 Nov 2009 11:53 AM PST
I have yet to try a wine from this guy that I do not like. He has the touch, know how, skills and fruit source that are required to produce quality wine. It is true that some get lucky from time to time, but this is not the case with David Stephenson. He is a hard worker and his labor of love comes through in the wine. Sorry for all the gushing, but wait until you taste his viognier! To digress for just a moment, I had the privilege of consuming some Guigal Condrieu a few months ago. I thought that I had died and gone to heaven. Condrieu is a vineyard planted entirely with the viognier grape in northern Rhone and is quite hard to find. The wine is absolutely stunning! Viscous, rich, intense, oily, excellent fruit...mango, peach, apricots, well balanced I guess you could say mind-blowing. The only problem is that it is not cheap. The Guigal is around sixty bucks and that is not the most expensive of the bunch. I knew that it would be a special treat if I would ever try it again. Along comes Stephenson Cellars. I know this may sound sacrilegious to some but I am going to say, you could slip the Stephenson Cellar in a blind tasting of Condrieu and I would be hard pressed to tell if it was not one of the gems from northern Rhone... it is that good! I have to admit that when I tried it I was not prepared for what I was getting. This baby is huge in the mouth and really needs some food. Yes, it was oily, viscous and intense with excellent fruit notes of apricots and peaches that were as rich as the aforementioned Condrieu. Now here is the good part... only twenty bucks. Wow! Do your best to find some, because this wine is not only mind blowing, it would be a stellar compliment to the Thanksgiving meal. Happy Holidays!
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