So after all is said and done it seems that most people today liked the '10 Nachise the best today but here are my tasting notes anyway.
2010 Arizona Stronghold Mangus $24.99
The color is actually pretty light with almost a lighter than garnet color. On the nose it was pretty fruity. Some pretty good tart fruit and red tree fruit with hints of dried leaves. It was actually pretty light in body yet very soft on the palate with medium tannins and decent acidity. This is what I would call a great pizza wine yet Nicole and I had the '09 Mangus with Filet Mignon and it went very well with it.
2010 Arizona Stronghold Nachise $24.99
So this is what you get when you cross Rhone varietals and Arizona. This was a wine that really took me for a loop. France in Arizona? Okay. Some pretty good herbs, good black tree-fruit with what I swear was burnt creme. Pretty decent on the palate with a solid core and firm tannins. Medium-bodied with a pretty fast finish. I am thinking this would be perfect with beef stew.
2010 Arizona Stronghold Dala (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) $20.99
Okay, this was a HUGE winner in my book. This is a great 100% Cabernet that blew me away. Medium intensity with a nice garnet rim. On the nose it reminded me of someone crushing fruit with hints of dried or dark candy bar chocolate. There was a hint of anise lingering around as well. Man, I don't like anise, so when I smell it, it stands out. On the palate, it was not as huge as most 100% cabs that I have tried. Very strong finish but that not that strong! I really like this wine! Something about it just tickles my palate.
2009 Arizona Stronghold Site Archive 'Lozen' $44.99
This is the Bordeaux blend from AS and at this point, I was expecting a little more from it but it really was not all that big or different from the other wines. Yes the nose was pretty big but on the palate it seemed to lose some of its weight. It was not big nor was it even huge like it should have been. Something was missing. I know they only made 150 cases so I can see where the price might come from but I really don't think it is worth the $45 on the shelf. There was some rich fruit on the palate and nose, but it seemed to fall short on the end where I like it to count. I think in the upcoming years this wine will really show but for right now...sorry AS, I can't stick this wine on my shelf as it does not meet my QPR (quality to price ratio).
Overall the wines were showing pretty well and people were amazed by the quality coming out of this winery and I look forward to having these wines around for a long time.
Cheers my friends
santo
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