2002 Syncline Winery Milbrandt Vineyard Syrah, Columbia Valley $14

Dark purple in color, nose of black fruit jams and spices, a little sweet with a hint of pepper. Nice long finish of spices and herbs. Should age well for 10 years. Tasted Feb. 2004.

2002 Domaine Francois Mikulski, Meursault-Charmes, Côte de Beaune $50

This was the first time I was trying this producer and I can say that I really was not that impressed. I had heard a few good things so I thought, what the hell. Yah well it was decent but not for the price. A bit darker than hay in color with a light nutty nose and some honey/lemon on the palate. Good acidity and balance but nothing to really scream about. Wine should peak in a few years. I'll try it again in a few and see if she hits me different.

2004 Domaine Jean Boillot et Fils, Puligny-Montrachet, Clos de la Mouches, Côte de Beaune $80

Does the word minerals mean anything to anyone? This wine has it. Could it be since the vines are stacked on top of argilo limestone? Nah that couldn't be it at all. A light hint of honey and wet rock on the nose but then on the palate you get smacked with this white peach and over-ripe tree fruit that should be found only in Georgia! The wine is balanced and ready to roll. Minerals come through all the way to the end leaving a nice light peach/honey residual left for the finish. What the hell was I just tasting? Amazing.

2004 Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne, Côte de Beaune $105

This bottle was great. Light as hay in color with a nice rich malolactic nose and a slight bread dough hint to follow. Very soft on the front palate with just a hint of spice on the tip of the tongue. Great notes of light white pepper and hints of very light vanilla. I think it was aged for about 14 months as it is a bit chewy on the end. Imagine this wine with a nice baked chicken and some fried potatoes! In about 7 years this wine will really show you what it's made of.

Box of wine

That's right, I had a box of wine with dinner and it was good. Non-Vintage box of table wine. Good citrus notes with a pretty light nose, clear as a bell and ready to rock. Only cost me €1,70 for 3 little boxes. Not bad for a daily drinker.

2007 Cantina dei Colli Amerini, Ameroe Rosso €4,00

A buddy of mine brought over this gem one night for dinner but we never got the chance to open it. A few night later she was cracked open. He told me it was about €4,00 and has been buying it for dinner. Not a bad little bottle! Great fresh nose of light flowers and a smooth delicate palate. The finish was nice and soft. This is not one of those big hitters where you need a steak, this will do fine for chicken or fish. Production is pretty small at only around 100 cases. Good choice Brad.

Matt Skinner: Yes, I've recommended untasted wines

The following was posted on the Decanter.com website a few days ago. This is the kind of shit that gives us wine nerds a bad name. People that are SO big on themselves that they start to recommend wines they have never tasted.

Matt Skinner: Yes, I've recommended untasted wines

November 13, 2009

Stuart Peskett and Adam Lechmere

Jamie Oliver's head of wine Matt Skinner has admitted to not tasting several wines that he recommends in his latest book.

In The Juice 2010, published by Mitchell Beazley in the UK, Skinner lists New World wines from the 2009 vintage that were not bottled until months after the last deadline for the book.

Skinner, who is group wine manager for TV chef Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in Melbourne, was originally criticised by New Zealand wine writer Michael Cooper in The Listener magazine.

Cooper claimed that Skinner could not have recommended a New Zealand wine months ahead of publication, before Cooper himself had even tasted it.

In a statement sent to decanter.com Skinner said, 'It is imperative that I taste all the wines that I recommend.

'However there are some releases that are consistent from year to year, and as popular, good value and accessible wines I want to include them because I know that my readers will appreciate them.

'In order to do so I include non-specific tasting notes based on the current and previous year's vintage, focusing more on basic flavours and compatibility with food.'

There is no indication in the text that these notes are non-specific. The entry for the Vasse Felix Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River, priced at £11.99, reads, '…the palate is fresh as a daisy and puncuated by the kind of lip-smacking acidity that makes this wine almost impossible to put down.'

The wines recommended from 2009 are Jacob's Creek Riesling 2009, Nepenthe Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc, Vasse Felix Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River, Brown Brothers Moscato, Unison Rosé, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand and Doña Dominga Old Vines Chardonnay from Colchagua, Chile.

Skinner's tasting notes are submitted every January, with a final revision date in May, before publication in October of the same year. Most of the wines in question are not bottled, or shown for tasting, until June or July.

Hilary Lumsden, Mitchell Beazley commissioning editor, said, 'For our first edition, in 2006, the feedback we got was that by the time people went out and bought the book, the wines were already off the shelves, so the book was effectively out of date.

'We either upset one side or the other. There's the side that wants the most up-to-date information, and there's Michael Cooper's side. The majority of the wines in The Juice don't rely on vintage variation. A lot of them are going to be consistent each vintage.'

However, in a recent GQ column, Skinner wrote: 'It's important to remember that every year is different and that no two years – even in the same spot – will ever be the same. That's the beauty of Mother Nature.'

Mitchell Beazley said in a statement, 'It is always our intention that the advice we give is accurate and reflective of the wines available.'

Mitchell Beazley is the UK's leading wine publisher, whose list of authors includes Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (the World Atlas of Wine), Andrew Jefford (The New France), Stephen Brook, Michael Schuster and other major wine writers.

2007 Corvo Red Wine, Sicily 375ml €2,35

I was at the store a few days ago and picked up a few 1/2 bottles of wine to have around the new place. Since the wife does not like wine (I know) and I have no real place to store it, I will be buying wine as I go. I did see some nice 1/2 bottles of Sassicaia but Emily was with me and she already had a hunch I was going to try to sneak a bottle in. Back to the juice.

The 2007 Corvo Red Wine was shitty! I've sold tons of it at the store over the years, never really told anyone that I liked it but it sold so I left it alone. This this was just fucking gross. Color wise the wine was light to burgundy in color with a light rim. OK seemed nice. Had a nose of light fruit and sweet oak. Not sure what kind of oak but if I was a betting man I'd put a few dollars on Czech or Slavonian oak for 8 to 12 months. Again, just me though. On the palate this thing went down like a spiked punch then hit the tummy like a rock with acid covering it. Then came the burn of the throat and tummy. Where the hell are my Tums and what the hell was that. I'm having pasta with a medium red sauce and this thing just took my palate on a date with a ruffie to follow.

Lets hope the other bottle is better than the last!

I still have my eye on the Sassicaia!

No post in about a month

I will be posting soon. The wife and I moved to Rome Italy and have been setting up shop. Post will be coming in the next week......

Ciao

1994 Chateau Latour, Pauillac $400

This is the third time I have tasted this vintage. The first was at an auction tasting where I was outbid by $100 for the case and the other was when I cracked it open for a few people in the industry. This time it was ready for the rock and maybe even the roll.

Wine was still dark as night and very wealthy in the nose. I've always picked up the dark tree fruit and the hint of citrus but now I was getting a light fennel in the mix. On the palate this bitch was HUGE. Full bodied and rich with big tannins that tasted like having black pepper on the tip on the tongue. Tannins turned to silk as my mouth felt like I was having a silk milk shake. Finish was as long as a porn stars moan.

I've only got six bottles left so I think I'll wait a year till I crack another one. If I can wait that long.

2005 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon "Juliet" Napa Valley $50

As most people who know me, I am not a huge fan of California wines. It could be that I've tasted to many wines that were over oaked and lacking fruit. The 2005 Beau Vigne is completely different.

Barn door red in color. On the nose the wines has lots of soft black cherry and light coffee. The palate carries some light chocolate, vanilla with very silky tannins. Wine is medium to full bodied with a nice long 30 second finish. I really need to pick up a few more bottles of this.

Tasted 09/2008

2007 Leonetti Cellar Merlot, Walla Walla Valley $85.00

I want to be up front and honest. I have never been a real fan of Leonetti. The wines seem to be over oaked, over extracted and just to damn spendy for what they are. That being said...

***Please notes that I tried this wine about 12 hours after it was opened.

Rich red in color with a helping of oak, dried herbs and black tree fruit on the nose. On the palate more oak and herbs with some good sweet red fruit. The finish was actually smooth since the tannins were pretty calm and there are lots of fruit that follow. I think this might be on of the very few Leonetti wines I like.

2006 Betz Family Winery Clos de Betz Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50.00

I took this directly from the Betz Family Winery page. This is one hell of a blend.

47% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec

41% Horse Heaven Hills, 31% Yakima Valley, 28% Red Mountain

Another wine that blend that is out of this world. Burgundy in color with rich notes of Casis, mocha and a hint of espresso. Soft and rich on the palate with light cherry on the finish.

If you are looking for a wine that will knock your socks out for a great price. Plus for the so-called low-end Betz wine, look at all the different grapes and vineyards used for this blend.

2006 Betz Family Winery Syrah, La Côte Rousse. Red Mountain $75.00

First let say that this Syrah is almost black with a rich red rim. On the nose, rich spices, dried herbs and a hint of mocha/latte. On the palate this wine makes you stand up. Let me say that as a 2006, it should sit for another few years! On the palate black pepper comes to mind with very light hints of dark chocolate. The wine is perfectly balanced with the tannins being huge but still within the white line. I do know Bob Betz, MW to say that I have taken some wine lessons from him while I was working at Chateau Ste. Michelle and that he is someone I look up too in the wine world. He is a man of his word and makes wines that are made to drink and age. Damn good shit!

2005 Shafer One Point Five, Stags Leap District, Napa $70

All I can say is that this bitch is big and it felt like it was so full in the mouth it was going to dribble out. Loads of dry red fruit with a slight spice on the nose. On the palate there are some nice wood spices and currants. Tannins are full and pretty well balanced. Nice but really not my kind of wine.

2006 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah, Walla Walla $50

With a blend of 54% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 6% Malbec, this wine is a beauty. Pretty dark in color with just a hint of purple in the center. Good amount of black vine fruit and stone fruit. Palate wise this wine has some pretty big tannins and the heat to back it up. I believe Speculator gave this around a 93 and I would guess Parker would hit it with a 94. Pretty nice wine if you like right-bank Bordeaux styles. I just wish we could go back to the days of 12% alcohol.

4 Wines From Chateau Ste. Michelle

I headed down to the winery today to just taste a few wines and sharpen my palate. First of all, the price of the pay tasting bar is now $10 rather than $5. Fine, I'll bite. Service was a bit poor and seemed like they were just not into what they were doing. Sad since when I worked there I always wanted to come into work. Had a group of people that came in from the Vintage Reserve Room (This is the high-end tasting room) and take up a bunch of room. They kept trying to get more people at the bar which was pushing me out. Funny since they could not pronounce the names of the grapes. Oh well.

2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay $18.00

Light yellow in color with hints of butter and tropical fruit. Has a slight spice on the plate yet finishes pretty smooth. It seems more like a Chardonnay that is wanting to be more than it can. I like it but nothing I would go out of my way to get.

2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Mourvèdre, Columbia Valley $26.00

With a blend of 90% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah, this beast is brick red with hints of cola on the rim. On the nose, wet fur and dander. On the palate...rich earth tones with hints of light smoke. The tannins are pretty soft and last for a few minutes. Food wine!

2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Petit Verdot, Columbia Valley $30

Black Cherry in color with hints brick red on the rim. Pretty full-bodied and rich on the nose with notes of cola and light tar. Tannins were round but full at the end. Nice wine but needs to be drank with food, maybe some pork.