Golden Kaan Chardonnay 2010

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin:South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.49%
Residual sugar: 5.65g/l
Acidity: 5.93g/l
Color: light yellow
Bouquet:tropical fruit, pineapple, green melon
Taste: medium body, fresh citruss flavor, upfront the taste fresh lime with pinepple in the middle, good structure, round, nice acidity, almost invisible vanilla,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: turkey
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: plastic cork
Very refreshing and for the new world surpringly fresh Chard with good acidity and structure.

Habánské sklepy Rulandské Modré 2008 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub-appellation, Velké Pavlovice village, Trkmanska vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium garnet with bricky meniscus
Bouquet: very expressive, canned fruit, touch of wood and vanilla
Taste: medium body, harmonic round tannins, canned cherries, spices and nice wood tones, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: game food
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK200
Stopper: cork
Very good PN from Moravia, I do not understand why other reds are produced in Moravia when you can make this stunning Pinots.

Haras Character Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of origin: Chille
Wine appellation: Maipo Valley
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol content: 14.5%
Color: deep black garnet  with bricks in the meniscus
Bouquet: structured, black currant jam, coffee, spices with nice tones of vanilla
Taste: medium to full body, elegant and fantastic tannins staying in the whole mounth, round, black currant dominant fruit going almost to canned version, slight tones of cinnamon and vanilla with hint of coffee at the end, medium to longer finish 
Recommended food pairing:
Overall score: 88
Price: CZK 360
Stopper: cork
Perfect example of new world Cab Sauv. It is amazing how it nicely developed and how it holds perfect structure and tannins considering new worl wine.

Carstens SC Jahrgang sekt 2006 trocken BIO

Variety: Riesling
Country of origin:Germany
Wine appellation: Neustadt
Vintage: 2006

Alcohol content: 11.0% 

Color: medium yellow, slightly sparkling

Bouquet: canned apples with slight bottle aged tones

Taste: medium body, considering the vintage it still has some nice fruitiness with green apples being dominant fruit here supported by lemon acidity, medium finish

Overall score: 81

Price: CZK 199

Stopper: cork
I bought it about 3 years ago. it is made from organic grapes and although trocken it feels slighty between brut and demi. Fruit is here in dominance with no yeasty or bisquity tones.

Wunderlich Pinot Noir 2005

Variety: 100 % Pinot Noir

Country of origin: HUngary
Wine appellation: Villany
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: darker red bricks
Bouquet: very complex, layered, cherries, smokiness and a bit of eathiness
Taste: medium to full body, forest strawberries,nicely structured and round , good mouth feel, solky tannins, longer finish
Recommended food pairing:game food
Overall score: 89
Price: CZK 299
Stopper: cork
Excellent Pinot Noir. Definetely better than the one from Springer tasted here. It is like going up the level.

  

Secano Estate Pinot Noir Rosé 2009

Variety: Pinot Noir
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Leyda Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: light bricky red
Bouquet: cherries, sour cherries, strawberries, alcohol slightly standing out
Taste:  medium bodied, ripe cherries with strawberries, less acidity one would expect, medium finish
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 250
Stopper: cork
Not as good as the red version from the same producer tasted here. It was tasted in June of this year and it was already going down.

Poema Verdejo DO 2010

Variety: 100% Verdejo
Country of origin: Spain  
Wine appellation: Rueda
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: very aromatic tropical fruit, citrus fruit
Taste: medium body, very fruity, lychee, white currant, grapefruit, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 83
Price: 5 EUR
Stopper: plastic cork
Nice fresh Verdejo with citrus tones, ideal for hot summer day (tasted in Spain in summer).

Frontera Chardonnay 2006

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Central Valley
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13%
Color: golden yellow
Bouquet: grilled pineapple, orange
Taste: medium body, nicely round, dominant pineapple, followed by touch of ripe melon medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pork
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 129
Stopper: cork
Proper aging of this bottle helped it nicely develop and resulted in mellow, ripe and nicely layerd Chardonnay. Excellent value for the price.

Belitza VIneyards Damena Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Variety:Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Wine appellation: Thracian Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light to medium ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: dominant cherries, black currant
Taste: medium body, similar to nose cherries black currant are the main fruit in the taste with more tannis than the Merlot tasted here, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: steak
Overall score: 80
Price: CZK 80
Stopper: screw top
Excellent value/price ratio for this red it is standard fruity Merlot.

Belitza VIneyards Damena Merlot 2009

Variety: Merlot
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Wine appellation: Thracian Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light to medium ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: dominant cherries, sour cherries,
Taste: medium body,  similar to nose cherries and sour cherries are the main fruit in the taste with more fruitiness than the CS tasted here, but less spicy than the Mavrud tasted  here, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: steak
Overall score: 80
Price: CZK 80
Stopper: screw top
Good value/price ratio for this wine

Belitza VIneyards Damena Mavrud 2009

Variety: Mavrud
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Wine appellation: Thracian Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light to medium ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: dominant cherries, sour cherries,
Taste: medium body, quite dry, similar to nose cherries and sour cherries are the main frutit in the taste with nice pepperness and still young tannins, medium finish
Recommendedfood pairing: dry salami
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 80
Stopper: screw top
Excellent value/price ratio for this red it does have tannins and not just fruits, which is common in this price range.

Golden Kaan Pinotage 2009

Variety: Pinotage
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: medium red
Bouquet: raspberries, cherries, a bit of alcohol standing out
Taste: medium body, dominant sour cherries with touch of raspberries, hint of spices, medium finish
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: plastic cork
Easy drinking pinotage.Good for BBQ

Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Pinotage 2008

Variety: Pinotage
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: medium ruby red
Bouquet: raspberries, cherries, slight smokiness
Taste: medium body, dominant ripe raspberries with subtones of blackberries, spices, medium to longer  finish
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 220
Stopper: screw cap
Solid Pinotage with dominant fruity structure when compared to Spier.

Spier Pinotage 2008

Variety: Pinotage
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: medium ruby red
Bouquet: ripe character of cherries, alcohol slightly standing out
Taste: medium body, dominant ripe cherries with subtones of plums, sweet  tannins,  hint of tabacco, medium to longer  finish
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 345
Stopper:cork
Winner of Pinotage tasting. Nice structture in the mounth, definetely worth to age it for another 1 to 2 years.

Vina Santa Rita 120 Carmenere 2004

Variety: Carmenere
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Rapel valley
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: deep ruby red at the meniscus going towards  garnet
Bouquet: intense black cherries with spices
Taste: medium body, dark black cherries and blackcurrant combined with spiciness and pleasant structured tannins, good acidity, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: steak
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 245 
Stopper: cork
Unbelieavable how the wine hold considering the vintage. No way it is going down, rather it is the same superb quality as tasted in February here, where you can find the pictures.

Znovín Znojmo Dan Ermite Veltlínské zelené 2010

Variety: 100% Gruner Veltliner

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Znojmo sub-appellation, Horní Dunajovice village, Stará hora vineyard
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: dominant citrus and green pepper tones, quite spice
Taste: light body,very refreshing and light, citrus acidity with touch of herbal tones, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Wiener schnitzel
Overall score: 80
 Price: CZK 89 on Special
Stopper: cork
I wated to try this wine, which has higher amount of resveratrol and was specifically interersted in 2010 vintage, which was very difficult in Moravia due to cold season and higher amount of rains. This should be reflected even in higher than alrteady high amount of resveratrol from this vineyard. The wine is very light bodied and spicy, I do like it as it is sonmething different than boring new world wines with the similar style over and over.

Rooiberg Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: not stated
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol content: 13.0%

Residual sugar: 6.3 g/l
Acidity:  6.3 g/l

Color: pale almost seethrough
Bouquet:  white flowers with touch of tropical fruit, garepefruit
Taste: medium body, citrus characteristics are dominant with a hint of goosebarry and tropical fruit, juicy lime acidit, ymedium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 99
Stopper: screw cap
Reasonable SB and very good value for the price.

Lindemans Cawarra 2008

Variety: Colombard x Chardonnay

Country of origin: Australia
Wine appellation: South Eastern Australia
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color:  light yellow
Bouquet: green melon, touch of pineapple, lemon
Taste: very light bodied, tropical fruit, good acidity, white  grapefruit,
Recommended food pairing: salads
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 150
Stopper: screw cap
This is nice example how the wine developed over two years. When tasted in November 2009 here it was visibly young and unsettled. this time it is much better and balanced. All this sharpness is gone and it is reasonable chard.

Collegium Vinitorum Helena Glosová Pinot noir 2005 barrique výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation, Moravská Nová Ves village, Vinohrady vineyard
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: light bricky red with watery meniscus
Bouquet: very expressive, red fruit preserve, wild strawberries and almost plum jam (povidla) almost overbaked on cake wit a bit of smokiness
Taste: medium to full body, dry wild strawberries and cranberries supported by hint of black chocolate and caramel, nicely balanced sweet and gentle tannins, at the end touch of pomegranate, long lingering finish
Recommended food pairing: delicate elaboration of pork
Overall score: 88
Price: CZK 220 in 2007

Stopper: cork
Delicate and gentle fruity PN with touc of chocolate and caramel, no animal tones in it, which could be a case of some Pinots. Definitely nice sophisticated drink for the evening:)

Hahn SLH Estate Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands 2009

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation: California, Monterrey
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.2%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: sweet tones of vanilla and pear, pineapple, nuts
Taste: medium to full body, pineapple with honeysuckle and caramel undertones, toast and cream tones, medium finish
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: cork
Typical Californian Chardonnay with creamy and toasty tones. It is bone dry, but due to very low acidity and vanilla from oak it seems slightly sweet with visible caramel  tones in it.

Tesco Finest Viña Mara Rioja Reserva 2003

Variety: Tempranillo  
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Rioja
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: garnet red with bricky meniscus
Bouquet: expressive,  wood, vanilla with canned cherries, spices
Taste: medium to full body, very good structure, fine balance between fruit, tannins, acidity and vanilla, layered taste of sour cherries with proper wood and vanilla tones supported by elegant and still nicely noticeable tannins, longer finish
Recommended food pairing: dry salamis
Overall score: 87
Price: CZK 249
Produced by Baron de Ley this is amazing wine and especially considering the price. I really like the nice wood, but not overpowered, combined with excellent sour cherries with an old world style pleasant acidity:)

OGIO Primitivo 2010 IGT

Variety: Primitivo
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Puglia
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: dark ruby red
Bouquet:  overripe black cherries and blueberries, touch chocolate
Taste: medium body, good structure, black overripe cherries, sweet tannins, black chocolate,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: chicken with mole sauce
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK100
Stopper: screw cap
I bought this wine with suspicion due to low price, but worries were unfounded, good value wine with strong fruit flavor and sweet tannins with background flavor of black chocolate.

Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais Villages Nouveau NOn Filtré 2011

Variety: 100% Gamay
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Beaujolais
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium ruby red with strong violet tones
Bouquet: strong fruity nose of red cherries
Taste: light to medium body, no tannins, just fruit, cherries, maybe a bit of plums, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: BBQ
Overall score: 79
Price: CZK 190
Stopper: cork
Cannot really accommodate my taste buds for Beaujolais. Nice quaffer, but for this money you can get good serious wine, nut just little fifteen:). 

Emiliana Carmenère 2010

Variety: Carmenere
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Central valley
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: deep ruby red with strong violet hues
Bouquet: strong fruits, sour cherries, slight spiciness
Taste: medium body, definitely fruity young wine with dominant taste of black sour cherries underpinned by with blackberries with spiciness and good fruity acidity, almost without tannins, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pate
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 100
Stopper: screw cap
This bottle represents the fruitier style of this variety. But for example if I compare it to Beaujolais that we drank yesterday, this one at least has something in it:)

Michlovský Neuburské 2005 pozdní sběr

Same tasting notes as two weeks ago here.

Herbarium Moravicum Chardonnay 2010 pozdní sběr (Slovácko, lot: 1609110058)

Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: nice tropical fruit, mainly pineapple, clean, fresh very fruity, touch of peach
Taste: light to medium body, excellent balance between the acidity and residual sugar, similar to taste the dominant fruit here is the pineapple with the herby and mineral undertones, it does linger very nicely on the palate, and does represent very good structure and mouth feel, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fruit salads
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 120
Stopper: cork
I was quite looking forward to to taste this wine. 2010 vintage was very difficult as it was rather cold and rainy, but majority of the wines from that year are very good, extremely low yields, long ripening period and what is fantastic that the winemakers could not reflect those low yields in the price. If priced fairly the wine would be prohibitevely expensive. So in this case it is the consumer who exploits the competition on the market. This Chard is superb example of clean and pure Chardonnay made in stainless steel tanks and does have very good concentration and structure when compared to base French or Australian Chardonnays for the same price on the market.

Herbarium Moravicum Ryzlink vlašský 2010 pozdní sběr (Mikulov, lot: 0509110005/2)

Variety: 100% Welsh Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-apellation
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 11.0%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: minerality, intense lime and citrus tones, touch of grassy aroma, green apples
Taste: light body, very refreshing with crispy acidity, good minerality, white grapefruite at the mid palate, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pork
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 120
Stopper: cork
It does reflect cool 2010 year with dominant crispy lime acidity prevailing in the taste. Comparing to 2009 vintage I think this one would develop much better in the celler in 3 o 4 years time. The only downside of this wine is lower body.

Vignobles Paul Mas Merlot 2010

Variety: Merlot
Country of Origin: France
Wine appellation: Languedoc
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: green pepper, hint of cherries and plums
Taste: medium body, very fruity, cherries, granade apple,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing:
BBQ
Overall score:77
Price: CZK 99
Stopper: plastic cork
Tempted by the gold medal from Paris on the label I decided to purchase it and check it. Very basic Merlot with green tones that I personally do not really like.