Saturday, May 28, 2011

Barista Pinotage 2010

Variety: Pinotage
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: ripe character of plums, cranberries with intense aroma of coffee
Taste: medium body, dominant ripe cherries with subtones of plums chocolate and coffee tones, still young  tannins,  medium  finish
Recommended food pairing: chocolate dessert
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 199
Stopper:screw top
This was for me really pleasant surprise given its young age the wine is really nice and the coffee flavor is amazing. It will only improve in 2 -4 years. Please check out this video.

Tesco FInest Chianti 2007 Riserva

Variety: Sangiovese
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Tuscany, Chianti
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium red
Bouquet: cherries, nice wood tones
Taste: medium body,  dominant cherries with subtones of plums nice tannins,  medium  finish
Recommended food pairing: lamb cutllet
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: cork
This wine is produced by Piccini. Piccini's story began in 1882 with Angiolo Piccini, who owned only 7 ha of vineyards in the Chianti area. Today Piccini is still 100% family owned by Mario and Martina Piccini who mark the 4th generation. Piccini is one of the few wineries in Italy that has a female winemaker. In one of the most traditionally male-dominated industries Antonella has had huge success producing world-class wines and winning international acclaim. It is reasonable Chianti for the price. Please refer to my tasting of another Piccini Chianti here.

Torres Vina Sol 2009

Variety: 100% Parellada
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Penedes
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: green pear, hint of grass
Taste: light body,  nice citric acidity, green apple at the end of white grapefruit,  medium  finish
Recommended food pairing: Summer BBQ party
Overall score: 78
Price: EUR 5  (In Spain) CZK 199 (in the CR)
Stopper: cork
Reasonable fresh light summer BBQ wine

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Castillo de Molina Sauvignon Blanc Fumé 2007

Very nice complex  and dry SB with dominant tones of gooseberry, citrus and grass accompanied by light coffee tones at the end due to barrel aging. For detail notes prefer to my previous tasting from July 2010 here. Overall score: 86

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Doña Paula Estate Malbec 2004

Felt like nice proper warm Malbec (after the Malbec day 3 tastings last months:)) and this was excellent chioce. The notes are exactly the same as in January here.

Vinařství Libor Veverka Sauvignon 2008 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic  
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pvlovice sub-appellation, Čejkovice village
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: ripe gooseberry, black currant leaf 
Taste: medium to full body, gooseberry, white currant, round, nice acidity, at the end of white grapefruit,  medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: more complex elaboration of fish
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 180 in 2009
Stopper: cork
Nice fuller type of SB with dominant gooseberry tones.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Luis Felipe Edwards Chardonnay Pupilla 2006

Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Central Valley
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: canned tropical fruit, pineapple, slight bottle aged tones
Taste: medium body, pineapple, round, grapefruit, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pasta
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 120
Stopper: cork
Nice round properly aged chardonnay.

Hacienda Los Haroldos Chardonnay 2009

Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Mendoza
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: yellow melon, pineapple, lime
Taste: medium body, dominant pineapple, citrus flavor, nice crispy acidity, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: salad
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 140
Stopper: plastic cork
Fresher style of Chardonnay with pleasant acidity.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Nové Vinařství Cépage Sauvignon 2007 II

for the details and picture see the tasting from October last year here. This time we scored 85.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Las Moras Viognier 2007

Variety: 100% Viognier
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: San Juan, Valle del Tulum
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 14.0 %
Color: golden yellow
Bouquet: very intense aroma of apricot and orange flower
Taste: medium to full body, very round, full mouth feel, dominant tones of apricot and intense dry orange peel, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: matured cheese
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 207
Stopper: cork
Nice complex and properly aged Viognier. Very dense wine.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Genus Regis Sauvignon Pozdní sběr 2004

I had one bottle of this SB in March here and I checked the tasting notes and they are almost identical so I will not reproduce them. The score I gave this time is exactly same as in March - 85.

Herbarium Moravicum Ryzlink Vlašský 2006 pozdní sběr (Mikulov, lot: 310701001)

Variety: Welsh Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation,
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: very expressive, complex, nuts and overripe and herbal tones, minerality
Taste: medium body, very nice tones of ripe white fruit with tones of dry fruit
Recommended food pairing: sophisticated elaboration of pork like pork roll with dry fruit stuffing
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 130
Stopper: cork
This is my loved one. I am slowly going through the case I bought X years ago and the wine holds perfectly and gets more round and herbal:). Please compare to my January notes here.

Chateau Valtice Sauvignon Blanc 2009 výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic  
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Dolní Dunajovice village, Dunajovský kopec vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: ripe gooseberry, round
Taste: medium body, gooseberry, white currant, slight residual sugar,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 213
Stopper: cork
Somehow Lubos missed the bottle and instead of Aurelius brought this Sauv Blanc:). It was juste regular SB.

Vinařství Vít Sedláček Cuvée Venalis 2008

Variety: Aurelius, Chardonnay, Rulandské šedé
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub-appellation
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet:very zesty, lime acidity with green melon
Taste: medium body, slightly higher residual sugar, but nicely balanced by nice acidity, quite neutral in the tasted, medium finish
Overall score:80
Price CZK ??
Stopper: plastic cork
Interesting Cuvee, reasonably drinkable.

Lacina Aurelius 2006 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Aurelius
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub-appellation, Staré hory vineyard
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.5% 
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet:oxidated,fermented fruits and vinegar
Taste: dtto taste
Overall score: Disqualified
Price CZK ??
Stopper: plastic cork
Again this plastic cork probably caused this wine to go completely. At least I use it as a wine vinegar.:)

Vinařství Košut Aurelius výběr z hroznů 2009

Variety: 100% Aurelius
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation, Moravská Nová Ves village, Vinohrady vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Residual sugar: 15.9 g/l
Acidity: 5.0 g/l
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: very nice ripe apricot, complex, heady with honey undertones
Taste: medium body, round, pleasant with linden tree honey and hint of ripe mango pungent fruit smell, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: foie grass
Overall score: 88
Price: CZK248
Stopper: cork
By chance my friends brought the wine I have already tasted twice last year in December and Christmas. So I immediatelly recognized the wine when tasted. Clearly winner and also improved from the tastings I had in December.

Vinařství Maláník - Osička Aurelius 2009 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Aurelius
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation, Mikulčice village
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content:
13.0%
Color
: medium yellow
Bouquet: very extractive, more Riesling type, lime
Taste: medium body, zesty, lime, grapes, round good, balance, medium finish
Overall score:84
Price CZK??
Stopper: cork
Very nice, round and full type of Aurelius, very drinkable.

Vinařství Vít Sedláček Aurelius 2009 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Aurelius
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub-appellation, 
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: very pale yellow
Bouquet: fresh, white grapefruit, lime
Taste: medium body,  white grapefruit, zesty lime acidity, feels young, medium finish
Overall score: 83
Price CZK ??
Stopper: plastic cork
This was the young and zesty representative of Aurelius in the tasting. It shared the 3rd place with Malánik - 0sička.

Vinařství Baloun Aurelius 2008 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Aurelius
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké pavlovice sub-appellation, Staré hory vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: darker yellow
Bouquet: green apple, lime acidity
Taste: light to medium body, dominant apple and lime acidity, with a slight hint of oxidation, medium finish
Overall score: 79
Price CZK269
Stopper: plastic cork
A bit disappointment,  this sample finish last but one. I do not fancy these plastic corks at all, the wines is 2008 and shows slight oxidative character already.

Vinařství Popela Perná Aurelius 2005 výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Aurelius
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Perná village, U spálené hospody  vineyard
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 14%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: tones of honey, ripe grapes
Taste: medium to full body,overripe grapes, minerality, nice bottle aged tones, dry fruit, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: pork on plum sauce
Overall score: 84
Price CZK 159 in 2008
Stopper: cork
On our tasting of Aurelius this sample finished the second. It is nice example of mineral and properly aged Aurelius with fuller body and very good concentration.

Friday, May 6, 2011

M&S Cerro Syrah 2009

Variety: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Choapa Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.5%
Color: darker ruby red
Bouquet: very spicy, ripe sour cherries, blackberries, hint of vanilla
Taste: medium to full body, round with dominance of ripe berry fruits, mainly blackberries with sour cherries, nice juicy acidity, longer finish
Recommended food pairing: steak
Overall score: 86
Price GBP 8.77
Stopper:screw top
Very good Syrah. It would for sure benefit from 2 -3 years of aging as it feels really young at this point with good acidity to keep it fresh and oak to soften it up.

The Choapa Valley is located at Chile’s narrowest point, where there is no distinction between the Andes and the Coastal Mountains. This small valley consists of two sectors, Illapel and Salamanca. Neither have wineries in place as yet, but vineyards planted on rocky piedmont soils are producing limited quantities of high quality Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with high acidity and low pH.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Bodega Norton Torrontes 2009

Variety: Torrontes
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Mendoza
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: very aromatic, tropical fruit, lychee, touch of muscat flowers
Taste: medium body very fruity, lychee, yellow ripe melon, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Asian dishes
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 149
Stopper: screw cap
Very different to 2008 vintage tasted here more than one year ago. This vintage is nice and fruity, very aromatic and does not have green tones at all like 2008 vintage. It is similar to Muscat variety, but not as spicy as Muscat Ottonel and Moravian Muscat and it is more fruity in taste still with pleasant acidity and no bitterness at the end like some Muscats can do.

Chateau Valtice Sauvignon Blanc 2002 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Brod nad Dyjí village, Brodské stráně vineyard
Vintage: 2002
Alcohol content: 11.6%
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet: already shows matured bottle tones, canned gooseberry
Taste: light to medium body,canned gooseberry and peach, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 80
Price: CZK 249 n 2005
Stopper: cork
This was last bottle forgotten in the cellar, giving its and variety it was surprisingly not gone and drinkable, however I believe the best conditions were for sure 5 years ago.