Sunday, July 24, 2011

Baloun Veltlínské Zelené 2008 pozdní sběr

It developed slightly from the last tasting one year ago here.  It is still spicy with green pepper, but less grassy i the nose as last year. Overall score: 80

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Kellerei Kössler Goldmuskateller Vallagarina 2004 IGT

Variety: Gold Muscat
Country of origin:
Italy
Wine appellation:
Alto Adige
Vintage:
2004 
Alcohol content: 10.5%
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet:  ripe apples, muscat flowers
Taste: light body,  apple pie, touch of litchi, canne fruit. nice aged tones complemented with the residual sugar, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Asian food
Overall score: 81
Price: EUR 12
Stopper: plastic cork
Less spicy than Gewurtzraminer  and Moravian Muscat, but going really well with our curry.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Nittnaus Sunset Zweigelt 2008

Variety: 100% Zweigeltrebe 
Country of origin: Austria
Wine appellation: Burgenland
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: ruby red with violet meniscus
Bouquet: very fruity , sour cherries, black cherries
Taste: light to medium body, very fruity, cherries, sour cherries, very drinkable, smooth, but not ordinary like base new world wines, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pate
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 130
Stopper:screw cap
Nice fruity Zweigelt, dominant black cherries and nice smooth mouth feel. Nice breaks from Cabernets, Merlots and Shirazes. 

Kumala Chardonnay Semillon 2006

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: yellow
Bouquet:  dry apples, overripe pineapple
Taste: medium body, pineapple, melon, round, tropical fruit, low acidity, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: matured cheese 
Overall score:80
Price: CZK 120
Stopper: plastic cork
Standard new world Chardonnay with dominant ripe pineapple character.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Anakena Chardonnay 2005

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Casablanca Valley
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: golden
Bouquet: quite intense pungent fruit, mango, pineapple
Taste: medium body, creamy, vanilla, butter, nuts, canned pineapple, medium finish
Recommended food pairing:  matured cheese, pate
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 190
Stopper: plastic cork
Rounded type of Chard, developed slightly from the last tastings here (where you can find the labels)more towards buttery style. Now is the time to drink it before it would go down.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Zinfandel 2005

Variety: Zinfandel
Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation California - Nappa
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13,5%
Color: medium red
Bouquet: raspberries, forrest strawberries,
Taste: medium body, smooth, rounded, strawberries, cherries, chocolate, sweet tannins, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pork loin
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: screw cap
Good red with smooth and sweet tannins and black chocolate flavor, for label please refer to 2006 vintage tasted here.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Terredora Greco di Tufo DOC Loggia della Serra 2005

Tasting notes are identical to those presented here in June so I will not reproduce them.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Feudi di San Marzano Sessantani Old Vines Primitivo di Manduria 2007 DOC

Variety: Primitivo
Country of origin:
Italy
Wine appellation:
Salento
Vintage:
2007  
Alcohol content: 14,5%
Color: black red with ruby meniscus
Bouquet:  black forest fruit, black overripe sour cherries, spices, clove
Taste: full body, blackberries preserve, jammy,,black overripe sour cherries, excellent roundness, fruitiness balanced with tannins and black chocolate, long finish
Recommended food pairing: steak with cranberries sauce
Overall score: 93
Price: CZK 500
Stopper: cork
Excellent wine! Powerful red, huge fruit, big tannins, complex and full bodied. fact sheet here.

Doña Paula Los Cardos Tupungato Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Mendoza, Tupungato
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: lime, gooseberry
Taste: medium body, lime, grapefruite, gooseberry, touch of herbs, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Elaborated dishes of fish
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 150 on sale
Stopper: cork (single piece)
Refreshing and gooseberry style of SB. Acidity is very nice and keeps it nicely alive.


Sunday, July 10, 2011

Weingut Michlits Biorebe Welschriesling 2010

Variety: Welschriesling
Country of Origin: Austria
Wine appellation: Burgenland
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: lime, white flowers
Taste: light body, zesty  lime acidity, very refreshing, green apple, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish, salad
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 125
Stopper: screw cap
SImilar to Moravian 2010 wines there is visible acidity given the 2010 vintage. It is very light refreshing and zesty white.

Taittinger Brut Reserve

Variety: Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noirs a Pinot Meuniers (60%)
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Champagne
Vintage: non vintage
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: white flowers, green apple, melon, at the end some yeast
Taste: zesty acidity, lime green apple, lemon, at the end slight bitterness, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: on its own
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK999

Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut

Variety: Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Penedes
Vintage: non vintage (purchased in 2007)
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: golden yellow
Bouquet: pear, biscuit, almonds
Taste: pear,  biscuits,nicely aged,  medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: pate from duck liver
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 200
We had small celebration yesterday so I  was searching in my cellar for some sparkling wines and found this bottle, which I thought was already finished. We tasted it in 2009 Christmas here and 2010 Christmas here. it developed towards bisquity round tones, very much appreciated by my friends.

Folonari Campo al Mare Vermentino di Toscana 2007 IGT

Variety: Vermentino
Country of origin:
Italy
Wine appellation:
Tuscany
Vintage:
2007  
Alcohol content: 12,5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet:  apple, herbs, salvia
Taste: medium body, lemon, minerality, white grapefruit, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 150 in promotion 
Stopper: cork
Nice zesty lemony white. Excellent for hot summer day!

Terredora Falanghina 2007 IGT

Variety: Falanghina
Country of origin:
Italy
Wine appellation:
Campania
Vintage:
2007  
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet:  apple, white flowers, lemon
Taste: medium body, rich aroma of fruits mainly green apple, visible minerality combined with lemon acidity   
Recommended food pairing: seafood pasta
Overall score: 83
Price: CZK 199 in promotion 
Stopper: cork
We opened the wine in an extremely hot summer day to accompany our pasta with shrimps and it was excellent combination. Check the notes from last year here.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Nové Vinařství Cépage Rulandské modré Rosé 2010

Very hot summer day made us open bottle of familiar rose. For tasting notes please refer to first tasting of this wine here,

Monday, July 4, 2011

Mezquiriz Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 Crianza

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Navarra
Vintage: 2000
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: garnet with brown and watery meniscus
Bouquet:coffee tones, nuts, figs, vanilla sugar
Taste: sour cherries, dried figs, coffee, medium acidity but tannins are ok, medium to full body, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: dry sausages, game food
Overall score: 83
Price: EUR 5
Stopper: cork
Comparing to the tasting more than 1.5 year ago here the wine developed significantly. There is much less fruit and more nuts and coffee tones and also the acidity is no longer there. I thought on the last tasting that I had the last bottle but this one was found in my cellar when cleaning up. For the bottle pic please refer to the previous tasting. I am adding the pic from Spain from October 2004 when we tasted the wine for the first time wit my friend.

Arte Vini Pink 2010

Variety: Zweilgetrebe
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light salmon
Bouquet: not expressive, red currant
Taste: medium body, nicely balanced acidity with slight residual sugar, at the end pink grapefruit, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: salads
Overall score: 78
Price: CZK 150
Stopper: screw cap
High acidity of 2010 vintage is nicely balanced by the residual sugar making it nicely drinkable, however not very expressive and fruity

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Michel Torino Coleccion 2004 Malbec

Variety: Malbec
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Northeast, sub appellation Salta/Cafayate
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: Deep black red with carmine meniscus
Bouquet: Blackberries, overripe black sour cherries, hint of black chocolate
Taste: Medium to full body, mulberries, black sour cherries, cherries, very big in the mouth, hint of vanilla, and black chocolate, medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: 
dry salamis
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 190
Stopper: cork
I compared my notes from the tasting I had 1.5 year ago here and the wine is similar in the nose, full of black sour cherries, chocolate and black forest fruit. But it developed in the taste it is not as tannic and has more chocolate and vanilla character. Definitely enjoyable wine.
Pr