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.

Habánské sklepy Svatovavřinecké rosé 2010

Variety: Saint Laurent
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: salmon pink with orange hues
Bouquet: apricot, apple
Taste: light to medium body, apricot with forest strawberries, at the end slight bitterness, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: chicken BBQ
Overall score: 77
Price: CZK 89
Stopper: plastic cork
Ordinary rose with no wow effect at all.

Vinselekt Michlovský Frankovka rosé 2010 kabinetní víno

Variety: Frankovka
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub appellation, Hovorany village, Díly za vinohrady vineyard
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: old pink
Bouquet: plums, red currant, red apple
Taste: light to medium body, excellent crispy acidity, red currant, sour cherries, nice fruitiness balanced by nice acidity, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 129
Stopper: plastic cork
Nice fresh rose with excellent freshness and nice acidity (most likely due to 2010 vintage).

Chateau Valtice Ryzlink rýnský 2005 výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Rhine Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic  
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Novosedly village, Kamenný vrh vineyard
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Residual sugar: n/a
Acidity: n/a
Color:  medium yellow, very shiny, big arches on the glass
Bouquet: very nice, concentrated tones of dry lemon peel, with hint of honey and already starting to show slight petroleum tones
Taste: medium to full body,in the beginning there is strong minerality accompanied later by nice lime citrus flavor going all around the mouth, it is nicely round, with very small hint of residual sugar, but this is excellently balanced by the higher acidity so it is almost unnoticeable, medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: trout
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 170 (in 2006)
Stopper:
P.S. The wine was tasted in October 2010. I somehow left it in the edit mode ad now I publish it.

MIchlovský Neuburské 2005 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Neuburger (Red VeltlinerxSylvaner)
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Novosedly village, Kamenný vrch vineyard
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet: ripe matured tones, honey
Taste: medium body, canned fruit, honey, herbs, nice aged tones, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: turkey
Overall score: 81
Price: CZK 150 (in 2008)
Stopper: cork
Nice matured Neuburger with straw type of tones in the nose and honey flavor.

Vinařství Popela Perná Aurelius 2005 výběr z hroznů

Tasting notes and scoring is identical to May tasting here where is also the pic of the bottle.

Vinařství Pavlov Chardonnay 2003 Výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Pavlov village, Sahara Vineyard
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: quite expressive, ripe citrus tones, pineapple
Taste:  medium body, very drinkable, pineapple, round, smooth, excellent minerality and balance with nice acidity ad small residual sugar, which is almost invisible given the aging, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: pasta with cream sauce
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: cork
I was amayed by the fresh conditions of this Chardonnay. It is from limestone area of Palava hills, for me the best appellation for whites in South Moravia. Cork (single piece) was almost soaked through, but was was brilliant. For the sahpe of the bottle please refer to my previous tasting of Pinot Blanc from the same producer and vintage here.

Michel Torino Coleccion 2004 Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz

Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Northeast, sub appellation Salta/Cafayate
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: Deep black garnet red
Bouquet: overipe figs, blackberries, hint of coffee
Taste: Medium to full body, forest fruit marmelade, spices, black chocolate, medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: steak
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 190
Stopper: cork

Another very good example of properly aged and round Shiraz. The winers from Micehl Torino never dissapointed me and they develop very nicely in the cellar.  Before I take the picture of the bottle please refer to Malbec, the bottle looks ecxactly the same.

Bodega Norton Torrontes 2009

Tasting the samewine after 6 months from the last tasting showed almost the same tasting notes as in May, so I will not reproduce them, but rather include a link.

Moravíno Valtice Rulandské šedé 2006 pozdní sběr

Variety: Pinot Grid
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Mikulov village, Pod valtickou vineyard
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet: expressive, minerality, orange peel and dry fruit with going towards hey
Taste: medium to full body, very round, canned orange and tangerine, dry pineapple and almost mango, superb minerality and good acidity, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: matured sheep cheese
Overall score: 89
Price: CZK 180 in 2007
Stopper: cork
Fantastic Pinot Gris, very complex and mineral and structured. This way I imagine unoaked PG should be made.