Miroslav Chytil Pinot Noir výběr z hroznů 2009

Variety:Pinot Noir 

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovacko sub-appellation, Milotice village, Šidleny vineyard
Vintage: 2009

Alcohol content: 14.0%

Residual sugar: 1.0 g/l
Acidity:  4.8 g/l
Color: garnet red with lighter meniscus
Bouquet: black sour cherries, leather animal tones
Taste: medium to full body, good extract, overripe sour cherries, toast, medium to longer  finish
Recommended food pairing: duck

Overall score: 85

Price: CZK 395

Stopper: cork

Very good PN more with animal than fruity tones with higher body. I miss the fruitiness on this so although it has more gold medals than the space on the bottle I score it 85.

J.Hofstatter Pinot Bianco 2005 DOC

Variety: 100% Pinot Blanc
Country of origin: Italy 
Wine appellation: Alto Adige
Vintage: 2005 

Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: green apple, minerality
Taste: medium  body, round taste profile, similar to taste green apple plays dominant roles with support of citrus fruit and mineral  character, reasonable acidity supports the mature profile, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Edam cheese
Overall score: 82
Price CZK 320

Not as good as Gewurtztraminer tasted here from the same producer, but OK to go with food.

Chateau Valtice Sauvignon 2010 Výběr z hroznů 2010

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic 
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Novosedly village, Stará hora vineyard
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: pale yellow 
Bouquet: gooseberry, white currant 
Taste: light to medium body, white currant with gooseberry playing the second fiddle, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: schnitzel
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 200
Stopper: cork
Very good example of SB from cool 2010 very good example of SB.

Bc.Luděk Vondrák Ryzlink rýnský 2007 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Rhine Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Bohemia, Mělník sub-appellation
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet:  canned lemon peel , touch of linden tree
Taste: medium  body,  lime acidity, good structure, lemon peel, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: schnitzel
Overall score:  85
Price: CZK 160
Stopper: cork
Very good limited production Riesling, very different from mass market production. If you compare it to 2006 vintage tasted almost two years ago  here it is not as concentrated and complex but with higher acidity. Considering the fact that it is 5 years old it has excellent acidity and it is so nicely drinkable that the whole bottle finished whilst working on my emails (oops:))

Satrico Casale del Giglio 2010 IGT

Variety: Chardonnay,Sauvigon Blanc, Trebbiano Giallo
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Lazio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet:  light floral tones accompanied by grape aromas
Taste: medium body, more neutral, white currant with white grapefruit , medium finish  
Recommended food pairing: 
Overall score: 78
Price: EUR 7
Stopper: cork 
Average Italian wine. I got it as a present so considering it was for free it is not that bad:)

Castel Firmian Sauvignon 2010

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Trentino
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet:  light, not expressive, white grapefruit
Taste: light to medium body,  elder flower, citrussy with white grapefruit being the most visible and sligh bitterness at the end , medium finish
Recommended food pairing: salads
Overall score: 78
Price: EUR 6
Stopper: plastic cork
Average SB, nothing big that would leave some special experience. I am getting spoiled I guess.

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2007

I opened the wine after I tasted it in March here and in June here to check how the wine develops. I had the wine in a wine fridge at 9°C, which may be the major reason together with the crew cap for almost no development form the March tastings. It is very drinkable and already showing more structured tones of canned gooseberry and elderberry syrup with time to drink it right now.

Vinařství Dufek Hibernal 2007 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Hibernal (Rhine Riesling x Seibel)
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub-appellation,  Čejkovice village, Díl u včelína vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet:very expressive, mango with spicy tones and lime
Taste: medium to full body,  very high concentration and extract, spices, still very nice nice acidity with mango chutney being dominant characteristics underpinned by lime freshness, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: would not be afraid to have it with green chicken curry 
Overall score: 87
Price: CZK 180
Stopper: cork
Excellent wine. Love it do much that I had to vacuum and put it back to fridge as I already had half bottle of Welsh Riesling and half of this one:)

Domaine Chiroulet Terres Blanches 2010

Variety: Gros Manseng (Gros Manseng is a light-skinned variety with large berries (gros means large) grown throughout the South West region of France. It is closely related to the Petit Manseng variety.)+Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Cotes de Gascogne
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: very interesting nose of white flowers combined with grassy aroma 
Taste: medium body, fresh, peppery with good acidity, good structure, it does look like it was aged on lees, but not stated on the label, medium finish
Recommended food pairing:  fish
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 200
Stopper: cork
I never had a wine from Cognac region so I did not expected much, but positively surprised by this bottle, very nice example and very drinkable, but at the same time complex.

Hrdina & dcera Zweigeltrebe Blanc 2010 moravské zemské víno

Variety: Zweigeltrebe

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: onion skin
Bouquet: cranberries, red currant
Taste: medium  body, pink grapefruit, red currant, good acidity, medium finish

Overall score: 84

Price: CZK 160

Stopper: single piece of cork

Nice example of claret from Zweigeltrebe. Given the cold 2010 yer it has very good acidity and it is nicely drinkable.

Altes Herencia Garnatxa Negra 2010

Variety: Grenache

Country of origin: Spain
Wine appellation: Terra Alta
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: dark ruby red with watery meniscus
Bouquet: overripe black sour cherry,alcohol slightly standing out towards sweet brandy tones, but surprisingly it is not aggressive
Taste: medium to full body,very strong black sour cherries, stunning minerality, with fleshy undertones to it, medium to longer finish

Overall score: 88

Price: CZK 200

Stopper: single piece of cork

Depends on your preference, but I am a lover of Grenache based wines, especially from Priorat region. I tried this one as testing and I was shocked by the taste considering the price. I will be getting a case for sure as it still has 3 years easily to go. BTW I checked now on the web looking for the pic that it scored 91pts in wine Spectator.

Herbarium Moravicum Ryzlink vlašský 2009 pozdní sběr

Tasting notes are similar as the ones from October last year.The wine holds perfectly with minerality being the dominant characteristic and slightly more walnut character.

Peter Mertes Turmfalke Grauer Burgunder 2007

Variety: Pinot Grigio
Country of origin: Germany
Wine appellation: Rheinhessen 
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet:expressive with orange peel playing the accord accompanied by lemon freshness
Taste: medium body, citrusy, surprisingly with excellent zestiness and acidity considering 2007 vintage, lime and orange accompanied by slight biscuit tones like in vintage Champagne, most likely stemming from bottle maturity,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: blue cheese
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 150 in 2008
Stopper: screw cap
I love this wine!!!!! it is so drinkable that I finished the whole bottle working on my notebook. Excellent value price ratio and 4 more bottles in my cellar:) Andrew, you may remember this was the wine which ended second in our tastings of PG in your flat, hence I bought a full case and discovered it recently in my cellar. What a nice surprise. I may leave some for you when here in Jan.

Fragoso Chardonnay 2009

Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Mendoza
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: grilled pineapple, melon
Taste: medium to full body, dominant pineapple, very round with already aged tones (!),touch of lychee,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: heavy creamy pasta dishes, even pork loin would go well 
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 150
Stopper: screw cap
heavy caliber style of Chard. It reminds me more Californian or Aussie Chard rather than the Argentinian. This wine is definitely food wine as it is quite big and heavy in the mouth although unoaked. Produced by Rodolfo "Opi" Sadler from Santa Ana for M&S.

Secano Estate Sauvignon Gris 2010

Variety: Sauvignon Gris

Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Leyda Valley
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: very pale ellow
Bouquet: expressive, lime, grass, nettle, white grapefruit
Taste: medium body,lime, fresh, zesty and lively acidity, good structure, more adult than sofisticated than Sauvignon Blanc, medium to longer finish

Overall score: 88
Price: CZK 209
Stopper: screw cap

Fantastic wine. I never had Sauvignon Gris, but this was excellent, less tropical and more grassy which I really like. I really like whites from Leyda Valley, the cool climate region in Chile. The wine is produced by Vina Leyda for M&S.

Nowadays, Leyda is an official recognized appellation. But not so long ago, this whole valley was just a land of pastures and basic crops, absolutely not suitable for viticulture. Big investments were necessary to make the dream come through. The soil and the climate were perfect, but there was not enough water. A big pipeline brought the Maipo river water to the place where vineyards were planned. In May 2002, the new Denomination of Origin Leyda was recognized. The distance between the Viña Leyda vineyards and the Pacific Ocean is very small, only 14 km. The area is blessed by a cool climate with maritime influence, cool sea breezes and moistening morning mist, maximum temperatures of 24-25°C and daily differences of 15° C between day and night… Good for a long and slow growing and ripening season. Not much rain, only 250 mm a year, and a very dry summer. The exposure to the sunlight is ideal. Thanks to a careful canopy management, every single vineyard parcel will give perfectly ripe grapes. The complexity of the Leyda wines is also due to the specific soil, softly slanting hills with compact clayish subsoil and a top-layer of loamy clay and quartz gravel. The wines produced here have a singular identity, fruit and terroir driven.