Vinařství Volařík Ryzlink vlašský 2009 pozdní sběr

Variety: Welsh Riesling

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub appellation, Perná village, U Boží muky vineyard
Vintage: 2009 series: 911
Alcohol content: 13.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: expressive, mineral, herby, lime crust, clean, and properly aged at the same time
Taste: medium body,very nice, excellent balance between lemon type acidity, fruit and mineral context, lime crust. fantastic mineral context, hint of herby element and slight hint of residual sugar does not bother, rather balances the overall impression very well,  medium to longer finish
Overall score: 4+9+13+6+7=89
Price: CZK 250
Stopper: single piece cork

Fantastic Welsh Riesling, it really needs time to age as I remember I had this wine 3 years ago and it was very good already, however it blossomed now:-)

Chateau Valtice Aurelius 2005 výběr z hroznů

For tasting notes please refer to my September 2013 notes. We had the wine to accompany our chicken green curry and it was very good choice.

Chateau Grand Jour Bordeaux 2011 AOC

2nd botlle of this wine tasted. Tasting notes from December 2013 apply.

Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2004

Tasting notes and scoring is the same as in December 2013.

Cellier des Demoiselles Chateau de Durfort 2009 AOC

Variety: 60% Syrah, 40% Grenache
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Languedoc, Corbieres
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: deep ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: black forest fruits, blackberries and blueberries marmalade combined with spices and nice vanilla and leather tones
Taste: medium to full body, similar to nose forest fruit is combined with gentle tannins, round, elegant with some spices and earthiness, slightly longer finish
Recommended food pairing: casserole
Overall score: 4+7.5+12+6.5+7=86.5
Price: 299
Stopper: single piece cork
Very nice Corbieres, fuller, fruity and rounder style with Syrah being dominant in the nose and taste, however balanced by nice vanilla and leather tones.

Jacob's Creek Chardonnay 2005

6th bottle of this wine tasted. For detailed notes and scoring see my November 2013 tasting.

Bodegas Nieto Senetiner Chardonnay Viognier Don Nicanor 2006

Variety: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Viognier
Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Mendoza
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: expressive, white flowers, hazelnuts, pineapple, vanilla
Taste: medium to full body, very round, pineapple, pear, butter, smooth and creamy with vanilla and hazelnuts, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: pasta with cream sauce
Overall score: 4+7.5+12.5+7+7=88
Price: CZK 300
Stopper: single piece 40 mm cork
Very nice oak aged Chardonnay with hint of viognier, which gives it very nice slightly flowery nose. Proper structure in the mouth nicely layered, not overoaked, rather decent and gentle.

Ernest & Julio Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Same as on 28 th December 2013 I refer you to the November tasting of the same wine (9th bottle tasted, still 3 more in the cellar:-).

Peter Mertes Gold Edition Bernkastel-Kueser Riesling 2010 Kabinett

Notes and scoring is the same as a week ago;-)

Bodega Norton Torrontes 2009

9th bottle of this wine from my cellar. Again it was used to accompany our curry. For notes refer to my November 2013 tasting.

Castillo de Jumilla Jumilla Monastrell Tempranillo 2006 DO

Looking at my tasting notes from June 2013 they are almost identical to those from today's tasting so I will not reproduce them.

Moravíno Valtice Rulandské šedé 2006 pozdní sběr

Variety: Pinot Gris
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, hey, dry orange crust, mineral, lime, feels quite zesty despite its age, good bottle maturity tones

Taste: medium body, very austere,  dry lime crust, hint of oranges,  amazing minerality, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: matured sheep cheese
Overall score: 5+8+13+7+7+50=90
Price: CZK 180 in 2007
Stopper: cork
I very much like this wine, fantastically dry and fresh and aged at the same time, no burning alcohol (despite hot 06 vintage), no residual sugar mineral, no bitter tones sometimes present in wine from hotter areas and nowhere near the stupidity of lightly sparkling Italian Pinot Grigio.  This really is serious stuff. For pictures and previous tasting  notes please refer to my March 2013 tasting.

Chateau Lednice MInaret Rulandské šedé 2012 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Pinot Gris

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub-appellation, Žabčice village, Koválov vineyard
Vintage: 2012
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: white flowers, very fruity, white peach hint of acacia honey
Taste: medium body, ripe white peach, acacia honey, tangerines, lower acidity with higher residual sugar makes it feel quite sweet, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: cheesecake
Overall score:4+7+10+5+6= 82

Price: CZK 199

Stopper: cork

PG made on sweeter style. I miss the fresh and lime element which was in Alsace wine tasted just before, this also had residual sugar, but lower and much higher acidity.

Domaine Henri Kleé Pinot Blanc Auxerrois 2011 AOC

Variety: 100% Pinot Blanc
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Alsace
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: lime, zesty, white flowers, lime
Taste: medium body,very refreshing easy going wine with good balance of fresh lime acidity and slight residual sugar,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: summer party
Overall score: 3+7+11+5+6=82
Price: CZK 218
Stopper: plastic cork
Zesty and less complex style of PB, rather hot summer BBQ wine.

Viña Tarapacá Merlot 2004

As stated in December 2013 my October 2013 notes and scoring is the same as today. Very nice Merlot indeed.

Znovín Znojmo Terroir Lacerta Viridis Sauvignon 2010 pozdní sběr

Tasted 6 months from the last tasting in July 2013, almost nothing changed from my last notes. I like the element of grass in the wine.

ZVB Chateau Collection Reservé Rulandské bílé 2012

Variety: Pinot Blanc

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Milulov sub-appellation
Vintage: 2012
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: expressive, very floral, white flowers, hint of white peach
Taste: medium body, dense and round, lower acidity and rather oily character, white peach supported by good mineral and slightly acid structure of white currant, it feels quite dense and heavy,  medium to longer finish
Overall score: 3+8+11+6+6=84
Price: CZK 169
Stopper: cork

This wine id very expressive in the nose with white summer flowers supported by dead nettles flowers, quite typical Moravian floral PB with heavier structure in the mouth, it is quite dense and it feels like you need to "bite through" the wine. This would develop very nicely in the cellar where the initial flowery bouquet will be replaced with structured dry fruits and honey type of character flavors.

Šlechtitelská stanice vinařská Velké Pavlovice Poštor Rulandské modré 2011 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Pinot Noir
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Velké Pavlovice sub appellation, Velké Pavlovice village, Nadzahrady vineyard
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol content: 15.0%
Color: medium ruby red, dense, seems like it is unfiltered
Bouquet: very ripe black cherries, baked plum cake, you can feel tannins
Taste: medium to full body, ripe black sour cherries with underlying plum character, good acidity and still slightly younger really mouth drying tannins (longer maceration on skin as the color would suggest?),  medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: venison
Overall score: 4+7+12+6+7+50=86
Price: CZK 190
Stopper: cork

 This is quite interesting Pinot Noir. It feels a bit rustic at this stage and nowhere that elegant one would suggest from Pinot Noir. Very dark in color and very tannic at this stage, however huge fruit is there so this wine would really need 3-5 years in the cellar to be drinkable. There is a whole case of this wine in my cellar, so the next bottle will be opened in 1 year time:-). For detail of the bottle check my previous tastings of the same wine in January 22, 2014.

Ironstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation: California, Lodi
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: deep garnet red
Bouquet: canned black currant, coffee, vanilla
Taste: medium body, overripe black cherries, canned black currant, sweet Californian tannins, black chocolate, coffee, longer finish
Recommended food pairing: chocolate cake
Overall score: 4+8+12+7+7+50=88
Price: CZK 250
Stopper: plastic cork
Very nice example how California can do very good Cabernets, this one is perfectly aged with coffee tones and slightly less cola type character that you can sometimes find in cheaper Californian wines. Very nice coffee tones transcend to nice long  finish. For me this is one of the best value CS from California.

Vinařství Dufek Sauvignon 2007 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovacko sub-appellation, Svatobořice-Mistřín village, Tabule vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet: concentrated, gooseberry marmalade, lemon crust
Taste: medium body, concentrated dry fruits, orange crust, orange marmalade, honey, lower acidity, higher residual sugar, at the end hint of pink grapefruit, medium to longer  finish
Overall score: 5+8+11+6+6+50=86
Price: CZK 180
Stopper: single piece cork

More extractive and fuller Sauvignon Blanc where higher residual sugar is combined with higher extract and alcohol and feels more like sweeter higher extract selection of berries wine.

Vinařství Zdeněk Peřina Kerner 2009 výběr z hroznů

Variety: Kerner (Trollinger x Riesling)

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Klentnice village, Nad sv. Leonardem vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: flowers, lemon crust, minerality, hint of bottle maturity
Taste: medium body, rounder style, white peach even slight mango fruit, oily, hint of white peeled almonds, medium to longer slightly burning finish
Recommended food pairing: blue cheese
Overall score: 4+7+11+6+6=84
Price: CZK 190
Stopper: cork

Rounder and oilier wine. It is though untypical make for Kerner, which I prefer made in drier style. Sweetness is accompanied by fuller body due to high alcohol and also high extract so it does not feel like sweet water type of wine;-)

Vinařství Černý Tramín červený 2007 výběr z bobulí

Variety: Gewurtztraminer
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub appellation, Valtice village, Pod Rajsnou vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 16.0%
Color: golden yellow
Bouquet: very expressive, concentrated rose petal extract, honey, spices, feels like heavy perfume
Taste: full body, very round and oily mouth feel, concentrated orange marmelade, spices, low acidity, residual sugaris perfectly integrated into high extract and high alcohol, at the end slight bitterness, nice long lingering finish
Recommended food pairing: Blue cheese
Overall score: 5+9+12+7+7=90
Price: CZK 180 in 2009
Stopper: cork

Very huge and concentrated Gewurtztraminer with honey and orange marmelade taste and lower acidity and very high extract. Last bottle tasted. Please compare it to my notes from last tasting of the same wine in March 2011, where you can find pictures of the bottle.

Chateau Lednice Sylvánské Zelené 2010 pozdní sběr

Variety: Gruner Sylvaner
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Valtice village, Hintertály vineyard
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 10.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: lime, white grapefruit, hint of grass
Taste: light to medium body, very austere and precise, sharp acidity (not unpleasant), minerality, light spiciness, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: pork
Overall score:4+7+11+6+6= 84
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: cork
This is typical representative of difficult 2010 vintage, although it has almost 9g of residual sugar it is not at all visible due to very high acidity of 8.7g/l. This is my only bottle and I cannot imagine tasting it before now as the acidity is very high though. The wine will improve over 1-3 years.

Spice Route Shiraz 2001

Variety: Shiraz
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appelation: Swartland
Vintage: 2001
Alcohol content: 14.3%
Residual sugar: 1.9g/l
Acidity: 5.9g/l
Color: deep black red with garnet meniscus
Bouquet: canned forest fruit, black chocolate, hint of vanilla, light smoke
Taste: medium to full body, black currant, blackberries, hint of blueberries, round, however with good acidity, perfect gentle tannins, long finish

Recommended food pairing: steak

Overall score: 4+8+13+7+8= 90
Price: CZK 500
Stopper: single piece cork

Tasted one year ago in January 2013. THe wine was save bet. It has amazing structure considering its 13 years of age!!

Vertical degustation of Cave de Beblenheim - Riesling 2012

Variety: 100% Riesling

Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Alsace
Vintage: 2012
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: pale yellow
Bouquet: quite fruity, fresh lime, hint of apricot
Taste: medium body, lower acidity, rounder profile, minerality, apricot supported by hint of lime ,medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 3+7+10+6+6=82
Price: CZK 129
Stopper: screw cap
It was very interesting to compare it to 2010 vintage tasted at the same time, 2012 is not that complex, rather fruit driven Riesling. What is not typical for Alsace is the Apricot hint in both the nose and taste profile.

Vertical degustation of Cave de Beblenheim - Riesling 2007

Variety: 100% Riesling

Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Alsace
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: intense, benzin, lemon crust in sugar, good bottle age tones
Taste: medium body,  rounder style with good bottle age character, similar to nose there is dry lemon crust, it does not feel that far from 2010 vintage tasted at the same time but slightly more oily,  at the very end hint of white grapefruit, medium to longer finish

Recommended food pairing: Schnitzel
Overall score: 4+8+10+6+7 = 85
Price: CZK 129 in 2009
Stopper: single piece cork

Out of the three Rieslings this was at the same level as 2010. it was more complex in the nose and slightly less in the taste than 2010.  I would say this is at its peak and would no longer hold. This was my last bottle of the 6 case tasted.

Vertical degustation of Cave de Beblenheim - Riesling 2010

Variety: 100% Riesling

Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Alsace
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: lime, mineral, dry lemon crust, hint of benzin tones,
Taste: medium body, lemon crust, minerality, good acidity, very dry and limey, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 4+7+11+6+7=85
Price: CZK 129
Stopper: screw cap

Very nice dry Alsace Riesling, probably 1-2 years from the peak of the bottle maturity. Interesting to compare it to 2012 tasted at the same time which was more fruity and less structured. 

Peter Mertes Gold Edition Bernkastel-Kueser Riesling 2010 Kabinett

Variety: Riesling

Country of origin: Germany
Wine appellation: Mosel
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 10.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: very gentle, hint of lime, dead nettle flowers, slight benzin tones
Taste: light to medium body, very zesty and limey, hint of lemon crust, perfect acidity from cold 2010 vintage, slightly austere fruit (no bad, actually nice),  medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: trout
Overall score: 5+8+11+6+7=87
Price: CZK 200
Stopper: single piece cork

Very nice Riesling from extremely difficult 2010 vintage, if it had more body and mid profile it would be perfect. what I like is the fact that although from difficult vintage it was not overripened to lower the acidity as was often the case in Moravia. Fantastic value wine.

Chateau Valtice Ryzlink rýnský 2011 výběr z hroznů

Variety: 100% Rhine Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulov sub-appellation, Jevišovka village, Dražice vineyard
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: linden tree flower, apricot, mirabele, hint of honey
Taste: medium body, similar to nose dominant flavor profile are yellow fruit with mirabele and apricot being dominant, still nice lime acidity, hint of acacia honey and white peeled almonds, medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing: schnitzel
Overall score: 4+7+11+6+7=85

Price: CZK 190
Stopper: cork

Very good example of fruity linden tree style Riesling from Moravia, the bouquet is very intense linden tree and apricot with quite dense and oily mouth feel with still good acidity and dry mouth profile. It is heavier in the mid palate and rather food style. You can compare it to the same vineyard, but 2010 vintage tasted in September 2013.

Patria Kobylí Rulandské modré 2008 pozdní sběr

Variety: Pinot Noir

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Slovácko sub-appellation, Hovorany village, Povinohradí vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Residual sugar: 2.3g/l
Acidity: 4.7g/l
Color: light garnet red with bricky meniscus
Bouquet: forest strawberries, hint of coffee, cranberries
Taste: medium body,  canned cherries, slightly higher acidity and lower mid profile of the mouth feel, red currant, at the end pink grapefruit, medium finish

Recommended food pairing: duck
Overall score: 4+7+9+5+6+50=81
Price: CZK 159
Stoper: cork

Basic PN with slightly less finesse in the taste profile.