2004 Pascual Toso Cabernet Sauvignon

2004 Pascual Toso Cabernet Sauvignon.
Argentina.


This is the best low end bottle I have imbibed in a very long time. I was very impressed by the multi dimensional yet smooth flavors and finished the bottle in a very short period of time with another person. In fact, I enjoyed this bottle so much that I got lost in the state of enjoyment, and made very few descriptive notes to write about. The slightly out of focus label is also indicative of my Bacchian state of mind at the time. Damn, I guess I will have to buy another bottle....

2003 Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon Neyers Ranch, Napa Valley.

I have nothing but high praise for this little gem from Napa Valley, CA. All the fab Cab characteristics were present, but what makes this wine stand out is its smooth complexity. Smooth complexity may sound oxymoronic, but there are so many dimensions and flavors to this wine, and at the same time the flavors are balanced. This is the kind of wine that one should buy a case of, drinking two bottles per year to note how the wine changes each year. This wine is well worth the $50 price tag.

Lo Tengo Malbec

This is one of the coolest labels I have ever seen. When the bottle is tilted, the dancer's legs move. This is also a prime example of how a cool label does not equate to good wine.



When I purchased Lo Tengo Malbec from Argentina, I was expecting a typical Malbec with the qualities of earthiness, mushrooms, and fall leaves with this wine. Instead, I found a smooth plum that was rather one-dimensional and not full of Malbecian bling. Although this is by no means an undrinkable wine, such as the Cecchi, the day after I opened it I had a choice to finish it or move on, and I decided to move on.

X Winery 2005 Red X

It has been a long time since I wrote about a specific wine. It is not that I haven't been sampling wine, but, instead, that the wine I imbibed lately has been so bad that I haven't had the inspiration to write about it. I know that bad wines deserve reviews as much as good wines (maybe even more from a public service standpoint), but that is how it is.

Last night, I opened up a little gem for the money: X Winery 2005 Red X from California. As I have written before, never purchase wine because of the bottle itself. That being said, the X Winery bottle is very pretty. The wine is a blend of the following varietals: 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Syrah, 19% Petite Sirah, 5 % Grenache, 3% Cabernet Franc.

Here is what X Winery has to say about this wine: "Explosive dark cherry and blackberry aroma. Complimented with blueberry, clover and dark chocolate with a hint a cedar. Medium body with balanced acidity and a long delicate finish."

The first thing I noticed about this wine was the color: a very pretty, inviting dark burgundy. Immediately upon tasting, I noticed the wine has a very heavy mouth feel. Although the wine is slightly more complex than I am making it out to be, basically, there are cherry notes on the front which turn to tannic-chocolate throughout the medium-length finish. While I did get some dark fruit notes, I didn't specifically get blackberry, blueberry, clover, or ceder. I most definitely disagree the wine has a "long delicate finish." For one, there is nothing "delicate" about this wine, and secondly, the finish does not linger enough to be called "long" unless "delicate" means "undetectable." I am not knocking the wine, but am simply disagreeing with someone's description of the wine. At approximately $10-12, this is a good, robust, semi-complex wine.

Two Fine Cabs, One Short Night

Last night I had wine with a couple of fellow-wine lovers at the Deep Fork Grill. First we ordered a bottle of 2003 Ferrari Carano ("FC") Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was served in nice Riedelesque Burgundy wine glasses. It was a pleasure to drink out of "thin" lipped glass instead of a "fat" lipped glass like so many restaurants today. This is one of the main reasons, after cost, I prefer to drink at home.
The FC was truly a pleasure to drink, it was very bold, with pronounced flavors of red fruits, chocolate, and tobacco. Tannins were present, but not overpowering. This wine was such a pleasure to drink that the three of us soon finished off a plate of bacon wrapped grilled chicken with artichoke hearts and spicy sauce, and the bottle. You know the wine was good when someone jokingly wrings the bottle as if to get to the last drop. Not wishing to over-imbibe, we opted to order by the glass. I am glad we did, as we each ordered a glass of 2002 Bennett Family Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. If the first wine was excellent, and it was, this wine was a step above. The wine was balanced: bold and smooth at the same time. It was like drinking silk, and yet was very complex, and three dimensional.

2003 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel

Vintage: 2003
Winery: Bogle
Grape: Old Vine Zinfandel
Country: California
Region: Clarksburg

The significance of "Old Vines" is spiciness. This wine is spicy. A Zinfandel made from 35 year old vines is just starting it’s journey into becoming spicy. A 100 year old vine doesn’t produce a lot of grapes, but the product is very spicy. The problem is lack of regulation as to what qualifies as "Old Vine". Additionally, Old Vine Zinfandels are often blended with grapes of various ages before bottling to produce an appropriately spicy wine. Bogle states the vines used to make this wine are between 40 to 80 years old.

Although it is true you should never buy a wine for the label, I really like the Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel label. The painting of the gnarly old vines on a background of Autumn hues gives me a Pavlovian response.

Dark burgundy with a crimson halo, this wine has very intense fruit, including blackberry, blueberry and prune with a black pepper and balanced tannic finish.
If you like spicy wines, this wine is very good for the money. It is also, as its label suggest to me, perfect for drinking as the days of summer pass into Autumn.

2003 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 2003
Winery: Concha y Toro
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon- Marques de Casa Concha
Country: Chile
Region: Maipo Valley, Puente Alto Vineyard

A friend of mine, call her Posh Monkey, requested I provide her with information on a good red wine. This review is especially for her. Although she only asked for a good red, the wine under review is a VERY GOOD wine at under $15! Although I usually do not rate wines with points, I would say this wine hovers around 89.

Concha y Toro produces an entire spectrum of wines, but is often remembered for the less expensive wines of which many are familiar. I was remarking to a connoisseur, you know, the kind who constantly makes allusions to Château Pétrus, that Marques de Casa Concha is one of my favorite wines for the price. "Concha y Tora?" he asked. I told him to try it, but could tell he would not without some prodding. I brought him a bottle from my personal collection, and gave it to him. The next time I was at this friend's home, I saw several boxes of Marques de Casa Concha in his "cellar" area. He commented that he has shared this wine with several connoisseur friends who also like it.

Now, I had noticed that the price had gone up lately, and kicked myself for not buying more. I went from paying less than $10 to about $14 per bottle. I couldn't help but wonder if my blabbing about good inexpensive wine helped make the price go up. Or maybe several blabbers like me made the price go up- you know, all that supply and demand stuff. Anyway, it is still a bargain considering the quality, and you should try it, or the 2004 if it is more readily available in your area.

The delicious full-bodied wine is very bold with heavy oak flavors, striking but very drinkable tannins and red currant, fig, and cherry flavors. This wine is a pleasure, I mean a pleasure to drink, and I believe over time will become even more balanced. (Although I have seen the suggested peak projected to be 2007!) What makes it all the more pleasurable to drink, is that it is under $15. Despite the price, the taste is like you might expect from a wine of about $30. Hooray for Chile!

2003 Concannon Petite Sirah

Vintage: 2003
Winery: Concannon

Grape: Petite Sirah

Country: California

Region: Livermore Valley

I believe this dark purple, almost black wine has real promise. However, as it stands right now, it is VERY tannic! I absolutely love tannins, and it is rare I have difficulty imbibing a wine due to strong tannins. However, it was difficult. I tried decanting the wine, which helped a little, but not a lot. The wine had a wonderful, full mouth feel, but it was hard to identify flavors or other characteristics, because the tannins were just so pronounced.

I let the wine sit in the decanter for 24 hours, and tried again. Although it was much better, it was still unbalanced. I believe this wine would be better in a couple more years. I finished the bottle despite myself.

2004 Honig Sauvignon Blanc

Vintage: 2004
Winery: Honig
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Country: California
Region: Napa Valley.

I LOVE this wine. It is fabulous. It is one of my dependable favorites, especially in summer. I consistently order it by the glass at a local sushi restaurant, because it really goes well with seafood.

Honig has become one of the most successful growers and vintners of Sauvignon Blanc in Napa Valley. Honig recently started treating its grapes organically, and at the time of my visit planned to attempt to harness solar power to run portions of the winery. I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting at Elaine Honig's home which is on the winery and vineyard premises. She opened up a large sliding door in the living room which provided a view of the mountains, vineyards, and mounds of lavender planted everywhere. Prior to my visit I was not aware that Honig produced a Cabernet Sauvingnon. It is not sold in my local wine shops. Although this review covers the Sauvignon Blanc, I will say the Cabernet Sauvingnon was quite good.

This light refreshing wine is reminiscent of summer with tastes of lemon and freshly-cut grass. The finish is very crisp with a minerally aftertaste. Honig states the wine has flavors of grapefruit, mango, papaya, and peach. Honig never mentions flavors I described, so I ask the reader, "what do you taste?" Whatever the taste, I believe this wine is one of the best examples of how Sauvignon Blanc is supposed to taste. It is a mainstay in my collection.

2003 KWV Pinotage

Vintage: 2003

Winery: KWV 1

Grape: Pinotage

Country: South Africa

So what comes from South Africa besides Dave Matthews, wondrous wildlife, great white encounters, and one of the top rugby teams in the world? Pinotage!

This beautiful ruby colored wine is the product of a mixture of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, that results in a very unique wine that is disdained by wine snobs. Do not listen to them. This well balanced yet inexpensive wine tastes of cherry and truffles. Although the Pinot Noir tastes are still identifiable, the mixture of Cinsault, by itself an uninteresting grape, adds some interesting flavors that this reviewer spent the whole bottle trying to identify, unsuccessfully. Despite the lack of success, it was time well spent with Bacchus.

1 KWV is not a winery, per se, but a wine co-operative.

Old Vine Zinfandel

I first became aware of Old Vine Zinfandel when I visited August Briggs in Napa. If you haven't visited August Briggs, do your self a favor and head to Napa. After visiting large wineries all day with employees that charge you a fee and then oblige you to listen to their canned speech, stopping at this small winery was a breath of fresh air. I liked several things about the winery. The winery's symbol is a dandelion blowing in the air, which I found to be both unique and courageous, since although the dandelion may be one of the most expensive salad greens in France, it is considered a weed in the States.

There were no canned speeches at August Briggs. Although I tasted several interesting wines there, the Zinfandel really stood out. I had tasted Zinfandel all week long, and not purchased a single bottle, opting instead for Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Port. This Zinfandel at August Briggs was excellent. It had a spicy punch to it that I had never experienced. I purchased several bottles, and asked for another taste. Seeing how much I liked the Zinfandel, I was offered the chance to do a barrel tasting. How could I say no? I had been in Napa for a week, and had not been made a similar offer.

First we were offered a glass from a barrel which was claimed to be new vines. I did not understand what that meant to the taste, however, upon tasting, the new vine batch was definitely not what I had tasted previously. It was green and one dimensional like the Zinfandels I tasted at other wineries earlier in the week. Second we drank from a barrel which was said to consist of approximately 50-year-old vines. It was spicy, and more reminiscent of what I tasted earlier. Third, we tasted from a barrel which was said to consist of approximately 100-year-old vines. This was amazing, so spicy it burned the mouth. This wine was like nothing I tasted before, and was even better than what I had raved about and purchased. I told our host to bottle some of the third barrel up, and I would buy it.

Our host explained, as the Zinfandel vine ages, it produces fruit that is more complex and spicy. Relatively speaking, there are not a lot of 100-year-old vines around, and their supply is low; instead of selling it, they blend it with the 50-year-old, and the new vine to get the taste I had liked so well. This was one of my top experiences in Napa, with the exception of experiencing a wine tasting with Elaine Honig. It was certainly the biggest winery-born revelation for me since learning about Veuve Cliquot's invention of le remuage.

Armed with my new found knowledge, I set off to determine if my local wine shop had Zinfandel made from Old Vines. There are several Old Vine Zinfandels on the market: Bogle Vineyards, Gnarly Head, Seghesio to name a few. Some are not bad, some do not taste "old", after my experience. That leads me to the question: what does it mean to label a wine "Old Vine Zinfandel?" How old must the vines be? What percentage of the wine must be old as compared to new? I could find nothing that regulates the use of this term, so it is clearly a trust and taste situation.

2003 Mukuyu Chenin Blanc

Media on the subject of wine would most likely begin by reviewing some of the classic French wines. An American writer might eventually recount that faithful day on June 7, 1976 when Chateau Montelena and Stag's Leap beat their French counterparts to show the reader American wines have grown up, and are worthy to drink and review. Then eventually the author could move on to other wines. Well, as you read in the first post, speaking to the dead in a dead language does not equate logic; So as an extension of that non-logic, I plan to treat all wine as worthy of consumption and review whether it is expensive or inexpensive, Vitis vinifera or Vitis labrusca, red or white, French or Greek. With that idea, we start with a wine from the Republic of Zimbabwe.

2003 Mukuyu Chenin Blanc. When we think about African wines, South African Pinotage comes to mind. That is why when I found this wine from the Republic of Zimbabwe, I had to try it.

Vintage: 2003
Winery: Mukuyu
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Country: Zimbabwe

Region: Mashonaland East, Marondera

The wine's color is a very pale straw. I noticed a very light aroma of honeysuckle when I first poured the wine. Between the pale color and very light bouquet, I was surprised that this wine was so tasty. The wine begins with the taste of sweet green apple which suddenly drops away to an acidic rush (tartness), and then moves to crisp dryness. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer's day, outside while sitting under the shade of a tree, or under a bistro umbrella. Of course, this wine should be chilled for a couple of hours before opening. Pique-nique anyone?

Mukuyu Estate PO Box 1813, Harare Phone: (9-263-4) 620410/9 Fax: 620429/620431

Cum Mortuis In Lingua Mortua

Although modern zymology along with the help of pubology has determined with historical precision Charlie Mops was the person who invented beer, there has been no similar determination for the fruit of the vine. Evidence suggests the ancient beverage may have been first produced by persons in what is now Georgia as early as 6000 BC, and Iran as early as 5000 BC. It was also imbibed by the ancient Greeks, Hebrews, and Egyptians, as well as others. Even with the many references to wine in ancient texts, literature, and religious writings, the specific origins of the drink are still unknown. I hope to discover its origins, as the more I imbibe, the more I hear the voices of wise and long-passed vintners, and see the scenes of ancient Bacchic revels played out in my head. I think I am close to discovering wine's origins, and invite you to join me on my journey.

Photo: Bacchus at Clos Pegase