I attended last Thursday's Poetry Slam fund raising event at JavaMonkey. Several regular patrons wandered in during the evening, obviously confused that there was wine being poured for a tasting on an off Thursday. I enjoyed the poetry more than I thought I would and appreciated the chance to rediscover some of the wines from the JavaMonkey list.
The wines:
2008 Emperor de Barros Macabeo (Ribera del Guadiana, Spain):
Some vanilla on the nose and lovely apple and melon fruit. Hubby liked it, too.
Rating: Very Good
2007 Pure Evil Chardonnay (South Australia):
Finally, someone agrees with my perception of oaked Chards! Just kidding. It smells like oak, but it's light on the palate with more tropical fruit and enough oakiness to make it interesting, but not undrinkable.
Rating: Good
2008 Lucky Star Pinot Noir (California): 94% Pinot Noir, 6% Syrah
The name of this one makes me get the "Shooting Star" song stuck in my head (thank you, Rock Band). Very fruity nose with cherry cola and definite oak undertones on the palate.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2008 Stella Sangiovese (Puglia, Italy):
Nice, not heavy or too acidic but with nice cran-raspberry fruit.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2006 Codice Tempranillo (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain):
Starts out oaky, fruity, and yummy, but the finish is a little astringent.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2008 Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza, Argentina):
Super fruity! Nice finish, too.
Rating: Very Good
By the time I got to the last one, I was outside listening to the poetry, so I didn't write as much about them. That's also why my tweets dropped off after the Chard. For my thoughts on the poetry, click here to go to the article I wrote for Decatur News Online.
Showing posts with label Codice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Codice. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tasting Notes: Freedom, thy name is Tempranillo
I've got a confession to make. Next to Zinfandel, Tempranillo may just be my favorite grape. Consequently, I was really ready to enjoy this past Thursday's tasting at JavaMonkey, for that reason and because I hadn't been out of the house all day.
The wines are all 100% Tempranillo and come from Spain, so I'll just list names and regions:
2007 Campos Reales (La Mancha):
This one has been a favorite in the past, so I'm wondering if this vintage may not be quite as good as previous ones. The nose is buttery and a little musky, and it opens up to blackberry. It is light to medium-bodied with a lot of cranberry and a little pomegranate. Someone designated it as "Ocean Spray [juice]" wine.
Rating: Good
Note: According to my blog archives, I reviewed the 2008 Campos Reales in April. It was bigger, fruitier, and more complex than this 2007. So, if you're looking for a good, basic Tempranillo, go for the 2008.
2006 Sierra Cantabria (Rioja):
Although it's from Rioja, it's not a Crianza. Blue/blackberry nose, and the middle has a nice structure from the oak. The problem with this one is the major pepper kick at the end that someone described as "caustic."
Rating: Good
2007 Emilio Moro Finco Resalso (Ribera del Duoro):
Dark fruit with a little toasted almond on the nose. Sour cherry and currant with a silky texture that again went a little rough on the finish. A second tasting later revealed that it had smoothed out, so just let it open.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2005 Urban Ribera (Ribera del Duero):
Can tell on the nose that this will be a "hot" one with 14.5% alcohol. The dominant flavor is blueberry. Someone designated it as "blueberry pie," but I didn't get enough butter for that.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2006 Codice Tinto (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla):
This one has a hot nose, too, but it smoothed out with some good swirling. In addition to its dark fruit, it has some clove, spice, and a little butter. This medium-bodied wine could have come earlier in the tasting.
Rating: Very Good
2005 Venta Mazzaron (Tierra del Vino de Zamora):
With its smoky nose and bacon overtones on the palate, this was the table favorite. The combination of fruit and smoke made me want to pair it with a Belgian entree, maybe cherries and meatballs (yes, that's a real Belgian dish).
Rating: Very Good
Random Thoughts:
A trio of Emory students came to the previous wine tasting, Blends, armed with camera and notepads to do a feature for the student paper. The next to the last paragraph cracked me up:
Although the relaxed venue was enjoyable, wine aficionados may not want to head to JavaMonkey. A fellow taster sitting next to me was rather pretentiously swirling and sniffing his wines, a behavior that may be common at many wine tastings, but which seemed out of place at this one.
Don't worry, wine aficionados, you can come sit with us. We sip and swirl non-pretentiously.
The wines are all 100% Tempranillo and come from Spain, so I'll just list names and regions:
2007 Campos Reales (La Mancha):
This one has been a favorite in the past, so I'm wondering if this vintage may not be quite as good as previous ones. The nose is buttery and a little musky, and it opens up to blackberry. It is light to medium-bodied with a lot of cranberry and a little pomegranate. Someone designated it as "Ocean Spray [juice]" wine.
Rating: Good
Note: According to my blog archives, I reviewed the 2008 Campos Reales in April. It was bigger, fruitier, and more complex than this 2007. So, if you're looking for a good, basic Tempranillo, go for the 2008.
2006 Sierra Cantabria (Rioja):
Although it's from Rioja, it's not a Crianza. Blue/blackberry nose, and the middle has a nice structure from the oak. The problem with this one is the major pepper kick at the end that someone described as "caustic."
Rating: Good
2007 Emilio Moro Finco Resalso (Ribera del Duoro):
Dark fruit with a little toasted almond on the nose. Sour cherry and currant with a silky texture that again went a little rough on the finish. A second tasting later revealed that it had smoothed out, so just let it open.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2005 Urban Ribera (Ribera del Duero):
Can tell on the nose that this will be a "hot" one with 14.5% alcohol. The dominant flavor is blueberry. Someone designated it as "blueberry pie," but I didn't get enough butter for that.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2006 Codice Tinto (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla):
This one has a hot nose, too, but it smoothed out with some good swirling. In addition to its dark fruit, it has some clove, spice, and a little butter. This medium-bodied wine could have come earlier in the tasting.
Rating: Very Good
2005 Venta Mazzaron (Tierra del Vino de Zamora):
With its smoky nose and bacon overtones on the palate, this was the table favorite. The combination of fruit and smoke made me want to pair it with a Belgian entree, maybe cherries and meatballs (yes, that's a real Belgian dish).
Rating: Very Good
Random Thoughts:
A trio of Emory students came to the previous wine tasting, Blends, armed with camera and notepads to do a feature for the student paper. The next to the last paragraph cracked me up:
Although the relaxed venue was enjoyable, wine aficionados may not want to head to JavaMonkey. A fellow taster sitting next to me was rather pretentiously swirling and sniffing his wines, a behavior that may be common at many wine tastings, but which seemed out of place at this one.
Don't worry, wine aficionados, you can come sit with us. We sip and swirl non-pretentiously.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)