12/30/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

I went looking for images of this wine, but there’s not much out there, and there’s not much written about, either. It is a blended red wine. It is 15.4% alcohol, which is a lot. I found someone who claims the blend is:

"zinfandel, petite syrah, syrah, charbono, gamay, cab, and malbec, selected from excess bulk wines provided by some more well-known and unnamed vineyards." (http://spiritofwine.blogspot.com/2010/04/relativity-vineyards-quantum-reserve.html).

[I added the image of the cork and bottle to this site.]

The label is hard to make out. But the in embossed in black near the label’s top, it reads “E=MC2“. Below that in red, it reads “RELATIVITY VINEYARDS”. And in the red band, it reads “Quantum Reserve”.

The back of the label indicates the wine is from Saint Helena, California.

E=MC^2 Quantum Reserve has dark cherry color. It’s about 85-90% opaque.

It’s nose is delicious. There’s vanilla, plums, raspberries, dark cherries, black currants, and a hint of strawberries. I think it going to be jammy.

It’s oddly salty, especially on the finish. That’s weird. I’ve never experienced that before. I wonder if Saint Helena is near the ocean. (I just checked. It’s about 60 miles inland. I doubt salty ocean breezes travel that far.)

I pick up cantaloupe on the taste and maybe a hint of chocolate and a hint of raspberry jam. It’s hard to pick up much. This would be a really good wine if it wasn’t salty. It’s less salty each sip, but it is still noticeable . . . noticeable on the finish but not in the mouth. I think the salt is some how related to the Malbec. There’s also cherry Kool-Aid on the finish.

What a weird wine.

I’m going to give this 87 points. Without the salt it could be an 89, but it’s difficult to be sure.

I definitely over paid for this one.

And now for a haiku I wrote earlier this year:

Einstein's Haiku
(For Melissa)

Everything I do
Means I want to love you squared –
Come with me and prove

To learn more about the cool things going on in that haiku, go here: https://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/einsteins-haiku.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-126-emc2-quantum-reserve-relativity-vineyards-2007/
or here: http://bit.ly/TW52xI

10/9/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

My glass is a foot away, but I can smell some berries. After I bring under my nose, I smell vanilla, currants, cherries, plums, and jamminess.

According to the Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Tasting Notes, this wine is:
-87% Cabernet Sauvignon
-9% Merlot
-3% Zinfandel
-1% Sangiovese

Now I know where the jamminess is coming from.

I just love the nose.

The color isn’t as opaque as I would expect for a Cabernet Sauvignon, but it will suffice. With a nose like that, most everything will suffice.

Oh, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease taste good.

Most of the taste comes on the finish with some red grapes, spice, and some tartness. I bet the tartness is the “boysenberry pie” the tasting notes mention.

In the mouth, I pick up some cranberries, but the tastes are so subtle.

I like this wine, but it does need some food to bring out the flavors more.

I would never guess this is a Cabernet Sauvignon, though. The body isn’t big enough and it’s too subtle. But as an everyday wine, I’m enjoying it.

I wish the tastes were as wonderful as the nose.

I’d say 87 points.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-123-avalon-cabernet-sauvignon-2010/

9/8/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

When I poured this, it looked really thin. It appeared almost as thin as Pinot Noir. A Zin should be deep and juicy looking. It should almost be black. It should not be this 60% opaque, rosé colored wine. Oh boy.

The nose is better than the color with a floral bouquet and some light cherries and some wood. (I usually can’t pick out wood, like cedar or oak or whatever woods wine drinkers pick up, but this time I do, but I don’t know what type of wood. Oak I guess.) And lots of spicy vanilla. Real vanilla. Not that imitation vanilla. And maybe some rum, too. Wow. Rum and wine. If you had that on you alcoholic daily double, then you hit the jackpot tonight. I think there’s a hint of tarragon in there, too. (Isn’t there an upset stomach remedy that includes soaking a vanilla bean and some tarragon in rum . . . or is that just something that sounds tasty?)

Wow. It finishes really hot. This must be loaded with alcohol. It’s making my eyes blink. Maybe there is rum in it afterall.

When drinking it, I can catch a bit of lovely jamminess that usually accompanies a red Zinfandel, but it last only for 2/10 of a fraking second.

There’s not much body with this.

I usually think Zins go well with pizza or pasta in red sauce, but I don’t think this one will. However, it seem like a hard sausage would be a good complement.

The more it opens, the more the jamminess appears and the longer it remains in the happy zone of taste buds, but then the hot finish takes it away. This means I have to keep drinking and drinking and drinking to maintain the jamminess. Drink. Drink. Drink. Ah. I just had a hot flash. Wait, can men have hot flashes?

This wine seems like it might lead to heart burn in the morning.

The more this opens, the better it gets, but the finish is a party pooper. Without the finish, this would be a thin 88, and maybe an 89. With the finish, it’s a thin 87. Meh. There are better wines and Zins for the same price.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-122-van-ruiten-old-vine-zinfandel-2008-lodi-appellation/

or here: http://bit.ly/Twu9W2

8/24/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

When I was looking for images of this bottle, I kept finding returns with “Martín Códax Ergo Tempranillo” or variations on the order of words. I just looked on the back of the bottle, and “Martín Códax” is there. I think it is the vineyard. According to Wikipedia:

Martín Códax was a Galician medieval jogral (non-noble composer and performer — as opposed to a trobador), possibly from Vigo, Galicia, in present day Spain. He may have been active during the middle of the thirteenth century, judging from scriptological analysis (Monteagudo 2008). He is one of only two out of a total of 88 authors of cantigas d’amigo who uses only the archaic strophic form aaB (a rhymed distich followed by a refrain). And he also employs an archaic rhyme-system whereby i~o / a~o are used in alternating strophes. In addition Martin Codax consistently deploys a strict parallelistic technique known as leixa-pren [. . . ]. His dates, however, remain unknown and there is no documentary biographical information concerning the poet.
And then a little more research tells me:

Bodegas Martín Códax was founded in 1986 and was named after the most known Galician troubadour whose medieval poems, the oldest of Galician-Portuguese language, are preserved. In the poems, the troubadour sings to love and to the sea of our coastline (http://www.martincodax.com/en/bodega).
Sweet: School. Decanter. Wine. Friday. Poet. It’s on baby. It’s on.

The color is dark maroon with hints of light purple or pink. It’s about 80 percent opaque.

Thee nose is spicy and with dark berries and with some dirt. To me it smells like what Spain would smell like near the Atlantic Ocean or the Straight of Gibraltar. Yes, I’m actually picking up salty sea air odors, and I picked up before using that quote about who the wine was named after. Ok. . . . A little more research shows me that this winery is in northwest Spain and right close to the Atlantic Ocean.

The winery is in Cambados, the capital of the Salnés Valley.

A little more research suggests the vineyard is closer to the Mediterranean Sea and in northeast Spain.

But if I think about it some more, Rioja is in central northern Spain.

Ergo, ha, I don’t where the hell this place is.

Arg. Nonetheless, it’s near salty water and I can smell it. It’s in there, damn it.

I had this wine the other day, and I thought it was okay. Today it’s a bit more tart and drier than I remember. The berries taste lighter than they smelled. It’s not as fruity or fruit forward as I thought it may be or remembered. There’s a bit of dark chocolate in here somewhere, too. And some plums.

It’s a pretty good wine. Certainly it’s 88 points, but I don’t think 89 points. It’s a good everyday Tempranillo. Have some. I think it might go well with some spicy shrimp sushi or well-cooked barbecued chicken.

For a complete review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-121-ergo-tempranillo-rioja-2009/

8/8/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

According to Cellar Tracker, “Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja and Ribera del Duero region in Spain,” but this one is from Argentina. I love Tempranillo, but I’ve never had one from below the equator.

This wine has been opened (as well as the back door) and in glass for over 30 minutes. It’s a new world wine, so it should definitely be ready to drink by now.

The nose has leather, smoke, pepper, and dark currants and maybe watermelon. It smells like a picnic on the edge of a forest. I’m waiting from drunken woodland creatures and ungulates to stagger out. [Wait for it.]

The color is a dark maroon, and it has long, sexy, colorful legs. The meniscus is short and dark, but not as dark as the wine.

It’s very dry on the taste and finish, which tastes cheap.

The taste is herbaceous and it makes my mouth pucker as if I had just sucked on some alum. I can find dark, sour cherries, too.

I don’t know what I think about this wine. It certainly lacks the soul of a Spanish Tempranillo.

Bleu cheese would probably go good with this. I don’t recommend drinking wine with chicken wings, even though I have, but if you do want to combine wings and wine, this might be the wine to do it with. . . . Ah, man, will I ever find good wings down here in the deep, deep south. Now I’m hungry for chicken wings. Sigh. I guess I’ll have a chicken Waldorf salad instead. [Read the last two sentences like Eeyore for the true tonal effect.]

So this really isn’t a good wine, especially as a Tempranillo. Eeyore says, “And a new wine glass didn’t even save it.”

86 points. Enough said.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-120-tittarelli-tempranillo-reserva-2005/

8/8/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

I’ve had Dynamite before a long time ago, and I remember liking it, but my palate was young then. I’m going to try it again. Allons-y.

The color is a very deep, dark purple. It’s 99% opaque. But that might be misleading because the glass is so narrow. The meniscus, however, is a purple pink. Looking at the meniscus I anticipate that this wine has not quite reached its potential drinking age.

I’m not getting much on the nose, but I pick up some dark cherries and pepper and, maybe, some black licorice.

The finish is quick. No. Delayed. It disappears for a while and then it returns with sour black cherries. The taste buds actually recede but then blossom open to receive the next taste – a taste of black cherries and white pepper. I think I even pick up toast. (Oh, I miss my toaster.)

This is a really smooth wine. It’s pleasant. But it needs some cheese to bring out the flavors.

If I were in Brockport, I’d probably pay $10 for this, but in Hattiesburg, I paid around $16 for this. Wine here is much more expensive. I think I might have to cut down on my wine expenditures or readjust how I drink wine. I had a good system down for finding good wines under $15, but I’m going to have to raise that range to like $25 for down here. I even had some good everyday wines for $8 or $9, but down here, I’ll have no such luck.

So with that in mind. Is this wine worth $16? No. $10? Yes. Or maybe it depends on where you live.

It’s really a good wine, but it does need some food encouragement.

I’ll say 89 points.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-119-dynamite-cabernet-sauvignon-2008/

8/4/2012 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

The color is a very deep, dark purple. It’s 99% opaque. But that might be misleading because the glass is so narrow. The meniscus, however, is a purple pink. Looking at the meniscus I anticipate that this wine has not quite reached its potential drinking age.

I’m not getting much on the nose, but I pick up some dark cherries and pepper and, maybe, some black licorice.

The finish is quick. No. Delayed. It disappears for a while and then it returns with sour black cherries. The taste buds actually recede but then blossom open to receive the next taste – a taste of black cherries and white pepper. I think I even pick up toast. (Oh, I miss my toaster.)

This is a really smooth wine. It’s pleasant. But it needs some cheese to bring out the flavors.

If I were in Brockport, I’d probably pay $10 for this, but in Hattiesburg, I paid around $16 for this. Wine here is much more expensive. I think I might have to cut down on my wine expenditures or readjust how I drink wine. I had a good system down for finding good wines under $15, but I’m going to have to raise that range to like $25 for down here. I even had some good everyday wines for $8 or $9, but down here, I’ll have no such luck.

So with that in mind. Is this wine worth $16? No. $10? Yes. Or maybe it depends on where you live.

It’s really a good wine, but it does need some food encouragement.

I’ll say 89 points.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-119-dynamite-cabernet-sauvignon-2008/

7/11/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

The wine bottle is wide with thick glass and the punt is also wide and fairly deep. (Punt is the dimple in the bottom of a wine bottle. It is also referred to as a "kick-up.") It's almost like a champagne bottle. But enough of that. To the wine.

I poured a glass two hours ago, so it should be ready by now.

The color is like a red cranberry color. It's kinda bright for a wine. And it's 60% opaque.

It's quite leggy, too. The legs form quick, fall quick, but linger a long, long time. And the wine swirls for a long time. You know, like if you swirl a glass of wine and then stop, the swirl continues for a few seconds, but this one is lasting for like ten seconds and then it oscillates like a wave for a few seconds more . . . and then the legs.

This is wine is so interesting even before I smell it.

I know all wines are alive, well, most, bust this one seems like it has physical presence or a conscious presence. It's like it has things it wants to do and places to go and things to say. It's corporeal with meditative thoughts. I hope it's imaginative, too.

The nose has dark cherries and dark plums. I inhale and see plum pulp. There's a bit of toast, too. (Maybe that's why the champagne bottle. Ha. Get it? Too big of a leap?)

The taste matches the nose and with a little chalky finish on the tongue. The finish is also spicy, especially if you inhale through the nose while the wine is still in the mouth.

The taste has raspberries and an underlying juicy plum.

I really like the body. It's a medium-light body. I just like how it feels in my mouth. All of the sudden I think it feels like the Saturnalian vortex, Saturnarian vortex, hm, the vortex on Saturn.

Maybe that's why this wine swirls so long in the glass. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

The finish also has a dry juiciness. A dry raspberry and slight plumy juicy finish at that.

I paid $14 at Mahan's for this. That seems a fair price to me.

It's a solid wine. I give it 88 or 89 points. I give it 88 as a Pinot Noir, but 89 and maybe 90 as an outright wine.

For a full review, see http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-117-veramonte-ritual-pinot-noir-2010/

7-12-12 (the next day) Update: This wine is even better the second day when it really loosens up! Make that 90 points!

7/2/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

I must have picked this up in August 2010 or so because I wrote about it here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-thirty-eight/. But I’m going to ignore that post until I’m done tasting. Man, I hope it held up over the last summer and half of this summer.

Anyway, it’s normally a $50 of wine, but I got it for $25, I’ve been saving it, and tonight’s the night for it. Oh, and I’ve been decanting it in the refrigerator. . . . Did you hear that? I think the Universe just chuckled. Well, Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. Universe, it’s 80 degrees in my apartment and it’s the only way I can it to a reasonable drinking temperature. So there. Thhhhhhhhhhhhhppppt.

By the way, does anybody else find it difficult to do a wine tasting with their eyeglasses on or is it just me and me wanting to get my nose in to the glass?

The wine is very light. That is, it’s about 75% opaque. It’s a dark cherry/maroon color, which even holds true on the meniscus, except the very top where it’s clear.

It smells like it’s going to be a big body, like a Syrah. It smells dark and with cheese. It’s like sniffing in the back of a cheese cave, if those exist. I also pick up some deep, dark cherries. I also get some leather.

Well, it’s definitely matured. It’s solid and dark in taste, like the middle of some ancient Germany forest. And it finishes quick, like any glimpse of light that you’d see from the middle of that mythic Germany forest would quickly disappear as if by Faustian magic and alchemical uttering. I was going to say I could taste some Grimm’s tale witch in this wine, but no, I taste Mephistopheles. And the devil always makes things taste better. That’s a fact. Ask the Universe. Wait, I’ll ask:

“Hey, Mr./Mrs./Ms. Universe, does Mephistopheles make everything taste better?”
“Why, yes, yes he does. But the devil’s curse is not in the good tastes he creates for us but in the weight gain and hangovers he gives to us. So be careful and be sure to drink lots of water.”
“Thanks, Universe. You’re so ubiquitous and knowledgeable.”

If someone served this wine to me, I would not guess that it was a Pinot Noir. But I know it will go good with cheese and crackers, which very well may be dinner tonight.

This bottle is a lot different than it was two years ago. I still like it, but not for $25. . . . Wait. What? Is that you Universe. “Yes, it is me. The heat is and/or has affected the wine. You gotta keep the wine at a constant cool temperature. . . . Now, where’s that cheese. You don’t think moons are made of cheese, do you? C’mon. I’m hungry. Besides, I’ve had a rough day. Someone thinks they discovered my Higgs Bosons.

To read full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-116-ryan-vineyard-calera-pinot-noir-2005/

5/9/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

This wine is blend of Mouvedre, Syrah, and Grenache. I think this wine is trying to capture the spirit of Rhone wine.

So I dusted it off and decanted for well over an hour.

The bottle is a very light green that’s almost wholly transparent. I would expect this type of bottle for a white wine and not a red wine. But wuteffer.

Here we go.

When I poured the wine from the bottle to the decanter it was dark in color and odor. The cork had an old, deep purple stainon its bottom, as well.

When I smell the wine from the glass, I pick up mushrooms and assorted vegetables. On a deeper smell, I pick up some wood and raspberries, and deep in there is some very dark chocolate.

The body is cool, thick, and dark. I also pick up raspberries and white pepper. There’s also this juicy plum feel to it. I think I get cantaloupe, too. Or at least the shape of the chopped up cantaloupe that you’d get at a breakfast buffet table.

On the finish, there’s a slight sourness and a light, chalky residue on the tongue. There’s also the feel of Steak Montreal cooked medium-rare.

I like this, but I did hope and expect it to be much better. I’ll say 89 points.

This would be good with something that has basil in it or with spicy, garlic shrimp from a Chinese restaurant. It would probably be good with pizza or Italian food, too. Hm. How about cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese tossed in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and basil. Mmmm. That would be a good match, I bet.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-113-jade-mountain-la-provencale-1999/

3/17/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

The Bogle Phantom 2008 is blend of 51% old vine Zinfandel, 47% Petite Sirah, and 2% old vine Mouvèdre.

The back of the bottle has a fun story:

"In the dark recesses of the cellar you sense a presence, hear footsteps. Why is it these things only happen when you are alone? In the shadows, a glimpse of muddy boots and old blue jeans . . . the lurking legacies of hard work and determination left by those who have come before you.

"We are proud to carry on this tradition of our founders with this unique red wine: a deep ruby apparition that personifies the true spirit of the Phantom."

There should be a Muwahhaahaha at the end, too.

To the Phantom.

The label says the color is “a deep ruby apparition.” I wouldn’t say “deep.” ”Ruby,” yes. It’s not very deep, and it’s like 80% opaque. I’d expect deeper and darker with a Zinfandel and Petite Syrah blend.

On the antesniff, I thought of a wine for a child. (Yes, I jut invented a word. The “antesniff” is the odor that enters your nose before you consiously sniff. It’s the “before” sniff.)

Now to the sniff sniff. It’s flowery and light with some berries. But a dark fruit and smoke dominate the odor.

It tastes much different than it looks or smells. It tastes like scary. Dark and morbid. There’s a pepper finish, too. In fact, I keep thinking of a dark cellar with a dirt floor and hanging lightbulb with a pull string.

I taste dark berries and cinnamon.

This wine definitely needs some food to bring out the flavor, like a mild sausage. In fact, now that I taste it again, I pick up a dry, mild sausage.

I can also taste the Mouvèdre on the finish.

I’m not sure what I think of this wine. It’s enjoyable. Without food, it’s an 88. With food, I imagine it’s an 89, but it might reach 90. I think provolone cheese would also be a good complement.

You can read the Bogle fact sheet by clicking Bogle Phantom 2008 Fact Sheet. Interesting note: according to the fact sheet “Bogle” means “A goblin; a specter; a phantom; a bogy, boggart, or bugbear.”

For a full review and access to the fact sheet, go here:
http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-112-bogle-phantom-2008/

3/9/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

When I uncorked it, it gave a tremendous pop, and as I poured it into the decanter, I got a very wonderful smell of juicy fruits and berries.

From the back of the bottle:

[. . .] the Rothschild name comes from the German phrase “Das Rote Schild,” a reference to the red shield which originally served as the Family sign. “Escudo Rojo” is the literal Spanish translation.

“The Red Shield” of wine. Hmm. Well, I’ve been shielding you enough from a description. So in the words of the French, allons-y le bouclier rouge.

The back of the bottle also says this wine is blend of “four traditional grape varieties,” though it doesn’t say which ones, and I can’t find any sources on the internet. Based just on the waft I got from pouring I’m going to guess one of them is a Cabernet Sauvignon, and I’m positive about that, and I’m going to guess Syrah and Merlot.

Now, that I’ve smelled it with integrity, I’m sticking with my guess. I’m also adding that I love this nose with cherries, peppers, and a hints of cantaloupe and earthiness. It smells juicy. It smells like there’s a Washington Merlot in there, which may be why I’m getting juicy green apples. Oh, and vanilla. And some cola. My gosh, I’m drooling over the possibilities.

The color is dark, royal purple that is 85% opaque.

The finish is tart as you might get from a green apple. Why do I always pick up the finish first?

It’s also a bit bitter on the finish.

The nose is way better than the taste. The nose is all hope and warm fuzzies of goodness. The taste is kind of ordinary, or maybe my expectations were set to high from the nose.

You know what. I’m changing my Merlot from above to Carmenere. That’s what is hurting this wine. To me Carmenere smells like Merlot, but it doesn’t taste like. It’s like Merlot is The Beatles and the Carmenere is the Dollar Store version of The Beatles, or The Monkees. (I thank Harvey for that Beatles-Monkees analogy.) Carmenere’s DNA is very similar to Merlot, too. Actually, the more I sip it, the more I pick up some luscious cherries and pepper. It’s getting better with each sip. The bitterness and tartness are fading. It’s juicy and dry at the same time. It’s juicy on the palate and dry on the gums. It’s lip smacking. There’s some smoke, too.

Anyway, I’m liking this more and more. I think it will go good with a spinach salad that has crumbled bacon. It should also complement smoked gouda cheese.

I’ll say 88 points, or a B+.

I don’t remember what I paid for it, but I wouldn’t pay more than $12 or $13.

Oh so I did some more research. This wine is:
•Cabernet Sauvignon 40%
•Carmenere 37%
•Syrah 18%
•Cabernet Franc 5%

Okay. I taste that Cabernet Franc, now, but it’s good. I usually despise the Cabernet Franc, but it’s hiding itself inside the Carmenere. It’s wearing Carmenere camouflage.

To read the tasting notes I found, which also includes the blending notes, click Baron Philippe De Rothschild Escudo Rojo 2008 Tasting Notes. It even has a map so you can locate Maipo Valley, Chile.

Their tasting notes say it’s “round, fruity.” I say it’s ”cubical and dark berry.”

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-111-escudo-rojo-2008/

3/3/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

A cuvée is a blend, but I’m not sure what a Cuvée Philippine is. (Literally, “cuvée” translates into “vat.”) I hope it’s good, especially since it has been decanting for three hours.

But first, what makes up this cuvée? It is 55% Grenache, 35% Syrah, and 10% Carignan, and the grapes come from vines that are 10-70 years old. I hope most of them come from the 70-year-old vines. And since it is mostly Grenache, I’ll assume it is from the southern Rhone region.

To the tasting! Allons-y.

This wine has the color of a black cherry and is 90% opaque.

The nose is smoky and earthy. I mean real earthy. I can smell the dirt from where the vines grew. There are also black cherries, strawberries, and lavender.

Oh my goodness. What a texture. So soft. So round. So solid. There are no holes in this. The taste is steady. It’s not compartmentalized.

I pick up darkness on the taste. It tastes like midnight in the Garden of Eden the night before the fall. This is the wine they would to need to drink after they were expelled. It even has a little bitterness to the finish. The finish is also dark and with a little pepper.

In less metaphorical terms, it has dark berries, especially tart black berries.

This wine is $13 at Mahan’s in Brockport. It’s well worth the price. I imagine this would go good with some woody mushrooms, like Shitake mushrooms. It will also go good with hamburgers, especially if the outside of the hamburger is slightly charred. I think it will also go well with kielbasa.

The finish really dominates this taste. It lingers and it needs food to make it end.

I can see why Robert Parker gave this 90 points. This is a typical dark wine that he would like. If you like, dark, earthy wines, you will love this, especially at $13. It is a little too dark for me, as wines Robert Parker likes often are. But I can see how he gave it 90 points. But based on what I like, I gave it 89 points, but I respect what it does.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-110-domaine-les-grands-bois-cuvee-philippine-2010/

2/11/2012 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

This Bordeaux is 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10 % Cabernet Franc. Usually, I think, Bordeauxs are more Cabernet Sauvignon than anything else. So odd.

The color of the wine is deep claret. Well, that's what the back of the bottle says. I don't think I'll disagree.

Here's what the whole back of the bottle says:

Variety :

60 % Merlot, 30 % Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10 % Cabernet Franc.

Color :

Deep Claret

Nose :

A gently perfumed nose of blackberry, cherry, and cassis fruit and chocolate layers with some spices and cedary notes.

Palate :

This stylish wine shows elegance and concentration with brooding fruits, delicate tannins, and cedary, integrated oak.

Complex and inviting, the structure is fine, the fruit intense, and the finish persistently long.

Assessment :

Great wines produce by Alain AUBERT (6th generation of Aubert producing wine in the region) and his daughters.

They are also producers of the famous Château La Couspaude and Château Haut-Gravet in St. Emilion.

("St. Emilion" means they are from east Bordeaux, or the right bank.)

When I poured this into the decanter, I picked up lots of berries on the nose. The odors just wafted up. I picked up a bouquet of flowers, too. I have a feeling it has decanted enough. French wines tend to need time to breathe to open up, but we'll see.

(I'm did my tasting notes before I read the back label, except for the color part and the blend infromation.)

So the nose. The nose has dark berries and a deep, dark forest. I also get dark chocolate. A salty, dark chocolate.

The taste is mild, but this may be because I've been drinking Cabernet Sauvignon almost exclusively for the past week or so. Actually, there's not much happening on the palate. This maybe why I lean to new world wines instead. They are bigger and more pronounced. This old world wines are more subtle. So subtle they don't even pronounce the "b" in subtle.

The more I swirl it, though, the more it opens. I'm getting dark cherries and dry raspberries and dry blueberries. Oh, and earthy, too.

The finish is chalky, which may mean it needs a little more time to open up.

I'm barely picking up the chocolate that is mentioned on the back-label tasting notes.

This wine is ok. It stands up. It's not great, and it's not bad. It's ok, and it has no attitude.

It does get juicier the longer it's open. The cherries come out more, and the dry raspberries and blueberries are no longer dry but are juicy.

I'll say 88 points.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-109-chateau-de-ribebon-bordeaux-superieur-2009/

1/23/2012 - thelinebreak wrote:

It poured out bubbly. Maybe I held the decanter wrong. Anyway, it’s dark ruby in color and about 90% opaque.

The first thing I thought of when I smelled this was clear. Then I thought of a mountain stream with a bank of flowers. The nose is very gentle. It doesn’t smell big like a typical cab. I also pick up a hint of cantaloupe. But really it has almost no nose. Maybe it needs more time decanting. It’s been just over an hour, so you wouldn’t think it would, especially for an American wine. Or maybe it needs to age more. It’s probably the latter.

It’s thick and caramel-y in texture. I taste plums and cherries on the palate.

It finishes spicy and with dry, dark berries. On the long finish, there’s some smoke and nuts and wood, like cedar I guess. I’m not good with the wood, but I pictured cedar. Actually, I pictured the smooth top of a cedar desk.

Right now, this wine isn’t worth the $20 I paid for it, but I think it will be in a few years. I’d say pick up a bottle or two and store them for a few years. It’s just not ready, especially when there are so many good cabs at a less expensive price. Right now I give this like 88 points.

WAIT! Redux.

It’s been like an hour-and-a-half, and it’s finally opening. The nose has a body now and scents. There are still flowers, and my girlfriend says gardenias. I also get yellow plums and hint of chocolate.

The texture is more chalky now. The finish is less spicy, but nutty. On the palate there are purple plums and William Carlos Williams wife reading:

This Is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
Poor Florence Williams

Still this wine needs some time aging. I’m still giving it 88 points.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-108/

1/18/2012 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

First, here’s what the back of the bottle says:

BORN IN FRANCE … RAISED IN AMERICA. Not all wines are created equal. 337 is the most coveted Cabernet Sauvignon vine stock in Bordeaux, France. These rare vines are prized for their concentrated flavor and thrive in the red soils and cobblestones of our Lodi vineyard. The resulting wine exudes seductive aromas of mocha and dark cherry followed by intense flavors of ripe blackberry and spice. Enjoy with savory pasta, pot roast, thick steaks, and creamy cheeses.
The color is a dark purple that’s about 90% opaque.

The nose is fruity, dry, and spicy. There is also some chocolate and cherries and a woody coffee, like Costa Rican Tarrazu, and like a Costa Rican Tarrazu, there’s a hint of creaminess.

The taste has some black cherries and chocolate. I also pick up a bell pepper.

The finish is a bit tart but juicy with a spicy fruit. Maybe it’s a chocolate covered strawberry with whisp of pepper and cinnamon. The juicy finish makes my front, top gums drool with pleasure.

This would go good with chicken in some sort of red sauce. I keep picturing chicken picante whenever I sip it.

This is not your typical Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s sure delicious. And for $10 – wow.

90 points, though it’s probably technically 89, but wuteffer.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-107/

1/17/2012 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

Here’s another Cabernet Sauvignon that’s not all cab. According to the Raymond Vineyards website, this one is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, and it’s 14.5% alcohol. The list price is $35, but I picked it for $19.99 at Mahan’s. The people at Mahan’s said if I liked the Sebastini 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon that I’d love this, and I love the Sebastini, especially its jammy finish. Mmm.

Ok. To the wine. It’s not very opaque for a cab. It’s like 75% opaque. I can see through it.

The nose is big and musty with mushrooms, black currants, raspberries, anise, one bing cherry, and few grains of cinnamon. There’s a lot going on here. I hope it tastes a bit more simple.

There are big fruits, but they aren’t juicy. They are dry. There’s a hint of cherry, too.

The finish is spicy with white pepper plus the cinnamon. What a fun finish. It’s not jammy like the Sebastini, but it’s fun. I keep sipping it just for the finish. The long finish.

It so smooth and velvety, too. It’s damned delicious. 91 points.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/in-pursuit-of-juiciest-wine-day-106/

12/19/2011 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about the Columbia-Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. I’m been saying so much good about it. I’ve been comparing it to other cabs that cost twice as much or more, and saying the Columbia-Crest is just as good or better. I’ve been saying this is the best cab under $10. However, I’ve never really sat down with it and explored. It’s just an everyday wine to open, pour, and drink. But tonight the wine and I will have a conversation, and we will see, or taste, I’ve been speaking the truth.

This cab is a blend. It’s 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining 5% is Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.

The color is a dark purple, but it has hints of spry brightness, especially in the meniscus. It looks lively like it’s saying, “Hey man, don’t despair on this dark winter night with no snow to be seen for miles, even though there should be a foot or more of the lovely white. I come with the vigors of spring and the hooves of Pan.”

The nose is simple, straight-forward, and not big or deep as you may expect from a cab, but it does have some darkness. I also get some vanilla and some other sweet smell, maybe chocolate. Oh, and some cassis.

I pick up tastes of chocolate and cherries and on the dry finish are some spices and maybe some clove. It’s kinda fruity, but I’m not sure what fruits, maybe a hint of melon and/or mango.

It’s really not complicated, but it’s quite good. Plus, it’s not very big, so it can pair well with many more foods. OH! and as mentioned before, it’s awesome with thai peanut curry sauce: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/perfect-thai-peanut-curry-sauce-cabernet-sauvignon-combo-compliment/.

I love this wine mainly because it’s so good for under $10. It’s not a 90 good, but it’s an 89. Go get.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/in-pursuit-of-juiciest-wine-day-105-columbia-crest-grand-estates-cabernet-sauvignon-2007/

12/16/2011 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

In this tasting, I'll compare Plungerhead Zinfandel 2009 with the 7 Deadly Zins 2008.

The Plungerhead has a rubber stopper for a cork. It’s tightly sealed in by some winding plastic. It opens easy, and there’s a slight pop to it when you pull out the stopper. I really enjoy these stoppers because they are simple, they don’t affect the taste of the wine, and they never break. They will be a great replacement for cork in this world with limited cork supplies. Plus, most important, you can save and reuse the rubber stoppers for a number of things, including capping other wine bottles after opening them. I like this because sometimes the corks just don’t fit in again, especially those solid hard plastic corks that pretend to look like they are made out of cork but are not, or those other corks with the sponge-like center and the hard plastic casing which never fit in the bottle again. So this cork is a bonus for sure.

The 7 Deadly Zins cork is your standard cork, which is perfectly admirable. Once you pull out a standard cork, you can tell you certain things about the wine, especially from the cork’s stained bottom. How dark is that stain? How far up the cork does it go? Can you stamp the back of your hand with the wet, stained bottom and leave a mark? Does the stain have an odor? These are all useful and fun. This cork, however, broke in half, with one half floating in the bottle. Hopefully, this won’t affect the taste or the contest.

The Plungerhead wins the cork weigh-in stage, but I won’t let this affect the outcome of the wines. So there is no winner at this weigh-in as cork preference is purely subjective.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

The glasses of wine come out slowly and present their colors and menisci

The colors are somewhere between dark scarlet and Bulgarian rose, and the 7 Deadly Zins is darker or more opaque. Both menisci have an angelic glow about them. The color of the menisci is like red with a blue tinge. If robots turned into angels after they expired, this would be the color of their halos.

I give no advantage to either in color or menisci, but I am looking over my shoulder waiting for an oenophile Terminator to arrive.

Round Two. The Nose.

We’ll start with the 7 Deadly Zins. It smells jammy with plums, cherry, black licorice, black pepper, and some cola. The girlfriend picks up anise and sour cherries and some muskiness.

The Plungerhead nose is very similar but without the black pepper and less black licorice. It smells livelier and younger. It smells like it has bounce.

As I go back and forth, I pick up the muskiness in the 7 Deadly Zins, too. The other day, I tweeted that the 7 Deadly Zins smells like an old book at Christmas time. I get less Christmas this time.

Ding ding.

This round goes to both. I like the youthful vibrancy in the Plungerhead and it does smell juicy, but the 7 Deadly Zins smells older like its got some stories to tell. The girlfriend like both noses equally.

Round Three. The Tasting.

I’ll start with the Plungerhead this time. The finish is sour, but in a good way. There’s some chalkiness to the texture, too, but it’s a mild chalkiness, which is easily made up for by the jamminess. A jamminess of a flat cola, strawberries, plums, and raspberries. And there’s a pepper to it, too. Maybe a white pepper, but I don’t pick up on that until after the finish. I think get some cloves, too. Man, it’s so yummy. The girlfriend gets strong blackberries especially on the aftertaste. To her it is thinner than expected. I think I agree. The 2008 had a fuller body. (By the way, a flat cola taste isn’t a bad thing unless it’s actually a cola.)

Wow, the finish on the 7 Deadly Zins is really quick. It just disappears on the taste. I really enjoy the lingering finish of the Plungerhead. I like to dwell on it, but the 7 Deadly Zins just fades away. The pepper really comes out in the taste and the anise is there, too, but it’s not annoying. This also has a hint of chalkiness to it. I also get raspberries, for sure, and blackberries or blueberries. It’s also drier than the Plungerhead. The taste of the 7 Deadly Zins, like the nose, is more mature than the Plungerhead. The 7 Deadly Zins is more serious. It reminds me of the library in Meet Joe Black.

In fact, I think I just figured this out. Plungerhead is the Brad Pitt of Zinfandels and 7 Deadly Zins is the Anthony Hopkins of Zins. On the taste, the girlfirend gets blackberries, some anise, spices, and it’s very smooth.

Ding ding ding. That’s the end of the battle. Who wins.

The girlfriend scores 10-9, 10-9, 10-9 in favor of the 7 Deadly Zins.

This judge, that’s me, scores it 10-10, 10-10, 10-9 in favor of the 7 Deadly Zins. For me, the 7 Deadly Zins is just fuller, and as it opens up it gets much better and smoother. (This may explain why the girlfriend thought both noses were equal at the beginning of the match but in the end she chose the 7 Deadly Zins.) The Plungerhead is awesome, but like a young man it comes out full force but then doesn’t go anywhere. It presents everything it has at the beginning. It doesn’t change as the air interacts with it.

Yes, as time goes by, the 7 Deadly Zins just gets more and more awesome, and the Plungerhead just stays at really good. You can’t go wrong with either. And the price isn’t a factor either. The Plungerhead is $12 and the 7 Deadly Zins is $13.

The 7 Deadly Zins and Plungerhead both started at like an 89 or 90 for me, but now the 7 Deadly Zins is like 92.

In the age old question “is better to burn out or fade away?” the Plungerhead is the burnout and the 7 Deadly Zins is the fade away. I wonder which is Stevie Wonder.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-103-the-battle-of-the-lodi-zins/

12/16/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

In this tasting, I'll compare Plungerhead Zinfandel 2009 with the 7 Deadly Zins 2008.

The Plungerhead has a rubber stopper for a cork. It’s tightly sealed in by some winding plastic. It opens easy, and there’s a slight pop to it when you pull out the stopper. I really enjoy these stoppers because they are simple, they don’t affect the taste of the wine, and they never break. They will be a great replacement for cork in this world with limited cork supplies. Plus, most important, you can save and reuse the rubber stoppers for a number of things, including capping other wine bottles after opening them. I like this because sometimes the corks just don’t fit in again, especially those solid hard plastic corks that pretend to look like they are made out of cork but are not, or those other corks with the sponge-like center and the hard plastic casing which never fit in the bottle again. So this cork is a bonus for sure.

The 7 Deadly Zins cork is your standard cork, which is perfectly admirable. Once you pull out a standard cork, you can tell you certain things about the wine, especially from the cork’s stained bottom. How dark is that stain? How far up the cork does it go? Can you stamp the back of your hand with the wet, stained bottom and leave a mark? Does the stain have an odor? These are all useful and fun. This cork, however, broke in half, with one half floating in the bottle. Hopefully, this won’t affect the taste or the contest.

The Plungerhead wins the cork weigh-in stage, but I won’t let this affect the outcome of the wines. So there is no winner at this weigh-in as cork preference is purely subjective.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

The glasses of wine come out slowly and present their colors and menisci

The colors are somewhere between dark scarlet and Bulgarian rose, and the 7 Deadly Zins is darker or more opaque. Both menisci have an angelic glow about them. The color of the menisci is like red with a blue tinge. If robots turned into angels after they expired, this would be the color of their halos.

I give no advantage to either in color or menisci, but I am looking over my shoulder waiting for an oenophile Terminator to arrive.

Round Two. The Nose.

We’ll start with the 7 Deadly Zins. It smells jammy with plums, cherry, black licorice, black pepper, and some cola. The girlfriend picks up anise and sour cherries and some muskiness.

The Plungerhead nose is very similar but without the black pepper and less black licorice. It smells livelier and younger. It smells like it has bounce.

As I go back and forth, I pick up the muskiness in the 7 Deadly Zins, too. The other day, I tweeted that the 7 Deadly Zins smells like an old book at Christmas time. I get less Christmas this time.

Ding ding.

This round goes to both. I like the youthful vibrancy in the Plungerhead and it does smell juicy, but the 7 Deadly Zins smells older like its got some stories to tell. The girlfriend like both noses equally.

Round Three. The Tasting.

I’ll start with the Plungerhead this time. The finish is sour, but in a good way. There’s some chalkiness to the texture, too, but it’s a mild chalkiness, which is easily made up for by the jamminess. A jamminess of a flat cola, strawberries, plums, and raspberries. And there’s a pepper to it, too. Maybe a white pepper, but I don’t pick up on that until after the finish. I think get some cloves, too. Man, it’s so yummy. The girlfriend gets strong blackberries especially on the aftertaste. To her it is thinner than expected. I think I agree. The 2008 had a fuller body. (By the way, a flat cola taste isn’t a bad thing unless it’s actually a cola.)

Wow, the finish on the 7 Deadly Zins is really quick. It just disappears on the taste. I really enjoy the lingering finish of the Plungerhead. I like to dwell on it, but the 7 Deadly Zins just fades away. The pepper really comes out in the taste and the anise is there, too, but it’s not annoying. This also has a hint of chalkiness to it. I also get raspberries, for sure, and blackberries or blueberries. It’s also drier than the Plungerhead. The taste of the 7 Deadly Zins, like the nose, is more mature than the Plungerhead. The 7 Deadly Zins is more serious. It reminds me of the library in Meet Joe Black.

In fact, I think I just figured this out. Plungerhead is the Brad Pitt of Zinfandels and 7 Deadly Zins is the Anthony Hopkins of Zins. On the taste, the girlfirend gets blackberries, some anise, spices, and it’s very smooth.

Ding ding ding. That’s the end of the battle. Who wins.

The girlfriend scores 10-9, 10-9, 10-9 in favor of the 7 Deadly Zins.

This judge, that’s me, scores it 10-10, 10-10, 10-9 in favor of the 7 Deadly Zins. For me, the 7 Deadly Zins is just fuller, and as it opens up it gets much better and smoother. (This may explain why the girlfriend thought both noses were equal at the beginning of the match but in the end she chose the 7 Deadly Zins.) The Plungerhead is awesome, but like a young man it comes out full force but then doesn’t go anywhere. It presents everything it has at the beginning. It doesn’t change as the air interacts with it.

Yes, as time goes by, the 7 Deadly Zins just gets more and more awesome, and the Plungerhead just stays at really good. You can’t go wrong with either. And the price isn’t a factor either. The Plungerhead is $12 and the 7 Deadly Zins is $13.

The 7 Deadly Zins and Plungerhead both started at like an 89 or 90 for me, but now the 7 Deadly Zins is like 92.

In the age old question “is better to burn out or fade away?” the Plungerhead is the burnout and the 7 Deadly Zins is the fade away. I wonder which is Stevie Wonder.

For a complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-103-the-battle-of-the-lodi-zins/

12/16/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

This is a blend. According to Franciscan website it is:
-Cabernet Sauvignon 86%
-Merlot 12%
-Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbect 2%

(I’m not sure why they spelled “Malbec” with a “t” at the end, but they did.) To download some more information, go here http://www.franciscan.com/flash/docs/06FranCab.pdf to read their PDF about the wine. While you are reading that, I’ll do the tasting.

The PDF says the color of this cab is Ruby red. I’ll agree. I’ll also point out how the meniscus is purple, like the purple you see on the horizon at sunset.

On the nose I first get plum, dark cherry, and vanilla. Then I get some mushrooms and toast. I can barely smell the cab franc, which always stands out to me.

Hm. All those grapes in the two percent are undermining this wine. The Merlot, however, is saving it. It’s like a battle between the juicy Merlot and the dark two percent, and the Cab is on the sidelines not sure which side to join.

As for tasting notes, I get pepper and mushrooms. It finishes with cassis, like the PDF says. It’s also dry on the finish. The more I sip, the drier it gets, but, also, the more some cherries come out. Juicy cherries. I think the Merlot is winning the battle. You know there is also some cola in there somewhere, too. Again, the more I sip the more chewy it gets, and the dryness sticks to the roof of the mouth.

This is such an interesting wine. It doesn’t know what it wants to do. It’s erratic except that it gets better with each sip. This would be good with some Chinese food. Something with pork. Like a pork in a plum sauce. Mmmmmmm. And fried rice. Or pork in a barbeque sauce.

I like this but not for the price. There are so many good cabs out there for less. I don’t know how anyone gave this 94 points, let alone over 90. I’d say like 89 or 88. I’d rather drink the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 for $8. Half the price and better. Don’t underestimate that Columbia Crest. I think I might be having an affair with that wine. You wouldn’t want to be seen with it in “good” company, but, man, it can show you a good time.

For a full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/in-pursuit-of-juiciest-wine-day-104-franciscan-estate-cabernet-sauvignon-2008/

11/30/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

Last night I made a thai peanut curry sauce to go with some chicken, leftover vegetables from The Godfathers of Rochester Poetry reading, onions, bamboo shoots, and sliced garlic. I served it over rice and it was good.

Tonight I served it with homemade angel pasta that I got at the organic store. Even better.

And then I opened a bottle of Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. This bottle of cab is about $8, and it’s a damn good cab. It’s definitely the best cab under $10. If you’re low on cash and high on red wine needs, this is the wine to get.

And then I took a sip of the wine. It’s amazing. The cab never tasted so good and peanut sauce got better with every bite. ... this pairing is spot on. I highly recommend it.

For a complete review including an incredible recipe for thai peanut curry sauce, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/perfect-thai-peanut-curry-sauce-cabernet-sauvignon-combo-compliment/

11/30/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

It’s a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, and Mazuelo. I love Tempranillo, but I’ve never heard of the other two. I have no idea what it will taste like.

This is the Reserva, so it’s been aged for three years, and at least one of those years was in oak.

This wine looked darker when I poured it, and it’s still dark, but not as solid dark as I previously witnessed. The color actually pairs well with my dark red and black flannel. That’s right. I now pair my wines with my clothing.

The nose has dark berries, mustiness, tobacco, and some cranberries.

It has a sour, smoky finish. It’s a completely different wine on the finish. And it lingers for a long time in the mouth and throat and in the goose bumps that arise after the swallow. That was after the first taste. On the second taste, the sourness disappears, and the finish lasts as long as vapor.

Thinking of vapor. There’s a lot of alcohol in this one. Whoo.

Those other two grapes are pretty dominant in this wine. There are stealing the typical juiciness of the Tempranillo.

This wine would go good with steak and hamburgers and feta cheese. I keep wanting feta cheese with each sip.

There’s nothing exceptional about this wine, unless you like them dark. Robert Parker might like it, but I like mine a bit more fruitty and bright.

It’s still pretty good. I’d give it like a B+/89. It definitely needs some food to tame it.

For a complete review including a history of Bodegas Beronia, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-102-bodegas-beronia-reserva-rioja-2006/

11/4/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

It’s been too long since I’ve done one of these tastings, but that’s what happens when you have a full-time plus teaching Introduction to Creative Writing at the state college, which takes another 15-20 hours of prep work for a three-hour class. Work, school, students, girlfriend, dog, food, sleep. Ug. It’s overwhelming.

Click the image to make it bigger so you can read it.

Ok. enough whining. On to the wine.

Actually, I’m going to do an experiment. The next Introduction to Creative Class will be on poetry. It will be the first poetry class. In this class I plan to focus on abstractions and images. Why do young writers have such a hard time distinguishing between the two? I know I did. Why do young writers try to write poetically instead of just writing? I know I did. Anyway. This review will be like two reviews. One review will try to describe the wine with abstractions. And the other will try to describe the wine with some images and concrete stuff.

New rules. I’ll describe the wine with abstractions, and the girlfriend will describe with images.

Abstract Color: It’s the color of a newborn’s thought when seeing fall for the first time. Hmm. There are two images in there. It’s the color of an interpretation.

Concrete Color: A dark plumy color with some red.

Abstract Nose: The nose smells like the middle of the solar system. Near the asteroid belt. Hmm. No. That’s too many images. It smells like the berries of time. Ah. There we go. No. There’s still berries. It smells like the dark times before the eruption of change. It smells like a sad smile before a birthday. Ha ha!

Concrete Nose: It’s a little cranberry-like with some spices and perhaps some nutmeg. She says it smells like Christmas spices. And that it smells dry.

Abstract Taste: It tastes like prehistoric earth just after the lava cooled. It tastes like the steam rising from the lava. No. Those are images, too. It tastes dry. It tastes like red. It tastes like the edge of death but in a good way. It tastes like the last words of a famous painter. It tastes like a Paris tavern in the 1920s with Hemingway at a table writing and staring at a woman he wants to put into a story. Damn. All images. Arg. It tastes like the edge or certainty and the corner of joy.

Concrete Taste: It tastes alcoholic. It’s juicy. It’s like biting in currant berry that explodes in your mouth. It started interesting but became boring and unnoteworthy. (Ha. There’s the abstractions!)

I agree. It start off with some gusto. It has some talent. It’s like a boxing match. Talent, fine clothes, and experience vs. youth, impetuousness, and rags. It’s trying to be a real good wine, but behind it, perhaps the abundance of alcohol, there’s a thin layer of cheapness.

I’d say 88 points.

But you know, as the boxing match goes on, the young, cheap fighter is starting to falter. He’s fallen to the mat a couple of times. Talent and experience are winning out. The first rounds it came out strong, stumble a bit in the middle rounds, but is finishing the match strong. I give 89 points.

Most important. This wine taught me that it’s best to describe a wine with both concrete and abstract terms. A good poem does that, too, but the abstractions aren’t the dominant. They just appear every now and then like Miles Davis trumpet in songs from his later years.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-101/

8/4/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

When I poured it into the glass I noticed two things. One, it had a thin cherry color as it fell from the bottle into the glass. Two, it reeked of alcohol. That’s probably not a good thing, but it could be.

I love the transparency of this wine. It’ like 50% transparent. It looks like a sunset off the Oregon coast. It looks like an Oregon Pinot Noir.

As I look for pictures of this bottle of wine, the glass sits on my desk and the alcohol wafts up into my nose. This is powerful stuff. I’m a bit nervous to try this.

On the label are two bears. If you can’t read the label, the bear rowing the boat on the left says, “Full body, exquisite nose …”. The bear leaning on the bow on the right responds, “Careful, I’m spoken for.” Oh, good times are sure to ensue from this wine.

The story on the back label reads:

This is the story of Mac and Zeke, two inquisitive bears who find themselves on a quest to enjoy life’s great curiosities. With no actual destination in mind, they prefer to take in their surrounding and simply enjoy the journey. You’ll find them adrift wherever the current and the occasional row may take them.

It continues:

The Russian River Valley’s cool morning fog and moderate afternoon temperatures give the BearBoat Pinot Noir richness and texture with bright acidity that balances beautifully. The aromas are a blend of raspberry and red cherry with a toasty vanillla spice flavor and lingering finish.
Enough of all that. To the wine.

The nose is alcoholic. I also get toast and raspberry. It smells better than when I poured it. And I pick up a hint of cola. My girlfriend gets Dr. Pepper, lots of alcohol, and hint of musky flowers, like lilies.

On the palate, it’s quite plain, and tastes bigger than it looks. There is some spice, too. My girlfriend picks up pulled-pork that has cola in the sauce. Ha, I wish. Then it’d be good.

It has an acidic finish. That is it tastes sour or tart. Like sour cherries. It’s bitter. After a few sips, though, this acidic finish goes away, but it doesn’t “balance beautifully.” My girlfriend picks up fresh cucumbers.

It does get better with more sips, but not a lot.

I wouldn’t buy this again, especially for $16. It’s like a B wine. Like 87 points.

For the complete review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-seven-bear-boat-pinot-noir-2007/

8/4/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

I don’t know anything about this wine. I just randomly picked it off the shelf. I like Tempranillo especially from Spain and especially from Rioja. And I like the label design – clean, simple, inventive and with movement.

The back label has this to say:

A wine with just one puprpose: to be Rioja
Its character, the fruit, and the expression of Tempranillo
Rebellious, authentic, and delicious

Oh, and it’s 100% Temprnillo. I’m felling good about this one. Allons-y.

I get a dark cola on the nose, a hint of melon, tree bark, blackberries, maybe some moss, and dried mushrooms. Hmm. It’s almost like a forest. I do keep picturing the side of a mountain on the border of trees and rocks.

The body is eloquent. It’s like a waterfall.

There are definitely some cherries in here. It’s trying to be jammy, too. It’s got red fruit and berries, so it’s kinda juicy. There’s just enough tannins in here to hold back that potential juiciness I crave.

The finish has a hint of spice, maybe cinnamon, but it’s a clean finish. It goes quick.

Ths Vina Zaco is quite deceptive. It’s trying to be something grand, but it’s too humble. It’s holding back. Maybe in another year or two it will flourish. But it’s still good.

I give it like a B+ or an 89.

I think it needs food.

Now, it’s getting addictive. I sip, set it down, sip, set it down. . . . It’s all one long motion. It’s addictive because it tastes good and because, damn it, there’s something going on in it beyond my reach. It”s seductive, mysterious, and romantic.

To read the full review, go here: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-eight-vina-zaco-temrpanillo-2007/

6/18/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

This tasting compares the 2007 with the 2008.

I first found the Codice Viño de la Tierra de Castilla 2008 at Hannaford Farms in Rutland, VT. I opened a bottle one night at my girlfriend’s father’s and stepmother’s house. Everyone enjoyed the wine. Even those who rarely drink wine wanted more. That was a good night of wine drinking.

I then became curious as to what was in the wine. The bottle only says “Red Table Wine,” so I assumed that meant a blend. I did some research to find out it is 100% Tempranillo. No wonder I liked it so much.

Later I found out there was a 2007 that had received some good reviews. However, not much has been said of the 2008, so I’ll be one of the first.

And now it’s time to let the battle begin.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

They both come out fighting and showing their colors, which are very similar – dark cherry, but the 2007 is darker. The 2007 is about 98% opaque while the 2008 is about 93% opaque. And, yes, the opaqueness is accurately measured with the best equipment we have here at the The Line Break – my eyes.

The first round is a draw 10-10, though if pushed it would give it to the 2008. A Tempranillo shouldn’t be this dark, at least I don’t think so.

Round Two: The Nose

It’s time for the noses. The 2007 is dark and with odors of some place deep in a forest where it’s moist and muddy. I also get subtle hints of dark cherries, raisins, and vanilla. The girlfriend picks up chocolate and hints of raisins. The 2008 smells like a lighter version of the 2007, but instead, it’s a cedar forest. There is also more sweetness and fruitiness and definitely more plums. The girlfriend gets lots of alcohol on the nose along with some blackberries.

Ding ding.

The girlfriend scores the second round 7-6 in favor of 2007. I score it 8-7 in favor of the 2008.

This round is also a draw.

Round Three. The Tasting.

The 2007 is dry in the mouth. Dry and grainy. It tastes dark like dark cherries along a dusty dirt road. I also get some spiciness. The finish is also quite dry. Dry and chalky. The girlfriend gets a savory, weird flavor like the spicy batter on battered shrimp. She also picks up a hint of shrimp. She thinks the finish is bland with some tartness.

The 2008 is lighter and livelier. It has more fruit and is a bit more juicy. It finishes with alcohol, but not in a hot way. There are more cherries in this one. It’s also thinner on the finish than the 2007. My girlfriend got nothing. It is sour with no distinct flavors. It is kind of watery. She picks up no finish.

Ding ding.

The girlfriend scores it 7-4 in favor of the 2007. I score it 8-7 in favor of the 2007

Ding ding ding. And that’s the end of the battle. Who wins?

The girlfriend scores it 7-6 in favor of the 2007.

I score it 8-7 in favor of the 2008.

If I were to give them typical point totals, I’d give them both an 87.

The weird thing is that the 2008 was tremendous before, but now it kinda disappoints. I have noticed inconsistencies in the 2008. That is, I just purchased a case, and some of the bottles taste like what I just described, but some are much better.

In any event, the 2007 and 2008 are not at all similar, but they both rank equally as well. Both cost $10. You can definitely find better for $10. However, when the 2008 is on, it’s on!

For a full review, see: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-five/

6/18/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

This tasting compares the 2007 with the 2008.

I first found the Codice Viño de la Tierra de Castilla 2008 at Hannaford Farms in Rutland, VT. I opened a bottle one night at my girlfriend’s father’s and stepmother’s house. Everyone enjoyed the wine. Even those who rarely drink wine wanted more. That was a good night of wine drinking.

I then became curious as to what was in the wine. The bottle only says “Red Table Wine,” so I assumed that meant a blend. I did some research to find out it is 100% Tempranillo. No wonder I liked it so much.

Later I found out there was a 2007 that had received some good reviews. However, not much has been said of the 2008, so I’ll be one of the first.

And now it’s time to let the battle begin.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

They both come out fighting and showing their colors, which are very similar – dark cherry, but the 2007 is darker. The 2007 is about 98% opaque while the 2008 is about 93% opaque. And, yes, the opaqueness is accurately measured with the best equipment we have here at the The Line Break – my eyes.

The first round is a draw 10-10, though if pushed it would give it to the 2008. A Tempranillo shouldn’t be this dark, at least I don’t think so.

Round Two: The Nose

It’s time for the noses. The 2007 is dark and with odors of some place deep in a forest where it’s moist and muddy. I also get subtle hints of dark cherries, raisins, and vanilla. The girlfriend picks up chocolate and hints of raisins. The 2008 smells like a lighter version of the 2007, but instead, it’s a cedar forest. There is also more sweetness and fruitiness and definitely more plums. The girlfriend gets lots of alcohol on the nose along with some blackberries.

Ding ding.

The girlfriend scores the second round 7-6 in favor of 2007. I score it 8-7 in favor of the 2008.

This round is also a draw.

Round Three. The Tasting.

The 2007 is dry in the mouth. Dry and grainy. It tastes dark like dark cherries along a dusty dirt road. I also get some spiciness. The finish is also quite dry. Dry and chalky. The girlfriend gets a savory, weird flavor like the spicy batter on battered shrimp. She also picks up a hint of shrimp. She thinks the finish is bland with some tartness.

The 2008 is lighter and livelier. It has more fruit and is a bit more juicy. It finishes with alcohol, but not in a hot way. There are more cherries in this one. It’s also thinner on the finish than the 2007. My girlfriend got nothing. It is sour with no distinct flavors. It is kind of watery. She picks up no finish.

Ding ding.

The girlfriend scores it 7-4 in favor of the 2007. I score it 8-7 in favor of the 2007

Ding ding ding. And that’s the end of the battle. Who wins?

The girlfriend scores it 7-6 in favor of the 2007.

I score it 8-7 in favor of the 2008.

If I were to give them typical point totals, I’d give them both an 87.

The weird thing is that the 2008 was tremendous before, but now it kinda disappoints. I have noticed inconsistencies in the 2008. That is, I just purchased a case, and some of the bottles taste like what I just described, but some are much better.

In any event, the 2007 and 2008 are not at all similar, but they both rank equally as well. Both cost $10. You can definitely find better for $10. However, when the 2008 is on, it’s on!

For a full review, see: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-five/

6/12/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

The nose is musky and peppery. There’s also a vanilla, currant jam smell to it. It smells juicy, which is what I want.

It’s thick on the tongue. It feels like a Salvador Dali painting on my tongue.

I pick up currants and cherries and some herbs.

On the finish, it’s slightly tart with a hint of pepper.

Despite the fact this Pinot is 50% opaque and a Pinot, it’s pretty heavy. It’s quite odd. I don’t mind, but I don’t expect it.

I like this. It’s one of the better California Pinot Noirs I have had. I still prefer my Oregon Pinots, though.

I’ll give it a B+.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-four/

5/19/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

First off, The Wine Spectator gave it 92 points and rated it number 78 on its Top 100 Wines of 2010. Ya know, if that means anything to you.

Plus, 70% of the wine matured in casks and 30% in one-year old barrels.

This Rhône blend, or cuvee, is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. All that adds up to Yum.

I saw the season’s first rose today. It was two feet tall. It’s color of bright red is nothing like the color of this wine. No, this is a dark maroon.

It’s brighter on its tall meniscus. Actually, as I look at this meniscus, I sense disappointment. This wine seems sad. If it could cry, it would. Dark maroon, 14.5% alcohol tears.

I wish I had stop to smell that rose I saw. I bet it smelled lovely, but not as lovely as this Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille 2007. More yum. I’m picking up all the flavors I like, such as cherries, strawberries, spice, plums, and flowers, but not roses. It smells jammy. Yes!

A weird thing just happened. I walked over to my girlfriend, who is cooking meatloaf, and then I walked back. In that time, the wine picked up a musky-skunky-earthiness on the nose. It’s kinda like something you’d smell in a Cab Franc.

Hmmm.

What a fine finish. Up front, though, there are dark berries and figs. I can even picture that fig.

I want one, now. I want that juicy inside. Mmm. Mmm.

The finish is spicy with dark berries. It will go well with the meatloaf, I think, and probably better with the vegetables – shallots and green beans.

I’ll give this wine an A. A low A. I think it will better in a few more years. I say get a bottle and try it out.//

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-two/

5/19/2011 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

This wine has history of good ratings. Over the last seven or eight years, it has received 90-92 points. What I remember of this wine, though I may not have had this year, is that it was muscular.

It smells delicious. It smells like Spain. Like a Grancha, almost. There's chocolate and cherries.

This is a jammy wine. Raspberry jam. Thick raspberry jam. Followed by a spicy, dry finish.

This wine is making me change my meal plans. I will not be having Italian Wedding soup, which may be my favorite soup. No, this needs a pizza or pasta with red sauce.

The body of this wine reminds me of a big Merlot (a Merlot with green apples), but it behaves like a red Zin, but not as full bodied, but damned delicious.

You know what, I think it might be hot, while retaining balance.

This is a wonderful wine for $14. I give it an A.//

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-three-juan-gil-jumilla-red-2008/

4/17/2011 - thelinebreak Likes this wine:

First of all, it’s number 85 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 list for 2010, if that really means anything. Anyway.

It is 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 10% Mourvedre, which meets the requirements of the Pic Saint-Loup appellation.

Held up to the wet sunset sky where snow (big, fat snow flakes of snow) had been falling much of the afternoon and early evening, the color of this wine is bright purple. It looks vibrant and happy.

The nose is delicious. Vanilla and and and, ah, it’s like vanilla cream. After a couple of swirls, new smells arise: cranberry and pepper. There might be cherry, too. And I pick up some truffle oil. Truffle oil. That’s what is making me happy inside. Truffle oil. Truffle oil is always happiness to the body. I smell it and all sorrows go away.

To the taste.

This is pleasant up front with cranberries and plum. The body is cool and deep. The Mourvedre is making for a tart finish, or a high acidic finish. The tartness while mild endures on the finish.

This is an enjoyable wine, but it needs some food to cut the tart finish.

This would go good with eggs. Eggs, toast, hash browns, and ketchup. This would be a good breakfast wine. Though, who has wine for breakfast? Hmm. Maybe I should go to the Brockport Diner.

I say this is a B+ wine. It could probably benefit from a few more years so the acidity can mellow a bit.

For a more detailed review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-ninety-chateau-de-lascaux-coteaux-du-languedoc-2008/

4/2/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

It smells of the ocean to me. Ocean and wind. But not the funky, dead-fish wind. The cool breeze smell. A juicy breeze. A wind with mist so I can see “the wind in my eyes.”

This cab’s got strawberries and blackberries and something green. It’s got earth and a coffee bean.

Oh, what an interesting taste. It’s like melon and something grape. It’s silky, it’s smooth, it has bit of cassis. It has linger on the finish of a jellybean. It tastes like Easter without the ham. It’s like a chocolate egg with just a hint of cream.

But don’t be deceived. It’s ain’t that sweet. It’s as dry as the street after a windstorm and a day of heat.

I’m actually liking this wine. It’s a little thin for a cab, but I’m liking it. It’s making me happy. I’m happy because I got wine, my girlfriend, and the Beastie Boys. ”I mean wine and women and song and such.”

By now, “I’m just chillin’ like Bob Dylan.”

It’s a good wine. I give it a thumb’s up. And for $14 I’ll give it two. Get a block of sharp cheddar cheese, and you’ll agree.

I’m done. I’m out. ”I’m a writer a poet a genius I know it.” ”My mind is kinda rhymin’ and I think I oughta think. I’m rockin all the rhymes and I’ll have another drink.”

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-seven-silver-palm-cabernet-sauvignon-2007/

4/2/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

I started drinking it out of a port glass.

The opening of the mouth is small. When I smell the Newton it smells of a forest in the Pacific Northwest. A mushroomy forest. The nose is dark and dank. And it tastes about the same. I don’t really care for the nose and the taste is okay.

So I go to the cupboard and get a small mason jar to pour the wine into. Oh, it opens up like a dream within a dream. The nose now has perfume and vanilla.

The flavor doesn’t last long in the mouth. I pick up a sharp jaminess. I think there are some raspberries and coffee. The finish is dark and spicy.

But what I like is how different the wine is based on the size of the mouth of the glass. It’s like two different wines. We all know that different wines are supposed to be drunk out of a a glass with a certain shape and size, but who really thought it mattered that much? Well, this time it did.

So drink the Newton Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 out of a big mouthed glass and let it breathe for at least an hour. It’s pretty good. 89 points.

For a complete review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-eight/

4/2/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

Shiraz from Australia might becoming a cliché of itself, but I saw the staff at Madeline’s in Ithaca, NY, doing a tasting of this. So, when I found this bottle in New Hampshire, I had to pick it up. (By the way, Madeline’s has the best food in Ithaca, and probably most of mainland New York State.)

The color is dark. A dark purple. It looks thick (if a wine can look thick). It doesn’t smell that special, but it has plums and leather. I think I also get some white pepper, cherries, and vanilla. So this Shiraz has some of the typical traits, and then some.

It’s dry and jammy. My girlfriend said it tasted like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I think it just has the texture of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I like the juicy finish. Juicy, berry finish followed by a dry slide. The finish is actually chewy, or like something you want to take a bite out of. The finish returns as a tart ghost to haunt the mouth.

There is nothing extraordinary about his wine, but it is good.

Let’s give it a B.

For a complete review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-nine-penfolds-thomas-hyland-adelaide-shiraz-2007/

2/23/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

A fine everyday wine for $8. A juicy-peppery-plumy-vanillay-lip-smacking wine. It'll make smiles after a rough day at work.

2/17/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

This red is made from three old-vine grapes: 60% Carignane (pronounced karen yawn), 30% Grenache, and 10% Syrah.

It smells sweet. It smells like a Fingers Lake wine. I’m picking up a sweet red berry.

It tastes better than expected, and the body is bigger than expected. It doesn’t taste like a Fingers Lake wine, either. It’s is straightforward. It might be a hair to sweet me, but not really. It will good with some spicy food.

I keep thinking of strawberries and a bright red color after I put down the glass.

This wine has just flipped on me. After giving it to my girlfriend, who gets earthiness and mushrooms, I’m now getting a more funky nose and sweeter and more sour finish.

It’s like it magically opened up one hour and fifty-five minutes after popping the cork.

I don’t think I care for this wine much anymore. It’s ok, but I can immediately think of 24 better wines for the same $12 price or less. Also, I don’t think I’m a fan of “carbonic maceration.” I wanted to be, but I’m not.

You know?! If you don’t smell and suck in more air than wine, then it’s not that bad.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-six/

2/14/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

It’s number 44 on The Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2010. They also gave it 90 points.

It’s 100% Tempranillo

The color is a dark Harvard crimson.

The body is light, and it’s about 60% opaque. (That means I can see through it.)

I smell Spain. I also smell red currants, bacon or prosciutto, and some spices (spicy spices). (My girlfriend gets uncooked sausage on the nose.)

As soon as it touched my tongue, I felt delight. I felt delight as it glided across my tongue and down into my belly. The finish, however, was a little chalky. It’s drier than expected. I definitely taste the red currants, and they are chewy. (My girlfriend gets cooked sausage.)

This would go good with meat or Chinese food.

It’s loosening up. It juicy-ing up. It’s Tempranillo-ing up. This is getting better. Let’s say 89 as a Tempranillo, and 90 as a wine, if that makes sense. I mean, what I’m trying to say is, “You gotta drink this wine sideways, at an angle, but straight into the mouth. Kinda like you do with a cigarette when you don’t want the drag or smoke to interfere with your view of the person you are talking with or have the smoke get in the way.”

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-four/

2/14/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

This is 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Carignan.

First words out of my mouth were, “Oh, this smells f***ing good.” It’s deep, as deep as its dark ruby color. It smells juicy and fruity. There are some flowers, too. It smells well blended.

I picked up burning wood on the nose right as I took a sip. I thought of Northern Idaho in the winter. Specifically, Sandpoint, Idaho.

The wine is bit drier than I expected, but yummy with dark berries and dark fruits. I also get some earthiness. And it finishes with some dark chocolate, bitterness, and chalkiness.

Oh, what a fun wine this is, and it’s only $15 at Mahan’s.

Actually, this is pretty big for a Rhone. I like it. It will go good with chicken in garlic sauce.

So I’m going to say 89 points and really pushing 90 for this one. Good stuff.

Oh yeah, Twisted Sister would drink this wine.

For a complete review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-five-domain-les-grands-bois-cotes-du-rhone-2009/

2/3/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

I’m a little concerned here. I can see through it. It’s not as opaque as I expect it to be. Actually, the sides are but not the middle. It’s some weird optical illusion – dark on the side, semi-transparent in the middle. To the nose.

The nose. Oh, the nose. The nose smells of the joys one can have on Route 101 and of the mushrooms one might find along Route 101. One might pick up on the nose, like my girlfriend correctly noted, some salmon cooked in an 18-year-old balsamic vinegar glaze. (The best 18-year-old balsamic vinegar comes from F. Olivers. Oh, man. I’m so hungry for that meal.) There’s some cherries and some spice or spices like chai tea.

Well, this isn’t as good as previous years. It’s thin for a Cab, and, well, there’s not much going on. Not much flavor and the finish is lame and uninteresting. Well, it’s lame and uninteresting because I expected so much. If I wasn’t expecting a cab, I might enjoy this more. But it is smooth.

It’s ok, but at $20, it’s not. There are better cabs, better wines for half the price.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-eight/

2/3/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

The blend is:
-- 46% Merlot
-- 28% Cabernet Sauvignon
-- 11% Zinfandel
-- 6% Petite Sirah
-- 4% Cabernet Franc
-- 4% Syrah
-- 1% Other varietals

For a complete description and overview of this Summation, read Kendall-Jackson’s PDF: http://www.kj.com/wines/vintners-reserve/PDF/VR2007_SummationRed.pdf

Looking at this line up, I assume it will be a bigger wine than a Bordeaux or a Meritage.

Also looking at that list, it looks like it should have been called Clean Up. It looks like they are using all their left over grapes. Plus, they used the word “synergy” in the description of the wine. Synergy? That’s a sign of nothing. What an empty and meaningless word. I have little expectations for this wine.

Well, I just poured a glass after opening the bottle about an hour ago. The Summation has a bright purple meniscus, and it looks thin.

The nose smells more solid than it looks. It smells sturdy like under-ripe plum, and it smells of plums. I pick up some black currants and pepper, too. And cassis.

This wine smells tight, so tight that I hope it doesn’t snap.

Yeah, it kinda tastes like they just used what grapes they had left. It’s not balanced at all. There’s too much competition. Though I like the finish. I can pick up a yummy Merlot. The Merlot is at the very front of the wine, too.

It’s tart and chalky at the back of the mouth at that last place before you swallow.

I get some cherries and pomegranate.

Up front, this wine is an 87. On the finish an 85.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-nine/

2/3/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

The wine is very dark. Dark as a Cabernet Sauvignon should be. I like the nose. Dark cherries and cola and some apples.

It’s quite dry. It would be jammy if not for the dryness. It’s quite fruity with strawberries and melon? My girlfriend gets something completely different. She gets sizzling duck fat or bacon on the nose and taste. I’m not getting it, but I wish I did. My girlfriend’s nose and palate are awesome, too. But, alas, quite divergent tastes here.

The dryness lingers on the finish.

More sips and sniffs, and I can’t faintly pick up some salty meat or something salty, but it’s distance and faint.

Anyway, we both agree that it’s average. Columbia Crest’s Cabernet Sauvignon for $2 less is more tasty and interest. Columbia Crest’s is an 89, so I’ll say this $11 bottle of Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is an 88.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty/

2/3/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

It’s big and dark with a light ruby meniscus. It looks like a Syrah.

The nose has some dark chocolate and dark berries, like black berries.

After another sniff, I find some herbs in there, too.

The body is simple and somewhat big, but not Syrah big. I pick up some juicy fruits and berries just before the finish. I think also find some vanilla. You know what? I also pick up prosciutto, or some type of spicy meat. That’s actually dominating the nose.

This is probably why it finishes with a hint of pepper. There’s also a pleasurable tartness on the finish.

I like this wine. It’s simple on the surface, but it gets more interesting the more I taste it and think about it. Still, it’s mellow and at ease. It’s a happy wine, and it will be even happier after it gets over its shyness. Right now it’s teasing me. “Oooo baby. Look at me. Here’s a little taste of me. If you wait a while, I’ll show you a good time.” Well, that made it sound like a hooker or a sexy crack dealer, which it definitely isn’t. But still it’s a tease.

Each sip gets better. It’s a fun combination of juicy berries and a thin, spicy meat. Yum. Let’s say 90 points.

For a full review: http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-eighty-two/

1/6/2011 - thelinebreak wrote:

There’s a little cork in it because the cork broke. Sigh. I tried to swirl the cork to the side of the glass. Some of it took, and I can see there’s a lot of alcohol in here. The label say 15.0%. The meniscus is short and wavy, probably from the wine sliding down the glass. And I suppose the wine is dark ruby in color, but the cork distracts.

The nose smells like cut wet grass mixed with mint, tarragon, anise, and tobacco. It almost smells like a wimpy Cab Franc.

This wine is very unique to me. But first, the finish is like the nose but a bit more tart. It’s giving me goosebumps. It’s got a medium body, too. If you pay attention, you can pick up some cherries. They’re in there playing hide-and-seek. Peek-a-boo. I found you. This wine has layers. Ahhhhhh. I can’t believe I just wrote that, but it does. It’s like the first impression is dark and anise-y, but then these cherries and plums poke up in the periphery. It’s kinda like seeing a ghost. You can never see a ghost in front of you. It’s always out of the corner of your eye. And if you do see a ghost in front of you, it’s either something from a Dickens’ story or it’s a poltergeist. Either way, you’d better run or call and get help.

When I sip this I think of this wonderful pasta dish at Quinns in Spokane, WA. Quinns no longer exists, but the memories do. They had this amazing spicy, shrimp pasta dish. It was sooo amazing. It satisfied every part of my body and soul. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. This wine would go real good with that. It would go even better with a spicy seafood stew like, Cioppino. Oh, Quinns had a wonderful Cioppino. Mmmm.

Unfortunately, all I have is some chicken and shrimp chow mein I made the other night. This could go good with that. We shall see.

This wine is so bizarre to me. I don’t even now how to rate it. Maybe I’ll rate it with a song. This wine is like “Little Ghost.”

I can see The White Stripes drinking this wine. Well, the ghost of The White Stripes. Perhaps The Dead Weather.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-seven-cline-ancient-vines-2007/

12/24/2010 - thelinebreak wrote:

This review is a review of two Shirazes from Barossa, Australia.

The Battle of the Shiraz

Tonight’s battle will be between Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz 2008 and Peter Lehmann of the Barossa Shiraz 2006.

So let’s get to it, but first some introductions.

Coming in with a screw top cap and at $11 on sale at Mahan’s is the Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz. It has received ratings as low as 92 from Wine Spectator and as high as 94 from the Wine Enthusiast.

And in this corner with a screw top and at $12 on sale at Mahan’s is the Peter Lehmann of the Barossa Shiraz 2006. The Lehmann has received ratings as low as 89 from James Halliday and as high as 91 from the Wine Spectator, and Wine Spectator said it was a Smart Buy in 2009. Still, Peter Lehmann comes in as the underdog.

What makes the battle exciting is that they are both from Barossa, Australia.

Let the contest begin.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

The glasses of wine come out slowly and present their colors and menisci.

The Nine Stones is black cherry in color and 98% opaque and it has a deep meniscus. The Peter Lehmann has a similar color but it’s darker but not much. They are almost identical, but the Lehmann has a taller meniscus. The meniscus is the only way I can tell them apart.

Round Two. The Nose.

Here come the noses. Peter Lehmann leads with a dark, musky nose, but with some sweet plums, or plums and vanilla. And there might be a hint of cola, too, as my girlfriend nose says.

The Nine Stones nose is much different. It’s earthier and hardier, but it is also sweet but with sweet green apples. There also might be some cloves and something like cantaloupe or a light citrus. (Maybe it’s a tomato.)

As I rapidly go back and forth between the two, they actually share that same earthy, muskiness. Is that the odor of Barossa?

I think I like the Lehmann’s nose a bit better, but not much, and only because it’s more floral. There is nothing wrong with either nose.

Round Three. The Tasting.

Finally, all that matters – the tasting.

Oh the Nine Stone is so yummy. It’s drier than I remember, but it still has the three-part finish: pepper followed by tannins followed by fruit, maybe something like an orange with cloves like a traditional Xmas present (my girlfriend picked up on that). I also pick up raspberries and dark cherries before the finish – you know, in the mouth. And there’s a hint of chocolate. Last time this wine was fruitier and there was more chocolate.

Now, the Lehmann. That’s as I remember it – big, dark, and tart. It’s not at all like the nose. The finish is quite bitter. This seems closer to a typical Shiraz in body and size. The Nine Stones isn’t nearly as big and is small for Shiraz. The Lehmann has blueberries up front and there is dark, baker’s chocolate on the finish.

How can these wines come from the same valley?

I like the Lehmann. If it wasn’t in the Battle of the Shiraz, it would seem good. 89 points good. But in this battle, I’m digging the Nine Stone much, much more. The Lehmann’s is almost too much for me. Maybe it needs some food to tame it. I like the Nine Stones fruitiness much more.

Nine Stones easily wins this one for me. 93-89.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/12/24/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-four/

12/24/2010 - thelinebreak wrote:

This review is a review of two Shirazes from Barossa, Australia.

The Battle of the Shiraz

Tonight’s battle will be between Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz 2008 and Peter Lehmann of the Barossa Shiraz 2006.

So let’s get to it, but first some introductions.

Coming in with a screw top cap and at $11 on sale at Mahan’s is the Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz. It has received ratings as low as 92 from Wine Spectator and as high as 94 from the Wine Enthusiast.

And in this corner with a screw top and at $12 on sale at Mahan’s is the Peter Lehmann of the Barossa Shiraz 2006. The Lehmann has received ratings as low as 89 from James Halliday and as high as 91 from the Wine Spectator, and Wine Spectator said it was a Smart Buy in 2009. Still, Peter Lehmann comes in as the underdog.

What makes the battle exciting is that they are both from Barossa, Australia.

Let the contest begin.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

The glasses of wine come out slowly and present their colors and menisci.

The Nine Stones is black cherry in color and 98% opaque and it has a deep meniscus. The Peter Lehmann has a similar color but it’s darker but not much. They are almost identical, but the Lehmann has a taller meniscus. The meniscus is the only way I can tell them apart.

Round Two. The Nose.

Here come the noses. Peter Lehmann leads with a dark, musky nose, but with some sweet plums, or plums and vanilla. And there might be a hint of cola, too, as my girlfriend nose says.

The Nine Stones nose is much different. It’s earthier and hardier, but it is also sweet but with sweet green apples. There also might be some cloves and something like cantaloupe or a light citrus. (Maybe it’s a tomato.)

As I rapidly go back and forth between the two, they actually share that same earthy, muskiness. Is that the odor of Barossa?

I think I like the Lehmann’s nose a bit better, but not much, and only because it’s more floral. There is nothing wrong with either nose.

Round Three. The Tasting.

Finally, all that matters – the tasting.

Oh the Nine Stone is so yummy. It’s drier than I remember, but it still has the three-part finish: pepper followed by tannins followed by fruit, maybe something like an orange with cloves like a traditional Xmas present (my girlfriend picked up on that). I also pick up raspberries and dark cherries before the finish – you know, in the mouth. And there’s a hint of chocolate. Last time this wine was fruitier and there was more chocolate.

Now, the Lehmann. That’s as I remember it – big, dark, and tart. It’s not at all like the nose. The finish is quite bitter. This seems closer to a typical Shiraz in body and size. The Nine Stones isn’t nearly as big and is small for Shiraz. The Lehmann has blueberries up front and there is dark, baker’s chocolate on the finish.

How can these wines come from the same valley?

I like the Lehmann. If it wasn’t in the Battle of the Shiraz, it would seem good. 89 points good. But in this battle, I’m digging the Nine Stone much, much more. The Lehmann’s is almost too much for me. Maybe it needs some food to tame it. I like the Nine Stones fruitiness much more.

Nine Stones easily wins this one for me. 93-89.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/12/24/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-four/

12/24/2010 - thelinebreak wrote:

I did some quick research. It received 94 points from the Wine Enthusiast, 92 points from the Wine Spectator (according to one source) but at the Wine Spectator website HS gave it 89 points, and Stephen Tanzer at the International Wine Cellar gave it 92 points.

Hopefully, this Shiraz will give me some energy, because I am neither awake or asleep.

I think a ghost is typing this, or at least there’s a ghost in the machine.

Alright.

Wake up! Is everybody in? The ceremony is about to begin.

Now that’s a quote from a ghost buried in Paris.

This evening’s entertainment will be new with a wine you can barely see through. It’s dark and ruby. I think it will taste rather groovy.

It’s nose is alive with dark berries and vanilla. Oh, I think this wine will be a thrilla. There’s quite some more going on with some chocolate and other mocha spawn. Indeed there are cherries, too, along with some juicy fruit. And if my nose is indeed clever, it picks up on some white pepper.

Oh, I love this nose. It’s a wine I’m glad I chose.

Now to the give the wine a taste. Oh, it makes my mouth a happy place. There’s fruit up front and juiciness in the middle. I am covered in many a goose pimple. (No, really. Not for the sake of rhyme.)

It . . . is . . . frickin . . . delicious. I have to break the rhyme. It’s absolutely amazing. There’s so much going on. Even the finish has three movements: pepper followed by dryness followed by a joyful juciness like smooshed fruit. And it’s clean. And the texture is so smooth and soft.

I am in love with this wine.

I feel like I’m out berry picking, but really, like all berry picking, I’m eating more berries than picking. In fact, this wine would be great for a picnic after berry picking. Berry pick. Eat some berries, cheese, and bread. Drink this wine. Lie down on a blanket with your lover. Look at the clouds. Fall asleep. Wake up and realized there’s still half a bottle of the Nine Stones Barossa Shiraz 2008 and realize life is damned wonderful – enough to base a movie on.

This indeed is the Jim Morrison of wines. (A younger Jim Morrison.) It’s what Dionysus would drink. It’s a drink of love and vitality.

If you want a lively wine, a spirited wine, a playful wine, this is the wine to drink.

I’m melting in its flavors. Can you really give a wine like this points? If so, I wanna say at least 92 and maybe 94. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-three/

12/10/2010 - thelinebreak wrote:

It’s a dark, shiny ruby. It glimmers with vitality. It’s meniscus is miniscule, and I like miniscule menisci. Ay yi yi.

It’s nose is also brilliant, but dulled a bit with some earth, tobacco, and leather. But it’s not dull. No. It’s still bright because of the raspberries and spice.

This is the weirdest, craziest wine I’ve ever tasted. There are so many flavors all over the place. It’s dizzying. It starts really tangy. Then, did I get a cherry pie somewhere? (My girlfriend says a cherry-rhubarb pie.) There are a lot of sharp berries in here. This is delicious.

The finish is sweet and spicy and long and yummy.

Despite all I’ve said, it’s a well mannered wine. It’s so polite and at ease, but it’s not shy. It wanders all over my mouth. It introduces itself to every part of my tongue and gums. It’s says, “Hi” in such a way that everything inside my mouth smiles, and so do I.

Damned good stuff. 92 points I say.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-two/

12/6/2010 - thelinebreak wrote:

This wine is #75 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2010. They gave it 90 points.

Here's what I say.

The color is bright and alive. So light. I can see right through it. This will be refreshing from all the Cabs I’ve been drinking.

It’s nose is even bright and is infiltrated with pepper. It smells like Oregon terra firma.

I get some cherries and a hint of raspberries. Way back, I get a hint of cantaloupe, too.

The nose is filled with grins and pleasant sighs.

Oh, that’s delicious and pleasant and smooth. And juicy! A thin juiciness. A long finish. Mmm. It just lingers in prettiness with just a hint of tartness. But it’s so bright. There are blueberries in here, too, but mostly cherries. Bing cherries. Oh, it’s delightful.

And after a while, there is a hint of dryness. Like dust. Like dust from the paths they drive and walk on while carting the wines.

This is a terrific wine. It’s like 92 points terrific.

So why A to Z?

"The 2008 A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir is blended from wines made from at least thirty different vineyards representing all of the Oregon AVAs that grow Pinot Noir. We take great care to craft one cuvée each vintage, creating a complex blend that embodies The Essence of Oregon."
(http://www.atozwineworks.com/documents/08PNTasteSheet.pdf)

And damn it, they have. Like I said, it tastes like Oregon, and Oregon makes the best Pinot Noirs.

And it’s organically grown, too. (http://www.atozwineworks.com/documents/08PNShelfTalker.pdf). So double bonus.

Plus, an awesome slogan: Aristocratic Wines at Democratic Prices. Triple Bonus.

This is good stuff.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy-one/

12/4/2010 - thelinebreak wrote:

This will be a double tasting to compare two wines.

Tonight there will be a battle. No blood will be spilled nor any wine, but much wine will be drunk. This challenge comes in the wake of the announcement of the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2010. It fact, this battle is really a battle with Wine Spectator. It’s David and Goliath battle, but this time David has a grape.

Tonight’s giant coming in at 96 point and #25 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2010 with a price of $35 (on sale for $19.99 at Mahan’s) and wearing a wine label over a cork is the Ruffino Modus Toscana 2007. Woo woo.

And in this corner a little Italian wine that no one has heard of and with a low, low Mahan’s sale price of $9.99 and wearing a screw-top top is the Monte Antico Toscana 2006. Yay yippie.

Ruffino Modus Toscana 2007 vs Monte Antico Toscana 2006
As you can see these are both Toscanas, so it should be evenly matched, but let’s look at the numbers.

The Modus is 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot.

The Monte Antico is 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot.

The Modus will have a bigger body, but the Monte Antico will have the bigger rustic spirit. At least that’s what the odds makers are saying.

All right guys. Clink glasses and come out drinking.

(But first a disclaimer. Last night I opened another bottle of the Modus. I think I had a cold when I did, but it didn’t taste like it should. It tasted dark and earthy and tobaccoy. The tobacco can be expected from the Sangiovese, but not the rest. Oh, and I’m wearing my new glasses, too. My first wine post with my new glasses. My first pair of glasses.)

So here we go. Allons-y.

The glasses of wine come out slowly and present their colors and menisci (the plural of meniscus). The Modus has a shorter meniscus and with more color. Oo a jab to Monte Antico. Monte Antico counters with a brighter top color. Below the menisci, both wines, however, are solid purple in color and equally opaque – the Modus, though, is about 98% opaque and the Monte Antico is about 95% opaque. The first round goes to the Modus with shorter, deeper colored meniscus.

Round Two. The Nose.

Monte Antico comes out smelling like bacon, flowers, and carmalized sugar (my girlfriend picked up on the latter). And there is some jam, too – strawberry jam. That’s good a solid, berryful comeback for the Monte Antico.

The Modus challenges back with a deeper nose of tobacco and leather and with a bouquet of flowers, more flowery than the Monte Antico. These flowers are like lilies, Easter liliers says the girlfriend. This nose is more balanced, too.

When I returned to the Monte Antico, the nose wasn’t as delightful as before. The Modus gave an upper cut to the Monte Antico with its lilies. The Monte Antico seems a bit stunned and is a bit wobbly.

Ding ding. Monte Antico has been temporarily saved by the bell.

This round goes to Modus, too.

Round Three. The Tasting.

The Modus comes out with a swagger and leads with dark berries (dark cherries and cranberries) and finishes with tartness, flowers, and a dry finish. This wine is getting excited and styling as it’s showing off its long, clingy legs. The taste reminds me of an old, sturdy, rocky, bald mountain under a clear blue sky. From its peak you can see the Mediterranean Sea.

Can the Monte Antico counter? Does it have what it takes? Can this David stand up to this Goliath?

Tasters clean their palates, and here comes Monte Antico. (Tip on cleansing the palate: Use water at room temperature. Don’t dull the taste buds with cold water.)

The tobacco nose rushes out of the glass before I even begin to taste. The nose has recovered. It’s stronger, faster, better. It seems bionic. It seems six million dollars.

The Monte Antico is completely different. It leads with some sourness then turns quite juicy and finishes with caramel. What a counter. It’s body is a little lighter than the Modus, but what a little spar it just had. It’s delightful. It makes me think of a fair with cotton candy. It makes me think of the movie Big when he is at the fairground and right before he leaves to go get his wish from Zoltar.

Ding ding ding. That’s the end of the battle. Who wins.

The girlfriend scores it 10-10, 9-10, 10-8. The burnt sugar and finish of the Monte Antico won it for her.

This judge scores it 10-10, 10-9, 10-9. The complexity and depth of the Modus won it for him, but he sure loves the playfulness of the Monte Antico.

For price, the Monte Antico wins. For quality, the Modus wins.

I’d say the Modus is like 91.5 points and the Monte Antico is like a fully loaded 89 points.

Now, I’m going back and forth between the two and it’s getting nasty. I need food interruptus. I need bread and onion-fig jam.

Wait. Hold on. There’s an after-the-match scrum with the onion-fig jam and ciabatta bread.

Monte Antico comes out swinging. Oh, it’s a wonderful complement that smooths out the wine and brings out the onions.

Modus counters and says, “Hey, man I ain’t that dry. With this jam I’m chill. I’m a complex mo fo.”

That’s it. That’s it. They are both winners.

And aren’t we all when we drink good wine.

http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/in-pursuit-of-the-juiciest-wine-day-seventy/