8/30/2013 - Smukke13 Likes this wine:

Color golden yellow. nose said "peach," but tongue said "grapefruit" and a light, sweet wood -- a young birch. Minimal acid. Will enjoy the rest of this over the hot holiday weekend.

8/22/2013 - Smukke13 Likes this wine:

I mostly drink heavier reds, but when this one came up on Wine.Woot, I thought it might be nice for hot summer evenings on the patio.

Never been particularly well-known for my color sense but to me it looks more orange or peach-colored than pink. Starting with it chilled, nose has strawberry and something tart, maybe kiwi-ish. There's also a floral scent in there that I can't identify. Taste is less fruity/sweet than I expected from the nose. Still strawberry in there, but more watermelony -- juicy and subtly sweet. There's something heavier in the finish, coffee or unsweetened cocoa maybe. It's not distracting -- just balances the sweet.

It will be a nice one for the back patio at the new house. May try it with spicy skewered shrimp or some jalapeno Tex-Mex.

8/10/2013 - Smukke13 Likes this wine:

Tasting notes on the 2005 were the first I've ever made on a wine, so really this is all still new to me. But ever since I bought this Woot, I've been looking forward to this comparison, so here goes.

Since I opened & poured the 2005 at a ~75F for the first taste, I wanted to do the same with the 2007 even though I know it will change. Nose is still fruity, but not as wild. Taste is black cherry, and lots more oak than the 2005. Finish is smoky, like a dwindling campfire. So different from the 2005!

As with the 2005, after 20 minutes in the fridge, the legs are more apparent and the nose is much brighter -- still cherry, but redder. Taste is closer to a cherry lifesaver -- pretty sweet/tart. Finish is warm, but shorter than the 2005; the fruit overwhelms the oak & smoke that was there when I tasted it "too warm." Did I make it too cold?

An hour later -- fruit has diminished and there's that oak again. Is it there again because it's closer to room temperature (Texas home in summer, ~75F), or because it had time to breathe? (shrug)

Will try with some manchego cheese tomorrow and see what happens. May buy a thermometer to do better science. Regardless, I'm amazed at how different the 2005 and 2007 are, and can't wait to see how bottles #2 and #3 evolve.

8/10/2013 - Smukke13 Likes this wine:

First time I've thought this hard about what's going on in a wine. Here goes.

Opened and poured, probably warmer (~75F) than it wanted to be. Slow legs and a fruity nose, taste of wild dark fruit (blackberrries?) and pepper, finishing with anise that lingers. Sparks a memory of eating sticks of wild licorice root in Denmark. My mouth would like to have another sip *right now*, but I'm playing wine scientist tonight....

Popped it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Faster legs now, brighter fruit, more raspberry and like a whole different wine. A brighter, happier wine, if that makes sense. I had no idea temperature would make such a difference. Anise is gone -- oh, wait, there it is, waaaay back in the finish.

A little more than an hour later, it is still bright & happy, with an anise-y finish. I feel like it wants to be tried with dark (not sweet) chocolate.

Comparing to the 2007 (both from from Woot!) and amazed at how different they are. Still nervous about posting these novice thoughts in public, but this is how we learn, right?