Tasted Today

Beer

Budweiser American Ale  Why?  There are better ales out there.  This one is correct in everything but undistinguished in anything.  The bottle is nice, presentation is appealing.  Color is medium amber with toast colored head.  Body is medium.  Aromas of hop slight without the characteristic Cascade aroma I expect.   Aroma is slightly washed out.  Little bit of sourness or cider on the entry nice mouthfeel a little too carbonated.  Finish is short and weak.

Highland Clawhammer Oktoberfest At first nose a little yeasty.  As it opened up, good malt note from Munich malt.  Hop aromas were light pleasant but a bit diffuse.  Weight was good with a little roundness from malt in the palate.  Malt aroma was faint not pronounced.  Balance good with good finish slightly sweet from malt.  This should develop over time.

Highland Imperial Mocha Stout High gravity.  Sweet to almost a fault.  Nice coffee aroma and great dark head, a bit creamy with caramel notes.  Middle is nice and dark with good intensity.  Finish is slightly bitter and balance is tilted toward malt.  GH

Wines at Old Europe Bistro

Kenwood Yulupa Brut Good domestic bubbly. According to website blend of Chen Blanc Colombard, Chard and Pinot Noir. Served as starter and with a really nice bruschetta with some fresh Mozzarella in a vinaigrette.

Maso Canali Pinot Grigio 2007 Excellent P G. According to website made in passito method with raisined grapes. Comes in with nice mouthfeel with silk and structure. Acidity is good with big body and concentration balanced nicely. Finish is good and long with concentration and pleasant clean departure.

Chateau de Pena Cuvee C Carignane Reserve 2003 Mature Carignane may not be for everyone but sure tasted good. Trouble was it was matched with a salad that didn’t have enough wine friendliness. My fault. Monolithic, big, in your face red with jam and saturation but without sweetness and roundness but low in acidity so it wasn’t grating. Unfiltered cuvee showed a remnant of oak not a lot but well integrated and added complexity. Certainly worth a try.

Rutz Cellars Sonoma Cuvee pinot noir 2005 Seamless well made Pinot. Ripe black cherry nose and bing cherry flavors with moderate acidity and good body. Finish is moderate with good true pinot flavors and some concentration. Went really well with salmon dish.

Tomasello Raspberry Wine Great aromas and nice rasp flavors. Too acidic and sharp for the dish but good wine.GH

Dinner at Sugo

Starter Seaview Brut from Australia I had this before and liked it.  This one had too much sweetness and too high alcohol.  We had an amuse bouche and it went very well with that, but just for sipping it was a bit clumsy.

First Course Stella di Notte Pinot Grigio Got a lot better with the food.  As a sipper, lush, nice body, low acidity.  As a food wine, good balance and acid and showed a bit of fruit in the palate, some fruit on the nose.  Calamari brought out light minerals and friendly flavors.

Second course Abadia Retuerta Rivola 04 Tempranillo Cab blend.  I would rate this 90 + points on this night.  Opened 45+ minutes, the wine was fully open with dense, dark ripe aromas and flavors.  More than we needed with this course, but it sure was good.  Priced under 20, it would make a heck of an acquisition for a near term charmer for the cellar.

Huntington Petite Sirah 05 Showing spice and oak, I thought some American but RJ thought all french.  Well integrated with big flavors and big alcohol.  Attractive price, too.

Pascual Toso Cabernet 06 Really nice Cab from Argentina at a great price.  Fully saturated and jammy with fine red wine flavors, maybe not as much briar as I would like, but everything else.  Went like a champ with a beef ragout and a shrimp risotto that scared me but had some turmericy minerals and that saved the dish.  Would recommend any of the 3 reds or all.

Neirano Moscato d’Asti Made a good match with dessert.  Aromas of orange blossom and roses, light body with special aromas and good acidity.  Just the lightest spritz, not a wired down cork.  Very good price too. GH

Wine Tasted Today

Alexander Valley

Rose of Sangiovese Delightful, crisp with good flavor, little strawberry, little fruit. Balanced and showy and a great price. Too bad we have a boatload of rose right now, this one would make a good item.

Chardonnay My style of Chard with a narrow band of really delectable flavor, crisp acidity and muted oak aromas. Not overly malo not overly oaked. If they could sustain this style of chard, California would have a good piece of the market they could sell for about $15. My opinion.

Merlot Really good merlot with a touch of spice and a great balance that would set it apart as a food wine. These vines must be getting some personality of their own. Only thing, its priced a little high.

Cabernet Sauvignon Good generic cab with good extract, has everything except a personality of its own. Would stock it because it is in a good price point for sonoma cab.

Redemption Zin Bought grapes (most of their stuff is estate). Good generic zin with berry flavors and decent balance. Not as good as Sin Zin but hopefully not as pricey.

Cyrus Meritage blend. Good to very good with dense extracted flavors. More a drinkers wine than a sipper, it has good enough structure to make it a good food wine. Price is too high.

Schoolhouse Cab Like it a lot good dense ripe flavors and good balance. Not shy on structure, either would be a very good food wine. Price too high.

Spain and Argentina

Alta Vista Torrontes Very good balance, structure, and aromatics. A nice hand with this grape which too many people try to do too much with. Melon, honeysuckle, and floral bouquet. Would be tasty with bland or sour food.

Tittarelli Chardonnay Pretty good Chard with too much alcohol showing through. Price is good but this is an area we don’t need to explore much.

Alta Vista Rose of Malbec Ok wine but once again we don’t need anything here. Like a lot of Mal roses it has some burnt wood on the nose which is off putting.

Alta Vista Malbec Too much structure for me- there are too many sexy ripe wines in this category.

Arzuaga La Planta Ribero del Duero Very good wine and very good price. Maybe out balanced in oak but a crowd pleaser. with smoky bacon fat in the nose and dense ripe Temp fruit on the palate. Could fill a slot nicely left by Vizcarra.

Lan Rioja Crianza I remember this line from times past. In good years the crianza is a good wine, other times it can be a bit thin. This one has good balance, but I tasted it in the wrong order and I think I need to re-taste. GH

Wines Tasted Today

Brut de Charvis Sparkling I was told it was from Burgundy but nothing on the label. Good mousse seems a little fabricated. Out of balance with too much acid, I don’t know the grape but could have some Chardonnay in it. For party or wedding would work.
Piko Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand Nice aromatics and good flavors. Quince, lime flower, sweet pea in the nose. Flavors a bit broad but consistent. Acidity is what’s lacking, ripeness over acid.
Piko Pinot Noir Thin in color but good fruit and body. Cherry fruit with a little candy on the finish. Price is a little over what I’d want but a good solid wine.
Vinos Robles Syree A blend of Petite Syrah with mostly Syrah. Very European but a California wine, better balanced than most Cal wines I taste. Plenty of French oak on nose and well integrated in the flavors and structure of the wine. I wish Syrah wines sold better, this would be one I could recommend. GH

Tasted Today

Wine

Les Tourtes Sauvignon Blanc Cheap drinkable SB from the Vin de Pays D’Oc  Light aromas decent balance and acidity.  Basically OK.

Chard from Cechetti Light thread of mineral, good aromas but not round and sweet like some.  Cheap.

Petite Syrah from Cechetti Dingy and tannic without much redeeming value.

Crios Cabernet Argentina Sample was open too long.  Good balance with bright Cab fruit.  Probably tasty fresh.

Eberle VS Cabernet Also open too long.  Once again good balance with some acid peeking out and tannin showing a bit harsh.  Pricey but might work.

Hess Sauvignon Blanc Lake County Really nice SB with citrusy aromas, grass and lemon rind in the nose on a light framework that doesn’t taste too alcoholy.

Hess Alkomi Cabernet Good aromatics with trademark cab aromas, nice balance with classic lines.  Not a great value but tasty.

Hess Blend with Syrah and Meritage Not as appealing as the Cab but good flavors, a bit overbalanced with acid and tannin.

Winkellerei Coop Rheinhessen Riesling Spatlese Oppenheimer Krottenbrunen Nice hessen spice and ripeness, sweet and off balance with not quite enough acid.

Di Martino Cabernet Chilean Intensity is good, aromatics are very good but has a little too much green olive/catpee aroma for my taste.  Better than most, though, especially for the price.

Di Martino Carmenere Chilean Good profile without much Carm aromas but good red wine flavors.  Balance is good with mild tannin and not too much acidity.

Ridge Zinfandel Paso Robles Open a little too long, showing good ripe fruit and dark cherry aromas.  Very light thread of oak is well integrated.  Slight alcohol in middle but overall good.  Problem is price.

Renwood Zinfandel Old Vine Also open too long.  Higher in alcohol than the Ridge but better delineation of fruit.  Again shows alcohol on the palate and loses balance on the finish.  Don’t know price but definitely a possibility if well positioned.

Mont Gras Chardonnay Chilean Too old.  A bit madeirized with woody, aromas and off balance with too much acid for weight.

La Piece Sous Bras Chardonnay Has a bit too much structure for the weight and ripeness of the fruit.  With the right food might be good, but not what I expect from Chardonnay from the Midi.

Chateau Haut Beyzac Haut Medoc 05  Predominately Merlot with 20 or so percent Cab.  Massive, closed and dense when opened.  After a couple of hours opened up a bit showing ripe cherry, dark plum and little spice.  Heck of a wine for the price.GH

Tasted Today

Beer

Sweetwater Seasonal IPA Motorboat Medium amber with pungent fresh hop aromas.  Malty aromas and good balance between hop and malt.

Pumpkin beer from Wild Bill brewery contract brewed by Pyramid?  Contains pumpkin and spices.  Light pumpkin and very light spice aromas and flavors.  I’d have to line up a bunch of these beers to make a value judgment.GH

Wine and Beer Tasted Today continued

Wine
Osseus Sauvignon Blanc Santa Ynez Vly 2006 Pale with faint green tints. Aromas lemon zest and citric. Weak entry, thin middle, and a little acidic harshness on the finish. Tasted later and didn’t get any better. Would work at $8.99 retail but not enough there there for original front line retail price.
Juno Chardonnay Robertson South Africa More European than US in style. Lack of balance ie too much alcohol too little fruit and body. Aromas of greengage, light palate with unbalanced acidity. Middle is OK. Finishes rough without a lot of charm. Would make a $6.99 retail.
Artazuri Grenache Navarra 2006 Cherry candy nose and light cherry on palate. A bit of skin and match on the initial nose. Flavors in a thin band with smoke, fruit, acid and body all in harmony. With the right dish, would be nice. To sip, a bit angular and to the light side. Could pick up weight with time.
Castano White Blend Maccabeo and Chardonnay Nice delineation of fruit and balance of body/acidity. You can taste both grapes, which is rare in blend. As wine, lacks front of the mouth acidity. Light apple and seed fruit aromas. Entry is very good. Mid palate is good. Finish is OK with a little persistence. For wine good, for Spanish white wine, very good.GH

Wine and Beer Tasted Today

Beer
Highland Brewery Schenk’s Cream Ale Appears to be a bottling for sample from a clear tank with almost ready carbonation. This recipe won a competition organized by the Highland brewery. Golden color light carbonation. Nose has toast, lightly fruity possibly with some lingering yeastiness. Mild graininess with crisp midpalate. Finishes with unbalanced bitterness that’s too much for the weight of the malts. For me, this could win a competition against Miller Lite, but not much else. At the price, not a good value.
Fat Tire bottling for Tennessee release. This is my introduction to Fat Tire and it’s a pretty good mass produced beer. I taste big mouthful of biscuit malt, medium body, fair aromatics with a dominance of the malt. Hops are light and not obtrusive. Balance is good, finish is OK for the weight of the beer. Leaves me wondering what the other side of the filter would taste like, maybe they left the best part of the beer in the filter. In no way would I rate this as close to some of the better Belgian beers, they’ve got a long way to go to make a decent Belgian beer.GH

What it’s all about

We taste wines and beers generally on a daily basis. Sometimes we like them, sometimes we don’t. We usually don’t use numerical scores to evaluate wines, but if there is clarification needed, perhaps we will use them. So we’ll get started with a post about the wines and or beers we taste.