Pierre Sparr Reserve Gewurztraminer 2008

We seems to be having a mini-Pierre Sparr tasting, with our review of the Schoenenbourg a couple of weeks ago. Nothing wrong with that - Alsatian whites are some of my favourites.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Paired this with some Asian Noodles and Scallops with cilantro sauce.
Sight- Golden Yellow.
Nose- Mango and pineapple bomb. Great fruit forward nose. Some honey and flowers also.
Taste- Mango gelato. An interesting cooling sensation on the palate. Lots of mouth watering acidity. Apple pie spices. Good minerals too. Kind of Boozy.
Overall a really great wine. Where did all this acidity come from, wasn't expecting that. Perfect with Asian spicy food.

Price: $26.99
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 92
Region: France, Alsace
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 3263530020819

Wine Expo

I thought I'd start a thread to discuss the upcoming Wine Expo (even though, unfortunately, I will be out of town). Anon has pointed out that there seems to be a focus on Italy, which is welcome - if I could only drink wine from one country, it would certainly be Italy, yet the current ANBL offerings are a bit slim.

Personally, I am generally not much of a fan of straight Sangiovese wines, including Brunello as well as Chianti. (Although I did once have a Chianti Classico that got a 94 from WS, and it truly was fantastic and excellent value at $42). We vacationed once in Tuscany and even there I thought the Brunellos were over-priced - that makes me think I'm just not a fan of the style.

I tend to like what the Italians do with international grapes, and I'm also a fan of their indigenous grapes. If nothing else, the variety is interesting. I notice that there is at least one straight Sagrantino, a grape that I have never had before. Oz Clarke's guide makes it sound very interesting. He says it was traditionally "austerely tannic, but better vinification has helped round out the fruit, and it is clear that this is a grape with a good deal of personality."

Pierre Sparr Schoenenbourg Grand Cru Riesling 2001 Redux

Posting another review of a wine we’re already reviewed is cheating a bit - but that’s what we were drinking, and Kelly didn’t know what it was or that we’d already reviewed it.

Here are her notes:

Wet wool, citrus, and something spicy on the nose - white pepper and cloves, maybe? Very smooth and viscous on the palate. Nicely balanced and crisply acidic. Finishes on a slightly sharp note, but it's not an unpleasant sharpness. Initially I didn't detect the petrol note common in Riesling, but I think a subtle one developed over the evening.

Kelly gave it a score of 92 (without any prompting by me), which is the same as WS gave it. Interesting, since I was underwhelmed the first time and gave it an 88. I liked it well enough, but I still didn’t love it. Very well made and some good flavours, but just not the ‘wow’ factor that I want for a 92. Maybe it was just a bit too subtle for me. I let Kelly finish my glass.

Monte Antico 2006

Good reviews, bad reviews, mediocre reviews - they're all helpful. Here is one of the latter.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

I recently got an email about this wine rating it 90 pts from WS and I thought it would be fun to try.

Nose- Earthy, mushrooms and caramel. Some bright cherry fruit mixed in with oak.

Taste- Nice earthy favours with good oak. Restrained cherries with chocolate and coffee tastes. Some hollowness in the mid-palate. The finish was longer than expected.

Overall- The earthy aromas promised a better wine than the palate delivered. I still liked the wine, didn't love it. If I was going to spend $20 on this, I should have spent and extra $6 on Tommasi Ripasso Valpolicella or the Nipozzano Riserva.

Price: $18.79
Score 86
Value 2.5/5
Region: Tuscany
Grape: Sangiovese, Cab, Merlot (12.5%)

Wine Expo Tickets

Michelle has reminded us that tickets for the Wine Expo November 2-7, go on sale Saturday. Apparently tickets are available at www.tickets.moncton.ca, but the event doesn't seem to be listed yet.

Montalto Nero D'Avola/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

A nice thing about focusing on ANBL wines is that we can revisit the same wines from one year to the next. Michelle much didn’t like the 2004 vintage of this wine, but Peter says the 2008 is a solid pasta wine and good value at the price. Difference of vintage, or just a difference in taste? If you try it, let us know what you think.

— Peter’s Review —

Nose: Rather subtle nose. Offering up just a tease of floral notes and some
indistinct red fruit.

Taste: Very light body, some vibrant red fruit up front. Noteworthy pronounced acidity, that is kept completely in check and balanced. Background tannins that you get with some prolonged swishing on the palate. Not a whole lot of complexity. Disappears quickly. It paired nicely with a traditional meat lasagna and the usual sides (salad and bread). Overall nice flavor. Not a thinking (wo)man's wine, but enjoyable none-the-less. No heat detectable as in other vintages reviewed.

Commentary: There have been reviews of prior vintages of this wine and some interesting discussion in the comments on this site. One person noted that it got 4th place in the 'killer value' section of this years 'Wine Access' awards amongst hundreds of entries. A rather rare find, in that it is a lighter bodied red that doesn't taste watered down or just nasty. And rare in that it is <$15 and still is balanced and food friendly. I'd keep one around for weeknight pasta meals.

Price: $11.79
Rating: 87
Value: 5/5
Region: Sicily
UPC: 8030423000754

Firesteed Pinot Noir 2006

Pinot strikes me as a good shoulder season wine - too bad Tancred says this one is just a little over-priced to be really good value.

--- Tancred's Review---

This is an unmistakable new world pinot noir. Strawberry flavours on the nose and a fruit forward palate that marks this as new world, reminiscent of a cool climate Australian pinot. Quite dry, maybe even a bit tart on the finish. This is not a great wine, not particularly complex, but it is a well-made pinot if you're in the mood for something in this style. At $25 though, not a bargain.

Price: $24.99
Rating: 85
Value: 3/5
Region: Oregon
UPC: 753526100005

Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada 2007

It seems to be the shoulder season for me - too cool for white, too warm for red. Soon, Kelly and I will be back to our regular glass of red in the evening. For now, it's good to know someone out there is still drinking wine - who else but Iron Chef?

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I was intrigued to read the label describing a blend of great Chilean vineyards, Pirque for the Cab and Peumo for the Syrah.
Nose- Warm vanilla oak with lots of Mocha and dark chocolate. A really dense nose of extracted cherries and ripe fruit.
Taste- Heavy and strong. High alcohol scented. Rich dark chocolate and Toasty vanilla oak. Highly extracted dark fruit- raisins and prunes. High Octane.
Overall: Some people that we tasted this with did not care for it, "too over the top" was a common statement. But I like it for what it was, a High Octane fruit bomb, and no nuances here.

Price: $20.99
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Region: Chile, Maipo Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grape: Cabernet & Syrah Blend
UPC: 7804320272252

Henry of Pelham Reserve Riesling 2006

Peter lives on the Island now, but he does get back to ANBL once in a while. And with this great end of summer weather we’re enjoying, a value priced white.

— Peter’s Review —

I have been on a bit of a riesling kick. So, when I saw this one on sale and recalled reading somewhere it was a solid pick. I thought why not? Coincidentally, I got a winecurrent newsletter last week commenting on the '07 version of this wine. They liked it's balance, fruit and acidity. 4/5 stars.

Nose: Green apple, lemon, and a hint of minerality.

Taste: Most notable is the very dry nature of this wine. It is medium bodied with just of hint of heat. There is a bit of tart green apple fruit coming through. I think it would be likable to someone keen on really dry wine. I like a little more fruit in my wine, so it fell a little short of my expectations. It was ok with a variety of cheeses and crackers.

Price: $12.99 (on sale)
Value: 4/5
Score: 85
Region: Ontario, Canada
UPC: 779376202317

Trio Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2007

Here's a companion to last week's review of the Trio Merlot

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

After the success of the Merlot Trio, I was excited to try this again. Also Norman's blog of astringent Cabs was ringing in my ears.

Nose- Heady with Alcohol. Black currants, Menthol Tobacco. Burnt sugar. Some stemmy aromas.
Taste- Hot and boozy. Bell/Green Peppers, Sun dried tomatoes. Jammy Currants. Sharpe after taste- lots of tannins mixed with resiny oak. Some nice caramel notes.
Decanted for 2 hours.

Overall: I remember a number of years ago doing a Lindeman's Tasting blind- the Merlot, the Cab and even the Pinot Noir were remarkably similar, a certain house style refined the varietals characteristics into one indefinable taste. The Concha Toro wines don't seem to suffer that fate, the Merlot Trio and the Cab Trio are quite different, even though I may like one style much more than the other, I respect their differences.
The astringent qualities of the Cab blend was very evident, the palate was sharp, this was thankfully lessened with food, but present all along. A good example of this maybe Chocolate, it is often assumed that the higher cocoa percentage yields a better chocolate, but I have found that 75% or more cocoa just imparts a bitter flavour. Cabernet, like cocoa, needs other things to tone down the bitter parts, like oak or longer maceration or even Merlot.
I liked this wine, but in comparison to the Merlot Trio, it was lacking.

Retail Price: $15.79
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 86
Region: Chile- Maipo
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7804320143958