The Poo Wine Revisited

Though I'd normally take Monday and Tuesday off, I thought I'd report on my return to the poo wine. After 10 days sitting in the fridge in the half-bottle, I was about to pour it down the drain, when I decided it couldn't hurt (much) to try it one more time. And surprise! it had evolved into something entirely drinkable. A perfectly reasonable light red. Well up into the 84/85 range (though it's not really fair to rate it now). It looks like all this wine really needed was to be decanted for 10 days or so.

About Me / Contact Info

I am not a wine expert. I like a variety of different wines and I like trying new wines, but apart from that I have absolutely no qualifications for writing about wine. On the bright side, this blog is free.

There is no team so far. Except that my wife, Kelly, usually likes to make her own notes about the wines she drinks. Her notes are better than mine - she usually tastes the wine blind, while I almost never do, and her palate is better than mine anyway - so sometimes I steal her stuff when she's not looking. Also, when readers post their own reviews in the "Make a Suggestion" thread I will often repost it as a separate blog entry into order to get a searchable thread going on that particular wine.

If you like to contact me about this blog - if you have a review you would like me to post, or even better, if you would like to send me free wine! - send an e-mail to me at "NBwines /at/ gmail /dot/ com"

Newton Red Claret 2003

In my "Make a Suggestion" post I threatened that if anyone wrote a full review I might lift it into its own thread. And just as I realized that I couldn't keep posting 5 days a week, Iron Chef conveniently posted a review of a current sale wine. So here is Iron Chef's review of the 2003 Newton Claret.

"It was layered with coconut, wood vanillas and sun tan lotion. Lots of extracted cherries and cassis. As a drawback there was a bit of Bell pepper astringency. Very smooth month feel- integrated tannins, at 15.2% it was not as hot as one would expect. No sediment and seems ready to drink. The tannins were rounded into form, it would be interesting to see if the Bell pepper taste would grow or disappear with time. Poor composite cork. Overall it reminded me of a Clos De Los Siete or a Mission Hill Oculus- same type of price point but maybe I was expecting more from Napa. I think WS is 88 points. Slightly disappointed- glad I only bought one. I would say 84 points."

Price: $31.49
Value: 2/5 (my value rating, not Iron Chef's)
Score: 84 (Iron Chef's score)
Alcohol: ?%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 081753801847

Posting Schedule

Last week I realized that I couldn't keep up a schedule of posting 7 days a week, in terms of either money or liver function. This week I have realized that even five days a week is more than Kelly and I can handle, since we normally only drink half a bottle a night and we like to take one day a week off. So, now I'm going to cut it back to posting myself three times a week, or every other day at most. But I would like to keep the blog posting on a daily basis, or at least five times a week. So I think I'll try guest reviews and other items on days that I don't post. Please bear with me as I experiment with the posting schedule.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz 2004

After trying the 2005 I was keen to crack open the '04 for comparison. It does seem to have gotten better -- it's better than I remember it being, and it's better than the '05 is now. The hit you over the head fruit has mellowed (and I suppose "the oak has integrated" as they say) and it's picked up a bit more interest. Even so, it is still a bit jammy and over-the-top, though well done in a jammy over-the-top kind of way. It's still got plenty of fruit in the cherry / raspberry end of the spectrum, though it's not very complex and doubtless never will be.

Since the '04 isn't available anymore, this is of more interest because it suggests that the '05 will improve as well.

Price: $22 (approx)
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 012354051003 ('05)

La Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2004

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the third, or perhaps fourth, wine of Tuscany, less famous than Chianti, Brunello or the so-called "super-Tuscans" (made from international grapes). While it lacks the reknown of these other styles, Vino Nobile more than makes up in value. Kelly and I spent a fantastic two week biking holiday in Tuscany a couple of years ago, just about 20 km from the vineyards where La Braccesca is grown, and by the end of our stay we found ourselves mostly drinking Vino Nobile instead of the equally local Chianti or Brunello. We preferred the richer style of the Vino Nobile as compared to Chianti, and Brunello is outrageously expensive even in in the region where it is made.

Like Chianti and Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made solely or primarily from Sangiovese (called Prugnolo Gentile in this region). (Note that Vino Nobile is not made from the Montepulciano grape, which is grown mainly in the south.) La Braccesca, from Antinori, is a blend of 90% Sangiovese with 10% Merlot. It is not particularly long or complex, but it has very satisfying flavours in the dark fruit & leather range, supported by a beautiful elegant structure with fresh acidity and tannins that are a welcome middle ground between the softness of something like the Privada and the grippiness of the Bocca di Lupo. BTW, Wine Spectator also gave this a 90.

Price: $30.29
Score: 90
Value: 4/5
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 8001935001386

Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2002

Ted brought this over and decanted it without me seeing the bottle, so for once I got to taste blind. I'm very proud of myself - I picked this as a Grenache / Shiraz / Mourvèdre blend. Ok, so it's really Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, but that's close enough. I give myself full marks.

This wines comes from just outside the boundaries of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region. It was a very good wine in the southern Rhone style, but I felt it was somewhat marred by slightly muddy flavours as well a distinct lexia raisin note that carried through from the nose to the finish. I wonder if it is a bit over the hill at 6 years old? Kelly liked it a bit better than I did. Here are her notes: "Very raisiny, dried flowers, apple cider, minerals, earth, pepper. Clear and long, ending with firm tannins."

We tried the 2002, but it is the 2004 that is currently available. If anyone has tried the '04, I'd be interested to hear how it is.

Price: $36.79
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 633135042159

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz 2005

This is a tricky one. It's a classic well made, fruit forward Aussie Shiraz - a worthwhile step up from Aus Shiraz in the sub-$20 price range. It's definitely got character and I like it better than the Norton Privada or the High Trellis (both of which are more expensive) for that reason. But right now it's got way too much vanilla / grape / jam for my taste. As Kelly put it, "It's a cartoon of a wine."

Will it improve? We bought a bunch of the Wynn's 2004 a couple of years ago - it was jammy then as well, but there was lots of good fruit so we crossed our fingers and hoped. If I can trust my memory, the '04 then tasted quite a lot like the '05 now. I'll pull a bottle of the '04 out soon and see how it's done.

Right now I think I'd give it 87. I can't quite recommend it, but even now it's a close call at this price. You can drink it now if you like a fruit bomb style and even if you like a mellower style a year or two the cellar might be rewarding. Wine Spectator has a ten year drinking window for the '04 and '05 is supposed to be a better vintage, so you might be able to keep this until 2015. But if you like an old world style, this wine is probably not for you. Certainly not now, and probably not ever.

Price: $21.49
Value: 3/5
Score: 87
Alcohol: 14%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 012354051003

Tormaresca Bocca di Lupo 2003

I love this wine. Kelly says it's a manly kind of wine, and I'm a manly kind of guy, so maybe that's why. The nose is clean and elegant yet powerful - minerals, leather and violets. Well ok, it doesn't exactly smell like that, but that's what it reminds me of. It's got great structure and mouthfeel. The tannins are grippy but not at all harsh. Not a fruit driven wine. It reminds me of the Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes and in a different way it reminds me of a Barolo.

Wine Specatator gave it an 88, but noted that it "needs bottle age" and they tasted it more than two years ago. It must have developed, because right now this wine absolutely deserves more than that. With that said, while there's lots of interest and complexity here, when you look at the score keep in mind that this is probably my favourite style of wine. But this is an excellent example of the style and Kelly gave it the same score independently after tasting it blind. Here's her note: "Inky purple. Lush nose of violets, anise, plump blackberries, leather, tar. Same flavours are round and smooth on palate, with lots of anise, extra-firm and persistent tannins. Very long."

This is more in the old world style, but it could very well appeal to those who like a big new world wine. And if you do like the style, it's great value. (Note that Castel del Monte is in Puglia, inland from Bari, near the border with the province of Basilicata.)

Update Jan 2009: I tried another bottle with friends. While we all enjoyed it, the consensus score was a 91. I think this second score was more accurate and I was just more in the mood for that style of wine the first time I tried it. With that score I'd give it a 4/5 for value.

Price: $33.79
Value: 5/5 - 4/5 (2nd tasting)
Score: 93 - 91 (2nd tasting)
Region: Italy
Grape: Aglianico
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 8026530000091

Monday & Tuesday Off

I've realized that I can't afford to post 7 times a week - that's just too much wine, especially since Kelly and I only drink a half a bottle a night at most. So from now on, I'm going to scale it back to 5 posts a week, with Monday and Tuesday off.

Coming up next week:

Tormaresca Bocca di Lupo 2003
Wynn's Coonawarra Shiraz 2005
Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2002