2012 Flegenheimer Bros. Reserve Red Wine

Happy Sunday!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of wine that my boss gave me last year, and although I really liked it for the label, soon after reading the label I was hopelessly confused!  The 2012 Flegenheimer Bros. Reserve Red Wine has a label that exudes late 19th century Americana, complete with American flags and shield, a lovely lady holding up a glass of wine seated next to some wine barrels, but this particular wine is made from Shiraz (85%) and Petite Sirah grown in the McLaren Vale of South Australia!  Hence you can see my confusion.  As it turns out, the family history of the winemaker goes back to a wine import and distribution business that was established in New York City back in 1876 which thrived until prohibition.  The family is now in Australia making wine, and the reserve red was paired with an old trade card that dates back to 1890.  So there we have it, wine and history, a fabulous combination, now let's see how the wine tastes!

The wine is a very deep, inky indigo color in the glass, much darker than many mass market Shiraz.  The nose is a pleasant combination of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum interlaced with some earthy notes of leather and clay.  The taste is wonderfully fruit forward, with a rush of jammy black fruit at the outset that transitions smoothly to some spice notes midpalate.  The finish is nice, though rather brief, with a lingering of ripe fruit with some tart cherry notes as well.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very pleasant and easy drinking wine.  It would pair well with lamb, roasts or wild game, or just as a pleasant sipping wine to enjoy in the evening as I am doing tonight.  Cheers!

2013 Are You Game? Shiraz

Happy Sunday, another day another million leaves gathered from the lawn (this makes me thankful that it gets dark so early!) but at least there's wine.  Tonight I've opened another bottle that came from my boss' excess wine club selections, the 2013 Are You Game Shiraz!  This interesting wine was blended with a bit of viognier for a bit of enhanced fruit, and comes from the Strathbogie Ranges region of Victoria, the southernmost state in mainland Australia.  So let's see what this "real wine for real food" has to offer.

The wine is an inky indigo at the center with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is a pleasant combination of green grass, earth and sweet blackberry.  The taste is a sweet jammy rush of fruit up front, with flavors of blackberry and black currant that transition gradually to a brief moment of black pepper spice midpalate.  The finish is smooth and very dry, but a bit to brief in my view.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very fruit forward and food friendly wine that's also easy to sip on a Sunday afternoon.  And it's definitely food friendly, as it would pair nicely with a variety of dishes, from steaks to lamb to roasts, but tonight I've taken a different route and am enjoying this wine with some barbecued chicken, made with a dry rub from Jack Stack Barbecue in Kansas City, along with some cajun roasted fingerling potatoes and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

2013 19 Crimes Red Wine

Well tonight I've selected a wine on a whim, hmm...that seems like an ideal title for a wine blog, or maybe a selection for a blog...have to think on that one some more.  In any case, tonight's selection was totally purchased based on the packaging, both the label and the bottle wrap was very cool looking as I was pushing my cart through the grocery store, so I bought a bottle and am not trying the 2013 19 Crimes Red Wine from where else, Southeastern Australia!  This wine, a blend of Shiraz and Durif (aka Petit Sirah in the USA), which should be ideal for my dinner tonight.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, while the nose is classic Syrah/Petit Sirah, bursting with jammy fruit, blackberry, cherry and a bit of strawberry along with some lovely spice notes, cinnamon, baking spice and cocoa powder.  The taste is lovely and classic in the sense of an Australian Shiraz, with a burst of jammy fruit, blackberry, plum and cherry that shifts to some warm spice notes mid palate.  The finish has some classic Shiraz twang as the soft tannins provide for a smooth warm finish that ideal for summer cooking.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, making it an ideal everyday table wine, particularly with the $10 price tag (not to mention it's got a pretty cool bottle and label, did I mention that?).  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some grilled dyngus sausage with carmelized onions and peppers on a pretzle bun along with some creamy potato salad, a perfect late summer supper!  Cheers, and try not to commit any of the "19 crimes" that will get you sent to Botany Bay!

2005 Steve Hoff Barossa Shiraz

Sometimes you just need to open a bottle of wine to remind yourself of the many blessings you have in life, wonderful people, friends and family, health and wonderful food to share, and even summer days that are cooler than normal (like much of this summer it seems!).  So to remind myself of all these wonderful things, I've decided to open a nice bottle from down under, the 2005 Steve Hoff Barossa Shiraz, or Syrah as they say in the northern hemisphere!

When I opened the wine, the cork was almost black, and for an 8-year old wine, that's not a bad thing, and it certainly showed it in the color in the glass, a deep, majestic purple at the center and a bright ruby along the edges.  The nose was lovely, rich ripe black fruit, blackberries, cherries and prune, overlaid with lovely notes of leather and anise and some exotic spice notes that just scream Aussie Shiraz!  The taste was very nice, with some rich ripe fruit at the outset, almost jammy at times, blueberries, plum and cassis that transitions to some wild spice midpalate, baking powder and Asian spice.  The tannins are very subdued, yet the finish was still quite nice, smooth and dry.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a very pleasant example of a classic Barossa Shiraz, and I don't recall if this was a bargain or not since it's been in my cellar a few years (this should be a prompt for me to keep better records eh?).  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with, of course, a grilled lamb chop with a dry spice rub, some linguine tossed with garlic and olive oil and some steamed purple, yellow and green beans that I bought from the farmers' market this past weekend.  Cheers!

2007 Geyser Peak Walking Tree Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

It's been a long week, lots of work and travel and it's good to finally be home and able to enjoy a nice bottle of wine in the evening!  Tonight I've decided to open a Christmas wine, one of the bottles my Aunt Janet sent me over the holidays, so since it's hot and humid today I thought I could use a little reminder of Christmastime!  So I've opened a bottle of 2007 Geyser Peak Walking Tree Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, one of their "Block Collection" made up of grapes from select blocks within the Valley.  This one was named for the oak tree that "walked" down the steep grade in the vineyard and is blended with just a bit of Shiraz (8%).

The color is a deep brooding garnet that is so characteristic of a nice quality Cabernet from the Alexander Valley.  The nose has a distinct note of mint overlaying some nice leather, dark chocolate and mossy granite notes.  The taste is an explosion of intense cherry that gracefully transitions to some black pepper and Asian spice notes midpalate.  The finish is just lovely, with some rather tightly wound tannins supporting a lush mouthfeel and a long, dry finish that seems to last for a minute or more!

I have no idea if this is a good value, but is a wonderful wine that I would rate a solid 8.5 - this was certainly a winning pick for a Christmas present!  Tonight I'm pairing it with a petite ribeye, baked potato, grilled corn on the cob and some steamed broccoli.  It's been a long week and I need a real manly meal tonight, so cheers!

2004 St. Mary's Bells & Whistles

Happy New Year! 

Well now that we've got that out of the way, let's get to the wine!  So I must admit I've been somewhat slacking over the holidays, but it's 2012, and time to start taking this wine blog seriously!  So tonight, as I wait for my roast chicken to finish cooking, I decided to try a new wine from Australia, the 2004 St. Mary's Bells & Whistles. 

Now Australia has done a fine bit of wine making over the last few decades, but I think what still impresses me is the wonderfully friendly, irreverent and self deprecating attitudes of so many wine makers from the land down under, and this wine is a case in point.  St. Mary's vineyard is located in the "Limestone Coast" region of the extreme southeastern section of South Australia, lying almost midway between Adelaide and Melbourne, and it produces a very prototypical Coonawarra style wine, but at a much more affordable price.  St. Mary's produces mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, but they pulled out all the stops for the Bells & Whistles.  As they say on the label, "When you're making wine these days, everybody is looking for something special and exciting.  It just ain't good enough to make great wine and sell it at a fair price...So we decided to load up one wine with all the goodies available in our winery." 

Hence they threw in all the "Bells & Whistles" and came up with a wonderful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Shiraz (20%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Merlot (10%).  The wine exhibits a nose of leather and tobacco with a hint of tart fruit and spice at the end.  At first taste, this wine is full of juicy fruit, but mid palate surrenders to a wave of herbs and a touch of oak.  The finish is quite nice, with mild tannins supporting a smooth finish of tart cherry notes.  Although this wine is now 8 years old, I am of the opinion that most Australian wines are better enjoyed young, so this wine is drinking quite well at the moment, but may move past its prime in relatively short order.  I am having this with roast chicken and all the fixins, but it would pair nicely with pasta, or some lovely Mexican or South American fare with a bit of a kick to it.

I bought this one from wineshopper.com, and it was a wonderful bargain at only $8.  As for the wine itself, I would rate it a 7, with a half point knocked off for the screw cap (you know how I love good cork!) so head on out and grab a nice Australian for dinner tonight!

2007 Painted Wolf Red Cape Blend

So let's start August off with some spice to heat things up!  Tonight's wine is a wine club selection for August, so what better wine to start off the month, the 2007 Painted Wolf Red Cape Blend from South Africa.  This is my first ever experience with South African wine, and I must admit, Painted Wolves are really ugly creatures:

Fortunately the wine is nowhere near ugly like it's namesake!  The 2007 red blend is an interesting blend of Shiraz and Pinotage along with some Merlot and Mourvedre to make this a compelling red blend to battle the summer doldrums.  For those unfamiliar, the Pinotage is South Africa’s signature grape variety that is a cross between two of the most famous grapes of the Burgundy region in France, Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, that typically has a very smoky, earthy flavor.  Combining a grape that is a cross of two historic burgundy grapes with Mourvedre, a grape that produces very high tannin, high alcohol wines in the Rhone Valley of France and Merlot, a primary grape used in many Bordeaux could make this a very interesting wine. 

The wine exhibits a strong nose of cedar, leather, earth and spice.  The wine is velvety on the tongue, with an interesting taste that at first seems quite dry and then bursts with blackberry and smoky pepper flavors, with solid tannins that lead to a long, smooth finish.  This wine would pair well with a variety of meat dishes, or for me tonight, a complete vegetarian selection!  In my patio herb garden I've been blessed with an abundance of fresh basil, so tonight I am making some fresh pesto to toss with some al dente farfalle and topped with some freshly grated pecorino romano and served aside some wonderful grilled peppers, red onions, green beans and zucchini.  My mouth is watering so I must cut this short!  Oh right, almost forgot, this was a wineshopper.com selection that I would rate a solid 7, particularly given the price of just $8!  So get a taste of South Africa and enjoy the experience!  Salut!

2006 E-Minor Barossa Valley Shiraz

Ok!  This one was a Wine Club selection from my office, and yes, I am responsible for running the club, more on that in a separate post!  This is the 2006 E-Minor shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia, widely recognized as one of the best areas for Australian shiraz.  The E-Minor is a second label from BVE, the makers of the highly rated E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, but this one is much more affordable.

This wine has a great dark ruby color with a nice aroma of black currant, leather and that little twang that tells your brain this is gonna be good!  The taste is very fruit forward, with hints of cherry and blackberry and such a nice velvety mouthfeel and a great finish.  This wine would be great with grilled steaks, lamb, or a nice mixed grill, or just by itself (that's how I'm enjoying it even as I type this!).  Altogether, this was a really great bottle at a value price - we got this one for the club from wineshopper.com for $7.99!

Bottom line, I would rate this one a solid 8 out of 10, it's not spectacular, but it's a super wine for the price!