- 2004 Winzergenossenschaft Königschaffhausen Königschaffhauser Hasenberg Gewürztraminer Spätlese Trocken - Germany, Baden (7/21/2007)
Light gold. The nose is strongly mineral, with nice floral and typically Gewurzy notes. The palate is dry, pleasantly astringent though not highly acidic. Unmistakeably Gewurz, yet a restrained and mineral-driven example. I like this very much! - 2005 Bodegas Palacio Rioja Cosme Palacio y Hermanos - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (7/21/2007)
Oak and sweet red berries on the nose with a slight touch of citrus and earth. The palate is sweetly fruity, yet refreshing and the oak isn't as obvious as on the nose. Certainly a modern style of Rioja, yet inoffensive even to my "old style" tastes. Fair - probably great value if one does like the modern style. - 2002 Laborie Estate Wine Pineau de Laborie - South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl (7/20/2007)
17,5% and fortified with Pinotage. A nose of mustard and cumin - it sure smells ... sorry, stinks ... like Pinotage!
The palate is sweet and full bodied but the alcohol doesn't stick out. If you don't mind some funk, this is a fun little dessert! - 2006 Sevilen Majestik Syrah-Kalecik Karasi - Turkey, Western Anatolia (7/20/2007)
Dark red, very young looking. The nose is peppery and full of sweet, red berries. It seems very Shiraz-like (rather than Syrah-like). The palate is sweetly fruity, with some nice tannins: refreshing and attractive for not being too concentrated. Technically well made, and certainly much more than just for curiosity value. - 1997 Château Yon-Figeac - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (7/14/2007)
The nose rather reminds me of some 2003s: it is roasted with black toned fruit. There is touch of Merlot's plumminess and a tiny hint of CabF's herbaceousness, but the roasted character and coco-powder-like oak are all encompassing. The palate is sweetly fruity but rather hollow, nicely tannic but frightfully low in acidity. This lacks the refreshing qualitites I seek for in wines. - 1996 Josef Biffar Deidesheimer Herrgottsacker Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Pfalz (7/9/2007)
The nose shows great purity, essence of Riesling as it were. This wasn't as mineral as I remembered from my previous bottle, but rather it is all about the purity of fruit with everything resolved (this doesn't mean the nose wasn't complex, though) - it smells mature but not in the petrolly way. The palate is fruity, very pure and tastes dry, though IIRC, it technically can't be called a Trocken. Long, pure and refreshing aftertaste. - 2004 Clos Henri Pinot Noir Clos Henri - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (7/9/2007)
13,5% abv, 27,60€. Dark for a pinot. The nose is very sweet with only slight savoury tones. It has quite a bit of oak but also some true Pinot-like beetroot scents. The palate is sweet, not acidic enough yet not flabby either. Lacking in both minerality and earthy notes - it is all about the fruit and oak. Very well made and attractive in its style, but I do want something more at this price. - N.V. Adriano Ramos Pinto Porto 20 Year Old Tawny Quinta do Bom Retiro - Portugal, Douro, Porto (7/9/2007)
The nose is lovely. It is elegantly woody, deliciously nutty and has a delightful floral/rose petal note also. The palate is medium-bodied, in the middle of the sweetness-spectrum of Ports, with lively acidity. This is a very elegant style of Port and one that is very much to my taste. It shows the fruit of a younger Tawny and the elegance of the older one but without the overt woodiness that I often find in older Tawnies. - 2004 Golan Heights Winery Chardonnay Yarden - Israel, Galilee, Golan Heights (7/6/2007)
15,46€ 14,5% abv. Green-gold. The nose is very, very oaky: bitter oak tones, vanillary oak tones, nutty, buttery and popcorny. The palate is big, sweet, oaky and very, very alcoholic - yet it gladly has nice acidity to back everything else up. It is a very well made wine, but not at all in the style that I like. If the oaky, buttery, new world style is what you like, this is a superb deal at at c.15€!
Posted from CellarTracker