H. Sorrel Le Gréal Hermitage 1989

Okay, so if you've been keeping up with the blog- you'd know that I just recently wrote about an aged cabernet from Napa. Yeah, it was pretty great. But get this- right after I had that 1999 cabernet... I had a 1989 Hermitage. This wine was freaking 23 years old. It was a gift to my father from a close friend of his years ago. I'd like to meet this man, because this man gave us a treasure we won't soon forget. So for a little information about the wine, I'd like to tell you a little about where it comes from. Hermitage is one of the top wines from Northern Rhône. The vines here are planted on steep slopes along the Rhône River, where they enjoy ideal growing conditions for the exclusive grape of the region- Syrah. Hermitage wines typically age beautifully, yet for some odd reason they do not fetch the same prices as top-growth Bordeaux or top-Cru Burgundies. If anybody reading this knows why, please let me know!

Let me begin relaying my experience of this wine with the uncorking of the bottle. As soon as I cut the wrap around the the tip of the bottle, my stomach turned. The cork was visibly molded. It looked like the thumb of a pale and bloody zombie. It also felt like the thumb of a pale and bloody zombie. The corkscrew actually cut through the cork like a knife through warm butter. It was a miracle that we were able to get the cork out without any residue falling into the bottle. Fortunately for us though, the wine held itself together despite the cork's health. The cork gave everything it had to keep this wine alive, and I'd like for all of us to take a minute to remember this brave cork, as it did an admirable job. Thank you.

In the glass, this wine was actually glowing. It was a dark almost red-velvet cupcake red color, be it still or mid-swirl. I didn't take a sip of the glass for a good half hour because I was so taken aback by how beautiful it was. This wine was embracing the glass, the air, the world! Think about how many years it has been since this wine has felt fresh air- roughly 23 years passed since its bottling, and you could tell that this wine was embracing the open world after being dormant for two decades.

In flavor and bouquet, this wine was a showstopper. It slowed down time, yet then again this might have been the effects of having had a bottle of cabernet beforehand and a couple glasses of Italian sauvignon for pre-dinner. The typical dark, pit-fruits that you hear about in Rhône syrah were present in this wine, but they were far from typical. They had this rustic quality about them, it was something I've truly never experienced in a wine before. The term perfume does not do this wine justice when it comes to the bouquet. The nose was thought-provoking. Through the elegant oak in this wine, thoughts of the steep hills of Rhône raced through my mind. Pure leathery notes also brought me there, to the foot of a medieval winery in France, looking out on the calm river, the trees, the vines, and the sun-baked stone towns. The mouthfeel was supple, the lush flavors complimented the wine's great acidity. With a roast lamb, the slightest spice would emerge on the finish. The list of qualities goes on, but can be summarized with the notions of anything you'd ever dream about in the ideal wine.

My literary structure in the previous paragraph was poor at best. Let me explain why I'm okay with that. This wine did more than leave a great impression on me. I'm going to look back on this wine for a long time. As a matter of fact, I've dated the back label of the bottle. My thought process when drinking this wine was intensely focused on the way I felt when I had that glass in my hand, underneath my nose, tipped into my lips. From the very first sip, to the end of the bottle, I understood exactly what the winemaker was trying to tell me about wine, Rhône, and life. So if what I've written in this post doesn't carry much rhetorical effect due to a lack of logical structure, I apologize. But understand that I wrote about this wine on a purely aesthetic level. Sentence structure, grammar, and clear connections didn't concern me this time, as you can clearly tell. However, I think that once in a while, this sort of experience is a good one. I hope you'll all agree. Thanks again for reading, guys!

Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

Ladies and gentlemen... for this post I bring you my first aged Napa Valley cabernet! This wine is a whopping 13 years old. I've always heard about how Napa cabernets are world class when aged properly, and last night I finally got to experience what that meant first hand. Unfortunately, we forgot to decant the bottle before dinner (as we usually do,) so I don't think I was able to completely appreciate the wine. However, what I did experience was something totally new to me, considering I don't normally drink cabernet nor do I typically drink California wines all that often. So bare with me in this post, for this is generally uncharted territory for me.

In color, the wine was a deep and mature red. It had a black body and brick red rim. This is exactly what age does to the color of a well-kept wine. The body darkens and the redness develops more character. Upon a violent swirl, the wine displayed some gorgeous legs and the color figuration upon tipping the glass was almost completely uniform. This wine also threw some heavy sediment, which obviously comes with the aged-wine territory.

The flavor and nose of this wine also showed me some relatively new features to me. Cabernet is a fighter of a grape when it comes to aging, as described in the ever so romantic film, Sideways. I got some rich and unique black currant notes, drenched in a creamy french vanilla perfume. It had a powerful and relentless mouthfeel where I could literally feel the tannins (which I should note were soft despite being powerful and relentless,) beating down on my palate. The finish was oaky and dry, leaving me with a strong impression of what Napa Valley cabernets can accomplish when they're produced the right way.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Hey Mr. Wine Noob, this post sounds just like any other post you've written in the past- I thought that you said that this wine was something TOTALLY different for you than anything you've had before! You're slacking, BRO!" First of all, I'm not your "bro", pal. Secondly, the wine was something completely new for me despite the rather trivial description I wrote about it. Describing an aged wine in-depth is difficult, and considering I'm still pretty new to wine blogging, I think I've done a good job if you can pick up on the small characteristics that I reserve for phenomenal wines. Eventually I'll learn to do this a tad bit better, but for now I'm still The Wine Noob. This is what the wine was like, and it was pretty great. Thanks for reading, fellas!

"En Luteniére" Bourgogne 2009 & Brie

Hey everybody! Welcome to my first episode on wine and food pairing! This is something that I've become totally fascinated with just a short while ago, and I think it's time that I start to manifest this interest in writing! Wine and food are partners in crime, and when you get the right pairing of the two together, something pretty spectacular happens. I previously underestimated the magic of pairing the right wine with the right food- but never again. One day I'll write about the pairing that changed my wine life for good, but not today. Today we'll begin with something pretty simple and traditional that never disappoints.

Wrong vintage, but whatever...

The wine of choice is a pretty decent red Burgundy (which would be a pretty awesome wine compared to most others,) the Aurélien Verdet "En Luteniére" Bourgogne 2009. I wish I spoke French so that I could properly pronounce those names! At any rate, it comes from the Côte D'or region of Burgundy. As always, the wine is 100% pinot noir.

On its own, the wine is a light ruby in terms of color, light in nose, and light in flavor. You can tell from its appearance in the glass that the wine is going to be very elegant and refined. In the nose and in flavor, I could pick up some mild black cherry and red currant berry notes, along with a very withheld earthy barrique component. It has an elusive mouthfeel that quickly coats your palate, and the high level of acidity begs for some food to go along with it. Without food, I score this wine an 84/100. With food, I give it a 90/100.

Since I'm new to pairing wines and foods together, the way I go about pairing is choosing foods that are native to the area that the wine comes from. Simple enough actually, and it seems that that is all you need. Eventually, with more practice, you can begin trying more exciting pairings (like chinese food and Sauvignon Blanc*!)

The food of choice is some classic, creamy, brie cheese. Brie cheese is a traditional Burgundian ingredient. Brie is awesome fellas.

Mmm... Brie, looks like a slice of cake!

When you eat brie with some bread, this wine becomes a completely different animal. As you're chewing the cheese-covered bread, make sure the food makes contact everywhere inside your mouth. If you do that and then take your sip of vino, you'll think you just opened a different bottle of wine. A smokiness appears, along with a new balance and a type of creaminess (not California Chardonnay creaminess, I mean real creaminess) that made my heart sing! The flavors transformed seamlessly and beautifully. No longer was this your average red Burgundy- this became a standout tasting experience.

 I'm sure you've had wine and cheese before, but the next time you go for it, get a cheese from the area that the wine comes from. It makes a world of a difference, trust me.

This Food & Wine branch of the Wine Noob is a bit of an experiment. Obviously wine and cheese goes well together, but I'm pretty confident that I can figure out some more interesting ones. Hell, I have already, and I'll tell you all about them soon. For those of you that don't really care about the food and wine pairings, don't fret! The regular wine posts will still be coming out, I just want to see how this Food & Wine thing pans out. Let me know what you think!



*I have not tried nor have I ever heard of chinese food and Sauvignon Blanc going together, but who knows? It might work, right?

Bisceglia "Terra di Vulcano" Aglianico del Vulture 2009

How are you all doing, my always appreciated readers?! I myself am ecstatic. It has been a while since I've tried a somewhat obscure grape varietal, and fortunately today, I had the pleasure of trying an Aglianico. Aglianico is a red wine grape that is indigenous of southern Italy, mostly in Campania and Basilicata. From what I've had of it in the past, I can tell you that it is simply tremendous. Aglianico is commonly referred to as the "Barolo of the South," and upon drinking it, you'll understand why.

This wine, in appearance, was quite nice. You could tell just from its depth that you're in for something bold and challenging. It is a dark and deep red with a pronounced red rim. The wine also features some tiny, minimal leg formation, that upon breathing for ten minutes, will begin to loosen up and stretch. 

The nose in this wine really was something else. Too often we're all used to the common scents in wine- the overdone oak and the basic red fruit. This particular wine takes those components and totally brings them out in a different light. The oak hangs over the entire nose with authority, yet it is strikingly different from the oak you're normally used to. This oak brings out amazingly pungent rose petal notes and the Basilicata's volcanic-based terroir. It was beautifully intriguing and thought-provoking. You can also make out the powerful dark- and I mean dark- berries. 

At first, the actual tasting of the wine worried me. It was harsh and coarse on the finish, yet the flavors I smelt were all there. However, after ten minutes of aerating it wildly, the coarseness faded, and I was left with an austere mouthfeel that left a beautiful and long finish in my mouth and nasal passages. Those dark and powerful fruits entertained my palate, and the wine's high acidity made the entire tasting that much more enjoyable. I can only imagine how this wine would pair with some serious red meats. 

If you haven't tried any Aglianico wines, I suggest you soon do. From what I've had, they are phenomenal and endlessly interesting. It never hurts to explore different varietals and wine styles, and southern Italy is a great frontier to dip your feet into. As per usual fellas, thanks for reading and you'll hear from me soon!

Tenimenti Angelini "Trerose" Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2007

Here we go- our second wine review this week! This one is a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which is a fancy name for a sangiovese wine from Montepulciano. Another pretty good one, so let's get to it!

This particular wine has a clearish red with a brown edge. It looks pretty fancy if I do say so myself. It looks deep from the width of the glass, but from the top to the bottom it's actually fairly light. The wine has a visible thin figure with short and skinny legs.

As I said with the Brunello I reviewed earlier today, this wine also has that classic sangiovese nose. It has forest notes and some elegant fruit. It was aromatic and barky (and I don't mean like a dog, I mean like tree bark. So that's all oak.) There was an anise and mint note as well, and most of the fruit was relatively withdrawn. It was almost as if the wine was trying to hide something from me, which is pretty sneaky if you ask me.

In flavor it was very juicy, with an upfront spice on the lip. A green note takes root early on and then reappears into the finish. The fruit, as in the nose, was light and hidden. There was a bitter mid-palate that caught some wild fruit favors. Ultimately however, the flavors weren't the feature of this wine. It was all in the mouthfeel for me, it was light bodied, it had a sharp acidity, and some solid tannins.

This is essentially just another wine that is meant to be had with food. Brie cheese and fresh bread is this wine's soul mate- so I suggest you go that route if you ever have a Vino Nobile in the future.

I'm getting tired of these food wines, fellas. In the coming days I'll try to have a wine that can stand on its own, something that actually excites me a little bit. I apologize for these boring wines, but we should remember that not all wines can get us riled up. Wine isn't always flashy, sometimes it's quite dull. Then again, I'm sure the producers of this particular wine think otherwise, so don't always take my word for it! See ya soon, guys- thanks for reading!

Altesino Brunello Di Montalcino 2006

Hello guys! I apologize for having been on a week-long break after that awesome double header. I just had a lot on my plate during finals week and for once I decided to think about school before vino. But never again! From here on out I'll be committed to The Wine Noob. Two wine reviews a week, and I'll make them super fun for you guys. So with that, we proceed to this exciting wine- the Altesino Brunello di Montalcino.

Let me just start off by saying that I personally would only consider having this wine with a traditional Italian dinner. I HATE having to say that because I don't want to limit Italian wines to Italian meals. I also HATE broadcasting Italian culture, because I think that enough people do that already. However, this wine requires some sort of "al dente" pasta with a hearty tomato sauce, followed by some tomato drenched ox tail. On to the wine!

This Brunello was nothing short of, well, good. My parents praised it to no end, but we should consider that they come from Italy and are very proud about that- and as a matter of fact there's nothing wrong that. But, I personally thought it was... well, just good. Nothing truly spectacular, as you will see in my unbiased description.

The color of the wine was a clear red, with a long coloration that boasted a very clear edge when tipped.  It also featured some elastic, quick forming legs. Also, the swirl was particularly pretty (something I've begun to notice in a wine's structure.) Lastly in color, there was a pretty orange rim  along the edge of the glass.

The nose caught my fancy in this wine. The classic sangiovese bouquet shone in there, which actually usually bores me, to be honest. There was a raspberry/licorice combo up front, with a greenish "stalky" component coming in shortly afterwards. Eventually in the actual drinking of the wine I could absolutely say the wine was juicy, active, and vivacious. There was a superb mouthfeel with a persistent dryness, which went on to make the light body and tannins more enjoyable. I should also note my favorite part of the wine, which would be the unmistakable turnip and radish flavors that came in towards the end of the glass. Pretty solid.

Now, I must say this again. This wine highly benefitted from the meal I was having. On its own, I seriously doubt that I would have enjoyed it as much. When you have a Brunello, be sure to have it with a rustic meal. I'd say some Spanish or maybe Californian cuisine would go well with it- as well as classic Italian food. Anyways, I'll be back soon to post another wine review in a little while. Thanks for reading!

Colgin "Cariad" 2000

Wow-wee! Now this was an extremely spectacular wine. One of my father's close friends in the wine industry actually gave this to him as a Christmas present, because we would otherwise have no means to get it since apparently it's a pretty coveted blend. It is, if I'm not mistaken, my first Napa Valley wine review. So let's get this started!

Okay, so in color, the wine was beautifully murky, as if it was trying to hide all of its lovely nuances. It was a deep and dark red, almost burgundy colored. Interestingly, upon swirling, half of the glass would quickly form its legs and the other would form them slowly. I have NO IDEA what that was all about. They were beautiful though, they shot an image of tears running down the glass in my mind.

On the nose, this wine changed dramatically throughout the bottle. We actually decanted the wine because the cork broke in the bottle, but that turned out the be a blessing in disguise; this wine benefitted from oxygen contact. At first it was aged fruit: red currant, black currant berries, with a dried mulberry note as well. Eventually, the fruit got thicker, and it became raspberry jam-like. Towards the end of the bottle, this fruit transformed even more dramatically, becoming virtually 100% leather and horsehair. The oak, throughout the wine's life was minimal, the other features really shone through.

In the mouth, the wine showed a lovely smooth and soft tannin structure. It had those previously mentioned fruits, which eventually led to a decadent and creamy raspberry chocolate-mousse finish. There was also a slight hazelnut dimension in there as well. The mid-palate had a small tart flavor, but that diminished eventually. I should also note that the 14.8% alcohol was definitely felt in the nose and drink. The wine also finished with a touch of a spice, maybe a very mild paprika.

Now besides the absolutely gorgeous combination of flavors in this wine, something else about it drove me crazy. The wine didn't specify the grape varieties in the blend, and my father and I had to almost guess our way to what the blend could be. We decided that it had no cabernet sauvignon, and that it had to be merlot and syrah based on its mouthfeel and flavors. However, we then looked up the varietals and tasting notes after we finished drinking it, and we couldn't have been more wrong. It was a Bordeaux blend: 55% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, and 10% cabernet franc and petit verdot. Additionally, the tasting notes that the winemaker's website provided said, "Plum, sweet cranberry, and coffee bean..." along with other flavorful components. We were just so off, which just goes to prove that no matter how much wine you drink, there's still so much you don't know about it.

I will however sympathize with our evaluation by saying that the website's tasting notes were written when the wine was released in 2000, the wine must surely have changed by 2012. But oh well, this is what I got from this wine, and it was pretty phenomenal.

La Spinetta "Ca` Di Pian" Barbera D'Asti 2008

Hello everybody!  I had some quality wines this weekend and I decided to write about two of them, since they both left quite an impression on me. The first of these two is a barbera, the most widely planted grape variety in Piedmont. You would assume that nebbiolo of the Barolo and Barbaresco wines would be the most planted varietal, but for some reason it isn't. If I find out the exact reason why that is, I'll be sure to include an edit in this post to let you know as soon as I find out.

So this is a single vineyard barbera wine. In color, it was a bright, see-through ruby red. It had even, tall, and droopy legs. When tilted in glass, the wine showed some pink to clear coloration at the very edges, which gave the wine some pretty in-glass characteristics. The wine also boasted a beautiful swirl, something I haven't really noticed in a wine up until this one.

Usually, I split the nose and the flavor of wines into two different paragraphs, but because this wine was so simple and straightforward, I will combine the two into one. This wine tasted and smelt exactly like strawberry fruit roll-ups. You guys all remember those, right? That stretchy, chewy candy stuff. It also had a jolly rancher feel to it in flavor, it was wowingly (yet another time where I make up a word) vibrant and fruity. It had some high acid levels that might turn you off if you're not accustomed to acidity. The acidity really makes the tongue salivate, which is to be expected with the powerful sweetness this wine has.

So if this wine was so simple, what was so special about it that it left an impression on me? Well there is something to derive from the fact that it smelt like fresh fruit roll-up candy. This is an "Old-World" winemaking region, Asti (in Italy,) producing a clearly "New-World" wine. There isn't a doubt in my mind that this wine was produced this way for the American palate. That isn't a bad thing, though you may read it as if it is.

I personally dislike the notion that wineries around the world are constantly moving towards making these ultra fruity, sweet wines that appeal to international markets, especially America. What we'll be left with in time is millions of wineries making the exact same wine, trying to fetch high scores from Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate. It's a shame, yet at the same time, we'll be left with easy-to-drink wines that are easy to buy without any worry that you won't enjoy them. It's a double-edged sword, and as of late, us as consumers have been swinging it willingly (and perhaps blindly, as well.)

Stay tuned, I'll post the second wine that I mentioned at the begining of the post as soon as it's ready!

Plumpjack Syrah 2007

Heyyo! What an awesome wine I've got for you for this post! After the last wine review, I caught syrah fever, and luckily I had the great fortune to try out a pretty special one, the 2007 Napa Valley Plumpjack Syrah. Boy oh boy fellas, what a wine.

In color the wine showed some excellent depth and purity. It was pitch black as night with possibly the darkest shade of violet that I've ever seen tinting the edges. Absolutely zero sunlight got through the wine in my glass. What got me especially excited about the wine in the glass was its fast appearing legs. I'm not sure entirely, but I'm assuming that they formed quickly after the swirl because the wine was so heavy and full bodied. Those legs by the way, were thin and bendy- just the way I like them! (No sexual pun/innuendo intended.) I'll score the in-glass appearance of this wine a killer 94/100.

On the nose this wine did far beyond impress me. At the very first whiff I got a flurry of dark fruits, black currant berries and black cherries especially. There was also a spice in that initial hit of the nose, with a "peperoncino" type flavor and zest. I also got some juicy, straight-up chocolate notes along with some dark nut, mulchy (not a real word, by the way,) oak. What a deadly combination of scents. I wish I could drink this wine with my nose, but I know better than to try that again. I score the nose on this wine a 92.

On to the flavor! What I've got to stress in the flavor of this wine is the heavy spice and the wine's big, big body. Initially, there was a greenish dimension taking over, with a bitter tone until the spice kicked in. That green flavor was accompanied with a chocolate covered clove that totally took me by surprise. The spice lasted well throughout until the end of the finish, with an arousing spiced black currant berry flavor. The wine also exhibited a pleasant dryness with an awesome lush and fatty mouthfeel. I give this big daddy of a wine a 90 in the flavor department.

Overall, I'd say this is a 91, maybe 92 point wine. Is that good? You bet it is. It's getting to the point where I can really tell when a wine is special, and this one truly is. I'm starting to be able to notice the dark fruit and chocolate characteristics of the syrah grape, and I can totally see how this particular wine blows those aspects out of the park. As usual everybody, thanks for reading, and look forward to another post coming as soon as Saturday or Sunday night!

Thoughts on Wine

Hey guys! I think that after about three months of wine blogging, it's time for some reflection. Let's remember that the point of all of this isn't to just review particular wines. There's millions of different wines of different vintages out there, what difference will knowing about just a few specific ones really do for you, anyways?

The point of all of this is that I'm new to this wine-world. I'm trying to see how wine influences me and how it could possibly influence you, too.

So far, after just three short months, my life has changed dramatically. From reading wine journals between classes, tasting wines about four times a week, and most importantly- talking about wine, voids in my life that I didn't even know were there have been filled.

If you're already submerged in the infinite wine world, awesome. You know what I'm talking about. If not, I strongly suggest you try to get into it. It couldn't hurt to try. There's so much more to wine than just drinking it. It's more novel than text. You'll come out of it with a new sense of wonder. If you don't have the means to get into the wine world yet, then take my word for it fellas, when you can,  just dip your foot in the pool. The water isn't cold, it feels unbelievable.

You'll learn about things that you had no idea even existed. You'll experience spectacular flavors and scents, and you'll understand why wines express themselves the way they do. You'll open your eyes to see that wine isn't just a commodity, it's a living, breathing organism. Finally, the most fantastical thing you'll do, is have the extreme pleasure and opportunity to talk about wine. The possibilities for basic conversation about wine are endless, and needless to say, beautiful. Think about the friendships you'll make over a bottle of wine, or better yet, think about the things you'll find out about people you've known your entire life whilst talking about something entirely new for you.

It's a little premature for me to declare my love for the wine world, so I'll put that on hold for another day. However, I can confidently say that after just three months of wine blogging, I feel I've opened a million different doors for myself (You can probably tell by now that I'm about four glasses deep by now.)

Anyways, wine has done this for me. If wine isn't your thing, I appreciate your reading this because it gives me great pleasure to know that I'm acknowledged on the interwebs. Furthermore, if wine isn't your thing: find your thing, and let me know what it is. I'd love to try whatever it is, too. As usual, thanks for reading!

PS: Coming later this week is really special wine! Stay tuned!