WineLife365 » 4-Star http://www.winelife365.com Enjoying Life with Wine 365 Days a Year Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:43:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Sexy’s Back http://www.winelife365.com/altovinum-evodia-old-vines-garnacha-2008/ http://www.winelife365.com/altovinum-evodia-old-vines-garnacha-2008/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:41:17 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=7065 Sexy from head to toe is the best way of describing the 2008 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha.  I discovered and fell in love with the 2007 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha last year.  But oh, oh, oh, oh – the 2008 edition is truly something special and just pure gold in the under $10 wine category.  Produced from 100 percent Garnacha vines, some up to 100 years old, from an altitude of 2400 – 3000 ft. in the village of Atea in Calatayud, the 2008 Altovinum Evodia is rock solid from start to finish.

The word Evodia comes from a Greek word that means “aroma”, and yes, the 2008 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha certainly smells quite nice with its mineral, earthy essence; but the real X-factor with this Spanish red is the major POW that it delivers in the taste department with its sweet, dark fruit flavors laced with black tea and peppery notes.  And get this:  It achieves its delicious smack down without ever spending any time in an oak barrel – a truly remarkable feat considering its complexity and affordability!

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that the 2008 Altovinum Evodia Old Vines Garnacha just might be the best tasting red wine on the planet for under $10.  To this end, if you’re reading this review and know of a red wine that’s as good as or better than this beauty (for less than 10 bucks), I’d sure like to hear about it!

4 Stars out of 4.

($9.99)

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/altovinum-evodia-old-vines-garnacha-2008/feed/ 5 Just the Facts http://www.winelife365.com/luigi-bosca-reserva-malbec-2007/ http://www.winelife365.com/luigi-bosca-reserva-malbec-2007/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 02:24:13 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6873 The Wine:  2007 Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec.

Birth place:  La Linda Estate (Vistalba vineyard) in Luján de Cuyo, an area of Mendoza, Argentina.

The Altitude:  960m above sea-level.

Inside the Bottle:  Estate grown and bottled, 100% Malbec grapes from low-yielding vines. 

Time spent in the Barrel:  12 months in French oak.

Aging Potential:  Up to 10 years from its born-on-date is what they say.

How does it taste?:  Off the charts delicious!  Want to bathe in it good!  Humongous dark fruit and peppery spices that tantalize and seem to last, and last, and last!

WineLife365 Rating:  4 Stars out of 4.  One of the tastiest reds I’ve tried so far in 2010.

Price:  16.99.

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/luigi-bosca-reserva-malbec-2007/feed/ 8 Now That’s Italian? http://www.winelife365.com/velenosi-lacrima-di-morro-dalba-2008/ http://www.winelife365.com/velenosi-lacrima-di-morro-dalba-2008/#comments Sat, 01 May 2010 00:48:32 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6723 When thinking of Italian red wines, names like Amarone, Chianti, Montepulciano and Sangiovese certainly come to mind for many wine drinkers.  However, there is one lesser known (at least to me!) Italian red wine, called Lacrima, that you just might want to consider looking for the next time you’re out shopping for wine.

Lacrima dates back to ancient times and is not considered a true grape varietal because it generally includes the addition of either Montepulciano and/or Verdicchio grapes in its production.  This wine is mainly produced in the village of Morro d’Alba in Ancona Province, Marche.  The profile on this Italian wine is that it is a medium body wine with moderate acidity and mild tannins, and it possesses big floral and red-fruit aromas, while displaying earthy and herbal characteristics.  The flavors can also be somewhat sweet for a red wine.

About a week ago, I was looking for a red wine under $20 to go with our traditional Friday dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.  While I was talking it up with a buddy of mine, he suggested that I give the 2008 Velenosi Lacrima di Morro d’Alba a try.

Not being familiar with this particular style of Italian wine, I was expecting it to display a dried cherry/fruit characteristic, accompanied by a mild astringent finish that would tell my taste buds, “Hey buddy, you’re drinking an Italian red!”  What I didn’t expect to happen was to taste an Italian red wine that would break all of the “rules” of how I thought an Italian red wine was supposed to taste.

The 2008 Velenosi Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is a complete detour from your typical Italian red wine.  To start, when I smelled it, flowers was the first thing that came to mind – lavender, maybe?  As far as taste goes – it totally bails on the commonly used dried cherry/fruit component, and there is absolutely no hint of the familiar astringent aftertaste.  Instead, the folks at Velenosi opt for a massive blast of vibrant sweet berry flavors (an explosion of blueberries and boysenberries), then they lay the smack down on you with a velvety smooth, long finish that seems well… downright “Un-Italian”. 

I must say that it doesn’t quite jive with spaghetti and meatballs the way a traditional Italian red would, but don’t let this discourage you in the least from trying this fabulous, well-crafted wine.  It totally rocks on its own and seems to be an ideal match for rack of lamb, roasted chicken, duck, or any other gamey stuff.  A big high five to Frank for sharing this magnificent discovery with me!

 4 Stars out of 4.  The 2008 Velenosi Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is a big, juicy, and unique Italian red wine!

($19.99)

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/velenosi-lacrima-di-morro-dalba-2008/feed/ 9 A Few Winners of Our Own http://www.winelife365.com/finca-la-linda-torrontes-la-corte-solyss-negroamaro-review/ http://www.winelife365.com/finca-la-linda-torrontes-la-corte-solyss-negroamaro-review/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:35:48 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6218 Like a lot of other people this past Sunday night, we were glued to the TV set sayin’, “Man, she looks terrible!” or “Wow, she looks really great!”  We were also wondering if James Cameron and Jon Landau’s 10 year project, “Avatar”, would runaway with all of the Oscar trophies.  But just like so many other past Oscar nights, there was that dark horse in the bunch that surprised everyone.  This year, it was a night to remember for the folks involved with the film “The Hurt Locker”, which won six Academy Awards including “Best Picture”.

As we watched “The Hurt Locker” put a hurtin’ on fellow nominees, we were putting a hurtin’ on a couple great bottles of wine!

The first of the evening was the 2009 Finca La Linda Torrontes bottled by Luigi Bosca.  This wine was produced in Argentina and consists of 100% Torrontes grape.  Torrontes is the wonderful and distinctively aromatic signature white grape of Argentina.  If you’ve never tried a Torrontes before, this one will certainly make a great first impression on you!  There’s a lot of interesting layers of flavors swirling around in this wine.  It’s a bombshell of racy, crisp acidity, packed full of tropical flavors, that reminded me of a Pina Colada.  The 2009 Finca La Linda Torrontes was a big winner and left us wanting more.  Costing less than $10, it secures a lofty 4 star WineLife365 taste rating and also earned itself many repeat visits as the weather in our neck of the woods continues to warm up.

Next up was the 2006 La Corte Solyss Negroamaro.  This red wine is from the South of Italy in the Puglia (Apulia) region.  Negroamaro, also known as Negro amaro, is one of the most widely planted native red grapes grown in the Southern regions of Italy.  It’s grown almost exclusively in Puglia (Apulia) and also in Salento, which is located at the “heel” of Italy.  The Negroamaro grape and the winemakers in this region tend to allow these wines to express rustic, earthy, and natural tasting characteristics.  This particular Old World red showcases some really interesting mineral, herbaceous and cherry twists that will undoubtedly make you question whether you’re a fan of it or not.  We were fans of 2006 La Corte Solyss Negroamaro and give it 3 stars out of 4 on our taste scale.  One final note on this wine – I paid $12 for it at a local retailer, but I’ve seen it as high as $25 online.  I’m not sure whether or not I’d be willing to fork over 25 bones for it, but if you can find it for less than $20, it’s certainly worth a shot!

With the 2010 Oscars behind us, I can’t say that there were many moments that will replay in my mind for any length of time.  However, I did find some winners that will have repeat performances in my glass.

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/finca-la-linda-torrontes-la-corte-solyss-negroamaro-review/feed/ 4 Wine Review – 2008 Le Jade Picpoul de Pinet http://www.winelife365.com/le-jade-picpoul-de-pinet-2008/ http://www.winelife365.com/le-jade-picpoul-de-pinet-2008/#comments Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:26:49 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=5645 From: France
Price: $9.99

Is your white wine up to the Challenge?

 

Looking for that perfect crowd pleasing white wine to bring to a Christmas party?  Or, maybe just a great inexpensive wine to give to someone as a gift this holiday season?  Here’s the answer my friend to your holiday dilemma, and it’ll only cost you $10 bucks.  This little treasure comes from France – which of course means that you’ll be instantly greeted by a label in all of its French splendid glory, chock full of unfamiliar French words that will undoubtedly have your brain muttering the words of Mr. Grinch, “How-be Who-be What??” .  After a little label intimidation game, you’re then distracted by the look of the bottle.  It is long and slender and has a Grinch-looking body that by this point has you saying, “Pooh-pooh to the Whos!”, and has you heading back to your ‘ole familiar wine boundaries.  But wait, before you go running back to that safe haven in aisle 3, do yourself a favor and taste drive one of the most heavenly killer values on the planet right now for under 10 smackers.  Here’s all you need to know about this stunning wine before having your taste buds bustin’ loose under the mistletoe with excitement. 

le-jade-picpoul-de-pinet-2008

Picpoul is the grape and Pinet is the village within the Languedoc region of France for which this wine calls home.

This white wine pops with gigantic acidic fruit flavors like grapefruit, lime and pineapple from start to its glorious zesty finish.  Not only is the Le Jade great on its own, but it’s also extremely food-friendly and has the chops to stand up to anything from say bacon-wrapped scallops over Southwestern seasoned mixed vegetables to a melted Manchego cheese and Italian Sopressata quesadilla (I speak from experience on these two).

My question to you and every white wine making winery out there is this:  Can your $20 or less white wine do that?  I personally believe that the Le Jade, at just under $10, might very well be the most exceptional and versatile inexpensive white wine on the market right now.  To this point, I’m making a challenge to all wineries around globe – If you think that your less than $20 white wine is better then this French beauty, then I’d like to hear about it!

As for the 2008 Le Jade, Picpoul de Pinet – It’s the tops in my book!  Pour it, enjoy it, or just get crunked (if that’s your thing) this holiday season – 4 Stars.

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

WineLife365 Rating: 4-Star

 

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