WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘2007’

…but all I found was cigarettes and alcohol.

I really love and appreciate wines of unique character.  This past weekend in New York, I was reminded of how much this actually means to me, as I found lots to love in the wines I tasted from Argentina and Brazil.  Frustratingly though, one place that I can’t seem to fall in love with is South Africa.  Maybe it’s the wines and producers that I’m trying, maybe it’s just me.  Maybe it’s a little of both!?  Who knows.

Time and time again over the years, whether it’s been a Pinotage, a Cab, or even a Syrah – I’ve been greeted by that distinctive smell and taste of smoky, red cherry tobacco that leaves me feeling green for days in an awful kind of way.  Is this familiar smell and taste just a byproduct of the climate, geography, and soil conditions that exist in South Africa?  Or, does it have more to do in creating a particular style of red wine that is uniquely South African?  Whatever it is, I just can’t seem to find many South African red wines under $20 that satisfy my palate.

Last night marked another chapter in my quest to find a satisfying and affordable South African red wine that I could fall in love with.  On the advice taken from a wine guy at my local wine shop, I decided to give the 2007 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon a shot.

My wine guy gave this wine two enthusiastic thumbs up.  I, on the other hand, give this wine 2 stars out of 4.  Why?  For $7.99, it provided that familiar long lasting smoky, rich cherry tobacco flavor that I just can’t stomach.  However, it is unique – that’s for sure!  On that merit alone, I’m sure that someone else will appreciate it for what it is, just like my local wine guy did.  My mission to find an affordable 4-star South African red continues.

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From: Chile
Price: $10.99

It’s a “two-fer” folks – two reviews for the price of one.  Over the course of a year, my wife and I taste drive a lot of different wines day after day searching for ones that we think taste great and offer consumers like you and us outstanding value.  Unfortunately, in our pursuit of trying to discover these diamonds in the rough you might say that some days are well…better than others.  So I thought that it would be a good idea to occasionally spare both you and me the hassle of going through a lengthy review about a particular wine that we find to be so mediocre and hum-drum that it would be a sin to bother wasting precious time discussing it.  The central idea in these occasional reviews is just to tell you, “Hey this wine is fine, but you should do yourself a favor and pick something else instead.”

The 2007 Root: 1 Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua Valley in Chile that we recently tasted totally fit the bill perfectly.  The $10.99 price tag that both of these wines carry hits the sweet zone for most red wine shoppers and the packaging is absolutely gorgeous and stunning.  But, that’s where the buck stops for these Chilean reds.  Once you’re done drooling over these bottles, sooner or later you’ll have to open them up.  Once you do, you’ll be greeted with a pedestrian targeted bland combination of dark fruit and spices that will have you scratching your head wondering how such an enticing looking bottle of wine could yield such an ok, mediocre, and hum-drum forgettable tasting wine.

The 2007 Carmenere in this particular case goes through a pretty complex fermentation process that starts out with spending time in stainless steel and then ends with a 10 month vacation in American oak.  On the other hand, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is actually a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah.

If you visit the Root:1 website, the winemaker’s notes on both of these wines really sound very compelling and enticing.

“Tasting Notes: Root: 1 Carmenere is a deep red color with gentle tannins and rich flavors of plum, blackberry and spice.
Food Pairings: Root: 1 Carmenere pairs well with pasta, vegetable soup, spicy entrees and grilled meats. Its unique character pairs perfectly with ingredients that are difficult to match such as garlic, bell peppers, fresh herbs and eggplant.”

Checkout the Cabernet Sauvignon:

“Tasting Notes: A rich red wine with black currant, mocha and chocolate notes.
Food Pairings: Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon is an exceptional match with full-flavored cheeses, pasta with red sauce, steak, ribs, and chocolate.”

 

Sounds great right?  Well, we threw our favorite chopped eggplant salad and a giant meat lover’s pizza at both of these wines based on the food pairing notes and both of them came up a little short of meeting our “taste spectations”.  Both wines left us a bit bored and bummed out. 

I award both the 2007 Root: 1 Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon each a C+ on taste alone, which equates to a 2 star rating in our house, and an A+ for its original and stunning label.  In both cases, the dark fruit, spices and vanilla flavors were much too soft and came up short of convincing us that either wine was worth buying again.  

WineLife365 Ratings: 2-Star

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From: Washington
Price: $9.99

Founded more than 25 years ago, today Columbia Crest is one of Washington State’s premier wine producers.  Since the release of its first white varietal wines in 1987 and its first release of red varietal wines in 1988, this Washington State winery has become recognized as the epitome of consistency in the global value wine category.  In the 90’s, Impact magazine named Columbia Crest as one of the “Top Five U.S. Wineries”.  It has also garnered tons of top honors and accolades from other large circulated wine publications like The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator as being one of the “Best Value Wineries” in the world.  Year after year, Columbia Crest has shown amazing consistency at producing exceptional wines at a price point that most consumers can swallow.

The Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay is, in this case, one of the winery’s stewards of excellence.  In 1997, Wine Spectator magazine ranked the 1995 Estates Series Chardonnay #59 on its “Top 100” list. In 1999, Columbia Crest pleased the judges again at Wine Spectator to earn a spot at #40 on its “Top 100” list with its 1997 Estates Series Chardonnay.  The list of medals and achievements has been endless for both the Chardonnay as well as the Columbia Crest Winery.  In my personal opinion, Columbia Crest is one of the most reliable winery names that shoppers should be looking for when considering to purchase either a red or white wine.

However, with that being said, I will caution you:  There’s a lot to choose from if you decide that you want to try a wine from Columbia Crest for the first time.  You’ve got their first tier, which is called “Two Vines” – this is their least expensive stuff.  Then you’ve got their second tier of juice, called “Grand Estates”, which is the equivalent of saying “$10 bucks of intensity and gusto.”  The next rung will put you into their VIP section with the  Horse Heaven Hills (“H3″) wines that first debuted in 2008.  Finally, their top of the line wine is the high octane brain bender “Reserve” – which is liquid gold.  This is definitely one of those situations where you get exactly what you pay for here.  The “Two Vines” is pretty decent for the price, while the Reserve line-up will rock your world so long as you’re willing to ante up anywhere from $25-40 bills to feel the beat of your brain.

I thought for this tasting experience that I ought to hit the sweet spot of most wine buyers – $10 buckaroos.  I’ve had the Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” line-up of wines more times than counting sheep in my sleep over my wine drinking years, and that includes this very “decorated” Chardonnay for which my beloved sister-in-law and I would drink by the gallons way back in our early days.  I’ll be the first to admit, I’m usually a huge fan of the consumer-friendly “Grand Estates” line-up, however I’ve become particularly sensitive to one very apparent attribute about the “Grand Estates” Chardonnay – it appears to be stuck in its glory days of the ‘90s and early years of 2000 when most of the Chardonnay drinking world liked gnawing on big chunks of oak.  Back then, it was the cool and palatable thing to do.  Fast forward to the present, I can honestly say that not much has changed over the years with this brawny-style American Chardonnay.  All in all, the 2007 Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay just seemed very “dated” to my taste buds.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok, but solid wood just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.  I would personally welcome a design change towards a leaner and crisper modern style.

I award the 2007 Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay 2 Stars out of 4.  It tasted “out of style” to me with it’s over the top oaky flavors.  However, I’m sure that there are still a lot of “woodchucks” out there that would whole-heartedly disagree with me and ask that this recipe be left alone.

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From: France

Price: $12.99

I have two words to describe this Kermit Lynch selection – classic and delicious.  It’s been a while since I was last wowed by a French red wine costing less than $15 dollars.  I’ll be honest with you; many that I’ve tried so far in 2009 have tasted a little too “au-natural” for my liking.  Most have had a “barn-yardy” quality about them that has made me conjure up images of chicken coops, horse stalls, and bails of hay.

However, this Cotes du Rhone discovery from famed importer Kermit Lynch is a terrific display of how great a wine can taste when given the opportunity to showcase its true “terroir” (a fancy French term meaning the special characteristics that geography has bestowed upon a wine). 

The 2007 Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone red wine is a delicious, natural tasting blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre, with just the right amount of cracked black pepper and other spices to make it very interesting on the palate.  The other element that I loved about this wine is that it leaves the barn on the farm where it belongs – if you catch my drift.   This red Cotes du Rhone also demonstrates old world charm at an outstanding value to consumers looking for the “real thing” in an everyday red wine.

I give the 2007 Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone 3 stars out of 4.  It won’t completely knock your socks off, but it will give you a glimpse into how terrific “old world” winemaking can taste at a price level that many “new world” winemakers find difficult to produce. 

If you’re not able to find this particular wine, I would highly encourage you to try another Kermit Lynch selection or to talk with your wine merchant.  Kermit Lynch has a great reputation and a real knack for finding undiscovered gems in France.

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

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From: Australia
Price: $10.99

There’s no need to beat around the bush (ha! Australia Bush…get it?) with this wine review. The 2007 Henry’s Drive Pillar Box Red is an outstanding red wine.  It’s up there for me as one of the tastiest inexpensive reds that I’ve tried so far this year.  This red Aussie is a blend of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot.

The 2007 Henry’s Drive Pillar Box Red showcases an ample amount of ripe and sweet raspberry and strawberry flavors, with a spot on touch of spices and chocolate on the back end.  The wonderful combination of these flavors seems to linger around, even long after it’s gone.  In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a Shiraz that can deliver in the $10 range, this baby brings it home!

WineLife365 Rating: 3 Stars out of 4.

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