WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘2007’

Photo: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images

It’s not very often that a Bulgarian wine finds its way onto our dinner table.  A Bulgarian wine has never made its way onto our dinner table.  It’s not because of any god-awful experiences that we’ve encountered in the past, or even disturbing images conjured up in my brain of the Bulgarian Sumo superstar, Kotoōshū Katsunori, stomping grapes only in his mawashi.  It’s nothing like that in the least.  Frankly, Bulgarian wines are just a rare find in most of the wine shops in my neck of the woods.

Recently a friend of mine brought over a bottle of the 2007 Domain Menada ‘Tcherga’ Merlot & Rubin for me to try.  I immediately noticed on the label that it’s a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Rubin(?).  It’s a man, baby!?  No, I’m not talking about Rick Rubin, Max Rubin or even the Russian Football club Rubin Kazan.  I’m talking about Rubin Bolgarskii, or simply Rubin as it’s called in the wine world. Grown extensively in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, Rubin was born by crossing the Nebbiolo and Syrah grapes.  Interesting, but how did it taste?

The 2007 Domain Menada ‘Tcherga’ Merlot & Rubin ($10) definitely hit the mark in the sniffer department with a magnificent, aromatic bouquet of fresh blackberries and herbs.  With a mouthwatering tannic grip on the palate, not to mention a grip on the inside of your glass, the blackberry theme continued with layers of vanilla, hints of lavender and a dusting of chocolate.

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2007 Domain Menada ‘Tcherga’ Merlot & Rubin.  A slightly bigger, longer finish would have sent this velvety-smooth Bulgarian baby boy off into WineLife365 4–Star manhood.

For nearly six weeks now, it seems that my family and I have been living under a thick down blanket of endless holiday bliss together.  Now that Kris Kringle and Dick Clark have both said their goodbyes to 2010, we are ready to get back to our familiar Friday night business, otherwise known as Fancy Dinner Friday.

The first Fancy Dinner Friday of 2011 was extra special because of the excitement that was exuding from our youngest son:  his birthday was the next day!  Even if you don’t have kids, imagine yourself as a soon-to-be 7-year-old coming off the high of receiving tons of presents from Santa and your family; and now, only 3 weeks later, it’s going to happen all over again…sans Santa.  Our boy was quite excited about the thought of receiving another pile of gifts, or possibly a few greenbacks to fund his romps to Game Stop or for a future toy shopping excursion.  In addition to this, he was giddy with thoughts of the party planned for the next evening:  a special Hollywood themed party with a first-time V.I.P. showing of E.T., pizza, and a specially requested chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and fudge icing!  What can I say, the kid is just bonkers for REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups; and this cake is like one gigantic Peanut Butter Cup explosion.  Combine that with a cute little space alien (who happens to like Reece’s Pieces) and you’ve got a party!

So on the eve of this most special day, my wife decided that it was time to discuss with our soon-to-be 7-year-old and his older brother something very serious.  Was the topic of tonight’s dinner-table conversation going to be about being thankful for and not taking for granted all of the wonderful blessings that we shared over the holidays?  No.  Maybe, it was to remind our little guy to show appreciation towards everyone that will be at his party, and to say “Thank You” for the presents that he receives.  Nope, not that one either. 

On this special evening, my wife decided it was time to talk about about…DEATH.  Yikes Mom…really?!  In all fairness to my wife, it’s something that we’ve been meaning to discuss with the kids ever since one of our much loved (but aging) cats  needed to make an emergency visit to the Vet recently.  Needless to say, it did not go over as expected.  While our older boy inquired about burying the cat in the backyard and headstones, the ecstatic soon-to-be 7year-old was nearly brought to tears.  New topic Mom…please!  Back to the birthday conversation…

With tombstones in our heads, I thought it was time to grab for another stone that would bring us back to happier images:  like our special birthday boy and that cool old cat I was telling you about – both enjoying their spaghetti and meatballs dinner. 

The 2007 Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Merlot (Sample, MSRP $20 US) is a very pleasing California Merlot that showcases rich, silky-smooth flavors of cocoa, dark red fruits, and spice.  In the winemaking process, the 2007 Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Merlot starts out in stainless steel and is then transferred to a combination of new and seasoned French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels to age an additional 20 months.  This interesting fermentation process gives it added structure and a medium-length finish on the backend. 

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2007 Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Merlot.  It offered a cheerful lift to the weighty conversation, mellowed out nicely with our spaghetti and meatballs dinner, and was even better with the baked macaroni and cheese balls sprinkled with nutmeg that we had later!

I’ve had some interesting experiences this past year with several of the Concannon Vineyards red wines, and if there’s one common thread that they all share it’s –  don’t judge them on the first sip.

The 2007 Concannon Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon continued this familiar trend. 

On the first night, although it possessed a prominent zing of tart raspberry notes, my wife and I found this Cabernet Sauvignon to be a little too “light” for our tastes.  However, on the second night, the 2007 Concannon Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon was brewing with delicious black cherry and black pepper notes that clung to our gums.  Go figure…

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2007 Concannon Conservancy Cabernet Sauvignon.  Whether you decant it, or open it up and let it rest for 3 hours on the kitchen counter, or stir it up in the blender – a little patience and air time is required to get the full impact of this nicely put together Cabernet Sauvignon. 

(Sample, $15 MSRP)

For centuries, people have been fascinated and oddly affected by the appearance of a full moon.  Its powerful presence in the night sky has perpetuated myths of animals and people going crazy, ritualistic practices being carried out, people turning into werewolves, etc.

In the Chilean Mapuche language, the word Pargua means “full moon.”  I recently felt the strong effects of one exciting red blend produced and bottled by Vina Pargua LTDA.  Right from the start, winemaker Jean Pascal Lacaze and the folks at Pargua do their best to cast a spell over drinkers with its impressive label artwork created by renowned Chilean artist Benjamin Lira.  Mr. Lira used the word Pargua, meaning “full moon”, as a point of inspiration for the wine’s label.

However, the real inspiration is the magic potion inside the bottle.  Made with 100% organic and estate grown grapes, the 2007 Anka Pargua II spellbinds drinkers with its elegant and mouth filling flavors of dark fruit, black pepper, green peppers and sweet spices; that together deliver a wonderful and first-class finish.

If there’s a flaw to be found in the 2007 Anka Pargua II, it’s the fact that only 2,500 cases were produced of this exceptional red wine. 

4 Stars out of 4 for the 2007 Anka Pargua II.  Carrying a suggested retail value of $20, it’s by far the best organic red wine that I’ve tried so far in 2010, and it represents a wickedly outstanding value for a limited-production wine made from a blend of  30% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 11% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot, and 2% Carmenere.