Chateau Carignan 2005 “Prima” Cotes de Bordeaux

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 22, 2013 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

When I took a group of my students to Bordeaux, we stayed just a few miles from this Chateau. I did not expect much of this wine when I first tasted it (it is from the unremarkable region of Entre Deux Mers). That expectation was soon put to rest. This is a generous and rich Bordeaux that drinks more like a top shelf Pommerol than it should. It was great to have the legendary Robert Parker confirm this by naming it a “sleeper of the vintage.”

This is rich and opulent style of a right-bank Bordeaux with lush fruit and odles of baking spices on the palate. Silky and lush, this is drinking perfectly right now, but could benefit from short-term aging of 2-3 years.

Chateau Ramage La Batisse 2005 Haut Medoc (Bordeaux)

Posted by Keith Wallace on Nov 28, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

A finely honed bottle, with eucalyptus and wet stone aromas that edge into black fruit and crème de cassis. Full bodied and velvety, the palate offers fresh red fruit, black tea, and a bracing minerality that finishes like a teacher’s desk: notes of pencil shavings and dark roasted coffee.  Drink between 2012 and 2018.

Without a doubt, the finest bottling from this Bordeaux producer since 1989.  This Chateau is located just outside of the Paulliac, and is proving to be a rising starlet  in the region: the Chateau was upgraded to  Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in 2003.

Available via Bacchus Selections

About the HAUT-MÉDOC in BORDEAUX

This AOC encompasses the Médoc’s four finest communes—Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe—as well as the less well-known Listrac and Moulis communes. Wines produced outside these six appellations but within the Haut-Médoc are not generally as thrilling, although infinitely superior to those of Médoc. Among these very reliable wines are a few great-value crus classés and many high-quality crus bourgeois, but although Haut-Médoc is a name to look out for on the label of château bottled wines, it counts for little on a generic. RED These dry wines have a generosity of fruit tempered by a firm structure, and are medium to full-bodied

Ch. Bastor Lamontagne 2007 Sauternes

Posted by Keith Wallace on Nov 28, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 1 comment

Château Bastor-Lamontagne is not Château d’Yquem. It’s not one of the elite estates of the Sauternes region of Bordeaux. However, this producer offers up  a consistently great  quality-to-value, a rarity  in the region.  Considering that Château d’Yquem costs upwards of  $800 a bottle, what Bastor-Lamontagne offers becomes ever more attractive.

The 2007 vintage was wonderful for Sauternes, which requires a cooler and wetter summer than any other style of wine.  The bright acidity and ripe sweetness of the 2007s are on par with the wonderful 2001 vintage, and possibly the nearly perfect 2009 vintage as well.

Scents of lemon curd and maraschino cherry dominate the nose. On the palate, the crispness of ginger and pineapple come through with white fruit and honey on the palate that finishes with a tart lift that offers a refreshing lemon and grapefruit finish. The finish is long and superb. Very well made dessert wine.  I suggest you decant this Sauternes, or at least pop the cork for a half hour before serving.

Andrew Will Winery 2007 Two Blondes Vineyard

Posted by Keith Wallace on Apr 25, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 6 comments

Andrew Will Winery offers up a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and  Malbec from this estate vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley.

A remarkably complex offering, this wine offers a myriad of textures: from the dense opulence of the attack, to the freshness of the midpalate, to the velvet tannin of  the finish. The flavor profile is both sweet and savory.

Figs and cassis  meld with coffee and campfire notes, along with a strong impression of Herbes de Provence.  The midpalate brings in  fresher red fruits, and serious oak-influenced flavors of chocolate and allspice.  The finish rolls on and on, bringing more pleasure than anyone could expect from a glass of wine.

Best Wine Buys

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 5, 2011 in News, Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Prices are for Pennsylvania. Prices in other states will vary. To find any of these wines, make sure to use our Wine Finder!

Domaine du Coulet 2004 Cornas Terrasses du Serre
$28.99
A classic style, with minimal oak and blended from several slopes within Cornas. The traditional approach is quite evident on the palate. More delicate than most, this syrah leads with a soft medley of red fruits and gradually intensifies into a thick beam of mineral and ending with a curtain of milk chocolate.

Allan Scott 2006 Pinot Noir, Marlborough
$20
A wee bit rounder than a Pinot should be, but a very pretty wine. Soft and ripe cranberries and a touch of earth and cinnamon on the palate. A nice mineral-laced finish.

Tait 2006 Ballbuster Shiraz, Barossa
$15
The PLCB is flooding us with high-octane shiraz these days, and this is the best of the bunch. Ink-black with a nose of intense blackberry and tobacco, it rolls out a dense palate of jammy fruit. This baby is not so much a fruit bomb as a fuel-injected fruit jet strapped to the back of a cute bunny.

La Louviere 2005 Pessac-Leognan
$40
One of the greatest strengths of Bordeaux is its history. Saying this wine is historic would leave one with the wrong impression. Rather, it is the perfect snapshot of the 2005 vintage. There is a harmony between freshness and tannins that cry out for a few years in the cellar. The smoke, spice, and cigar box flavors all play their parts perfectly.

Vincentini 2006 Terre Lunghe Soave
$14.99
A rare beauty. Mint, lavender, and lemon zest rest upon the nose. Razor-like citrus and fresh melon on the body and finish.

Le Manoir Galhaud 2003 Cuvee Leon Bordeaux
$15.49
One of the better bordeaux values available today. This still has the raw force and intensity of the ’03 vintage, although this is defiantly something and not cellar.

Magpie 2003 The Schnell Grenache/Shiraz
$8.99
Great juice & its really really cheap.

Mastroberardino 2004 Falanghina
$11.99
Falanghina is typically rich for a white and just a bit decadent. This one does not disappoint. Ripe melon and stone fruits on the palate. Lovely.