Dominio Mano a Mano 2009 Venta La Ossa

Posted by Keith Wallace on Mar 25, 2013 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Portuguese Wine Review

One of the best kept secrets in the wine industry is the new crop of of modern Portuguese red wines. This is a great example, and should be sought out by all our students and readers (yes, I mean all 20K of you). Scents of graphite, wood, and licorice turn spicy after a few minutes in the glass. Full bodied, the wine holds layers of dark fruits and rich smokey notes that remind me of a bloody rare steak grilled over wood charcoal. This is an opulent bottle that will make most of you fall in love with Portugal.

Vinos Sin-Ley 2009 “Puerta Bonita” (G5), Vino de Madrid

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 9, 2013 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

One of the more confusingly named wines, the G5 is none the less an awesome example of quality and value. An enveloping bottle of fruity goodness with a tooth-staining quality that will draw quite a few fans. Cardamon and licorice on the nose, with a burnt flower quality as well. Black fruit and sage on the palate round out this everyday drinker from Madrid.

Pillar Box 2008 Red

Posted by Keith Wallace on Oct 31, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

For a wine so damn cheap, a lot of rock star winemakers have been attached to this project. For the geeks, that means Aussie powerhouses Kim Jackson and  Chris Ringland, for starters. For the rest of us all there is to ask is WHY? Well, you don’t  even need to ask that question, just WHERE CAN I BUY IT? This is one of those bottles that over delivers for the price point.

The wine is two-thirds Shiraz, with Cabernet and Merlot filling in the gap. Jammy and juicy, it hits the big points and leaves the nuances to another bottle of wine. Sweet blueberries on the nose, with a touch of spice and mocha. On the palate, it is fulled bodied and round, with black fruit flavors that are a bit reduced, to a wisp of menthol smoke, kinda like a Kools. Finishes big and bold and jammy.

A current trend in Aussie winemaking is to have small wine companies that produce a  half dozen or more  wines under different labels.  Instead of a winery name , you have inventive brand names. Pillar Box is part of a series of wines  that reference the regional Australian postal service, all made by the same company:  Henry’s Drive, Parson’s Flat, The Trial of John Montford, Dead Letter Office, The Postmistress, The Scarlet Letter, and Morse Code.  

Chilean Wine Review: Erasmo 2006 Red

Posted by Keith Wallace on Sep 17, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

A lighter style red coming from Chile, with a distinctive old world character. Tobacco leaf and wet clay mingle with raspberry notes. The finish opens up and darker fruit take hold, along with baking spices and a sweet edge of vanilla.

This Chilean winery was founded by a member of the Cinzano family of Tuscany. The owner of the Col d’Orcia estate  in Montalcino, Count Francesco Marone Cinzano,  started making wine here in the mid-nineties. The vineyards are planted mostly to bordeaux varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

About Central Valley  Wine Region (Including Maule Valley)

Via Wikipedia. Wine districts Curicó Valley, Maipo Valley, MauleValley (Claro Valley, Lontue Valley), Rapel Valley (Colchagua Valley,Cachapoal Valley, Curicó Valley,Tenue Valley) The oldest, most central, and most traditional wine region, the Central Valley Viticultural Region contains four wine districts encompassing seven wine areas. The Curicó Valley is situated200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Santiago,and is home to such brand leaders as Caliterra, Montes, Torres, and Valdivieso. Curicó is knownprincipally for Chardonnay, but also producesfine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. The Maipo Valley around Santiago itself is stillthe country’s most intensively cultivated districtand therefore its most famous wine appellation.It is one of the warmest growing districts in the country and, although by no means the best, it is still capable of regularly producing very good wines, particularly reds. Farthest south of all is the Maule Valley, which contains three wineareas and is generally better suited to red wines than whites, but is really quite variable overall,and consequently vast amounts of the local Pais grapes are grown solely for local consumption