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Posts Tagged ‘4.5 Corks Popped’

2005 Warwick Estate Three Cape Ladies

29 Jun

Y.U.M.

This post could easily end there, leaving you all intrigued, of course, and clamoring to find your own bottle of 2005 Warwick Estate Three Cape Ladies to try.  But I’m not in PR, and the purpose of this here blog is not to sell wine; it’s to talk about it.  So that’s just what I’ll do.

The Warwick Wine Estate is located in South Africa’s Simonsberg-Stellenbosch district, which is well known for its red wines.  The 2005 Three Cape Ladies is a blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Pinotage, 22% Syrah, and 15% Merlot, and what a blend it is.  An inky dark garnet in the glass, this wine has an enticing aroma and flavor of blackberry, pepper, cocoa powder and freshly ground coffee beans.  On the palate, it is perfectly smooth and round, without any hard angles.  The winemaker has managed to allow the best qualities of each of the four grape varietals to shine through.  The Cabernet Sauvignon lends roundness and a tannic structure that will allow this wine to age nicely.  The Pinotage gives depth and that unique mocha flavor that makes this wine distinctly South African.  The Syrah provides a smooth, velvety texture, and the Merlot kicks in with some subtle spice.

Better yet, this is definitely a food-friendly wine.  Indeed, it paired quite nicely with the rib eye steak and grilled corn on the cob J and I had for dinner last night.  What I really love, though, is that I had a little CorkPopper Moment* halfway into my first glass, and, barring a miracle showing by one or both of the week’s remaining wines, I know exactly what I’ll be cooking for this week’s CorkPopper Dinner (which, by the way, will take place up in the Sierra Foothills at J’s family’s cabin! Yeah!!).  What will that recipe be?  You’ll just have to tune in later this week to see!!

You can find the 2005 Warwick Estate Three Cape Ladies for $19.49/bottle at wine.com.

4.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

* A “CorkPopper Moment” is my term for when a wine inspires a very specific recipe, resulting in the perfect pairing.

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, South Africa, Warwick Three Cape Ladies, red wine

 

Welcome Home!

27 Jun

Yes, it’s true.  I am a lucky, lucky woman….

J's Shrimp and Scallop Risotto with Shitake Mushrooms and Asparagus.... Heaven in a bowl.....

Paired with a 2009 Estate Grown Babcock Sauvignon Blanc, it is nothing short of the perfect “welcome home” meal.

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corked Forks, 4.5 Corks Popped, 4.5 Forks, Babcock, sauvignon blanc, wine pairing

 

2003 Mak Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

19 May

Having finally gotten myself back on track after a long weekend away, I was definitely looking forward to getting started on this week’s Australian Red Blends, the first of which is a 2003 Mak Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Blend.  Coonawarra is a wine region in South Australia along the coast southeast of the city of Adelaide and is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, which comprises the largest percentage of this week’s first wine – a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Shiraz,  12% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.  Wow.

This wine is a brilliant dark ruby with a bit of brick or garnet at the edge, indicating some age.  There’s a bit of sediment in the bottle, so if that bothers you (or you’re serving it to guests), be sure to decant.  Even with about 20 minutes in the glass (I got distracted), the aroma is a huge burst of dark juicy berries and cherries as well as a generous amount of clove, cedar and oiled leather.  In addition, there are some dried flowers – lavender and violet – that you pick up when you hold the glass a little further from your nose.  On the palate, the ripe dark fruit is dense but is balanced out by some remarkably pleasant oak characteristics, which lend some nice, fine tannic structure.  The finish is long, and despite a high alcohol level (14.5%), the subtle complexity of this wine makes it both an excellent wine to drink on its own and an even better wine to pair with food.

I’ve still got two more wines to taste this week, but I can tell you now that this one will be hard to beat!  If you’d like to try it yourself (and you should), you can find it at Old Bridge Cellars for $19.99/bottle.

4.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Australia, Mak Coonawarra, red wine

 

2008 Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc

28 Apr

This week’s second wine – a 2008 Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc – comes specifically from the Margaret River subregion of Western Australia (whereas the Hazard Hill hails from the broader Western Australia appellation).  Cape Mentelle is, along with Leeuwin Estate and a few others, one of Margaret River’s most prestigious wineries and is actually one of the (many) wineries Pop, SM and I visited in the Spring of 2008.  And as was the case with virtually every winery we visited during that two weeks, Cape Mentelle’s Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc was quite possibly my favorite wine.

Brilliantly clear and pale straw with hints of green, this wine has a lovely aroma of key lime zest, orange blossom and a hint of vanilla, and the palate is ripe with lemon and lime, freshly cut grass, and just a touch of soft oak.  The fruit is huge and ripe, but there’s generous acidity to balance it out, and the finish is long and refreshing.  In short, I could drink gallons of this stuff and be perfectly content.  It’s nothing short of a wonderful example of Margaret River’s signature white blend.

At $18.69/bottle from Wine Exchange, it’s a bit more expensive than the Hazard Hill but well worth price nonetheless….

4.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Australia, Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, white wine

 

2008 Quinta de Romeira Arinto Bucelas

08 Apr

J’s been working some late nights lately, so I’ve been doing a lot of the grocery shopping and cooking; I hit the store when I leave work and either head down to J’s when he’s done working or start prepping dinner at my place and wait for him to come up.  I usually text him in the late afternoon to see if there’s anything in particular he’s craving for dinner, and I either take his cravings as my inspiration or veto them altogether and go my own direction.  Yesterday his response was “Beef?!,” which, for whatever reason, sounded perfect to me as well, so I wandered over to Whole Foods (“the Foods,” as J and I like to call it) and grabbed a nice, big Rib Eye steak (which J grilled to perfection), some beautiful Spring green beans (which I sauteed with some white wine, shallots and garlic), and a crusty sourdough baguette.  The perfect Wednesday night dinner, right?  Totally – except that this week is Portuguese White Wine week for the CorkPopper Project, and white wine isn’t generally a great match for a big, honkin’ piece of meat.  Oh well, sometimes you just have to go with your cravings….. and when your meal and your wine are both delicious, it doesn’t so much matter that they’re not perfectly paired.

The 2008 Quinta de Romeira is made from Arinto grapes (a varietal, I must admit, I’ve never heard of or tasted before) grown just outside Lisbon in the Bucelas DOC region.  Clear and day bright and light straw in color, this wine has some lovely key lime, passionfruit, orange blossom and just a hint of slate on the nose.  The orange and lime are pronounced on the palate, with lots of bright acidity, medium alcohol, a medium-long finish and medium-plus complexity.  In short, a surprisingly delightful white wine no matter what you’re eating for dinner.

Give it a try yourself.  You can find it at K&L Wine Merchants for just $11.99/bottle.

4.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Arinto, Portugal, white wine

 

2006 Belasco de Baquedano "Llama" Malbec (UPDATED 1/29/10)

27 Jan

It turns out that Bertrand Bourdil (the former winemaker at the famed Mouton Rothschild) really does deserve all of those 100 point ratings he’s received from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate…

Made from grapes picked from vines that are over a century old along the foothills of the Andes mountains, the 2006 Belasco de Baquedano “Llama” Malbec is a true “old vines” wine with concentrated flavors and complexity rarely (if ever) found in younger vines.  Inky purple in color with a deep aroma of blackberries and dark plum and great, round flavors of dark fruit, slate and spice, this wine has the balance and complexity one hopes for in a wine.  Pleasantly dry with a long, smoky finish, this wine is great on its own and even better paired with food.  I tasted it with an Italian Sausage, Red Onion, and Wild Mushroom Pizza, and the heat in the sausage and earthiness of the mushrooms worked perfectly with the juicy fruit, delicate spice, and gentle tannins in the wine.

At just $11.99/bottle from K&L Wine Merchants, you’d be silly not to give this one a try… 4.5 corks popped!!

Cheers!!

UPDATE:  J, LoSo and I hit up Hal’s on Abbott Kinney in Venice last night for dinner, and, lo and behold, they have the 2006 “Llama” on their wines by the glass menu!!  You go, Hal’s!!

 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Abbott Kinney, Argentina, Belasco de Baquedano Llama, Hal's, Malbec, Venice, red wine, review

 

2004 Domaine Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape

19 Dec

I. LOVE. CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE.

Need I say more?  Probably not, but I will anyway…

Chateauneuf-du-Pape loosely translates to “New Castle of the Pope,” and the AOC region from which this wine derives is steeped in papal history.  (Check out the wiki entry here.)  Chateauneuf-du-Pape producers are permitted to use up to 13 different grape varietals including Grenache, Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvedre, Muscardin, Syrah, Terret Noir, Vaccarese, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picardin, Roussane and Picpoul.  Grenache, however, is typically the dominant varietal used.

The 2004 Domaine Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape has pure aromas of currants and cherries, with just a hint of smoky tobacco and chocolate.  Sound good?  Yep, it is.  It’s fresh and brilliant on the tongue, with nice notes of anise, fig and sour cherries and just enough tannins to give it structure and some depth.  In short, this wine drinks like Chateauneuf-du-Pape twice its price, and it is well worth the $19.99/bottle price tag at K&L.

Though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of this week’s wines, I definitely think this is my favorite, and I can’t wait for Sunday’s CorkPopper dinner!  Stay tuned!!

4.5 Corks Popped!!

Cheers!!
 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Domaine Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, red wine

 

2006 Louis Jadot Cote-de-Nuits-Villages "Le Vaucrain"

12 Dec

Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a winner!  With an absolutely beautiful aroma of ripe red fruit and spice and a big, velvety mouthful of rich cherries and raspberries, soft leather, and minerality, this is an excellent (yet affordable) example of what I love about Pinot Noir.  And no wonder…. upon some additional research, it turns out that this wine comes from a vineyard just next door to the well-known Premier Cru vineyard of Nuits St. George, whose wines sell for upwards of $90/bottle.  You know what they say… location, location, location…

Though this wine ordinarily buts up against the CorkPopper budget at $24.99/bottle I found it on sale at K&L Wine Merchants for $19.99/bottle.  I realize that this is still on the more expensive end of the “budget” wine category, but the fact of the matter is that this is simply an excellent wine for the price.

Yummm… there are 4.5 corks popping for this one!

Cheers!!
 
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Posted in 4.5 Corks Popped, Burgundy, France, Louis Jadot Cote-de-Nuits-Villages "Le Vaucrain", red wine