REVIEW - 2007 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, California

 2007 Sequoia Grove Cabernet sauvignon Napa Valley, California

SKU: 740382  

Origin: United States  |  California
Agent: Charton-Hobbs Inc.

This wine is done by winemaker Michael Trujillo who had taken over production at Sequoia Grove in 2002. He used estate grown fruit in this bottling along with fruit from the Tonella Vineyard that they recently bought. He also buys grapes from Morisoli and Beckstoffer in Rutherford, Stagecoach in Atlas Peak, Lamoreaux in the Oak Knoll District and Healy in St. Helena It's a 50 acre prime property in Rutherford. Sequoia Grove is named after one of the last remaining Redwood groves in the Napa Valley and they also boast about being environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, but I couldn't find anything on them actually being organic or biodynamic.

In the Glass – this wine is medium to deep purple, with purple deposits of colour on the legs in the glass

On the nose – It was nicely aromatic, with notes of oak and vanilla, red cherry, fruit jam with lots of cherry, black currant, toasty spice that reminded me of medicinal tobacco,  there was also a back ground of charcoal and chocolate.

On the Palate – This is a dry, medium acid Cabernet. It had good and persistent tannins, with full body, and flavors of cherry, vanilla and iron; like dark green leaf spinach. Coupled with a long finish, it was balanced and delicious. Easily quaffable.

Over all this wine was good, but it didn't blow me out of the water. I would look forward to trying some of their reserves and getting a more focused picture on what Sequoia Grove is trying make with their label

The blend on this is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, the remainder being Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As far as location percentage it is all Napa Valley (49% Rutherford, 19% Atlas Peak, 14% Oak Knoll, 12% St. Helena, 3% Yountville, 3% Napa Valley). Clearly a Bordeaux-style wine made in the heart of Rutherford, and a alcohol content of 14.2%, i  would pair this with any red meat, especially grilled with veggies

Cheers!

REVIEW - 2007 BISCHOFLICHE AYLER KUPP RIESLING SPATLESE

 REVIEW  -  2007 BISCHOFLICHE Ayler Kupp RIESLING SPATLESE

SKU: 705326  

Agent: Trialto Wine Group Ltd.

In the Glass – clear pale to medium lemon with almost no legs or coating on the rim

On the Nose – light/ medium intensity. I got a lot of stone fruit, ripe melon and sweet fruit like over ripe pineapple, mandarins and late harvest apples.

On the Palete – off dry, balanced, with medium body, which I attribute to the higher sweetness. With flavors of peach stewed fruit, and your basic Riesling flavors and a medium finish.

I would serve this with just about any white meat, or with anything spicy, and at 25$ a pop it’s not bad to have with Thai take out at home. Not that I would know anything about that…

The front of this bottle advertises that it’s a Saar wine. What is a Saar wine?

Good question.

German has 13 wine regions that are sub divided into smaller regions. Saar is a sub district of Mosel. It’s a collection of steep southern slopes along the Saar River in the north and follows the river down where it eventually feeds into the Mosel river. This division occurred in 1998. It’s just a young’en in the Germany senses of wine making. I’m not sure why but labeling a wine from its mini district has fallen out of style so we typically only see things like “Mosel” on the bottle. I like that this one is proud of where it comes from.

Cheers!

Review - 2007 Quinta De Ventozelo Touriga Nacional

Review - 2007 Quinta De Ventozelo Touriga Nacional

SKU: 720734  

Origin: Portugal

Agent: Lanigan & Edwards Wine Merchants Ltd.

Purity…. Here we have 100% Touriga Nacional from 25 year old vines aging in 100% American oak barrels. They stay in the American oak for 8 months but are held at the winey for 6 months for aging before its released to the export market

The vineyard itself is on an elbow of the Douro River, where the grapes are harvested from both sides of the hill. This ensures plenty of afternoon and evening sun and good drainage.  There are only 10,000 bottles made.

On the Nose – Warm, spiced red fruit, with just a touch of wet stone

On the Pallet – dark strawberries and blackberries, baking spice, chalky tannins and a full mouth feel rounding out over a long finish

Makers Awards

90 points & Editor’s Choice - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast - Dec 2005

86 points - Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator - November 15, 2006

88 points - Mark Squires, Wine Advocate #169 - February 2007

Bronze Medal - International Wine Challenge 2006

Cheers!

Review - 2007 Prado Rey Rueda PR3

So moving on to the second wine I tried from Lanigan & Edwards Wine Merchants last Thursday. 

2007 Prado Rey Rueda PR3 (Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda)

SKU: 739599  
Origin: Spain  |  Rueda
Agent: Lanigan & Edwards Wine Merchants Ltd.

This is a very well done Verdejo and comes with a resume as well having won the Challenge International du Vin, 2009: Silver medal and the Decanter World Wine Awards, 2009: Bronze medal along with a number of others.

This wine is 100% Verdejo grapes from old vines, which lie for 9 months in three different European oak barrels then blended back together for the bottle. After fermentation  they batonage the wine daily in these barrels to have the wine age on its own lees They hold the bottles for 2 years aging at the winery by before releasing to the public. I think giving something the time, love and care like this is really what brings a wine to the next level. After researching I would say that it’s their attention to detail that makes this wine stand out the way it does.  It is a wine that strikes me more as one that’s about the method and less about the varietal. 

In the glass it has a golden yellow core and green hued rim.

On the Nose its soft, toasty vanilla banana oak notes, not much for the vine fruit on the nose, but just a pinch of papaya

On the Pallet it’s got summer fruit (tropical but creamy), lots of toasted notes and vanilla with some spice on the finish.

This wine can easily stand alone or with food.

This will retail for under 30$ a bottle in most liquor stores

Cheers!