2005 Goats Do Roam "Bored Doe"

2005 Goats Do Roam "Bored Doe"

Nice label, I enjoy the Goats Do Roam humor. The wine had great color, moderate clarity. Dark fruit on the nose, with black raspberry feeling the biggest component to me. Also a serious earthy note. Softer flavor, sour cherry and moderate, tight, tannins. Very big, tangy, acidity. Not a great finish.

This wine is a great impression of a Bordeaux, and for the price isn't bad (and worth the experiment), but it's not structured enough for some of it's flavors. You end up a bit off balance and disjointed.

2006 Luzon Verde Jumilla Monastrell

2006 Luzon Verde Jumilla Monastrell

Meh. Totally uninteresting, and contributing to my general turn-off to inexpensive Spanish wine. It's absolutely the way to go for lower cost options (compared to Napa, at least), but once you start charging $9-15, the perspective shifts.

This wine was boring. Some fruit, some tannin (but not much), short finish and poor aroma. Not really offensive, but a total pass.

NV Alvear's Cream Montilla

NV Alvear's Cream Montilla

An interesting sherry. Clear-amber color, and pronounced alcohol on the nose and palate. About as strong as port, at least in terms of the alcohol taste. The heat overwhelms the nutty and sweet flavor of butterscotch. The best part is the aftertaste - a few seconds after the amber elixir has left your mouth you get a spot-on flavor of Butter Pecan ice cream - it's undeniable. A fun sherry, but not a tremendous wine, I think the Parker 91 is a bit generous.

Tasting Tags: butter butterscotch hazelnut pecan

2005 Bodegas Ercavio Tempranillo Roble

2005 Bodegas Ercavio Tempranillo Roble

Great purple color, looks very extracted for a 100% Tempranillo. Aroma of blueberry and dark fruit, but with a mossy dark forest tobacco feel (if you can imagine!). Flavor is bursting with dark fruits, and a nice level of acidity for a medium-bodied wine, it's not overpowering. I would have liked more tannin, as the finish wasn't as long or full as you'd think from the Wine Advocate review (they say 40 seconds, which I totally disagree with). If you're not a tannin junkie, this is a very very good value, and enjoyable with a wide variety of heavier foods like duck, pork, burgers, etc.

Tasting Tags: blueberry mossy tobacco

2005 Odfjell Vineyards "Armador" Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Odfjell Vineyards "Armador" Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark color, despite the light violet cork staining. Good legs. The aroma was surprisingly earthy, with black cherry accompanied by soil and mossy notes. The flavor is pleasing, featuring a good hit of fruit and acidity in the midpalate, with smooth and slight tannins. Not a long finish, and not as much tannic bite as I prefer. The taste is driven by sour cherry, with some green and earth notes. A good $8 bottle that doesn't taste fake or too fruity. A good Chilean cab for "Old World" fans.

Tasting Tags: cherry earth moss sour

NV Riondo Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

NV Riondo Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

Light color and nice frothy pour. The effervescence dissipated quickly, however. The flavor is light and crisp, with some citrus hints in the flavor and floral aroma. A really enjoyable glass if you want a palate cleanser or apertif, but not a serious wine. A good value, and worth it despite the low score.

2005 Zenato Valpolicella Superior

2005 Zenato Valpolicella Superior

Good strong red ruby color, very nice clarity. Aroma is a bit simple, with some red fruits, green pepper, and leather. Initially, before breathing, the acidity was off the charts. With a little time in the glass, however, it calmed down and became manageable. The flavor was pretty simple, with some red fruits and cherries, some zing from acidity, and light tannins. Fairly short finish and not all that much structure. For what I paid, it was fine, and paired very well with acidic food like tomato soup.

2002 Raymond Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

2002 Raymond Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Not much to like here, though not terrible. I should have known when I popped the cork and saw it was light rosy pink (after being stored on its side for a few months) that there wasn't much body to this wine. It was sufficiently dark in the glass to get my hopes back up, but it was, in the end, a slightly think and overly acidic cab. Not enough fruit character to bridge the bright acidity and what little tannin developed at the finish. Even for $8, you can do better.

2004 Bodegas Maurodos Prima Toro

2004 Bodegas Maurodos Prima Toro

A very solid tempranillo effort. Dark colored, a medium red/purple, with surprisingly good clarity for an unfiltered wine. The aroma has the expected dark red fruits, but also some hints of roasting food and charred wood. The mouthfeel was big, with a nice sense of weight, especially compared to some entry level tempranillos. The acidity was moderate, with medium tannins rounding out the finish. The flavor was pleasant, and this is a highly recommended wine for a medium to full bodied Spaniard. Much better than Luzon Verde, Codice, or some other wines in this class. A good buy.

2003 Richard Hamilton "Centurion Old Vine" Shiraz

2003 Richard Hamilton "Centurion Old Vine" Shiraz

Dark ruby purple color, though not opaque. Just a little very fine sediment. Explosive nose - a wine that is almost as fun to smell as it is to drink. The aromas of raspberry and blackberry are apparent, as are some sweet oaky vanilla and spice. Intoxicating aromas lead to a punchy flavor with surprisingly high acidity that fills the mouth and rolls over the tongue. Very very smooth, with tannins that seem shy at first (a surprise for me), but assert themselves at just the right time to extend the very very long finish. A great sipping wine, and more complex than a simple "fruit bomb." Highly recommended!