Tag Archives: USA

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Buena Vista Ramal Vineyard 2008 Pinot Noir

One of our absolute favorites, from our trip out to the Carneros region of Sonoma Valley several years ago, is the Buena Vista pinot noir–this one from their Ramal Vineyard.  It’s so smooth, so polished.  While lacking the wine taster’s vocabulary or lexicon to adequately describe this pinot noir, I can say that I’ve never tasted its equal in all the pinot noir’s I’ve had.

This time enjoyed in the Catskills at the “Sky & Water House”, Becca and I had this Buena Vista while readying for the New Year’s holiday. A tray of italian peppers, onions, and sausage accompanied this particular bottle–which we started with hors d’oeuvres and finished after dinner in the great outdoors.

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Estancia Pinot Noir 2010

Estancia Pinot Noir

This enjoyable Central Coast pinot noir we enjoyed (okay, several of them) with Christmas dinner with the Heuseveldts and both Ma and Steve.  My brother had picked this out previously and knew it would definitely be a hit while we celebrated the holiday.  I think the delicious spread included the pinot, a perfectly cooked prime rib, smashed potatoes, a cheesy-cauliflower vegetable medley that Ma prepared, some scrumptious breads, and a light but tasty green salad (with dried cranberries!) that Laura had whipped up.

I didn’t actually remember to shoot the bottle until after we left our hosts’ house so I’m guessing on the year based on what I presume Steve paid, and this label is from an online source rather than showing our actual spread.  It was a fun and delicious wine to accompany our fun and festive dinner–the only shame being that we didn’t have more than the three (3) bottles to enjoy!  I don’t see this offered downstate here in NJ as much as I do up in Rochester but I’d gladly buy and drink it again!

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Mark West 2009 Pinot Noir

This one is usually a favorite but tonight something is off. The wine smells funky, to the point where I switched glasses initially–thinking my glass smelled like an old sponge. It’s actually the wine.
It’s a shame too, because we were having this bottle as we embraced the holiday spirit by sorting through gifts, watching Christmas Vacation, and sampling some delicious shrimp cocktail and little neck clams. Throw in a crusty, warm, buttery hunk of wheat bread (yes I said wheat bread) and we were all set for good wine. Not in the cards for tonight, though.

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Leaping Lizard 2006 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Leaping Lizard Grand Reserve Cab

Leaping Lizard 2006 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

This Napa Valley Cab was fun and fruity–the pour itself was crazy pungent and a dark purple that was filled with promise.  Big bellied glasses helped this breathe and, though we probably tasted too soon, we enjoyed this cab on a Friday evening (11/18/11) after a long work week.  This was a perfect cab to accompany a rich, pan-cooked filet mignon, asparagus (again with an amazing burnt butter and lemon!), and baby potatoes. Here’s what the purported experts report:

“This Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied and fruit-driven wine that has all the hallmarks of a classic Napa Cab. Concentrated aromas of plum are complemented by notes of dark chocolate and vanilla. The wine was aged for 16 months in both French and American Oak barrels. The palate shows flavors of cassis, plum and ripe red berries. This is a wine to savor and may be aged for 5 to 7 years.”

It was fun saving this one for a while, but even more fun to crack it open and enjoy it together.

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2003 Jewel Merlot

Okay, this is an interesting experiment – I just unearthed some VERY old tasting notes that mark this oenophile’s first real foray into the world of wine. The comments are unrefined, the palate even more so…but there are some good wines from this period and it’ll be a pleasure to share those remarks with you here. I’ve dated as originally chronicled in my wine journal and have kept all the original remarks even if adding a few recent additions to help inform anyone reading here. Just bear in mind this is probably 300 bottles ago!

The 2003 Jewel Merlot hails from the Lodi AVA in the Central Valley region of California. Purchased from Wine & Spirit World for $12, I thought the wine was a rich red, with a “deep & earthy” bouquet. Since my thoughts on its taste (“nice aftertaste; smooth”) don’t really share any meaningful information with you, I’m making a quick detour to the professionals from wine.com and their tasting notes: “This distinct Merlot has a rich garnet color that is filled with aromas of toasted oak and cherry complimented by flavors of black cherry and plum. Soft vanilla oak and delicate tannins add richness to the finish.”

Yes, always been a fan of cherry and plum if not the vanilla noted in that summary. At the time, I commented “Nicer than recent California and Australian Merlots we’ve had recently” and rated the 2003 Jewel as a 7 of possible 10. Becca and I split this bottle over dinner as iTunes played in the background of our Midland Park kitchen. “I would buy again – nice result.”