Sep 29th 2008
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Vintage: 2003
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $18.00
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Tasting Notes:
After drinking a Grand Cur Burgundy and a very good Oregon Pinot Noir, I was quite excited to try this wine. Unfortunately, this was not as good as I was hoping. The wine was much darker than your average pinot. I've seen lighter colored Bordeaux. The nose started out fairly fruity, but the aromas were more black currant and plum, rather than the brighter red fruits. In the mouth there was a plummy note and good acidity, but fairly gripping tannins, and a eucalyptus note on the finish that was not so pleasant and very unexpected.
As the wine evolved in the glass, it didn't seem to get much better. By the end, the fruitiness was gone with just the acid and tannins remaining. I can't recommend this wine at all.
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Aug 18th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $9.00
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Tasting Notes:
This is probably typical for what most people think of when they hear the word Beaujolais. It's a transparent garnet color and very light in the glass. The aromas are primarily red fruit, with just a hint of minerals in the back. On the palate, the red fruit is juicy and silky, with a great acid and a short mineral finish. This is not transcendent, but it's very quaffable. It's also a very interesting wine, and at $9 a steal.
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Jun 11th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $18.00
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Tasting Notes:
I would suggest that everyone who says that hate chardonnay to drink a wine like this. This has none of the tropical fruit, vanilla, and butter that so often mars domestic bottles. But it is still easily recognizable as a chardonnay and not completely sharp and acidic.
It's a deep golden color with a quite thick look to it. The nose is very pronounced, a mixture of fresh cut apples and pears. In the mouth the texture is divine with the fruit flavors mingling with a green apple acidic bite and tons of minerals. I simply devoured this bottle because it was so delicious.
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May 14th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $8.00
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Tasting Notes:
I've been on a bit of a Vietnamese food kick, so I've been going through the riesling and gewurztraminer like it's going out of style. I got this wine at the Seattle Wine Outlet garage sale. It was very cheap, and since it was from the Celio Vineyard, I decided to gamble on it. I've been told that the Celio Vineyard makes some of the best gewurz in the state.
Things were promising from the start. The fresh fruit flavors and floral notes were apparent on the nose and the color was the correct crisp straw yellow. In the mouth the weight was right, with a nice stone fruit backbone to complement the lychee and rose petal. There was sugar, but it wasn't cloying. The acid wasn't super high, but neither was the sugar; so it was still in balance. The finish was quite long with a spicy nutmeg quality. Unfortunately the finish was also slightly bitter which I did not care for. At $8 this is a good wine, and I'm curious to try more from the vineyard.
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Apr 28th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $12.00
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Tasting Notes:
Kathrine really wanted to pick this up, but I wasn't sure. I tend not to like Australian wines at the lower price points as they seem too fruity and sweet to me. I was worried that this wine would even go further in that regard than usual.
It has the typical inky black/purple color, with a nice frothy bead to it. The nose is super fruit forward with blackberries and blueberries. I didn't notice any non fruit aromas. In the mouth it's creamy with the same fruit flavors dominating. There is just a touch of tannin that comes through the bubbles. It actually was quite pleasant at first. But the more you drink, the more it tastes like a fruit candy. It just began to wear me out. This might be an ok wine for an aperitif for a group of people, but don't expect a small group to finish a bottle.
Comments(1)
Feb 21st 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Jun 8th 2007
Price: $10.00
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Tasting Notes:
This is the second bottle of this that I've had. I really wish I had bought more at this price. It still has the classic roses and lychee nose. With tastes of peaches, spice and a hint of grapefruit. Where it beats most domestic gewurz is the texture. It's thick and almost oily. It just feels great in the mouth.
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Jun 25th 2007Comments(0)
Jun 25th 2007
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Jun 8th 2007
Price: $10.00
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Tasting Notes:
On a Friday afternoon, I get a email update from the Seattle Wine Outlet informing me that this gewurztraminer is going to be on special. You probably know that Alsatian gewurztraminer is my absolute favorite wine. You can't drink too much of it because it can get tiring, but I love to have it around.
Kathrine and I were having a simple dinner of sweet and sour mango slaw and smoked pork loin. That's a lot of complex flavors there so I need a wine that could hold up. I thought this would fit the bill. In the glass it is an absolutely beautiful golden color. The nose is super rich with aromas of rose petal, lychee fruit and honey. In the mouth you notice it's off dry and thick feeling in the mouth. The lychee, rose petal, and honey tastes dominate; but there is also a hint of pear. On the finish the rose petal lingers mixing with a strong sensation of spiciness. Nutmeg is the first thing to taste, but then it moves into something that reminded me of white pepper. The peppery finish lingers on for quite some time.
This wine is why I love Alsatian gewurztraminer. Where as American versions can have the same flavors and aromas, they very often taste flabby. There was no flab here. Just a complex opulent wine.
Also Tasted On:
Feb 21st 2008Comments(0)
Apr 9th 2007
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Vintage: 2003
Purchased: Mar 31st 2007
Price: $12.00
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Tasting Notes:
For our Sunday dinner this week I decided to make a flammekueche. This is a traditional dish from Alsace very similar to a pizza, but topped with quark/creme fresh/fromage blamc (depending on where you are), bacon and onions. For this I decided to open this pinot blanc that Kathrine had picked out at
the Seattle Wine Outlet.
This wine was a solid straw yellow in the glass. The aroma was a little strange for me. I was expecting peach/apple but instead it was much more tropical. Pineapples was the dominant smell, but I also got a yeasty fresh bread smell. In the mouth its a well balanced wine. Lemon, lemon rind, and a touch of vanilla dominated with a honeysuckle floral note rounding out the finish. Quite a bit different than the other pinot blancs I have tried. This one was more like a riesling.
I'm not sure whether or not to try this again. If you are in the mood for an Alsatian riesling, but see this wine for a cheaper price it's a good alternative. If you want a more mild pinot blanc though, I don't know if this is right for you.
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Apr 8th 2007
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Vintage: 2002
Purchased: Mar 31st 2007
Price: $12.00
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Tasting Notes:
Alsace riesling is just yummy. I opened this bottle to split between two weekday meals. The first was a pan roasted pork chop with an apple/onion reduction. The next night a crispy duck leg with sauted greens and polenta.
This was a very good wine that I got a good deal on at the
Seattle Wine Outlet. I was slightly worried since it was an older vintage, but decided to buy it anyway.
The wine was a golden color in the glace. Not as pale as riesling usually is, but not unusual for its age. The aroma was full of pineapple, floral, and peach scents. Very good, just smelling it made my mouth begin to water.
On first taste you get the straight acidity, but in a way that is very easy to drink. The finish is long with distinct pinapple and apple flavors and just a hint of minerality and bitterness (grapfuit zest?). It paired well with this dinner, but I can't imagine much it wouldn't go well with.
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Not Yet Tasted
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Vintage: 2003
Purchased: Apr 13th 2008
Price: $12.00
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Tasting Notes:
N/A
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