2005 Jean Fournier, Fixin, “Les Petits Crais”
Second time tasting this wine. Cranberry, strawberry, and rhubarb on the nose. A little bit of metal comes through on the nose, sort of like old stainless steel. A little rustic and pretty ripe. Flavors are echoed in the mouth perfectly. Medium+ acidity and medium length. I like this wine a lot, but I don’t think that it is anything particularly mind blowing, just soild.
2001 Ninth Island Shiraz, Limestone Coast
Bright, opaque garnet, turning to brick at the edges. Quite a bit of sediment. Mostly secondary aromas on the nose with very little fruit. Black pepper, roasted red pepper, tomato, cinnamon, bacon, and a little black cherry. Similar flavors in the mouth, but with an added aspect of hibiscous. Beautiful texture in the mouth, it seems very polished (i.e. by time, not technique). There is just the right amount of acid to keep everything in line, and to help balance out against the tannins, and to carry the finish along for a nice long time. I don’t know much about Austrailian Shiraz, besides what comes out of Barossa, so this was a big surprise to me. A really killer wine, and probably the best $13 bottle of wine I have ever had.
2006 Bodegas Naia, Las Brisas, Rueda
A blend of 50% Verdejo, 25% Viura, and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Big nose of ripe fruit. Apricots, mango, and peach skin. There is also some really interesting chalkiness in the nose along with some green herbs (mostly cilantro, and a little basil). Flavors are very similar in the mouth. All the fruit is very ripe, but there is a kicking acidity to liven it up, and a bunch of flavors from the “other” category to keep things interesting. Definitely a great wine for Summer drinking, and much more interesting than it’s $8 price tag would lead you to believe it is going to be.
2007 Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Rosé Tradition, Coteaux du Languedoc
Killer rosé. Fresh nose of strawberry, watermelon, and stone. Very juicy in the mouth, with great acidity, and a surprising amount of body for a rosé. I went back to The Wine Market to buy more, and they had already sold out. The guys in the shop liked this one a lot to, and sold it to anyone that asked for a rosé.
Culinae 