2008 Big Basin Vineyards Grizzly

N.V. Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve

2008 Saxum Broken Stones

1995 Weingut Franz-Joseph Justen-Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese

2008 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Estate Reserve

2006 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar

 

 

 

2008 Big Basin Vineyards Grizzly – $35.46

Big Basin has been a personal favorite for several years.  I was on their “Rhone Lover’s” mailing list for a few years.  The winery also produces Pinot Noir based wines but I’ve not had the opportunity to try those yet.  This wine is a blend of 62% Grenache and 38% Syrah from California’s Santa Cruz Mountains.  There were less than 2 barrels produced of this wine.

 

This has 15.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, saturated ruby color.  The spellbinding nose has black cherries, raspberries, minerals, cola, potpourri, Asian spices and dark chocolate.  This has a full body, moderate to solid tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate this is fully loaded and nicely layered with nice balance between the fruit and savory elements.  The finish has very nice length with some slowly building dark chocolate entering the picture.  No big hurry with this one, but I wouldn’t let it spend more than a few years in the cellar.  For now the alcohol is nicely buried but no guarantees as the wine ages.  (92 pts)

 

 

It was an extremely cold day up here, with the high struggling to get above 0.  This was perfect weather for one of our favorite cold weather meals, Baked Potato Soup.  The soup is thick and creamy and delicious.

 

We use the recipe from The Machine Shed.

 

 

 

N.V. Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve – $49.99

This has quickly become our “house” Champagne.  For several years we weren’t really big sparkling wine consumers, but this one has opened our minds to venture out and start experimenting and drinking them more often.

 

This had 12.0% alcohol and had a disgorged date of April 2012.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a pale golden straw color with tiny, persistent bubbles.  The very alluring nose had apples, yeasty bread, lemon zest, minerals, and a slight toasted nut element.  The wine is light and crisp with nice effervescence.  On the palate tart apples, yeast and lemon zest grabs hold and slowly allows chalky minerals, some melon, and a nice herbal note to slip into the picture.  The finish has nice length with lemon zest, minerals, and a yeasty note leaving a crisp and clean closing impression.  (92 pts)

 

 

2008 Saxum Broken Stones – $75.00

Saxum.  There are more expensive wines coming out of California, but is there a more popular mailing list out there?  I remember a glitch in their system allowed people to place their orders before the actual e-mails were even sent.  The wines sold out almost immediately.  Since that time, the wines have gone up in price considerably but still sell out.  This wine is a blend of 79% Syrah, 13% Grenache and 8% Mourvedre.

 

The wine has 15.6% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork and a wax seal.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The intoxicating nose is full of blackberries, minerals, black pepper, blueberries, dried flowers, toasted Asian spices, roasted herbs and vanilla.  This has a full body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate spicy, mineral driven fruit grabs hold and slowly relents to allow black pepper and roasted herbs to slip though.  The finish is very long and layered with a nice candied violet note coming into the picture.  This is on the young side but absolutely stunning with some air.  (96 pts)

 

 

1995 Weingut Franz-Joseph Justen-Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese – $28.93

Far and away, our favorite white wine is a German Riesling with some age on it, in this case a 19 year old Auslese.  These wines are delicious when young but turn magical with a decade or two in your wine cellar.  One of the best sources for reasonably priced, winery cellared, aged German wines is Garagiste Wine out of Washington.  I highly recommend checking out and joining their e-mail list.

 

This wine has 7.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a shimmering golden yellow color.  The irresistible nose has apples, honey, petrol, orange blossoms, minerals and orange zest.  This has light to medium body, crisp acidity and nice sweetness.  On the palate, tart apples dipped in honey hits first with orange zest and minerals coming in on the back end.  The finish is extremely long with apples and orange citrus acidity very slowly fading away.  Tastes outstanding today but will last in the cellar for many more years.  (95 pts)

 

 

2008 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Estate Reserve – $38.25

I had the good fortune to split a case of this wine with a friend who was on the winery’s mailing list.  Even though I’m a big fan of the ripe and rich style of Pinot Noir being made in California, I also very much enjoy Oregon Pinot Noir.

 

This wine has 13.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice red to ruby red color.  The very nice nose has cherries, baking spices (think cherry pie), some earthiness, fresh wild flowers, minerals, smoke, and a touch of dark chocolate.  This has medium body, fairly solid ripe tannins, and good acidity.  This is fresh and lively on the palate with cherries and spice carrying the load until some earthy elements come into the picture on the back end adding depth.  The finish is long and easy going with the bright cherries and spice again doing the heavy lifting.  This may be on the young side but it is very approachable and enjoyable, which really is all that counts.  (94 pts)

 

 

2006 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar – $29.99

It may put me in the “uncool” camp but I still love an occasional Australian Shiraz.  I avoid the low end offerings that inevitably end up in “close out” sales, but there are outstanding bargains out there in high end wines if you look around.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The rich and luxurious nose has blackberries, blueberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, smoked meat, dried herbs, warm baking spices and some earthiness.  This has a full body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  This is a massive wine on the palate with loads of spicy, peppery berries with a nice smoked meat element followed by spicy oak and dried herbs.  The finish is very long and like the palate, packed with flavor.  No subtlety and not the most complex wine out there, but very balanced and tasty.  Not a wine for everyone nor an everyday wine, but on occasion, this one will rock.  This is still on the young side, it should improve with additional cellar time.  (93 pts)

 

 

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You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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Cheers!

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!