2001 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé

2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard

2008 Foris Gewürztraminer

2004 Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro y Llanahermosa Ribera delDuero

2001 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett – $21.83

We’re big fans of German Rieslings with a bit of age on them. We’ve been know to open 20 to 25 year old ones, so at only 12 years old, this one is on the young side. I bought a few bottles of this wine several years ago, and this is our last bottle. To me, a good Riesling is a revelation. Unencumbered by oak, the fruit and minerality are allowed to grab the spotlight and shine.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden yellow to straw color. The slightly shy nose has apples, honey, minerals, orange blossoms, and a hint of petrol. This has medium body, crisp acidity, and some nice closing sweetness. On the palate apples and pineapples hit first with a nice streak of minerality and orange zest coming in on the back end. The finish has very nice length with very nice balance between the acidity and sweetness. This is drinking wonderfully today and could last in the cellar for a few years, but why wait? (91 pts)

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé – $19.00

This rosé from Bedrock as well as Villa Creek’s offering, form the nucleus of my warm weather rosé wines. I mix in a few others I buy at the local store, but these two make up well over 50% of the rosés we drink during the year. If you aren’t on the Bedrock mailing list, I highly recommend getting on their waiting list. They are producing some of the best white wines coming out of California and their reds, after some cellar time are outstanding. This rosé completes the loop making Bedrock one of the better wineries making a wide variety of wines. As a bonus, their pricing is very consumer friendly with a lot of wines under $25.

For more information on the winery or to get on their mailing list, visit their website here.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light pink to salmon color. The fresh and clean nose has strawberries, minerals, white peaches, cherries, and some subtle earthiness. This has light body with crisp acidity and maybe just a touch of residual sugar. Crisp, juicy fruit and minerals dominate the palate with a touch of earthiness in the background. The finish has nice length and leaves a very slightly sweet and crisp final impression. The perfect wine to enjoy on a warm Summer afternoon with or without food. (90 pts)

2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard – $38.00

I decided to make this an all Bedrock day. This will by my first bottle of wine from the winery using grapes from the outstanding Monte Rosso Vineyard. Owner/wine maker, Morgan Twain-Peterson was able to secure grapes from the same block his father Joel used to create the outstanding wines for his old winery, Ravenswood.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color. The stunning nose is full of brambly berries, minerals, violets, fresh ground black pepper, toasty oak, vanilla, melted licorice, freshly ground dark roast coffee, and a touch of dark bittersweet chocolate. This full bodied gem has moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity. On the palate, layers of fruit, spice, and savory elements take turns engulfing the taste buds, trying to out do each other. The finish is extremely long and again reveals new layers every few seconds. This is obviously on the young side and even though it will last in the cellar through the end of the decade, it is absolutely stunning right now. (95 pts)

2008 Foris Gewürztraminer – $13.29

It’s a nice Summer day that calls for a light lunch on the deck and a crisp, white wine. I haven’t had one of these for a several months but prior bottles have been very nice. Even though it is labeled as being dry, it does seem to have just a hint of sweetness which adds a touch of body and depth. I would have preferred to have consumed this bottle last year, but as always, a bottle or two gets missed before the weather deteriorates with the changing seasons. I remember this wine having such nice acidity and balance that I’m not even considering chilling off a back up bottle. Let’s see how well this bottle survived some extended cellar time.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a pale yellowish straw color. The fresh and exotic smelling nose has lychee, apple, pineapple, orange zest, nice spice, and rose petals. This is light to medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness, even though it is labeled as dry. An almost oily texture on the palate accompanies nice spicy, fruit laced, lychee with come citrus in the background. The finish shows nice length with the spicy citrus hanging on and slowly dissipating. This is as good as this one will get, so I’d advise drinking up before the colder seasons roll around since this started fading after a couple hours. (89 pts)

2004 Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro y Llanahermosa Ribera del Duero – $28.73

I was in the mood for something a little different today. It hasn’t been all that long since I opened an Aalto Ribera del Duero, but that bottle just “primed the pump” causing me to want another. A lot of people prefer a Rioja from Spain, but to me the Ribera del Duero is THE destination for outstanding Spanish wines.

I bought several of these a number of years ago and opened one WAY too young. It was enjoyable but needed a couple more years in the cellar. It’s time to see if I was able to keep my hands off it long enough.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color. The open and inviting nose is full of black cherries, dark bittersweet chocolate, smoke, well worn leather, blackberries, warm baking spices, and violets. This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and very good acidity. On the palate spicy berries and cherries fly out of the gate with some building dark chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish is very long and full of spicy cherries and dark chocolate. Very tasty today but absolutely no hurry on this one. (92 pts)

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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.