Since last Thursday I have been consuming massive amounts of wine and beer. The long weekend allowed me to hang out with wine geeks at Terroir Wine Bar (http://terroirsf.com/), sing Kareoke at The Mint, and drink full bodied Belgium ales at Sausage Fest II; therefore, tasting wine was not my first thought when I got home last night. Well, I dug deep inside and found two bottles that I have been wanting to try. This week I choose two wines from the States and was split on my thoughts on the wines.
Winery: Bergevin Lane Vineyards
Grape: Viognier
Region: Columbia Valley, Washington State
Vintage: 2006
Approximate Retail: $25.00
Website: www.bergevinlane.com
Fun Fact: 8% Roussanne is blended in and the wine is barrel fermented
Tasting Notes: Viognier is a unique grape that's traditional home is in the Northern Rhone of France. It has slowly gained popularity in the US and its plantings continue to increase throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. Bergevin Lane Vineyards is a family run operation that has been producing wines in Walla Walla, Washington since 2001. The 2006 Viognier is only the fourth release and the wine is quite good. Viognier from the states comes in many forms with most of them not being well balanced. They tend to be either super rich and too sweet or have hardly any aromatics and flavor. The 2006 Berevin Lane Viognier is right on track to be a really good Viognier. The color is a pale straw in color with a clear rim and youthful brightness. The nose is where this wine shines. It has bright aromas of ripe peaches, apricots, and lemon curd. There are also hints of very aromatic white flowers and sweet spices. The palate is rich and lush with loads of stone fruit flavors and a kiss of acidity. The one issue I have with the wine is the alcohol more present that I feel necessary. The alcohol is a touch too high for my liking as it is really apparent on the finish. Overall, this is a pretty good bottle of wine that I would enjoy having with roast pork with an apricot glaze or halibut with a mango salsa (as long as the salsa is not too spicy).
Winery: Azalea Springs Cellars
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2005
Approximate Retail: $???
Website: Not working yet
Fun Fact: Known for their Merlot
Tasting Notes: When I received this sample in the mail I was excited to see a Napa Valley Cabernet in a screw-cap. There are not very many Napa Valley wineries on the screw-cap bandwagon yet, but I believe we will begin to see more in the future. One reason I enjoy screw-cap closures is that I am at least 99% sure that the wine will not have any "cork taint" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint) and generally the wine is fresh and ready to drink.
The moment I poured the wine, I could tell the style of wine that Azalea Springs was going after: big, concentrated and Parkerized" wines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Parker,_Jr.#Impact_on_the_supply:_the_.22Parkerization.22_of_wine). The wine was opaque, blueish-purple in color and it appeared that it had not been fined or filtered. The nose was very concentrated and full of black plums, cherry pie filling, freshly dried sage, star anise, clove, and pipe tobacco. It was almost too much for me, but I do understand that many people really like intense up front aromas. The palate was a continuation of the concentrated and lush aromas. The wine bursts with fat and juicy black cherries, plums, cocoa, and cassis. The wine is medium to full-bodied, has soft tannins, finishes with a bit of spice and loads of alcohol.This is not a wine that I enjoyed. I found it very one dimensional and all up front, meaning that it had nothing more to offer besides fruit and alcohol. If you enjoy wines that are very fruity, low in acidity, and high in alcohol you will like this wine.
Comments