Apr 28 2008
Girard Artistry 2004
Impressive nose. Very rich dark purple-red, almost inky, color. Very Minty with roses and lilacs and tons of eucalyptuses. Good oak balance. The taste has a good soft balance of tannins. Not too hot, just enough. Loads of berries and not too bold with a hint of oak. Give it about an hour in a decanter and it really gets impressive. Nice effort. Definite try for 35 bones.
Apr 27 2008
DOLCE Far Niente 1998 - 89 points
How sweet it is. I tried this also in Atlanta. Really smooth desert wine. Lots of peach and plum on the nose and a very sweet smell. Really gold in color. The pallet was great. Hits of plumb with a touch of grapefruit. Not too sweet for a desert wine and a very long finish and transition. Just the right about of sugar. This is a solid wine. I’m going to get more. Simple, balanced, and how it should be.
From their site:
Exotic, tropical, apricot and melon notes combine with hints of honeysuckle on the palate. While undeniably sweet, the signature texture and long finish lead to a mouthwatering finish that is perfectly balanced and clean. More subtle flavors of toasted almonds, fig and pear integrate nicely with notes of brioche and bread pudding.
Dolce is grown in the cool foggy Coombsville area to the east of the city of Napa. It is here that the fruit can get to full ripeness before getting concentrated by the actions of botrytis cenerea, a mold long associated with the world’s greatest dessert wines. We only harvest the best clusters or parts of clusters. Of course, this means that most of the grapes we grow never make it to the winery.
The resulting juice is so concentrated that yeast have a hard time fermenting. Greg, our winemaker, often is following fermentations well intl March or April of the next year. He then oversees their slow development as the wine ages for 30 months before he determines the final blend and bottles the wine.
Apr 24 2008
Concannon Vineyard Petite Syrah 2004 87 points
Nice soft nose with Cranberry and blueberry. The color is a very deep purple. The pallet is not real long but does have some complexity. Not bad. Coffee, sour cherry. Tannins are just right and hits the sides of the tong nicely. Overall good for the price. This has more of a new world feel to it but never the less it has a nice structure. Not real long but medium. For 12 dollars it is worth a try but done rush out to get it.
Apr 20 2008
J Brookwater Merlot 2004 - 90 Points
Went to a great French resturant at the top of the Hilton, downtown Atlanta. Had a glass of this merlot and it was solid. Cant find it anyware to buy so if you know where I can get it let me know.
Very nice nose with raspberries and cream with hints of carnation like flowers. It was a little unusual in a nice way. The color was a medium purple. The start is nice with blackberries and black olives and quickly transitions to black liquorish. Not to hot at all. Kind of short transition. It got smoother in about 1/2 hour and became a very nice merlot. Medium tannins and a touch too bitter on the finish. I wish I could get a better read on this wine. It was not spectacular but it is worth a try. About a 50 dollar melot. I will update this when I can get my hands on some more. Sorry cant give you more on this one at this time. Just try it.
Apr 17 2008
Artistry Proprietary Blend 2005 - 88 points Impressive nose on this wine. Very Minty, more eucalyptus, with roses, baked cherries, dark plum, lavender, cinnamon, allspice and freshly cut herbs. A little bit of tobacco. Good oak balance. The pallet has a good soft balance of tannins, medium tannins. Not too hot, just enough. Multiple layers to this complex blend that reveal themselves through decanting, it was about 20-30 minutes and this wine started to dance. Artistry is a proprietary blend of 5 Bordeaux-varietal grapes. Really Nice effort, It’s something different which, if you have been following me, is what I like. 
Apr 15 2008
Domenico Clerico Barbera d’Alba Trevigne 2003 - 89 points
Love the old world nose. Tons of oak, black cherry and cream. Really dry, like sand in your mouth, cool experience . Cherry base. Long palate and the trasitons are very smooth and long. Tobacco on the finish with lots of tannins. ok experiance. Decent for 25 bucks but don’t rush to try it.
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From their site:
This small estate is renowned for its sexy and highly sought after Barolos but also produces impressive Barbera and juicy Dolcetto. Owner Domenico Clerico is one of the key proponents of the modernist movement in the wine making process of Barolo, creating more round, fruity wines. He believes that the grape, rather than the production processes, is the key to quality wine and passionately advocates the importance of the land in wine-making. This explains his concentration on single-vineyard wines as they allow the character of the land to shine.
Apr 13 2008
Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Signature 2003
Very nice Ice wine. The nose just hit you hard of fresh berries and cream with loads of cherry. A very soft and rounded smell. Full-bodied with soft, silky tannins and balancing acidity. The pallet is what I would expect form an expensive estate wine. Smooth, not hot and an extremely long finish on this ice wine. The berries and cream match the nose and not over sweet. Plenty of juicy black fruit on the palate nicely accented with spice. Nice apricots really round off the thick desert wine. I would have to say a must try.
Apr 08 2008
De Toren Fusion V 2004
Nice dark color. Nose is very fruity with roses and blueberries, dark chocolate and a hint of black current. Really strong burnt log smell. Unique. Great palette with a soft rounded taste of sour cherries, black licorice, black pepper and oak. Really nice tight tannins and not hot at all. A little short on the transition but smooth and nice finish. Love the old world wines. Mature and this wine is exciting and really nice for 30 bucks. Worth a try.
Apr 07 2008
Don’t bother. I usually like super Tucson’s but this was a very simple wine. Light with not much body. Had chocolate, black current and dark cherries on the nose. Kind of thin wine for a sangovisse. The palate was short and not exciting at all. Some berries and black pepper with green peppers. Not much to say on this one. Not worth the try.
Apr 06 2008
Very musty on the nose. Green peppers and veggies are prominent. Hints of sour cherry and lilacs. Some people mention oak but I don’t get any oak at all. light purple and a little thin. Definitely a young new world feel to this wine. Medium body and light on the tannins. This wine has a quick transition to the mid pallet and is decent until the finish. The finish is long but a little bitter. Hits right in the middle of the tong. Little hints of vanilla and black liquorish. Overall a decent wine for 20 bucks but I will not rush out for another.
Apr 05 2008
LOVE the nose on this wine, very floral, lots of fresh lilacs, Kind of like baby-wipes in a good way. Nice black olives, wet logs, cedar, tobacco and kind of like a Smokey burning cigar. Really cool and different nose. The color is a very deep purple close to light brown. Full bodied. Explosive pallet that’s not hot but more smooth and a medium time to the finish. Fruity with a strong Welch’s grape juice on the mid pallet. Little black olives, dark cherry and cinnamon and continued fruit through the finish. Very little bitterness on the finish and just a touch of tannins. I really like this wine. It’s not an everyday wine but priced fair at 16 bucks. This is a definitely try wine. Let me know how you like.
Apr 04 2008
Thought I would post a hidden issue of my friend Gary Vaynerchuk from wine Library TV. Not many people know this video exists so I wanted to share it. It was from an event in Orlando Florida at Disney. Gary did a live episode on stage in front of ton of people. He went through a few good Bordeaux. I was fortunate to try these wines right after the filming. I have to say I liked the Chateau Sansonnet the best. A true solid Bordeaux will nice body. Worth a try. I wont do a review because Gary says it all in this video.
From Gary’s site:
Gary Vaynerchuk has captured national attention as a businessman and Internet celebrity. Gary’s fame can be attributed to his pioneering, multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business building.
At a very young age, Gary took over the family business, a liquor store in New Jersey. Over a period of 6 years Gary and his father Sasha rebranded the business as Wine Library and transformed it from a local store doing roughly $4 million in sales annually to a $50 million national industry leader. The development of the Wine Library juggernaut reached its zenith on August 25, 2006 when Gary was featured with a caricature in the top left corner of the Wall Street Journal, a lifelong goal of Gary’s that he achieved before the age of 30!
Apr 02 2008
Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2004 - Palmaz web site
Went to a wine tasting in LA this week and was able to try this wine. 100 dollar bottle of wine. Might not be worth that but it is different than most wines which I like. This is a very soft but tasty wine. It’s not big and bold, but it’s more velvety. The nose has aromas of cassias, leather and mocha. An very velvety texture impressive balance to maintain an overall nice experience. Layers of dark berries, plum, semi-sweet chocolate and a hint of confection on the memorable finish. Relatively low alcohol (14.5%) good well for long term cellaring. A little young and should be decanted for about an hour.
