2006 Sattler St. Laurent (Burgenland)

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 1/29/2012

Notes: Deep, nearly opaque purple.  Musky aroma with ripe fruit and dry wood notes.  Light to medium bodied with loads of fruit (mostly cherry) with precise acidity framed by a broad dry oakiness with a hint of spices and cedar.  Long finish of fruit and dry, spicy wood.  Mild to moderate tannin.

As my first Austrian red wine, this has been another pleasant surprise.  I purchased it because the variety has been compared favorably with Pinot Noir.  While I find that it is somewhat reminiscent of Pinot Noir, it is made in a different style that emphasizes ripe fruitiness that reminds me more of Oregon than Burgundy.  While intensely fruity with a pleasing oakiness, this also lacks the earthiness and complexity (and funk) of Burgundy.  However, on its own merits it is a well-made, enjoyable wine that is well suited to everyday drinking at a very attractive price point.  A Terry Theise selection.  Very good value.

2009 Michel Delhommeau Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie 'Cuvee Harmonie'

Source: Zachys

Consumption Date: 1/27/2012

Notes: Very pale yellow (nearly clear).  Mild aroma of flowers, wet chalk, and white grape, with a hint of grassiness and sea air.  Crisp and light bodied with mild fruit and wet stone minerality that evolves into a slightly musky ripe fruit note with a mild herb/spice note.  Moderate finish of lemony fruit and minerals.

This is what I would expect from a Muscadet (mild fruit/crisp acidity), although with more minerality than I would have expected and a pleasing, if subtle, complexity.  A very nice effort and consequently a very good value.

2004 Ruca Malen Malbec 'Kinien' (Mendoza)

Source: Zachys


Consumption Date: 1/24/2012

Notes: Intense, nearly opaque purple color.  Dramatic spicy, herbal, fruity aroma.  Intensely fruity (ripe cherry and other berry fruits) with a broad, well-balanced spiciness, a distinct milk chocolate note, and hints of tar, tobacco, and graphite on the long finish.  Mild to moderate tannin.

This wine has proven to be a pleasant surprise.  Previous Malbecs I have had have tended to come across as simple “baby Bordeaux” (which is not necessarily bad, just not my normal preference in wine).  This wine has been surprising in its dramatic aromatic qualities, the depth of its fruit, its balance and complexity, and its elegance.  Rather than being reminiscent of other wines I have had, this wine stands on its own.  I will have to start paying more attention to Argentinian Malbec from now on.  Very good to excellent value.

2005 A&M Quenard Vin de Savoie - Chignin

Consumption Date: 1/17/2012

Notes: Deep golden yellow color.  Moderate aroma with wet chalk and floral notes with a hint of sherry and butterscotch.  Light to medium bodied with mild floral and fruit notes (apples and, perhaps, pear with mild white grape), a chalky (champagne like) minerality, and a distinct sherry-like oxidized note.  Moderate finish with more notes of minerals, flowers, and fruit with a hint of oxidation.

This wine is not what I was expecting.  My previous experience with Savoie wines has been of light, crisp, refreshing wines, but this wine is a bit more serious with deeper aromas and more complexity.  I am enjoying the complexity, but am finding the oxidative qualities to be a bit surprising.  They are very much reminiscent of the Savagnin I had several years ago.  I am wondering if this characteristic was intentional or is simply the result of my having held the wine for too long.  I will certainly aim to try a more recent vintage of this wine at a younger age.  Overall, an enjoyable wine.  A Kermit Lynch selection.  Good to very good value.

2009 Epoch Estate Wines Zinfandel ‘Paderewski Vineyard’ Paso Robles

Source: La Costa


Consumption Date: 1/11/2012

Notes: Elegant aroma of blackberry fruit and chocolate with a hint of dry leaves.  Very fine body with rich, ripe fruit, more chocolate, and hints of tar and dry leaves.  Moderate finish of more fruit, chocolate, and a bit more tar.  Mild to moderate tannin.

This wine has been a bit of a surprise.  I chose it while on vacation, at the recommendation of the clerk in a wine store in Carlsbad, California, with some reservations (as it was the most expensive Zinfandel in the store), but in the interest of trying a California Zin I was unlikely to find on the East Coast.  Luckily, it has turned out to be a very well made and enjoyable wine.  It is surprisingly elegant, with a luxurious, velvety mouthfeel, while containing many of the Zinfandel flavors I enjoy.  As with the most recent Zin I consumed, it has distinctive chocolate notes, but with little briary undergrowth flavors.  I am wondering if this is a consequence of consuming this wine a temperature that is a significantly higher (at ~72°F) than that at which I normally drink Zinfandel.  The only knock I have on this wine is that it lacks somewhat in complexity.  Average to decent value.

2007 Tofanelli Family Vineyards Zinfandel (Napa Valley)

Source: La Costa


Consumption Date: 1/9/2012

Notes: Mild aroma of dry, sun-baked earth with some rich, ripe blackberry and a mild hint of dry leaves.  Mild, dry woody notes evolves rapidly into intense, ripe, almost jammy blackberry with chocolate overtones, framed with a subtle dry spiciness and leafiness.  Finishes with more spicy, herbaceousness, chocolate, and dry leaves, with an especially long ripe fruit note.  Mild to moderate tannin.

This wine is interesting to me as it has a flavor profile that is probably considered quintessential California Zinfandel, yet is a bit different from the typical Zin profile that I am accustomed to.  This wine emphasizes fruit with only subtle hints of typical Zin leafiness, spiciness, and other secondary flavors (e.g., chocolate) which are not always present in Zins (but are proving to be quite enjoyable) and without what I consider to be a characteristic brambly flavor.  However, this wine has surprising complexity and also has a surprisingly long fruity finish.  In addition, while being dramatically fruity, it also presents an unexpected silkiness and elegance.  Good value.

1995 Charles Heidsieck 'Blanc des Millenaires Blanc de Blancs Brut'

Consumption Date: 12/31/2011

Notes: Mild aromas of yeast bread and wet chalk with a hint of flowers.  Rich, creamy body with a solid core of mellow, ripe fruit (apples with a hint of white grape muskiness) with a fine chalky minerality and a nice yeasty/bready component.  Finish long with more fruit and a more pronounced chalky minerality.

This is another fine Champagne and another interesting variation on what this region can produce.  As an older vintage wine, the fruitiness is more mellow and subdued than the Roger Coulon Champagne I most recently opened.  As an all Chardonnay Champagne, it is a bit more austere than the other Champagnes I have drunk recently, although the yeasty quality works well to balance this.  It is perhaps not as complex as I would have expected, but it is still quite enjoyable.  Decent value.

Welcome to Shark's Cellar

My intent for this blog is to share the notes I periodically take as I taste the wines in my cellar.  My thought is that since I am keeping notes for my own purposes anyway, I would make them available to whoever may be interested in them via this blog.  When it comes to tasting, I am strictly an amateur.  My notes follow a standard format that includes: basic details about the wine, a brief tasting note, and a broader reaction to the wine.  Although I philosophically have issues with tasting notes in general (i.e., what does it really mean to say one thing tastes like another?) and I generally have difficulty articulating everything I taste in a wine, I record the tasting note so that I have some frame of reference for remembering and comparing the wines I taste.  Personally, I think the broader reaction note is more useful in identifying the impact the wine has had on me and how it relates to my growing experience of the breadth and depth that the world of wine has to offer.

In the interest of integrity, I will share a few details about my interests in wine, but prefer to keep my anonymity intact (although a few of you may know who I am).  I have been seriously drinking wine for about six years now, although I only manage about 30-40 bottles a year.  My taste in reds runs to Burgundy, Zinfandel, and Gran Reserva Riojas.  I enjoy a broad range of white wines, but especially German Rieslings (Auslesen) wines.  I also enjoy Champagne and, occasionally, port.  Of course I prefer to drink the finest wines available, but in the interests of practicality, my notes tend to focus on the relative value of the wines I drink.

I do not intend for this blog to serve as a source of recommendations (although you may find it useful, if you share my tastes).  I may occasionally endorse importers or merchants, but this is strictly based on my experience with them and not any financial compensation.  I do not intend to seek sponsorship for this blog and will disclose any relationship that may be perceived to influence my notes.

I hope you enjoy my ramblings.  Please feel free to comment.

Shark