Wine

Fattoi Brunello di Montalcino 2007

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

eff3klbzrvuy.jpg

Fattoi Brunello di Montalcino 2007

Colour: Medium garnet core, light tawny rim.

Nose: Meaty, savory, cherry, plum, dried rose, tobacco, leather, grilled red pepper, baking spice, sweet dates, undertone of crushed stone.

Palate: Dry, medium body, high acidity, medium- tannins. Blast of sour cherry, plum, blackberry, touch of sweet cherry, faint leather, touch of green.

Finish: Medium finish, faint grasp of herbs and spice on the very end.

Score: 83/100

Greeted by a very attractive, and savory nose. Very meaty, followed by waves of red and dark fruits, tobacco, leather, grilled red pepper, with a touch of baking spice and mineral hanging around.

Mouthwatering acidity, followed by a noticeable lack of tannins, still a touch grippy in the mouth. The palate isn’t all that complex, with the usual sangiovese notes, with a touch of sweetness and green note. Faint suggestion of herbs and spice in the finish.

The acidity makes this wine excellent to be had with food, just like majority of the offerings from Italy. The wine is ready to drink, and I don’t see it evolving much more with that lack of tannins already at such a “young” age for a Brunello. Drink now or over the coming 2-3 years.

Estampa Gold Syrah Blend 2010

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

ixrq5ruxfxsy.jpg

Estampa Gold Syrah Blend 2010

A blend from Colchagua Valley, Chile. Consists of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, from a single vineyard. Sounds pretty exciting, time to dive in.

Colour: Dark ruby-purple core, medium garnet rim.

Nose: Crème de cassis, black currant leaf, pepper, meat, liquorice, mint, black raspberry, faint cigarette smoke.

Palate: Dry, medium+ bodied, high acidity, medium tannins. Plum, black cherry, sour cherry (almost tomato like), blackcurrant, light vanilla.

Finish: Long finish, liquorice, sour cherry, oak.

Score: 80/100

Hits you in the face with an initial blastoff crème de cassis, then followed by a peppery, meaty nose, black fruits and very specifically cigarette smoke on the exhale (I am not a smoker). Surprising amount of acidity suggest this is best consumed with food. Loads of dark fruits to start, very juicy due to the acidity. Towards the end vanilla, liquorice, and oak kicked in, lingering. Paired with sousvide rack of lamb later on, wonderful pairing. A decent blend, not intrigued by its complexity, but works wonders with food. The finish lasts for minutes. Drink now or in the coming 2-3 years.

Bodega Chakana Estate Selection Red Blend 2011

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

phcrckebfxsy.jpg

Bodega Chakana Estate Selection Red Blend 2011

Colour: Dark purple core, medium ruby rim.

Nose: Violets, blackberry, black raspberry, plum, black cherry, chocolate dust, cedar, faint pear.

Palate: Dry, full bodied, medium+ acidity, medium silky tannins. Plum, blackberry, black cherry, dried Asian dates.

Finish: Long finish, dark fruits, touch of orange puree, spice.

Score: 81/100

Caught my attention when Parker gave this wine a 94, and available for only like $23CAD back then. Really different from few years ago. The wine aromas and flavour are now integrated, developed some interesting notes not typically found in red wines, such as pear and orange. The tannins soften up quite a bit, but you still notice the alcohol even served at 16 degrees Celsius. Should hold onto the fruit for few more years, good value, bold red, but I disagree with the 94 Parker.

Kilikanoon M Reserve Shiraz 2005

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

dsvek9wqycqy.jpg

Kilikanoon M Reserve Shiraz 2005

Colour: Dark purple core, light purple rim.

Nose: Herbal/dried medicinal herbs note, light white pepper, meat, minty, dark berries, tobacco. The notes are integrated which makes it harder to pick out.

Palate: Dry, medium-full bodied, medium+ acidity, medium soft tannins. Dark berries (again integrated), pepper, raspberry, touch of faint vanilla, light oak.

Finish: Medium+ finish, liquorice, oak.

Score: 82/100

Rather different from my expectation, only had handful of older Australian Shiraz before.

The Kilikanoon M Reserve Shiraz greets you with a whiff of herbal note, which I have yet to figure out what it is yet. The pepper is more tamed than I would expect, guess the age brought it down, followed by a harmony of aroma, meat, mint, dark fruits, and tobacco. All well integrated.

Velvet on the entry, the tannins are soften up. The integrated berries are back again, followed by raspberry, pepper, vanilla, and touch of oak. The acidity balances out the fruit very well. Followed by a decent length finish, with a kick of liquorice and oak in the back.

So far so good, on paper at least. There is something about this wine that I just don’t seem to enjoy. In theory, the notes all sound good, but just something I can’t quite put my finger on when I drink it, and the wine as a whole, makes me not like it as much as I thought it would. You can tell the quality of the wine, it’s good, given I was going in without any expectation in a somewhat blind tasting. I would recommend this to those who wants to try, and encourage if you own a bottle. Just because I am not a fan doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it more than I do. Drink up!

Château Laniote Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 1993

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

gsto4py8k5qy.jpg

Château Laniote Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé 1993

Colour: Medium garnet core, light ruby-brown rim.

Nose: Plum, worn leather, cherry, blackberry, cedar, floral, meat, hint of bell pepper, Chinese medicinal herb.

Palate: Dry, medium+ bodied, medium+ acidity, full grainy tannins. Plum, sour cherry, tobacco, cedar, leather.

Finish: Medium finish, red pepper, mineral.

Score: 83/100

For a 1993 Saint-Emilion that is not even First Growth, it’s still holding up well. A lot better on day 2 and 3.

Holding onto some nice complexity, very nice and complex nose, but the palate is on the simpler side with some tobacco and leathery notes, and interesting red pepper note on the finish. No reason to hold up, if you got a bottle, better drink it soon.

Villa Mora Montefalco Sagrantino 2006

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

w393l7g0j5qy (1).jpg

Villa Mora Montefalco Sagrantino 2006

Colour: Medium+ ruby core, light ruby rim

Nose: Sweet cherry, ripe plum, black raspberry, floral, leather, herbs, dark fruits, all well integrated.

Palate: Dry, full bodied, high acidity, full grippy tannins. Chocolate covered berries, plums, raisin, espresso, cedar, thyme.

Finish: Long finish, cacao dust, herbs, touch of nice earthiness.

Score: 84/100

First time having Sagrantino, and this one is brilliant! Pleasantly surprised, layed this one down for a long time. Needs 2-3 hours of decanting.

Very well integrated throughout, on the nose it’s a harmony of flowers and berries, touch of leather and herbs, hard to pin down the subtle notes. Still very tannic on the palate, good acidity. Again, chocolate covered berries, various dark fruits along with raisins, nice thyme and cedar to round things off. Followed by a long finish, full of cacao dust and herbs.

Wonderful wine, paired with sous-vide prime rib later-on, and this wine needs food with its massive tannins. This wine will live on for another 5+ years!

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Grand Cru Classe 2013

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

u49wgkf5izoy.jpg

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac Grand Cru Classe 2013

Colour: Clear Medium Ruby

Nose: Ripe black currant, plum, violet, graphite, tobacco, faint smoke.

Palate: Dry, full bodied, medium+ acidity, full tannins. Black currant, plum, blackberry, liquorice.

Finish: Long finish, mineral, cedar.

Score: 81+/100

 

Really young at the moment, and the 2013 vintage isn’t exactly helping. Black fruit driven on the nose and palate, with nice tobacco and graphite minerality to add to the complexity. At roughly the same youthful age(3-4 years old), the 2005 and 2010 I had previously were completely different beast. I would hold off this one for at least 5-10 more years, got potential, but expecting a shorter drinking window.

0-49 = Terrible

50-59 = Bad

60-79 = Ok-Good

80-84 = Good

85-89 = Very Good

90-95 = Excellent

96-99 = Magnificent

100 = Legendary

Gets exponentially harder to score higher, only the exceptional ones deserves 90+. Price does not affect my scores.

Castelsina Chianti Riserva 2010

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

suyefoqn5doy.jpg

Castelsina Chianti Riserva 2010

Colour: Clear medium ruby

Nose: Dried cherry, plum, sweet herbs, violets, smoke, meaty, touch of green.

Palate: Dry, medium body, high acidity, full tannins. Cherry, plum, sapling, earthy.

Finish: Medium finish, drying cherry note.

Score: 74/100

 

Fairly standard Chiranti, got a good nose, but not too much in terms of complexity on the palate, doesn’t carry much interesting notes either. Need food with this wine due to the high acidity and rough tannins. Drink now!

0-49 = Terrible

50-59 = Bad

60-79 = Ok-Good

80-84 = Good

85-89 = Very Good

90-95 = Excellent

96-99 = Magnificent

100 = Legendary

Gets exponentially harder to score higher, only the exceptional ones deserves 90+. Price does not affect my scores.

Michel Delhommeau Cuvée Harmonie Sur Lie Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine 2013

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

npus1h2e4doy.jpg

Michel Delhommeau Cuvée Harmonie Sur Lie Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine 2013

Colour: Light straw

Nose: Chalk, melon, citrus, herbal, touch of floral, mineral.

Palate: Dry, medium acidity. Lemon, light fruits, stone.

Finish: Medium+ finish, mineral.

Score: 65/100

 

Fairly neutral white wine, pretty sure it’s already on the downhill ride. Nothing outstanding throughout, nothing to write home about. Chalk and citrus on the nose, with a touch of mineral. The citrus note carries onto the palate, along with some crushed stone minerality. With a medium-long mineral finish.

0-49 = Terrible

50-59 = Bad

60-79 = Ok-Good

80-84 = Good

85-89 = Very Good

90-95 = Excellent

96-99 = Magnificent

100 = Legendary

Gets exponentially harder to score higher, only the exceptional ones deserves 90+. Price does not affect my scores.

Waimea Estates Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc 2015

whiskytanuki Leave a comment

7n3svggl3doy.jpg

Waimea Estates Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Colour: Pale straw

Nose: Lemon, grapefruit, passion fruit, green mango, guava, citrus peel.

Palate: Dry, medium+ acidity, mango, mineral, citrus, pineapple, stone.

Finish: Long finish, pineapple, mineral, touch of green.

Score: 80/100

 

Served at 7-9°C(44-48°F), a very refreshing and fresh Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The nose is full of lovely citrus and tropical notes, which copies onto the palate nicely, with a touch of crushed stone minerality to add to the complexity. Surprisingly long finish, great acidity. Perfect on its own, or pair with seafood dishes.