Amon Ra - 2007

In the world of good wine, great wine, and wine that screams "ARE YOU KIDDING ME", the 2007 Amon Ra from Ben Glaetzer is that rare gem that reminds you why you love red wine.  

This wine has everything that I am looking for in Barossa Shiraz.   I compare it to the innocent librarian you walk by...you know the type, cute, hipster glasses and unassuming.  More on that later......

The fancy language and facts from the tasting notes

 Variety: 100% Dry-grown shiraz
Region: All fruit for Glaetzer wines is taken from the small sub-region of the northern
Barossa Valley, called Ebenezer. The viticulture used is standard single wire, with
permanent arm and rod and spur. Many of the very old vines (80-120 years old)
have now been trained onto a trellis for ease of pruning, harvesting and for disease
and frost control.
Age of vines: 50- 120 years old
Vineyard yield: 1/2 T / acre (1.2 Tonnes per hectare)
Vinification: Fermented in 1 and 2 tonne open fermenters, hand plunged 3 times daily.
A small percentage completed primary fermentation in oak
Matured on lees to maintain fruit profile and animation, minimal SO2.
Topped up every 3 weeks.
Oak: 20% American and 80% French (90% hogsheads & 10% barriques)
Age of barrels: 100% new oak Time in barrel: 15 months, then bottled unfiltered
Alc/Vol: 14.5% pH: 3.47
Total Acidity: 7.10g/l Residual Sugar: 0.8 g/l
Cellaring: 15 years

On to the important part - 

My Review.

This wine is a monster of a red. Smooth on the palate but also makes you feel awkward like a  first kiss but with resistance that quickly will erase any feeling of regret.  Amon Ra will make you a little weak in the knees and it is not for the timid.  Just like the unassuming woman in the library, it will take control of the situation in no time.   It fills the room with an aroma of decadence, bad behavior and anticipation.  Did I return that darn  book in time????

There is no sneaking up on this wine as it knows what you did before you got up this morning and knows what you are about to do next.

On the healthy side of the alcohol content (14% +) , have some food with this interlude.  Like most of the Shiraz I have had, cured meats, olive oil and garlic with a crusty bread are an excellent match.

I enjoyed it with great company and a sirloin tip roast swimming in garlic and black pepper.

The wine was given about 2 hours of room before the dance started and that dance was slow and seductive.  Do not rush this wine, take your time, get acquainted  and then enjoy.  When this red has you in the grasp, it will hold you and then like the first kiss, it will linger, only letting go when ready,  and you are wishing for more.

Pepper, black fruit, blah, blah, blah. Leave this part to the people who are paid to write reviews.

The true nature of this wine is pure decadence.  Like a Roman orgy, this wine is naughty.

The flavor of this red, and the layers of complexity are difficult to express in words.


Get a bottle and experience it for yourself.


Enjoy.

chris ringland "CR"

2004 Cedar Knoll Vineyard Co. Cabernet Sauvignon

Tanic, dark fruit, ink in color.  Drinking well but not much time left on this vintage.

A Real Bad Accident.

This breaks my heart as this wine is on the list of wine to drink before I die.




Expensive drop as forklift shatters $1.1 mln wine

(AFP) – 10 hours ago 

ADELAIDE, Australia — An Australian winemaker said Friday he was "numb" after a malfunctioning forklift destroyed more than Aus$1 million ($1.1 million) of his prized shiraz.
Some 462 cases of the 2010 Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz, which sells for Aus$185 a bottle, smashed to the ground as it was being loaded for export to the United States.
It cost winemaker Sparky Marquis one third of his annual production.
"So how do I feel? Gut-wrenched, shocked, numb," he told reporters.
"When they opened up the container they said it was like a murder scene," he added. "There was red everywhere.
"But it smelled phenomenal."
Brett McCarthur, of Kerry Logistics, said the company moves more than 20,000 containers a year and had never had such a malfunction before.
"It was very hard to make that call to Sparky," he said.
The saving grace was that the wine was fully insured, with assessors already on the scene.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

2009 Mollydooker Cabernet Sauvignon The Maitre D’ (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek)

Testing Video Blog This Weekend

Full Bodied Red will be switching to a video blog this weekend.  Check back soon!

Faust Cabernet 2007 - The Quick and Dirty Review.

From the Faust Website-

Faust, the wine, celebrates a legend which has inspired many great minds, among them the German poet Goethe, from whose masterpiece we draw our inspiration.

In Goethe’s most famous work, the aging scholar Dr. Faust barters his soul in the afterlife in exchange for another chance at youth. He gets his chance, yet ultimately his soul is saved by love.

The wine was a monster that required two hours of decanting prior to dinner, and it paired well with prime rib and garlic Brussels sprout.   

This wine was filled with fruit, great structure, and a very healthy nose.  Spice and pepper attacked the palate and lingered for about 30 seconds afterward.   Strong, but not angry.  Firm, but not too tight.

After being open a total of five hours this monster mellowed into a playful caramel and chocolate delight.  Release price of $50, I found it on sale for much less than that.  

It could use a few more years in the bottle in my opinion, but hey,  who am I to tell when you should drink something.  If you like traditional California Cabernet, you will like this.

Find out more about Faust wines here.

Le Rêve Patisserie & Café

Chocolate  & Wine.

Do I need to say more?   Visit Le Rêve in the Tosa village and find out for yourself.  This "Raspberry Dome" was about as decadent as things can be.  I      enjoyed it with a glass of Bordeaux that was a perfect companion for this type of indulgence.

Truly wonderful.

Learn more about Le Rêve.

Enjoy!

Vino Cappuccino - The Four Food Groups in one place !

On a recent Friday I was fortunate to try a restaurant I had never been to before with Diana.  She had read about it and sounded like a place that was right in our world of food. 

Wine - Pizza - Chocolate - Coffee.     The Four Horsemen of Dining for me, as I could eat myself to death in a place like this.

A short drive to Brookfield Road north of Gephart landed us at Vino Cappuccino.  The restaurant has been open for about one year and it was doing a brisk business on this Friday evening.    

We were told that the wait would be about 1/2 of an hour and we opted for an area at the bar to wait.  I noticed two different walls of wine, one for red and one for white to peruse.   We looked over the red selections and decided on a bottle of EOS Zinfandel.    You can find the entire wine list here.

We were just starting to enjoy the first glass when our table was ready and we were seated in the more casual bar area.  There is also a regular dining area that may offer a little more privacy, but this was fine for us.  A choice would have been nice, but not really an issue.

Our server was very helpful in helping us with out selections and identified the pizza specials of the evening.    Oh the choices... my mouth watered and I was giddy like a child on Christmas morning as I looked at the menu of gastromonical pleasures that awaited me.  I almost went head first for the Espresso Encrusted Beef Tenderloin, but I really wanted pizza, and I now I have an excuse to come back to try it at a later date.

We opted for two appetisers and a smaller pizza.

Bruschetta
Fresh tomatoes, onion and basil, served atop crostini with a drizzle of balsamic syrup ($4.99)

Calamari
Tossed in our signature breading and fried until golden brown, served with garlic aioli and marinara $7.49

We chose one of the pizza specials of the evening and it was a first for me... to try a pizza without a traditonal red sauce. 

A thin crust pesto sauce with fresh garlic, peppers and cheese was our selection and it paired perfect with the Zin.

We were in food utopia for the evening.  Our server checked in on us quite often, making sure were pleased with our selection, and we were.


I rounded out the evening with some sort of chocolate tart that I really did not need, but it looked so good in the glass case and I can never pass up chocolate with red wine.

I am looking forward to another visit.  You can visit their website here.    Get there if you like pizza, wine, chocolate and coffee.

Enjoy!

Schild Estate "Barossa Shiraz" and Two Hands "Bellas Garden" in the WS Top 10 for 2010.

Thanks to a security breach at Wine Spectator, the Top 10 for 2010 was released early this year.  I was happy to see two wines that I really enjoy make the top 10.

Schild Estate Barossa Shiraz - 2008

From the website-
The Schild name has a long history in the Barossa, dating back to 1952
when Ben Schild purchased the Three Springs Farm property in
Rowland Flat and settled with his family. Today, second and third
generation vigneron’s work side by side to solidify Schild Estate’s
reputation, built on its commitment to translating the unique rapestry
of its vineyards into wines that speak of honesty and drinkability.
 
 

I have had this wine on several occasions and found it to be exactly what I have come to expect from an Aussie from the Barossa.     It is complex with layers and layers like any red.    Ripe with cherry, plum and a fond memory of blackberries comes to mind.   

Soft tannins, good structure and a price of around $20.00.  If  you like Shiraz, you should try this.

 

 

Two Hands "Bellas Garden" - 2008

 

This is more along the lines of a special occasion wine for me.  The last bottle I drank was a 2004 in the spring of this year.  It was a massive wine, with blueberry and dark cherry syrup and a nose that will grab your attention like the sound made from a pair of high heel shoes walking beihind you on a wood floor....you just have to look.   The legs matched the nose, and for me, this wine is the total package. 

Strong.   Ripe.   Firm.    Balanced.  Most important - Drama Free !

 I had it with a Delmanico Rib Eye, and it was a memorable dining event.  I have a 2007 at home and I will look to add a 2008 to my cellar very soon.

Priced in the $50 plus range, watch for a sale or indulge yourself soon. 

Friend them on Facebook for a chance at winning wine through the promotions they run on occasion.

You can find out more about  Two Hands Wines or Schild Estate by following the hyperlink in their name.

Enjoy!!

Silver Oak Cabernet & Chateau Lynch Bages - MKE Wine Craze

I will be giving MKE Wine Craze another try this evening.  Looking forward to the following wines.

Silver Oak
Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Valley, 2003.

The 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex and concentrated wine that deftly balances intensity and finesse. The wine has a dark garnet color with a deep purple edge, and displays aromas of blackberry jam, dark chocolate, rose petal, black pepper and cedar. In the mouth, the attack is quite rich, expressing notes of brown sugar and nutmeg, and the flavors proceed seamlessly to a long finish of fruit and ripe tannins. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
 
Chateau Lynch Bages
Pauillac, 2004.


Pure and stony fruit on the nose of this wine, with classic blackcurrant tones and a polished stone-pebble character mingling with notes of exotic fruits and toasty oak. The same style is found on the palate; elegantly polished forest fruits, nicely covered structure, good ripe tannins and a creamy, broad, mouth-filling finish.

2008 Qupé Syrah & Ahi Tuna - August Weber Haus

A recent trip to Cedarburg for an afternoon of wandering around and such landed Diana and I at the August Weber Haus
(W63N678 Washington Ave Cedarburg, WI) with two immediate needs.  A small plate and some great wine.

The staff greeted us with with great enthusiasm and I felt like we were really welcome to be there.  Not your basic fake smile and have a seat, the people here are really friendly.  Not sure on what red I wanted to drink, the server behind the bar offered several samples of red that were open and I was drawn to the 2008 Qupé Syrah.  Easy to drink, this classic Northern Rhone style wine had hints of pepper, berry and smoke.   It falls in th category of a smart buy in my opinion, priced from $11 to $18, depending on where you look.

The Ahi Tuna was excellent and was served on a toasted bread with what the server described as Amore cheese..  Cooked to perfection in a terriaki soy sauce with butter and garlic, the combination was a match created just for this wine.

If you are in the Cedarburg area, plan to stop and try them both.    I know it will be on the list of places to go the next time we are in the area.

MKE Wine Craze - Clear Bar

From the Website....

Wednesdays 5:30-8:30 PM

"Try something new every Wednesday night at CLEAR, located inside InterContinental Milwaukee. Wrap your taste buds around some of the most exclusive selections in our wine rack with specially priced $5 pours. Explore the peaks of wine tasting at a reasonable price. Come once and you'll come again."

Where do I start with this?

The Good-
You do get to try some expensive wine at this event for a reasonable price. That is all I have.


The Not So Good-
I have attended this event twice. Each time the staff was not prepared for the event, knowing little or nothing about the wines being served. On each occasion the wines were not opened prior to the tasting to let the wine open up as any full bodied red needs.


On the second visit, they ran out of the 2007 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy….yes, they ran out at around 7:00pm. Now I can understand that in this economic time that we are in not stocking great amounts of expensive wine, but you are advertising this for weeks and you run out after two bottles. REALLY? You are a bar in an expensive downtown hotel.

The Wines.

September 1st, 2010.

Cosentino M Coz
Red Bordeaux Blend. Napa, 2002. High End.
"M.Coz" is Mitch Cosentino's Signature Wine. A champion of California wine, "M.Coz" is fashioned in the classic style of the greatest Bordeaux blends throughout history, while simultaneously exemplifying the very best of the Napa Valley.

I really enjoyed this wine after it had been opened an hour or so, ripe fruit, enjoyable. I really wished I could have tried it after being decanted for about two hours.

XYZIN 50 YR Vine
Zinfandel. Sonoma, 2007. Mid Tier.
XYZin 50 comes from vines that were at last 50 years of age at the time of harvest, meaning that they were planted before the mid-1950's. Wine spectator 89 points

Just OK, better wines available in this price range.

September 22nd, 2010

2005 Cote Rotie, Rostaing, La Landonne
Rhone Varietal. France, 2005. High End.
Big and intense, the 2005 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne is bigger and more concentrated then either the '06 Côte Blonde or '06 La Landonne and offers up gorgeous notes of smoked meat, violets, pepper and copious amounts of mineral and iron to go along with its medium to full bodied palate. Concentrated and rich, this has vibrant acidity, beautiful purity and a long, finish where the quality of the wine really shows. (94+ pts.)

This is a collectable wine. It is too bad that it was not treated that way by Clear. Just pop n pour….anyone want ketchup on their prime rib?

2007 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy
Shiraz. McLaren Vale, 2007 Mid Tier.


95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The opaque purple-colored 2007 B lue-Eyed Boy Shiraz spent 12 months in 80% new American oak. It offers up an enticing nose of cedar, tobacco, mineral, blueberry, and black raspberry. 92 points Wine Spectator: "Smooth and generous, with a hot black pepper streak running through the meaty cherry, dense plum and spice flavors, persisting on the round, supple finish.


Having opened a 2006 Blue Eyed Boy just a few days earlier to celebrate a birthday in the family, I knew what to expect from this wine. Big and bold with a nose that will let you know who is in charge. Full bodied with great structure, and a lasting finish of about 30 seconds. It is great wine if you like this style, which I do.


I hope that Clear can get their act together, this is a great way to experience wine that may be out of your budget.


Just because the price is cheap, it does not mean the experience should be.

R Wines Chris Ringland Cote Rotie Shiraz 2008

92 Points - Wine Advocate, December 2009

"This is the third vintage of Chris Ringland Cote Rotie Shiraz. The 2008 was sourced from 20-60 year old Barossa vines and aged in seasoned American oak hogsheads. Deep purple-colored, it emits a captivating, already complex nose of smoke, incense, Asian spices, and blueberry. Velvety-textured, intense, full-bodied, and powerful on the palate, this rich effort will drink well for another 8-10 years." -Jay Miller



"The CR Shiraz displays a deep red-black with a scarlet orange rim in the glass. The aroma explodes with sweet red berry perfume, white florals, liquorice and aniseed and laced with a sweet vanillin back note. The rich mouth filling attack of red berries and milk chocolate follows through with vanillin on the finish." -The Importer

Groom Shiraz - 2007 Barossa Valley

• Succulant
• Round
• Moist
• Intense
• Spicey

Over powering with hints of submissive desires when matched with equally strong food.   You can love the palate of this wine,  particularly the warmth, depth and velvety silkiness it delivers.  A friction that leads to intense satisfaction, lingering on the way down and burning a mental picture as you savor the deep lasting flavor.

Drink

2011 - 2020

Stanley Lambert Winery - Tasting Notes

Stanley Lambert Winery

Barossa Valley Way

PO Box 459
Tanunda SA 5352

I attended a wine tasting at the Wine Cellar of Wisconsin on the only Sunday of the year the store is open.  The Sunday before Christmas, also known as "last second Sunday",  offered a chance to shop, sip and save on wine purchases.

Stanley Lambert wines were on sale with try before you buy samples available.    There was also a Sparkling Shiraz to try, not made by them.

I will focus on the three wines I really enjoyed in the order of my preference.

1. Choc-a- Bloc:   - chocolate infused fortified wine.  I could drink this alone, add to coffee, add to cake, and to ice cream.  It is oozing with chocolate and warmth.  I do not usually drink foritifited wine, but this was well worth the try.  A bottle came home with me and it will be used in more than one way during the stay in my home. 
2. Family Tree Shiraz: - Flagship Shiraz.... full, no wait,  a really full body of guilty voluptous pleasure.  The wine was decanted for about an hour when it really started to open up, like most reds, it requires patience.   The reward of patience is obvious when the nose hits you and you remember why you love red wine.  Black cherry, blueberry, and hints of despair.  Drink now through 2015.
3. Three's Company GSM:  This is a Rhone style blend consisting of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre.  They play well together proving that reds can play with each other.  They offer a nose of faint licorice, smooth tannins and rich red fruit.    This is a fun wine, although a three some is not for me every day, it is a nice to try new things now and then....

Enjoy them soon.

Decanting Mature Red Wines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHFmFKGpYKI

Wine Budget

As the New Year is almost upon us, corporate America is doing their budgets and forecasting for the next fiscal year. The same can be said for many individuals in this tough economic time. No salary increase again this year? We can only wait and see.

This brings me to the question of wine budgeting for the year. How many people actually budget for wine? Do you have an amount set aside for purchases in 2010? Is it just going to be "shooting from the hip" and buy it when the spirit moves you, or when you find a deal?

I have some personal goals for the year as far as wine purchases fit into my budget. I want to buy the 2000 vintage of Penfolds Grange to share with my son when he is older, and 2000 is his birth year. It will set me back around $200 or so, but to me it is worth it.

I understand that the concept of budgeting for wine may be an odd one, but I ask the questions:

1. Do you budget for wine?
2. What percentage of your income to you set aside?
3. What is the high-end amount you will spend on one bottle?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

2007 Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Villages

A glass of red wine.  This is what I needed on Sunday night to wind down from a long weekend.  I am sure you have been there before, just a simple glass to relax.  Yes, a glass of red wine is what I needed.. 

I went to the cellar, looked around for something not too big, afterall it was Sunday night.  I found a bottle of  2007 Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Villages.  This would be perfect.

The bottle was opened and set off to the side to unwind as I completed a task or two.  After about a half an hour a glass was poured and I sat down to relax.

It had a great cherry nose and flavor, not too strong, balanced with hints of pepper spice.

The body was medium, the attack was suttle and the finish was crisp.

This wine is about $12.00 a bottle, perfect for an everyday wine when you just want a glass to relax with.

Enjoy.

The Coppola Wine Tasting & Movie Event

The Francis Ford Coppola Winery held a wine tasting event on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at the Rosebud Cinema and Drafthouse. It was sponsored by Rays Wine and Spirits in Wauwatosa, WI.

The event featured 25 wines for sample, appetizers from Juniper 61 & The Godfather playing on the big screen. The movie played with just the soundtrack playing, no dialogue to consume your attention or distract from the tasting.

I focused my tasting effort on red wine, targeting a few specific wines of interest. There was really no need to waste time on a Rose', I was not going to purchase one in this lifetime.

The wine of the tasting in my opinion was the Zinfandel "Edizione Pennino" Napa Valley. I had sampled a few other wines prior to this and a few after, but this was the wine I will remember from the tasting.

The Edizione Pennino Zinfandel pays tribute to Francis Ford Coppola's maternal grandfather, Francesco Pennino. Born in Italy, Francesco emigrated to the United States as a young man and started a music publishing and import company known as "Edizione Pennino." The company's logo depicted two images: the last view of Francesco's homeland, the Bay of Naples, and his first view of America, the Statue of Liberty. Francis Ford Coppola took the design in its original form and used it to identify the estate Zinfandel which, like Francesco Pennino's journey, is the grape most identified with the Italian influence on the California wine industry. To add to the nostalgia, each vintage bottling has one of Pennino's song titles imprinted on the cork.

Color: Deep purple, Ink.

Nose: Completely in your face, rich blackberry-cranberry-pepper spice.

Structure: A complete full body, chunky mouth feel, not syrup.

Attack: Again, completely in your face with a bit of heat, strong attack of the mouth.

Finish: This wine lingered for about 15 to 20 seconds without an after burn, just a pleasant reminder.

Overall: I really enjoyed this wine and imagined it with many different food parings. At around $50 a bottle, it is out of the range I personally like to spend on wine. As a special occasion wine I can see this being a wine to consider, but then again there are many others also.