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Archive for February, 2010

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My 1st Web Video

02.26.2010

Posted in Videos | 3 Comments »

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Going Back In Time

02.24.2010

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Wine | 3 Comments »

2005 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

First a little history about the winery:

View of Bell Canyon Reservoir

Burgess Cellars is a family owned and operated winery located in the picturesque Howell Mountain region of Napa Valley. The original winery dates back to the 1880’s and has been known as Burgess Cellars since Tom Burgess purchase it back in 1972. Tom and his family believe in the idea of only producing varietals which are suited to the individual characteristics of the vineyard. That is why they only produce hand-crafted estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah wines. Burgess is also one of the few wineries to employee the same winemaker (Bill Sorenson) since their very first vintage. Visiting Burgess Cellars is almost like taking a step back in time. They are an extremely laid back unpretentious winery which still hosts its “tasting room” visitors in an old barn of sorts, complete with wine aging in the barrels all around you. To date, this is the only winery that I have visited and was offered a library wine (1995 Cabernet Sauvignon) as part of our tasting. Loved it by the way!
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My Search For A Bigger Merlot.

02.22.2010

Posted in Merlot, Wine | 5 Comments »

2006 Napa Cellars Merlot
I found this wine at our local wine shop while my wife and I were out grabbing lunch one afternoon. Seeing that it was mid-afternoon, we didn’t want to go with our typical “big” Cabernet; we also wanted to find something at a more reasonable price.

A Bold Merlot

The Napa Cellars Merlot is a blend of 93% Merlot, 5% Syrah, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. In the glass, the wine has a nice dark ruby color to it with just a hint of transparency to it. On the nose are nice aromas of plum, cherries and spice. The palate has dark fruits, chocolate and the spice is still present. This merlot has nice even tannins and a medium finish.
I usually am not a merlot fan as I have found that most merlots are too “soft” for my liking. This merlot, however, is different. I really enjoyed that hint of spice which was present on the nose and palate. The other thing that I liked about this wine was that even though it comes in at 14.7 % ABV, you really don’t notice the higher alcohol content. It has a bigger mouth feel, which I would attribute to the addition of the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Would I buy/drink this wine again?
So far, I have enjoyed the other wines that I have had from Napa Cellars and think at $16, this would also be a nice addition to your cellar.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 corks.

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Do You Get What You Pay For?

02.19.2010

Posted in Syrah, Wine | 3 Comments »

2006 Concannon Central Coast Syrah

I decided to try this after seeing Steve from Notes From The Cellar reviewing some of Concannon Vineyards other wines and rating them fairly well. After speaking to him, I found out that he had not tried this wine yet and informed me that they make a few different levels. Unfortunately, I found this out after I had already purchased this bottle.

2006 Central Coast Syrah

The wine has a brownish ruby hue to it in the glass and is slightly transparent. On the nose I get aspects of cherry, leather and pepper. It also has a slight alcohol burn note too it. Overall the nose isn’t bad.

The palate is kind of jammy mixed with oak and dirt. The alcohol is still present and gives it a tad too much burn on the finish for my liking. There are some so-so tannins on the medium finish. I didn’t feel that this was a really well balanced wine. I paired the syrah with short ribs (tried to at least) and found that it didn’t hold up very well, other than cutting some of the alcohol.

Would I buy/drink this wine again? The Concannon Syrah is an ok wine, but even at the $6.99 price point I don’t think I could justify buying it again. With that being said, I am still going to look for the higher end Concannon wines and see if they can impress me a little more than this one did.

I am giving this wine 2 out of 5 corks!

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