I was given a bottle of 2002 E&E Black Pepper Shiraz.

Absolutely beautiful bottle of wine. Ridiculous amounts of brown sugar, raspberries, and black cherries. The oak is well integrated into the ripe fruit. Velvety. One of the better Australian shiraz's i've had.

I had a bottle of Cotes-du-pione, george debceuf and thought It was really good not expensive either, anyone tried it out????

i've really neglected this thread in the past two months, gonna change that.

I was really lucky to try all of the 07 Kosta Browne Single vineyards back in early may along with trying a bunch of Jemrose Wines. While the KB style isn't my preferred style of pinot, these certainly were excellent with the ability to become even better with some cellaring(2-4 years). I will say though, if you love cool climate syrah, go out of your way for Jemrose. Jim Mack is a great guy and he makes excellent wines that really scratch me where I itch, and they are very affordable as they can generally be found for under $45:

AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL BROWNE AND JIM MACK - La Madia, Chicago IL (5/12/2009)

Jim Mack and Wally helped organize this tasting. Jim Mack was back in town for the wine spectator grand tasting and was fortunately to have Michael Browne and a yak palate in tow. The Yak palate was presented, in the form of pizza, for the loser of the syrah smackdown several weeks ago.

Graciously Jim Mack and Michael Browne brought their wines for the tasting alone, with Jim Mack bringing a good amount of his current Jemrose releases, and Michael Browne bringing his Single Vineyard Kosta Brownes
Opening whites/rose/sticky

• 2007 Jemrose Grenache Foggy Knoll - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: great depth on the nose that harkens to other higher end rose's with really nice tones of red cherries, red berries, strawberries and some bits of red fruits and red florals. Posseses really good and pure tones
  
  taste: excellent and refreshing light feel with nice tones of cherries, red berries and bits of red florals. Not as deep or complex on the palate as is on the nose, but still excellent with some nice acidity
  
  overall: this isn't just a sipping rose'. This has some really good depth and complexity with a wonderful nose. THis is a perfect rose' for food and held up well with some pizza (91 pts.)
• 2007 Jemrose Viognier Egret Pond - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: very aromatic and on the bigger side with great tones of cinnamon spice, oils, tropical fruits and some lovely tones of white peaches. While big, its not over ripe and over done as it holds its aromatics well and shows off the more oily side of viognier
  
  taste: really nice rich and fat feel with great tones of peaches, mangoes, oils, cinnamon and other various spices and some really nice tropical fruit tones. Good acidity compliments the wine
  
  overall: on the bigger side, but not massive with excellent aromatics and balance. An oustanding viognier that isn't over ripe and just hits all of the right spots (91 pts.)
• 2008 Jemrose Viognier Late Harvest - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: very nice nose with apricots, cinnamon, various spices and some tart tropical citrus tones along with a very nice sweeter tones to it. Very nice aromatics, but lacking a bit of depth
  
  taste: good medium feel with nice sweet tones of apricots, cinnamon spices and bits of tart tropical citrus'. While sweet, its not cloying, though it is lacking a slight bit in acidity
  
  overall: a very nice wine. It does lack a bit of depth and acidity, but this was more of an experimental wine from what Jim Mack and Michael Browne had said. It was left to hang and no botrytis set in, so it was just picked at a more ripe level (88 pts.)

Kosta Browne

• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
  nose: very pungent and balanced nose with great tones of dark red fruits, ripe dark cherry tones, spices, raspberries and some hints of black spices. Great depth and expressive with nice ripe tones
  
  taste: excellent richness with a good medium pinot feel with deep tones of black fruits, dark red fruits, dark red cherries, bits of black spices and some raspberry tones
  
  overall: Very good richness and balance to this with a real nice dark fruit expression. While on the bigger side, its not a massive pinot and it posseses great depth and purity of fruit on the nose and palate (93 pts.)
• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Amber Ridge Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  nose: very nice purity on the nose with rich tones of red fruits, black fruits, cherries, strawberries and spices. Very fruitful and forward, but doesn't seem too jammy. Nice depth on the nose, but pales a bit compared to the rosellas that was before it
  
  taste: very polished medium feel with medium acidity. Rich and silky tones of red fruits, cherries, strawberries and spices work well in balance with each other
  
  overall: a very rich and polished pinot. Good depth, there is a very attractive quality to it that makes it appealing, though it was the least of the kosta browne single vineyards for me (91 pts.)
• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  nose: really attractive dark profile gives the backdrop on this with subdued tones of dark red cherries, dark spices, bits of herbs, dark berry tones and currants. Seems to be holding back a bit right now
  
  taste: very smooth and polished medium feel with laid back tones of dark red cherries, various mixed berries, dark spices, and some herbal tones
  
  overall: this came across as the youngest of the single vineyards. While all of the other wines came across as fairly accessible for such young wines, this did seem to be holding back. Should blossom with a few years as I found this extremely interesting and elegant, just not ready for primetime yet (92 pts.)
• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
  nose: bright and deep nose of tart red fruits, red cherries, red currants, and all sorts of mixed berries. Very expressive and forward with great fruit tones that are open for business already
  
  taste: lush and pure red fruit base with lots of red cherries, red currants, mixed berries, some spice tones, and raspberries. Lush feel that is exactly what you'd expect from KB and has a real nice polish to it also
  
  overall: The feel really turns on the appeal with this wine. Very red on all of teh fruits and a good forwardness to it too. Plush and rich, it certainly isn't bashful, but it isn't overt either (93 pts.)
• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Koplen Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  nose: very aromatic and balanced with great depth and rich tones of spices, red fruits, red cherries, red currants and various berry tones. Excellent forward expression that is pure RRV and pure on the nose
  
  taste: good tannins, but not overbearing with smooth and plush tones of red licorice, red fruits, red cherries, red currants and various berries. Great depth, this works well already, but should be great when the edges are smoothed out a slight bit
  
  overall: needs a bit of time to fully come out and strut its stuff, but there is a lot to like here already. Rich and expressive with pure tones on both the nose and palate, this has great fruit right now with great depth (93 pts.)
• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  nose: very deep and pure with real nice rich and cool fruited tones of red fruits, black cherries, spice, tart raspberry tones, some cola and bits of mint and herbs. Even as pure as it is right now, it feels a bit holding back at this young time
  
  taste: great and expressive feel with rich and deep tones of red fruits, herbs, black cherries, spices, raspberry tones and hints of cola that meld together with ton of polish on the feel
  
  overall: The aromas and feel on this already have a lot of class to them. very rich, but there is a youthful holding back right now that should shed with a couple of years, at which point this has the potential to be an utter stunning wine (94 pts.)
• 2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 4 Barrel - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  nose: very big and bold nose that is fairly extracted with tones of cola, red cherries, raspberries and dark berry tones. Massive rich and extracted nose that leaves little to the imagination
  
  taste: huge feel on the palate with extracted tones of cola, red cherries, tart red fruits, raspberries and loads of various rich berry tones
  
  overall: a big and extracted pinot that is more on the massive side. Rather different then the other SVDs that were being poured, this was almost a blunt force attack of a wine. Rich and massive, this may need some time to shed some baby fat, but is certainly on the hedonistic side right now for those that look for that in a wine (93 pts.)

Jemrose

• 2006 Jemrose Merlot Two Sisters - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: lovely and deep nose filled with sumptuous tones of red fruits, berries, cedar, red cherries and red currants just meld together well and makes this the california answer to pomerol
  
  taste: nice smooth tannins and a real sexy medium feel with plush tones of red fruits, red cherries, bits of plums and hints of cedar
  
  overall: This came across as a real sexy and stylish merlot. Has a real nice pomerol sensibility to it along with some good tannins that need a couple years to shed (91 pts.)
• 2006 Jemrose Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: has a real northern rhones style to it with cool and laid back tones of bacon fat, black pepper, charcoal, black cherries and black fruits. This was also very deep and seemed to be holding back a bit at this time
  
  taste: full and rich tones of black pepper, charcoal, black cherries and some meaty tones all balance extremely well together. The tannins aren't too big, but they certainly make themselves known right now
  
  overall: this is great right now, and can definitely get better. Has a great rich quality to it with a really polished feel (92 pts.)
• 2007 Jemrose Gloria's Gem - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: fairly tight nose right now with tones of berries, cedar, red cherries, red and black currants, and some bits of spice. Nice and attractive nose with good purity on it and good depth
  
  taste: excellent medium/full feel with good tannins and well balanced tones of berries, cedar, red cherries, black currants and spice tones
  
  overall: very young as would be expected. Good tannins and structure give this a nice spine and should allow this to age well (91 pts.)
• 2006 Jemrose Gloria's Gem - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: good dark nose with berries, smoke, black fruits, and red cherry tones. A bit lighter on the nose then the 07 and lacks the depth and expression that the 07 has
  
  taste: nice polished feel with good tones of black fruits, berries, smoke and bits of red cherries. Good tannins give this a nice spine
  
  overall: a really nice wine. Not sure if it will add depth and complexity in the future to really send it to that next level (89 pts.)
• 2007 Jemrose Syrah Cardiac Hill Bennett Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: very deep and sumptuous nose filled with dark red cherries, olives, black fruits, black currants and bits of charcoal. There is a real cool air to it as it straddles the line between new and old world
  
  taste: big and rich tones with a polished medium/full feel with dark red cherries, red and black currants, bits of spices and black fruits. Nice and deep with rich tannins that make themselves known, but don't interfere too much
  
  overall: has the ability to be a real stunner. This is what cool-climate cali syrah is all about with good fruit flavors, but also some real nice northern rhone flavors thrown into the mix (93 pts.)
• 2007 Jemrose Grenache Foggy Knoll - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
  nose: slightly different then the what Jim Mack had provided two weeks earlier. The great red fruits, red licorice, red cherries, and red currants were still very much there, but were now accompanied by real tasty tones of spices that added to the complexity and enjoyment on the nose
  
  taste: real good red fruit driven flavors with red currants, red licorice, red berries, red cherries, and some real zesty spice tones. Good tannins with a real nice medium feel and good tannins
  
  overall: has evolved a bit and is great, but in a slightly different way. This is absolutely delicious right now, but certainly comes across as having the stuffing to age decently. A nice pure expression of domestic grenache as there is real nice balance overall to the wine with excellent aromatics and tones on the palate (93 pts.)

Thank you very much to both Jim Mack and Michael Browne bringing their great wines. It was a real treat to get a chance to drink these wines that comes about every so often
Posted from CellarTracker

As someone who knows little about wine but is trying to learn more, I enjoyed this movie a lot. If you have 45 minutes to spare and/or like John Cleese, I say go for it.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/79439/wine-for-the-confused

tone, thanks for that, even as someone who knows a decent bit of wine, I found it fun to watch and I always like learning more about how wine is made.

Since you're in NYC now, here are a couple of places I would reccomend that you check out: crush wine co, chambers wine, garnett, and astor. IIRC chelsea village wines is also a great place. Most of those are uptown(not sure where you're at specifically) but they have great staffs that are very helpful.

Crush helped me a lot a few years back when I was starting to get into wine as did Garnet. Garnet was great for really starting out and Crush helped a bit more in understanding some finer wines, but making it so that it wasn't so daunting dropping $30-40 on a bottle (god that turned into a double edged sword for me)

can someone tell me what Italian wines are similar to the cab/merlot blends of Califronia (ala Opus One)? thanks!

dom, are you looking at Opus price ranges? can you buy from K&L or any of the big Cali stores?

off hand, Sette Ponte Oreno, Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Tignanello, Solaia, Guado Al Tasso, Pietradonoice, Gaja Damargi will get you started. Mind you, all of those wines do require aging, so look to wines that have age on them

Kdawg, I'm just looking at wines in a restaurant, not for home purchase...and I'm looking for a more general answer like, "Amarones or Barolos" and not actual vinyards/wineries.

As fpr price, I'm willing to go as high as $200 for a bottle....

then I'd say that you answered your own question. But, amarones and barolos are nothing like opus, so I gave an answer more to what would be a bordeaux blend from italy. basically you're looking at super tuscans if you want something that is the italian equivilant to opus

that's what i wanted to knows - thanks!

Awesome. I'm here for another month so that will definitely be helpful.

tone, when you go back to atlanta, make Hinton's Wine your stop. I've heard nothing but good things about them, plus, former NFLer Chris Hinton is the owner

Crush is one of my favourites, if not favourite, wine shop in the USA. Especially if you're after German Rieslings or Piedmont.

Also check out Moore Brothers on 20th between park and broadway. Highest rated wine shop in NYC (29 on zagats). They specialize in wine from very small growers in France and Italy. (all shipped to the US in refrigerated containers).

I have found a ton of great steals there over the last few years.

This one is v close to me (30 & mad) so it will probably be my first stop. I'm excited to see what happens when I say "I'm, uh, looking to pair some wine with takeout food."

I had a chance to go to a Numanthia seminar this past monday. For those that don't know what Numanthia is, its probably the premier winery from teh Toro region in spain, and one of the top wineries in Spain itself. They primarily use a cousin of the tempranillo grape and many of their vines rootstalks are pre-phylloxera. The significance of that is that these vines' rootstalks(and some of the vines themselves) are purely original and weren't grafted from american vines that were resistent to the aphid.

Basically Phylloxera is an aphid that destroyed almost all of the french and italian vines in the late 1800s, so all of the wines that we drink now from these countries(and many other countries as phylloxera made its way to other countries too) aren't from their original rootstalk.

So, this is a very unique winery in Europe as the region that the vines come from are too arid for phylloxera.

anyway, onto the notes:

NUMANTHIA SEMINAR - Binny's South Loop, chicago IL (7/13/2009)

Binny's put together this Seminar at a great price of $10. The new wine maker did the presentation to talk about Numanthia, its history, and of course, the wines. The attendance was restricted so as we could get good pours and have room to sit. I certainly looked forward to this as the 03 Numanthia was a wine that made a real impression on me and was one of those wines that woke me up to fine wine and my wallet has hated me ever since

• 2006 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termes - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
  nose: real rich and bold black fruited based nose with smoke, black fruits, black cherries, dark roast coffee, and oak tones. Very pungent with nice depth, but almost a bit too amped up on the fruit to where it takes on an almost australian character
  
  taste: very plush medium/full feel with plush tannins and tones of black fruits, black cherries, dark roast coffee and oak tones. Comes across as very new world on the palate
  
  overall: very accessible right now, not sure how it will age as the fruit is fairly forward. While pretty enjoyable there isn't much of a sense of place with the wine as it does seem like it could be made from anywhere (90 pts.)
• 2005 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Numanthia - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
  nose: fairly tight, but what is there is very pretty with bits of violets, black cherries, black currants, dark berries, cedar, raspberries and some whisps of smoke. There is a real elegance to the nose, but there is also a robustness at the same time
  
  taste: good firm tannins with medium/high acidity and a excellent full bodied feel. Rather classy with great tones of cedar, black cherries, black currants, raspberries and some hints of smoke
  
  overall: needs time for sure as it is rather tight right now. I love the contrast that it presents between elegance and robustness, this really seems to have a great future and should be a very interesting wine when its mature (92 pts.)
• 2006 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Numanthia - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
  nose: more forward on the nose then the 05 was with tart tones of black fruits, dark tones of raspberries, dark red cherries, sweet cassis, dark berries, and liqueur tones. A nice array of fruit on the nose, but lacking a bit in depth and elegance that was a hallmark of the 05
  
  taste: a massive attack with a real good finish, this is lacking a bit on the mid palate with tones of black fruits, dark raspberries, sweet cassis, and some dark chocolate tones with a bit of heat on the back end form on the palate. Good medium/full feel with medium+ acidity
  
  overall: a bit of a slut wine in a way. It doesn't have the elegance of the 05 and is more forward then the 05 was. A bit of time sideways should hopefully flesh out the mid-palate and have this become a much better wine (91 pts.)
• 1999 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Numanthia - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
  nose: balanced, lovely, and elegant nose with tones of dark red cherries, black currants, leather, dried florals, bits of smokey tones and even some dried berry tones. Real good depth that really draws you in
  
  taste: has a nice nuanced character to it backed up by a elegant medium/full feel with medium+ acidity and tones of dark red cherries, leather, dried florals, dried berries and some smokey tones. There are some real sneaky tannins that creep up on the back end and make themselves known more on each taste
  
  overall: A real lovely wine right now in a good place. Seems like this would go great with food and is a wine that I would like to spend time with, this came from a magnum so it was very fresh and lively (92 pts.)
• 2005 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termanthia - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
  nose: an absolute massive and brooding beast of a nose with massive tones of black cherries, raspberries, black currant jam, black fruits, dark red fruits, dark spices and tones of oak. this certainly toes the line on being over the top and is chock full of fruit and intensity and extremely deep
  
  taste: extremely massive on the palate with big tannins and tones of black cherries, raspberries, black currant jam, dark red fruits and a good helping of oak. Big and rich, its a mass of fruit at this point, not necessarily pure on the tones but decently defined with some heat too on the back end
  
  overall: massive is the theme with this wine. Big, bold, and intense, its extremely well made and there is an appreciation for the style, but it really seems like it could come from anywhere in a way. I have no clue how this will age and have a hard time figuring out what this wine is about other then being, well, massive (93 pts.)
• 2006 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termanthia - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
  nose: where the 05 was a big massive beast, this had that, but the fruit was more on the sweet side and in a way, more forward. Very deep and with a lot of polish on the nose with loads of fruit tones of black cherries, black currants, liqueurs, and dark tones of raspberries
  
  taste: sweet and massive with big rich tannins and a full body feel with rich tones of black cherries, liqueurs, dark raspberries, bits of caramel, oak, and all sorts of red and black currants with some heat on the back end
  
  overall: not really my style in the slightest. A big fruit bomb that is on the sweet side with very rich aromas and tones that almost overwhelms. Comes off with sweeter and hi-toned fruit tones then the big darker profile that the 05 possesed (92 pts.)

A very worthwhile experience. I hadn't had a termanthia before, and I appreciated drinking them, though they really aren't my style. What I found most interesting was how stressed the vines are as they are barely above the ground and look more like bushes then the trained vines we are used to seeing. The rootstalks are also all pre-phylloxera, so it provides a very rare taste for us to try.

Overall, while the Termanthias were impressive on their own, to me they didn't provide the character that the Numanthia bottling provides, so that's money that I can pretty much save and be quite happy with
Posted from CellarTracker

Check it out. You will be surprised by the number of quality bottles < $20.

Hey Wine People,

I am looking for a good Cabernet Sauvignon. Price point $7-$13 (wide variety).

I am pretty new to wine but I want something that is smooth and easy to drink. I like fruit.

I plan to drink 1-2 glasses per night for the health benefits that may accompany as well as just for enjoyment.

Any advice would help, I have had Sutter Home Moscato and liked it. Completely different wine of course so hard to compare. I do not know how the brand transfers.

i'd say if you can find a barnard griffifth cab from washington, that'd be a good place to start. I also wouldn't rule out some spanish garanchas and you can find some nice scilian nero d'avolas in that price range too

Had dinner the other night at Vintner Grill in Las Vegas, very nice, great wine list...

Had a wine I THINK was called Rossa Montalcino Pennini, although I can't seem to find it anywhere on the web, so I may have misremembered...it was a 2005 Sangiovese Blend...inexpensive, too. Incredibly drinkable and tasty and would like to find it again...anyone know what I'm talking about?

there's a lot of Rosso Di Montalcinos out there, so just find out the producer. Beware with rosso though as some producers take it seriously and make sure that they make good rossos, and then there's other producers who basically use their worst juice from the vintage for their rossos

you guys might want to try out "el unico" from baja california, very good wine

Noob Questions:

What kind of wines should be decanted and for how long? is it worth buying a decanter rather than letting it breath in the bottle?

I would appreciate some recommendations of wines that are widely available in the $15-30 range that are good. I like dry and full body reds mainly.

Wines that need breathing, ldo. Any wine that does need to aerate should definitely be decanted, as the opening in the wine bottle is too small for it to do so properly.

I just started doing wine tastings each week at a local shop by my house. Each week usually has a theme, so this week's is South American wines with an emphasis on Chile and Argentina. Here's what's on the list:

Estampa Viognier-Chardonnay
Melipal Malbec Rose
Santa Julia Sangiovese
Arauco Carmenere
Tomero Malbec
Estampa Gold (Carmenere-Cab-Cab Franc-Petit Verdot)

This is a great thread, KDawg. I've gotten a few suggestions to give a try from it.