20. June 2009 by Azat.

I had an awesome evening recently with my 2 friends at Palate Wine bar.  Will write about it soon but want to write about the wine that we had which was pretty awesome.  2006 Clos Saint Jean Chateauneauf du Pape Vieilles Vignes.  The wine was very rich with lots of enticing fig sauce, heavy raspberry tones, melted licorice and boysenberry fruit notes. Sweet spice notes linger in the mouth for a long time and it has a rounded finish.

Robert Parker says, “Under the inspired winemaking talent of Rhone oenologist Philippe Cambie in addition to proprietor Vincent Maurel, 2003 marked a breakthrough vintage for Clos Saint-Jean, and that has been followed by some of the finest wines of 2004 and blockbusters again in 2005. This 120-acre estate possesses some of the best old vine parcels of the appellation and has always had enormous potential, but the style of aging the wines in foudres for 5-6 years or longer resulted in too many wines that were dried out and lacked freshness. That has all changed under Cambie’s inspired winemaking, which keeps the Grenache in large foudres or demi-muids, and then ages the Syrah and Mourvedre components in smaller barrels. Yields, which were already low, have been lowered even further, and the wine is now bottled with neither fining nor filtration. If you haven’t caught on to the exquisite quality of Clos Saint-Jean’s Chateauneuf du Papes, now is the time. Just a reminder – their 2003s were some of the great wines of that irregular vintage in Chateauneuf du Pape, and they can still be found in the marketplace. These wines still remain somewhat underpriced vis-a-vis their quality, and a real bargain is the regular cuvee of Chateauneuf du Pape, normally a blend of 70-75% Grenache all aged in tank or large foudres and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault.”

Rating
“The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes’ darkopaque color is accompanied by a gorgeous nose of incense, licorice, spice box, creme de cassis, cherries, and smoked meats. Notions of soy and fig are also apparent in this full-bodied, concentrated, sexy wine. Enjoy it over the next 12-15+ years.”-Robert Parker 93 Points

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29. March 2009 by Azat.

Last night went to 3 Drunken Goats up in Montrose area of Glendale for some wine and tapas.  I noticed that on the wine rack they had a bottle of The Prisoner and asked if we can have that.  At $34 it was a steal in a restaurant.

The Prisoner: its simply the most delicious Zin blend available that i have tasted. Its predominantly Zinfandel(50%) with a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blended in, it’s up there with the best California Zins that cost twice as much. Zin blends are some of the most exciting wines coming out of California today and this is perhaps the finest example. Don’t miss this delicious fruit bomb bursting with deep, rich flavors. The best release yet from Orin Swift Cellars.

92 Points Wine Spectator: “Offers both style and structure, with lively aromas of black raspberry, cracked pepper and mocha, with plush and layered flavors pf wild berry, fresh sage and licorice. Ripe tannins sneak in on the finish.  Drink now through 2014.”

The 2007 Prisoner blend is 50% Zinfandel, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 9% Petite Sirah and a dash of Charbono and Grenache.

For the price I think The Prisoner is one of the best Zin blends I have ever had.  You can find it for under $30 at some wine shops.  I suggest you buy a few and stack up.

As for 3 Drunken Goats its a great place to go and have wonderful Spanish wine and food.  They also have some wine available for retail that you can consume in the establishment at retail prices…

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8. February 2009 by Azat.

First let me say that on the top of my list of wine varietals is Chateauneuf du Pape.  In the past 10-15 years they have become favorite wine of many who like classic/old world wines.  Robert Parker is a big fan of them and CDPs consistently make the top of his list year after year.  One would think he was an honorary citizen of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Lit me give you a brief history of the town in France nad the type of grapes grown there from Wikipedia.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a town and commune in the Vaucluse département in Provence, in southern France. Its name derives from a castle built by the Popes when they ruled from Avignon.

The village and three other surrounding communes produce wine, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region. Unlike its northern Rhône neighbors, Châteauneuf-du-Pape permits thirteen different varieties of grape; the blend is usually predominantly Grenache. Other red grapes include Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Syrah, Terret Noir, and Vaccarèse. White grapes include Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picardin, Roussanne, and Picpoul. In recent years, the trend has been to include fewer (or even none) of the allowed white varieties and rely heavily (or solely) upon the Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah. One may suspect that this is a response to international wine-market trends and the desire to have this sometimes-rustic wine appeal to a broader commercial audience.

Before wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. began promoting them, the wines of Châteauneuf were considered rustic and of limited appeal in the U.S. However, his influence increased their price more than fourfold in a decade. In gratitude, the Châteauneuf Winemakers Union pushed for his becoming an honorary citizen of the village.

Now lets talk about one of the best to come from CDP at a semi reasonable price of 65 dollars.  I know its a bit high but its a good wine.  In the future I will list others that are much lower but today we will start with 2006 Vieux Telegraphe CDP.

Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf 2006

The 2006 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape, which is aged only in foudre and bottled with minimal clarification, is a more masculine, muscular effort than most 2006s. Its dark ruby/purple color is followed by notions of the sushi seaweed wrapper, nori, interwoven with incense, lavender, pepper, and copious quantities of black cherry and raspberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, with moderate tannin, and good structure as well as depth, it will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age, and should keep for 15 or more years.

93 points Wine Advocate (Robert Parker)

I had  this wine few weeks back.  While the wine was still very young and can for sure benefit from another few years in the bottle it was an exceptional wine.  Big, crisp and spicy with peppery blackberry and blueberry fruit.  Hints spices like vanilla, clove and cinnamon can be tasted in the mouth.  Lots of sweet tannins which should help withe the aging of this beauty.

I would give this wine 4 stars and at 65 its not cheap but the quality for price ratio is very high.  This should be a great combo with grilled lamb or even pork chops

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2. February 2009 by Azat.

 2005 Chappellet “Signature” Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

90+ points from Robert Parker: “Revealing a deeper ruby/purple color as well as a classic bouquet of blueberries, creme de cassis, spring flowers, and background earth, the medium to full-bodied, moderately tannic 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon(link to the 2006 vintage) can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15 years.” (Dec. 2008)

I got 3 bottles at the winery last summer and had the first bottle today post Superbowl with some BBQ.  The is an exceptional wine.  Dark garnet.  Black cherry and oak on the nose.  Black cherry forward fruit that takes on chocolate flavors on the finish, moderate acid, moderate soft tannins, long fruity finish.  In many ways this wine reminds me of many of the Bordeaux style wines.  This is a very nice wine with lots of fruit and interesting complexity. It is accessible now and will soften out more with a few years of aging.  Too bad I only have 2 left.

I would rank this wine 4 stars and it is a bit on the pricey side for my day to day consumption at $40 but it is a great wine for special occasions.

On a different note the picture in my intro is from the winery.  If you ever go to Napa you have to make a visit to the winery.  Its beautiful.

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20. January 2009 by Azat.

It would be a crime if I started a blog without doing my first post about my favorite wine all time…  However before I do talk about “The Boxer” from Mollydooker I want to explain the name behind 90PlusWine.com.  The main reason is that majority of the wine I consume is rated 90 points or higher by one of the major wine rating magazines(Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate(my favorite) and Wine Spectator).  Its natural for the wine that is rated high to be of better quality however wine does not necessarily need to be expensive to be 90+ points and these are the wines that I will talk about most in this blog.  Often you will see gems in the 8-12 dollar range that get great ratings.  In addition to that you will often see different agencies rank/rate wine differently and I have notices that my pallet will agree more with that of Robert Parkers ratings from Wine Advocate…  over time we will talk more about each but enough of that for now.

Lets talk about 2005 “The Boxer”.

Here is what Parker said about it “The Boxer Shiraz exhibits a black/blue purple color, an incredible density of fruit, along with that tell tale purity, blackberries, white flowers, melted chocolate, sweet licorice and subtle wood. Full bodied, beautifully textured and layered, with an awesome finish it should drink well for 4-6+ years. 95 points. Robert Parker Jr Wine Advocate # 165”

I first tried “The Boxer” about 3 years ago.  Had always been a big fan of Marquis Philips wines especially S2 and #9.  When I heard they had left that venture and started Mollydooker I had to try their new wine.  I got an early shipment of Two left Feet(we will talk about it some other time) and The Boxer.  I immediately opened a bottle of the boxer and decanter it and let it sit for an hour(in general I always recommend people decant their reds an hour or 2 prior to consumption).  When I tried my first sip I knew I was hooked to this new wine from them.  It bursts in your mouth with multiple of flavors and has a great aroma.  It is a VERY powerful, big, bold Shiraz from Australian McLaren Valley.  The taste lasts for long time and will linger in your mouth for a good 20-30 seconds after you swallow the wine.  Tones of raspberry, cherry, chocolate and oak last a long time.  The color of the wine is dark dark burgundy.  You hardly notice light even when held to the sky

I give this wine a 4 ½ stars only because I have tasted 3-4 bottles that are true 5 stars and I hate giving 5 stars and its only about $20.  Cant buy any wine in that price range that can compare.
Label for The Boxer

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