Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2010 Fall Matlacha Vacation
#nb-17-10

My wife Mary, the "Chardonnay Queen", and I are headed to our little cottage by the sea in Matlacha, Florida, so there will not be a wine review for this week. We will be eating lots of fresh sea trout, bodacious amounts of fresh Gulf Shrimp, gobs of fresh crab, and bushels of Pine Island Clams.  We will be dining at several of the areas excellent seafood resturants, such as Reds, Sandy Hook, and Morettis'.
We will need awsome quantities of cold white wine to wash all this down with, so upon our return there will be a complete fishing, dining and wine report.

Price - Priceless
Score - 100

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:

dawsontimes.com or
pineisland-eagle.com

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2008 Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel
#nb-16-10

Big, fat, and jammy, and so good! No, I am not talking about a jelly roll, I am talking about the 2008 Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel. Mary the "Chardonnay Queen" said that "it tasted like somebody dropped a big old glob of blackberry jam into the middle of the glass!" Now everybody does not like "jammy", but I sure do! This Zinfandel is intense and very bold, with lots of big dark berry flavors swirling through it.

The Bogle Vineyards are located in the Sacramento Delta near Clarksburg, California, and the vines used to make this wine are about 45 to 80 years old. This Zinfandel has been aged for ten months in American Oak, which puts some tannin in its finish, and the wine is a sturdy 14.8% alcohol.

Many of the Italian immigrants who moved to California in the late 19th, and early 20th centuries, loved Zinfandel almost as much with their pasta as Chianti, and they planted a lot of Zinfandel throughout Northern California. Speaking of pasta, we enjoyed this bottle of Bogle Old Vines with a big plate of spaghetti covered with Norm's famous meat sauce. Spaghetti is always one of my most favorite meals, and this Zinfandel made it almost perfect!

This intense wine would also be great with any hearty stew, game meat, or barbecue. You won't find a better old vine Zinfandel in this price range. Norm's score is a 91.

Price - $10 - $14
Score - 91

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:

dawsontimes.com or
pineisland-eagle.com

2007 LOUIS LATOUR GRAND ARDECHE

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net






2007 Louis Latour Grand Ardeche Chardonnay
#nb-15-10

Another hot summer night, so for dinner we opted for a chilled seafood salad and a cold bottle of French Chardonnay. I often prefer French Chardonnays for this kind of meal because of their steely nature, imparted by the chalky soil that many grow in. This one was the 2007 Louis Latour Grand Ardeche Chardonnay from the south-centeral region of France, and more specificly the appellation Coteaux de l'Ardeche. It was a perfect match!

The negociant Maison Louis Latour has built an excellent reputation for themselves dating back to the 17th Century. Their wines are almost always above average, and this one drinks like a thirty dollar, or more, Burgundy! It has a fragrant nose with a slight citrus overtone. The flavor is the typical apple and pear taste found in many good Chardonnays, but what I like most is the crisp steely finish. The wine was fermented in oak and underwent 100% malolactic fermentation, but does not have the fruit forward characteristics often associated with this process.

Our seafood salad was a combination of shrimp, bay scallops, and poached salmon, served with seashell pasta spritzed with fresh lime juice and extra virgin olive oil, tossed and served well chilled over a bed of romaine. No further dressing was necessary. The crisp and clean Grand Ardeche served to complete a fabulous meal which only required the finishing touch of a small baguette of French Bread.
Norm's score is an 89.

Price - $12 - $16
Score - 89

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:

dawsontimes.com or
pineisland-eagle.com

2006 WILD HORSE PASO ROBLES MERLOT

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2006 Wild Horse Paso Robles Merlot
#nb-14-10

Twenty-one months ago "The Wine Spectator" scored the 2006 Wild Horse Merlot an 85 with the following comments; "Ripe and zesty, with plum and roasted herb aromas and red currant and exotic Asian spice flavors. Drink now." A lot of you did. However there are still some bottles of the 2006 left in the market place, and what an improvement those couple of years have made for this wine.

We just had a bottle last night with some wonderful Beef Stroganoff, and my score would be a 90 at this point in its life. It is dark red in color with a nose of black cherry and currant. The flavors are complex with maturity, but have not lost any of their bright fruit zest. The combination of cherry and cassis swril together with the slight presence of spice, and flow into a well rounded finish of mild toasty tannin. So often we consume wine at too early an age, but four years old may be the perfect place in time to enjoy this Merlot.

Our recipe for Beef Stroganoff is hard to beat, but the Wild Horse would be a great choice for grilled steaks, or any skewered meat from the grill. Find a bottle an enjoy it before they all disapear! Norm's score is 90.

Price - $14 - $18
Score - 90

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:

dawsontimes.com or
pineisland-eagle.com

2008 TOAD HOLLOW CHARDONNAY

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2008 Toad Hollow Francine's Selection Chardonnay
#nb-13-10

Toad Hollow Vineyard was founded by the brother of comedian Robin Williams, Todd (Toad) Williams, and former International Star Dancer, Rodney Strong, also know as the "King of Sonoma County" wine makers. Their first vintage of Chardonnay was produced in 1993 with 90% Mendicino County grapes and 10% from Sonoma County, and with no oak.

They adopted the slogan, "No trees were harmed in the making of this wine". It continues to be so today. They still use the 90-10 mixture of grapes at Toad Hollow, and the wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel.

The 2008 Toad Hollow Chardonnay has undergone malolactic fermentation, and was aged for eight months before its release. The wine comes in at 13.7% alcohol, and has a creamy texture on the palate due to the malolactic fermentation. Both "Dr. Toad" and the "Sonoma Wine King" have passed on to the great vineyard in the sky, but the winery continues to produce wines in the same fashion and of the same quality.

The 2008 Francine's Selection is bright and clean on the palate. The nose is of pineapple and tropical fruit, which flows on into a taste of apple and pineapple, and finishes clean and crisp with no cloying aftertaste. Another great summertime selection for a light, un-oaked Chardonnay to be paired with light fare, such as broiled flounder or a crisp southwestern chicken salad. Norm's score is an 86.

Price - $11 - $14
Score - 86

Norm


Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:

dawsontimes.com or
pineisland-eagle.com