2010 Robert Mondavi Private Selection California Riesling

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2010 Robert Mondavi Private Selection California Riesling
#nb-16-11


Not many wines pair well with ham, but Riesling does. The salty, sweet flavors of the ham are complimented by the fruity flavors of the Riesling. For our Easter Ham this year, we enjoyed a bottle of 2010 Robert Mondavi Private Selection California Riesling. The grapes in this bottle were grown in Monterey County and include small amounts of Gewurztraminer and Muscat Canelli, as well as the White Riesling. The wine is 12%alcohol.

Riesling tastes more like eating a ripe grape than any other variety. The Mondavi has an aromatic bouquet suggesting peaches and apricots. The flavor is abundant with apples and peaches, with a slight nuance of lemon citrus. The finish is fruity, but balanced with enough acidity to give it a clean and crisp lingering aftertaste.

Our ham dinner included fresh green beans, honey glazed carrots, and the all time favorite Southern Comfort Food, homemade macaroni and cheese. The Mondavi Riesling was great with this assortment of flavors! This wine would also be a perfect companion to ripe grapes and a soft cheese like Gouda, for sipping on the back porch on a hot summer's day.


Price: $9 to $12
Score: 88

Norm

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WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2009 Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-15-11


Having been born in Napa, California, I have confessed on many occasions that I have a strong preference for Napa Cabs, and since Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite wine, I have sampled quite a few over the years. It is, therefore with no small acclaim, that I now say that there are Cabs from Chile for twelve or fifteen dollars which will best a lot of Napa Cabs in the twenty dollar range!

I sampled the 2009 Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile recently, and would say it is one of those wines. This is a bold and elegant Cabernet with a big nose, and an abundance of rich dark fruit. The flavors swirl with cherry, currant, and a hint of chocolate, and sail on into a lingering mild oak finish. The wine spent nine months in small French and American oak barrels where it developed this balanced finish between the fruit and the oak.

We enjoyed this wonderful bottle of wine with skewered cubes of filet mignon, and chunks of pineapple and onion basted with teriyaki sauce. These kabobs were cooked to a perfect medium rare, and served with yellow saffron rice. The Santa Carolina Cab was great with this meal, and was proof of the fine value in wines from Chile. Norm's score on this one is a 90.

Price: $11 to $15
Score: 90

Norm


Norm's Tasting Notes can also be accessed at his Blog: http: //normwine.blogspot.com

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WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net



2009 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay Chardonnay
#nb-14-11


My wife Mary is known as "The Queen of Chardonnay" because she loves Chardonnay wines and really has a discerning palate when it comes to these wonderful white wines, which are the number one selling grape variety in the world. Her favorite Chardonnays come from the vineyards of Rodney Strong, and we have enjoyed many wonderful vintages from several of the different Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards.

The Chalk Hill vineyard is located in Sonoma County, and is known for its chalky white soil, which is similar to Montrachet in Burgundy, home to some of the best Chardonnays in the world. The 2009 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay is clean and crisp, with a mineral background from the chalky soil, and a good representative of this style of wine.

The aroma of this straw colored wine is that of pears and melon, which lead into these flavors blending together with the taste of crisp green apples for a true chardonnay character. The wine was barrel aged for ten months and finishes with a hint of oak. Malolactic fermentation produces a creamy texture which compliments the aforementioned clean and crisp taste.

We wanted to pair this wine with an appropriate meal, so we went online at www.rodneystrong.com/recipes and borrowed a recipe for "Sauteed Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon", which helped us produce a delightful dinner. The wine and the salmon were a perfect match, and once again we enjoyed another treat from the folks at Rodney Strong.

Price: $15 to $20
Score: 87

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes can also be accessed at his Blog: http: //normwine.blogspot.com

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Wine - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2009 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-13-11


My first experience with Concha y Toro wines from Chile was in the mid 80's when I was a wine merchant in Buckhead. I was delighted by the pleasure of such an in-expensive wine! Over the years Concha y Toro has continued to be a value leader, producing wines which are well worth more than their purchase price. They produce several labels at different price points, of which the Casillero del Diablo is always a best buy.

The 2009 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon is the latest in a series of vintages to receive solid scores in the wine trade, and I would give the 2009 a 90. The wine is a beautiful dark red color, which just looks pretty as you pour it. The nose opens with a burst of cherries, plums and cassis. The flavor abounds with the cherry and plum accents, and I confess that the cherry flavor in Cabernet Sauvignon is my personal favorite. The finish is strong and clean with mild tannin overtones obtained from 70% oak aging. The alcohol content is 13.5%, and releases no heat at all into the wine.

You would have a long search to find a better Cabernet Sauvignon in the $10 to $12 range. This one pairs well with steak or other grilled meats, and we enjoyed it with a meaty beef and Italian sausage spaghetti, "Oh Mama Mia!"


Price: $9 to $13
Score: 90

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes can also be accessed at his Blog: http: //normwine.blogspot.com

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Wine - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Castle Rock Willamette Pinot Gris

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net





2009 Castle Rock Willamette Valley Pinot Gris
#nb-12-11


The first time I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Gris, I was told that the grape was a dryer cousin to Pinot Grigio. Well not exactly; here is the definition from Wikipedia:

“Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety...Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name (gris meaning "grey" in French) . The wines produced from this grape also vary in colour from a deep golden yellow to copper and even a light shade of pink. The clone of Pinot gris grown in Italy is known as Pinot grigio.”

Of course both of these grapes are grown in the United States, and the one I enjoyed most recently was the 2009 Castle Rock Pinot Gris from The Willamette Valley in Oregon. This Pinot Gris starts out with a subtle bouquet of flowers surrounded by ripe melon accents. The flavor is mindful of apples and peaches, with a hint of the melon presence in the background. This wine finishes strong with good balance between the fruit and acidity, and lingers on the palate with a crisp and dry aftertaste.

The "Wine and Spirits" magazine liked it enough to give it a 90, and commented, "Leesy, almost biscuity in aroma, this wine has ripe and round flavors and a broad middle palate, with just enough acidity to shore up those flavors. Serve as an aperitif."

We enjoyed the Castle Rock with a dinner of boiled shrimp, and it was excellent! I would recommend it with almost any seafood fare, and give it a score of 91.

Price: $10 to $14
Score: 91

Norm

Norm's Tasting Notes can also be accessed at his Blog: http: //normwine.blogspot.com

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:

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Wine - God's proof of his love for humanity