2010 Kim Crawford Marlborough Un-Oaked Chardonnay

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






2010 Kim Crawford Marlborough Un-Oaked Chardonnay
#nb-13-12



Delightful and refreshing are the first thoughts which come to mind after sampling the 2010 Kim Crawford Un-Oaked Chardonnay from Marlborough, New Zealand. Although New Zealand is best known for Sauvignon Blanc, there are also some very good Chardonnays, especially from the Marlborough area. This is a clean and crisp, fruit forward Chardonnay, with none of the more heavy characteristics of an oak finished Chardonnay.

The nose has a lush fragrance of flowers, fruit, and a touch of butterscotch. The big fruit taste contains the essence of pineapple with a supporting cast of apples and melon, and that hint of butterscotch continues to develop on your palate. The finish with the absence of oak, is clean and inviting. The wine did undergo malolactic fermentation which serves to enhance the big fruit flavors.

We enjoyed this one with "Shrimp on the Barbie", but it would also pair well with any seafood or fowl dish, especially Shrimp and Pasta Primavera. Norm's score is 86.


Score: 86
Price: $14 - $18


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

2009 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel

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






2009 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel
#nb-12-12



Back in the 1800's when Italian immigrants first brought Zinfandel, which they called Primitivo, to California, the vine began to flourish almost immediately. Today we think of Zinfandel as a native grape, even though it isn't. The older the vine the more robust and flavorful the wine when it comes to Zinfandel, like most other varieties. How old is old? Some of those old California vines are more than one hundred years old, but anything over twenty five produces some pretty good wine.

The 2009 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel is rich and robust with a nose of red berries, which leads you into abundant flavors of raspberry and ripe, juicy blackberries. This is a jammy zinfandel with a touch of pepper to compliment the big fruit flavors which finish strong with a little tannin, and a whisper of spice. The alcohol content is 14.5%.

This wine is great with grilled chops, barbecue, spaghetti, or even backyard burgers. For a real treat, sample a glass on the back porch with some red grapes and a mellow slice of colby cheese. Norm's score is 87.


Score: 87
Price: $9 - $12

Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

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






2009 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-11-12


I love steak. I love steak cooked on the grill. I love steak cooked on the grill and paired with a good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon! For me, there is no better meal than a two inch thick fillet mignon cooked on the grill medium rare, and served with a good bottle of Cab, like the 2009 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. What else can I say? Well I could tell you what a beautiful place the Knights Valley is.

The Knights Valley is located in Sonoma County about half way between Healdsburg and St. Helena, over in Napa County, where the Beringer Winery is located. The meandering two lane highway which passes through the beautiful valley is one of the most picturesque vineyard drives in all of California. I think it is worth the drive to see this small agricultural gem, even if you aren't heading in that direction for any other reason.

I enjoyed the first Beringer Knights Valley Cab to arrive in the Atlanta area back in the mid 1980's and I haven't missed many since then. The 2009 is one of the best in quite awhile! In the last ten years scores for this wine have ranged between 88 and 92, with "The Wine Spectator" giving this 2009 vintage a 91. Maybe my steak was extra good, but I am scoring this one a 93.

The wine is dark red in color and rich in flavor. The nose is full of blackberry jam with cherry sauce. This a polished Cab with layered flavors of black cherry, plum, and blackberry, leading into a strong and lingering finish, accented by silky tannins and juicy rich fruit traces. There is almost no time to taste the steak, because you want another sip of the wine! This is a lot of Cab for the money. Norm's score is 93.



Score: 93
Price: $20 - $26


Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Edna Valley Paragon Chardonnay

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






2009 Edna Valley Paragon Chardonnay
#nb-10-12


The Edna Valley is located just a few miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, near San Louis Obispo, where the growing season is longer than most Chardonnay regions in California. The climate seems to be very good for Chardonnay, since there have been some really good vintages from the Edna Valley Winery over the last few decades. The 2009 Edna Valley Paragon Chardonnay is one of many fine examples over the years, which have established a reputation for consistency, for the winery and the Paragon Vineyard.

We enjoyed a bottle the other night with a rich fish chowder, which contained fish, crab, and shrimp, and it was delightful. This is a fragrant wine whose powerful aroma leaps out of the glass and takes control of you senses from the very beginning. The flavors abound with big layers of pear, apricot, and pineapple being the most dominate. The finish is suggestive of oak, with vanilla and spice, which continue into a clean lingering aftertaste. The alcohol level is a pleasant 13.9%.

This would be a great companion for almost any fish or fowl dish, and while it was great with our fish chowder, I can imagine that it would be even better with something more powerful, like bouillabaisse. Norm's score is 90.



Score: 90
Price: $10 - $13

Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2010 Root One Carmenere

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






2010 Root One Carmenere
#nb-09-12



The last time I wrote about the Root One Carmenere we were having spaghetti, and we chose the 2009 Root One Carmenere instead of Chianti. Now a year later, it seemed that the right thing to do was to have a repeat with the 2010 vintage for a good comparison. Of course spaghetti at the Bentley house is a real treat, and so was the 2010 Root One Carmenere.

Root One Carmenere is grown in the Colchagua Valley of Chile, where it enjoys warm sunny days, and cooling pacific breezes in the evening. Carmenere, "the lost grape of Bordeaux", can best be described as a taste in between the flavors of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, but make no mistake, this wine has a personality all its own. It is rich and bold with a strong backbone laced with heavy fruit flavors.

This 2010 vintage is dark red to purple in the glass with a fragrant nose suggesting the berry patch. The flavor has a pronounced blackberry dominance with a background of plum and spice, with a slight touch of pepper. The wine was aged for ten months in both French and American oak, which supplied a smooth vanilla tinged tannin to the finish. The Root One is 90% Carmenere with 5% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It is 13.8% alcohol, and tastes like a much more expensive Bordeaux.

This is one of the best all around red wines on the market for ten dollars or less! It is great with spaghetti or any other spicy dish, and is a good companion to grilled steak.

Norm's score is 88.



Score: 88
Price: $9 - $11


Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available online at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com








WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity