2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay

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






2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay
#nb-39-11


Quite often I am asked to recommend a good Chardonnay, for a decent price, to be served at weddings or other social gatherings. During the past five years this has been an easy question to answer because regardless of vintage, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay from the Columbia Valley In Washington has been a great answer! Its scores have been consistently in the high eighties and low nineties year after year.

The 2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle is an in-between style, which is somewhat classic French, and a little bit California, and is neither too fruit forward, nor too steely in nature. It has the true Chardonnay flavors of apple and pear which are accented by a hint of oak. This vintage was aged Surlie for about six months in both French and American oak. The finish is clean and crisp, with a little toasty oak and a slight citrus breeze, as it reminds the palate of the need for just one more sip. The alcohol content is 14%.

This is one Chardonnay which is so consistant that I bought several bottles of this 2010 vintage without even tasting it, because I new it would be good! We enjoyed this bottle with broiled Cod fillets accompanied by pasta Alfredo, and a fresh garden salad. It was wonderful! This wine will be excellent with almost any fish or fowl dish, or just by itself.  Norm's score is 89.

Price: $11 to $14
Score: 89

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

2010 R. Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon

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






2010 R. Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-38-11


The 2010 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is big, rich and smooth, with a lot of character, and was a great choice for our two inch thick, medium rare, fillet mignon! The Private Selection label is a secondary one for the winery, but with this Cab, it doesn't have to stand in line behind anyone.

The wine is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah, 3% Merlot, with hints of Petite Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. It was aged in oak for twelve months, and the alcohol content is 13.5%. This is not just a bottle of cheap juice, but has all the finesse and character of a Cab costing a lot more than ten dollars a bottle.

The aroma of dark berries and plums transcends into flavors of black cherry complimented by swirls of blackberry, rounding into a smooth and lingering finish backed up by sturdy tannins. This is a complex wine with simple manners, and a taste which begs for another sip! In the past this label has been an excellent choice for a value priced Cabernet, but the 2010 vintage is a good choice regardless of the price tag. Norm's score is 89.


Price: $9 to $12
Score: 89

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 Sterling Vintner's Collection Chardonnay

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






2009 Sterling Vintner's Collection Chardonnay
#nb-37-11



Sterling Vineyards was founded in 1964 near Calistoga, California by Englishman Peter Newton. The first plantings were Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot, and these varieties still represent some of the winery's best efforts. At the northern end of the Napa Valley, the view from the winery offers some of the most scenic views in the entire valley.

In the year 2000 the winery introduced their Vintner's Collection series from the Central Coast region, and offered a more value priced selection to their extensive presentations.  The latest vintage of Chardonnay in the Sterling Vintner's Collection is the 2009 Central Coast Chardonnay.

This is a delicate and pleasant Chardonnay with a pale straw color and a nose of fresh flowers and a hint of honeysuckle. The flavors feature tropical fruit such as pineapple and mango with swirls of peach and pear. The finish is mild and pleasant with just a suggestion of oak. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

We enjoyed this bottle of wine with a dish best described as Mexican style Shrimp Creole served with fresh asparagus and jasmine rice. This wine would also be a good companion for Chicken Alfredo or Flounder Florentine. Norm's score is 85.


Price: $10 to $14
Score: 85

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 B Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

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






2009 B Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-36-11


When I first got in the wine business, I loved Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, California so much, that I hardly ever drank any other red wine. After a few decades in the wine business, I have learned to enjoy wonderful wines from all over the world. However, when I open a really good bottle of Napa Cabernet, its like coming home. After all, I was born there many long years ago, back when there were more fruit orchards than grape vineyards in the Napa. Valley.

The history of the Sabastiani family also goes back quite aways in California, and the winery of Don Sabastiani and Sons has continued a fine family tradition. The 2009 B Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an extension of that tradition in its finest. I have sampled a few of the previous vintages and have enjoyed them all. The 2009 is a big tasting Cab for a reasonable price, and I enjoyed this one as well.

This wine is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Malbec, and all of the grapes were grown in the Napa Valley. The Malbec and some of the Cabernet comes from Rutherford, while the balance of the Cabernet is from the Stags Leap District. The wine is 14.7% alcohol and was aged in French oak.

B Side opens up with a nose as dark and intense as its vibrant deep purple color. The aromas of black cherry and currants lead into flavors of dark cherry and plum with a strong over-riding blackberry influence. There are gobs of fruit accompanied by a slight chocolate whisper, which finish with sturdy tannins for a refined oak finish. This is the real deal, we ain't in Kansas Toto! I love Napa Cabs and this is a very good example of Napa's "Bottled Poetry", and at around twenty dollars it is comparable to a lot of Cabs costing twice as much.

We enjoyed this wonderful bottle of wine with a two inch thick New York strip cooked a perfect medium rare. I don't know what could be better! Norm's score is 92.


Price: $19 to $24
Score: 92

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

2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot

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






2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot
#nb-35-11


Anytime you can get a quality bottle of wine for around ten dollars, you know you are going to have a successful dinner even if you are not the world's greatest cook. Just get a bottle of the 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot, and throw a couple of steaks on the grill, and you are in business.

"The Grand Estates Merlot holds center court in the vast Columbia Crest portfolio. This new release, which has received extra bottle age, is seamless, smoky, supple and seductive. Exotic sandalwood and Asian spices weave from the nose into the palate, wrapped around broad black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors. A darker streak of black olive and licorice runs into a finish replete with tannins that are tight and hint at stem." 88 Points - The Wine Enthusiast

We have enjoyed many vintages of the Grand Estates Merlot in the past, and the 2007 ranks right up there with some of the best from years gone by. The wine has an excellent nose with aromas of cherry and dark berries assaulting your senses. The flavors abound with the same cherry and blackberry flavors, coupled with subtle hints of oak which lead into a clean and lingering finish. This Merlot is actually a blend containing small amounts of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon to balance out its complex taste. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

This a good sturdy bottle of wine which will make an able companion to almost any grilled meat, or spicy sauced meat or pasta dish. If you love sipping red wine, this would be a favorite to be enjoyed with a hearty Vermont white cheddar cheese. Norm's score is 91.

Price: $11 to $15
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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cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
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WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 d'Arenberg The Stump Jump Red

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






2009 d' Arenberg The Stump Jump Red
#nb-34-11


Making wine since 1927, the d' Arenberg Winery near McLaren Vale, Australia, has not only grown some pretty good grapes, they have grown themselves a pretty good reputation for making good wines as well. The 2009 The Stump Jump Red is a blend of 42% Grenache, 33% Shiraz and 25% Mourvedre and has the finesse of wines costing two or three times as much!

The wine opens with the aromas of red berries and plums, which become quite heady the longer the wine remains in the glass. The flavors suggest the plums plus blackberries, and a slight peppery undertone, supplied, no doubt, from the Shiraz. The wine has a firm grasp of your senses which lingers on into a smooth and mild finish of tannin and toasty oak, which serve to clean the palate and require closer examination in the next sip.

This is a wonderful bottle of wine, for not a lot of money, and is delightful with almost any grilled meat or spicy dish. The Stump Jump Red would be a perfect companion for venison stew with fresh warm sourdough bread. If the Fall weather gets you out to your grill, then take a bottle of The Stump Jump with you to consume while you are cooking. That is, of course, if you have another bottle available for the dinner. Norm's score is 89.

Price: $10 to $14
Score: 89

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 Kris Pinot Grigio

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






2010 Kris Pinot Grigio
#nb-33-11


A bouquet of flowers burst upon your senses like magnolias and gardenias on a hot southern night. The warm aromas of this Pinot Grigio descend to your taste buds with a blanket of rich fruit, suggesting peaches and melon. The 2010 Kris Pinot Grigio is full of flavor and creates a pleasant assault on your taste buds which continues on into a delightful clean finish, with faint memories of flowers and fruit.

Kris is a secondary label for the wines of Franz Haas, whose family-run estate has been producing wine from Italy since 1880. The Kris is 100% Pinot Grigio, and is made from grapes grown in the Delle Venezie, near Friuli, Italy. These grapes were harvested in September of 2010, and were fermented in stainless steel tanks to produce an un-altered Pinot Grigio taste which is clean and crisp. This wine will be best drunk in the next eighteen months. The alcohol content is 12.5%.

We enjoyed this delightful Pinot Grigio with a lemon-pepper roasted chicken, accompanied by fresh yellow crook-neck squash and baked potato. This wine would also be excellent with Pasta Alfredo, or a mild seafood dish like broiled flounder, with white clam sauce. This is also a top candidate for a "back porch sipper". Norm's score is 90.

Price: $12 to $15
Score: 90

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