2010 Meridian Vineyards Chardonnay

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






2010 Meridian Vineyards Chardonnay
#nb-05-12


Meridian Vineyards produces an excellent Chardonnay, for a value price, from grapes grown in Santa Barbara County, California. The climate there is warm during the day and cooled at night by incoming Pacific Coast breezes. The 2010 Meridian Vineyards Chardonnay is a great choice for a wine typical of California Chardonnay, with lots of fruit and a clean finish.

We enjoyed a bottle of the Meridian Chardonnay recently with some broiled cod and a side of pasta Alfredo, accompanied by warm bread and a tossed salad. The Meridian is a pale straw color, and is bright and crisp with lots of good fruit suggesting apples and pears, with a mellow and toasty oak finish. There is a slight citrus taste in the finish which complements the fruit and oak flavors.

This wine would also pair well with cold fried chicken, or some cheese and a bowl of fruit. It also gets my recommendation as a "Back Porch Sipper", to be enjoyed by itself. Norm's score is 86.

Score: 86

Price: $8 - $10

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

1997 Clos du Val Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

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





1997 Clos du Val Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-04-12


We don't regularly drink fifteen year old bottles of wine, but the other night, we broke out a bottle of wine given to me by one of my favorite salesmen several years ago. Of course ten to fifteen years old is often the the correct age range for a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to be at its best. This one was the 1997 Clos du Val Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was excellent, and just about at its peak.

1997 was the 25th anniversary of Clos du Val, and this was a significant release to commemorate their anniversary. I believe there are still some bottles of this available on-line at around $100. The original release price in 2000 was around $50. Clos du Val is located in the Napa Valley about 5 miles north of Napa on the Silverado Trail. This Cabernet was aged in oak for 14 months and has an alcohol content of 13.5%.

In 2000 the "Wine Enthusiast" rated the Clos Du Val Cab at a 90 score, but the extra ten years in the bottle have improved the wine, and I would now say that it is at least a 95. The fruit presence is still powerful, with abundant flavors of cherry and blueberry swimming amid nuances of spice and herbal flowers. The tannins have mellowed and the wine exhibts a smooth and mellow vanilla oak presence. The finish is long and lingering with less acidity than the wine would have had ten years ago.

All in all, this is what a mature Cab should taste like at the peak of its life. It is with regret that we cannot enjoy wines like this one more often. It would have been nice to have a whole case, but I am thankful for the bottle we enjoyed, and the friend who made it available to us.

Norm's score is 95.



Score: 95
Price: $49 - $99

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 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon

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






2009 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-03-12


More than five years of scores of 90 or better! Now that's consistent! The 2009 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, from Concha y Toro of Chile, gets a 91 score from the "Wine Enthusiast", and a 92 score from Norm!

I have enjoyed the wines from Concha y Toro for many years, and they are always a great buy in the nine to twelve dollar range, but for about ten bucks more, you get a really superb bottle of wine from the Marques de Casa Concha label. This wine hails from the Puente Vineyard near the town of the same name, and this Cabernet vineyard has established Concha y Toro as a premier purveyor of Cabernet Sauvignon.

We enjoyed a bottle of Marques de Casa Concha Cab the other night along with a two inch thick rib eye, and it was a delightful experience. Of course the wine was so good, I could hardly concentrate on the food. This is a big, well rounded Cab with gobs of cherry and cassis flavors assaulting your senses. The finish is well balanced with a mild oak signature after its fourteen months in the barrel. Not only does the sensation linger, but the delicious flavors sail on into the night!

This wonderful wine would of course pair well with any grilled meat, but if you really like Cabernet Sauvignon, get a bottle and drink it by itself! Norm's score is 92.


Score: 92
Price: $19 - $24

Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available N>onN>line at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

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






2009 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-02-12


My favorite wine has always been Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2009 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is one that just hits the spot with a little grilled meat on a cold winter night. We enjoyed a bottle the other night with marinated grilled pork loin chops, with baked potato and stir-fried yellow and zucchini squash. It was wonderful!

This is a blended wine with 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and a little Malbec and Petit Verdot. It was aged for fourteen months in both French and American oak, and comes in at 13.9% alcohol. This Estate wine received a 90 score, and was picked as an editor's choice by the "Wine Enthusiast" magazine.

This Alexander Valley Cab is full-bodied, with a heady aroma backed up by rich full flavors of cassis and black cherry. This one grows in the glass, so let it sit for a few moments to develop its robust flavors, and then sail with you off into a warm, mellow, lingering finish, with a touch of toasty oak. It is easy to see why the "Wine Enthusiast" picked this one for an "Editor's Choice"!

The Alexander Valley Cab would be great with any grilled meat, and would also be wonderful alongside a big plate of Italian sausage with peppers and onions, and lots of red clam sauce. Oh Mama Mia! Norm's score is 89.


Score: 89
Price: $16 - $20


Norm

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

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







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Bogel California Chardonnay

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






2009 Bogel California Chardonnay
#nb-01-12


The best selling grape variety in America is Chardonnay, so we might as well start out the new year with an article about Chardonnay. The 2009 Bogel California Chardonnay is a good solid example of a well-structured bottle of wine for a respectful price. The Wine Spectator liked it well enough to give it an 88 with the following comments:

"An amazing wine, especially at this price. Fresh, intense and vibrant, with sweet pea, green apple, melon and honeysuckle notes that are full-bodied, ending with a clean, crisp finish. The best of three bottles tasted. Drink now through 2014." - 88 points - WS

The Chardonnay Queen and I also liked it for an 88 score, but with a few differences with our taste buds. Most of all, we did not notice the "sweet pea", but everything else seemed to be spot on. I liked the blending of apple and melon, with a hint of pear in its taste, which transfered into a balanced finish, with just a touch of mellow oak. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

We enjoyed this bottle of wine with my wife's Special Shrimp Scampi, which has lots of garlic. The Bogel would be a good companion for almost any fish or fowl dinner, and especially Scallops Alfredo. Norm's score is 88.


Score: 88
Price: $9 - $12

Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available N>onN>line at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine

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






Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine
#nb-45-11



Break out the bubbly its almost New Year's!

Over the years I have heard many make the comment, "I don't really like champagne, so I don't think that I will get any this year for the 31st." When asked what kind of champagne they have had in the past, the answer is often Andre. Well Andre really is not champagne, its just inexpensive sparkling wine.

So what's the difference? Well Champagne is made in the Champagne Region of France and is fermented in the bottle , which is called Methode Champenoise, or in English "Champagne Method". Andre and other inexpensive sparkling wines are not fermented in the bottle using the Champagne Method, but rather they are fermented in bulk, which is often using the Charmat Method. This is a process which produces a usually much inferior sparkling wine. So if you don't want to pay French Champagne prices, look for the words "Champagne Method" on the bottle. There are some really good sparkling wines out there that don't come from France, and can't be called Champagne, but are still very enjoyable. You might find that you actually do like "Champagne".

Below are a few of my favorites:

Schramsberg from California - $30 to $36 per bottle
Mumm's Napa Cellars from California - $16 to $20 per bottle
Domaine Chandon from California - $16 to $20 per bottle
Korbel from California - $11 to $15 per bottle
Codorniu Cava from Spain - $8 to $11 per bottle


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!


Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available N>onN>line at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
thecherokeeconnection.com







WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2011 Christmas Special

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





Christmas Special
#nb-45-11


First let me say MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY DINING!...To make this happen you will need to make some good choices for your holiday meals. Below is a list of suggestions for which wines go best with which foods, that I put together several years ago. I hope this will help you with your holiday planning.

Grilled Steak or Beef Tenderloin - Cabernet Sauvignon
Lamb Chops or Pork Loin Chops - Merlot
Barbecued Ribs or Spaghetti - Zinfandel
Prime Rib or Roast Duck - Pinot Noir
Lobster, King Crab, Half Shell Oysters - Chardonnay
Oysters Rockefeller or Broiled Fish - Sauvignon Blanc
Shrimp Alfredo or Clams Marinara - Pinot Grigio
Baked Fish, Poached Flounder - Riesling or Pinot Grigio
Cornish Game Hens - Chardonnay or Pinot Noir
Grilled or Baked Salmon - Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir

The following is a list of some of the wines I have written about earlier this year which I would recommend as good choices for some of the above.

2009 B Side Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - 92 score
2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot - 91 score
2008 Bogel Old Vines Zinfandel - 91 score
2009 La Crema Russian River Pinot Noir - 95 score
2008 Rodney Strong Reserve Chardonnay - 92 score
2009 St. Supery Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc - 90 score
2010 Kris Pinot Grigio - 90 score
"Wild Card" - Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico -scores are almost always 90+ - Great with veal or any other Italian dish!

Whatever special dinner or wine you enjoy this year, I hope you have a:

Merry Christmas - Norm's Score - 100!


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