2009 Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel

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





2010 Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel
#nb-36-12


Always one of my favorites with pasta, the Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel was so good with my steak the other night, it almost made me forget about Cabernet Sauvignon and fillet mignon. The 2009 Knotty Vines is another solid bottle from a long parade of good vintages of this Rodney Strong offering from vineyards in Northern Sonoma County, California. Called "Knotty Vines", because old zinfandel vines become gnarled and twisted with age, this has been one of my favorites for many years.

The wine is dark and heady with its color and its fragrance. It sports jammy flavors of blackberry and dark cherries with herbal undertones. Like most good zinfandels, there is a peppery taste which lingers through to the finish. The alcohol level is 15%, but the wine is not hot, but rather smooth and also intense at the same time. If you don't know what a good old vines zinfandel should taste like, this one would be a good yardstick to measure others by.

As I said, I usually like the Knotty Vines with pasta or grilled game, but it was wonderful with our two inch thick medium rare fillet mignon. Norm's score is 89.


Score: 89

Price: $15 - $19

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



   

2011 Saladini Plastri Pecorino

Norm's Tasting Notes

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





2011 Saladini Pilastri Pecorino
#nb-35-12


Once in awhile you receive an unexpected surprise, which makes enjoying life all the more pleasant. I received a sample wine to taste recently which I knew nothing about.  The grape and the vineyard were new to me so I had some reservations before tasting the wine. That is what makes the world of wine so wonderful. There is always something new just around the corner, and this round world has some pretty smooth corners.

The 2011 Saladini Pilastri Pecorino is an organic white from the Marches region of eastern central Italy, which is where and old favorite of mine, the Verdicchio grape hails from. The Pecorino grape is a light skinned white noted for its dry and mineral qualities. The Pilastri family dates back many centuries, and have been associated with wine through-out their history in central Italy

This is a dry and crisp wine with big fruit and a pleasing earthy finish. The nose is a brilliant bouquet of flowers and tropical fruit which transcend into complex flavors of mango, pineapple and a strong citrus presence. The finish lingers with a strong suggestion of the citrus backed by a dry mineral and spice tanginess. This is a good wine with fish or fowl, and is most pleasing as a back porch sipper accompanied by a bowl of grapes, and soft cheeses. Norm's score is 87.

Score: 87
Price: $11 - $14

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 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay

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





2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay

We are back from our little cottage by the sea, and paradise! The seafood was great and the fishing was pretty good, so we were able to enjoy a dinner of fresh caught Speckled Sea Trout, my favorite fish behind salmon and grouper. While we sampled several good bottles of wine during our stay in paradise, my favorite was an old standby, the 2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay. I wrote about this wine about ten months ago and had this to say:

"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."

I had scored this one an 89 last November, when it had just come into the marketplace, and I am sure that now the vintage is probably running out, as the 2011 should be arriving pretty soon. However if you can find any of this wonderful 2010 still on the shelf, buy some, I would now score it a 90, and I believe it will drink well for the next couple of years, and it is great with trout and other mild white fish.

Score: 90
Price: $10 - $14

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

2007 Barba Vignafranca Montepulciano

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





2007 Barba Vignafranca Montepulciano
#nb-33-12


We are getting ready to head down to our little cottage by the sea on the island of Matlacha, Florida, so there will not be any tasting notes for the next couple of weeks. But, before we go, I have a little treat for you which may last for a few weeks, since the wine is so good, that you might want to read about it again next week!

This 2007 Barba Montepulciano d' Abruzzo is just what you have been looking for as a companion to your Italian style veal dishes. This Vignafranco Montepulciano from Barba has all of the qualities I look for in a Montepulciano, which are big cherry flavors backed up by a firm structure of mellow toasty oak in the finish. My wife, the "Chardonnay Queen', makes the best Veal Marsala this side of Florence, Italy, and the other night we paired her Veal Marsala with a bottle of this wonderful Montepulciano. Oh, Mama Mia, what a delight!

The nose is heady with swirling fragrances of fresh flowers and dark cherries. The flavor can best be described as "cherries and spice and everything nice". The finish sails on and on, with spice and mellow oak, which begs for another sip! The wine was aged in French oak for fourteen months, and comes in at an alcohol level of 13.5%.

Now, you don't have to enjoy this wine with veal, it would pair well with a host of other entrees, but why not go all the way? This is a perfect choice for veal, whether you like parmesan, scaloppini, marsala, or even saltimbocca. If you don't like veal, just fix a big plate of spaghetti, and dive in! Norm's score is 92.

Score: 92
Price: $16 - $20

Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available N>online at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
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WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc

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






2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc
#nb-32-12


The high ridge up above the Columbia River, in Washington State is named Horse Heaven for the wild horses that used to roam there. It could be named Wine Heaven, for the wines which come from there. We just sampled our fourth consecutive vintage of the Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc, which is the 2011, and just like the previous three, it is a stand out bottle of wine.

I had this to say about the 2009 vintage: "The wine starts with a little lime citrus aroma which melts into the taste of a little citrus, a little grassy, and a lot of ripe pear. The finish is clean and crisp, and sails on into the night. This wine is so tasty, you could sit on the back porch and consume the whole bottle by yourself!" The 2011 vintage is similar in taste, with a little less citrus and a hint of tropical fruit combining with the pear flavor. The 2009 was a score of 89, and I find this one to be the same. Alcohol is a mild 13%, and the 6% Semillon added to the Sauvignon Blanc provides a little extra crispness to the finish.

This ia wonderful wine with shellfish, and also would be great with any summer salad. We enjoyed it with grilled chicken tenders marinated in a spicy lemon-lime sauce, with a garden salad on the side, highlighted by "home-grown" tomatoes. Norm's score is 89.


Score: 89
Price: $13 - $17

Norm

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

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








WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2009 Francis Coppola Director's Cabernet Sauvignon

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






2009 Francis Coppola Director's Cabernet Sauvignon
#nb-31-12

Many California wineries now produce blended wines with multiple grape varieties in an effort to produce a particular taste which will appeal to a broad range of palates The Coppola winery has produced a variety of wines which represent various growing areas within Sonoma County, but only represent one varietal. The 2009 Director's Cabernet Sauvignon from Francis Coppola is a blended wine, but is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and represents a number of distinct growing areas within Sonoma County. The purpose is to achieve a specific style and taste of Cabernet Sauvignon. Their efforts are to be commended.

The Coppola family established their new home over 35 years ago on the old Niebaum estate in Rutherford California, and now make wine from several counties including Napa and Sonoma, with this wine being a Sonoma product. The wine has been barrel aged in both French and American oak and comes in at an alcohol level of 13.5%, and it is delicious!

The wine is bold with good structure, and begins with a pleasant bouquet of cherries, casiss, and dark berries. The flavors develop into a juicy taste of cherries mixed with the predominate taste of blackberries, which flow into a finish which is toasty with mild tannins, and a lingering aftertaste that calls for further attention. This is a lush Cabernet, big on fruit and long on the finish, which makes it a leader in its class.

We dined on fillet mignon grilled outside, combined with potato, salad, and bread. paired delightfully with this succulent Cabernet. This would also be a good companion for other grilled meats, or an Italian veal dish. Norm's score is 91.

Score: 91
Price: $18 - $22

Norm

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

Norm's Tasting Notes available N>online at either:
dawsontimes.com
cumminghome.com
pineisland-eagle.com
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WINE - God's proof of his love for humanity

2010 Rodney Strong Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc

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






2010 Rodney Strong Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc
#nb-30-12

I have to confess that Rodney Strong wines have been a favorite at our house since 1988, when the "Chardonnay Queen" and I met Rodney, and spent a few hours chatting with him about wine, his vineyards, and himself. I must also confess that I enjoy Sauvignon Blanc more than Chardonnay, but it is not hard to get the "Chardonnay Queen" to drink anything with a Rodney Strong label. Such is the case with the 2010 Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc, which will be the latest in a long line of vintages we have sampled from this vineyard.

This wine has consistently scored in the high 80's and low 90's for quite a number of years, and the 2010 gets an 87 from the "Wine Enthusiast" with the following quote. "Nice and easy to drink with sweetened orange tea, lime, vanilla, honey and white pepper flavors, brightened with zesty acidity'" I have no problem agreeing with those comments, except for the white pepper part, which I did not notice.

The part I agree with most is, "nice and easy to drink", which is something I look for in the hot summertime. The nose is fragrant and transfers to flavors of apple and melon with a slight citrus ripple which compliments, but is not overbearing. There is a hint of the typical Sauvignon Blanc grassiness, but it also is not overbearing, and leads to a clean dry finish. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

This is a good choice for summertime salads or light fare, but we enjoyed just sipping it out on the back porch! Norm's score is also 87.

Score: 87
Price: $10 - $15

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