Tasting Notes for August 26, 2006

Here's some week old notes, and a few of these may be repeats from previous weeks... The last of the blind tastings for the summer:

Wine 1: 2005 Hendry Unoaked Napa Chardonnay. Napa, California. Floral and tart. Bright fruit flavor and a slightly bitter finish. $18.

Wine 2: 2005 Casa Silva Sauvignon Blanc. Slight creamy quality, very fruity. Apple and pear dominate. Lovely little wine. Colchagua Valley, Chile. $15.

Wine 3: 2005 Craneford Viognier. Very sweet for a Viognier. Lots of honey and lemon flavors, and the finish tends more to the dry side. Adelaide Hills, Australia. $18.

Wine 4: 2004 Hermanos Lurton Rueda Bianco. Mild and dry with some herbal notes. No prominent flavors, but a pleasant and balanced wine. Rueda, Spain. $13.

Wine 5: 2004 Concha y Toro Casa Concha Chardonnay. Thin aroma. Mild tartness, a little cream. Would be incredible with mild seafood dishes. Maipo Valley, Chile. $18.

Wine 6: 2004 Torres Viña Sol. Very crsip with mild acidity, very short finish. Penedes, Spain. $10.

Wine 7: 2004 Hayman & Hill Pinot Noir. Light strawberry aroma, very mild. Low tannins with a smooth finish. Excellent bargain Pinot Noir. Much improvement since the last time I tried this wine (different patch of grapes, different year, but same producer and varietal). Santa Lucia Highlands, California. $15.

Wine 8: 2003 Cellier des Dauphins Côtes du Rhône. Light, mild tannins, cherry flavors abound. Very enjoyable. Côtes du Rhône, France. $10.

Wine 9: 2003 Domaine La Milliere Merlot. Somewhat hard aroma. Strong unripe strawberry flavors, mild tannins, a short finish. France. $13.

Wine 10: Yauquen Cabernet-Merlot. Harsh tannins, off flavor, bitter flavor. Not impressed. Argentina. $10.

Wine 11: 2001 Osborne Shiraz-Tempranillo. Slightly sweet with full fruit flavors. Plum and black cherry. Mellow tannins. Spain. $11.

Wine 12: 2002 Sebastiani Sonoma County Merlot. Some light pepper aromas and flavor. Strong tannins with a deep structure. Never would have guessed this was a Merlot. Sonoma, California. $17.

Wine 13: 2003 Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz. Very deep and dark. Bold fruit, dark plum flavors. Mild tannins. Australia. $16.

Wine 14: 2001 Zenato Ripassa Valpolicella. Strong hot alcohol aroma, but with good raspberry flavors. Full round mouth feel. Complex wine that requires a little extra time to enjoy. Veneto, Italy. $27.