Sacramento Trail Zinfandel Lodi Old Vine "Most Wanted" 2010

Dark and brooding, with a vibrant bouquet of raisins, rich spice, ripe red fruits, raspberry and cranberry, over flavors of bright rich cherry (redolent of Cherry Heering), more spices, black currant and vanilla. Chewy, loaded with texture and showing nice smooth tannins and a very long finish.

Paired beautifully with Pasta with Sausage and Artichoke Hearts at Il Poeta.

Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2008: A perfect pairing for Easter dinner

From organic vineyards in Carneros, Napa, California, light ruby colors with red fruit, jammy and gamey aromas while the palate holds spicy cinnamon, black cherry, raspberry and hints of toasty oak with smooth texture and nice finish.

Here are the numbers: $35, 14.2% alcohol and 91 points from Wine Enthusiast.

Pairs well with an Easter dinner of rack of lamb.

Watercress salad with orange wedges, walnut vinaigrette
Rack of lamb with roasted peruvian purple potatoes and haricot verte

East Harlem Wines Pinot Noir 2010

Back in April of 2010 my friend's Justin did exactly what he said he would do. Make wine. That's right, he's making wine in the bathtub of his 475 square foot apartment in NYC's East Harlem.

Fast forward almost 2 years and I'm finally tasting the fruits of his noble effort, a Pinot Noir made from California grapes. Deep and dark almost opaque rose colors in the glass, great juicy glycerine raspberry/ strawberry aromas, combining with mild acidity and tannins, earthy flavors, good finish, and a kick to boot. I'm impressed!

To see the process visit Justin's blog.

Vertical Tasting of 3 Chateau Rauzan-Segla in New Chateau Baccarat Glasses

Baccarat's presentation of their beautifully designed crystal wine glasses was matched only by the vertical tasting of 3 vintages of Chateau Rauzan-Segla Gran Cru Classe-Margaux.

The new design of the Chateau Baccarat glass collection successfully unleashes the full potential of the wines. The new shape works this way, the wide base prevents alcohols from overpowering the aromatics of the wine, the closed angle allows the the aromas to fill the glass when swirling, and the "vertical chimney" redirects and consolidates the aromas.

The first test was a comparison between the Baccarat glass and a common Bordeaux wine glass, and I have to admit the wines' attributes were more apparent from the former.

Chateau Rauzan Segla 2006 Gran Cru Classe-Margaux
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, aged in 50% French oak barrels for 18 months.
Clean colors of warm ruby, aromas of violets, raspberry, hints of leather, tobacco and candied fruit and caramel countered by flavors of spice with a vegetal edge, slightly tight tannins, white pepper with a warm mouth feel.

Chateau Rauzan Segla 2001 Gran Cru Classe-Margaux
63.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% French oak barrels for 18 months.
Classic Bordeaux style, darker ruby colors, ripe cherries and floral aromas accented by violets and licorice, on the palate there's a meaty and spicy tang combining with chalk, pepper and earth, echoes of ripe cherries and raspberry followed by a smart balance and long finish.

Chateau Rauzan Segla 2000 Gran Cru Classe-Margaux
61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, aged in 60% new oak barrels for 18 months.
Deep blackberry ruby colors, beautiful aromas colored by pastel and dried flowers (violet), chocolate and vanilla with flavors of black fruits, cassis, glycerine and spice. Beautifully balanced, smooth and wonderful finish.

Winelist for iPad

If you're a restaurateur and you're tired of constantly updating your wine list on paper menus, have no fear... the iPad now has an app that's perfect for restaurants, lounges, wine bars and connoisseurs called Restaurant Wine List . With it you can customize your wine list with your logo, great themes and you can add new wines, new wine regions, all on the fly. When you set up an account and input your wine list, it will sync all of your iPad devices. Restaurant Wine List for iPad was developed by Automatic for NYC’s Metronome Hospitality Group. It looks like a very clean design and seems easy to use.

Chateau Les Favieres Bordeaux Cuvee Reservee 2007

Saint-Androny is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. This Bordeaux is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. Very attractive aromas of eucalyptus, figs, black cherry, juniper and a bit of dried fruit. The flavors reflect the fig component with hints of chocolate and coffee and tobacco. A very nice blend and certainly a good everyday red for the under $10 pricetag.

A Revisit of the Marchesi de Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva 2006 DOCG

The last time I tasted this vintage of the Nipozzano was over two years ago and it's really interesting to see how it has changed, or... stayed the same.

Back then there were "fruity aromas of pomegranate and black currant, with exotic notes of leather, vanilla, and barnyard." This time on the nose is black fruit and violet, mint and hazelnut. Overall the aromas now are as intense as before but a bit nuttier.

The palate in 2009 was "complex and runs the gamut from black cherry pie topped with powdered sugar to black plum and raspberries, to spice and cocoa powder to smoke and licorice". The powdered sugar notes are gone but now I get blackberry, raspberry, cinnamon, licorice, green bell pepper and chocolate.

The tannins are fine and so is the finish. The price I paid for the bottle in 2009 was about $20 and I found this bottle last week for $17 at Deegan's in Richmond Hill, a very good price for this wine.

See the 2009 post.