Oz and James Part 2

Iv put in two parts to the OZ and James adventure this week because of time.
What i find interesting in this weeks Vid is the fact that the temperature of the air can have such a massive effect on the wines flavour, there is so much more to this tasting lark than just hmmm it tastes of fruit and wood malarkey.
I'm still not convinced about the spitting part either, i think you just need to learn to take your drink, the fun is in the drinking and i have to agree with the floppy haired one, its immoral.

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc, 2007

Yes Yes Yes , i think i found one. A white that i think i would go out and buy again. Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc is a New Zealand wine form the Wairau Valley in the major wine growing area of Marlborough.
I liked this wine, I liked the taste and it didn't reminded me of cheap pub wine after the first taste. It has a lovely clean fresh colour , with a citrus fruit bouquet maybe gooseberry i think but i haven't had gooseberries in while so i could be wrong.
On taste it was crisp like biting into a ripe green apple, it has the slightest fizz to it which refreshed the mouth so it would defiantly be a good food wine but this also made it very moreish, this is easily a summer wine with fine lemon and lime acidity. Although this is finely balanced which leaves a nice and dry after taste.
I would definitely get this again, in fact im sure they sell it in the local Oddbins so i may pick up a bottle from their to compare prices.

Dona Paulina Merlot, 2007

The name may remind you of that fantastic bottle of Dona Paula Malbec and Cabernet Franc, but do not let it confuse you this is a totally different wine and although a nice bottle its nothing compared to the quality of the Cabernet franc i sampled earlier in the year.
For starts this is a Chilean wine and young at 2007. Like most Merlots it holds a full bodied ruby red colour. On first impression its bouquet is full of wood and a slight aroma of freshly cut grass, the taste is rich and coats your mouth like melted chocolate but leaves a taste of ripe berries and plums which slowly dissipates leaving you waiting for something extra, only it doesn't quite deliver and as you can see in the picture i was tempted on adding some extra flavour/excitement but that would be sacrilege so i refrained.
I do like this wine it was easy to drink but it left me wanting more, and now i have really started to enjoy tasting my wine instead of just drinking it, i became disappointed because i could drink each glass too easily and it left me nothing to savor and before long the bottle was empty.

Oz and James Part 1

Right, its now roughly 8 weeks until myself and Tenbellies hit our holidays which means we head out to California to meet up with Thud and family.
The excitement in us both is building as you can tell, Tenbellies with the shopping and playing auntie for three weeks and for myself experiencing everything American and not forgetting drinking the wine.
So as part of the build up im going to watch a re run of all the OZ and James Wine Adventure California Style.
The first one is an introduction where we find out where they are going and where they will end up, which coincidentally is Napa Valley where i will be visiting.

What a great Truck!!!

Stormy Cape Chenin Blanc, 2007

Well the rain did come down but lucky for me it only lasted an hour or so and then it brightened up, which coincidentally is what I thought about this wine.
Stormy Cape is a South African white, on the bottle it is described as a full flavoured crisp Chenin that would go well with white fish or chicken salad. Just as well as I had mine with fish fingers and chips, yum.
As I was saying my initial thoughts to this wine was that I didn't like it and I was disappointed, because the strong acidic taste along with the crispness of the wine reminded me of my misspent youth drinking cheap cider in the park. However like the weather the wine started to brighten up and the freshness of the wine was pleasing which made it moreish. I think I need more time and effort tasting white as I just cant get that cheap white wine taste out of my head.
This Chenin Blanc is a simply pleasing white that goes down well enough for this time of year helped by a very fresh flavour, however im unsure if I would buy this again as it just does not stand out from any cheap white that you get in the boozer.

Mild summer sun Phhhhe

Forget drinking my wine in the mild afternoon sun, its just started to to rain and looks like thunder and lightening. Bugger!!!
Never mind not long till ill be in the hot Californian sun with a glass of wine.
I wonder what the weather is like there today??
Hot, hot, hot and .........HOT.

Chateau Lagrezette 2001

I love finding treasure, as anyone would but this was in the form of a little wine shop i found while i was visiting the sticks at the weekend.
The wine shop i had always been aware of but without sign or common name for many years it past me by as i thought it mainly dealt in malt whiskey. Well at the weekend i went in for the first time and was amazed that i had not been in before, for a small shop it had quite a range of wine and Malt Whiskey, which when my taste buds mature i think i shall get into tasting.
I stood for a while looking at all the different varieties they had until i finally bought a bottle, after loving my recent finds of Malbec i bought a bottle of Chateau Lagrezette 2001. This was a bit more than i would usually pay but after a long chat with the wine guy he said it would keep for a good 25 years. Now i have no intention of waiting 25 years but i thought it would be a nice wine to keep a while and taste later. We will see.
I like surprises.

Blow off the cobwebs

Wow iv neglected this page for the past month or so, im disgusted in myself and for those few readers i have i do apologise i will surely make up for it over the coming weeks.

Now back to business, today i have had a very busy day with the deliveries, however the most exciting of all has got to be the first of my purchases from my wine club. As you can see above i received 12 bottles of wine today bought through the club i join a couple of months ago. Why so long? well because of difficulties with the delivery, i had to wait until their van guy was back from his hols. Anyway they are here now and no your eyes are not deceiving you, i bought a mixed case whites as well. Those of you that are familiar with this blog will be aware that im not much of a white wine drinker, therefore im making the effort to broaden my taste.

So here they are, a taster of what your in for;

Macon-Fargas, domaine Paul et Mallory Talmard 2006
Wither Hills Savvignon Blanc, 2007
Stormy Cape Chenin Blanc, 2007
Dona-Paulina Casablanca Chardonnay, 2007
Orvieto Classico Secco, 2006
Cheverny, Domaine du Salvard, 2007
Cotes-Rhone, Generation, Domaine Jaume, 2006
Dona Paulina Merlot, 2007
La Table du Ror Jaboulet Aine
Minervois, Chateau Sainte Eulalie, 2006
Chateau de la Grave, 2004
Faldeos Nevados Malbec, 2007

So it looks like i have some drinking to do, well iv placed a bottle of the Stormy Cape Chenin Blanc, 2007 in the fridge and i will have a tipple later in the mild summer sun.

Any ideas on what i should try next please leave a comment, or if you have had any of these before let me know.