Entries tagged with ‘eh’:
Guenoc 2005 Victorian Claret
I’ll freely admit to being a huge sucker for Bordeaux style blends, and most California claret’s really end up hitting my sweet spot: a bit more approachable and fruit-forward than a traditional French Bordeaux, but still have some interest, dimension, structure, etc.
So, that said, this was really “just OK” for me… There is tons of stuff going on here—it’s really pretty chaotic. There’s a real rich, sweet, complex fruitiness on the noise, and on the palate big flavors of raisin and plum, some vanilla, and a bit of cedar box. There’s also tons of oak, and then the finish is absolutely filled with smoke and tobacco—so much that I thought it was kind of nasty.
It’s a strange wine, and quite a bit different than the 2003 I’ve had previously. One would hope that (in some time) this wine will settle down and mellow out.
L’Oriflamme 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I bought this as a total impulse buy at BevMo. They listed the normal price at $28, and the 1/2 off sale totally got the best of me.
My mistake. Lesson learned.
Now, it's not that bad… It's fairly fruit-forward and approachable, and there is a bit of a nice finish to it… In fact, when pared with some nice lamb chops that I made last night (sorry no photo), it actually worked out ok… but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was the lamb that carried the wine there.
For the wine that it is, even $14 is way over-priced. A total pass.
2005 Artezin with Pork Tenderloin and Bourbon Soaked Apples
This wine was just OK for me. I recall liking the 2004 quite a bit more. Upfront, it's quite fruity and (almost artificially) sweet… mainly super ripe cherry, followed by some nutty-mocha and pepper flavors. It's not bad, but for the $20+, I think it's a bit overpriced.
I paired it with a nice pork tenderloin, with polenta, peas, and some lovely green apples soaked in bourbon and sautéed.
The meal totally trumped the wine.