Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz 2002

i tried this shiraz recently with the comely brunette. we were enjoying some italian food and needed a wine to stand up to the spicing of the food. this worked quite well. the nose was bramble fruits of blackberry and raspberry with black pepper and a little clove. on the palate, a nice burst of fruit with flavors of blackberry and black pepper. i got some anise and more of the clove in the finish. very interesting and complex wine. sells for about $22. try it with italian food or a nice steak or hearty stew.

Keuka Spring Lemberger 2007

on a recent trip to new york, the comely brunette and i picked up this little known varietal from the finger lakes appellation at a local wine store. the grape hails from austria and does well in cooler climates like the new york finger lakes district. the grape that it is comparable to in my mind is pinot noir, although the lemberger is a bolder, fuller bodied taste. this keuka spring red had a wonderful earthy nose, followed by some nice raspberry and black berry notes. the palate is full of black cherry, earthy notes and toasted vanilla flavors. nice mouth feel with a long, warm finish. sells for about $18 and works well with burgers or steak.

Peñascal Estate Tempranillo-Shriaz 2006

the comely brunette and i enjoyed this blend of 85% tempranillo and 15% shiraz recently with a friend who brought home-made calzones for dinner. a thank you to the curly dark haired scientist for the food. the wine worked very well with the food. the nose was very nice with aromas of spicy pepper and ripe plum. hints of vanilla and a little leather on the nose as well. the palate was full of blackberry, plum, medium tannins and a leather note. a really nice licorice finish made an appearance as the wine opened up. good italian food wine. sells for about $10.

Glorie Farm Winery Cabernet Franc 2007

another wine from the shawangunk wine trail in new york's hudson river region, glorie primarily makes sweeter dessert style wines. the cab franc was a new release for them. the nose had aromas of raspberry, violet and a little earth. the palate was full of raspberry and earth notes, with some floral flavors as well. there was also an odd circus peanut flavor in the finish. tannins were light to medium and the wine was not bad. priced at $21, this red is a bit pricey for the type of wine it is. not bad for a northeast cab franc but i have had better. the cab franc from kinkead ridge in ohio comes to mind. i will be interested to see glorie produce this for a few years and if the wine gets better.

Benmarl Proprietor's Reserve Red Blend (NV)

i spent a day on the shawangunk wine trail along the hudson river in new york. much like the surprise i got when visiting ohio wineries, new york impressed me as well. benmarl winery was one of the stops i made. nice selection of wines and interesting varietals were there for the tasting. this red blend was one of my purchases on the day and the comely brunette and i finally opened the bottle. i am not sure what the blend consisted of and am trying to get that information. i will update this blog when i do. the nose was very fruit forward with loads of blackberries and black cherry aromas. nice spice notes and some slightly cedary wood too. on the palate, the fruity flavors of blackberry, with medium tannins and a nice finish. as the wine opened up, it got a little more complex, and some nice licorice flavors came through. sells for about $15 and is a very good food wine. meats, stews, even gyros, which i enjoyed with the wine. because of the limited production on these wines, they can be hard to get. if you live in the new york area, your local wine store may carry them. if you live elsewhere, i suggest visiting the winery website http://www.benmarl.com/ for more information. if you are in the new york area, the wine trail is well worth the visit.

Domaine Chêne 2007 Bourgogne Pinot Noir

i wrote about the 2005 vintage on this wine some time back and decided to do a comparison with the 2007 vintage. very similar nose on the 07, with strawberries and spice notes. i picked up a hint of the earthy aroma, but the spice was a little stronger this time. i also picked up some nice rose petal notes as the wine sat in the glass. the palate was also very similar to the 05 vintage. strawberry flavors were very strong up front. i wasn't getting as much red raspberry as before, but the spicy clove notes was there, along with some nice floral notes. nice medium tannins and once again a good overall impression. sells for about $12 and works well with salmon or a good roast.

Hook & Ladder "Tillerman" 2006

i tried this red blend of 52% cab, 17% sangiovese, 16% merlot, and 15% cab franc at my local wine store. nice, complex nose with aromas of of chocolate raspberry, spice and some earthy tones. the palate was smooth and juicy with flavors of plums and blackberries, followed by chocolate and pepper. impressive red wine with nice complex flavors that will work with many of your favorite winter foods like chili or stew. sells for about $18.

Layer Cake Shiraz 2006

i purchased this wine back in november of 2007 and have had it laying in the cellar since that time. the weather outside was snowy and i wanted to just sit back and look outside watching the snow fall while i sipped a nice red wine. this one filled the need perfectly. the nose had a very pronounced chocolate note after it sat in the glass for a while, along with blackberry and spice. alcohol level was about 15% and you got that heat from the nose as well. the palate was much better and more complex after the wine opened up with time in the glass. raspberries and chocolate notes were very pronounced. this is a full, juicy, jammy red. lots of subtle tobacco and spice notes. velvet mouth feel with a long finish. sells for about $16-20 depending on where you shop. good red meat wine but i enjoyed this by itself.

96 Points 2007 Shiraz/Viognier

i tried this blend (93% shiraz, 7% viognier) at my local wine shop tasting and picked up a bottle based on the tasting for the nice price of $13. it was in the wine rack for a few months and i had forgotten about it. when i discovered it i decided to give it a revisit. the nose was very favorable with a burst of plum, some red raspberry, and nice chocolate notes. i also picked up some slight floral notes from the viognier, and some earthy, woody aromas. hopefully the taste would match the nose. the palate was not overwhelming, but grew on me as the wine opened up. initial taste was a slightly spicy blackberry and cherry with some pepper notes. not an overly complex wine but it still had some very nice floral and earth flavors that started to show as the wine got more air. the tannins were medium and the wine had a overall nice balance. try this with any winter time meal of stew or red meat, or even a pizza while watching some football.

Bohemian Highway California Chardonnay 2008

the holiday break is over. time to get back to writing about wine. i start with a budget wine for the new year. i had this wine about 4 years ago and decided to revisit a newer vintage. the nose was full of peach and and floral aromas. very crisp and enticing nose. the palate was bright and crisp, with flavors of apple and pear. some nice citrus touches in this one as well. good fruit flavor and just a little creaminess from the small amount of oak that this wine sees. great wine to pair with chicken or seafood like scallops. sells for about $10 and it was well worth the revisit.