Winey Thoughts

i had the chance to spend an afternoon with the comely brunette and "blondie" at a local ohio winery, harmony hill vineyards recently. located in the city of bethel, ohio. most wine folks are so enamored with the wines of napa, france, or some other famed location that they forget about the little guy crafting boutique wines. and when some people think of ohio, the last thing they think about is wine. especially really high quality wine. i've written about some of the ohio wines already and there are definitely some very interesting wines being crafted in the state. bill and patti skvarla have quite a following at harmony hill and deservedly so. some very nice wines which i will be blogging about over the course of the next few weeks. they also bring in local music talent to entertain the folks who come to taste their wines and sit outside on a friday night or saturday afternoon. relaxing, warm, friendly people and excellent wine. a beautiful combination. want more info? here is their website. a big thumbs up from the baldwinegeek.
http://www.hhwines.com/index.html

Cava Submarinas Carmenere 2006

there is an interesting story about how this wine is aged. in underwater caves in chile! when i first heard this i was skeptical. if you look into this on you tube, there are videos to prove it. not sure what this does to the wine, but i really enjoyed it. a nose of dark fruit, anise and earth. on the palate an immediate flavor of black cherry, followed by dark chocolate cordial and licorice flavors. very complex and very tasty. i have had this bottle laying in my cellar for about a year. i paid about $14 for it. a steal at that price for as big and bold a wine as this was.

coming soon…a visit to a local ohio winery where they produce some very exciting wines.

Espadaña Verdejo 2005

there seems to bit a bit of a spanish trend lately so i'll continue down that path with this white. nose of white fruit, maybe pear or slightly apple in aroma. some citrus as well. on the palate minerals come through right away, along with some citrus. mid way it becomes a bit more floral, maybe a little jasmine. although the wine was crisp and of medium acidity, i wasn't crazy about the overall taste. maybe it was too medicinal for my taste. sells for about $14.

Montaribaldi 2007 Moscato D'Asti

i'm not much into sparkling wines or champagnes, but this semi-sparkler (details to follow) really was nice. i refer to it as a semi sparkler because it is slightly carbonated. it has very tiny bubbles. not too dry, slightly sweet, but not cloying in the least. from the barbaresco region of italy, this had a nose of minerals and honeysuckle. it was very low in alcohol (5%), so it had no acidic bite. it tasted of honey, honeycrisp apple, and soft pear and has an effervescence that lingered in the mouth. sells for about $16 and pairs well with spicy foods, like the cajun crab dip and olives i snacked on while i sipped. so if you aren't a champagne drinker, give this a try. worth it without the high alcohol a dry taste.

Montaribaldi

Longhop Boomerang Shiraz 2005

i had just finished the last glass of pinecrest prior to dinner and opened this one up to go with the meal. i noticed the nose straight away. big, fruity, chocolate and some sweet flowery notes. not a huge chewy shiraz, but this one was definitely a bigger wine. taste of plums, cherries, spice and chocolate that paired well with the grilled filet, corn on the cob and smashed potatoes. it would easily benefit from more time in the bottle, as it opened up considerably with time. it sells for the nice price of about $15. very enjoyable shiraz and well worth another visit.

Pinecrest 2005 Pinotage

the nose was the first thing i noticed on this south african beauty. leather, black cherry, tobacco, tar. huge aromas and the wine had not even opened up yet. smooth, medium tannins and a full mouth feel. tastes of black currant, long lingering finish with some nut or meat like undertones. very nice wine. i had read a few things about pinotage not being a very good grape, but this sure didn't come across as a bad wine. quite the opposite. and for the price of about $17, this is worth buying a few and laying them down for a while. i have had this bottle for about a year and it is very nice. and it gets better as it opens up.

d'Arenberg The Stump Jump 2006 White Blend

poolside after a hot day out doors and this was a real thirst quencher. 64% riesling, 16% sauvignon blanc, 13% roussanne, and 7% marsanne. aroma was floral and grassy. crisp. taste was honeysuckle, lime, and some earth. had the dry characteristics of the riesling, but not overtly. a little of the sauv blanc citrus which added to a crisp, medium finish. almost an effervescent quality, which made it taste so good on this particular hot day. and the price was nice at about $9 a bottle. worth every penny.

Señorío de P.Peciña Cosecha 2006

a first time for the baldwinegeek with this blend. i couldn't find a lot of info about it and the label told me next to nothing, but the blend seems to be primarily tempranillo with a little garnacha and graciano. interesting nose of black cherry, dark chocolate and a hint of licorice and spice. maybe a little bay leaf??? on the palate, the currant and pepper come through. medium tannins and a spicy finish. hints of leather and a cherry cordial flavor. i will revisit this one after it sits out a bit to see if it opens up a little more. it is a little tight at first taste. it opened up a bit more after a while in the glass. more of the leather and some hints of vanilla came through. overall, a very nice red for the nice price of about $12.

Veramonte 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva

this was a nice sauv blanc from chile. once again, another summer fare wine that paired well with the grilled foods. nose of grapefruit, honeysuckle and minerals. the palate was crisp, but not too acidic. flavors of honey, citrus, especially lemon, followed by some herb notes. nice zingy, medium finish. it sells for about $9-10 and is definitely worth another taste.