Triple Overtime 2005 Cabernet Franc and La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 6 Maduro

The Wine
Triple Overtime 2005 Cabernet Franc

14.5% abv
Iltripleovertime.com
Napa Valley, California, USA
Igor Larionov Select Wines
My Strength Rating: 4.5

Igor Larionov is a former Detroit Red Wing hockey player and being from the Detroit area as well as a hockey fan I just had to buy this bottle. As it states on the bottle about Igor, “…being the oldest player in NHL history to score a triple overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Finals on the way to winning his 3rd Stanley Cup Championship.” Oh, how great that moment was and how great it was to see him skating for the Red Wings. I did not make it to the Fine Wine Source when Igor visited (about a year ago) and signed bottles of his wines but, Jim Lufty got me a few bottles of his fine wine with Igor’s signatures.

Here is the description from the bottle, “…bouquet of cedar, spice and black fruits. In the mouth there is an abundance of sweet cherry, blackberry and vanilla…”

On the opening of the bottle there is plenty of sediment on the cork and within the neck of the bottle. Oh, this is good stuff.

Based on the first glass; to me I get the spice and black fruits and berries on the nose along with a sweet vanilla-cherry note. I am not picking up the vanilla on the taste but, the sweet cherry and blackberry along with black currant fills the palate. A pretty straight forward wine. The tannins and acidity are moderate making it approachable for most palates. The mouthfeel is smooth overall.

Decanted second glass; the black fruits are a little richer and there is a little more earthiness on the nose while the sweet vanilla-cherry notes become more of an undertone.

Now, this is what I like about Cab Franc wines - the earthy style is showing up. While, the earthy notes are showing up it still is smooth in texture. The sweet cherry, blackberry, and black currants are still on board for a very tasty wine.

The medium body of this wine and its smooth texture will give it some good range for pairing with food and cigars. This is a nice Cabernet Franc.

The Cigar
La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 6 Maduro
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Filler: Mexican, Dominican, Brazilian, and Nicaraguan
Size: 5-7/8” x 60
My Strength Rating: 6

This is one smooth and rich tasting cigar. I have always enjoyed the Serie R line-up from La Gloria. The key to a tasty cigar with the maduro is to get a jet black stick and not the ruddy blackish-brown stick. Back when I use to buy these by the box I would have the tobacconist open the box up before I would purchase the box to make sure I was buying the jet black ones.

Now, this is not a complex cigar. Just like the Triple Overtime wine this cigar is pretty straight forward. This cigar has a very rich and tasty earthy-coffee style. The earthiness is like the rich soil that the plants are grown in. The coffee is a rich and thick Espresso style. On the second half of the smoke there is a green peppery spice that builds to add some character. The earthy style becomes thicker as you near the end of the cigar.

I think the earthy style of this cigar will go well with the wines cherry and blackberry taste.

The Pairing
I would like to sit back with Igor and enjoy this pairing. The earthy profiles are working with each other for a good medium bodied experience. The moderate spice and espresso like notes of the cigar are nice with the berries from the wine. This is a good pairing to just sit back and enjoy.

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Justin Vineyards and Winery
Paso Robles, California, USA
Visit their web site for tasting notes
JUSTINwine.com

I was out to dinner and I saw the Justin Cab 2008 on the wine list and I had to give it a try. Justin has to be one of my favorite Cabernets and well, favorite wineries.

This Cabernet was aged in oak barrels for 17 months.

The nose has a nice berry aroma that leans toward the red berries.

The taste is very nice but, not complex. The red notes are at play: red cherries and red currant. The texture comes across velvety smooth. While it comes across as a pretty simple wine it will be interesting to see how it ages. I think I’ll be buying some pretty soon and I’ll wait till the end of 2011 to see how it is aging.

CEV Merlot 2005 by: Colio Estate Vineyards: Wine Review

12.7% abv
Colio Estate Vineyards
Harrow, Ontario, Canada
coliowines.com

Colio Winery started back in 1980 off the north shores of Lake Erie. I discovered this winery about 7 or 8 years ago. They have wine for every palate; from the newbie to the experienced wine drinker. If you are in driving distance of this winery it would be worth a day trip to visit and pick up a few bottles. With the December holidays coming up I’ll be visiting to pick up some Lily’s Sparkling Wine.

Back to The Wine

Here are the tasting notes from their web site: coliowines.com
Colour: Dark garnet
Bouquet: Chocolate, blueberry and dark toast…
Taste: Chocolate, white pepper and ripe blueberries with a longstanding fruit finish

This is one deep color and that should be a good thing. To me the lighter the color on a Merlot wine usually means less body, less texture, and just less everything. Okay, I am giving my attitude away toward Merlot wines. Yes, it’s true that Merlot wines were made to get Americans to drink more wine. But, that is old stuff. Today, you can find some good quality Merlot wines. So, I digress.

Back to The Wine Again

If I didn’t already know that this was a Merlot – I would not guess it was a Merlot. The deep rich color and the nose is so Cabernet like. There are some dark berries on the nose. I know they have blueberry listed but I get a black current note as well. This is followed by a nice smoky style, a touch of spice, and a hint of white pepper.

The taste is just yummy. Blackberry, blueberry, black currant along with a good dark chocolate presence (80% like), and a solid earthy profile. To me there is a nice blackberry tart bite that mingles with a good earthy-soil note to make for an almost chewy mouthfeel. This wine does coat the palate and for a Merlot it comes across thick. I really like this wine. The aftertaste is long, with the berries and earthy notes just covering the tongue, for a lasting impression. The white pepper and spice is nice on the back of the palate.

This Merlot may not be for the average or occasional wine drinker. This Merlot has some structure, body, strength, texture, and power. No wonder it has won a Gold Medal at the Great Lakes Wine Judging and a Silver Medal at the Ontario Wine Awards: both in 2009.

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Horse Play Rollicking Red 2005: Wine Review

The blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 44%, Merlot 39%, Syrah 17%
Three of the grapes of Meritage Red Wine
13.8% abv
Vinted and bottled by: Horse Play
Santa Rosa, California, USA
Horseplaywines.com

I picked this bottle up at the local grocery store for only $7.50 a bottle – half off its regular price. I only bought one bottle and got home and tasted it and then went back to buy the remaining bottles. This is a tasty red wine. The aroma has a rich dark berry nose. The taste will not disappoint you. The blackberry and currants are flavorful. The red cherry and plum notes help to balance the lush texture of this wine. The mossy earth, tobacco, and delicate spice undertones help to bring this flavorful wine together.

This is what they have to say on their web site:

“Our debut 2005 vintage was produced from choice grapes grown in Sonoma County and the Central Coast regions of Paso Robles and San Benito County. The outstanding 2005 growing season fostered intense, concentrated flavors in our grapes, greatly enhancing the quality of this robust, yet graceful red, which gained further complexity from five months’ aging in French and American oak.”

Pick up a bottle of this wine if you find it.

Fess Parker 2007 Pinot Noir: Wine Review

Santa Barbara County
fessparker.com
Visit their web site and buy yourself a raccoon skin cap

This is one tasty wine with notes of bing cherry, raspberry, pomegranate?, and just plain loads of berries. This would be fun to wine to play the game, “what berry am I tasting?”

There is just the right touch of mocha, just a touch.

The aroma is just super special.

This is a terrific Pinot Noir. Pick up a bottle and give it a try.

Cigarzin 2007 Zinfandel and 5 Vegas Gold Maduro The Brick Cigar

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 x 55 box-pressed
My Strength Rating: 6

Dryness abounds in this smoking experience. The earthy quality comes across as dry soil and this dominates the profile. There is coffee bean and a dry powdery cocoa note present. The spicy notes are firm with a nice level of white peppercorn to tingle the palate. Besides the dryness the texture it also delivers a semi-smooth yet robust smoking experience. This cigar does need a quality beverage or it could get a little harsh on its own. While this stick is billed as a mild-medium bodied smoke – I give it a 6 on my strength scale because of the texture (the dryness).

I have enjoyed a few of these since I bought a box of them about a month ago. They seem to burn well with little or no correction needed. The ash holds on for an inch or so before you have to remove it. The ash is salt and pepper in color and a little rugged in appearance. I have smoked each one down to the nub with no bitterness to the finish.

I enjoyed this cigar yesterday on the way home from Grindstone City, Michigan. No wife or dogs in the car with me and a three hour drive, what is a man to do? I had it paired with my Bigby Best Coffee which is a medium roast. Tonight, I have it paired with a red wine named CIGARZIN.

The Wine
Cigarzin 2007 Zinfandel
Bottled by: Cosentino Winery, Woodbridge, California, USA.

This 15.4% abv zin has a wonderful bouquet of dark fruits, spice, and mild pepper. The taste follows the nose. Layers of dark fruit: blackberry, cherries, boysenberry, and more. The nice spice mingles with the mushroom-earthy style and the green peppercorn note is just right for me. My Strength Rating: 6. The mouthfeel is smooth and elegant. This Zin leaves a pleasing aftertaste of dark berries on the palate.

Since this wine does not have a big earthy, thick, jammy style it should have a good range to handle most cigars in the mild-medium to medium-full range. Going to the full range, on the cigar, may override the elegant style of this wine.

The Pairing
This cigar brings out the earthy quality in this wine, making the mouthfeel of the wine a little thicker. The dark berries seem a little fuller in the wine during this pairing as well. The wine does control the dryness of this cigar. This is a pretty good pairing. The A Fuente Anejo was the better pairing for this wine (see posting).

Uppercut 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Dark Berry Lamb Chops

Vinted and Bottled by: Uppercut
Sonoma, California, USA
14.2% abv
UppercutWine.com

The description on the bottle sounds wonderful, “…an elegant, dark-fruit character and velvety texture. The rich, expansive flavors abound with lush blackberry, black cherry and cocoa expressions, while hints of caramel and spice from barrel aging linger on the fruit-imbued finish.”

I sure hope this wine lives up to its description.

I am opening this bottle long before dinner to see how it tastes. On the nose there are dark berry fruits with some spice. The taste has a good blackberry and dark cherry taste but, the alcohol gives a bit of a burn. So, this wine needs to be decanted to help it to open up. I am going to let the bottle sit for 20 minutes before decanting and then it should be ready while I cook dinner.

Lamb chops are on the menu for dinner tonight. Here is how I am preparing them. I am using Fustini’s oils and vinegars (Fustinis.com). I coat the baking dish with Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil and then add the chops. I then pour on some Pomegranate Balsamic and Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar. Then I add a ½ teaspoon of Cranberry Juice Concentrate on to each lamb chop with a dusting of white pepper. During the final five minute I will pour a Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce over the chops.

The side is Camargue French Red Rice which has a wonderful aroma and taste that is earthy and nutty. This should be a fine pairing with the lamb.  I will make a bed of this rice on the plate then place the chops on top of the rice.

It is time to start cooking. Let’s check in with the wine first. Oh yes, the alcohol burn is not as noticeable. The nose is now mainly dark berries and the spice has settled. The taste is even better now. The blackberry, currant, and dark cherry profile is yummy, the alcohol burn is gone, and I get that cocoa expression that they described. I am not finding the hint caramel but the spice note is like a green peppercorn and pink peppercorn blend. The texture is lush and rich. The aftertaste carries a lingering black currant, 65% dark chocolate, and a touch of oak. I am sure happy it takes 50 minutes to prepare the rice.

Now it is show time. I sure hope the food taste good now.

The flavor on the lamb chops is just wonderful and the Camargue French Red Rice is the perfect fit for this meal.  As for the wine, I don't think I could have planned any better than this Cabernet.  As this wine opened up there was this great mocha flavor that was just terrific.
This wine is a must buy.  I believe the bottle cost $29.00 at the Fine Wine Source.

Hannah Nicole 2006 Meritage: Wine Review

This wine has the five classic Bordeaux grapes.
35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec.
Hnvwines.com - a good web site to visit

Here is what it says on the bottle, “…fills the mouth with distinct flavors of black cherry, plum and cola. Firm tannins, exhibiting a softness from the Cabernet Franc, hints of mocha and currants, followed by the classic Brentwood Terroir note of cocoa dust the linger on in the finish.”

I purchased this bottle from the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan for $11.00. This bottle needs some time to open up, so decant for a half an hour. It still seemed a bit thin on the taste.

There are nice notes of dark berries and black currant. While it has the five classic Bordeaux grapes it is still an average Meritage. I did not find the mocha-cocoa notes they describe. The best I could come up with was a light earthy quality. A simple wine overall and nothing that special.

Vision Cellars 2007 Red Wine: Review

The Wine

Vision Cellars 2007 Red Wine
Vinted & Bottled by: Vision Cellars
Rutherford, California, USA
Visioncellars.com

The nose of this wine has a dark berry aroma that is just yummy. And, that yummy nose follows to the taste. This is one delicious wine. A mixture of red and black berries leaning toward the red, just swarm the palate. There is a hint of sweet raspberry with a touch of oak that is oh so tasty. The mouthfeel is very smooth and elegant. If you are a Cabernet Sauvignon fan, pick this up. If you are not – still pick this bottle up because, you will fall in love with this tasty Cab.

In Michigan, the only store you will find it is the Fine Wine Source in Livonia. The store is located on Middlebelt near Six Mile Road. The bottle will run you $39.00 a bottle. Believe me – it is worth every penny and more. It has been a few years since I have had a bottle of Quintessa but, this reminds me of that and it costs around $110.00 a bottle.

Broke Ass Red Wine 2009: Wine Review

This red wine is from Argentina and is a blend of 50% Malbec and 50% of Syrah. The taste is not all that bad. There is a tart blackberry and black currant profile mixing in with a smoky earth quality. The mouthfeel is a little jammy. It is nothing special of course – as it says on the bottle, ‘no frills great value wine.’ While it is only ??? Damn I don’t remember how much I paid – it may have been $8.00, I don’t know if I would call it a great value. Great value has to have the right price and good taste. The taste here is ‘not bad,’ which is not good but not poor either.

Just a fun wine to pick up because of the name and since I just paid for a new roof, two new doors, $1,300 on the car, $400 on doggie vet visits, and bought some new clothes here in the past two weeks – I feel broke! So, the wine is fitting.

Double T 2006 Red Wine: Review

The Wine
Double T 2006
Trefethen Family Vineyards
Napa, California, USA
TREFETHEN.com

Here is what they have on the bottle: “…Cabernet Sauvignon gives depth and structure: Merlot adds a lively spiciness, Cabernet Franc floral fruit, Petit Verdot intense color, and Malbec a silky softness.”

This is my last bottle of this wine. I bought a six pack a couple of years ago and I have to say I have always enjoyed this wine. This wine should be paired with game, steak, filet mignon, lamb, and other hearty fare. This wine is also deserving of a bold cigar as an after dinner treat.

Appearance: Deep purple body with deep ruby edges.
Aroma: Big berry, light spice; it is just terrific with each sip.
Taste: Big bold dark berry profile; the blackberry and black currant notes are thick; good spice and earthy notes to fill the palate; the earthy notes to me seem to include a portabella mushroom and forest floor like quality. The dry soil just adds to the texture of this bold red wine. An undertone of floral comes into play; it is just a hint of violet. The dryness of the mouthfeel along with all these wonderful flavors mingle together and make me think of a rich 87% dark chocolate.
Mouthfeel: The feel is full bodied. The berry profile makes it a little jammy; the earthy qualities coats the tongue. There is a long aftertaste of these two on palate.

Tonight I am going to give this wine an 8 on My Strength Rating Scale. Big bold flavors, jammy mouthfeel, dry texture, earthy notes coat the palate for a long aftertaste.

A Wine Review: Schioppettino 2008 Villa Rubini

Colli Orientali del Friuli

The Fruili district is located on Italy’s Northeastern border. The Schioppettino grape is a thick skinned grape that can have some Syrah-like qualities. This grape is very hard to come by because it has been slowly replaced by Merlot and Tocai grapes.
This wine is aged for 12 months in chestnut casks.
Villarubini.net


Aroma: a mixture of red and black berries with a firm herbal-spice nose.
Appearance: with my glass full it has a deep purple body with some good ruby red edges.
Taste: A good dark berry presences blends well with a hint of floral and a touch of herb and a mixture of peppercorns. To me this is that peppermill that is filled with pink, white, and green peppercorns. I really like the pepper profile in this wine.
The mouthfeel is soft. Look at my description, a touch of this and a hint of that, and the pepper style is that of a soft pepper. It is this peppery style that lingers on the palate and the other tasting notes are on the back of the palate. There is a pleasing herbal dryness.
This is one tasty wine.

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2006 - Wine Review

This 13% abv Italian Red Dry Wine has a deep ruby color. When I first opened the bottle the alcohol aroma was overpowering. Hoping that nothing was wrong here I set the glass of wine to the side to let it breathe a little. Came back to it in 15 minutes and the alcohol level was relaxing. Swirled the glass awhile and then came back to in a few minutes and the aroma was starting to open up. A light earthy note with some fresh dark berry notes. The tasting notes cover black licorice, red and black currant, and some nice dry herbal spice. The dryness of the mouthfeel makes me think of a strong woody-earthy quality and the tart bite of blackberries. The very thick earthiness just coats the palate for a long lasting jammy aftertaste.

Bogle Petite Sirah 2007



This little wine is bold

 This well price bottle of red wine comes from Graton, California. In Michigan it will cost you around $12.00 for a 750ml bottle. Bogle started their business back in 1978 and the Petite Sirah grape is their bread and butter.

The appearance is a very deep purple wine that just looks so delicious when it is poured into the glass. The aroma has a very good dark berry, plum, and spice profile. If you like blackberries well this is your wine. This wine covers all the tasting range of a blackberry. That sweet berry taste is underneath the bold dark and tart blackberry bit that sits on your palate with each sip.

While the nice spice and oak dance across the tongue the smoky-earthy quality just coats the palate with a thick lasting aftertaste. Between the heavy texture, jammy mouthfeel, big blackberry taste along with some nice spice and a solid oak note, I will have to give this wine a 9 on my strength rating.

This is the first bottle of this wine that I have ever had, but I will be buy more because this is right up my alley. This would be very good with a lamb dinner and/or a quality cigar.

Visit their web site to learn more about this wine and the winery
Boglewinery.com