Archive for July, 2006

The Austrailian Idol

Torbreck “Woodcutters” Shiraz, 2004, Barossa Valley, Australia

Okay so this wine can’t sing, but you will after a bottle or two! The name Woodcutters stems from when winemaker David Powell spent several years working in the Scottish Highlands as a lumberjack or woodcutter in the Torbreck forest. The Woodcutters Red, like all Torbreck wines, sources fruit from hand harvested and hand tended, low yielding vines. It is fermented and gently pressed, then aged for 12 months in large format seasoned barrels and foudres. Not for the faint of heart, this shiraz boasts 14.5% alcohol content!!!

Click read more for the complete story…

?The 2004 Woodcutters Shiraz is a 20,000-case cuvee aged completely in old wood. Pure blackberry liqueur intermixed with hints of charcoal, tar, and pepper jump from the glass of this soft, velvety-textured, opulent, fruit-filled Shiraz. Amazingly complex for its price, this lusty, appealing, hedonist?s dream is worth buying by the case. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. David Powell, unquestionably one of the world?s finest wine producers, has an uncanny ability to discover old vine Barossa vineyards, and then secure long term contracts for their fruit. It is amazing that such high quality sources have not already been plucked by Australia?s giant wine corporations. Torbreck?s wines continue to get better and better, combining the old vine ripe fruit of Barossa with a European sensitivity to elegance and balance.? ?Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, October 2005.

I don’t know about Randy, Paula or Simon… but Robert Parker gave this wine 91 points!!!!

$23 / bottle

Published in: Wine Reviews, Red Wine, Syrah/Shiraz, Australia | on July 5th, 2006 | No Comments »

Deal, or No Deal?… Deal!

Verget Saint Bris, 2004, Burgundy, France

Stbris02

Okay here’s the deal, Sauvignon Blanc meets White Burgundy at a killer price! The fruity citrus flavors of this grape have met the metallic crispness commonly found in this classic terroir….

Saint Bris, which is Southwest of Chablis in the Burgundy region of France, was promoted to AOC status in 2001. Who cares? Well, it’s unique in that all AOC (highest quality wines) white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. Saint Bris wines are made from Sauvignon Blanc. Some refer to this as ‘poor man’s Sancerre.’

It?s a great change of pace from the creeping global style of fruity/oaky wines. Try it with seafood bisques, pasta with white sauce, herbed & roasted chicken.

The standards Verget has established and the collaboration it has set up with the grape growers continually improve the quality of their products. Verget buys only handpicked grapes. The grapes are loaded into 40 kg cases to preserve the health of grapes, then trucked back to Verget, re-sorted if needed and pressed using a pneumatic press. There is total control of the winemaking process. All wines are vinified, `raised’ and bottled at Verget. Through Jean-Marie Guffens’ distinct winemaking process, Verget has developed a unique style. Focus is on the use of lees, on the gentlest-possible handling of the fruit and the young wine, and on barrel fermentation. Verget wines display precision, sharpness of fruit and considerable mineral focus allied to textural richness. 

 

Published in: Wine Reviews, White Wine, France, Sauvignon Blanc | on July 5th, 2006 | No Comments »
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