Wine Tasting for the week of Sat. February 25, 2006
Wine: Abundance Vineyard's 2001 "Abundantly Rich Red"
Rating:
4 Bottles
Region: Lodi California - the Mencarini Family Winery - Grapes from this
vineyard are grown in various California Regions...Alexander Valley, Russian
River Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Sonoma Coast, Ukiah Valley, Paso Robles,
Lodi etc.
Winery's Website:
www.abundancevineyards.com
Price: $14-$18
What we ate: Chicken Parmiagiana with Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread
About the Wine: This is a meritage blend of several varietals. The Abundance
Website describes the wine: "The Abundantly Rich Red is made entirely from
our Mencarini Family grapes in Lodi. This vintage of our famous Rich Red
is another stellar addition to our reputation for producing outstanding,
value oriented wines.The rich blend of old California varietals Zinfandel
and Carignane leaves nothing to the imagination. This wine is loaded with
intense fruity aromas of Bing cherries, plums and blackberries in contrast
with chocolate and toasty aromas contributed by the judicious use of oak
barrels. The mouth feel is full with soft, ripe tannins, and the finish is
long and almost sweet without being sugary."
Comments
David: Deep, ripe, dark fruits are noticed almost immediatey after opening
the bottle. There is a slight toasty oak smell that rounds out and balances
the wine. Needs a couple minutes to breathe as the wine has a strong mouth
feel.
Kim: This is an awesome, very drinkable red wine. It opened up after only
15-30 minutes of decanting. It's noticably intense flavors make it a bargain
for the price. Even though it doesn't have 13 varieties it's flavors are
reminiscent of a French Chateaneuf-du-pape.
David: After the 30 minutes or so the wine became noticeably smoother. I
agree about your likeness of this wine to a complex Chateaneuf-du-pape. Flavors
came out of the wine that make it very pleasing to drink yet strong to acompany
very flavorfull foods.
Kim: This is the 6th or 7th bottle I've drank. I've had it with BBQ'd Steak,
BBQ'd Pork and Italian Food. It always brings out the best in the food and
makes me want more when the bottle is empty. The price is reasonable (hats
off the the winery for holding the line on prices - I'm so tired of overpriced
California Reds). I highly recommend this wine.
Wine Tasting for the week of Saturday Dec. 11, 2005
Wine: Castle Rock 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rating:
3 Bottles
Region: California - Columbia Valley - shares same latitude as Bordeaux region
of France
Winery's Website:
www.castlerock.com
Price: $10.99 - $14.99
What we ate: BBQ'd Angus Ribeyes/ Broccoli /
Salad w/ Crumbled Bleu Cheese w/ Balsamic Vinegar-Oil
Comments:
David: It took about an hour to open up but was very drinkable. It had good
forward fruit and a balanced mouth feel. I didn't feel any acid at the back
of my throat when I sipped it.
Kim: For the price this was a very good wine. The flavor emerged after decanting
for awhile. Quite drinkable. I enjoyed it to the last sip.
David: It went well with our BBQ'd steak. It kept flavor with the food and
wasn't overpowered by the steak.
Kim: The real issue is that we've bought it again. That's the test of a good
wine. Will you buy it again and will you recommend it to your friends? We
have bought it again and we do recommend it to our friends.
We use a 5 bottle system, with 5 being
the highest.
