Paul and I really enjoyed a bottle of 2005 Colgin IX Estate at Brix Wine Cellars in Houston last night. The 2005 IX Estate is the fourth release of this proprietary red blend.
The winemaker is Allison Tauziet and the vineyard manager is David Abreau who is considered the premier viticulturist for premium grapes in Napa Valley.
Had my in-laws over for dinner to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday and opened this very nice Rhone style GSM from winemaker John Duval formerly formerly with Penfolds for over 29 years. This is the fourth release of Plexus with RP scoring the 2006 release a 95. It runs around $39.00 US Dollars, so is a very good value!
Proprietor: John Duval Wines
Vintage: 2006
Region: Barossa Valley
Varietals: Shiraz 52%, Grenache 30%, Mourvedre 18%
Shiraz was sourced from vineyards in the Stockwell, Light Pass, Krondorf and Marananga regions.
Grenache from old bush vines 50-60 years old from Stockwell, Light Pass and Krondorf regions.
Mourvedre from old bush vines, the oldest over 100 years old, from the Light Pass and Krondorf regions.
Note: Fermentation with submerged cap in both traditional old open top tanks and small stainless steel fermenters. 100% barrel matured for 16 months. Some Shiraz finished fermentation in new oak. 10% new fine grain French oak hogsheads (300 litres), balance; 3 years and older mostly French oak.
Tasting: Beautiful dark purple-red in the stem. Raspberry, red cherry, black cherry, blueberry, followed by Spanish cedar, tobacco, spice box, smoked game, black pepper, and nice floral notes. Excellent full-bodied structure and impeccable balance with rich ripe fruit and finely grained tannins. The finish is generous and pleasant. This wine will improve with bottle rest and will drink for around 10 years or more, but can be enjoyed now with some decanting.
Rating: 94 JH
Well, I decide to hang with someone special tonight… My wife! So, we end up at Brix for steak night and end the night with a great wine from Ovid called Experiment no. K1.5. A red blend, this wine has a large percentage of Cabernet Franc, with various smaller allotments of petit verdot, merlot, and Cabernet sauvingnon. This little wine really packs a punch even though it I only 14.5% alcohol by volume.
If you can find this wine, give it some time to open up. It was a bit tight when we opened it up, but soon showed a great nose full of bright floral notes.
The nose continued it’s fruity component with some rasberry and blueberry filler. Some nice black pepper and spices round out a nice nose.
The mouthfeel is well balanced with nice acidity and dark fruits. The finish is also well balanced and long.
In my opinion only, this wine needs a few years to get there. While being well balanced, it is a long opener and needs some time. However, I really like it…
92+ Paul
Paul and I really enjoyed this Pinot Noir from Bounty Hunter over the July fourth holiday weekend with family.
Proprietor: Bounty Hunter
Vintage: 2007
Appellation: Los Carneros
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Notes: Aged 12 months in 90% French oak, approximately 30% new. Only 216 cases made.
Tasting: On the nose, bing cherry, raspberry, red currant, rose petals, smoke house bacon, Spanish cedar, followed by nice spicy notes, and cream soda on the mid palate. The wine has nice balance and a generous finish.
Rating: PC 90, JH 91+
