Pinot Noir
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 | Wine | No Comments
All I can say is that this will not be a repeat wine for us to try.
We tried a Pinot Noir from Wasenweiler 2005.
The first thing I noticed was the color, it seemed brash and artificial. Overall the color lacked depth and character.
The first thing my nose noticed was an overwhelming cheap alcoholic scent. I was instantly taken to the image of an alcohol prep pad. Upon breathing in and out the scent does not lessen. After about 45 minutes the alcohol scent does somewhat dissipate and a strong tannic scent is left behind.
The taste was like that of green oak leaves, overall bitter and tannic. This leaves an overall bitter aftertaste and was not a pleasure to drink. I am a huge fan of Pinot Noir and decided to try a regional one last night and I must say I was not impressed.
Smell- 1
Taste- 2
Color- 1
Feel- 1
I will though continue to try regional wines, because the next gem is right around the corner. This summer I had a Pinot Noir on a hot day in the French country side and it was an amazing bottle of wine that saw us coming home with a few bottles.
Tanqueray No. Ten
Monday, September 15th, 2008 | Gin | No Comments
Tanqueray No. Ten was introduced in 2000. It was made to target the martini market, but not being a huge martini drinker myself I use it for a lot of other great drinks.
The gin goes through a quadruple-distillation process and is still small batch processed.
I love this gin. It is the base for some of my favorite cocktails, but it is also tastiest.
I love the smell of juniper, and the wafts of citrus (grapefruit, orange and lime) and the slight bitter undertone of chamomile flower. This is a smooth gin, full of lively flavors and a silk texture. You can tell that this gin is made from fresh fruits instead of dried fruit. Some people feel that the fruit overwhelms the juniper, but that is what I like about this gin. Being an herbalist and aromatherapist I love smelling and experiencing the different levels this gin offers.
Some of my favorite drinks that include Tanqueray No. Ten include a Gin Fizz, the G and T and a few citrus cocktails of our own making that cut the heat on a summer day.
Tanqueray No. Ten
Smell- 4
Taste- 4.5
Color- 4
Feel- 5
I love this gin and it so wonderful to enjoy and share with others.
A few years ago AC was tending bar at a family/friends party in MA and we had the honor of converting at least 10 people to the joys of Tanqueray No. Ten and gin based cocktails. People still ask us about those cocktails and want to know what type of gin we used that day.
Le Masserie Torcuddia
Monday, September 15th, 2008 | Wine | Comments Off
Salice Salentino, what a taste. A dry vibrant experience, that first moved me our last trip to Rome.
We had this wine in a wonderful resturant with pasta, pizza and salad. It was wonderful with all three parings and it was a fabulous meal and wine.
The wine reviewed is a
La Masserie Torcuddia Salice Salentino Riserva 2005
Color
The color is a beautiful rich garnet color flecked with plum highlights.
Smell
The smell is fresh and upon breathing in with your mouth and nose in glass you will encounter a cool breath in. It is wonderful. You will be faced with a slightly woodsy and vernal scent. After a half an hour a cherry note appears in the scent.
Taste
This wine is so wonderful because it really tingles the palate. The wine has a slightly bitter taste that adds to the depth and intensity to the flavor. The wine is a nice dry wine, but it is not too dry. You notice it being a dry wine but you do not feel parched after drinking.
Paring
We as I mentioned before pared this with pasta, pizza. Suggested pasta parings would be Pesto or Gnocchi. The cheeses it would work well with this wine are Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Romano.
Overall I give this wine a 16.
When we look at wines we take into account the color, smell, taste and feel. The top score is 20.
Color-4
Smell-4
Taste-4
Feel-4