La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2001 is a delectable wine produced from Tempranillo grapes (90%) from 40 year-old vines located in Briñas, Villalba and Labastida that are perfectly complemented by a 10% touch of Graciano vines from Melchorón and Rodezno Briones vineyards, all of which belong to the DOC of La Rioja.

In February 2002, the wine was transferred to the self-made, 4 year-old American oak barrels being racked through the traditional barrel-to-barrel method for 4 years, every 6 months. The wine was bottled in June 2006 and has been maturing in the company’s cellars for over six years. In order to preserve maximum organoleptic components, the wine was subject to a gentle filtration, which can produce few sediments with age.

Now is a perfect time to acquire this fiercely anticipated red wine from La Rioja. It is worth the effort of purchasing it simply for its exclusive quality and extraordinary taste, but it will also be a great acquisition for any wine cellar as it will continue to evolve for 5 to 6 more years, and has great drinkability until 2040.

SIGHT: Ruby red, with a slight garnet rim. Very bright, has thin and elegant tears.

SMELL: Fresh, vibrant, with fine notes of candied fruit, spicy black fruit, excellent ripeness with a hint of coffee and chocolate mint.

TASTE: Solid structure, round and sweet elegantly polished tannins. Silky, soft and durable aftertaste.

ALCOHOL: 12.5% °

Serve at 17 ° C, decanting recommended

PAIRING: Red meats, Añejo or other semi-soft cheeses, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota

Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Notes:  Dark, rich color. Strawberry, cedar, and tobacco nose. Velvety, but has the southern Rhone rustic sensibility. Strawberries kept in a cigar box.  Great now, could last a decade.  Delicious.

Price:  $39.95 at North Charles Wine and Spirits

2008 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon – The Montelena Estate

Appellation: Napa

Notes:  Stunning.  Still a little young, but wonderful structure, fruit, and creaminess.  Like drinking velvet.  A very nice juxtaposition of California Cab and Bordeaux, it has the American cluster but settles down with a great deal of refinement, much like an AMG can smoke the tires, but still be a wonderful grand touring car. Delicious.

Price: $150 at North Charles Fine Wines and Spirits.

2010 Willam Cole Columbine Special Reserve

Appellation:  Colchagua Valley (Chile)

Notes:  100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.9% ABV.  Violet color, not as deep as a normal Cab.  Nose is black fruit and coffee, but not really harmonious.  I pick up cherry, some coffee, and some chocolate.  It is a bit disjointed and off balance, with some acidity on the finish that’s not bringing much to the party.  Normally I’m a big fan of Chilean wines because of the ratio of value to quality, but this one doesn’t measure up.  OK.

Price:  Unknown, I got it free.

2009 Koyle Riserva Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation: Colchagua, Chile

Notes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% ABV. The nose is fruit and wood, with a little must, but not so much that you think it’s corked. Chocolate covered cherries that have been in a cedar chest in the basement (which isn’t bad, mind you). Finish is astringent, though, making the wine off balance. That’s unusual, because they usually send excellent examples. I wouldn’t search this out. OK.

Price: Unknown, this was a sample.

2011 Reserve de la Saurine

Appellation:  Gard (Vin de Pays d’Oc)

Notes:  100% Grenache Blanc, 12% ABV.  Grenache Blanc is usually blended, so this is something I’m not sure I’ve ever had.  Tropical nose, a little tight.  Tropical fruit and lots of citrus (oranges, lemons, limes).  Not much acidity, but a nice weight.  Coates the mouth, very elegant.  There’s a lot going on.  Normally, a lower acid wine will not be a great food wine, but this went well with a simple salmon dish.  I recommend searching this one out.  Very Good.

Price:  Unknown, but probably under $15.

Segway:

Winemaking: The vineyards are located in the hilly area of Valpolicella, north of Verona. Select clusters of Corvina grapes are carefully harvested. The maceration lasts for 8 to 10 days. Following maceration the wine goes through the “rispasso” process, where the wine rests on the lees left over from Amarone, enhancing the wine’s aromatics and aging potential. After the malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for 18 to 24 months in medium to large-sized oak casks. Before release the wine is aged in the bottle for at least 6 months.

Sartori di Verona “Regolo” Rosso Veronese 2006
Tasting Notes: 100% Corvina, 13.5% vol, unfiltered. Deep, dark, ruby red in the glass, with brick-red around the edges. Very herbal, spicy nose, opening up to beautiful violets and more subtle notes of rich, ripe black fruits. Smooth and juicy texture in the mouth, a tart acidity that is fairly well-balanced, a bit too sour but definitely not an over kill. There are flavors of black cherries and strawberries on the mid-palate and prunes and lingering sourness on the finish. A bit disjointed between the nose and the mouth. The nose definitely wins out with its pretty floral notes and complexity. An over-all pretty good wine.
Rating: 16/20 (90/100)
Price: $25 retail @ The Andersons

The story behind the Hausfrau Haven wine store is pretty cool too. Hausfrau Haven is where I purchased the William Kavney Cellars bottle. I was asking around at the open house, trying to pinpoint who in Ohio distributed and/or retailed Guigal wines. I was a winemaking apprentice, A.K.A. Cellar Rat, at Guigal during the 2009 vintage and so naturally I’m deadset on getting my hands on one of the 2009 LaLas. I’m pretty damn proud to be able to say that I helped make those wines and was part of the EPIC 2009 vintage. By the way I was also part of spilling a few thousand dollars worth of wine on the cellar floor, after failing to properly fasten one of the pumps. I considered it an offering to the French wine gods. LaLa, by the way, is the nickname for Guigal’s top single-vineyard Cote-Roties (La Turque, La Mouline and La Landonne) that demand between 3 and 5 bills a bottle! But more importantly, these are some AMAZING wines!

So how the hell does Guigal have anything to do with this William Kavney Cellars tasting, other than me selfishly plugging my 2009 vintage? Well nothing yet, except that after asking around at the Open House, I was told that the top wine buyer in Columbus was Faye, owner of Hausfrau Haven wine store and “the best palate in Ohio”. And additionally, I was told that she would be the best bet for finding a bottle of a Guigal LaLa. So I dropped in for a visit to Hausfrau and sure enough they carried Guigal, including the LaLas! Now my name’s on the list for the 2009 vintage, which is still in the barrel btw, and won’t be in the shop for another 6 to 12 months. Some of the LaLas are aged for up to 4 years in barrel. Now that’s what I call barrel ageing!

Sorry I understand that I STILL haven’t got to the point of today’s tasting. So much buildup I know! Well the closing chapter of this saga is that after speaking to one of the wine reps and asking for his favorite bottle under $20, he immediately grabbed the William Kavney Cellar 2007 Cab, the exact same wine that was all the rave at the Brookside Open House. The End!

William Kavney Cellars “Cabernet Sauvignon” Napa Valley 2007
Tasting Notes: 100% cabernet sauvignon, 13.8% vol. Dark ruby red in the glass. A decent amount of alcohol on the nose, accompanied by pleasant and subtle notes of black fruits, cinnamon and vanilla spice. Silky-smooth texture up front, followed by strong fruit, black cherry jam, good balance of acidity and finishing with dry tannins and notes of dark chocolate and oak. Certainly nothing magical and not all the rave, BUT definitely an overall enjoyable wine.
Rating: 15/20 (89/100)
Price: US$20 @ Hausfrau Haven in German Village, Columbus, Ohio

So many wine choices -  this may seem intimidating to an individual not yet versed in the different aspects that the world of wine has to offer. How does a person choose which wine they will love? Wine exploration and discovering should not be intimidating or scary but a great deal of fun. This drink that has been loved throughout the ages should be thought of as a pleasurable treat to indulge in. You can have a blast tasting wine and exploring different flavors and varieties. Learning how to taste wine properly is a simple practice that makes all aspects of wine tasting worth doing. Its also nice to know that in this day and age you can do some research online prior to wine tasting. Websites like the Wine Club Guide will help you understand wine better and make your life easier in choosing which wines you would like to try.

Like most things, it takes time to develop your wine tasting palate. Once you get going though, you will learn to distinguish good wines from poor ones and hopefully discover some great ones along the way. All you really need to do is learn the basics of wine tasting to get started. The wine’s appearance, how it smells and tastes are the fundamentals of any thorough wine tasting.

When pouring a glass of wine for tasting, you should fill the glass a 1/4 full. This gives you enough room to swirl and sniff the wine. After pouring, look at the color of the wine and note its clarity, color and depth. A dessert wine will usually be darker and thicker than a white wine. Once you’ve experienced more wines, you will understand each types viscosity, hue and other characteristics just by looking at it.

Swirl the wine some more and sniff the aroma. Note the scents coming from the fruits. There is no right or wrong when doing this. Each individual has their own way of describing what they smell. A wine can have a bouquet of earthy or woody scents and even smell like chocolate or rubber tires. How awesome is this! Do you enjoy what you’re smelling? Try to pick out any stronger smells that are primarily coming through. Does the aroma provoke your senses enough to want to sip the wine?

Take a small sip and swirl the wine around slowly while sucking in bits of air to create a stronger taste. Does the taste make your lips pucker or is there a subtle sweetness that lingers on your tongue? Each wine will taste completely different as will it’s feeling in the mouth. Some wines will give off a dry sensation while others will feel silky and smooth. Note these differences along with the tastes you discover.

Take notes on all the different types of wines you try, and soon you’ll become the wine tasting expert that everyone comes to when choosing a bottle of great wine.