Bar-B-Que Wines

[KMP]

Bar-B-Que Wines
“It is that time of year when we invite the family and friends over for a party! Come this Saturday to pick out your favorite party wine.”
Saturday, June 19, 11-3PM,
$5 BUCKS

One of the weekly $5 tastings held by Vintage wines in San Diego and the first IÂ’ve been to for quite some time. Even though you are provided with a listing of the wines and tasting notes, I always taste the wines blind.

Mas de Bressades, Vin de Pays, 2003 ($8.99US) – Grenache and Syrah.
Dark cherry. Flavors of bubble gum, stewed fruit and citrus. Mouthfeel a little thin, but nice tannins. A good clean wine with flavors present on retronasal.

Mas Fondreche, Cotes du Ventoux, 2003 ($10.99US) – Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan.
Dark cherry. Floral notes combined with cherries. Ethyl acetate (nail polish). A big wine finishing with hard tannins and clean acid, but thin on the midpalate. Flavors carry through on retronasal.

Twenty Bench, Cabernet, 2002 ($14.99US) – 100% Cabernet
Deep dark cherry with a reddish edge. Caramel and tobacco. Nice fruit, but almost sweet. Developed wintergreen mint flavor. Nice wine with a clean acid finish and unobtrusive tannins.

Joel Gott, Dillian Ranch Zinfabdel, 2002 ($19.99US)
Cherry with a brownish tinge to the edge. Lightest color of the group. Initially slightly medicinal but developed cedar and smoked ham flavors. Mouth drying tannins. Flavors carried through on retronasal.

Qupe, Arroyo Grande Vineyard Syrah 2002 ($25.99US)
Dark cherry. Initially a little closed, only showing dusty oak. Developed flavors of red fruits and butterscotch. Thin mouthfeel, finishing hot and slightly bitter. Flavors carried through on retronasal.

Thalgara, Show Reserve Shiraz, 1997 ($17.99US)
Brick red with a distinct brown edge; obviously not a young wine. Predominant flavor of burnt caramel (oxidized). On the palate the wine was thin with mouth watering acidity to the finish. Flavors carried through on retronasal.

I preferred the cabernet among this group, but I would not recommend any of the wines. However I will say that they all tasted much better with the Beef Goulash that I was served after having gone through an initial assessment of the wines. I was frankly shocked by the tasting notes provided for the Thalgara (“Tons of ripe black fruit flavors in this chewy mouthstaining Aussie shiraz.”) which had been reduced from $38.99US. To me the wine was oxidized and well past its peak.

It recover from the insult that the Thalgara made to Aussie shiraz I ordered a tasting of Penfold's RWT Shiraz, Barossa, 2001 ($69.99US) from the wine bar. For a 2 oz taste it was $7.75US, but this is shiraz. A dark cherry with a reddish edge, the wine was very open and opulent with cherries and floral notes. It was simply enjoyable just to smell the wine. On the palate it had good mouthfeel, very well balanced with a clean finish. On retronasal the flavors lingered as a good wine should do.

Mike

[Sr. Chooch]

I got ribs in the smoker outside and I just popped a 2000 Arrowood SaraLes's Syrah that I bought in a Pennsylvania state store on sale for $17.99. It was orignally $49.99 and at $18 I thought it was a steal. Whats happened to this property since the Mondavis took it over? The wine is weak and pallid on the palate and just plain boring to drink. It just went down the drain. I then popped a 2002 Kalleske Barossa Shiraz that I got from a freind in Australia who said this is the next big thing. Its got great color, but the VA level is thru the roof. The wine lacks acid and is flabby in the mouth. The finish is short and my guess based on the greeness in the finish is that the vines are very young. If this is the next big thing out of Australia, I will spend my $100 USD on a 01 Napa Cabernet.

[Guest]

The problem with the Arrowood is that the 2000 vintage was horrible in Sonoma (and Napa too for that matter).

[DJ]

Mike

As promised last week pulled a 97 Thalgara yesterday. The bottle you tried must have been oxidised .

1997 Thalgara Show Reserve Shiraz. brick red with purple hint. moderately closed nose but clean well made modern Hunter. Palate showed nice earthy tannins with smooth rich fruit and some secondary development - should hold for at least five years. Very enjoyable, Highly recommend +.

Thalgara is a small Hunter winery just down the road from the old Tulloch winery (now Cockfighter's Ghost I think). We visited them in about 2000 and were impressed by their Shiraz bought 2 of each of 97 and 98. Visited again in Jan04 not as impressed. Other than Shiraz make a fairly uninteresting Chardonnay.

We are currently on a half bottle a night regime - other half decanted into half bottle - so if further to report I'll do so.

David