2005 Blason-d'Issan Margaux

Tonight's wine is a splurge. (That's such a gross word, isn't it?) It's Bastille Day, and I'm opening up a bottle of French wine that I full expect to knock my chausettes off. I haven't been tasting much Bordeaux since I returned from France nearly a month ago, because I tasted so much good wine there, that I was afraid I might be disappointed that I doesn't taste as good in America. You know, the ambience and all. But then I realized that was stupid. So here goes.

Blason d'Issan is the second wine of Chateau d'Issan, third growth Bordeaux in the Margaux appellation. I wouldn't touch a bottle of the first wine from the 2005 vintage for quite some time, but since the second wines of the great chateaux tend to be made with the slightly lower quality grapes and with less use of new oak barrels, they're ready to drink earlier, on average. So I think we're ok.

The wine is an inky garnet in the glass, with some orange-brick coloration at the rim. The aromas are gorgeous - just the right amount of earthiness and fruit that I expect from a Bordeaux - and incredibly complex. Red cherry, slate, licorice, dark chocolate, red currant, pencil shavings (yes, I said it! Pencil shavings! What a cliché!)....

I want to dive into the glass.

But instead, I take a sip. Still gorgeous. I actually think I could have let this one age a couple more years, as the tannins are still a bit firm, but they're not wooly and they don't overpower the ripe red fruits or the freshly turned earth flavors that just keep going and going, long after the mouthful is swallowed. The length is phenomenally long and lucious. My only minor criticism is that the alcohol is just a touch high; 2005 was a very warm year for Bordeaux, leading to higher sugar content and consequently higher alcohol, so it's not totally unexpected. It's just not entirely integrated. But it does not detract at all from my enjoyment of this wine. I hope to enjoy it again very soon. (Hint hint.)

Vintage: 2005
Grapes: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot
Region: Margaux, Bordeaux, France
Price: $43

2005 L'Oca Ciuca Toscana "The Drunken Goose"

I'll have to rely on someone who knows more Italian than "Grazie" and "Bongiorno" to tell me if L'Oca Ciuca actually means "The Drunken Goose," but either way it was good enough to get me to buy this bottle of Italian red. Not that I generally require that much persuasion. This is one of the so-called "Supertuscans" who operate outside the Italian wine laws by adding such grapes as cabernet sauvignon and merlot to their sangiovese. The horror! This particular blend is of sangiovese, merlot, and syrah.

It's an opaque garnet in the glass, with just a hint of browning towards the rim. The aromas are dense with dark fruits - blueberries and plums, mostly - and some palpable cocoa as well. The deliciousness extends to the palate. It's not at all sweet, but the fruits are juicy, the acid in perfect balance with the fine tannins and alcohol. Despite it's modest price, I suspect this wine could actually age a few more years and still evolve. The finish is a little sour, but overall the wine is very pleasant. I can see why the goose got drunk.

Vintage: 2005
Grape: Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah
Region: Tuscany
Price: $12

2005 Abbaye de St-Ferme Bordeaux Supérieur Les Vignes du Soir

Yes! It's a 2005 Bordeaux! 2005 was touted as the "vintage of the century" for Bordeaux. Now it's 2009 (keep your eyes peeled - they're starting to roll into US shops!).  This is by no means a Premier Cru wine - Bordeaux Supérieur is essentially a generic appellation within the region of Bordeaux, distinct from plain old Bordeaux AOC by having more alcohol in it. This doesn't mean it's not a good wine, though. I could go on for days about the issues related to the Bordeaux classification system (and believe me, some people have), but to be concise: the current ranking system of many Bordeaux wines was erected in 1855 and hasn't really changed much since. So it's not exactly based on up-to-the-minute quality.

The color is a very deep garnet with some definite browning towards the rim. A top-flight 2005 Bordeaux could easily age for more than 25 years and still drink well. This one has had 6 years in the bottle (hence the browning), and that's probably enough for it. The primary aromas seem to be a bit overpowered by oak, but there is still some black currant fruit peeking through, and something that reminds me of soy sauce. And there are some nice, earthy mushroom aromas as well. I do have to mention that there is a bit of a "barnyard" odor, but we won't dwell on that. It's a French thing.

In the mouth, I can honestly say that this is one of the most pleasant Bordeaux I have ever tasted. I may have an American palate (I am, after all, an American), but I often find Bordeaux a tad harsh. This could also be because I've never had a really good Bordeaux.  Anyway, there is plenty of acid and tannin, but the tannins are only slightly coarse - akin to the fuzzier side of velcro, as opposed to the side with all the little hooks - and the acid is nicely balanced by some black fruits and spice. It's perfectly ripe and juicy, without being a fruit bomb. And best of all - it costs $6!!!

Vintage: 2005
Grape: 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
Region: Bordeaux Supérieur
Price: $6
My rating: 92/100

2006 Vietti Barolo Castiglione

This wine was most definitely a splurge, though since I work in a wine shop it wasn't as expensive as it could have been. But I was on a search for an Italian wine that would compliment some unusual cheeses - namely Taleggio, Pecorino Toscano, and Robiola due Latte - to present as a pairing for a wine studies course I am taking. But even at the full price of $45, this wine is worth every penny.

The aromas are delicate and luscious - milk chocolate, sweet cherries, and violets. Just the perfume I would desire in a nebbiolo. In the mouth, it is certainly muscular and tannic, as nebbiolos tend to be, but the tannins are velvety and refined, not in the least coarse. They coat the mouth in the perfect way to make you yearn for some creamy cheeses or a savory steak. It's perfectly balanced and has a lingering, ethereal finish that most winemakers would give their left pinky for. It will be even better after it ages another year or two.

This is a wine for which I highly encourage you to go out of your way. 93.

Vintage: 2005
Grape: Nebbiolo
Region: Piedmont, Italy
Price: $45
My rating: 93/100

2005 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Marina Cvetic San Martino Rosso

I'm sure there there is not-so-good Montepulciano d'Abruzzo out there - but I can't recall ever having one. Of course, I don't remember much about any wines I tasted before I really learned to taste. But this wine from Masciarelli certainly upholds my vision of Montelpulciano as a delicious wine.

It's dark, dark, dark in the glass, in fact a completely opaque ruby. Luckily I gave it a sniff before the chicken roasting in the often started to overpower it (wine may smell like many thinks, but chicken isn't generally a desired aroma). There are dark chocolate-covered cherries in this glass, some earth as well, though the aroma isn't intense - it's clear, but like I'm smelling it from far away, as a member of my tasting group said today (about a different wine). The chocolate is likely the influence of oak-aging, which can also impart vanilla, toasty, buttery, and caramel aromas and tastes, depending on the age of the barrel, the grape varietal, the level of charring in the oak, etc.

I think part of the reason I can't get a lot of aroma out of the wine (which is also making it hard to taste much) is that...it's really cold in my apartment and I think the wine would be a lot more expressive if I bit the bullet and turned up the heat. But....I'd rather spend my money on wine than gas bills....

The palate is quite dominated by some firm, scratchy tannins, which I think would have mellowed out a bit if I had opened the wine a year ot two from now. Right now, they're making my lips stick to my teeth and I'm wishing that chicken would hurry up and roast so I had something to eat with the wine. Ooooh, or maybe some nice pasta with marinara and spicy sausages....mmmmmmm.... The wine also has some pronounced acid that is making me pucker, but it's fairly well balanced out by some juicy red fruit and - believe it or not - black olives - on the finish.

Overall, a wine with excellent structure and potential to pair really well with a rich, Italian dish. By itself, the acid and tannins are kind of hurting me. Must go in search of cheese. I give it an 84.

2005 Spier Shiraz-Mourvdre-Viognier Western Cape Vintage Selection

The blend of grapes is French (Rhone, to be precise), but the wine is actually from South Africa. Shiraz (only called this in South Africa and Australia - everywhere else it's known as Syrah), Mourvedre, and Viognier (a white grape often blended in with other grapes for its highly aromatic nature) aren't necessarily blended together in the Rhone, but they're all grown there, and I can see where Spier came up with idea of combining them.

Shiraz and Mourvedre share a gaminess, with complimentary red fruits. Shiraz/Syrah is frequently blended with Viognier in the Northern Rhone. They all "like" warmer growing conditions. And they've certainly made a nice wine here.

As a good Shiraz should, this wine has a deep, inky garnet color, with plenty of black pepper, earth, vanilla, and cassis on the nose. There's also an undercurrent of slate and some pronounced cocoa. The cocoa, cassis, and some mellow smoke carry over onto the palate, along with well-balanced acidity and fairly refined tannins. The texture is a little coarse, likely due to the high alcohol (15% ABV! Ouch! though totally characteristic of the grape varietals involved and the Mediterranean climate of the Western Cape). But the wine has quite a long finish and the flavors on the palate continue to evolve in the mouth after the wine has been swallowed (no spitting here!).

Overall, a recommended wine. It's not super cheap ($15-$20), but it's certainly worth the money, I give it an 87.