Short reviews of three wines from Baggot St Wines

Portillo Malbec €11.19
Fantastic, big, chewy and a little bit fruity. Great value as priced.

Gran Cerdo €13.99
A little thin, we reckoned, got a bit better after being open for a while but not ones the Willies cared for very much. And check out their website - a testament to shocking web design.

Matsu El Picaro €13.99 reduced from €16.99
Oh yes, this is how to do modern (relatively) inexpensive Spanish red. Wonderfully complex with a great finish.

Liveblog - Ciclos Malbec Merlot

I haven't liveblogged a wine in a while ( I haven't blogged a wine at all in a while, if truth be told), so here we go. The wine in question was a present to Herself, bought I believe in @BaggotStWines and it's Argentinian, per the bottle, from "our Valley in the North". I saw it reviewed somewhere recently but I'm buggered if I can find it online. Here's the link to the winery - I can't link to the individual wine page 'cos it's all Flash. When will they learn!

Michel Torino Ciclos Malbe Merlot 2008 - €??

20:30 The wine has been open and decanting for approx two hours so let's see what we can taste. Hmmmm, lots of fruit as expected and some oak on the finish too, I think. It's definitely a Malbec but the Merlot is bringing something to the party too. I like it, but I don't love it. Let's see where we are in an hour...

21:30 I think I have ruined my tastebuds with a big chunk of yummy Ardrahan cheese, but I'll take one for the team and press on. The tannins have softened a bit and the whole package is more integrated. I'm still not sure that the Merlot adds much, but this is a pretty decent New World wine, for those who like their New World, with a bit of Old World (like me). See you back in an hour for the conclusion...

23:00 I'll go back to where I started, I like this but I don't love it. I'd happily drink it but I'm not sure I'd spend my own loot on it. It's missing something that I find in the Malbecs that I like, and that is...love. Ha!

On that note, goodnight.

Liveblog - Escudo Rojo 2010

Welcome to another liveblog. I tasked Herself with picking up a bottle in Baggot St Wines on the way home. Her mission was made more complex by the fact that both of us are literally* dying with the same cold, probably caught from Lil Sis at the big "do" this weekend. So whatever she buys has to cut through lots of icky stuff.

She returned with the wine at left, personally recommended by Garrett himself. It's a blend of Cab Sav, Carmenere, Syrah and Cab Franc, matured in French Oak for 12 months.

19-30: The wine has been open for 15minutes after being decanted via my VinAire into my Ikea decanter. First impression is fruit, lots of it and some vegetal notes, maybe from the Cab Franc. Hmmmm. I'm not crazy about it just now, its not bad just not my style. Let's come back in an hour, after some Bombay Pantry.

20-45: Better, much better. The vegetal flavours have subsided somewhat and the various fruity notes have all, mostly, harmonised, leaving an interesting wine. Gun to my head, I'd say a Cab Franc from the Loire. See you again for the final chapter in a little bit.

22-00: It has come together nicely in the end. I like it but I don't love it,  I think that's because while this wine is very well made, it's not for me.  Having said that it's often a good thing to drink a wine you wouldn't necessarily buy. Educate yourself, or something...


*Not "literally", but I think it's apt here.

Crash! - A Ribera that isn't a Ribera - Liveblog!

So I bought some vino in Baggot St Wines, after congratulating Catherine on their recent Noffla win - Beer Specialist of the Year 2013. A Don Tiburcio Malbec 2008 (really good), a Bajondilla 2011 from Mentrida in Spain (last tried here), and the subject of tonight's liveblog! one Crash! Ribera del Guadiana 2011 €11-99 (I think...)

It comes from the Extremadura region in Spain and contains the following grapes: Garnacha Tintorera, Garnacha, Syrah and Tempranillo. An unusual blend, IMHO.

8-pm. Catherine had told me it was light and fruity and while that's not normally my bag I decided to take a chance. It has now been open and decanted for an hour and a half so here goes. Well, its light and fruity, natch. But its pleasant. No great depth of flavour but easy drinking and perfectly fine.

9-30pm Still light, fruity and maybe some little acidity now and maybe a little depth at the back end now.

11-00pm All gone and very nice all round. Would I buy it again? Probably not, but if you like this style of wine then fill your boots.

Xmas Wine Choice & Tasting - Live!*

Well it's Xmas again and I have have been tasked with choosing the wine for a number of festive occasions over the holiday season, given that I am now gainfully self-employed.

I popped into Garrett in Baggot St Wines and asked him to choose three reds for me to taste and ultimately pick from. The parameters were as follows; approx €15, not too light, not too jammy. I vetoed a Rioja early on and the three reds above were what we finished up on. Symmetrically and ecumenically we ended up with one French, one Spanish and one Italian.

The wines are as follows (l-r)

Carpineto Dogajolo Toscana 2011 - €13-99. Per Garrett this is a budget Supertuscan, with 70% Sangiovese and 30% "Other". A Supertuscan at this price would indeed be a find.

Camille Cayran Vacqueyras 2011 - €16-99. The most expensive of the bunch so the one with the most to prove. I have had many lovely Vacqueyras since I started the blog so here's hoping.

Flores de Callejo Ribera Del Duero 2010 - €13-99. I'm in a Ribera place at the moment after some lovely ones, particularly in Pichet. (Martin Berdugo I think?)

And it's a blind tasting...for Herself anyway, Your Humble Blogger will attempt to forget, or fail to remember. I poured the three wines into my three decanters and numbered them and the wine labels, so I would know but she wouldn't. We started with a glass of Number 3.

Wine #3
Herself - finding it a bit tannic. Not impressed. [Guess - French]
YHB - I like it. It's complex but it needs more time to coalesce, probably a disadvantage in a party wine, where you would probably be serving bottles just after opening.

Wine #1
Herself - liking it a lot. She can "taste it all over her tongue". Ahem. [Guess - Spanish]
YHB - wildly different from #3, lots of cherries. Not sure it's a party wine though. Might be a bit "fancy" for some palates.

Wine #2          
Herself - Perfumed and lovely. Favourite of the night. [Guess - Italian]
YHB -  Yummy, my fave too. Full bodied and a little spicy.

Answers...
Wine #3 - Ribera
Wine #1 - Supertuscan
Wine #2 - Vacqueyras

 Herself picks most expensive wine shocker!

* Sort of live, I've been writing this for the last hour as we have been tasting.

Back to Lidl for me (and some interesting Spanish wines)

After the unfortunate events of last Friday* I was in need of some cheering up so Herself bought me a couple of bottles of red from Baggot Street wines, which they have been promoting.

They are three reds branded "Matsu" (Japanese for "Wait") which a quick Googling revealed as coming from Rodinia Wines. I got the youngest "El Picaro" (2011) and the middle wine "El Recio" (2010).

All the wines come from the Toro region and all are made from Tinta de Toro which some more Googling appears to be another name for Tempranillo, the staple grape of Rioja and Ribera.

I even found a video for the three wines here.

The difference expressions come from different vines and are matured differently. The Recio is is described thusly:

"El Recio translates as 'the tough guy', and is a more serious, mature wine, made from the product of some of Toro's oldest vines, which are cultivated using advanced biodynamic techniques. 14 months in new French oak provide opulence and polish"

After decanting the Recio (€25-99) for a couple of hours we dived in, into a big fruity vat of wine. My initial thoughts went as follows: this was a good Rioja crossed with a good Aussie Shiraz with a not unpleasant alcoholic wash (14.5% abv). If that sounds odd, it was wasn't. It was quite delicious, but this is definitely a modern, fruit-forward kind of wine, not for those who prefer more austere old-world wines.

The Picaro (€16-99) is as follows:

"Picaro means 'rogue' or 'rascal', and this rapscallion of a wine is a youthful interpretation of the Toro region's style. The grapes come from mature vines of over 50 years of age, but the wine spends only three months in oak, preserving their natural fruit profile"

Well, this was completely different to its elder relative. If tasted blind I would have said this was a good Southern French Syrah, maybe an expensive one from Laurent Miquel. Loved it, even though it tasted like no Tempranillo I ever tasted. Silky smooth, slightly tannic and very classy.

*The thread holding the sword snapped...

Xmas Wine

Xmas Eve wine - See "Lastly"...

This year I was charged by Herself-in-law with selecting some wines for the entire clan from Baggot St Wines. The request was fairly non-specific but I suggested a single bottle of dessert wine, some white and some red, with all the wines being "moderately" priced. I was trying to select wines that would appeal to all the various palates in the clan, rather than just my own. Time will tell if I have succeeded.

I can't find the receipt but all the wines were around €15 or less (the Perez Cruz is on at €9-99, which is a steal). I spent some time perusing the shelves with Garret and picked the following:

Dessert:
Domaine des Bernardines Muscat be Beaumes de Venise 2010
The outlaws have been enjoying sweet wines of late and this should be a good example.

White:
La Chablisienne "Le Finage" Chablis 2009
I hadn't had a Chablis in ages and we had a lovely one last weekend in a certain DNS golf club, hence the demand for more.

Walnut Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Herself-in-law loves this style, although I think we overdid it during this summer and last. Have a bottle in the fridge and just waiting on Herself to come home.

Laxas Rias Baixas Albarino 2010
After choosing a classic New World and a classic Old World I asked Garret for something different and we settled on the above.

Red:
Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009
A cracker from the Maipo valley and a wine I would never have expected to like. Big bold and quite fruity, but balanced by some nice structure.

Plic Plic Plic Monsant 2009
A recommendation from Garret - from a region I confess I hadn't heard of Monsant - although it almost completely surrounds the delicious Priorat. Had a bottle the other night and it was like its cousin, big and muscular with lots of flavour, maybe lacking a little of the complexity of its more illustrious neighbour, but good value as priced (IIRC)

Tour Des Gendres Bergerac 2010
Very French, lots of acidity and ripe fruit.


Second lastly: One tradition I have kept up this year, is that as my contribution to the Xmas dinner in the Out-laws, I supply some decent red to have with the Turkey. This year I chose a La Chappelle de Bébian Coteaux Du Languedoc - Pezenas 2007 - €16-99, also from Baggot St Wines. We had it recently, and loved it.

 Lastly: If you are wondering about the picture at the top, this is the wine Herself and I will have on Xmas eve at home. We have a tradition of smoked salmon and Champagne (Tattinger NV this year) followed by a good Bordeaux. This Giscours is the last of six bottles of 2000 bordeaux we got from June* as a wedding present, all those years ago - Cheers June!.

* For the record, the six were: Lynch Bages, Palmer, Chasse Spleen, Giscours, Pavillion Rouge and mumble mumble.