Puckery

• 

  November 2009

  Verget Pouilly Fuisse 2006

  Snoothrank: Starting at $25^.89

  Incredible lime coloring, very dry and crisp without any overoaky yuck. There's ... on the finish without any puckery sting. Wonderful stuff. Had at Blackbird in Chicago

  Wine review by jasonkauf

  
  
• 

  August 2009

  Misiones de Rengo Cabernet Sauvugnon 2007

  Snoothrank:

  The wine was a dark ruby color but not so thick that you couldn't see light ... on the tannins and left a puckery finish in your mouth. Overall it had a bit of a rustic feel, not a lot of complexity but it would make a nice accompaniment to a grilled steak

  Wine review by Jimmy Cocktail

  
  
• 

  July 2009

  Domaine Ligneres Piece de Roche Carignan 2002

  Snoothrank:

  puckery bitter sweet tannins, all manner of dark spices, with a long smooth finish. what this wine has going for it? very high price/value ratio.

  Wine review by bencrain

  
  
• 

  April 2009

  Tenuta Sant' Antonio Valpolicella 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Recommended by the store guy, looking for a nice drinkable Italian wine ,that ... should do it. Not as dry or puckery as some Italian wines can be

  Wine review by CalKid

  
  

• March 2009

  We as consumers tend to get caught up in trends whether we like it or not. The ... sensation followed by really puckery tannins.” Ali also got a some green notes feeling the wine showed “ violets and tomato on the herbal palate.” A bit of an oaky wine that showed the vegetal... Read moreWe as consumers tend to get caught up in trends whether we like it or not. The ... sensation followed by really puckery tannins.” Ali also got a some green notes feeling the wine showed “ violets and tomato on the herbal palate.” A bit of an oaky wine that showed the vegetal side of Tempranillo. This is a certified organic product and all of the wineries vineyards are farmed organically. 2006 Monte Negro Ribera del Duero 13.5% $20 Groups 10th place wine/ my 10th place wine Stephanie found “vanilla, cola, cinnamon and plummy fruit” in this wine but also felt that “ the tannins are a bit too tight, this needs some time.” A sentiment echoed by Beth who noted “ some spices on the nose and while this is fairly fresh in the mouth the tannins have too much grip leaving a bitter finish.” Both Ali and Steve disagreed somewhat with Steve finding the wine to be “smooth” while Ali added, “ this is lacking in structure.” I though this was a nice rustic wine with crisp fruit tannins. Flight 2 2006 C3 Tempranillo Santa Barbara County 14.9% $18 Groups 7th place wine/ my 8th place wine Marty “liked this wine very much” with its “lovely deep, sweet cherry nose, nice mouthfeel and long cherry finish.” Steve felt that while this was “ very smooth and soft with light strawberry/cherry fruit” it was only “ pleasant.” Bothe Stephanie and Beth found an element of the nose off-putting with Beth commenting that there was “ a fresh stinky feet smell” and Stephanie noting that she found an initial “ pinot bean fest” on the nose. Beth also found the wine to exhibit a consistent “teaberry gum note on both the nose and palate.” Lots of zesty spicy fruit here but this is a touch simple for me. 2005 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Vista Creek Vineyards Paso Robles 14.5% $15 Ali began the discussion by noting the “ very earthy, iron and floral nose” and found the palate to be a” really balanced and sweet package of cola and confected cherry.” Marty on the other hand thought this was a “real light weight’ with a “muted nose.” Stephanie thought this smelled a bit of “bourbon, with the alcohol and vanilla” but liked the “ chewy tannins, tangy acidity and bitter chocolate notes but the finish is a little hot.” This was a very nice California rendition of Tempranillo that didn’t try too hard to be something it’s not. Bravo. Groups 6th place wine/ my 3rd place wine 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero Vendimia Seleccionada 14.5% $20 Groups 5th place wine/ my 7th place wine Marty felt this was ‘ another lightweight with ok structure but not much finish.” Steve also felt this was “ short on the finish” but liked it’s “full-bodied feel.” Beth found “a cheesy note at first and then something green olivey” but felt that the “ tannins were a bit harsh and this reminded me of unsweetened cola. It needs a hunk of meat.” This was a bit of a tannic wine but the requisite fruit seemed to be there though the fruit was definitely leaning towards the tarry, licorice end of the spectrum. Flight 3 2004 Ochoa Navarra Crianza 13% $12 Groups 9th place wine/ my 10th place wine While this was generally well liked there were a range of reads on it with Ali finding this “ really complex with a slightly green, earthy note and lots of cherry, chocolate and rum on the nose while the palate had more of that greenness with coffee and red fruit and a juicy finish.” Beth felt this smelled of “ raspberry jam and robitussin with mulling spices and a bit of earthiness” and found “black licorice and darker berries on the palate with iron and mineral notes.” Marty found the happy medium finding this to be a “ lovely deep fruity nose with black fruit and meat” and felt the “ balance was wonderful with a long cherry finish.” This was a very nice wine but to me had a bit of a yogurty/blueberry thing going on that made this feel a touch anonymous. 2004 Truchard Tempranillo Carneros Napa Valley 14.1% $25 Groups 4th place wine/ my 6th place wine Steve noted the “ strong vanilla on the nose” but felt that this was a “ very pleasant wine, short but nice and very young feeling.” Stephanie raised the ante when she characterized the nose as “ seductive chocolate with ripe red fruit and a bit of coconut.” She continued noting that the wine was “ripe but not overripe on the palate with vanilla, spice and cinnamon leading to the port-like finish.” Ali added that there was “ some rumcake and raisin flavors with a bit of muskiness and while this was sweet and smooth it was a little drying on the finish and kind of boring.” This had everything in place to be a fine wine but is a little tight at this moment. 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero 14.5% $18 Groups 3rd place wine/ my 1st place wine Marty called this “ our raging bull” and found “ lots of deep black fruit on the nose with lots of potential. The high tannins are hiding a lot of the fruit on the palate.” Steve found this to be “ very unpleasant and almost antiseptic on the nose with a very short finish. Not my favorite.” Beth commented on the “ earthy, meaty, tarry nose with notes of burnt toast’ and felt that ‘while the tannins are super grippy the finish is kind of juicy.” Ali thought this tasted like “ white chocolate covered raspberries and Cap’n Crunch Whoops Just Berries cereal” and found it to be “ a pretty short and fruity no brainer.” This needs to loose some of the juicy fruit tannin but is a lovely, pure bottle of wine. Rock on. Flight 4 2000 Miguel Merino Rioja Reserva 13,5% $40 Groups 1st place wine/ my 2nd place wine Stephanie though this had “ something Italian about it, it reminds me of Brunello with it’s cinnamon, vanilla and black fruit profile.” Steve noted the wine’s “ strong cherry fruit with a little bit of chocolate” and found this to be “very smooth with a nice long finish.” Beth found the nose to be “funky and earthy with a yummy dusty berry note” but felt the palate was “ missing a little something in the middle.” This was some pretty standard high-end Rioja that offered a very complex set or aromatics and a smooth mouthfeel. 2004 Heras Cordon Rioja Vendemia Seleccionada 13% $27 Groups 2nd place wine/ my 4th place wine Ali noted that this offered up a nose full of “ graphite, fudge, basil and dill” and while it was “ a little hot on the palate it did show some nice chocolate and leather flavors.” Marty noted the wine’s “ menthol and cherry aromas” and found the wine ended with “ a nice long finish.” Beth found “ a lovely minty, red berry nose with black licorice” but found “ a bitter pepperiness on the juicy lean palate, though I did warm up to it.” Lean and precise this was lovely, spicy, classic Rioja. It continued to evolve for the tasting and was fresh and delicious the next day as well. 2005 C3 Crazy Eights California 14.9% $38 Groups 8th place wine/ my 5th place wine Marty started us off by saying “ this is a lot of kirsch cherry liquor with tannins to lose and a long sherry finish.” Stephanie didn’t agree finding the nose “ to be full of cooked pears in the tin with a cherry bandy aspect.” Ali found an initial note of “ apple cinnamon” that quickly gave way to “ a lot of blueberry on the palate with a plush feel but then the tannins were drying.” This was about the biggest wild cherry bomb one can find without veering off into vulgar, sweet intensely hot wine. While it’s not my style it was one hell of a wine. And with that we were done. For the most part we all agreed that as a group these wines showed very well and while a few wines might have a somewhat limited audience the fact is that Tempranillo makes splendid wine s the world over. A lot of these wines get short shrift from consumers and retailers alike and frankly it’s time for that to change! Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Tempranillo PTP II by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• March 2009

  I was joined recently by some fellow winelovers to share a mixed case of ... that was “ a little puckery and sour cherry like” on the palate. Adding “ I like it!” Greg thought the nose was “ a little bit soft with not a whole lot going on” but found “ sour cherry and... Read moreI was joined recently by some fellow winelovers to share a mixed case of ... that was “ a little puckery and sour cherry like” on the palate. Adding “ I like it!” Greg thought the nose was “ a little bit soft with not a whole lot going on” but found “ sour cherry and plum on the palate” making this “ really drinkable.” I thought this was a great value in a fairly traditional Rioja style and while it was a bit light it showcased the sweet raspberry fruit of Tempranillo. And that was that. The top three wines of the tasting were: 2007 Dehesa Gago 2006 Garsa Calaveras Co 2006 St. Amant “The Road Less Travelled” Amador Co. Perhaps this line-up a bit unfair to the Spaniards. Next time I’ll try and get a few of the bigger, modern type wines to pit against these Californians but I’m not sure what that might prove. Either that California can beat Spain at it’s own game or that Spain can out California California! Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Snooth PTP -Tempranillo by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  December 2008

  Arista Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

  Snoothrank:

  Nice full-bodied pinot with a burgundy color and strong legs. Fruity (blackberry and stonefruit) aroma, very well balanced and bright. Peppery taste with a light pucker that lingers on the tongue - very nice complement to pasta with butter and myzithra cheese.

  Wine review by hillsborosnobs

  
  
• 

  November 2008

  Grant Street Vineyards Zinfandel Napa Valley Navone Ranch 2005

  Snoothrank:

  I received this Zin yesterday via UPS (yes you can order it online), opened it at 5 to breathe and took my first sip at 6. I immediately considered it a really nice Zin, not too heavy and one that can be used with many a meal. To my surprise the longer this wine sat in my glass (not... Read moreI received this Zin yesterday via UPS (yes you can order it online), opened it at 5 to breathe and took my first sip at 6. I immediately considered it a really nice Zin, not too heavy and one that can be used with many a meal. To my surprise the longer this wine sat in my glass (not the bottle), the better this gorgeous Zin opened up. My final pour did not even taste like my initial tasting! In this wine I found complexity, richness, fruit and full body without being heavy or leaving you wanting to pucker from those tannins. This is really unlike any Zinfandel I have come across in a long time. I am of course partial to Zinfandel, but would recommend Grant Street to all who are hesitant to try this variety, fearing it would be too heavy for their tastes. No so! Feel free to serve this wine with almost any meal. My husband and I drank ours while dining on shrimp scampi and pasta and it was wonderful! Grant Street Vineyards is a family owned and operated vineyard started in 1990 by Jim and Susie Wycoff. The label is a sketch of the historic family home. I really could taste the love and dedication in their wine. This Zinfandel has done so well that by the time you read this they may be sold out. They do have a 2005 Cabernet that is still available (hurry before that sells out too!) and I am told by Ryan (Jim and Susie’s son) the 2006 is coming and will prove to be just as exceptional.    (hide)

  Wine review by Eve Sieminski

  
  

• November 2008

  Wine flights for this blind tasting. Flight 1- Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ... Julie liked the “ bright puckery Jolly Rancher fruits” on the nose and Natali was also enthusiastic proclaiming this to be “quintessential Zin” though she did add it tasted “acidic almost to... Read moreWine flights for this blind tasting. Flight 1- Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ... Julie liked the “ bright puckery Jolly Rancher fruits” on the nose and Natali was also enthusiastic proclaiming this to be “quintessential Zin” though she did add it tasted “acidic almost to the point of saltiness” Both Elizabeth and Clayton noted the rather intense spiciness of the wine, Clayton even commented that he felt Like “ a big steak to pair with the spicy flavors” but went on to fault the wine for a short finish.   My seventh place wine. 7th place - 2005 Cakebread Red Hills Lake County 15.1%            $40-42 There were many points of agreement on this wine with both Greg and Julie finding a caramel element and Stephanie and Clayton both commented on the vanilla notes. The oak was noticeable to all and Julie saw it more through it’s expression as star anise and spice. Beyond the sweet oakiness of this wine everyone was unanimous in noting the spicy, fruity though somewhat anonymous character of the wine though Karl felt this would be an ideal match for “Peking duck which would tame the wines acid and tannin”.  My eight place wine. 6th place - 2006 J. Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 14.4%   $12-15       This was a bit of a surprise being our value leader, it was an impressive showing.  People were all over the board in commenting on the nose from Stephanie’s “soft violets and plums” to Natali’s “ dark chocolate and light fruits” and Julie’s “peppery black fruit”. The theme of black spice was echoed by Greg who felt the wine had “ a strong licorice bitterness and spiciness but it’s finishing too short” a sentiment shared by Stephanie. None-the-less everyone found this to be perfectly decent if not distinguished. My tenth place wine. BEST BUY 5th place - 2006 Holdredge Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 15.3%             $20 With this wine we really moved up a notch to wines that had more universal appeal though both Karl and Stephanie enjoyed the nose more than the palate with Stephanie commenting on the wines “great notes of earth, tar and smoke” which Greg characterized as “ the most complex of the flight, spicy, earthy, with pencil shavings and a bit of herbalness”. Clayton preferred the palate to the nose commenting on the “bitter cherry fruit”.  My fourth place wine. 4th place - 2005 Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve - Florence Vineyard - Rockpile Dry Creek Valley 14.8%         $30-35 This wine elicited some unusual descriptor though both Stephanie and Greg found black tea aromatics with everybody commenting on the “sharp”,” Acidic” or “citrussy” component of the nose. Natali enjoyed it and felt “ it was great but blunt, over quickly” While Julie liked it’s “ funky, blackberry and pepper” qualities. Everyone also commented on the tannins with Stephanie summing it up as a “super-tannic Zin” My second place wine. 3rd place - 2005 Kunde Century Vines Shaw Vineyard Rsrv - Sonoma Valley 14.9%   $30                                                                                                                                                                                 Many felt this wine showed some obvious alcohol but everyone commented on the nose with Julie commenting on it’s “interesting” nose and Elizabeth finding "jammy and menthol tones” while Stephanie noticed the “dried chile and dried blackberry fruit” qualities. Clayton also found the “aromas are strong and the wine has real staying power”. Natali liked the “creamy, low alcohol feel and vanilla and cinnamon flavors” while Greg felt the toasted marshmallow and sweet cherry fruit on the nose delivered more than the palate. My first place wine. 2nd place - 2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard - Dry Creek Valley 14.5% $30-35 While several tasters felt the nose here was a bit hot many had very positive things to say about it from Julie's comment that’ it smells like apple pie baked by Grandma Rose” to Natali’s comment on it’s dry, dark chocolate, almost like a mole” notes and Stephanie’s comment on the “waxy kind of blackberry fruit”.  On the palate it was liked though Karl felt I was “not a deep wine but jammy in a good way” Elizabeth found it “friendly and approachable, very jammy with obvious sweetness”.  Both Greg and Stephanie commented on its vanilla laced jammy fruit. My third place wine. 1st place - 2005 Howell Mountain Vineyards Beatty Vineyard Napa Valley 15.6%        $35-40 This was our winner by a fairly wide margin.  Everyone had something positive to say about the nose from Karl’s “ Leathery and strong, this smells delicious” to Julie’s “smells like complex, dark fruit cake”. Stephanie found “bark and soil tones” while Natali noticed a “smoky, cinnamon thing going on”.  In the mouth Clayton found this to be “ accessible with nice spice and earth, well balanced” while Greg commented on the “core of deep red cherry fruit” and Julie capped off the discussion with the succinct comment “ this warms you up!”.  My fifth place wine. And that was all we had to say. We brought the remainders with us to dinner and they went very well with our fine Cuban meal. Another successful, enlightening and, dare I say it, warm evening spent with the fine people that makes Snooth Possible. As we look forward to the Holiday season and beyong keep an eye out for our coming Panel tasting featuring California Syrah, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Wines from South Africa and Australia! If you are interested in participating in the next Snooth Panel Tasting please shoot me an email or check out the Events page on the Snooth forum. Until next time! Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at  Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Snooth Panel Tasting Program... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• November 2008

  Snooth Panel Tasting Program explores Zinfandel Wine flights for this blind ... Julie liked the “ bright puckery Jolly Rancher fruits” on the nose and Natali was also enthusiastic proclaiming this to be “quintessential Zin” though she did add it tasted “acidic almost to... Read moreSnooth Panel Tasting Program explores Zinfandel Wine flights for this blind ... Julie liked the “ bright puckery Jolly Rancher fruits” on the nose and Natali was also enthusiastic proclaiming this to be “quintessential Zin” though she did add it tasted “acidic almost to the point of saltiness” Both Elizabeth and Clayton noted the rather intense spiciness of the wine, Clayton even commented that he felt Like “ a big steak to pair with the spicy flavors” but went on to fault the wine for a short finish.   My seventh place wine. 7th place - 2005 Cakebread Red Hills Lake County 15.1%            $40-42 There were many points of agreement on this wine with both Greg and Julie finding a caramel element and Stephanie and Clayton both commented on the vanilla notes. The oak was noticeable to all and Julie saw it more through it's expression as star anise and spice. Beyond the sweet oakiness of this wine everyone was unanimous in noting the spicy, fruity though somewhat anonymous character of the wine though Karl felt this would be an ideal match for “Peking duck which would tame the wines acid and tannin”.  My eight place wine. 6th place - 2006 J. Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 14.4%   $12-15       This was a bit of a surprise being our value leader, it was an impressive showing.  People were all over the board in commenting on the nose from Stephanie's “soft violets and plums” to Natali's “ dark chocolate and light fruits” and Julie's “peppery black fruit”. The theme of black spice was echoed by Greg who felt the wine had “ a strong licorice bitterness and spiciness but it's finishing too short” a sentiment shared by Stephanie. None-the-less everyone found this to be perfectly decent if not distinguished. My tenth place wine. BEST BUY 5th place - 2006 Holdredge Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 15.3%             $20 With this wine we really moved up a notch to wines that had more universal appeal though both Karl and Stephanie enjoyed the nose more than the palate with Stephanie commenting on the wines “great notes of earth, tar and smoke” which Greg characterized as “ the most complex of the flight, spicy, earthy, with pencil shavings and a bit of herbalness”. Clayton preferred the palate to the nose commenting on the “bitter cherry fruit”.  My fourth place wine. 4th place - 2005 Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve - Florence Vineyard - Rockpile Dry Creek Valley 14.8%         $30-35 This wine elicited some unusual descriptor though both Stephanie and Greg found black tea aromatics with everybody commenting on the “sharp”,” Acidic” or “citrussy” component of the nose. Natali enjoyed it and felt “ it was great but blunt, over quickly” While Julie liked it's “ funky, blackberry and pepper” qualities. Everyone also commented on the tannins with Stephanie summing it up as a “super-tannic Zin” My second place wine. 3rd place - 2005 Kunde Century Vines Shaw Vineyard Rsrv - Sonoma Valley 14.9%   $30                                                                                                                                                                                 Many felt this wine showed some obvious alcohol but everyone commented on the nose with Julie commenting on it's “interesting” nose and Elizabeth finding “jammy and menthol tones” while Stephanie noticed the “dried chile and dried blackberry fruit” qualities. Clayton also found the “aromas are strong and the wine has real staying power”. Natali liked the “creamy, low alcohol feel and vanilla and cinnamon flavors” while Greg felt the toasted marshmallow and sweet cherry fruit on the nose delivered more than the palate. My first place wine. 2nd place - 2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard - Dry Creek Valley 14.5% $30-35 While several tasters felt the nose here was a bit hot many had very positive things to say about it from Julie's comment that' it smells like apple pie baked by Grandma Rose” to Natali's comment on it's dry, dark chocolate, almost like a mole” notes and Stephanie's comment on the “waxy kind of blackberry fruit”.  On the palate it was liked though Karl felt I was “not a deep wine but jammy in a good way” Elizabeth found it “friendly and approachable, very jammy with obvious sweetness”.  Both Greg and Stephanie commented on its vanilla laced jammy fruit. My third place wine. 1st place - 2005 Howell Mountain Vineyards Beatty Vineyard Napa Valley 15.6%        $35-40 This was our winner by a fairly wide margin.  Everyone had something positive to say about the nose from Karl's “ Leathery and strong, this smells delicious” to Julie's “smells like complex, dark fruit cake”. Stephanie found “bark and soil tones” while Natali noticed a “smoky, cinnamon thing going on”.  In the mouth Clayton found this to be “ accessible with nice spice and earth, well balanced” while Greg commented on the “core of deep red cherry fruit” and Julie capped off the discussion with the succinct comment “ this warms you up!”.  My fifth place wine. And that was all we had to say. We brought the remainders with us to dinner and they went very well with our fine Cuban meal. Another successful, enlightening and, dare I say it, warm evening spent with the fine people that makes Snooth Possible. As we look forward to the Holiday season and beyong keep an eye out for our coming Panel tasting featuring California Syrah, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Wines from South Africa and Australia! If you are interested in participating in the next Snooth Panel Tasting please shoot me an email or check out the Events page on the Snooth forum. Until next time! Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at  Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan    (hide)

  From the article Snooth Panel Tasting Program explores Zinfandel

  
  

prev 1 2 3 next