Musings on wine, food, recipes, restaurants, and other topics that I, as a dedicated, although not professional, oenophile find interesting. Look for food/wine-related updates 1-4 times/month. Feel free to follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page.
With the new year, a bevy of 2009 blends are hitting the market. How do they compare with the 2008s? Read on to find out!
Spicy blueberry and currant aroma leads into deep rich cherry, strawberry, and plum flavors; plenty of strong but subtle tannins support woody spice and licorice notes that wrap around a long oaky finish.
Oh my goodness! A cherry and cedar nose with an oaky backbone, luscious dark fruit explodes in the mouth (figuratively!) with black cherry, plum, and boysenberry riding high on a wave of vanilla, tobacco, and spice into a long, long, rich cola-y finish. Why was this only $9?!? And why didn’t I buy more?
Medium-bodied but surprisingly spicy nonetheless. Front-loaded with dark fruit, mulberry, raisin, and oak, it evolves through caramel, vanilla, and toast into a tannic cola and coffee finish, still dominated by that powerful spice, with a bright hint of alcohol.
This medium-bodied Bordeaux blend starts out full of tart red currant and tannins, followed quickly by black cherry, strawberry, and vanilla that pick up those tannins and run with them into a long, very smooth and balanced finish.
Bright and oakey, this one starts out with a sweet and smoky cherry nose. The bright ripe cherry remains dominant on the palate, but cassis and licorice creep in around the sides, and the finish even adds pepper and . . . nutmeg? Or have I just had too much pumpkin pie? A rich wine, but medium-bodied and delightfully easy to drink. Maryhill was the 2009 Washington Winery of the Year.
R.O. Note: We visited Maryhill after the 2010 Wine Bloggers' Conference and were impressed. A link to that post is here.
A dark, deep purple, transmitting almost no light at all, this wine looks like it would be perfect for Halloween! And with aromas of heavy black stone fruit, spice, and cedar it smells quite deliciously forbidding, too. Well, don’t be scared -- although fruit-heavy with plum, tart cassis and red currant, and black cherry, along with spice, oak, and a even chocolate and a hint of lemon in the finish, this wine is big and tannic in the mouth yet somehow remains medium-bodied. Not exactly delicate, and rather tight in the finish, but still quite nice. Just prepare yourself. . . .
Come taste 2009 Bordeaux with Thomas Bonnefon, Chateau Le Noble winemaker, at The Little Wine shop in Avondale, Mar 17 1-3 pm!
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