Living in the Lap of Lush-ery

It was a busy week for this wino. I "forced" myself to sample quite a few wines, all for your benefit. YOUR benefit.

9 Mile Road Cabernet 2005 ($-$$) from Australia was a very interesting and very surprising Cabernet from the unofficial home of Shiraz. This wine is grown in South Australia in a small region known as the Langhorne Creek Valley. An old path that runs through the valley gives the wine its name. The area has an outstanding reputation for big, impressive wines, that are usually within budget. This wine, in particular, has the added bonus of being made by Greg Follett, a winemaker from a family with 3 generations of experience.
The 2005 vintage was affected by drought, with lower-yielding vines and ripe fruit. The wine is a deep ruby color with a nose of menthol and eucalyptus, balanced by licorice and black cherries. The menthol and eucalyptus invade the initial taste as well. These are not characteristics that one would normally find in a $16 Cabernet, which makes the wine all the more exotic. The taste rounds out with blackberries and hints of mocha.
The 9 Mile is spot-on, and a must buy, especially for those of you who haven't gotten past the usual low-end Aussies. It's being poured by the glass for less than 10 bucks at 116 Crown.

On a side note: If you haven't "gotten past the usual low-end Aussies", I can't really talk sh** as much anymore. Wine Spectator, which always tastes blind, has actually given a few of 'em decent ratings....
..... Yellow Tail Shiraz Reserve 2005 ($) 90 points
..... Yellow Tail Shiraz Reserve 2006 ($) 89 points
..... Lindemans Shiraz Padthaway Reserve 2005 ($) 88 points
..... Yellow Tail Merlot Reserve 2005 ($) 87 points
..... Lindemans Shiraz Bin 50 2006 ($) 87 points
..... Yellow Tail Shiraz 2006 ($) 87 points
..... Yellow Tail Merlot 2005 ($) 86 points
..... Penfolds Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2004 ($-$$) 86 points
..... Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2005 ($) 85 points
..... Yellow Tail Shiraz Grenache 2005 ($) 85 points
..... Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet 2006 ($) 84 points
Now, ladies and gentlemen, this does not mean you should run out and get these bottles. It just means that it was okay when you used to. Now it's time to get a little more "diversified". I still feel the Penfolds offerings are acceptable Art Opening wines.


Mount Eden Chardonnay Wolff Vineyard 2005 ($$) from the Edna Valley region received 88 points from Wine Spectator, which is disgusting considering the previous list. I was much more impressed with this wine than I have ever been with a white, and more so that I ever will be with that Aussie list. Spicy vanilla on the nose, this wine started out like many other cold climate Chardonnays. Once on the palate, however, the wine started out with a taste of sweet pear and sour apple, and then stopped. No, really, the flavor stopped. Then it "started up again" with toasted wood flavors. It was wild how the two different stages of taste seemed to have a pause between them. I recommend this wine as a must buy to any hardcore Chardonnay fan, California of Burgundy. I also recommend this wine to newbies who need a fun experiment in tasting. Another benefit to this wine is that it holds up well to "day two", which is rare in a California Chard.


Ran into a friend at Yo MTV Shell (New Haveners know the spot), who I haven't seen in a while; gave her a couple bottles of wine...
The Bodegas Carrau Tannat Reserva ($-$$) has been mentioned before.
Conti Zecca Cantalupi Primitivo ($) is a rich, deep, ruby red table wine. A spicy nose makes way for a zesty palate of raspberry and rhubarb. It will benefit greatly from decanting. If you haven't run down to IKEA yet for their $9 decanter, just leave it open for a while. You really, really need to invest in a nice decanter. Target has one by Riedel, which is mid-range, for less than $30. Leave it on the table as a centerpiece when not in use.


Coltibuono Cancelli 2004 ($) is a blend of Sangiovese and Syrah (70/30). More Syrah in this vintage than previous years means bolder, snappier fruit from an already rich, textured wine. It's aged in stainless steel (no wood aging) to give it a youthful feel. Drink it now. Drink it often.
The vineyard is organic, and the winery property has a cooking school onsite.


I was treated to a bottle of Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio 2005 ($$-$$$) today. I was really surprised, as I usually don't dig the gris. It's aged in stainless steel for six months after sitting on its "must" (juice and guts) and then bottle aged for two months before being released to the public. The nose was of white roses, white pepper, and anise. Good acitidity gave way to peach tastes -- I just might have been won over to Pinot Grigio. Once I found out the Pinot Grigio grape is a mutant (mutation of pinot noir), I was sold. It's a must buy for lovers of the Gris.
Another cool factoid is that Marco Felluga (another maker of great Pinot Grigio) is the brother of Livio, and apparently they hate each other. Buy them both when you're drinking to get pissed.


Dominio de Eguren Protocolo Red ($), mentioned before is still good, and I'm drinking it right now. No really. Right now.
(That would have been more effective if it wasn't so easy to type with one hand)


There are more, but I'm getting a little tipsy and my spell-check is getting really annoying, so you'll hear about them another time.