02
Aug
2016
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Category: Uncorked Tonight
(December 9, 2015) ... So tonight I took a visit back to 2005 with two wines, starting with a Frog Hill 2005 Rana, It started off very leathery and smoky added in some baker's chocolate on the mid-palate then ended with a real leathery finish ... not great but I thought I'd give it the benefit of the doubt and continue with it, but time was not the answer here: after an hour it's super hard to drink, more liquid leather than anything else. That can only mean one thing, times to search out something else.
I stayed in 2005 and this time pulled out a Chilean blend, Veranda 2005 Cabernet - Carmenere, aromas of mint and cassis; palate had mild fruit flavour, along with mint and black cherry. Finish is minty, smooth with black cherry, but a short finish. It was drinkable but uneventful, better than the South African mess I had earlier in the evening, but that's not really saying much.
23
Jul
2016
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Category: Uncorked Tonight
(December 8, 2015) ... Tonight's my birthday, well it was all day, but at night I can drink (socially acceptable then anyway) - as with any occasion (like Friday) sparkling wine plays a role. Starting tonight with an Oyster Bay Sparkling Rose ... the last bottle I opened of this wine was slightly oxidized and off-putting, so I had understandable trepidation about this one (meaning I had a backup), but as it turned out I needed not be: peach coloured, moving towards copper, showing its age but the nose still smells fresh and that continued onto the palate with raspberry, lime, tangerine and mineral - good bracing acidity. Nice start to the evening.
The next bottle was courtesy some friends in New York, you know who you are - surprise, I never did drink the bottle in the hotel room, instead I took it home, put it in the cellar and forgot about it, until now: Orin Swift 2007 The Prisoner - a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Charbono with 15.2% alcohol - I can see why my friends fell for this wine: mocha, pepper and raspberry on the nose; while the palate has great layers of spicy-sweet black raspberry, plum, and chocolate to start, leading to black pepper and cassis. It had a creamy mid-palate with a long finish of Christmas spice and mocha. A big thank you for this bottle.
