Tweeted Wines

Man this blog sucks. You should really follow my twitter feed @365Wines to get an accurate picture of what I am drinking!

Onto the many wines I have to review. Here is a compilation of my wine tweets over the last two weeks or so. These are directly copied from my twitter feed.

If you do not understand Twitter, it is a micro-blogging, instant messaging, text message blast, service that limits your "tweets" to 140 characters.

Mostly people answer: "What Are You Doing?" but it has become a way to share information and to inform your network of followers about your passions of the moment.

I try to tweet about the wine I am drinking and what I am experiencing, as well to ask the question, "What are you drinking?"

2004 Cadence Coda: just cracked a bottle of 2004 Cadence Coda. What are you drinking

Coda is sweetish on the nose, with blackcurrant, tannic dark cherry deliciousness. Classic American Cab Franc. they do it so well in Wash.

chill from the cellar is warming up. developing mocha, rosemary, thyme, stewed tomatoes. really sings with the sausage I am cooking.

2005 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc: got home from a K Vintner's wine tasting and my wife was opening an '05 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc /Viognier blend. oh well. might be dying

05 Pine Ridge Chenin much sweeter than I remember. lacks the sophistication it had in '07 - could be turning? i remember austerity

refreshing on the nose, with honeysuckle, thyme. almost reisling like on the palate: slight viscosity and touch of bitter finish

2004 Montenidoli Tradizionale: last night a had a 2004 montenidoli traditionale that was on the edge of turning. still have 4 bottles or so. maybe a BTG at BONDA

1998 Quintarelli Valpolicella: also drank a '98 Quintarelli Valpolicella. pure bliss. in-laws were over for spiral sausage and saffron risotto w/ spinach

2004 Drew Hearthstone Vineyard Syrah: cracked a bottle of '04 Drew Hearthstone Syrah. only 80 cases made. lots of cherry on the nose, robitussiny on the palate. will work.

2000 Manzoni Pinot Nero: just cracked a 2000 Manzoni Pinonero from the Langhe region. What are you drinking?

@winedrip Manzoni Pinonero 2000.at its peak.a little hot.hints of violets.sage.cinnamon.earth.medium tannins but dry.tasty but not fav

@winetweets Manzoni Pinonero 2000.at its peak.a little hot.hints of violets.sage.cinnamon.earth.medium tannins but dry.tasty but not fav

lots of stinky feet and mushrooms on this pinonero. not too much fruit and still a lot of heat. acidic on the tummy as well.

2005 Yves Cuileron Les Pierres Seches: just cracked a 2005 Yves Cuileron Les Pierres Seches from St. Joseph. What are you drinking?

stinky on the nose, violets, mud, rootstock, coffee beans. on the tongue, firm tannins, muted plum, green peppercorn, little bordeauxish

nose is opening up.although beginning to feel that this syrah needs food. not a luscious as new world, not entirely tannic but bone dry

2006 Ramey Carneros District Chardonnay: is drinking the 2006 Ramey Carneros District Chardonnay. charred oak.little effervecence. not as delicate as the 2005 Sonoma coast

anyone had the 2006 Ramey Carneros District Chardonnay? Any thoughts? Going to write blog about it after dinner.

i let the Ramey breathe a bit and warm up - much better. also needed a bit of food and fat on the palate

Wines I did not tweet about, but can wrap up in a tweet-style review:

2007 Cuilleron Marsanne: totally awesome! peach notes, with full mouth feel, hints of acidity, round finish - awesome for the price. maybe WBTG at BONDA.

2007 Drouhin Saint-Veran: present from friend. wife did not like so much. palate flat, notes of oak, crisp and steely but no bite, a little flabby.

2006 Kingston Vineyard Alazan Pinot Noir: Killer Pinot for the price. Soft oak, medium tanins, nice fruit with that Kingston edge of charred vinestock. on list at BONDA.

So, part of me thinks this is a half-assed post, but I covered a lot of wines and in a very condensed format. You don't have to read me prattling on about every sip, and get a succinct review of each bottle.

I promise I will not get behind so far again. Two kids. Corporate gig, co-owner of BONDA, social responsibilities. I love my blog and I love writing about wine, so sorry to keep you waiting for new posts!

2005 Cuilleron Tasting

I really wish I could find my notes from this night at the Coopers. The Syrah Rose was a bit of a disappointment, but the other Syrahs were simply devine as they usually are. Les Candives was a little tight and needs some more time in the bottle. But the others were floral with length, medium to full tannins and great fruit.

9.14.07/ 1999 Yves Cuilleron Saint Joseph “L’Amarybelle”

While we were waiting for the Les Serines to mellow out (see previous post) we opened the L'Amarybelle which we have had in past vintages (03 and 04). It was astounding that it could taste so different than the Les Serine while being the same grape from the same region. And it wasn't because Les Serine was an off bottle.

The L'Amarybelle was subtle, but in your face at the same time. Totally balanced with tannins and fruit. It had the smoky tar, but the sweet innocent raspberry to lighten it up. It was beautiful by itself, and nicely complimented the grilled leg of lamb I snacked on while tasting the lucious fruit.

We decanted it, and I kept stealing sips while our friends tried to figure out what to open next!

09.14.07/1999 Yves Cuilleron Saint Joseph “Les Serines”

It all goes back to trying wines in Nantucket. For Jamie and Kim's engagement, we sent them a bottle of wine at the hotel where they stayed the night they got engaged - the Waiwinnet in Nantucket. My friend Matt (who was the former Wine and Spirits Manager at Craft) looked at the list and said - get them the Cuilleron! It was a white Condrieu and they said it was one of the best wines they ever had. The next time we had an opportunity to buy Cuilleron, Matt steered us in the right direction and selected a few different regions for the reds. All 2002 and 2003 vintages, we probably drank them too young but they were delish.

Jamie found a bottle of the 1999 Les Serines (of which we have two cases of 2004) and we opened it up with some friends - see post below. It was smoky tarrific - almost to the point of not being able to drink. We let it sit for awhile and opened another bottle, but it never really came around to being delish. It was too young. At 8 years! The primary grape is syrah, but nothing elegant and silky like you would expect. It was more like a pinotage from South Africa. Needless to say we were a little worried about the 04s, but see my posts later for that tasting!