Wine of the Week, October 5, 2014

HACIENDA LOPEZ DE HARO RIOJA RESERVA 2005 SPAIN

By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"

From north-central Spain comes this very satisfying red blend: 90% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha (adds body and acidity), 5% Graciano (adds aromas). This wine is typical of the Rioja wine style which features oak as an essential component. The designation Riserva means that the wine has aged for at least three years, one of them in oak. The vintage is 2005, almost 10 years old, and I dare say that it will drink well for another 5 or more years. It is medium-bodied, concentrated, soft, exhibiting aromas and flavors of spicy dark fruit (black currants, plums), a touch of leather, and a hint of vanilla.

Wine of the Week, September 28, 2014

SEAN MINOR PINOT NOIR 2012
CENTRAL COAST, CALIFORNIA

By:  Ed "The Wine Guy" 

What a good vintage-year 2012 was in California, for both white and red wines! Even an average vintner made a better than average wine. This Sean Minor production is an affordable, everyday style wine, made from grapes selected from sites throughout the Central Coast region. The Pinot Noir grape is thin-skinned and hard to grow; it requires careful, attentive growers. Strange that it is thin-skinned and, yet, prefers to grow in cool regions: Burgundy, France; New Zealand; Oregon; certain areas of California. The grape may be grown in warmer climates, and the wine that is produced may even taste good, but it does not have the classic aromas and flavors of Pinot Noir. This wine is medium-bodied, exhibits aromas and flavors of cherry cola, raspberry, and strawberry, with a hint of spice, and with sweet oak that leads to a lingering finish.