Monthly Archives: October 2008
Four Gates Pinot Noir N.V. and Roasted Chicken
It was a quiet and lovely weekend – which is always appreciated, once and a while, this time of year. For dinner my wife whipped up a platter of breaded chicken that is really quite special. She uses almond meal as the batter and a bunch of other secrets that I cannot disclose without the proper written consent of my wife 
. To match up with the roasted chicken, I took out a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it to its fullest.
The wine notes follow below:
Four Gates Pinot Noir N.V. – Score: A-
The nose on this bright ruby colored wine is packed with cherry, mint, raspberry, and sweet oak. The mouth on this medium bodied Pinot is luscious almost velvety. The cherry, cassis, and cranberry hit you right away. The layers of fruit come at you in waves after that. The mid palate almost rolls right off the waves with acidity and mint. The finish is long with vanilla and cherry.
Yarden Pinot Noir, Ramon Cardova Rioja and Parve Meat Sauce
Well after a having meat for almost every meal over the holidays, it was a unanimous agreement to go with something lighter. I love making parve meat sauce. It is really quite simple, you start with a ton of onions sliced thinly and sauté them over medium heat. Once they are nice and golden you deglaze with some acidic red wine and then add in tomato sauce, sugar, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the sauce is built, drop in the Yves or LightLife soy meat and you are good to go. Throw it on top of some whole wheat spaghetti, and you have a winner.
To go with this fun and easy dish I had a couple of bottles of wine as we had some friends over and I thought it would be fun to try these out.
The wine notes follow below:
Yarden Pinot Noir 2004 - Score: A-
In putting this wine into light against a white surface, you will see that the color is warm garnet, with a slight tinge of orange. The wine has a fair amount of viscosity, which makes sense given its 14.5% alcohol. The nose on this wine is redolent with raspberry, cherry, earthy notes, and figs. The interesting thing is that there is no heat (the term used to denote a slight flaw that is based upon alcohol) in the nose at all – which is really nice! The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine starts with figs and red cherry. The mid palate is a complex and wonderful mixture of soft integrated tannins, spice, and anise. The finish is long, with fresh figs and smoked wood. We really liked this Pinot, and see it having a place in our cellars in the future as well.
Ramon Cardova Rioja 2005 – Score: B
This wine is one a bit young yet, a lively wine, looking for a story to tell. The nose on this bright-colored ruby red wine is filled with cranberry, cloves, coffee, and wood. The nose starts off hot, but blows off over time. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is soft and starts with fresh raspberry and cherry. The middle is spicy, with integrated tannins and wood. The finish is long with wood, coffee, and vanilla accompaniment.
Chateau Tour Des Agasseaux and Four Gates Cabernet Franc
We were invited over to a friend’s of ours house and I brought over a bottle of Saint-Emilion wine. I was really hopeful that the wine would have a good showing, but alas it was not meant to be. Still the evening was awesome. Our friend as usual made food to die for. There was poached fish, lamb stew, roast, and tons of sides. The food was the star of the evening and we really thank her as always for such a warm and friendly home.
The wine notes follow below:
Chateau Tour Des Agasseaux Lussac Saint-Emilion 2001 – Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine is active with cassis, cherry, and a nice dollop of wood. The velvety mouth on this medium to full bodied wine starts with cassis and plums. The mid palate is the problem – it is MIA, really not there. Actually it is a hole and that is its flaw. The finish is long with spice, mint, tobacco, and wood flavors. The loss of the mid palate is a real shame as I was looking forward to better showing by this wine.
Four Gates Cabernet Franc N.V. (Original Release 1997 & 1998 Vintages) – Score: A-
WOW! Just a bit of background. Four Gates has released two N.V. Cabernet Sauvignon vintages in a row. So, to distinguish between the use the cork. A long 2+ inch cork is the telltale sign of the original release (97+98), while a shorter cork is congruent with the later N.V. release. The nose on this garnet and orange tinged wine, is more akin to a Cabernet as is much of the wine’s current attitudes, and is filled with cassis, cherry, and oak. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine is still electric and velvety with blackberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors. The mid palate has nicely integrated tannins, while the finish is nice with cherry and vanilla. Quite a nice showing for a wine of this age.
Tekiah Tempranillo Reserve, Four Gates Chardonnay, and Rothberg Cellars Shiraz
This weekend saw us spending a glorious pair of days at our friend’s home. They are as always the consummate hosts, and we truly enjoyed it. The meals were divine and I brought over a few bottles to share. The first is a little known bottle from a company called Tekiah and it was enjoyable. As always the Four Gates Chard was the star. The Rothberg Shiraz was OK, but too simple a wimpy for my tastes.
The wine notes follow below:
Tekiah Reserva Tempranillo 2007 – Score: B
The nose on this ruby colored wine is filled with spice and cherry. The mouth on this light to medium wine is really just cherry and more cherry. The mid palate is a bit spicy with no tannins to be found. The finish is accompanied with spice and a touch of coffee.
Rothberg Cellars Shiraz 2004 – Score: B
The nose on this garnet colored wine was strong with cherry and raspberry notes. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is still tight and young. It has notes of raspberry and plum. The mid palate is really quite plain. The finish is average long and has nice notes of sweet wood and a hint of spice.
Four Gates Chardonnay 2000 – Score: A
Not much has changed with this one since I last blogged it. I have a few left, but I say it has hit its peak – drink up and be happy.
