Posted by Ben in 2006, General, Other, cabernet sauvignonMar 16th, 2009 | No Comments
Original Review, July, 2008: The Chez Ray Hopland Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, Mendicino County, CA, is one of the first 2006
vintage wines I will sample for review. Definitely still a work in progress.
The entire vintage was fermented cool, using Assmanshausen yeast - two oddities in the world of cabernet and merlot. The grapes came from
Brehm Vineyards.
Let's see what we've got here. Color is solid deep/medium burgundy throughout. Aroma is powerful and intriguing - perfumed violets plus husky oak dust, deep brawny fruit. Suggests strength.
On the palate, there is a gentle, easy persistence to the deep, round, sweet fruit - a hint of fresh-baked bread (not yeast). Light tannins, though the alcohol brings a long perfumed finish.
Using the
Spirit of Wine scale, I would definitely come back to this again, earning three stars, with a plus for its pleasant peculiarity.
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Updated Review March, 2009: A half a year later.... a bit of brick in the color now. Aroma picks up a bright yeastiness. Fruit is still round and sweet, modestly deep. Still lightly perfumed lingering finish.
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
Twenty-three months ago a friend lamented he had 15 or so bags of whole cranberries in his freezer but due to travel plans didn't have the time to turn them into wine. I've made many award winning wines from cranberries, so I volunteered to make the wine for him. I took the berries and allowed them to thaw, then chopped them for a few seconds in the food processor and bagged them in nylon. Total weight of the berries was a hair over 21 pounds which would make a strong 5-gallon batch. My tried and true recipe calls for 3 pounds of chopped cranberries per gallon of wine and this would be a skosh over 4 pounds. With some fruit more is better but with others more is bad. I really didn't know with cranberries, but went for it. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
Last year I wrote that my wife had attended a bottling party at Sierra Knolls Vineyards and Winery near Grass Valley, California and helped bottle their 2005 Barbera. She sent me a bottle of it and I have been waiting for the right moment to drink it. That moment arrived two days ago and I am glad I waited. Not only did we get to share it with cherished friends, but the wine had matured into an excellent (I am tempted to say exceptional) varietal offering and the four of us enjoyed it immensely. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
Every now and then I am asked about diabetes and wine. I do not have diabetes and do not consider myself expert enough to advise anyone on the subject. However, a recent inquiry got me searching and I found an excellent entry by another blogger -- Dr. Stephen Reiss -- who has diabetes, is a PhD, a wine taster, and author. I feel his discussion is highly reasonable and informed. I will cover what I consider the most important points, but have referenced his entry after my own so you can read the whole if so inclined Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
Several weeks ago I found 15 bottles of Pomegranate Sherry I made in 1999. I shared a bottle at the time to determine if further aging were warranted. Although that might be the case, I decided it was so darned good that it would be one of my "special" gifts this year. Whatever was not given as gifts might survive another 11 months to celebrate a decade of existence. It looks like some will do so. And since it is heavily on my mind and my records back in order, I dug up my wine log and will share the recipe. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
I said previously if you wanted to see more coverage of barbeque sauces here to drop a comment in my Home Page guest book. Recently my guest book provider crashed again, so I haven't received any comments lately. A persistent reader finally contacted me via another route and insisted I haven't tasted barbeque sauce until I've tasted his take on Talmadge Farm's sauce, known throughout the South as one of the great sauces of all time. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
A long-time friend in Australia asked me some 34 months ago about a hibiscus flower mead recipe he had developed and asked if I saw anything missing in it. To be honest, I don't know if I ever answered him because I cleaned out my "Sent" folder twice since then, but I did make the mead with three slight adjustments in the recipe to use commercially dried rather than fresh flowers, increase the acidity a tad and to make a U.S. rather than an Imperial gallon. After aging two years, this dry mead is quite good. With thanks to Brian Ryan, the originator, I call it "hibiscomel", or hibiscus mead. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
A very dear friend who recently lost his wife of over half a century discovered a box among his wife's hidden treasures. In it was a single bottle of wine bearing a label that said she made the wine from the petals of the roses he gave her on their 45th anniversary. He didn't know she had made it and of course has no intention of ever opening it. But when he told my wife and me of the wine I remembered I had a gallon of rose petal wine waiting to be bottled.... My wine was made from flowers from my wife's rose bushes. It turned out quite well and three of the five bottles have been given as gifts. It is quite easy to make and I urge one and all to try making it one day. Here is my favorite tried and true recipe. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
...[D]uring the year just past, researchers did investigate several new potential benefits which, if applicable to humans and fully developed, would be of great importance. The most exciting of these, to me at least, were the findings of University of Wisconsin Professor of Genetics Tomas Prolla. A low dose regimen of resveratrol prevented some age-related changes in genes of mice. Changes were noted in brain and muscle tissues, but most notable in heart functions. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherMar 12th, 2009 | No Comments
My wife loves key lime and key lime wine, so when we ran out of the latter about 14 months ago I started a 3-gallon batch. Over time the wine evolved and so did my knowledge. Martin Benke, inventor of the Carboy Lifter, shared a secret with my wife and me concerning a wine he gave us called "Lime-A-Rita." I incorporated his secret into my key lime batch, which was already darned good, and because the secret is an ingredient used in making margaritas, I followed Martin's lead and "Key Lime-a-Rita" ended up on the label. My only dilemma is whether or not to share Martin's secret. Read more....
vintage wines I will sample for review. Definitely still a work in progress. The entire vintage was fermented cool, using Assmanshausen yeast - two oddities in the world of cabernet and merlot. The grapes came from Brehm Vineyards.
