Quick tasting, lots of wine

I went to a wine tasting last night at one of my local wine stores, Vine & Table. It was a customer tasting, not a critic tasting, so there wasn't any spitting. That meant I had to choose pretty carefully among the 50 or so wines, to pick the ones I wanted to try. Here's the line-up, with some quick notes. Note, please, that I did not realize the tasting list did not include vintage until I started writing this entry. Just about everything was most recent available.

Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon "Alexandre"

Type- Red
Producer- Casa Lapostolle
Variety- Cabernet Sauvignon
Designation- Cuvée Alexandre
Vineyard- Apalta Vineyard
Country- Chile
Region- Central Valley
SubRegion- Rapel Valley
Appellation- Colchagua Valley
Price $17.99

There was plenty of black fruit on the nose, plum and black currant. Black currant drove the palate, but there was also some brush and green pepper. Tannins were smooth, balance was pretty good. This was a fair, and fairly priced, Cabernet.

Allegrini Palazzo della Torre

Type- Red
Producer- Allegrini
Variety- 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella and 5% Sangiovese
Designation- Palazzo della Torre
Country- Italy
Region- Veneto
Appellation- Veronese IGT
Price- $22.99

The nose opened with blackberry, followed immediately by a stunning amount of coffee and chocolate, mocha heaven. On the palate it was very smooth a creamy, offering up blackberry, a bare echo of the chocolate on the nose, and some licorice on the mid-palate. Finish was mid-length. The palate did not meet the nose' promise, but at $22.99, it was still good. There is one other advantage, as well. If you are trying to join the Wine Century Club, it has two grapes you don't normally run across.

Louis Jadot Pommard 2005

Type- Red
Producer- Louis Jadot
Variety- Pinot Noir
Country- France
Region- Burgundy
SubRegion- Côte de Beaune
Appellation- Pommard
Price $51.99

This is very young, and it showed. The nose was closed, barely giving up hints of cherry pit, strawberry and mushroom. It was a bit more tart on the palate, showing cranberry and raspberry, along with a little earthiness. It did not have tremendous depth or much of a mid-palate. I know the '05 Burgundies are outrageously priced, and $52 is low on the scale, but that is still a lot of money for a wine of this quality.

Louis Jadot Pommard 2006

Type- Red
Producer- Louis Jadot
Variety- Pinot Noir
Country- France
Region- Burgundy
SubRegion- Côte de Beaune
Appellation- Pommard
Price $65.99

This was completely closed down. The nose was simply absent. There was a bit of red berry and pepper on the nose, but not much. I realize the '05s commanded high prices, but a price INCREASE for the '06 is just not justifiable.

Elyse "Morisoli" Cabernet Sauvignon

Type- Red
Producer- Elyse
Variety- Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard- Morisoli Vineyard
Country- USA
Region- California
SubRegion- Napa Valley
Appellation- Napa Valley
Price- $79.99

The nose on this wine was like a straight right from George Foreman- it came straight at you and caught you right between the eyes. It was huge, with buckets of plum and elderberry and a powerful smell of meat and soy sauce. Yes, soy sauce. It was equally big on the palate, bringing blackcurrant and redcurrant, some smoke, a very smooth full mouth feel, and firm but surprisingly well-integrated tannins. It was sweet, adding the brown sugar and vanilla I note in so many California Cabs, but in this case those flavors did not take over and elbow out the fruit, they just merely joined alongside it. The finish was mid-length, a bit of a surprise.

Page Wine Cellars Proprietary Red

Type- Red
Producer- Page Wine Cellars
Variety- Red Bordeaux Blend
Designation- Proprietary Blend
Country- USA
Region- California
SubRegion- Napa Valley
Appellation- Napa Valley
Price- $56.99

The nose was jammy and spicy, with red fruit, pepper and cedar. The palate was interesting, offering up a taste I never before found in a Bordeaux blend. It started with cherry, followed very quickly by A&W root beer and cream, almost a root beer float. The midpalate brought vanila and cedar. Finish was long and smooth.

Four Graces Pinot Noir

Type- Red
Producer- The Four Graces
Variety- Pinot Noir
Country- USA
Region- Oregon
SubRegion- Willamette Valley
Appellation- Willamette Valley
Price- $26.99

The best way to describe the nose was dried strawberries, that fruity musty sweet smell. The palate was very typical mid-price Oregon pinot, cherries and black tea, plus a bit of pepper and allspice.

I Giusti & Zanza Nemorino Rosso Toscana IGT

Type- Red
Producer- I Giusti & Zanza
Variety- Syrah Blend
Designation- Nemorino Rosso
Country- Italy
Region- Tuscany
Appellation- Toscana IGT
Price- $19.99

The nose had loads of pepper and black fruit. The palate was odd, though, with a clashing mix of nuts, canteloupe and blueberries.