I saw this in a magazine and it really struck me as creative.  Careful how you eat it though!Sushi Hooked 225x300 Very creative Sushi presentation

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Chile Carm Fevre 2007 300x113 Chile, Carmenère and Cabernet Franc, William Fevre, Gran Cuvée, Gran Reserva, Pirque, Maipo Valley, 2007Red Blend of 85% Carmenère and 15% Cabernet Franc.

Note: 2 out of 3 bottles I recently had of Fevre’s Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon suffered from humid, crappy, corks that rendered the wines oxidized – so while I could tell there was decent wine underneath the rust, I did not have high hopes for this Carmenère. I was very pleasantly surprised…

N/ Only after a brief decant she showed no green / smoldering campfire notes typical of many affordable and freshly opened Carmeneres. Mineral laced, clean, plums and blackcherries. Hardwoods. Canvas. Light granite. Fresh leather.

T/ Medium-full mouthfeel. Clean and angular. Lightly smoked cherries and black fruits. Tannins still a bit biting. Large mineral presence. Leather and chocolate closer.

Pretty damn impressive and unique for such a reasonably priced Carmenère.

Price = 33 R$ = $18-19 US

http://william-fevre-chile.com/pino-family-mountain-vineyards/gran-cuvee-carmenere-2008/

Brilliant.

92

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BRA Cab Miolo 09 150x150 Brazil, Cabernet Sauvignon, Miolo, Reserva, Campanha, Rio Grande de Sur, 2009N/ Clean, inky, light plums. Fruit aromas far more reserved than I expected for this fresh vintage. Flint on the finish and some acidic granite wafts.

T/ Medium mouthfeel. Angular lines crossed with light, almost not ripe, plum and cassis. Slight cranberry. Extended mineral finish. Needs more fruit and a touch more acid. Woodwork solid but a bit out of balance as it calls for more fruit.

I was a little surprised by this bottle as I just had the 2006 version of this wine again and was very pleased.

Price = 25R$ ($15 US)

http://www.miolo.com.br/controller.php

Very Good.

87 / 88

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BRA Tannat Miolo 09 150x150 Brazil, Tannat, Miolo, Reserva, Campanha, Rio Grande de Sur, 2009Tasted one hour post decant.

N/ Tomato juice. Tomato leaf. Smoked leather.

T/ Medium mouthfeel. Fuzzy plum and tomato juice.

Must have been burnt / ox’ed bottle (although cork seemed fully compliant) as hard to imagine that the excellent producer Miolo would release this purposefully.

Note: Tannat has been getting a lot of exposure in Brazil as of late as it is being highlighted as the most anti-oxidant rich of all wines due to its thick skins, etc..  Unfortunately, this has lead to a flood of inferior Tannats being cranked out.  This is a sublime grape when done right, but half-ass efforts really come out terrible. If you aren’t going to spend the time and resources to do this varietal right, don’t bother, as it will brutally highlight any winecrafting shortcuts.  Miolo is among the cream of the crop in Brasil, so I was really surprised by the lack of quality in this offering.

Price = 25 R$ = $15 US

Yuck+.
74

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Torrontes Los Haroldos 2010 150x150 Argentina, Torrontes, Hacienda Los Haroldos, Familia Falasco, Mendoza, 2011N/ River rocks, green grasses, white flowers, dried hay, and granite.

T/ Light to medium mouthfeel. Clean lycee and melon. Fruits nicely balanced with fresh acid. Solid touches of minerality. Lightly coating closer of fresh honeydew.

Fresh, fun, and complex for the varietal.  Really well done.  Could be a great introduction to Torrontes if you’ve never had before. I’ve been impressed by other Familia Falasco wines, and this is a fine effort as well.

http://www.familiafalasco.com.ar/haroldos/

Price = $9 – $12

Brilliant +.
94

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RB CrimsonClover 09 150x150 USA, Red Blend, Crimson and Clover, Concannon, Conservancy, Livermore Valley, California, 2009Red blend of: 50% Petite Sirah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15%Syrah, and 10% Zinfandel.

N/ Ripe plum, slightly smoked. Strawberry jam. Broth of river rocks and dried grasses. Touches of confectionery, cigar box, and cedar.

T/ Full mouthfeel. Thick, red berries and plum jam. Displays many good aspects of classically made Zinfandel that appear to be far more than just the 10% of Zinfandel in the blend. Massive and jam-packed, but also smooth, and not cloying. Finish is berry jam dominated, with hints of stewed black pepper and cloves.

http://www.concannonvineyard.com/

Price = $8 – $14  (At these prices, could be a crowd-pleasing party choice – good for your guests and your wallet).

Brilliant-

90

This wine was a media sample kindly provided by the winery.

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Mosc Semill Concha 2010 150x150 Chile, Moscatel and Semillon, Concha y Toro, Travessia, Valle de Itata, 2010N/ Fairly simple aromas of crushed river rocks and dried hay. Slight touch of white flowers.

T/ Light mouthfeel. Hay stewed with river rocks. Slightly chlorinated spring water.

Price = (17-19 R$ in Brasil) = $10 – $11 US

http://www.conchaytoro.com/

Good.

81 / 82

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PS Ravens 20091 150x150 USA, Petite Sirah, Ravenswood, Vintners Blend, California, 2009.N/ Smoked and massively deep plums laced with a slight touch of confectionery. Massive cigar box, aged tobacco, and tomato leaf. Big, juicy, and brooding. Pretty awesome.

T/ Full mouthfeel. Slightly tannic, but this is overrun by a huge black fruits and plum machine gunning. Impressive acid and balance for the price point. A flinty, dark, chocolate-kissed, and very long-lasting closer with enough trailing acid to get your piehole anxious for another sip.

Very well done.

http://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/

http://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/#wines/vintners_blend/2009_vintners_blend_petite_sirah

Price = just $10 !  Another great Q2PR offering from Ravenswood.

Brilliant.

92 / 93

This bottle was a media sample kindly provided by the winery.

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Cab Mondavi 09 150x150 USA, Cabernet Sauvignon, Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley, 2009Red blend of: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Syrah, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec.

Note: one of the few Cabernet that you will encounter that are actually better right after opening the bottle, rather than waiting my normal 1 to 2 hours post decant.

N/ Barrel room, crisp leather, clean black cherry and cassis, slightly smoked burlap, and granite dust.

T/ Medium mouthfeel. Cassis, black cherry and a hint of cranberry tartness. Tannins large, but a bit too chalky. Perhaps will evolve into greatness over a year or two more years of bottle aging. Clean, angular, and mineral rich ending. Lasting puckering, however, from the tannic bite, a little distracting.

Price = $28

http://store.robertmondavi.com/2008_Robert_Mondavi_Cabernet_Sauvignon

Very Good.

88

This wine was a media sample kindly provided by the winery.

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For you beer lovers (and science-meets-booze fans), this post is for you.  (Please click on picture to expand – a short excerpt from a past beer article of mine).

BeerQuickNerds Beer, Nerds, Gushing in canned beer: the effect of ultrasonic vibration

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RB Kunde RDR 08 150x150 USA, Red Blend, Red Dirt Red, Kunde, Sonoma Valley, 2008Red blend of: 37% Barbera, 29% Syrah, 25% Zinfandel and 9% Sangiovese.

Note: almost 15% alcohol but does not nose or drink “hot”.

N/ Round, extremely sweet, ripe plums. Strawberry jam. Stewed oaks. Moss. Gardenias (lovely!). Hint of river rocks.

T/ Medium mouthfeel. Full, ripe, plum reduction sauce. Coating, jammy, red berries and strawberries. Well integrated woodwork. Needs slightly more acid to achieve a bit better balance.

http://www.kunde.com/2008-red-dirt-red

Winemaker = Zach Long

Price = $28

Very Good+ / Brilliant-.
89 / 90

This wine was a media sample kindly provided by the winery.

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Chard Kunde 2009 150x150 USA, Chardonnay, Kunde, Sonoma Valley, California, 2010N/ Nice, clean yellow fruits.Candied pop corn. Toast points. River rocks. Acid-kissed, wet cement.

T/ Medium mouthfeel. First thing that hits you is a crisp, acidic backbone with bold minerality and clean granite. Next comes a restrained payload of clean yellow fruits and spicy, stewed hay flavors. A touch of butterscotch is in there for the fans of such, but it does not distract, like so many Californian Chards do. She finishes with mouthwatering acid and a pleasant hint of clean chlorine.

Very well done.

http://www.kunde.com/chardonnay

Winemaker = Zach Long

Price = $17 (This was a big surprise – definitely drinks like some $40-$60 offerings).

92 / 93

This wine was a media sample kindly provided by the winery.

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USA, Pinot Noir, Robert Mondavi, Private Selection, California, 2010

$10-$20

N/ Cherries, red berries, and earth, all nice things I look for in a standard California Pinot Noir. Touch of smoke as well. Nothing outstanding here, but certainly hits many of the necessary checkmarks for a nice, drinkable, Pinot. T/ Light to medium mouthfeel. Quite pleasing balance between the fruits and the acid, especially for [...]

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Drunken Opossums, Mouthwatering Fungal Funk, Exploding Peaches, and Allegations of Widespread Flaccidity – My Magazine Articles….

Articles by BrainWines

A list of my past magazine articles, below. All can be found in PDF format here = http://www.scribd.com/BrainWines – Argentine Wine (South American Tour de Vino, Carne, y Cerveza – Part 1 of 2) – Beer (Boiled flowers, fungi sex, dirty whirlpools and ant colony algorithms) – Bourbon (Corny, delectable and a toast to the French) – [...]

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Chile, Carmenere, Concha y Toro, Marques de Casa Concha, Rapel Valley, 2009

$20-$40

N/ Round, stewed fruits, black plums, black cherry. Acidic wafts of wood and burlap. A violet reduction / infusion, sprinkled with granite dust. Game notes. T/ Full mouthfeel. Acid looms large over concentrated rose petal juice, black fruits, and rare beef. Thick with minerality and dark soil flavors. While I was not eating one I can imagine [...]

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Chile, Haras de Pirque, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere Red blend, Maipo Valley, 2007

$10-$20

Red blend of: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Carmenere, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Syrah. Note: for first two hours far too tight and one dimensional in both aroma and taste. Really needs a lot of time post decant to blossom. At about 3 to 4 hours after decanting… N/ Spicy cassis, massive minerality, smoked meat. [...]

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Chile, Carmenere, Santa Rita, Medalla Real Gran Reserva, Colchagua Valley, 2008

$10-$20

N/ Slightly acidic smoked burlap and black cherries for first hour, giving way too less smoke and a more approachable nose two hours post-decant mark. Rust and blood. Granite dust. Stewed plums. T/ Full mouthfeel. Big, but coarsely grained, tannins. Plum and black cherry reduction sauce. High oak presence. Chalky finish. http://www.santarita.com/international/ Price = $19.99 Good [...]

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Chile, Carmenere, Santa Carolina, Reserva de Familia, Rapel Valey, 2009

$20-$40

N/ Massive and rich.  Thick oaks. Ripe, smoked black fruits. Rich forest floor, strong flint, tobacco, and gunnysack. Unlike any Carmenere nose I have ever smelt. Much more akin to a rich Napa Valley Cabernet or a red blend. Fairly confusing, but quite lovely. In a blind tasting I would have never guessed Carmenere from this nose.  The oak [...]

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Chile, Carménère, Emiliana, Natura, Colchagua Valley, 2010

$10-$20

A red blend of 85% Carménère and 15% Syrah. N/ Smoked black cherries associated with many Carménères. Acidic granite dust, crisp leather and burlap. Crushed river rocks. A tad too hot. T/ Full mouthfeel. Smooth and coating blackcherry and blackberry jam. River rock juice. Rust and soil. Sweet minerals on the close. Note: I can [...]

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Chile, Carmenere, Montes Alpha, Colchagua Valley, 2008

$20-$40

Red blend of: 90% Carmenere and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. One hour post decant… N/ Sweet smoked BBQ! Creamy cassis and blackcherry. Soft river rock wafts and a nice minerality. Old leather. Warm cinnamon. Delightful. T/ Medium-full mouthfeel. Thick, smooth black cherry and black fruits. Sweet wood work. Medium high acid for the varietal. Dry, slight tannic, mineral [...]

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