2008 Charles Shaw Shiraz

Yes, two buck chuck. Not just any two buck chuck, it's a 2008! You may be asking why would anyone waste cellar space for mass produce barely drinkable swill. Well, let me tell you, it's more of a thought experiment on whether any bottle can age. Though, to be honest, I had space to burn and why the hell not!

Now, let me tell you, on the initial nose, you pick up signs of an aged wine, faded supple funk. Which is in itself rather surprising given that this bottle was very over the top fruit bomb with its clear label stating it's made in the style of Australian fruit forward wines. There's still berry, dark but there's blood too.

A lot of what's picked up on the nose continues into the palate. It's actually pretty nice, kind of like a hyperactive child whose matured reaching into their mid to late twenties. On the first sip out of the bottle, there was a ferocious fire after burn in the mid palate but it's not present anytime in the next couple of sips.

In the glass, it was pretty inky, dark ruby red getting softer to the top.

Overall a very nice experience.

I'd give it a 84. I've had shiraz that was way over the top to the point where I'd reject it and this was one of them, to be honest.

Definitely will look forward to opening the next in years to come. Got three more I think.

Riesling for the ages!

At first glance, an Austrian Riesling produced by a top maker from the 2000 vintage should just finally reach it's strides peaking now. One would also think that such a bottle bought right now would cost more than a very pretty penny having that it was maintained in very good provenance as the box it came in would suggest.

After having said that, it was all a misconception. The bottle was on clearance due largely in part of the hurting economy for the low, low price of 9.99. Having decanted the wine for... well, over a week, it has been maintaining its strides well until tipping just a day over. Within the duration however, the bottle has been tasted showing little, if any, noticeable changes as the color of the wine has been developing a deeper gold while growing more viscus.

Upon reaching a week in, it hit what I would say is the ultimate peak of complete and utterly deliciousness. The depth of the flavor, the richness of the bouquet, the thickness coating the palate, and the finish struck a wonderful chord. Needless to say, I was blown away by this bottle and looking towards buying one more to replace the one I had opened with my sister.

The price in which the distributer had marked it was at 46 dollars and, clearly, the age-ability and quality gives honor to the price range it rests its laurels on. Where many wines fall apart reaching the week in the decanter, this one has just begun!

CellarTracker: 2000 Prager Riesling Smaragd Hollerin

Will buy one to do a formal report.

Informal Evaluation: Emphatic BUY! [90+]

Note: Though informal, first 90, I think.

Pierre Peters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé - 2003

With a soft golden glow, it sports very fine bubbles lifting to reach the top bringing with it a very standard chardonnay profile that quickly evolved into something more. Notes of aroma amongst the family had mentioned nuttiness, almond, hints of oak, walnut, and bread dough gradually rising.

The taste had grown profoundly past from the first thirty minutes from a closed off state originally turned me off as it displayed the standard still closed off chardonnay profile to something more appetizing. What was once bread dough from mid palate to finish had shown a profile that was delicious to a level that is quite difficult to describe as the experience was what I recall at this moment. The finish had continued most elegantly through and through to truly make it worthy of every penny and more.

It is to say the least that my family had enjoyed this as much as I did and perhaps more. To those bottles remaining in the collection, stay well!

Evaluation: Buy for those occasions [89+]

Cellar Tracker: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=554687

Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde Aveleda - 2008 [informal]

Since looking for a wine to use to cook with the slow cooked Bolognese sauce, I had cracked open the 2008 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde Aveleda. Having come out of the fridge, it had shown some good floral and fruit scents even though the having been in the cold state tends to mute the nose. However, after a day, the floral notes moved towards perfume-like in the direction of almost fake like but the color had shown a great change moving towards golden near chard levels with initial colors being clear.

Charles Shaw Nouveau - 2009

Color: Similar to some Pinot Noir, bright ruby red.

1st Glass
Nose:

Aggressively fruity on the initial progressing with iron and graphite minerals blending with soft clay like mud damp after an over night rain with a distant city or lightly populate area.

Taste:

• Initial: Seemingly, unabashed, unapologetic, and proud to be fruity.
• Mid: Shows no sign of letting down it's pride carrying on to be a bit much more louder about it being a fruit bomb with soft edges and light acidity.
• Finish: Still fruity fruit juice with sour apple, pear with a touch of the damp clay like mud.
  

1st Hour
Nose:

Still boldly fruity that has gone in a much darker direction with the earthy tones of the clay mud softening as ground black pepper comes to be prominent.

Taste:

• Initial: Remains consistently fruity, however, now featuring a slight hit of cream, dash of black pepper, and a hint seasoning.
• Mid: The fruitiness progresses from the initial as the cream with the cream transitioning more towards a cream made from half and half as the acidity begins to pick up.
• Finish: Fruits, and fruits, and fruits galore mixing with a sweet apple, pear and chocolate similar to popular candy bars as cream and acidity from mid palate continues to follow through ending with a grape flavor common in children's medicine.
  

1st Day
Nose:

What was once boldly fruity now comes together as a fruit and berry pie with cinnamon and spice carefully dolloped with sweet creme as the earthy minerals maintain consistency.

Taste:

• Initial: The earthy notes from the nose now carries into the initial palate and flows into the mid.
• Mid: Maintains consistency from the previous times of tasting it; though in addition to the fruit, berries, and cream, earthiness of soft soil, acid and spice enters the fray.
  
• Finish: The mild earthiness as found from the mid palate enters the back ground and begins to leave the stage as the fruits become more profound with sweet apple, pear, and cream.
  

Notes: After a day or two, the fruits starts to move towards a dried fruit and raisin like flavors as the earthy notes begin to enter center stage.

Evaluation: Worth a try, [85].

CellarTracker: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=777679

Charles Shaw International Chardonnay [Downunder] - 2008

This review predates the formatting decision.

Straight from the bottle:
+ Bouquet: Apple and pear like scent to it but wasn't so distinct.
+ Taste: I can't exactly recall it at the top of my head.

Decanted [0-3 Hours]:
+ Bouquet: The apple and pear came through with a bit more creamy scent to it with perhaps a little spice
+ Taste: Considerably better showing some nice acidity to it as well as a bit of a nuttiness with a finish that was surprisingly clear with a fruit that came to my mind as I examined it but don't know it.
+ Note: It has shown a much more vivid and yet deeper yellow.

Decanted [20-24 Hours]:
+ Bouquet: It would seem that the bouquet has been more integrated with each other rather than being distinct to each other
+ Taste: Almost the same but the acidity slightly dialed up a bit and the finish changed somewhat to a spice with the fruit.
+ Note: Slightly darker

Interesting spectacle.

Evaluation: Worth a try, [81].

CellarTracker: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=720222

Charles Shaw Shiraz - 2008

Yes, yes, yes. El cheapo presidente del vino.

Color: Dark Velvet with a little ruby

1st glass
Nose:

Fresh baked bread, melting margarine, little cedar action, some soft dirt, over ripe strawberry, plum, a dark rose that has been sitting a little below room temperature on the back end

Taste:

• Initial: Butter cream on the attack as well as black cherry
• Mid palate, crushed sweet red cherry, candied plum, mild acidity, oak prominent but not over whelming
• Finish: Soft acidity with spice, fresh ripe strawberry on the finish with a tad touch of heat.
  

1st hour
Nose:

Strawberries are much more prominent, baked white bread now midway, black pepper on the back end in addition.

Taste:

• Initial: The black cherry seems take center stage with no butter cream present now
• Mid palate: the palate seems pretty similar though a hint of strawberry and slight tannic
• Finish: fresh strawberry, cherry.
  

1st Day
Nose:

Fresh baked bread takes the lead once again, dried strawberries, crushed berries, soft currant, dark plum, ground black pepper, slight mineral, drying rose on the back end

Taste:

• Initial: Dominant crushed sweet cherry and spice
• Mid Palate: Plum, Strawberry, Cherry, touch of acidity
• Finish: Mid palate continues on through as tannins take grip towards the end
  

So far, pretty fair and in all consideration pretty good with an interesting nose to say the least. Will see how it develops toward the last glass.

Evaluated as: Worth a try, [83].

CellarTracker: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=772625

Quinta da Aveleda Douro Charamba - 2007

Color: Dark like black midnight in the forest day where light can only go through when in direct sight burnt maroon.

1st Glass:
Bouquet:

Large bouquet as it had well extend beyond the glass as I was preparing dinner that almost came off merlot like. Plenty of spice, black pepper, cardamon; blue and black berry following it through with soft earth like after a light rain, plenty of dark fruit moving towards the back jammy as sweet butter creme just rounds it off at the end.

Taste:

• Initial: Old world on the initial with a muddy black berry plum combo attack that's sweet and a touch of acidity.
• Mid: Acidity begins to pick up with spices varying from black pepper with the dampness of the forest floor continuing through as the berries and very dark fruit washes around.
• Finish: Acidity peaks with black cherry, dark strawberry that isn't over ripe and spice to boot.
  

Notes: Very pleasant at the pop.

1st Hour
Bouquet:

The bouquet has come through more now as moist forest floor with moss, wood breaking down to mulch, and a touch of mushrooms. Along with this, a pungent spice of fresh green pepper and ground black pepper come through midway. Dark fruit comes on the back end with blue berry and ripe strawberry being more prominent.

Taste:

• Initial: Light earth with bright crushed berries largely cherry as acidity mingles softly across.
• Mid: Acidity takes the foreground with largely cherry crushed berry as the soft soft mud mingling along.
• Finish: The spices come forth striking followed by slicing acidity and then ripe ripe cherries softening the sting.
  

1st Day
Bouquet:

Unlike yesterday where the bouquet had soft damp forest floor, it would have come to a much more firm earth that had time to dry out. The berry scent that was once there seem to grown to be a bit more prominent rather than seated in the background with sweeter fruit. It's grown to be much more new world over time with some black pepper and fresh baked bread coming through on the back end.

Taste:

• Initial: Plum skin comes out the moment striking the tongue following into darker cherry juice transitioning into a drying strawberry as it moves to the mid pallet.
• Mid: The acidity wasn't prominent but there were some bitterness to it. There were dusty dry earth among the sour crushed cherries dancing about.
• Finish: Finish is a bit light with the spices having grown softer rather than stronger with cherry continuing through as strawberry stem becomes clear.
  

Excited about how it turns out the longer it stays in the decanter airing.

Evaluation: Worth a try, [87].

Cellar Tracker: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694884