"Click into that"

Carmody McKnight 2005 Cadenza (estate meritage)
This is a wine with more depth than I've tasted. A special occasion vino if you will!!!:) The nose is quite rich. Scents of currant, berries, black cherry, and oak. On the palate this wine is huge, we found it needs at least 45 minutes of decanting to achieve its potential. Cadenza is spicy yet smooth. This wine is very complex and very deep. Flavors of current, black cherry and ripe plums followed by velvety tannins that fill the entire mounth. The finish lingers...and lingers...and lingers, evolving throughout. The wine will continue to evolve and cellar very well. Cadenza has lived up to the hype. This is a true gem. I just poured another glass from the original bottle...it is still evolving. For $26, I would put this wine up against the $50+ bottles anyday. Buying a case. This wine makes me happy.

Recession Proof Wine

With the current downfall in the economy, we could all use a little break on the pocket book. Jaclyn and I noticed the other day that our wine collection was down to only our "Special Occasion" wines, so we made a trip to Costco and decided that whatever we purchased we wanted the average price per bottle to not exceed $12. ( We tried to stay below this but you all know me the damn $14-17 bottles get me every time so I had to purchase a few in the $9 range.) To my surprise we went 5/6 on the purchases. I will write more in depth descriptions on some of these at a later date but wanted to get the names out there if you wanted some new ones to try:

(Yes) The Stump Jump 07' Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre
(Yes) Nine Stones Shiraz 07'
(Yes) Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz 06'
(Yes) Jardin Syrah 05' (South African Wine LOVED IT)
(Yes) Cameron Hughes Lot 124 Meritage (I can't wait to share this with you guys)
(No) The Razor Edge Shiraz ( Only one I would not purchase again).

That's all I got for one night, but don't worry I wont be gone long. Cheers!!!

Round Two

I am back and ready to stay for a while. In this post I will discuss a handful of wines Jaclyn and I have tasted lately, some great, others just ok. Enjoy!

Lyeth Meritage 2005
So I found a new great wine store in El Paso (believe it or not). I picked up two wines on my first visit and this is one. The bottle was beautiful black with gold writing. Unfortunately for me the wine was not as great. We let is open up for about 1 1/2 hours and it got better but still not a wine I would purchase again.

Jim Barry Cover Drive Cab Sav 05'
This was he other wine I purchased that night, and unlike the previous it was INCREDIBLE. I mean and absolute gem, dark in color and get balance on the palate. It's an Aussie Cab that I would put up against many California powerhouses. I have read the write up on the 06' and the reviews are better than the 05' Thanksgiving we will be purchasing some at Specs.

Nobilo Icon Sav Blanc 08'
THIS IS WHAT SAV BLANC IS ALL ABOUT (or at least should be)! I have had quite a few Sav Blancs this summer and hands down this is my favorite. It has a sister Sac Blanc with the name Nobilo at approx $8 a bottle also great but the "Icon" part it worth the extra few bucks if you can find it. Think Citrus and Green Apple. Don't worry Nick I picked you up a bottle already.