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Aging International 7-14 Year
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Even if you don’t like sweet wines, you owe it to yourself to try a taste of 10 or 20-year old Spatlese or Auslese (particularly since these wines somehow taste less sweet over time). You may be surprised at how fresh the flavors are, and how well it goes with food. While at a nice restaurant in the Russian River Valley recently, an oenephile friend of mine splurged on a bottle of 1964 Auslese from Karthauserhof, one of the great producers of German riesling. He was skeptical that it would go well with the multi-course dinner, but because he loved Karthauserhof and 1964 was his birth year, he decided to give the wine a go. What followed was one of those supernatural experiences where the scales fell from his eyes, opening him to a wide new world of pairing aged German riesling with foods of all shapes and sizes. Auslese, especially when well aged, is not to be restricted to spicy dishes or the dessert course. Buy one and forget about it for a couple of decades, and you’ll see what I mean. 2005 is hailed by many as the greatest year for age-worthy German riesling in recent memory (since 1971, some say). As such, I picked up a bottle of 2005 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhof Spatlese for my case. I’m tempted to buy an Auslese also, given how well it ages. At the end of this process, we’ll see if I have the wallet (or if not, the gumption) to do so.
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Total 53 Wine(s) found under this Collection
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7
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Napa Valley
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Tapestry Meritage Red
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Bordeaux Blend
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Dec 2009 Robert Parker 93 Drink: 2009 - 2024 $45 (50) The 2006 Proprietary Red Wine Tapestry Reserve (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot) is the finest example of this cuvee I have ever tasted. Flowery, licorice-infused, cassis notes intermixed with forest floor and lead pencil shavings are followed by a layered, impressively built wine with real opulence, lots of red and black fruits, low acidity, and lush tannin. It should drink well for 15+ years. One of the most dramatic revelations in my California North Coast tastings was the resurrection/renaissance of Beaulieu Vineyard, one of the historic names in California winedom. This was the source of some extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignons in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies, but the winery fell on hard times and was sold (it is now owned by the gigantic Diageo company). However, they have come back with a vengeance over the last few vintages. Michel Rolland, the brilliant wine consultant, was brought in to help resurrect the Private Reserve program, and it appears his magic has spilled over onto the other wines as well.
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2006
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$37.50
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11
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Cabernet, Merlot
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An impressive effort from this Haut-Medoc property, the 2005 Belgrave possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as notes of damp earth, cedar, herbs, black cherries, and currants, good acidity, moderately high tannin, an admirable, layered texture, and fine purity and overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2022.
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2005
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$43.99
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13
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Napa Valley
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Cabernet Sauvignon
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Cabernet Sauvignon
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The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, is excellent. Dark ruby/purple, with notes of chocolate, cassis, espresso roast, and some underbrush, the wine is attractive, rich, medium-bodied, and while tannic, not excessively so, as some 2006s have tended to be. This wine should drink well for 10-15 years." (12/09)
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2006
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$44.99
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18
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McLaren Vale
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G.A.M
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Shiraz
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The 2006 Shiraz “G.A.M.” (the initials of the Mitolo children) was aged in French and American oak, 60% new. Opaque purple in color, it has an aromatic array of roasted coffee, violets, lavender, pepper, Asian spices, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. In the mouth it is velvety-textured, deep, concentrated, opulent, and altogether hedonistic. It will evolve for 5-7 years and drink well through 2026.
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2006
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$50.00
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21
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"The Dead Arm" Shiraz
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McLaren Vale South Australia
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Shiraz
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D’Arenberg’s most famous wine is its flagship, The Dead Arm Shiraz. The 2005 The Dead Arm Shiraz is sourced from ancient head-pruned vines. It was aged for 22 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak. It is opaque purple/black with an expansive perfume of toast, smoke, spice box, mineral, pencil lead, tar, licorice, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, opulent, and super-concentrated, this structured, lengthy wine will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and drink well through 2025.
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2005
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$54.99
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The Wine Advocate
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The Wine Spectator
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The Wine Enthusiast
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International Wine Cellar
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Burghound
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