Friday, 12 August 2011

Quaffer's Notes

I am no wine expert but I've come a long way from Mateus Rose (does anybody still drink that?), Kyffhauser (consumed in quantity at the German Club in Toronto) and Black Tower!  I am thrilled when I can identify at least one of the elements in a wine's tasting notes and I positively glow with pride on those very rare occasions when I can really truly taste three of the elements.  I absolutely enjoy and am commited to continuing education when it comes to my wine palate!  Salut!

So last night's wine was a 2005 (I wrote 2004 in yesterday's post) Hernder Merlot. The three best things about this wine: 1. I actually did taste the cherry notes BEFORE I read the tasting notes
                           2. the price of the wine - $10.95 (bought at the winery a year ago)
                           3. there are no more bottles of this wine in our cellar.

Here are my actual notes: soft tannins with gentle cherry notes; not outstanding, unremarkable even,  but at $10.95 what could I expect?  Previous bottles of this same wine, the last consumed 6 months ago, had been more pleasing.  So I am led to conclude that this 05 merlot had exceeded it's best before date. Good thing there no more in the cellar!

I have read that if a wine is on the low end of the price scale, it usually does not have the holding power of it's more expensive siblings and this merlot would prove that.  Now I know firsthand.

Cheers!




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