Rubicon Estate 2004 Captain's Reserve Merlot

Ah, yes. The shipment arrived. I have not had a bottle of merlot in some time, basically because I got bored with the varietal. Merlot is a nice wine to drink when you don't want to be wowed or are looking for something safe to drink. Merlot, in my humble opinion, is not going to knock your socks off (assuming that you are wearing socks). Having said that, Rubicon Estates has been very reliable in what I had tasted from them, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. In this shipment (my spring wine club shipment) I received two bottles of Merlot and one bottle of 2004 cabernet sauvignon. I shall be saving the bottle of cabernet for a later date.



For starters, this bottle of merlot was everything that I expected it to be. It was very dark and had a faint aroma of dark berries. I say faint because, as I mentioned previously, merlot is kinda bland for a red. This one is really no different. The wine is good, but bland. I would place merlot just above pinot noir on my priority wine buying list and those would likely be the bottom two. Maybe I just haven't had a REALLY good bottle of merlot or pinot noir. Unfortunately, I likely will not drink a merlot in the near future unless someone like my Mom is visiting or something and I need a safe wine.



For questions and comments email me at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com

Red Knot Syrah 2006

Finally! I made it to my favorite wine store. Like a kid in a candy store, I was choosing bottles left and right. Of course I put most back, but this one seemed interesting. Since my favorite all time wine is from Australia (we'll get to that one later), I decided to try this one. It cost in the $15 range which is a good value to me. From the McLaren Vale in Australia (is that pronounced "valley"?) this was recommended by a member of the "team" at the wine store. I thought alright, I'll give it a try.



This syrah was ok. It was very dark and somewhat subdued. I really couldn't get a read on this wine. It was strong enough to go well with meals like steak or jambalaya, but was unremarkable with other dishes (usually a strong red goes well with spicy Chinese food, but this one didn't do so well). Oh, I almost forgot. The cork was something that I had never seen before. It had a peel off loop, similar to that seen on milk jugs. The cork was plastic and simply pulled out. The nice thing was that it could be easily replaced to save the wine between glasses. I thought that it was pretty cool.



For questions or comments, please email me at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com.

Sterling Vintners Collection Syrah 2005

I bought this bottle at Target for about $15. I was waiting for time to go to my favorite wine store and just bought this bottle to hold me over. For some reason I have been into syrah lately. Otherwise I would have chosen cabernet sauvignon. I also went with Sterling because I have had Sterling wines before and they are pretty good.



The wine was not remarkable but solid. Dark purple with aromas of crushed berries and ample alcohol the wine goes well with heavier meals and stews. Not a bad bottle but I would likely choose other bottles prior to this one.



Questions or comments? I am at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com.

Bedford Road Estate 2006 Pinot Noir

While I am more of a syrah and cabernet sauvignon fan, I wanted to try a different vintage. I purchased this bottle at a local wine store as part of a wine package around Christmas. This wine is from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, another region that was yet unexplored by myself. To date I have found that the Willamette region of Oregon produces some of the best pinot noir.



This pinot is very light in color with a strawberry aroma. The alcohol seems to be very pronounced which is surprising for such a light wine. In fact, the color of this pinot is so light that it almost appears pink. I would pair this wine with chicken or light pasta, but nothing too heavy. This pinot would likely be good for sipping at a social gathering.

Questions or comments? I can be found at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com.

Beaulieu Vineyard 2005 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

Well I have not been a good blogger. I finished this bottle a couple of weeks ago so I hope that this is accurate. I purchased this bottle for $20 at Target. BV cabernet has a reputation for being a very consistent wine and I thought that I would try it. Pretty good decision on my part.

The wine was dark and clear with aromas of dark fruit. This wine is a very strong wine with lots of tannins. Pair this with hearty dishes and it will shine. This wine is probably not suitable for casual drinking as it is too strong. Nonetheless it is very good.

For questions, email me at thewinedoctor@yahoo.com.