2007 Brian Carter Cellars Byzance (92 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, November 11, 2012

VINTAGE

2007

WINERY/PRODUCER

Brian Carter Cellars

WINE NAME

Byzance

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

51% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, 2% Counoise, 2% Cinsaut

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Columbia Valley, Washington

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.5%

PRICE PAID

$30

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We got this bottle at Total Wine & More when we exchanged a couple of bottles of overpriced and underperforming Napa Valley Cabernets in October, 2012.

BOUQUET

This wine has a GORGEOUS bouquet, exhibiting floral elements, dark fruit, earth, spices, and just a hint of a suggestion of a rumor of oak.  I don’t know what it is about red wines that have fantastic floral characteristics, but when I pop a cork and the first thing that hits my nasal sensory receptors is a bouquet of flowers, I just can’t wait to taste that Bad Boy!  Needless to say, I mostly look forward to a wine’s flavor profile, but every once in a while, I sample a wine that has such a beautiful bouquet that I’d almost be satiated by simply sniffing and quaffing a glass of wonderfully odoriferous wine; this wine comes JUST that close..........

 

TASTING NOTES

Upfront disclosure: I’ve had quite a few wines from Washington, but I’ve NEVER had a Southern Rhone-style blend from The Great Northwest.  I’ve had dozens/hundreds/thousands? of Rhone-style blends from California (not to mention France), but for being my first Rhone-style experience from Washington, I was blown away by how good this red blend is.

This red is FANTASTICALLY well-balanced, showing 25% wonderful fruit, 25% fantastic structure, 25% perfect spice and depth-of-flavor, and 25% faultless terrior/earth, not to mention 100% deliciousness!  This red is almost full-bodied (leaning ever so slightly left to medium-bodied) and exhibits fantastic red/dark fruit flavors like plums, black cherries and berries, along with wonderfully savory herbs like sage and rosemary.  After the fruit and spice elements, there’s a PERFECT essence of terrior; I had never even heard of Brian Carter Cellars, but I’m assuming, based on the quality of this wine, the full-retail price, and the quality-to-price ratio, that this is one of Washington’s best bargains.  Like any self-respecting French or Spanish or Italian red wine, there’s an earthiness that reveals where this wine came from and how well-made the wine was assembled both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

We all know that Washington can produce fantastic Cabs, Syrahs, Bordeaux-style blends, Rieslings, and Chardonnays, but who knew that the Columbia Valley could produce Southern Rhone-style blends that could actually compete with (and in many cases, surpass) Chateauneuf-du-Pap from France?!?!  This is a tasty, creamy, earthy, spicy, (slightly) oaky, fruity, GORGEOUSLY well-made red blend that impressed me beyond belief.  Bottom line: this is one of the best American-made Southern Rhone-style blends I’ve ever had.

What truly blows me away about this wine is that not only is it delicious-beyond-belief but that it also is beautifully well-structured, well-balanced, well-priced, well-earthed, and well-spiced with an elegant, lingering finish.  Brian Carter: I don’t know who you are and I’ve never heard of you until 20 days ago or so, but I love you beyond belief!  After just 1/2 a bottle of your Byzance, I have become one of your biggest fans and I look forward to experiencing more of your wines in the very near future.  Worse case scenario, I’ll be enjoying your 2007 Byzance over and over and over again in the near future, thanks to Total Wine & More.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with a marinated lamb loin (balsamic vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, and a variety of fresh/dried herbs), along with a mushroom medley and fresh Brussels sprouts.  This wine paired PERFECTLY with the lamb loin and would also pair well with just about any other red beef dish (grilled steaks, prime rib, lamb shanks/chops, pot roast, etc.). 

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine could probably not drink much better than it is drinking right now, but for another five to ten years this wine will probably continue to age, develop, mature, and mellow beautifully.  It’s drinking GORGEOUSLY right now but may even get better over the next five years or so.  Only if I had that kind of patience.......

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

92

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD – EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.briancartercellars.com/

2005 Abelis Carthago Red Blend (100% Tempranillo?) (88 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, November 04, 2012

VINTAGE

2005

WINERY/PRODUCER

Abelis Carthago

WINE NAME

Lui Selection?

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend of Tempranillo (as best I can tell)

COMPOSITION

100% Toro Tempranillo (as best I can tell)

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Toro, Castilla Leon, Spain (as best I can tell)

ALCOHOL CONTENT

15%

PRICE PAID

$12.99 (with free shipping when four or more bottles were purchased)

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We bought four bottles of this wine on winestilsoldout.com in October, 2012.

BOUQUET

This wine reveals classic European characteristics, especially a very earthy nose.  There is some dark fruit aromatics going on here, as well as suggestions of herbs and oak.  But whereas a lot of American red wines have VERY fruity, spicy, oaky bouquets and are somewhat one- or two-dimensional, this wine exhibits VERY European traits, especially as it pertains to being well-balanced and multi-dimensional.

TASTING NOTES

This wine pours DARK; it’s almost black out of the bottle (like a Petite Sirah).  Being a 2005, we poured this wine (after cooling-down) in large Pinot glasses to aerate properly before dinner.

This is a nice Spanish Tempranillo.  There’s dark fruit (especially plums and blackberries) up front, along with TONS of terrior/earth, as well as savory herbs and black pepper.  This is a rich, creamy, well-balanced Spanish red; it’s not too fruity, not too oaky, not too spicy, not too “hot” (high in alcohol), and although almost impossible, not too earthy (I like earthy wines that exhibit gorgeous terrior, in case y’all haven’t noticed). 

As far as I know, I’ve only had one other red wine from Toro/Castilla Leon, which to this day is my all-time favorite Spanish red wine (Pago Florentino, which is incredibly delicious, rich, spicy, creamy, and oaky, all in perfect balance and harmony).  Fair or not, I compare any/every red Spanish wine to Pago Florentino and, unfortunately (again, fair or not), they’ve all fallen short of that high bar that I judge every red Spanish wine against.  If I had never experienced Pago Florentino, this wine would probably be my new Spanish “favorite.”  We’ve had many Spanish Riojas at Michelin-rated restaurants that were, at best, just so-so.  And at the price, this Temp is difficult to beat.

As is common with European wine labels, it’s difficult to tell exactly where this wine came from and what exactly is inside the bottle.  As best I can tell, this is a blend of several Tempranillos.  I may be wrong (or as Billy Joel once sang, “You May Be Right”), but I do believe this is 100% Tempranillo from Toro in Castilla Leon.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with a pan-seared rib eye nicely spiced with Kosher salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and Herbs de Provence.  This wine went beautifully with the steak; the salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence nicely complimented the wine’s spiciness and herbal essence.  This wine would also pair well with just about any other grilled steak, as well as lamb, richly-flavored stews, and, of course, tapas.

AGING POTENTIAL

At seven years after harvest, this is still a young, vibrant, exuberant wine.  I believe this wine has the “legs” to age beautifully for another ten to twenty years, thanks to wonderful structure (acid, alcohol, sugar, etc.).

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

88

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD

WINERY WEBSITE

Unknown