Life is too short to drink bad wine

This is a wine made by the creative Bonny Doon. He likes to challenge his customers both with the wine and the labels. Not a very nice subject for a label, but the wine is perfectly alright. Syrah grape grown in California, not usual but it does the trick. Deep dark red color with lots of dark fruit and a feminine velvety taste. Price around 21 usd.... Don't trust the label but the wine...

Deep dark red colour. This is a wine packed with sweet red berries and vanilla on the nose. Seductive stuff and perfect on windy and snowy days in front of the fireplace. The wine is 11 years old,  but appears to be younger. Low price range which is surprising for a Gran Reserva. Marques de Vitoria 2001, Rioja ca 20€ Lots of seductive berries and vanilla

Went to Altona wine bar in Bergen (Norway) last weekend. A well hidden place in a building more than 400 years old. The wines (less old) were all carefully selected and proved to be quite a catch. This Barolo from the single vineyard of Cannubi was absolutely brilliant packed with autumn leaves and dried fruit. The taste was just stunning, full bodied, big tannins that were balancing perfectly with the fruit. A long long finish deserving yet another zip and another one.... Simply a great wine.

Birthdays require Champagne. Moet Chandon version Imperial does the trick. Crispy apples on the nose and taste. Perfect with two year old Comte. Mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Moet & Chandon Imperial ca 30€, perfect for those occasions...

If you pass through Amsterdam airport there is a nice wine bar there serving fish dishes, white wine and Champagne. On the top of the list you will find this one: a Chassagne Montrachet from Bouchard. Lovely stuff with lots of butter, lime and minerals. Absolutely worth an additional half hour in a busy airport..

Just realised I have never blogged about this wine which is one of my favourite red wines! Patrice Rion's basic Chambolle Musigny is a perfect example of what Chambolle can deliver. Medium dark red color with purple rim. Wonderful smell of raspberries, chocolate and sweet apples. The taste is equally balanced with perfect tannins and a long velvet finish full of the same raspberries and chocolate. Chambolle Musigny 2009, Patrice Rion Truly heavenly stuff, 27€

Unlike the white wine from the same producer, the red is both original and got character! Superdense, fruity, spicy and long velvety taste packed with elegant smooth tannins. Just a wonderful and complex taste. The nose is Rhone like or as the producer expresses it: The 2006  Esprit de Beaucastel  is delicious and unusually approachable right now, with a complex nose of red plum, ripe cherry, fresh figs and candied orange peel, a velvety, layered palate with spicy plum and cherry fruit, pepper and nutmeg spices, and excellent breadth. The finish shows more mineral, plum, and spice, and a little gentle oak from the foudre aging. It is delicious now, if very young, and should evolve elegantly in bottle for 10-15 years or longer. This wine certainly impressed me when I tasted it, but in order to get hold one of the price is around 55usd... Tablas Creek red 2006, Paso Robles, California Amazing mix of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Counoise

Tablas Creek is a co-operation between Robert Haas and the Perrin family who runs Ch.Beaucastel in Rhone. Tablas Creek vineyard is situated near Paso Robles in California. The white wine is made from Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc. Apparantly awarded best white Rhone style in 2009, but I was a bit disappointed with the wine as I was confused by the lack of identity (like Sancerre, Chablis, Condrieu etc). A mix of lemon, apricot and tropical fruit with a "warm" balanced and nice fruity taste. Would I pay more than 40 usd for it? No, but it's still a very nice wine in case someone offers it to you with fish or scallops in a resto. Tablas Creek Esprit 2007 Blanc, Paso Robles ca 40 usd Original, but lacks a bit of identity

Reasonable good Bordeaux are difficult to come by these days. Came across this one from Canon Fronsac the other day from the very good 2010 vintage. Dark red colour and a discrete smell of red berries. Lovely smooth tannins which is very surprising for such a young Bordeaux. (contains 90% which explains that though...) Well balanced and fruity taste. Very drinkable indeed. Ch Canon, Bordeaux NOK 170 or 12€ Reasonable and good..

Another very decent Condrieu. This time by Delas. A bit "heavier" than the one by Montez but still more delicate than the Guigal/Chapoutier versions. More peach and abricots on the nose. Perfectly well balanced taste but without the enormous lenght as experienced in the Montez version. A lovely Condrieu, but with comments coloured by my preference for Montez. Condrieu 2008, Delas Jumping (ski) after Wirkola is never easy...

Had this Condrieu in a restaurant  (Les Vieux Murs)  in Antibes the other day. Let it be said at once; this is a very good Condrieu. More delicate than the standard cuvees by Guigal and Chapoutier (which both are good Condrieus). Discrete smell of abricots and minerals on the nose. The taste was absolutely perfect, packed with lovely fruit and a very very long aftertaste full of minerals. Just Wonderful ! Goes with all sorts of white fish or seafood. Condrieu 2010, by Montez Stunning stuff! Restaurant les Vieux Murs : Gastronomic reference located on the ramparts of old Antibes.

This is a very decent Syrah from Cornas in Rhone. Deep dark red colour. Packed with brambles, blueberries and chocolate and a long elegant fruity taste. Discrete hints of pepper to reveal the Syrah grape. Perfect with game. Well done Vincent Paris.... Cornas 2008 Granit 30 by Vincent Paris Medium price 245 NOK or roughly 20€ What more can you ask for in a reasonable Syrah? 

This is one of the cheapest premier cru Burgundies around. The 2005 is a warm vintage which this wine benefits from. The wine has a good balance and gives you the Burgundy "kick" although without the fantastic elegance of Chambolle for example, but good enough as "week day" Burgundy... Beaune du Château 2005 by Bouchard A reasonable red premier cru....

This is just a very very nice dry Riesling from Rheingau in Germany. . The smell is absolutely beautiful with a nice minerality and apples. And the good experience continues: Long well balanced fruity taste with a perfect acidity and a great elegant and long aftertaste. You need to buy two bottles as the first one has a tendency to become empty too quickly.... Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Rottland 2009, Rheingau Low price 199 or 12€. A beautiful Riesling that goes with sushi, fish or chicken.

This wine is out in a new vintage. The same high standard as for the 2009. Occhipinti has made a elegant wine from the two grapes Nero d'Avola and Frappato. The smell is filled with sweet cherries and dried fruit. The taste is fruity, a bit like a well balanced redcurrant drink with soft tannins. Should be drunk young, but that's not a problem ..... SP68, Sicilia 2010, low price 177NOK Drink slightly chilled. Goes with red meat and lamb.