Last Night's Bottle - More Organic Please - Bonterra 2009 Pinot Noir

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving.  I sure as hell did.  It was surprisingly sane low-key this year. 

Moving on...

For anyone who hasn't already noticed, I've been on an organic kick lately.  Unfortunately, the choices @ the local wine shops are less than desirable.  In any case, I'm making my way through the few choices they do have to offer.

While better than Stellar Organics from last week, Bonterra's 2009 Pinot Noir still didn't live up to expectations. Not bad by any means, but definitely not great either.

Bonterra website tasting notes:
This Pinot Noir has aromas of strawberry, raspberry and cola accented with hints of oak spice and vanilla. In the mouth, this wine is rich with nice soft tannins with flavors of berries, vanilla and spice that fade into a lovely long finish.

ES tasting notes:
Ripe fruit aromas of berry & plum. On the thin side, but silky with a subtle hint of vanilla & oak. Smooth lasting finish. $18.99

Again this wine was superior to the bottle from Stellar, but I was still left dissatisfied.  The good news is that organic winemaking is gaining in popularity.  With that said, the only direction to go from here is up.  I look forward to discovering new labels of organics and reporting back to you. 

If anyone has any good organic recommendations, throw them my way. If I can find it, I'll try it and be happy to share my experiences with you.

Hope you all make the most of the last day of the long weekend.

Until next time,
ES

http://www.bonterra.com/

 

Last night's bottle - To be or not to be organic...that is the question.

It's fair to say that I often preach the benefits of fair trade, eating organic, being green etc.  But the reality is that it's easier said than done to just one day transform you daily habits to meet the goal of living a wholly organic lifestyle. So for me I simply do what I can, when I can to be a responsible human and minimize my effect on destroying the planet and or/my body.  And there you have my best attempt at a PSA for organic living.

Last night was one of the few times I decided to open a bottle of organic wine and grabbed a bottle of Stellar Organics 2009 South African Shiraz off the shelf.  For anyone who has read this blog, it's probably not a surprise to hear me say that I am a big fan of Shiraz.  I mean my blood is red for a reason, I keep my body properly stocked with red wine as much as I can. It runs through my veins.

As for last night's bottle, I wasn't sure what to make of it at first.  Organics are not my specialty.  So I can simply tell you what I thought and you can choose whether or not to try it for yourself. 

The color was deep and dark as you might expect, but the nose is uncharacteristically light and airy.  The palate not as deep & rich as expected but this bottle does in fact go down easy. Hints of dark fruit jump out with a hint of cedar which make way for an earthy finish. The acidity is low and not at all overpowering. Ultimately, I found the wine to be well balanced but lacking in depth.

In short, this is a "fine" bottle of wine.  Definitely worth bringing to impress share with friends that may or may not be @ the OWS rally this morning.  In all seriousness, this would be good addition to your rotation.  Its always good to be diverse and this pleasant organic is a good start.

Until next time.

Cheers,
ES

http://www.stellarorganics.com/

Last Night's Bottle - Layer Cake 2009 Shiraz

Last call before a much needed vacation. 

This is my first bottle of Shiraz in awhile.  I have been spending more time on the locals than just randomly purchasing bottles from the local wine-o.

Layer Cake Shiraz - 2009

Vineyard Notes: Layer Cake Shiraz is produced in South Australia which is arguably one of the top shiraz-growing regions of the world.  Within SA, the McLaren Vale is the most diverse and historic sub-region with vines dating back to the 1830’s.  The microclimates within McLaren Vale are what give Layer Cake Shiraz its complexity.  For our Shiraz, we pull from vineyards all over McLaren Vale; from the full-clustered, sandy soiled blocks on the sea coast of Gulf St. Vincent, to the Terra Rosa based, tiny-berried wind- blown hills across the Vale.  The vineyards are all within a few miles of each other, yet give us a broad array of flavors to blend into a complete wine.  Each year we pull a small amount of fruit from tiny vineyards in Padthaway and Wrattanbully for added layers; combined they represent less than 10% of the blend.

Personal notes: Deep & dark yet smooth. Fruity aromas of berry & plum mixed with a subtle potpourri of spice. This wine possesses a ripe fruity palate with mild earthy undertones. I got a kick out of the self proclaimed description of this wine being "A pure fruit bomb".  It is undoubtedly well balanced with a lingering finish.

For the price of $14.99 I would definitely grab a bottle or two next time to share with friends.

Until next time, happy tasting!
-ES