THE OPPOSITE OF EXPERT WINE REVIEW

LEASINGHAM, CLARE VALLEY, 2001, MAGNUS, SHIRAZ, CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Yes, I admit it. I know the 01’ Magnus appeals to the palate like berries and melted chocolate. In fact, I am determined to try the Magnus with almonds and chocolate because I have a feeling that the combo is sinfully delicious. I don’t know much about Australia or Australians but this wine gives you a reason to love’ em.

As a matter of fact; I had just gotten done tasting a somewhat disappointing wine that I had received as a gift. The Magnus was from the same source so, I did not know what to expect. What is Leasingham? Clare Valley? Hey, I’m no expert! The label looked kind of boring. Oh well, I thought. I pulled the cork out and sniffed the bottle. Yes, that’s what I said; if my nose had been any closer it would have been in the bottle. Is that okay? I didn’t care; I had to prepare for the let down and move through the disappointment before a single glass was poured, before even the wine could breathe. It just so happens, there was no let down. Ultimately, a thirsty and well-wishing friend had to pry my nose from that bottle.

You may not want to invite me to your dinner party but, I figure that anything I do in my own home, with a legally consenting bottle of wine, is my business. Fortunately, my wonderful, gift bearing friend understands me well. He smiled with glee at the thought of having accomplished his gift-giving mission! He had seen the other bottle languishing in despair and we both understood the importance of this bottle. Since he understood me so well; I in turn understood why he proceeded to gulp three tasting glasses while I was still sniffing my first. He had calculated all too quickly what was going to happen to that bottle based on the fact that I practically drank it through my nose. Forget about the cork! The aroma is peppery as well as chocolaty my friend noted. He was right. It tasted smooth so smooth and then bam! It explodes on the palate with a continuous increasing, soothing warmth to the throat.

The back of the bottle says “A harmless crust of sediment may form in this wine. This is a sign that the wine has benefited from minimal handling to preserve its natural flavor”. I can tell you, without a doubt, that your’ LEASINGHAM, CLARE VALLEY, 2001, MAGNUS, SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON will be maximally handled once you pop the cork.

Now as I wait, wondering whether another friend will show up with the requested chocolate; I question whether I even want to wait for the chocolate. Alas, I did get on the hotline about this wine and blab my big mouth so; I have to leave some. How long do I have to wait is the question? What is reasonable? I could always get another bottle?
Finally, the chocolate arrived in the form of a Hershey’s with almonds. I greedily bit into the candy bar and slurped the red wine. Yuck! Not good! So, don’t try it. I am sure there is a book somewhere that denotes this specific action as a violation of all that wonderful in the wine world. I can hear it now. Tisk, tisk, tisk, a chocolate almond bar with red wine, has the poor man has lost his mind. Well, that assessment would not be far from the mark, but it happened way before the wine. What I did find remarkable was that the chocolate scent was so deep in this wine that it actually made me acquire some chocolate. Even more remarkable is; I don’t eat chocolate. I can’t remember the last time previous that I had chocolate. The wines chocolaty aroma actually manipulated my olfactory senses to the degree that a physical response was elicited. Perhaps, in uncorking the LEASINGHAM, CLARE VALLEY, 2001, MAGNUS, SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON; I had discovered a new form of mind control. Or, better yet, a chocolate substitute. So, forget about the chocolate and grab a bottle. 2001 is starting to look like a very good year.

Check out this book titled, FOOL-PROOF WINE VALUES recommended by Robin Garr, publisher of www.wineloverspage.com, which happens to be the oldest, largest and most popular independent wine-appreciation site on the World Wide Web. This ebook is also recommended by Tom Ahern, the Food Columnist for Rhode Island Monthly Magazine. Let this book help you take the hassle out of finding delicious, inexpensive wines for every occasion





















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ARTESA 2001 ELEMENTS RED WINE - JUST PLAIN GOOD!

I don’t know the official name for the visual process but, when I swirled this wine it moved like sticky liquid silk gripping walls of glass. I think they call it legs or something. Be patient with me; after all, this is the opposite of expert wine review. The visuals actually caught me by surprise. I mean who doesn’t like to look at the delicious and intoxicating. Yet, for the first time, I found myself enchanted by the swirling process. Round and round, I was hypnotized. This wine was alive as a living, breathing, deep, earthy, purple-ruby entity. Its’ sole job was to adhere to the inside of my glass and crawl downward to a slow reunion with the rest of its liquid family. Fun, fun, fun, I thought but, sooner or later, the rest of the tasting process had to continue and to be frank with you; I was scared.

What if, after blessing me with such extraordinary fireworks, the smell and taste were disappointing? After all, I didn’t even know what I was drinking yet, but I knew there weren’t any secret stashes of Bordeaux or any Bordeaux for that matter. I swirled one more time and slowly, hesitantly, reluctantly extended my proboscis into the glass. Aaah, it emanated a rich aroma, similar to a bouquet of roses, flowery, pleasant and very nice. Things were progressing nicely. It was time for the moment of truth. At this point, I had been caught off guard by every aspect of this wine, overwhelmed by its appearance and pleased with its bouquet. What the heck was it going to taste like? I still didn’t know what I was drinking. Here goes everything.

I sipped deeply like a wary gazelle at the jungle watering hole. The first thing I noticed was its complexity. I absolutely could not process it all immediately. This is a complex varietal; I thought. Then the wine defied gravity and sank into the roof of my mouth. The wine was doing the same thing to my mouth that it was doing in my glass, it was crawling. The silky liquid then seeped and expanded into my upper gums. Fascinated as I already was, I wondered, how was this thing going to finish? I waited. The finish was a short chalky berry flavor.

Drinking this wine was like flirting with a beautiful and spicy woman. You see her and are overwhelmed. Her essence is pure femininity. She grabs you and consumes you in the quick, wonderfully vigorous and surprisingly passionate act. Before you can even begin to figure out what happened to you, one understanding is crystal clear. You want more. The complexity is part of the package, part of the mystery and the short but deep finish keeps you on the comeback. The most significant quality of these two vixens, the wine and the woman, is…you want more!

The only unfortunate thing about my tasting was I couldn’t disguise my fascination with the wine. My friends have learned my facial expressions and watch me closely like the grape vultures we are. Soon my fascinating lady was gone. Since my last review I have not been able to get another bottle of vintage 2003 Avalon, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon and at this time the 2004 does not compare. If you can dig up some 2001 Artesa Elements gobble it up while you can. ARTESA’S 2001 ELEMENTS RED WINE, 79% Sonoma, 21% Napa County, is yummy! It is a table wine gone professional and surely the five years of experience have done no harm.

Check out this book titled, FOOL-PROOF WINE VALUES recommended by Robin Garr, publisher of www.wineloverspage.com, which happens to be the oldest, largest and most popular independent wine-appreciation site on the World Wide Web. This ebook is also recommended by Tom Ahern, the Food Columnist for Rhode Island Monthly Magazine. Let this book help you take the hassle out of finding delicious, inexpensive wines for every occasion














BUY KICKASS POKER SECRETS

BUY KICKASS POKER SECRETS