2001 Le Haut-Medoc de Giscours

To the best of my knowledge, this 2001 Le Haut-Medoc de Giscours is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  According to wikipedia, Haut-Medoc was a salt marsh for animal grazing back in the day; however these days its producing some good wines (I've had a few from this region and have enjoyed all of them).

The wine has good balance of aromas.  Hint of oak, the presence of berries and spices were apparent.
First swirl was nice--  full body and nice texture.  Tannins were strong, and there was a slight bitter finish to the wine.  Second swirl I am not as impressed;  not bad, but nothing spectacular.  A good wine that is fairly easy to drink.

I am going to give this one 3 stars.  I purchased this bottle from the Wine Market store in Ebisu Gardens for Y2,600.  This price seems about market price here in Japan; however I could not find a listing price in the U.S.  Overall, a good wine, but nothing that knocks your socks off.

Summary: Full-body, Good balance, but nothing spectacular
Rating: 3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y2,600 (Ebisu Gardens, Wine Market Store)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y2,777 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: NA
Food:  NA

2010 Domaine D'Anderzon Cotes du Rhone

An "organic" wine from the Rhone valley, this one was very different from all the wines I have posted thus far.  In addition, it is non-filtered, which made this one a bit more interesting.  

First sniff --lots of berries, perhaps blackberries, with some green grass in the background.  The color tone was dark red (nothing like I have seen before).  First swirl, wow, full-body and fairly spicy.  It also seemed the tannins were a bit strong.  Second sniff -- may sound a bit weird, but I was getting some hint of milk (is that possible?).  Okay, well the second swirl, seemed green and young.  Flavors of berries were prominent -- slightly sour for my liking.  The balance was okay, however this syrah was very different than ones I have drunk before.  Perhaps it is the "organic" part of the wine, or maybe the "non-filter" component (I am not really sure). 


I purchased this one from Ebisu Gardens, Wine Market store.  I am going to give this one 3 stars.  Very unique wine, but not my all time favorite. It's a decent bottle that would be great with a meat dish.   When I finished the bottle, I had some sludge in my glass -- first for me! 


Summary: Full-body, Syrah.  Fairly green and rich. 
Rating: 3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,606 (Ebisu Gardens, Wine Market Store)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,512 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: $13.95
Food: Mexican soup

2009 Simi Chardonnay

From Sonoma California, this wine has a very unique color.  Not as golden as I have seen some Chardonnay's, but it has a very brilliant, light yellow color tone--very nice.  The first sniff has a mixture of pears, and some type of tropical fruits.  The first whirl is quite nice -- slightly sweet yet has a slight almond taste.  Second sniff -- I am still leaning towards pears and some type of tropical fruit which I cannot pinpoint which type of fruit.  The second whirl has a slight smokey wood taste; however the sweetness is still present. The finish is very nice, very smooth and mild.


Overall I am going to give this one 3 stars.  I purchased this one at Costco for  Y1,590.  At another retailer here in Tokyo it is about Y2,400.  Yet again, Costco scores. I would recommend this wine for a casual summer party.   




Summary:  Good wine with a nice and unique color.  Slightly sweet; however the finish is delicate. 
Rating:  3 stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,590 (Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y2,450 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: $12.95
Food: NA

2010 Michele Chiarlo Anniversario Gavi

Another purchase from Costco Michele Chiarlo 2010 Anniversario Gavi was an interesting Italian white wine.  Fragrances of apricot and fresh pear were present.  The finish had a slight chestnut flavor; yet the entire body of the wine was fairly dry and crisp. 

Overall the 2010 Gavi is easy to drink.  I am not that familiar with Italian wines; however Gavi is a white grape I believe from the Piemonte region (Upper NW corner of Italy).  I am going to give this one 3 Stars and given the price of Y875 I would recommend this for a good, everyday table wine.  


Summary: Crisp white wine with a good balance.  Apricot/pears; very fragrant.  
Rating:  3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y875 (Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: I could not find this particular wine at any other Japanese retailer
USA Retail Price: $12.95
Food: NA

2009 Jaffelin Macon-Villages

Tucked away in southern Burgundy, I believe this vineyard uses a Chardonnay grape.  Overall very pleased with the acidity and flavor (This wine had some similarities to a Sauvignon Blanc).  It is dry; however has a hint of cantaloupe or honey dew flavor.  After letting the wine open for about 30 minutes the flavor of the wine improved. 


Priced at Y980 at Costco, I am going to rate this one with 3 stars.  A good value and everyday table wine.


Summary: Good acidity and nice balance.   The wine is dry; with some citrus flavors.   A hint of cantaloupe aroma.
Rating: 3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y980 (Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: Could not find another retailer 
USA Retail Price: $16.99
Food: Japanese vegetable Nabe (hot pot)

2009 Clefs des Murailles Vacqueyras

From the Rhone region, the 2009 Clefs des Murailles was quite pleasant.  Although it was difficult to pinpoint distinct characteristics of the wine, everyone seemed to have enjoyed the balance and texture (brought to a dinner with my in-laws).  Personally, I smelled some oak; however others could not. Apparently the wine is 70% Grenache, which surprised me because it did not have that typical berry/cherry taste. My in-laws joked as they recently read my posting about wine glasses and mentioned that perhaps it was the wine glass and nothing else.  


For the price and overall balance of the wine, I am going to give this 3 stars.  I want to try this one again, as I think I might be underrating this wine.   Purchased at Costco for Y980 I think it was well worth the price.  


Summary: Good balance and texture; however distinct characteristics were difficult to identify
Rating: 3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y980 (Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: Could not find another retailer with the same vintage
USA Retail Price: $17.99
Food: Rolled cabbage, vegetable tempura, fruit salad, and Japanese rice (lovely food!)  Thank you!

Kim Crawford 2009 Marlborough Pinot Noir

Overall I am a big fan of Kim Crawford's Sauvignon Blanc wines (New Zealand).  Today I decided to try Kim Crawford 2009 Marlborough Pinot Noir -- a first for me.  


The smell reminds me of a sweet strawberry that still has some dirt on the leaves (earthy).  My first whirl/taste; first impact is good, but the flavor tapers off pretty quickly.  It's okay. My second whirl....  Yeah, not overly impressed. It has some berry flavors, but the berries are a bit sour.  It's one of those wines where you think it's a bit young, but even if you let it age overtime it's a wine that wont change a bit.  In other words, it is what it is.  Almost similar to the wine earlier this week (Napa Station), an okay table wine, but not one to bring to a dinner party to impress.  


Again, I purchased this at Costco and it was reasonable (comparing it to Rakuten it is a steal ~65% discount--I would never pay Y2,000).  I am going to give this wine 3 stars.

Summary: Okay Pinot Noir from New Zealand (classic Pinot Noir color -- light red).  Good initial taste, but it did not last to really impress.
Rating: 3 Stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,198 (Kawasaki Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,980 (Rakuten Website-scroll down a bit)
USA Retail Price: Around $13.95
Food: I did not pair it with any food today