2009 Baron Philippe Rothschild Mouton Cadet Bordeaux

A Mouton Cadet Bordeaux which is about 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc has a very deep, dark red color.  The first smell --cherries with a hint of Robitussin cough syrup.   My first swirl had some granulated sugar (so it tasted) which quickly disappeared that was followed by a bitter fruit.  Weird. (btw, I decided to eat some saltine crackers, followed by water to see if it was just an anomaly or not.)  Second sniff still has the cherry smell, but the alcohol smell is quite strong.  Second swirl is still weird.  I am still getting this sensation of granulated sugar in the wine.  The tannins seem quite strong (tastes like you're eating a bitter grape skin towards the end).  Yeah, this one is not flying with me. 


Overall, I am not impressed.  It's not absolutely terrible, but just didn't work for me. I would say this is a medium body Bordeaux.  Maybe it needs to open up more, or perhaps it's just not a good wine.  I am going to rate this 1.5 stars (first low rating on this blog).  


Summary: Not impressed.  Cherry smells, but the taste was bitter and not that interesting. 
Rating:   1.5 stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,270 (Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: Y1,740 (Rakuten website)
USA Retail Price: $11.99
Food: NA

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

2008 "Napa Station" Sauvignon Blanc

Monday's are usually never fun-- In fact and sadly enough, I don't even remember the last Monday I have really enjoyed. However, today is different. Today, I am very proud to announce a "Happy Monday!"
Why? Well, being that today is a Monday and secondly because it is the first official wine review on this blog; I can now say that today is a very "Happy Monday."

 In retrospect, I probably should have picked a better wine, like some fancy 2005 Bordeaux to kick off this blog, but like I said I am just an ordinary wine drinker that happens to live in Tokyo.
So here I begin the first wine review and I must say that tonight's dinner meal did not make choosing wine easy. The dinner theme tonight was Thai food. As starters I had some homemade Tom Kai Gai soup (which is basically a coconut based soup flavored with chicken stock, lemongrass, and lime) followed by a spicy Thai green curry with some fragrant Thai rice (again coconut base; however with a ginger and lemongrass overlay). How in the world do you pair wine with this food? Well, I honestly have no idea, so I chose a Sauvignon Blanc.

This evening's choice is a 2008 "Napa Station" Sauvignon Blanc. This wine had a citrus smell (grapefruit) with some accent of apricot or tropical fruit, where the color tone had a crisp, shiny golden hue. The first sip had the classic Sauvignon Blanc taste, but lacked a serious "punch" if you know what I mean. The overall balance seemed okay (good acidity), but the depth to the wine was medium at best. I wouldn't say it was a a great bottle, but it was a good weekday table wine. Unfortunately, the Thai food was a mistake because after eating the curry I basically lost all my taste buds -- not good for conducting an inaugural wine review. Anyhow.

Overall and out of 5 stars, (5 being amazing, 0 being something equivalent to Listerine mouthwash) I would give this 2 and 1/2 stars. Price had an influence on this rating because I did not think the price matched the overall value. This bottle was purchased from the Kawasaki Costco store at Y1,298. If this were maybe Y900-Y1,000 range then I would have rated this with 3 to 3.5 stars.

Summary: Okay Sauvignon Blanc (nice color), but lacked great depth
Rating: 2 and 1/2 stars
Purchase Cost: Y1,298 (Vendor-- Kawasaki Costco)
Other Japanese Retailers: I could not find
USA Retail Price: Around $14.95
Food: Thai Curry and Tom Kai Gai Soup (would not recommend)