Wine in the Shower » brunello

“Hotel Del Coronado” Winexpert 2008 Limited Edition Brunello Tasting Note

gisela — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:12:58 +0000

My “Hotel Del Coronado” Winexpert 2008 limited release Brunello is coming up on 3 years post bottling now. My first reaction to drinking this wine was, WOW! It is definitely at its peak, and is exceptional. Big, bold aromas of blackberry, sage, and light spice. Perfectly integrated flavors of currant, blackberry, and raisins with cedar box in the long finish. Another wine I wish I had tasted before submitting my entries to the San Diego County Fair, but then again I only have 10 bottles left now! This wine is a perfect example of patience paying off with big, bold red wines.

Brunello 2-year Tasting

gisela — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:55:47 +0000

I’ve been excited about trying out this Limited Edition wine again, hopefully it’s almost ready. I decanted very briefly before first taste; it’s still very foamy. Not much “soapiness” on the nose, mostly light, bright fruits with hint of spice. Very clear garnet in color. Good oak on the tongue giving slightly buttery mouthfeel, with rich, complex flavors of overripe red fruits and cigar box. It is coming along very nicely now, no detectable “kit taste.” I think this one will peak in another 6-10 months, but definitely entering the drinkable stage.

Italian Brunello 6 Month Tasting

gisela — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:42:28 +0000

Nose of raspberry and cherry, with hint of the soapiness. Still foamy. Tasting very young. Sour cherry and oak. More integrated and tasty, but not ready yet.

Italian Brunello 2-Month(ish) Tasting

gisela — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:45:48 +0000

Almost 2 month tasting of the brunello. A LOT of oak in the nose, with a weird fruity off-smell. Not outrageously tasty, not quite integrated. Needs to sit. Will decant and taste again.

Bottling Sauvignon Blanc and Italian Brunello

gisela — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:11:19 +0000

To keep the cellar fully stocked, we *really* some sauvignon blanc. This kit was touted as a quick-drinker, and I’ve been really happy with the lower-end white kits. I bulk aged this wine an extra month (out of laziness and lack of time to bottle). I did have to filter this one, the low-end whites just don’t like to clear. Great for a freshly-bottled wine! Nose with pear and apple up front and hint of grass. Very clear greenish-gold in color. Crisp flavors of green apple, lychee, and pear. Light spice with long finish. Really nice!

The brunello kit came with 30 grams oak dust and 30 grams of French oak chips. It was bulk aged 2 months (again, out of laziness and lack of time), but not filtered. Still pretty clear, dark garnet in color. Spicy nose with lots of dark, ripe fruit. Really rich, complex flavors of spice box, cedar, smoke, plums, black cherry, and hint of blueberry. Really good for a young red, this one is going to be great!

Time for Limited Editions!

gisela — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:04:12 +0000

I have discovered that the wine kit companies make special limited edition wines every year that are supposed to be “exceptional quality.” I’ve been pretty impressed with the quality so far, so these should be really exciting! Here’s what I got:

Pacific Quartet: A blend of very cool whites from the Pacific, including Vidal from British Columbia, chenin blanc from California, gewürztraminer from Wasington, and muscat from Australia. Should be a fun wine! This wine is released in March.
Chilean Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon: Carmenere is a south American varietal similar to Merlot. The description sounds like this will be a cellar star, but will need some serious hangin’ out time. Released in January.
Italian Brunello: Gotta love a big Italian red. This wine will also undoubtedly need a lot of aging to really shine. Released in April.
Canadian Old Vine Riesling: My first kit from RJ Spagnols. Always good to have a nice, crisp Riesling to go with spicy szechuan or Indian food. This one released in January.