My wife and I just got back from a little
mini-
vacation, and during the course of this
trip we ate at
several nice
restaurants. I thought this would be nice, as it would give me an
opportunity to try several new
varieties of
wine. I was right, but still
disappointed. I had a crappy
Chianti Classico, a watery
Sangiovese, a
pointless Merlot, and a
Sauvignon Blanc served
ice cold so as to
blunt all its
flavors. I will not even bother to review these loser wines.
The one relatively bright spot was this wine, which I ordered as a curiosity: it is found to a limited degree in many Rhône wines, and as I've recently focused on this category, it seemed the natural choice. It was a very dark red, densely colored and impervious to the ambient light. It offered a hint of cherry in the aroma and a kind of sweet, spicy flavor that I found quite reminiscent of port. It finished with a bit of acid and some tannins which were a little much for this otherwise medium bodied red wine.
I've since checked it out, and it seems that Jade Mountain specializes in Rhône-style wines, with varietals including Syrah and Viognier. I may try another of their wines as another curiosity, but I was not floored by this wine, and any future tasting would have to offer value.
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