WTN: Mostly zins with burgers and steak sandwiches

Last Saturday our wine group got together to try some wines (mostly Zins ) with grilled burgers and steak sandwiches. These notes are in the order I tried the wines.

Chateau Timberlay Cuvee Marie Paulee Prestige 2003 - I failed to note the appelation but I believe a Bordeaux Superieur. Unblanced with the alcohol showing strongly although it's only 12.5%. Hollow, acidic and thin. Unpleasant.

Chateau La Gordonne Rose Cotes de Provence 2003 - I've had this a few times before and thought it was a very good rose. Still refreshing and very mild flavored. Starting to lack a bit in crispness. Getting a bit tired. Better to drink this up.

Seppelt Great Western Vineyard Show Sparkling Shiraz 1987 - Showing a faded old rose color on the rim. Still bubbles nicely. Drier than most sparkling Shiraz. Rootbeer nose. Bitter chocolate, dried fruits. Long, dry finish. A bit too old. Better drink up.

Eileen Hardy Shiraz 1996 - Sweet fruit, thick, youthful. Soft tannins. Spicy. Can probably continue to improve although really good drinking now. My last bottle and my favorite wine of the tasting.

Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 - Soft. A little short. Smoky. Sweet cassis fruit. Just passed its peak. Good wine. Drink up.

Montgras Limited Edition Zinfandel (Chile) 2001 - Light. Very dry with an acidic finish. Open-knit wine. Not bad. A drink now wine.

Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 2004 - Deep fruity nose. Good sweet fruit Concentrated. A little smoke. Drink now. A very good wine and my number 2 of the tasting.

Seghesio Sonoma Old Vine Zinfandel 2003 - Strong stuff. Very dry and smoky. Not a style everyone will appreciate. Needs more time.

Ravenswood Old Hill Sonoma Zinfandel 2003 - Very dark. Fruity nose. Lots of alcohol. Spicy charred wood character. Surprisingly easy to drink, though. Quite smooth. Good food wine. Sweetish, long finish. Not a subtle wine. Flavors are still primary. More time should give it more complexity. Very good for me.

Ravenswood Napa Zinfandel 2003 - Oaky nose, sweet fruit. Easy drinking. Good for what it is.

Chehalem 3 Vineyards Pinot Noir 2003 - Strawberry nose. A little smoke. Good attack on the front palate but breaks down in the back palate. Hot and bitter for me. Best Chehalem I've had but I still don't like the house style.

Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula 2004 - Oak and earth on the nose.Very acidic. Lacks fruit and ripeness. Ugh! Nearly everyone else liked this. What am I missing here?

D'Arenberg The Feral Fox Pinot Noir Adelaide Hills 2004 - A little thin but a good nose. Tannic on the back end. Meaty flavors. Quite good.

Tinhorn Creek Kerner Late Harvest Okanagan Valley 2004 - Tastes like a very light Vendange Tardive Pinot Gris. Pleasant enough but nothing special.

Yalumba Museum Muscat - Caramelizing sugar on the nose. Not as sticky as other examples of the style. Very long, elegant wine. Good balance. Dry, nutty finish with some rancio. Very good.

Royal Tokay Wine Co. Tokaji Nyulaszo 5 Puttonyos 1991 - Very orangey nose and flavor. Slightly oxidative style. Not as sweet as I expected. Quite light. OK but nothing special.

Morris Old Premium Liqueur Tokay - Intense. Tea flavors. Coffee. Again, a nutty, drying finish. Lovely stuff.

Messias 10 Year Tawny Port - No nose. Quite dry and light. A dissapointment. Some others reported it got better with some airing but I already started on the Macallan so couldn't go back to this.

If all that wasn't enough, we finished with Macallan 12 yr old and Gourmel Age des Epices Cognac.

Excellent notes., Jay.
My office "Thursday at 5" wine tasting group theme for next month is "All American BBQ wines." We could well try some on this list, but, of course, your wine of the day would not qualify. We generally try to keep prices in the $10 to $15 range, and most participants are enthusiastic amateurs, with a couple rank novices trying to get past that point. So I usually try to make some recommendations to them.
Any ideas for American wines I might recommend to the group?

Those dem gud notes Jay!! Some of the wines I am quite familar with so for once I can relate to other peoples notes!!
OW, good luck with the BBQ tasting. How about a Lemburger from Washington? Nice change eh. I was going to suggest a P Sirah but problem wine for many peoples palates. Castle Rock falls in the price range so some nice wines there.

If price were no object I'd say Ridge and Rosenblum but I'm guessing these are over $ 20.00. A good, inexpensive cab I had recently was from McManis. It's a very full, sweet, oaky style but if you have a sweetish BBQ sauce it should go well. It isn't for everyone, though and if you're looking for something elegant this isn't for you. I understand their Petite Sirah is also quite good.

I also find the inexpensive Syrahs from Columbia Crest to be rather nice.

Hope this helps.