Text 24031, 54 rader
Skriven 2007-12-12 10:48:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: tastes 550
==================
Chockies at Jeff's in New Zealand:

Trade Aid organic fair trade dark chocolate 70%, 100%
fair trade (made by Bernrain) - coffee, tropical flowers,
deep cocoa flavor, slightly burnt but not in a bad way.
Medium-smooth melt. Long finish. Cocoa from Peru, Bolivia,
and the Dominican Republic. A-

Trade Aid fair trade dark chocolate 48%, 99% fair trade
(made in Belgium) - substantial coconut nose and on the
palate. Of course too sweet but not really offensive.
Not much chocolate character. Surprising unsmooth, almost
crystalline melt. Medium finish of Brazil nuts. B-/C+

Potables at Jackie's in USA:

Sam Adams black lager - very dark (of course), not as
hearty on the palate as the appearance would indicate.
Malty, caramelly, slightly acid. Medium coffeelike
finish. Low hops. An easy drinker.

Harpoon Winter Warmer - gingerbread aroma, yeast,
nutmeg, clove; clove predominant on the palate; lowish
hops, rather sweet and I thought cloying.

Harpoon IPA - robustly hopped, quite bitter; but when
served at cool room temperature, a sweetness comes out
that I find jarring.

Heineken Light - regular Heinie with water in it. Not good.

Woodbridge Cabernet 04 (Lodi) - plum, blackberry, and
coffee on nose and palate, a touch of smoke. Would be a
decent wine (given that it's a mass-market wine) but
that it's a bit too sweet. A surprisingly good deal for
$7 (8 at the neighborhood grocery store where we picked
it up).

Hedges CMS 05 (Columbia Valley) - a dark, concentrated
wine, quite tannic, heavy mouthfeel. Black fruits, pencil
shavings, the typical Washington replica of a Bordeaux
style. The letters stand for (in declining order) Cabernet,
Merlot, and Syrah. I liked this one pretty well; Jackie
didn't care for it.

Castle Rock Pinot Noir 06 (Monterey) - second tasting -
medium light red color. Minerally plummy nose, plums and
cherries on the palate, both a little too sweet and a
little too sour for my tastes. Spices (star anise?) and
a bit of alcohol on the finish. Okay. This is sort of
her house wine these days.
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)