Egervin Bulls blood 2003

Domaine: Egervin
Country: Hungary
Region: Eger
Vintage: 2003
Style: Red
Grapes: Kadarka, Kékfrankos, Blauer and possibly others
Declared Alcohol (on label): 12%
Approximate Price: $9/bottle
Date Reviewed: 6/20/2009
Reviewed By: Galen Ricci


Appearance:
Clear medium ruby core withe a light ruby/tawny rim. An ever so slight watery edge, and average moving, slightly colored legs.

Nose:
Clean without any cork flaws (TCA/TCB) or oxidization, and smells developed with a medium intensity aroma. Characteristics of Red Cherry, Red Raspberry, a little leather, and a sort of baked fruit smell, behind caramel (possibly from oak aging).

Palate:
Dry with medium acidity, medium - tannins, medium - alcohol, medium - body, medium flavor intensity and medium - length. Characteristics of Red apple, sour cherry, tart raspberry, plum and a little leather.

Conclusion:
The wine falls into the good category, it is ready to drink now, and is mid-priced for this style of wine.

Authors Notes:
This is the first bulls blood wine I have ever had. One of my wine classes covered Hungary, Austria, Romania, and Greece, so naturally we drank tokaji, zwegelt, pinot noir, and agiorgitiko from the respective regions. We did talk about bulls blood, but didnt taste one in class, so one day I saw it on a shelf for 10.99 and decided to give it a shot. So in all fairness I can evaluate the wine's attributes, but I have no other experience to compare it to. I kinda like it and for the price I feel as though this has been a good experience, I would buy another bulls blood again, but I would seek out another producer so I can see how this one compares. I like the body, and the 12% alcohol, the acidity is balanced. I would have like a little more aroma intensity, but the flavors make up for the lean bouquet. I really like the sour cherry and tart raspberry. Its should pair well with the bolognese sauce that I'm having for dinner, similar to a sangiovese from italy, except less tannins and lighter body. Which is not a bad thing. Most people would probably not like this wine because its lean, and a bit thin, but those who enjoy the experience of something unique and can appreciate lean wines might enjoy it more. Especially at this price, which believe it or not is about mid-priced for bulls blood. Im not going to score this wine, because I dont have another bulls blood to compare it to.

After some time I came back to this wine and Im starting to think that its slightly 'corked'. Its barely perceivable (if at all) on the nose, but on the mid-palate theres a little bit of a cardboard/musty flavor, however its only detectable for a brief moment before the sour/tart fruit takes charge again. In someways this doesnt surprise me because its not like bulls blood is flying off of retailers shelves, not to mention this is a 2003, so it could have been sitting around for a long time. I am not very familiar with bulls blood, and I can imagine this wine isnt really intended for prolonged bottle aging. Anyone else ever tried bulls blood?

Heres the wiki on bulls blood:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egri_Bikav%C3%A9r

Chateau Le Calvaire 2003

Domaine: Chateau le Calvaire
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux Superieur
Vintage: 2003
Style: Red
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Declared Alcohol (on label): 13%
Approximate Price: $17/bottle
Date Reviewed: 6/19/2009
Reviewed By: Galen Ricci

Appearance:
This red wine was clear with a deep ruby core moving to a medium ruby rim. Almost no watery edge, which would indicate some age on the wine. The legs were average size, with average movement

Nose:
The nose was clean with no traces of corkage, or oxidization. The aromas had a medium intensity, with a developing profile. The characteristics were: Bell pepper, spicy pepper (jalapeno, green chilies), Dusty, and a touch of oak (possibly older oak)

Palate:
The wine was dry, had medium to medium - acid, medium tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, and medium flavor intensity. The flavors were: Dusty, green pepper, pencil shavings, and slight dark fruits (but so slight it was hard to discern the exact fruits). The wine maintained a solid medium - length.

Conclusion:
The overall quality of the wine was acceptable. Since its a left bank Bordeaux Superieur the cost is mid-priced. This wine is at its peak and should be consumed soon.


Authors Notes:
This wine was kinda boring, although it was balanced and nothing was wrong with it, it lacked any sort of fruit and excitement. In fact there was almost no fruit, the tannins were focused on the front of the palate, and the length was too short for a 2003 left bank bordeaux. Although it might still have some life left, I dont think its going to hang on much longer in the bottle. I would be confident in saying this wine was one dimensional and didnt really have much to say for itself. I could see this wine as basic bordeaux glass pour for around $7/glass at a restaurant, but again thats because there was nothing really wrong with the wine. It just doesnt stand up to other bordeauxs in the same price range. If this wine was in the 12-15 dollar range I might get a little more excited about it, but it really doesnt have a lot going for it, where many other wines from that region, and in the same price range, have a lot more going on. I would rate this wine 86+ points.