I drank what?

Ready Rhone for Summer Enjoyment

2010-05-14T09:59:00.001-07:00

This rampant oenophile enjoys every opportunity to share good wine with good friends. I enjoyed the fellowship and the spicy lasagna with a new and interesting French red with great friends this week.

E. Guigal produces a stellar blend from the Cotes-du-Rhone region that is perfectly poised for warm summer nights and big foods. It's 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 10% Mourvède, that soaks in the skins for extended periods, giving this big wine a deep purple hue and even balance. It's full of plum and red fruit, offers just a hint of dryness that compliments rich foods perfectly, and a silky texture that makes it easy to drink.

The wine is big enough with enough body to stand up to bold or spicy meals, so I plan to have a few bottles on hand for grilling this summer. Whatever the calamity in Europe is doing to their currency, those of us on this side of the pond benefit from favorable exchange rates. So, while we may find many great values in French wines, look for this tremendous value at just $12 a bottle. Buy some to enjoy with friends.

Crazy Freakshow at Four Vines

2010-03-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Saving the Best of the Four Vines wines (Biker, Old Vine, and Naked®) for last, this Rampant Oenophile thought that a peek at their Freakshow catalog would intrique friends of this forum.

Freakshow is Four Vines line of blends that offers winemaker Christian Tietje a broader palate to exercise his “In Your Face” passion for big reds. Take “Loco” for example. This Tempranillo, from the risqué “Tres Cojones Vineyard” delivers in spades. It’s big, bold, complex, and rewarding. You find tangy blackberry and rich black plums on the nose and tongue. Loco gets very complex in textures with a long finish. Not a wine for casual sipping, Loco demands attention and goes very well with steaks. Locally, I found Loco for $29-$34, and it’s available for purchase on their site and through their wine club. Loco scored a 92 in 2004, and remains highly recommended by Wine Spectator.

Naked Goes Well with Crisp Chardonnay

2010-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Four Vines has received much attention from this Rampant Oenophile, but so far just for their excellent Zinfandels. To make sure that friends of the Rampant Oenophile don’t think that I just enjoy such a limited selection, I tried the Four Vines 2008 “Naked®” Chardonnay. Now, I’m a fan of the French style Chards, rich and buttery. “Naked®” is anything but…

This Chardonnay is all stainless steel, so it’s crisp and clean to let the citrus fruit and floral nose shine. You’ll also find peach and pear on the tongue, and grapefruit on the nose. Don’t serve it too chilled, just a bit cool, and you’ll lift the nose considerably. All in all, an exceptional New World style Chardonnay that pairs very well with fish or chicken. I’m looking forward to warmer afternoons to enjoy this Chard outside at weekend barbeques.

Old Vine Cuvee Offers Great Value Zinfandel

2010-03-15T09:10:00.001-07:00

Ever on the look out for top wine value, this Rampant Oenophile enjoys checking alternate releases of top rated wines and vineyards. I like to find wineries that apply the same standards that achieve a 90 point wine to the entire balance of their catalog. Four Vines is such a vineyard. Their Biker Zinfandel recently earned 91 points from Wine Spectator, so I took a chance on several other bottles in their catalog, and found several treasures.

In addition to Biker, Four Vines offers 5 other excellent Zinfandels for the full range from Supermarket to Top Shelf. First among the value brands, “Old Vine Cuvee” offers a lot more Zin than the $12 price tag suggests. It’s silk smooth and suitable for sipping. Unlike Biker, who’s a bit brash, Old Vine Cuvee is mellow. Same great black fruit like blackberries and plums, but softened on the tongue with a velvet texture and light spice. I found both the 2006 and 2007 at my local wine shop, so bought both. When you find a good Zin at such a price, my rule is to buy a bunch and enjoy.

Biker Delivers Da Goods

2010-03-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Friends of the Rampant Oenophile will recall my love of Zinfandels, and California’s Paso Robles region hosts wineries offering tremendous wines and tremendous values. Four Vines proclaims amazing wines, and their Zinfandel offering, The Biker, just earned 91 points from Wine Spectator for their 2007 edition.

Biker epitomizes quality Zinfandel. It’s full of fruit and spice, offers bold fragrance, and explodes on the tongue. You’ll smell and taste big black fruit like plums and berries. I found pepper and licorice, but moderated with vanilla and oak. Biker is brash, zesty, and anything but subtle, but you get what you want from a good Zinfandel. If found it locally for $22, which makes the Biker a solid buy for a rewarding Zin.

A Wonderful Tribute to Chile...

2010-03-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

The local ABC Fine Wines and Spirits hosted a great wine tasting last week, so of course this Rampant Oenophile attended with note pad and tasting glass firmly in hand. We enjoyed nearly 50 wines over the course of nearly 90 minutes with a terrific opportunity to speak directly with the wine makers and distributors for a selection that ranged the globe and the palate.

The 2005 Tres Palacios Merlot Cholqui now occupies a special place among my favorite wines. It comes from Chile, and is 100% Merlot, from within the Maipo Valley. This wine shows well in the glass offering a clear deeply red wine with violet hues. You smell red fruit: berries, currants, and cherry. I noticed subtle spices, but not the coffee or mocha that is listed in the product literature. The Cholqui offers a “Wow” factor because it’s as big as any good cab, but properly balanced and very smooth. This wine leaves no lingering after taste, but has a great soft finish. Velvety smooth, which is what one should expect from a premium category Merlot at this price range. If you can find a bottle under $40, but one because it’s difficult to find online for less than $44.

The Cholqui is as good or better than many more expensive reds, including both the Duckhorn and Decoy from that same winery. I recommend it highly.

Liar's Dice Comes Up Snake Eyes...

2010-03-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

Friends of the Rampant Oenophile know that I’m a sucker for a good Zinfandel, especially a solid bottle at a good value, so I was hopeful about the 2006 Liar’s Dice Zinfandel from Sonoma’s Murphy-Goode. The winery boasts one of the better websites for ordering their wines online, ships quickly and relatively inexpensively, and their range of available vintages impresses even finicky shoppers.

Though they have many solid buys, unfortunately the Liar’s Dice 2006 Zinfandel wasn’t among the better selections. This very dark, nearly inky red/purple wine is a bit too spicy and a bit too sweet for my palate. It’s very jammy, but with a spicy nose and a very spicy finish. Not enough balance for us to enjoy at a recent poker game with typical salty snacks and cheeses. The Zinfandel should have stood valiantly with those foods, but instead, this mixed up wine just lost its personality.

If you are in the mood for a great value Zin, try the Buehler’s instead, and save your palate and a few dollars for a better wine at Murphy Goode.

Buono BunoChristiani

2010-03-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

The 2006 BunoChristiani OPC arrived in the office several weeks ago as a “Thank You” gift from a corporate friend for completing a big job. This Rampant Oenophile was just waiting for a suitable opportunity to share it with good friends, which presented itself at a house warming recently. We enjoyed the OPC, a big, dry, rich, nearly purple Cabernet Sauvignon blend that is well worth the $40 it costs from the winery.

It’s a Napa Valley blend of 42% Cab, 30% Syrah, 20% Merlot, and 8% Malbec, the range of which softens the dry Cabernet grapes without diluting the big bold flavors. This wine rewards good food, and we served it with a selection of “stinky” cheeses, fresh artisan breads, olives and nuts as complements. You’ll find a lot of complexity in this exceptional wine, and though the OPC is tough to find in stores, it’s a worthy treasure should you hunt for it.

Orlando Food and Wine Festival

2009-11-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

If you are in the Orlando area on November 14 and 15 and want an Epicurean adventure, check out http://amyinorlando.blogspot.com/, a sympathetic spirit to this Rampant Oenophile, for an update.

Downtown Orlando and the Lake Eola area have enjoyed an extended cultural and culinary renewal in recent years, and play host to the Orlando Food and Wine Festival. Nearly 40 food and wine vendors descend on Lake Eola for tasting, demonstrations, and culinary displays. The tickets are just $15 for the weekend or $10 per day/$15 at the gate.

Bring your appetite!

Buehler? Buehler? Buehler?

2009-10-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

The inestimable Ocean Grill added a new Zinfandel to their “wines by the glass” list recently, which came highly recommended to this Rampant Oenophile by regulars at the Grill. Friends of the Rampant Oenophile know how much I appreciate and enjoy a good Zin and a good value, and the 2007 Buehler Napa Valley Zinfandel hits high points on both counts.

Available direct from the winery for just $18 a bottle, and locally for $16 in good wine shops, the Buehler Zinfandel rewards a long slow pour. It’s young, but big and rich. Not “In your face” boldness, but rather a well intentioned blend of fruit and spice. It’s a deep dark purple in color with rich plum blossom bouquet. You’ll enjoy the cherry and red berry flavors to soften a nice heat from the pepper. Pairs well with stronger food flavors, but also sips pretty well in the lingering Florida summer, which just won’t go away.

Bottle Shocked...

2009-10-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

So, it was a Chateau Montelena week recently for this Rampant Oenophile. A business friend hosted us for dinner at a local steakhouse last week, where we took full advantage of the ½ price bottle offer on a slow Monday night. We worked our way through the catalog until finding the 2005 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $52. Our host immediately ordered two bottles and told us the story of the winery, perfectly capture in the movie Bottle Shock. As the story goes, in 1976, the British owner of L’Academie du Vin in France decides to host a blind tasting of his favorite French wines against the upstart wines of the Napa Valley. He travels to Napa Valley, meets the owner and family of Chateau Montelena, and samples a variety of terrific California wines. At the tasting, a panel of French oenophiles selects Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay as the top white wine, and the Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon won the top red wine category. Much drama and French snobbery ensues.

Unfortunately, the Chardonnay was not on the wine list, but Chateau Montelena has become known for nearly 35 years as a producer of award winning Cabs, and the 2005 is no exception. I was impressed how easily the flavors blend and pair with the great steak and seafood we enjoyed at dinner. It’s full bodied and very well balanced. You’ll taste the entire range of fruit and spice without any single flavor overpowering. It’s a wine to enjoy, but also to store for future special occasions. I highly recommend this wine.

As a footnote to the 1976 story, the owner of L’Academie du Vin, Steven Spurrier, hosted a 30th anniversary blind tasting of French and California wines fully expecting the French wines to regain their winning status. California won both categories, again.

Good, but not Great...

2009-09-15T08:26:00.001-07:00

Friends of the Rampant Oenophile cajole frequently that I review only the successes, never the mistakes. So, in this era of careful spending, here’s a review for a wine that I will not likely buy in stores…

De Loach has been a superior producer of fine Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs forever, and their 2003 and 2005 vintages offered ripe full fruit, great legs, easy pairings with a wide variety of foods, and a constant value in the $20-$30 range for fine California Pinots. I had high hopes for the 2007, and while the wine was good, it didn’t live up to past memories. The tasting notes from Wine.com suggest cola, gingerbread spice, and cardamom in the wine’s flavor and aroma profile. I can’t say that these descriptions match my appetite for wine. Perhaps a fizzy soft-drink, but not a $20-$25 wine (store price).

All in all, the 2007 De Loach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was not a bad wine. It was smooth, paired fine with dinner, and sipped moderately well. But, it wasn’t full. It seemed a bit light, and didn’t impress me sufficiently to motivate me to bring home a bottle or two. With so many other wines available even at the average grocery, let alone a fine wine shop, I will likely spend elsewhere for now and wait for the next De Loach offering to see how their Pinot Noir vein progresses.

Silverado Vistas...

2009-09-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

This Rampant Oenophile has enjoyed two trips to the Left Coast, first to Napa and Calistoga, then more recently to Sonoma. Napa seems far better for ritzy and interesting wineries, Sonoma for flavorful and quirky tasting rooms. No winery impresses more than Silverado for their locale, and they do a great job with mid-market wines, as well.

Silverado offers a range of reds and whites, but it perhaps best known for their excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. Though those who know me understand I don’t yet have a palate for most Cabernets, this Rampant Oenophile has enjoyed the Silverado vintages for several years. The latest release, the 2005, is as good as any recent vintage, save perhaps the 1999, first bottled in 02.

The 2005 Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon offers deep garnet color, a rich scent of oak and tobacco, and dry textures on the tongue. It’s a lot of wine, but the dryness limits any lingering aftertastes. You’ll experience the whole of the fruit immediately, so serve it with good red meat or flavorful salads and cheeses.

If you want to decant, then decant, but simply letting this wine breath for 10 minutes in an open bottle should be sufficient. It’s young, but very powerful and offers all of the textures and overtones of a more mature Cabernet. It’s a blend, so should taste consistently across several bottles, so buy two or three and cellar at least one for 3-5 years from now. It will still reward you then as it does today.

Ravenswood Zinfandel Surprises…

2009-08-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

This Rampant Oenophile typically thinks of Ravenswood as a supermarket wine. I enjoy tremendously their $12-$15 Cabernet for grilling out with friends, or their excellent $14 Merlot as a great wine for parties because it always pleases guests.

Imagine my surprise, then, tasting a truly exceptional Ravenswood Zinfandel that was anything but value priced. The Ravenswood Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel 2006 delights the passions of Zinfandel mavens. It’s big and very ripe, but the fruit doesn’t assault the tongue. The red berries and cherry flavors are bright and refreshing and a perfect compliment to the spice and zest of peppercorn mixed with mineral textures. The color is as rich a red as the best Cabernet, and the bouquet offers unique floral tones that are tough to describe precisely.

Ravenswood works with Dickerson Vineyards to source the grapes for this fine Zinfandel, and the story behind their partnership reads like a California western. Dickerson is something of a maverick wine maker who has grown much magic from discarded farms. I am much impressed with this exceptional wine and intend to split a case with friends to savor this excellent Zinfandel for years to come. It’s modestly priced at $35-$40 locally, but offers more flavor at that price than most Zinfandels can ever hope to offer.

A Chard Above...

2009-08-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

This Rampant Oenophile enjoys many wonderful values from Joseph Drouhin, and often finds wonderful, highly rated wines at budget prices under $35. Little did I know that Joseph Drouhin also produces several luscious white wines at very exclusive prices.

Through the generosity of friends, I enjoyed a remarkable Chardonnay, the 2006 Joseph Drouhin Clos des Mouches Premier Cru Blanc. This stellar Chardonnay offers by far the smoothest, most mature, and most luscious experience I’ve yet to encounter. It’s long, full, rich, and silky. Enjoy the bouquet. Breathe deeply and note a heady concoction of lemon, ripe grapefruit, and moss. Sip to discover the citrus and vanilla. Drink more deeply and the Drouhin Chard offers smoky oak and rich honey. Let it breathe slightly to notice roasted nut overtones as the wine opens.

Don’t waste this wine with a cheese course. Enjoy it with fish and grilled white meats, lusty sauces over pasta, and warm Caesar salad for the best pairings.

Not an everyday wine at $80-$100 locally, but a necessary extravagance for those of us who appreciate the old-world style of true Chardonnay.

A Tale of Two Rieslings

2009-08-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

The heat of the Florida summer helps this Rampant Oenophile derive special pleasure from the occasional departure from red wines to the sweeter, more light-hearted whites, so this week provided 90+ degree temperatures and an opportunity to enjoy two 90+ point Rieslings from very different parts of the world.

First, from Barossa Valley, Australia, the Yalumba Y Series Riesling, a 2008 vintage full of light fruit, pleasant spice, and the subtle tang of lemongrass and grapefruit. I enjoyed two glasses with cold salads and steamed fish at dinner this week. The Yalumba Riesling is best served slightly chilled, and paired very well with food to cut a bit of the sweetness. I found it a soothing counter to the spices of the chilled peppercorn mango slaw and spicy noodle salad with dinner. For around $11 a bottle nearly everywhere, you can’t go wrong with this value. Find it online at Wine.com, who ranks it 91 points.

Next, a bigger and more refined Riesling left from my journey to the Pacific coast. Poet’s Leap from Columbia Valley, Washington, 2007, offers a very different Riesling experience. The Poet’s Leap is ranked from 90-92 points on Wine.com. Swirl the glass to enjoy the deeper yellow hues and pinkish tones of this very pleasant summer chiller. Pour a first glass and enjoy citrus, spice, and melon flavors. As the wine warms slightly, so do the acidity and flavors adjust to provide more balance and maturity. I notice pear, and the scent of freshly cut lawns on the second taste. Find it locally for about $22, or online for $20.

Too good to pass up...

2009-07-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

This Rampant Oenophile endeavors always to find great wine values wherever they can be found, so when Wine.com offers Etude for $26 a bottle, I wanted to let everyone know.

Etude Carneros Pinot Noir 2006 ranks at the top of anyone's list of great Pinot's, and at $26, it's a special value. It's ripe, rich, and earthy; should age very well through 2014, and will find itself in very short supply at these prices. I enjoyed a bottle earlier this year at a business dinner and walked away very impressed. You should too if you enjoy maturing Pinot Noirs with full rich flavors. It pairs very well with steak, pork, and pastas, but would also compliment baked desserts and cheeses.

*disclaimer, I have no business relationship with Wine.com and don't profit from anyone who buys a bottle from this link. I just think that this special value is worth spreading the word.

Great Beer Lover's Blog

2009-07-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick plug for a prolific and informative blog for beer lovers. Take a look at True Brews, on blogspot, for some really insightful reviews of a wide variety of beers. The author is a home brewer and craft beer enthusiast who has a knack for finding some wild craft brews. I'm adding it to my list to check back frequently...

And now for something completely different...

2009-07-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Nothing satisfies this Rampant Oenophile on a sweltering day like a cold beer, and it's been beyond hot this week, so instead of wine, I enjoyed a few craft beers with business friends at a couple of evening events.

I'm a big fan of Samuel Adams Brewery, especially for their mainstay Boston Lager. It's the beer that reinvigorated the craft beer tradition in the United States, and dependably satisfies. I also enjoy the Sam Adams Light, which comes as close to a full flavored light beer as I have found.

Unfortunately, I don't really enjoy some of their seasonal brews. Nearly every bar has the Sam Adams Summer Ale on tap this season, but just one glass was enough to sour me on this overly citrus-y brew. Too tart, too light, and much too lemony for my taste. I just don't want to taste orange and lemon with my beer.

On the other hand, if you can find Sam Adams Scotch Ale, you will enjoy a malty, rich, creamy beer that leaves you feeling full and satisfied. It's brewed with four different malts to add complexity and richness to the brew: two row pale Harrington, Munich malt, chocolate malt, and a rare peat smoked malt also used in distilling Scotch. Enjoyed best with a slight chill, you can taste all the flavors individually.

My favorite beer this week meets the definition of "liquid bread," and probably contains as many calories as a full loaf. Dixie Blackened Voodoo offers a deep, dark, rich and creamy stout experience without the weight of other stout and porter style brews. From the first pour, you expect it to be very heavy, but I found this very dark black beer tastes surprising lighter, more like an ale. Dixie Blackened Voodoo is not a simple drink, offering a complex mix of sweet and savory tones. It hints at chocolate and caramel, but includes spice and malt. Serve it slightly chilled, not quite down to room temperature in bowled glass or mug to preserve the nose. It's tough to find and a bit pricey, but well worth the effort.

337 has Cabernet's Number...

2009-07-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Friends of the Rampant Oenophile invited me to a home cooked meal this week, and a night with good food and good friends is hard to pass up when you spend as much time on the road as I do. Only a good wine could have made the evening better, and 337 delivered in spades.

Though I had heard much about this Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, I hadn't found it locally until our friends opened two bottles with dinner. 337 is sourced in the Clay Station Vineyards in and around Lodi, and offers a complex earthy Cabernet Sauvignon that provides full body and flavor without too much dryness.

You'll notice rich red berry and chocolate on the nose, but more spice and coffee on the tongue. We enjoyed many glasses with Homemade Lasagna and a rich meat sauce, and 337 held its own admirably. 337 won't shirk from balancing rich foods and strong flavors, so enjoy it with pasta, meat dishes, and grilled vegetables.

Great Summer Reds for under $20.

2009-07-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of the Rampant Oenophile asked for a recommendation for a good summer red that met her standards for "inexpensive, mellow, and not too dry." Like me, this friend doesn't enjoy dry Cabernet Sauvignons, especially on a hot summer afternoon. Summer is for cook-outs, dips in the pool, and refreshing glasses of cool, soothing, fruity red wines that pair nicely with grilled steaks, burgers, and seafood at the beach...

Here's a list of quick finds under $20 that will perk you up without drying out your palate...

Montevina Terra d'Oro Zinfandel, 2006. It's tough to beat sweet and savory combinations for Summer enjoyment, especially if the sweet comes from ripe red and black fruit, and the savory comes from full bodied spicy overtones. This Zinfandel offers good fruit without being jammy, and gushes texture without getting dry. At just $16.49 with $0.01 shipping, Wine.com makes it too easy to buy a bottle, or six!

I'm a fan of Ridge winery, but their vintage stock stays just out of my wine budget for day to day consumption. Ridge offers their Three Valleys blend, 2007, though that meets all of their high standards for wine making, but delivers quality at a value price. The 2007 blend offers rich fruit and solid spice on the tongue. It's filled with the body and spice of a good Zinfandel, but malolactic fermentation smooths out the rough edges of the wine for a very mellow but rich drinking experience. Find this one for about $15 anywhere fine wines are sold.

The world-wide recession isn't necessarily bad for everything. In fact, as prices recede and imports to the US get cheaper, bargains in French wines abound. Delas S. Esprit Cotes-du-Rhone Rouge 2007 is a careful blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignan grapes. The blending processes magnifies the flavors and dilutes the immaturity of the wines included, which typically makes for a smoother and more mellow wine. In the case of this Syrah-based blend, expect the deep red color and subtle spices of that varietal, but enjoy the blackberry and plum tones to soften the punch of the spice and mellow this young wine. Wine.com offers this bargain for just $9.99, so buy a few for the rest of July.

Duckhorn Decoy is the Real Thing.

2009-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Friends of the Rampant Oenophile invited me to dinner to celebrate my fortieth birthday, and we enjoyed a new find, Decoy.

Decoy is the name of the sister label to Duckhorn Vineyards, and a considerable wine in its own right. All of the Decoy wines are blends of the season's best efforts. Each vintage offers a unique blend of Bordeaux varietals, so expect new combinations of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

Unlike many of their other vintages, Duckhorn crafts each Decoy blend to be consumed upon release, but this is no Beaujolais Nouveau. Decoy offers a masterful blend of exceptional wines to offer mature flavors even in a young wine.

We enjoyed our 2007 Decoy red with salmon and steak, and we enjoyed the mellow tannins, full body, and slightly mineral tones of this tasty wine. I didn't notice any single flavor overpowering any other, but enjoyed that artful blend. The Decoy's nose promises berry, chocolate, and leather, but in a smooth, soft, and satisfying package.

Expect to pay $30, give or take, for the 2006 if you can still find it in stores. Many restaurants picked up the 2007, which is still a terrific value even at marked up prices. If you find Decoy on a wine list, choose it confidently, even if it is not at the high end of the range. You will enjoy a more mature wine than the price and the name suggest. It's a Duckhorn through and through.

A lesson learned...

2009-07-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

So, every mindful of the need to give people and restaurants a second chance, this Rampant Oenophile visited Oriente, the fine dining establishment at Costa d' Este, the Estefan family hotel in Vero Beach, Florida. As watchers of I drank what? will recall, the dining and wine list were somewhat lacking during the restaurant's early days.

At nearly one year old, however, this Rampant Oenophile expected a maturity in both the menu and the wine list. Unfortunately, only the wine list has improved.

Everyone was pleased that the bar service had improved. Up from just a few wines by the glass during its opening weeks, Oriente's bar now offers a fine selection of red and white wines by the glass.

I enjoyed a glass of Peachy Canyon Cabernet for a pricey $12. I can't hold the wine accountable for Oriente's high prices or stingy pour, but the wine left me wanting another glass. One sniff and you realize that you are drinking a complex and mature wine. Peachy Canyon is a small Central Coast winery and does a great job with this Cab.

With dinner, we enjoyed a bottle of 2006 Duckhorn and a 2004 Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet. Of all the Cabernet Sauvignons I've sampled in the past several years, the Boekenhoutskloof remains my favorite, though finding it at local wine shops has been a challenge. The vintner releases only quality wines, and never compromises standards, so Boekenhoutskloof remains an elusive treasure.

This Cab offers a very mature and polished aroma of subtle fruits and minerals. So soft on the tongue, but full bodied and rich. Not creamy, but very clean flavors impress the palate. It offers sophistication and never overwhelms. If you can't find the 2004, try the 2006, though buy a few bottles and cellar it.

Though their wine list improved since our last visit, the overall operation continues to disappoint. Oriente served all of its wines from the same cellar, so all the reds were chilled to white temperatures. I'm convinced that everyone serves most reds a bit warm and most whites a bit cool, but Oriente's wine staff just over chilled the bottles. When we offered that advice to our server, she snipped back that it was served as recommended. Any casual wine drinker knows that red wine should never be chilly.

Regarding the food, utterly forgettable. Though a few of the cervices were tasty, overall nothing in the signature appetizer offerings impressed. I ordered a flight of 5 cervices samples, something that Oriente is "known for" according to their own press clippings. Unfortunately, of the five morsels, only two were good, two were fair, and one made me choke.

Our companions fared the same. Two of our guests ordered the soft shell crab, only to be served what appeared and tasted like a carnival funnel cake. The fluffy fried batter obscured what only loosely could be recognized as a crab, and overwhelmed any crustacean flavor. The scallops fared no better, being over cooked, dry, and chewy despite being wrapped in ham and served on risotto, which was a bit too much "of the tooth" for anyone's taste.

All in all, a lesson learned. Hotel restaurants may not deserve a second chance. Although the wine list matured nicely, mediocre food and overpriced shallow pours make Oriente fit for tourists, not regulars.

Big Values under $30

2009-03-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

Seghesio has long enjoyed a great reputation as a top winemaker in Sonoma County, and I’ve been a big fan of their Zinfandel forever. Wine Spectator just named them to their Top 100 of 2008 List for their outstanding 2007 Zinfandel. At 93 points for less than $24, it represents a great value and a superb wine.

This Zin impresses with fruit and spice. You’ll get whisps of raspberry and clove in the nose, followed by berry, oak, and cracked pepper on the tongue. I noted a balanced acidity and very smooth finish with lingering heat that pairs well with weekend cuisine: pizza, meat on the grill, and stinky cheeses…

Wine Spectator recommends the Seghesio now through 2012, though I suspect that finding a steady supply after this season will be a challenge. Buy a few bottles and cellar half your stock for special occasions and grilling weekends for a few years to come.

A Brief Respite from Wine... Lagavulin Single Malt

2008-10-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

A good friend of the Rampant Oenophile shares my love of spirits and takes a passion for Scotch to new levels, so I defer to his judgement in all things "single malt."

He introduced me to Lagavulin, an ultra-premium single malt from Port Ellen, Islay, Argyll. The official tasting notes indicate a smouldering nose, but on my first swirl in the glass, I noted deep rich smoke. In fact, as a single malt, it's very strong, so I was forced to cut my first taste with branch water, but never with ice.

Most Scotch varieties are blends, which provide uniform flavor profiles, so single malts offer more adventure to the spiritous drinker. Lagavulin offers a lot of complexity, even from bottle to bottle. On my first taste, the smoke and peat commanded priority. On further tastings, I've enjoyed a muted peatiness, followed by caramel and nougat. Always, Lagavulin finishes with powerful tones and a lingering smokiness that soothes.

As an ultra-premium single malt, Lagavulin is not inexpensive, but at 1/3 the cost of other ultra brands, it offers supreme value in these more cost conscious times.