Viva la Wino!

Granger Beaujolais Villages "Le Bouteau" 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Grabbed this at K&L for $14 this weekend and drank it with some bratwurst. This wine was great--strawberries, wet stone, and just a hint of spice and earthiness. Great balance too. Thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth grabbing. Hard to imagine why you'd want to bother with most of the gloppy mass produced domestic wines at this price point when you can have this instead.

Floriana Gruner Veltliner (Hungary) 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:56:00 +0000

It weirds me out that most wines coming through Trader Joe's are just complete garbage. Really, the good wines are kind of few and far between. Lately I have been pretty frustrated by this because Trader Joe's has some editing abilities and I know they can do a better job of culling the herd. I've lost count how many times a wine is good the first vintage and then by vintage two it's turned into garbage, and remains there. And of course, people probably had a good experience year one and just grab year two, and are justifiably left wondering, "What the fuck? Was I insane the first time I tasted this?" I sort of sympathize with Trader Joe's, because especially at the lower price points, it's an enormous economic challenge to get a good product out. By the time you have Trader Joe's marking it up, the distributor/importer/whatever making their money, the winery making their money, and the packaging, you don't really have a lot to work with by the time you get to the actual wine in a $10 bottle of wine, much less a $5 or cheaper one. Still though, have a little respect for your customers. If it's garbage year two, don't sell the fucking thing. You have a lot of power as the purchaser.

This wine, this vintage of this wine, is fucking AWESOME. Without a doubt the best $5 wine that I have had from Trader Joes in a very long time. I'm still scratching my head a little bit, but I'm putting my money where my mouth is--I've had four bottles of this wine in as many days, and I just bought three cases for my wedding (this is going to sell out soon I bet). So go out and grab it ASAP. It's perfect for summer. Limey, just a little pepper, snappy acidity, completely dry, balanced, and a very reasonable 11.5% alcohol. And it has a screw-cap. (Sarah and I actually took a bottle of this to the beach Saturday and had dinner on the beach). So why is this wine so cheap anyway? Hungary is still on the Forint and hasn't yet adopted the Euro (although they plan to soon-ish...That may be why Trader Joe's is able to get this wine on the shelf at $4.99. The Forint has depreciated relative to the dollar by about 30% in the last year. The dollar is only up around 15% relative to the Euro. All this adds up to a cocktail of a great cheap wine. I wasn't aware that Hungary even made Gruner Veltliner, but apparently they make lots of wines like this. It's not just dessert wines like Tokaji. So go and grab this wine before they move into vintage two, which will probably be a steaming pile.

Haven't had a real bottle of Champagne in a while; this was $35 at Costco. Drank this wine with Sarah and Diana, and it was pretty good, if somewhat unmemorable. It was Champagne though (as opposed to Prosecco or something) and was recognizable as Champagne--yeasty with some fruit elements. I suppose not bad at the price, although when Costco has their $20 KS Champagne on the shelf, I don't see why you would buy this if given a choice.

I got this wine as a sample from a PR firm. Thought this was pretty delicious. Barrel notes, berry, plum and spices. Quintessentially Chilean Cabernet based wine--which I have come to associate with earthy, cassis and plum flavors. This was drinking well when I popped the cork, and didn't rip off my tongue with fierce tannins or anything. The winemaker for this estate was previously at Opus One and Mouton Rothschild apparently. Definitely worth a look if you see it for $20 and Bordeaux blends are your thing.

2007 Kermit Lynch Bandol

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:44:00 +0000

Sarah and I ended up at our neighbors' house for an impromptu dinner on Friday night and we ended up having an impromptu 2007 Kermit Lynch imported Bandol tasting. My neighbor Claude had the 2007 Domaine du Gros Nord Bandol open, and asked me to bring over a bottle too. Imagine my surprise when I was able to bring over a second 2007 Bandol imported by Kermit Lynch (it's funny how stuff like that happens). Both of these wines are around $30--I paid $31.95 for the Domaine Tempier in 2009. The Gros Nore is a little fatter (and I guess that makes sense since my neighbor tells me it means "the Fat Farmer"in French), fruitier and riper at 15% ABV. More on the plum side of things. I definitely could sense that it was a bit on the hot side, especially in comparison to the Domaine Tempier. The Domaine Tempier has a listed range of 11-14%, and is more savory, spicy, and balanced. Lots of spiciness (what I'd expect from Mouvedre), licorice, and strawberries. Hands down, the Domaine Tempier was preferred, although the Gros Nore certainly has its' charms. It's just tough to go up against the reigning champ of Bandol--which is what Domaine Tempier is.

Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon Chile 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:31:00 +0000

I got this wine as a sample--and it was actually pretty great. Suggested retail price is $32, although I'm sure that you can find this wine for way less than that. I'm not a big Cab drinker just as a rule of thumb--you know me--I'm into quirky grapes. But this wine hit the spot. Sarah liked it too. Lots of dusty blueberry and plum notes, along with some more savory elements. Comes off as a little bit simple and on the fruity side, but there's definitely some structure and something interesting going on. Like I said, I liked this wine a fair amount. I don't know that I'd pay $32 for it, but I think that the $15-20 range would be fair, especially in comparison with what you can get out of California at that price point. This has a lot more going for it. If you see it in that range, I'd say it's worth a look. I also should mention that this is imported by Vineyard Brands--the same company that imports Chateau Beaucastel (and the whole family of Perrin wines), Delamotte Champagne, and Caparzo Brunello. I'd recommend them too. The Caparzo Brunello is pretty great, and so is everything the Perrin family does.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling's

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Chateau Ste. Michelle was nice enough to send me some different Riesling's to sample. My favorite is the dry riesling, which is crisp, and stony with lots of lime. It was significantly better the second day. I believe that you can buy this wine for ~6$ at Trader Joe's in So Cal. It's a pretty good deal for what is a solid cheap wine. We drank all three wines with mango coconut rice and curried chicken. The wine that went the best with the dish was the riesling--which is a lot sweeter than it sounds, with peachy, citrusy notes. I couldn't drink this wine without food just because it's so sweet. The third wine, the Late Harvest Select Riesling, went well with the dish too, although it's significantly sweeter than the Riesling. I don't know why, but I don't really have a jones for the more Auslese or Spatlese styled wines--I love Riesling of all descriptions, but I generally am a fan of the less sweet ones. I think it has more to do with my overall palate generally not preferring sweet things and liking savory, salty things more. All three of these wines are good values, cheap and widely available, which is a plus in my book.

Les Carteries Cheverny Blanc Christian Venier 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:21:00 +0000

This wine is pretty ridiculously delicious, although perhaps a bit pricey at $22 from K&L. 11.5% alcohol--which is a nice change from typical 14%+. You wouldn't be able to tell though. This wine is fairly rich and lush with almost an almost pineapple, tangerine, apricot bent. Very stony too, with great acidity and balance. I would buy this again, just wish it wasn't $22. It's quite delicious. A weird blend of Sauvignon Gris and Chardonnay. K&L still has three bottles of this-I guess if you're interested, hurry.

Big Sur

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:13:00 +0000

Sarah and I went up to Big Sur to celebrate our anniversary--11 years is a long time. We love Big Sur, and since that's where I proposed to her, we figured it was an appropriate destination. On the way up to Big Sur, we stopped at Los Olivos, which has a fun, funky little main street. Sarah proclaimed her love of Los Olivos and basically decided that she wants to move there permanently. I think it might be a bit sleepy, although the Los Olivos Wine Merchant was pretty good for lunch (not of the liquid variety--they have a restaurant).

We stayed at the Glen Oaks in Big Sur, which is definitely the place to stay in Big Sur. You get your own little cabin in the forest, which is awesome. There's a fire-pit and wifi, which makes for some interesting juxtapositions between the forest and, well, the rest of the world. We had a great time and even discovered some new places. We thought we'd been to all of the cool parks in Big Sur, but it turns out we missed one. Inexplicably, we've missed Pfeiffer Beach each time we've been to Big Sur. I guess it's not surprising, since it's two miles off Highway 1, and isn't signed at all. The only way that we found it is I decided I wanted to go down a random road. We probably should have found Pfeiffer Beach previously, since it's just about the most iconic beach at Big Sur, but I guess that that doesn't mean much.

We also ate at the Big Sur Bakery multiple times while we were there--there's just not really any other place we'd rather be. We ate dinner there for the first time (every time we've been in Big Sur previously they haven't been open for dinner--only lunch and breakfast) and it was delicious. We had a bottle of Thierry Thiese/Michael Skurnik Gruner Veltliner that was ~$40. Reasonable mark-up, and delicious wine with brisk acidity and its' citrusy flavors. We had some oysters--delicious--and also the trout and first of the season king salmon. And then we splurged on dessert, which was a lime tart thing, which was absurdly delicious. If you're up in Big Sur, make sure you go to the Big Sur Bakery.

On the way back, we took in the view at Nepenthe and had lunch there. For lunch, the place is a total pass. Average food, extremely pricy (and I'm a jaded guy from LA!), and just not that good. Of course, the view is absolutely spectacular. That's what you're paying for, and the view is pretty spectacular.

We are always bummed when we have to leave Big Sur, but we know we'll get a chance to go back soon.

Domaine Regnier Saumur-Champigny 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:43:00 +0000

It was suggested to me recently that 2010 was a more classic vintage in the Loire than 2009, which was overly ripe...and if this wine in comparison to the 2010 Saumur-Champigny I had last week is any indication, that's right. This wine is good, but definitely lacks the same balance and poise that the 2010 Domaine Roche Neuves had. Just a bit flabby and blowsy in comparison. One good thing: this is cheaper--$13 instead of $20.

Lemon. Mineral. Acid. Delicious and perfect for around $9.

Rustic, with lots of dried cherries and acidity. Not bad for around $10, and certainly Italian.

Delicious with precise raspberry flavors and hints of spice. Definitely worth $13--delicious. From K&L.

Chateau Terrey-Gros-Cailloux Cru Bourgeois St. Julien 1997

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:26:00 +0000

Wow. Delicious. Lots of depth to the nose. Hint of green. Cherries. Blackberry. Mint. Mature ish wine aroma tha I can't quite place. Maybe a bit thin, but polished, smooth, elegant, and well balanced. You can buy this from K&L for $20. If I wasn't super broke, I'd be running to buy a case of this! I guess get it while you can.

Saumur-Champigny Domaine Roches Neuve (Thierry Germaine) 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:44:00 +0000

This wine is criminally delicious. Perhaps it's because it's been a while since I've had a Loire Cab Franc...which really is my most endearing love affair as far as wine is concerned. Thierry Germain's family has roots in Bordeaux, but he's bet big on the Loire and is completely bio-dynamic. I love the importer for this wine too--Jean David Headrick--he reps some other great Loire estates like Domaine Noblaie, Frederic Mabileau, and Merieau. In short, great book and just another example of the "buy the importer" principle. Anyway, Sarah and I had Domaine des Roches Neuves L'Insolite Saumur (a Chenin Blanc) last year in St.-Malo with a huge plate of seafood and that's well worth checking out if you can find it. This particular wine is awesome, with a huge floral nose backed up by plenty of plummy fruit, and some nice acidity. Textbook Cab Franc--totally delicious, deceptively light bodied (meaning that it packs a lot more into the lighter frame than you think it should), and totally worth drinking. $20, and can be picked up at my favorite place to purchase wine in LA--K&L Wines.

Some More Random Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Been listening to a lot of the Descendents lately. Specifically, the albums Cool to be You and Everything Sucks. Milo Goes to College is awesome...but I've listened to it so many times that I can listen to it on command in my head just by thinking about it. I guess both of these albums are really resonating to me lately for some reason. For whatever reason I can't get into All (3/4 of the Descendents--just a different singer) and really like the Descendents better. I guess I just like Milo. Anyway, whatever. Being unemployed blows. Thankfully, I am in much better shape than some of my peer group and I start a consulting gig tomorrow. Still, the job market is pretty competitive out there. If anyone that happens across this blog wants to hire an MBA with a purchasing background in So Cal, let me know! Maybe being unemployed is why I've been finding an album that has an inherently negative title resonates so deeply...(probably not good, right?) To be fair most of these songs are love songs...and I'm getting married too, so maybe that's why they're resonating. I specifically like the songs Coffee Mug (It's liquid proof/That I can win this race) and Everything Sucks...which leads me to the wines I've been drinking.

Everything sucks (the song) made me think of this wine because it just wasn't very good. Thankfully, I didn't pay for it. $8.99 is too much for cheap California wine that's definitely got some residual sugar left over. Blech. Just horrible.

This was $9.99 at Costco and was delicious. Really, what do you expect from Saint Cosme except consistently delicious wine? Buy it if you see it.

Grabbed this at Whole Foods because I got 20% of six bottles and then I had a $20 Amex coupon...so it basically made it fairly cheap. I just bought cheap bottles. I think this was 12.49, and it's a kitchen sink blend. Well made California wine--good balance, ripe, but with enough acidity to balance it out. I liked this wine quite a bit. Missing some complexity, but I like where this is going.

California Grenache. I believe 9.99. I didn't like this as much as the blend, but this was pretty good too for the price. Effectively, I paid about $7 for this with all the discounts, which was well worth it for the strawberry, grenache-y ness of it all. If you'd told me that this was France, I might have believed you, except that I think it was missing the more savory elements you get out of the Southern Rhone grenache based wines.

Another Whole Foods joint. I think $15, with the discount, more like $10. Berries, chocolate, pepper. You can tell this is Syrah. Well made--delicious. I would purchase this wine again...except I'm unemployed.

Got this for $7 at Costco. About what you'd expect for a 7$ Cotes du Rhone. Plan de Dieu is a village in the Rhone--it only became it's own designation in 2005--so it's pretty new. Worth picking up if you like the Rhone.

Gigondas Chateau Saint Cosme 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 03:33:00 +0000

The folks at Wine Chateau were nice enough to provide this bottle to me as a sample. This wine is just a hair under $25. I'm a big fan of anything and everything Saint Cosme related--although I do think that the wines that come from their vineyards are cooler than the negociant wines. 2008 was a rough year in the Rhone, and apparently, this wine features the grapes from the Valbelle vineyard that would normally go into their own cuvee. 2008 wasn't up to snuff though, so Louis Barruol put them in this blend instead. Very savory, peppery, and umm...yeah Twizzlers. I guess that means strawberries or something. Anyway...there's some structure underneath all of the savory notes to round out the package. Not my favorite Saint Cosme, but certainly a solid, well-made wine.

The Fadeaway and Buena Vista Pinot Noir

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:52:00 +0000

Sub-$10 Pinot is an anachronism of sorts, and yet you still find them. Occasionally, they're good. Most of the time they're terrible. The Fadeaway, $8.99 at Trader Joe's right now, should definitely fade away. I just wasn't feeling it, and I don't think it delivers as much as some other $9 wines (KS Malbec for instance). The Buena Vista, which is $9.99 at Trader Joe's is a great deal. Pinot funk, cherries, good balance, some vanilla and a screw cap. Definitely get the Buena Vista, but pass on the fadeaway. Why is it that the wines with gimmicky labels--no matter where they come from or how good they seem like they might be--always suck? It's almost like the gimmicky label is a curse that makes the wine not very good. The Buena Vista isn't the least bit gimmicky and it's pretty great for $9.99. The same is true of most of the Castle Rock Pinots at similar price points, which are generally pretty great values. It's almost like the gimmicky label development fee means that Trader Joe's can't spend as much money on the wine that goes inside...

Graffigna Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:46:00 +0000

I received both of these wines as samples. Both these wines are in the $10-20 range. I think of the two, the Pinot Grigio is definitely more to my tastes. Floral, apples, honey, something verging on more tropical, crisp, and a minerally finish. Pretty good, if maybe a bit innocuous. The malbec is okay--lots of blackberry, pepper, and vanillin. What turned me off about it was the somewhat creamy mouthfeel. I don't know, just not totally nuts about it. It was okay.

As far as Malbec goes, I much prefer the Kirkland Signature (Costco's private label) Malbec to the Graffigna. This is a smoking deal at $8. Malbec must be a hot category, because Costco certainly has several from either Argentina or Chile. I don't think it's that surprising given wines like this one. At $8, you're going to be hard-pressed to find something from somewhere else that delivers as much bang for the buck. Deep, dark blueberry and blackberry flavors that are rich and balanced, this is a great buy for $8.

The Kitchen Sink

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:17:00 +0000

It's been a crazy-ass couple of months, and I'm going to admit to neglecting posting things. Had a lot of great wines from unexpected places, and had a lot of good meals. In no particular order:

Sarah used to work at a summer camp called Stella Maris...so of course we had to try this. It's the second wine of Northstar Winery, which mainly makes Merlot. This was 16$ at Costco. Obviously a little round and simple, but well made.

10$ at Trader Joes. This wine is a total pass. Sometimes I don't get their wine selection. I mean really, if I wanted a super tannic and also super simple red wine, why didn't I just pick up one of the Italian wines that was 5$ instead of this? Just crap really.

Our neighbor brought this over. No idea of price. Actually, I'm lying. You can buy this from the winery for 45$. Pretty good. Fruit forward, some spice notes. Definitely a new style of Pinot.

Our neighbor also brought this wine over too. Tasted it sort of blind. You can buy this for around $55-$60. Pretty obviously new world Syrah. Lots of tar, and lots of dark, roasty fruit. This was a huge wine, although strangely balanced even at 15.6% alcohol. I don't know what you'd eat with this other than a huge hunk of meat, but this was surprisingly suave despite its' big bones.

Picked this up at TJ's for $9. Rustic. Okay value.

Our neighbor Claude brought this over when we cooked them dinner (duck breasts with a root vegetable medley). Definitely the wine of the night--all of the classic Barolo stuff--cherries, roses, cinnamon, some leather. Delicious and so poised.

Sarah and I's good friend Lance popped this in celebration of the fact that we are old...AKA 30. Never had Krug before and it was delicious. Would I plop down what this cost to try it again? No, but it had a delicious, ridiculously lemon finish along with notes of ginger and orange. Definitely spent a good amount of time in oak; very roasty at the beginning.

My parents wanted to get me something that was 30 years old for my birthday and this is what they came up with. I got to drink it with my brother, Sarah, parents, and sister in law. Really phenomenal and well-balanced. Definitely better than the 30 Sandeman's I got as a sample. Oranges, raisins, berry notes, chocolate, and I could go on for a while. Impeccably balanced. Really. It needs this many superlatives.

Bought this for that duck (cured it with orange and a little vinegar prior to pan roasting and I thought Riesling would be good). Well made, with pure pear notes. Worth the 16$. Lightly sweet, but you can't really tell.

Reliable and cheap. Had this with my parents and Sarah. Lots of pomegranate.

Also for duck. Not as good as the 05--but was ready to drink right now as opposed to later.

Received this wine as a sample. Berries and a lot of oak-based notes. I suppose not that bad for the price, but not exactly suave either.

Our neighbor gave this to us for Christmas. Like drinking maple syrup. That's not a joke. Tons of raisiny flavors too. Extremely dense and viscous. Not sure exactly what I thought, but I did manage to finish the half-bottle over the course of a few days. Imported by Jorge Ordonez.

I don't really remember this wine, other than it was 7$! Ha. It must not be particularly memorable.

Christmas Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:13:00 +0000

I drank entirely too much over Christmas; these are only the bottles that I managed to get pictures of. Without a doubt, my favorite bottle was the Rioja, which was the recommendation of one of the clerk's at Pete's Wines in Bellevue. Spicy, with sour cherries and great balance. Only $17, which is a bargain. The Morgon was good as well--and number 21 on the Wine Spectator Top 100. Not that that really matters, but it is interesting from a QPR standpoint since it was only $12. Is it better than other Beaujolais from 2009? Well, I would say it isn't the best that I've had but at 12$, it's a great value. Abbot's Table wine from Owen Roe is always reliable, although I don't like it as much as I once did. The Tres Picos is a great value with lots of cloves, and vanilla...let me give you a hint what that means it tastes like: Coca-Cola. But it has enough balance and complexity that at ~15ish bucks most places it is a good value. The Saumur was only $40 on the list at Lark, which was delicious. My Dad was pretty surprised at how light bodied the wine was--I guess he isn't that used to wines from the Loire. What I thought was interesting is the entire rest of Christmas, he kept on requesting a wine like that again. Sometimes it pays to not shop at Costco...just saying. Anyways, there were a lot of other wines that were okay, but too many to count. And Lark was delicious. I will be back there. The pork belly was the shit. So were the duck rilletes.

Sandeman's 30 Year Tawny Port

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:54:00 +0000

I got this wine as a sample. It retails for around $75 or so and comes in a pretty nice wooden box. I can only assume that this is meant for gift giving...We opened this with our neighbors and a couple of friends, and I can report that it was delicious. Full of nutty, raisined flavors with a backbone of plums. Good balance and a persistent finish. The $75 actually isn't as much as it sounds like because if you're like me, a bottle of Port tends to stick around for a couple of weeks. You can only drink so much Port at a time.

Recent Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:16:00 +0000

For 12$ in a magnum? Cheap. Not that bad. Perfect for lots of people.

Pineapples. 6$. Good value.

Not worth the $10, although I guess for mediocre 10$ California Pinot it over-delivers, which isn't saying much.

For 6$ at Costco, this is a better deal. Still this wine kinda sucks.

Definitely worth the 7$. Good value, nice and ripe with a little green streak.

Same deal as the Carmenere.

Eh. Kinda disappointing.

Osteria Mozza is the shit. The Frappato that we had was delicious, as was the food.

I've had about a dozen bottles of this wine, because at 3.99 it's really not that bad.

16$ or so. Had two bottles first was better than the second. Nice savory elements, fair amount of tannin, big and fruity. I don't know that I'd buy another bottle.

L'Oca Ciuca Brunello di Montalcino 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:13:00 +0000

I received this wine as a sample from Wine Chateau. You can buy this wine there for $29.97 at the moment. I haven't had the chance to drink a whole lot of Brunello, probably for the dual reasons of high pricing and the need to let them sit in a cellar for several years. "L'oca ciuca" translates to "the goose's ass" in Italian. This wine was drinking fine, although it did take a while to come out of its shell. Licorice, plums, and some subtle spice notes in the background. There is good balance in this wine, and there are sneaky tannins on the back end. The question for me is whether this wine will get more interesting and complex as it ages, since we clearly drank it at a young age. Not as complex as I had expected, although it was an enjoyable bottle.

Some other Random Stuff I grabbed at Costco

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Lemons and not too sweet. Not very yeasty. you'd be hard pressed to find another actual Champagne for $20 that drinks like this. A superb value that demonstrates what Costco does best: best value for money.

Initially, I really wasn't liking this wine too much. It was just too big and wooly. After an hour or two it had come together and was all about the blueberries, herbs and licorice. It's apparent that this is a bigger style of CdP. Came off as a bit hot for me. This isn't really the style of CdP that I really go gaga over--that tends to be the spicy, cherry raspberry style. For $25, I suppose this is okay. I think there are more interesting wines to be had at that price point. For what it's worth, Sarah liked this wine a lot.

Kent Rasmussen Carneros Pinot Noir 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:14:00 +0000

This wine was delicious. About $20 at Costco. Elegant and not over the top (IE this didn't taste like Syrah), with fully resolved red fruits, little bits of spice, vanilla and orange rind. I am definitely getting another bottle of this while they have it.

This wine was not delicious. In fact, it sucked. $7 at Trader Joes. Don't buy it unless you're a masochist.

Pio Cesare Barolo 2004

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:22:00 +0000

Infanticide. Shouldn't have opened this when I did. Clearly could age for a lot longer; lots of tannin, great balance. Obviously a pretty great bottle of wine. Modern and leaning towards licorice, spices, and blackberries (as opposed to roses and cherries or something). I wish that I had a couple more bottles of this, but alas, I do not.

I received this as a sample. Should retail for $20. Cooked or heat damaged. Pretty porty, and it's clear that the wine had seeped through the capsule. Would love to try this in an undamaged form.

Domaine Vacheron Sancerre and Lucques

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:34:00 +0000

I've been terminally broke for the last year because I paid out of pocket for all my MBA tuition...and had a lot of other expenses too. Thankfully, that's all done with. Sarah and I got some engagement pictures yesterday, and since we were all dressed up, we went to dinner at Lucques, which is one of our favorite restaurants in LA. Obscenely delicious. Suckling pig and whole roasted fish are pretty killer, and of course, so is Suzanne Goin. We also had a delicious Sancerre from Domaine Vacheron that was minerally and citrus with tons of acid. I like this wine and would buy it again. I think that I am officially over New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Carmenere Concha y Toro 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Got this wine for free as a sample. Surprisingly good actually. Suggested retail $20. Seems a little steep I guess, but this is more interesting than your garden variety new world wine. Big and rich, with good balance and just a hint of the green streak Carmenere typically has. Worth a look if you see it and you're in the market for a modern leaning wine.

What I've Been Drinking

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:06:00 +0000

Sadly, not as interesting as I had hoped. "Lecinquevigne" means the five vines in Italian (yes, I just new that), which means that this wine was a blend. Kind of makes sense since 04 was legendary. This wine wasn't that great. 25$--cheap for Barolo. Other wines I've had from Damilano have been more pleasing.

The Gigondas was exotic and red curranty or something. The CdP was a CdP. Personally, I liked the 06 the best of the Clos St Michel's that I've recently. The 05 certainly had more grace and acidity than the 07. Drank these with Buddy, Bobby and Sarah with rack of lamb, a spinach salad, and risotto with bacon, butternut squash and sage.

Not as good as the 06, but better than the 07 I think.

Chilean Cabs are at least a good value. Currants.

From TJ's for 8$. Screw-cap. Amusing puns, right? Plus goats. A+ in my book. Actually pretty decent. Peppery and rich. Can you get better for 8$? Yeah, but that might be my rather anti-fruitbomb palate talking.

First wine ever from Canada (although had quite a few wines from Upstate New York). Reminded me of Alsace. Delicious; just a touch of sweetness. Tropical.