Viva la Wino!

Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva Rioja 2004

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Grabbed this at Costco for $20. I really like Rioja as a general rule of thumb and I was fresh off reading Eric Asimov's column on Gran Reserva Rioja's in the NY Times. Anyway, glad I picked up a bottle of this. Nose evolved over the evening--at one point pretty intense cinnamon, at another point intense mint--but always with spicy, mildly chocolate, vanilla-flecked cherry berry fruit and earthy notes. Gradually got smoother after an initial flub where I just thought that the texture was too creamy. This wine was really quite delicious, although it didn't intrigue me enough to pick up another bottle.

Chateau Potensac Medoc 1997

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:22:00 +0000

Grabbed this at K&L for $27. It's pretty cool that you can get well aged Bordeaux at K&L for less than you can buy the majority of new release California wines. And actually, for what it's worth, less than the current release 2009 of the same wine. Really, it's insane. In this particular instance, I wasn't that enamored with the wine. Certainly good, just not the fireworks that I was expecting. Frankly, the other 1997 Bordeaux we've recently had from K&L was a lot better, and cheaper too. Maybe this was a shitty bottle? Anyway, Chateau Potensac is owned by the Delon family, who are the same people that own Chateau Leoville-Las Cases. This particular wine took a bit to open up, before revealing mature Bordeaux aromas, spices, lead and red fruit along the lines of raspberry. Went great with the grass-fed strip steak with a red wine reduction (you can buy them in the freezer case at TJ's where they're $10 a pound...they're awesome), sauteed spinach, and quinoa with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

Landing Place Sonoma County Chardonnay 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:31:00 +0000

$2.99 wines generally suck. $2.99 Chardonnay normally sucks even harder. Took a flyer on this wine because TJ's had a sign that said this wine was normally $13. Had good luck with the Earthstone, and figured what the hell--"I'm feeling lucky." This is a buck cheaper, and better. Also from Rodney Strong. Anyway, I like the lemony character of this wine with just a touch of oak. Good balance, good acidity, and not too sweet either. Really, this is actually pretty damn good for $2.99. Good enough that after the first bottle I bought another 6. And I am not really what you would call a chardonnay drinker. This went fabulously with roasted snapper with a saffron beurre blanc, coconut saffron jasmine rice and sauteed green beans with ginger, shallots and garlic. I would grab it while you can--the Earthstone is long gone. If you can get the Earthstone, I would grab that too. Rodney Strong must be sitting on too much inventory or something--I wonder what's coming up next? I hope it's something good...

Anselmi Pignolo Superiore 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Thanks to Steve Greer at K&L for pointing me towards this one...$15. For a guy that likes the Loire and Italy, this was right up my alley. Lots of berries and black pepper, with lots of acidity and some tannin on the back end. Really well made, and totally delicious. Fun too, since I don't recall having Pignolo more than one other time. Went great with rare tuna coated with an herb-olive oil dressing, rice with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives, and green beans with a warm mustard vinaigrette.

This was also a Steve Greer selection...also quite delicious for $14. Lots of sour cherry, some more earthy notes. Sarah says lots of pithy grapefruit notes. Well balanced, and just fleshy enough to be really interesting. Definitely put the $10 Bourgogne that we had for the wedding to shame (should have just bought a shitload of this instead...) This sure isn't like the last Burgundy we had...but we also could have had an entire case of this wine for the price of the last Burgundy that we had...so this is well worth picking up again in my book.

Louis Roederer Champagne NV

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Drank this wine the other night--thought it was pretty great. Well made, balanced, lots of poise, and not too bready or toasty. I think this may be may favorite NV Champagne ever? Definitely would buy this again. I think it was $30 at Costco.

Also grabbed this Julienas from Costco for $12. Great deal--lots of acidity, some berryish fruit. Liked it quite a bit. Would grab another bottle.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Sarah and I got married, which was really fun. Anyway, my little brother gave us this bottle as part of a "Honeymoon in a box." Sarah and I are going to India in March instead of going right after the wedding (we want to see Holi), and my little brother felt like we needed a honeymoon. So anyway, we got a huge bag of chips, some chocolate covered almonds, a nice hotel room, and of course this bottle of Champagne. Andy informed me that Australians love Ruinart--I've never had it before. It was delicious--a very rich, toasty style of Champagne. Probably should not have drank this bottle at 2AM, given the amount of consumption that went on prior to this bottle, but I'm pretty damn sure that I'm only going to get married one time. And therefore, I guess that makes it acceptable.

Other wine related musings from the wedding: our planner insisted that we have at least half of the wine at the wedding be red wine--despite the fact it was hot. Guess what Sarah and I ended up taking home? Almost 3 whole cases of red wine. 2 bottles of white wine, no rose, and half a keg of Scrimshaw. That means that our guests drank 60 bottles of white wine, a case of rose, and only 10 bottles of red wine. Oh, and a 5 gallon keg of Dog Fish Head 90 Minute IPA. The 15 gallon keg of Scrimshaw Pilsner we got only got half drunk. I think we might have had a bit too much booze for the 100 or so people that were there. The wedding was really fun, more people danced than I would have expected, the food was great (thanks Cool Haus and Olio Restaurant), and now we're finally hitched after 11 years.

Earthstone Chardonnay 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:38:00 +0000

Who normally hates California Chardonnay? This guy. Who likes a $3.99 bottle of Chardonnay piled up on an endcap at Trader Joe's? Generally not this guy. I would normally say stay far the fuck away. But this is actually really good. Not too oaky. Lots of lush fruit, some barrel notes, good balance, a little voluptuous. Really, pretty goddamn good. Get it while it lasts. This is a Rodney Strong wine--nice job Rodney Strong and nice job Trader Joe's.

This was pretty awesome for $10 at LA Wine Company. Peppery, rustic, a little dusty. Delicious. Liked this better than the $40 white CdP from Domaine de Cristia. Perfect summer wine.

And holy shit--how have I never listened to the Gaslight Anthem? What's wrong with me--they are insanely fucking good. Definitely worth checking out "Handwritten." Just a really great rock album.

"Aux Murgers" Nuits Saints Georges Premier Cru Sylvain Cathiard 2002

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 17:20:00 +0000

Firstly, I drank way too much last night. But I suppose that I had a good reason, which was the embarrassment of riches showered on Sarah and I by our neighbors for our wedding. Seriously. Four courses, half of the cutlery off our registry, flowers, lots of great wine and great bourbon, and a stunningly good cake (Who am I? Gordon Fucking Ramsey?)

First, the Burgundy. Wow. One of the top 5 bottles of wine that I've ever consumed. This wine was really something else. I can see why people chase Burgundy after being confronted with something like the "Aux Murgers" Nuits Saints Georges Premier Cru Sylvan Cathiard 2002. Quite expensive assuming you can find it, and 2002 was just about the best year for Burgundy in recent memory. Got more and more complex the longer it was open with various spices and dark fruits. Really amazing balance--a textbook study in how all the components of a wine should interact.

The meal started of with Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Rose, which we've had before and is totally delicious. Went great with the mushroom crostini that we had. Next course was a seared scallop with green zebra tomatoes that our neighbors grew themselves. It was accompanied by a white bean puree that was also delicious. There was also a 2010 Kermit Lynch Macon that made an appearance--all pure apples and pears. Next, we moved over the dining room where we had an absurdly delicious chicken rubbed with ancho chile and accompanied by a mole. This was really, really, good and super complex. I brought a bottle--Domaine de Cristia CdP Blanc 2010. Almost no acid at all. Could definitely tell that this wine has a lot of Viognier because it's white CdP, but also because it was so flowery. Lots of stone fruits also. Great mouthfeel on this wine, and definitely good, but I wouldn't racing back to LA Wine Company to get another bottle unless the price was about 25% of what I paid. Back to the chicken: it was pretty goddamn great.

And it's not like the meal ended there. Next, we had a mushroom risotto with truffles. And it was fucking great. I had a second serving of that. Obviously drank the Burgundy with that and also had sips of the Bila-Haut (peppery and Rhone-ish), and "The Shop" (Herbal red fruits. Wasn't sure I was drinking Pinot actually).

Next up was the cake. And the bourbon. I can report that I've had the Pappy Van Winkle twice now, and both times it's been the best bourbon I've ever had. It's really, really good. And it makes me wish that I was wearing a suit, tie, vest, and jacket smoking a cigar with Pappy Van Winkle. An intoxicating caramel, vanilla, and spice nose and a finish that is pretty much as timeless as the scene on the label. And that's not all. Also tried this Willett 16 Year Reserve--which was 138 proof. Delicious, but I enjoyed the regular pot still whiskey better, probably because I drank the 16 year neat. Anyway, like I said--an embarrassment of riches! Thanks Claude and Arlette.

Diamond Ridge Pinot Noir 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Sarah and I got this at the LA Wine Company...actually, we got two cases of it for the wedding. For $11 this is a great deal. I suppose if you are coming to the wedding I would recommend trying to drink this or the Floriana Gruner.

We also got the last few bottles of this...a bit green really, but what do you expect for $10 Bourgogne? Can't expect much, and this definitely comes off as French. High acid, definitely not tons of fruit to go around. This made me pretty happy actually, although really I think what you're paying for is the fact that it's a only $10 and it's from Burgundy. Could you get better shit for the same price? Absolutely.

Took a flyer on this--figured that it would be pretty good since it's from Niagra on the Lake and a Riesling. It was. Flowery, citrus, acid. Pretty delicious for 11.99 at Costco. I would buy this wine again.

$8 at TJ's--figured what the hell--it might be good. Not really. Kinda plonky I think. Just not a lot going on. Probably paying for the fact that the grapes are organic. Who cares.

WTF is up with this wine? Is it going to like attack me or something? The illustration is like a bad acid trip and I want it to go away. The wine is more or less the same. It's drinkable, but for $7 certainly nothing to write home about or be all that interested in. Grab something else.

Donkey and Goat Mendocino Syrah 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:59:00 +0000

This wine was provided as a sample by the guys at Winechateau.com. It was totally delicious syrah in a relatively cool style. Sold out now, but was around $40. A whole lot of blackberry and raspberry supported by a bit of pepper. This wine did come off as a little hard in terms of balance, but it was pretty good. Plus, the Donkey and Goat story is pretty cool--the people behind the winery went to train with Eric Texier in the Rhone...and yeah...this wine really tasted like the Rhone.

Jon David Headrick is on of my favorite importers--this wine was totally delicious. Well balanced, with great acidity. Super clean too. Well worth a look. You can grab this at K&L. Around $15 I think.

I was searching for wedding wines; this was $12 at Costco and I took a flyer on it. It was pretty good for $12, but not what I would call exciting. Fairly lush, but not over to the ridiculous side of things.

Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:28:00 +0000

Hmmm...definitely closed. To be fair, I brought this over to my neighbor's because he opened a bottle of Marcassin (sidebar: just learned that the Marcassin retails for $299? Can I say I'm shocked? I was thinking more like $60?! Thanks Claude!), and it was spontaneous. I got my wedding ring in the mail...from Italy...and they picked it up off my doorstep, saving it from the house full of shady folks next door. Actually, I'm shocked that my ring came from Italy at all. It was funny--it was packed in between some Italian magazines so it was disguised. And let's also point out that it's miraculous because the ring is one of a kind and it came all the way from Italy. Have you ever wired money to a stranger in a foreign country? Me neither, until this ring. Anyway--the Beaucastel. Definitely a lot of garrigue going on--licorice. Super suave. Last glass was delicious. Worth whatever I paid for it? I don't know. Probably not unless money is no object.

Marcassin was delicious. Also quite closed at first, but quite rich and very well balanced with lots of pear and delicious Chardonnay essence. Not in the habit of drinking too much Chardonnay--this was pretty great once it opened up.

Don't know the last time I had a Shiraz from Australia. I hear that this is an entirely dead category--which means that there are some great values floating around. This wine is smoking for $10 at TJ's. Lots of fruit roll-up, blackberry, plum, pepper, and some spice. Screw-cap. Would I get this wine again? It's a bit rich for my tastes, BUT--for $10 this is pretty fucking awesome. So that's a yes. Significantly better day 2--so let this sucker sit out for a good couple of hours prior to drinking. If it wasn't for this, I'd pour this wine at my wedding.

PS: if anyone is still reading (wine blogs are pretty fucking boring, aren't they...), I am still looking for good $10 and under bottles to have at my wedding in August. Prefer stuff that is good while it's hot out. Bought three cases of the Floriana Gruner (most people don't care much about wine, and even at $5, it's pretty delicious), and planning on having a keg of Hoeegarden, or something similar, but still need around 5 more cases of wine. Suggestions? Or if you're really nice, you could just send me a bunch of wine. LOL. Yeah right. That'll happen.

Sella e Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:57:00 +0000

Damn. What else can I say about this $15 wine except it's pretty freaking good, especially at this price point, and I wish that I could just drink this wine all the time. Definitely worth picking up. Totally delicious, well balanced, with cherry, herbal and licorice elements. Just a super well made wine. You can pick it up at K&L.

Hmm....tasty enough. Pretty good. Not particularly great QPR at $12 though.

Reminded me why I like Sauvignon Blanc from places other than New Zealand--well made, with that wet stone, balance, kind of grassy, tropical thing going on. Thankfully doesn't verge into the uber intense cat-piss category. Still, at $20 perhaps a bit steep.

$7 Pinot should be banned. It's just rare that it's a good $7 wine. Frankly, this was just lame and simple. Blech. If you see it at Trader Joe's, you can definitely pick up a way better Cotes du Rhone for the same price.

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...