Viva la Wino!

"Vigna Lazzairasco" Guido Porro Barolo 2005

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:08:00 +0000

I picked this wine up when Greg from The Cab Franco Files recommended it--he tasted a bottle this week too. Kermit Lynch imported it--something that we both definitely like. Kermit Lynch has style. I picked it up for 28$ from the LA Wine Company, although I know that it's a fair bit more everywhere else that I looked. You're out of luck if you want to get this wine at that price though--LA Wine Company is out. Guido Porro has a couple of other Barolo's that he makes--a normale, as well as one from the Santa Caterina Vineyard. The Santa Caterina is supposedly more serious than this vineyard, so this represents the mid-level offering. Immediately on opening, it's clear that this is a serious, well made wine. Initially scents of raspberries, tar, and roses. Textbook Barolo. As this wine stays open, the character definitely changes, and gets darker. Plums, a hint of blackberry, anise, tar, and some earthy character all come out on the nose. Similar flavors. Of particular interest is the mouth-feel, which is layered and satiny, before you hit the wall of tannin. I'm surprised by the plumminess, as it isn't something I've ever associated with Barolo in the past. This could be due to my relative inexperience, but plumminess seems to come from riper grapes than something that's a little lighter on the spectrum like cherries. On the other hand, this wine has lots of Barolo character like anise and tar, so maybe I'm just imagining things. Unlike Matt Kramer, I've had more random esoteric varieties than heavy hitters like Barolo! Anyways, clearly, this wine can soften up for a whole lot longer, and is built to age. This is extremely well made and interesting to drink, and a great deal at the price. Thank you very much to Greg, because I wouldn't have picked up this wine otherwise. Definitely an A grade for this one. You aren't going to find much nebbiolo that is this cheap, as well as this good, out there.

Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Brut NV

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:20:00 +0000

I picked this up for 9.99$ at Costco. Says on the bottle that it's bottled by Cypress Ranch Cellars, but there isn't much about them online. Trader Joes also has a private label sparkling wine now from California, but it's a demi-sec. Maybe something to stay far away from? Probably. Anyways, I always like to have some bubbles around, and I figured this wouldn't be all that serious so I wouldn't feel guilty about opening it on a whim. There's something about opening expensive bottles of Champagne that doesn't really lend itself to "any old time." Although I've definitely done that before. At any rate, this particular wine is just about what I expected. Pears and toasty, gingery aromas. Citrusy flavors. Ripe fruit. Fairly long citrusy-pear finish. I feel like this is a tad bit flabby. Less elegant than it should be. Perhaps the dosage is a tad heavy? I probably shouldn't speculate. Still, if you were going to buy Domaine Chandon or something similar in the 15$ range, you might as well buy this--it's just as good. There's no way that this is as good as Roederer Estate, but then again, that's twice as much. Well worth picking up if you want something cheap. And as a bonus, this went awesome with heirloom tomatoes with salt, olive oil, basil--which are at their ripest right about now. Definitely one of my favorite summer things of all time. B-

Saintsbury Carneros Chardonnay 2008

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:15:00 +0000

Sent to me as a sample alongside the Garnet Pinot. 20$ California Chardonnay is a landmine category, although I suppose less so than 20$ Pinot. You probably have a better chance of getting something good in the 20$ range. Especially if you go somewhere like Pouilly-Fuisse, or Chile (if you want something more internationally styled). There's no doubt that this wine is quite a bit more interesting than the Garnet Pinot. Textbook Chardonnay, but also not terribly exciting. Intense pear nose, with some hints of toast in the background. Once it's in your mouth, there are oranges, which turn slightly creamy, before changing to lemons and back into pears again for the long finish. Nice balance between acidity and richness, judicious use of oak, and a good deal of detail. Competently made, but not terribly exciting. At 20$, I think you could probably find some better deals. If this were 10$ or 12$, I'd be rushing out to buy more. B-

Garnet Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir 2009

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:55:00 +0000

One thing that's cool about the internet is that you can be a total dick in relative anonymity. So take this site: in the grand scheme of things, there just aren't that many people reading it. There are some 6 billion people on the planet, but this site only gets 24,000 unique visitors a year. That's 0.0004% of the world's population. It's probably a higher percentage of the wine-drinking population, but it's not higher by much. So I can feel relatively secure in saying that when I saw Matt Kramer's piece from the Wine Spectator entitled "Are You Afraid of Italian Wines?," I was disappointed almost to the point of tears by what doofus he is. (I guess it takes one to know one, right?) Matt Kramer wrote a whole fucking book on Italian wine, entitled Making Sense of Italian Wine. And yet, he manages to be so clueless as to not have even grasped what is interesting about wine in Italy in a lifetime in the wine business. The soul of Italian food and wine culture (at least perceived by me--and I'm no expert, just a fan--correct me if I'm wrong) is the notion that what I grow in my town, be it grapes, or vegetables, or seafood, or bread, is the best. And it's better than yours. It's mine, and it's tied to the place I'm from. It's a terroir driven notion, impregnated with a sense of local pride--maybe even hubris. Anyways, I find it incredibly disheartening that Matt Kramer hasn't heard of Pecorino, or Cesanese. I would imagine that there are quite a few other varieties that he hasn't heard of either, which is a shame. He is, after all, paid to be an expert on wine--and yet he misses the point on Italian wines. He misses the quirky, strange, and bizarre that make them interesting. How is it that a neophyte wine drinker, with a non-unlimited budget, concern for his liver (ie consumes in moderation), and more limited travel experiences, has tried all these wines multiple times, whilst the expert with many more opportunities to explore and become a fucking expert, hasn't even heard of them? I really shouldn't care, what he drinks is his business, and I have no doubt that he drinks very well on a regular basis. Here's his problem: he has a narrow focus. I'm sure he drinks his fair share of Super Tuscans (ironically made from not very Italian grapes...Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), and probably indulges in more Syrah from Sicily than would be prudent. And because he has a limited focus, he's missing out on a whole lot of stuff. Maybe it's a good thing that he isn't talking too much about all the strange grapes from Italy. There aren't a lot of them, and I would hate for them to become more expensive and for people to recognize them. Selfishly, I might add. So Matt, keep your Super Tuscans and non-indigenous varietals and keep calling yourself an expert. The people that really know what's up aren't paying a whole hell of a lot of attention to what you have to say anyways.

So after the above rant, it's kind of funny that there's a California Pinot Noir of all things at the bottom. It probably would have been better for me to drink some weird thing from Italy. But this is what I opened (because I thought it would go with dinner...), and for all my vitriol above, I don't think that you can accuse me of having a narrow focus. I'll try anything. I'll drink anything. If I like something, I'll tell you, even if I think upfront it's something I'm not going to like. Anyways...

This wine was sent to me as a sample by the winery. (Thank you! I'm still shocked that people send me wine.) Supposed to retail for 20$. I find it interesting that the only people sending me samples are California wineries. Why is this interesting to me you ask? Because I don't drink a whole lot of California wine. In fact, when I crunch the numbers for this blog, only about 18% of the wines I drink are domestic. California is even lower--just 9%. I suppose that I do live in California, but for those not familiar, LA isn't exactly close to what most people would consider the California Wine Country. About 6 hours from Napa, 5 hours from Monterey, a healthy 3-ish to Paso, and about 2 to Santa Barbara. Oh, and there's Temecula. I guess that's close. But I digress. Comes with a screw-cap, which I wholly approve of. Fresh. Strawberry, earth, and french vanilla aromas lead into flavors of raspberries, orange peel, and hints of tea on the finish. Decent balance of fruit to acid. This wine is "correct," but doesn't quite have the palmares that I'm expecting in 20$ domestic Pinot. 20$ seems a bit steep to me, especially with Cambria at 16$, and multiple Oregon wines that have a good deal more complexity for around the same price. C/C+

"The Watcher" Fetish Wines Shiraz 2006

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:51:00 +0000

The only reason that I grabbed this wine is because I thought it was kind of funny and amusing that Costco was carrying a wine from a winery called Fetish wines. A few years back, Australia was all the rage. Now, not so much. From what I gather, they have a massive over-supply of wine, leading to highly pointed wines that are dirt cheap. A boom-bust cycle is somewhat normal I would argue, especially when an industry is expanding quickly. It's a necessary way to rid the system of the weaker players. And that's why this wine is 9$. A couple other random thoughts: 1. They must have had this wine sitting around in a warehouse and need to get rid of it. 2006 was definitely released a while back (or should have been). 2. The average consumer must think this wine is a great deal--91 points for 9$. That's good QPR if points are your thing. 3. Naming this wine "The Watcher" is creepy. Really creepy. Especially coming from a winery called Fetish. I felt like that fucking owl was stalking me while I drank this bottle of wine. 4. This would be the perfect accompaniment to your next swinger party or your next "Eyes Wide Shut" themed gathering--if that's the sort of thing you're into. And it's cheap enough to consume with abandon, so that should at least make you a little bit less likely to be "The Watcher," and more of an active participant...

This wine is a fruit-bomb, pure and simple. Plums, along with tar and menthol. Hot. Alcohol content is listed as 14.5%, but that could mean it's as much as 15.5%. The heat definitely comes on strong in the nose, but there is decent balance to the wine. Like I said--this is a plush fruit-bomb. Good for what it is, even if it isn't really my thing. B

Moulin-a-Vent Louis Tete 2009

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Sarah and I had the 07 of this particular wine a couple of months ago. Looks like they changed the label. I got this for 11$ at Costco--I like it when they have "companion" wines, or the chance to look at more than one wine from the same producer. At 11$, this is a great deal. This has everything that I liked in the 07--lots of plums, stone, and just a hint of spice. The profile is perhaps a little bit "darker" and focused more on plum than on cherries. Day two, a lot more bing cherry notes and the stony elements are amplified. I prefer this wine to the Morgon (which I've had 5 bottles of...that might be a new record for me), as well as to the 07. It seems to be a little bit more serious and has some more stuff going on. Well worht a look, especially for the price. A-

Dinner 7/14/2010

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:26:00 +0000

Sarah and I went over to our landlord's again for dinner last night. His friends nephew was in town from Lucca, and I guess he wanted to have some younger companions for Alessandro, who was 21. It was a good time, and we had some interesting wines.

The first wine that we had was the 2008 "Klee" from Racine Winery, which is a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This wine was tasty--herbal nose (actually, smelled like weed to me at first), and sour cranberry-ish fruit. It had been open for a day or two, so maybe not showing its' best. Not anything to write home about, but good pinot under 20$ is always good.

We brought over a bottle of 2007 Schiopetto Friulano, which we've had a couple of times, so we opened that as well. Interesting to have the middle vintage of this wine--2007 in comparison to 2008 and 2006. 2007 is made in a bit of a leaner style, but with "explosive" apricot aromas. Very stony and well made, but I don't think I liked it as much as 2008, which was a tad bit richer if memory serves me correctly. B+ Claude made his own smoked salmon and stuffed piquillo peppers with said salmon and jalapeno's, and then put it on top of a basil cream sauce with slices of avocado. Pretty damn good; definitely more creative than anything I would have thrown together. Went okay with the Friulano. Claude also made some deep fried squash blossoms that he picked up at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. Not the best match for the Friulano. Something sparkling would have been better, but shit, I shouldn't complain. They were really good.

Next, we opened bottles of the 2005 "Cuvee Constance" VdP Cotes Catalanes Domaine Calvet-Thunevin and 2008 "Zenith Vineyard" St. Innocent Pinot Noir. The "Cuvee Constance" is Grenache, with 30% Syrah and 10 % Cinsault thrown in for good measure. Imported by Eric Solomon--generally a mark of quality. Around 15$ or so, even with 5 years of age. I had thought after smelling it that it must have had a good amount of Syrah in it due to the extremely peppery aromas. I guess I wasn't that far off. Drinking really well, but I don't know that there would be much point to keeping this one any longer. Fresh red fruits, lots of depth, and plenty of acidity to balance out all the pepper. I liked this wine quite a bit. B

Claude has been talking this winery up for a while, so I was excited to taste this wine. Also from the Willamette Valley--the Eola Amity Hills. St. Innocent purchased an interest in the Zenith Vineyard in 2006; it used to be called the O'Connor Vineyard. Killer nose. Definitely Pinot. Candied cherries and the "pinot funk," which in this case, I'm going to say is a little bit herbal. Definitely better than the Klee. A fruit bomb, but with a whole lot of acidity and grace to balance it all out. I like this wine. B+/A- Oh, and to eat with these wines we had some sliders. Yeah, sounds so white trash or something...except that we had sliders with foie gras and buffalo. Tasty stuff. Better than whatever I would have cooked up for dinner, I suppose. Then we had some cheese--La Tur from Piedmont (always delicious), and a crottin from Redwood Hills Farm. Claude speaks French (as well as something like 5 other languages fluently...we are humbled), and informed us that the word crottin means "turd." Anyways, I guess this cheese was quite a bit larger than what is typically called a crottin in French. He was thinking that perhaps the Redwood Hills Farm people weren't aware of what crottin meant. This was a good cheese too. The St. Innocent wasn't working out too well with the cheese for me, so I had a little bit more of the Cuvee Constance, which was a better match. Then we went home, and went for a walk, and went to bed. Because we have to work, and Claude doesn't.

Couly-Dutheil Rene Couly Chinon Rose 2009

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:27:00 +0000

You can get this wine for 11$ right now at Costco. Funny, this is the second wine from this estate that Costco has had recently. Again, shocked that Costco would have a wine from the Loire. Just doesn't seem to gel with their general mix of product--highly pointed wines. I guess it's worth pointing out that I haven't ever seen them carry a red Chinon--just this one--and the whites and roses are probably more likely to please a wide audience since the flavors aren't as divergent from what constitutes normal as the reds. Or I could be totally full of shit (which is likely). It doesn't really matter though, does it?

100% Cabernet Franc. This wine is fantastic--definitely the best rose that I've had yet this summer. All red berry fruit (maybe even a bit of strawberry), just a little bit of pepper, some grapefruity notes in the mouth, stony finish, juicy, and absolutely delicious. Perhaps this is just me being overly analytical, but I think you can taste the fact that this is made out of Cabernet Franc--it has echoes of red Chinon with the pepper and the stonyness. A splendid accompaniment to an eggplant, tomato, olive, garlic, and leftover-chicken thigh pasta dish that I threw together at the last moment. I'm definitely getting several more bottles of this wine. A

Dinner 7/10/2010

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Didn't take any pictures--I really should have since I can't remember the name of the 1990 Vouvray that we had. I forgot my phone, but then figured, "fuck it," I don't want to be a bore taking pictures and being distracted--so I just left it at my house. I went over to our landlords place for dinner. Kathleen, our neighbor from across the street, was there, as were her parents. Good company. Kathleen's Mom was the maker of an amazing Key Lime Pie that we had with the 1990 Vouvray. In addition to the pie, we had some fried goat cheese with beets and a mustard vinaigrette, and ancho chili rubbed quail with foie gras sauce that came from the Boulevard cookbook (great restaurant in SF if you get a chance to go there). To start, we had a bottle of 2002 Cristal that Kathleen brought over. The first time that I've had Cristal--if you're not aware, that shit is expensive--around 200$ a bottle. It was pretty great--elegant, balanced, nutty, and a very long citrusy finish. Would I have paid 200$ for it? Probably not. Good, but not that good. I would rather have had 6 bottles of the NV Duval-Leroy that we had next. Next to the Cristal, it was obviously not as good, but it was still good. It was just more heavy handed, and for sure, no where near as elegant and well made. On the flip side, it was probably about 35$. So you could have 6 bottles of it for the one bottle of Cristal. If someone else is paying--Cristal would be my choice. If it's me paying, I'm sticking with the Duval-Leroy. Had a couple of interesting reds: a 2006 Mogor-Badan (Merlot Cabernet blend) from Baja (yes, that makes it Mexican wine, a first for me), a 2006 Sonoma County Rafanelli Cabernet, and I brought over a bottle of Vallardo from Portugal. The Mogor was interesting--definitely had a lot of cool climate characteristics, which was surprising. I was expecting a raisin-y mess. Kathleen thought it tasted a lot like orange peel, and she was spot on. It was an okay wine. Nothing to write home about though. Rafanelli is a small winery and is fairly famous for their Zinfandel. They also make a merlot that apparently you have to ask for? An interesting wine, with lots of currants, herbs (sage and mint), olives, and a decent sized serving of oak. Very unique, but reminded me a lot of Provenance--very savory. Then we had pie and the 1990 Vouvray--which was all mushrooms and apricots, with impeccable poise. It had a small amount of residual sugar...I think. It was 12%. It was the only wine that I had more than a glass of. For sure the wine of the night. Lastly, as a small night cap, I had some Stranahan's Snowflake Colorado Whiskey. Very interesting--a lot of brown sugar notes, plus it's from Colorado. A fun night.

Trinitas Mataro Contra Costa County 2006

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:36:00 +0000

I found this at Trader Joes for $9.99, and thought that it was a relatively interesting wine for them to be stocking, especially at the price. Mataro is just another word for Mouvedre. Do we grow a lot of Mouvedre in California? I don't think much. Anyways, seemed like something interesting to at least try. You can buy this direct from Trinitas for 25$. The price and availability of this wine at Trader Joe's is probably as much a product of the current economic environment as anything else. As companion pieces to this thought, there is an interesting post on Vinography that is basically a shout out to a Good Grape post about all the deep discount online outlets and the glut of wine currently on the market. For the most part, I don't think Trader Joe's is all that different than the online deep discounters. I bet that Trader Joe's just bought a few cases of this wine and Trinitas knew that they could sell it quickly and relatively anonymously. One last thought about this wine before my thoughts on how good or bad it is--in an environment where people are spending less on wine, I bet it makes them even more cautious about what to buy. In other words, buying a grape you've never heard of will be out of the question. I'm adventurous, but your typical "California Cab or Chardonnay" drinker isn't so. And a Mouvedre-based wine is probably going to fall pretty flat with all those weary, wary consumers. Thus, you've got to off-load it somewhere, lest it fuck up your cash flow.

Anyways, here's the rub on this wine: not my favorite. It's okay. If I would have paid 25$ for it, I would have been really disappointed. 10$ is fair, but to be honest, I've had a lot of wines that are much more satisfying that feature Mouvedre in some guise. There's a lot of Cotes du Rhone out there for around 10$. Interesting aromatically, and similar to other Mouvedre-based wines. Berry, mint, Indian spices, a little raisin, a little licorice, chocolate and vanilla. Slightly hot and sticky once it's in your mouth--relatively plush. Hate to sound like a broken record, but it's got the same mouth-feel as a Coke. Sort of overly sugary. Also lacks some poise and acidity, and comes off as particularly hollow upfront. Spicy finish, but it's relatively short and falls a bit flat. C-

Fourth of July Wines

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:45:00 +0000

I went home for the 4th of July to Seattle. Typically, a few of my friends come over and then we watch fireworks. My parents house is a good place for this since they live on a lake and all of the neighbors light off a ton of fireworks. It's a fair amount of fun. The last couple of years we've had really good weather; this year it rained. As far as I'm concerned, it's fun to watch fireworks in the rain. (I miss the rain more than anything else about Seattle. I know it seems weird to most people, but I get bored of it being 70 and sunny 12 months a year. Variety is a good thing...)

Anyways, the first wine that I opened was the D2 from Delille Cellars. It's their second wine to the Grand Ciel, hence the name. My parents gave me this wine for Christmas in my stocking because their neighbor works for Delille. 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet, 7.5% Cab Franc and dashes of Petit Verdot. 14.9% and about 35$. Lots of berries, cinnamon, and a fairly long finish. Pretty tightly wound and relatively tannic. Maybe a tad hot. About what I expect from a New World Bordeaux-style blend, to be honest, but maybe a bit more tastefully done than the majority. B/B+

My Mom wanted a white wine, so I opened the O'Reilly 2008 Pinot Gris. I picked this up for 10$ at QFC. About what I expect from a Pinot Gris. More on the mineral side, and less ripe than some Pinot Gris I've had, which is more refreshing. Crisp, with lots of tarter citrus notes, a hint of some melon on the nose and minerals. B

The last wine that I we opened was the 2006 Delille Cellars Doyenne Syrah. This was easily the best wine of the night. Boysenberry, meat, leather, brown sugar, a bit of chocolate and some spice notes. Extremely well balanced and juicy. Smooth. About 35$ or so. A slam dunk. Really good. I would buy this again. A

I also had a chance to eat at two Tom Douglas restaurants--the Palace Kitchen and Etta's. I tried to go to Salumi yesterday, but it was closed. (Second time it's happened to me...too bad. I love that place.) Palace Kitchen was great this time--I went with my friend John and his wife Aubrey. We split the pork belly with nectarines and mustard (awesome), some bocquerones with tomatoes, lots of garlic and artichokes (also awesome), and then I had a perfectly cooked piece of halibut with morels, and peas. Killer. We also had another bottle of the Chinook Cabernet Franc which I had last time I was there. Also very good. Yesterday I went to Etta's for lunch and had another piece of halibut--this time with olive oil, fried potatoes, parsley and lemon. Very good, if simple. I also had some beets with smoked pistachios. Tasty. I miss Seattle...

Haras de Pirque Character Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:51:00 +0000

This is another Costco wine that you can get right now for 15$. Normally, this would be something that I would pass over without a second thought, but Greg at the Cab Franco Files spoke very highly of this particular wine, and I trust his palate. Also, Haras is Sarah backwards, and she got a kick out of that. I wonder if there's some significance to that? Anyways, Sarah thought it was funny. The Haras features currants with tarry, smoky, rubbery, almost gamey scents, accompanied by ripe fruit and excellent balance. I like this wine. It's almost too much on the rubber (Pinotage, anyone?), but it's a good value, especially for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Definitely better than most of the California Cab that you can pick up for twice as much at Costco. B+/A-

Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2008

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:38:00 +0000

Sarah's going off to New York tonight, so we figured we'd open a bottle of something interesting, like we always do before she takes off. Just not really drinking as much wine as we normally do recently, but it's always nice to have a couple glasses of something fun. I decided to open something Italian because my parents just went off to Italy for the first time--and I was thinking about how much fun they're going to have. There's nothing like coming into Rome and seeing the Coliseum for the first time, especially if you've just gotten off a long plane ride. It's a pretty surreal experience. It ties you into the history of the world and makes you realize just how old Rome is. It's a tangible tie to what came before. It's a compelling testament to the longevity of the human race. It's a reminder of what a short period of time you spend alive, but also a reminder of how enduring things can be. It almost drives me to the point of existential crisis every single time I see it in person. It's a contemplative, iconic, and impressive structure. I'm stoked that my parents finally get to experience Italy. Sarah and I have had a lot of fun there. (By the way...if you're really interested, we built a whole website about our last stay in Rome in April, which can be accessed here. I think we've managed to fix all the problems with the photos loading...)

This wine was 18$ at LA Wine Company. It's imported by Palm Bay, which is a huge importer, and also boasts on the back that some of the money from this bottle goes to fighting AIDS in Africa. 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato. This wine is different from the last Cerasuolo di Vittoria that we had. It's a lot fresher and fruitier, and not quite as structured. Lots of strawberries, cherries, licorice, and herbal notes on the nose, leading through to a fairly acidic finish that highlights the fresh fruit character of this wine. This wine is interesting and different, fun and fresh. B

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine Lucien Barrot et Fils 2005

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:16:00 +0000

I picked this wine up well over 2 years ago for around 40$. I don't really know why I picked it up. This is a wine that I definitely wouldn't even consider grabbing today. First, it's 15% alcohol, which I really think is just too overwhelming for the vast majority of still wines. Second, it got a high score in the Wine Spectator--a 93--and that just doesn't matter to me that much anymore. In the past, it was at the very least, a curiosity. So anyway, I've been meaning to open this wine for a while, just because I viewed it as a "garbage bottle," meaning that it's a wine that I didn't think that I was going to like all that much. So I opened this on a lark. Initially, I thought that this wine might have been a little off. However, when I re-visited this wine the second day it was opened, I determined there was nothing wrong with it. This wine is quite fruity, with cherry, blackberry, figs, coffee, apparent alcohol, and some meatiness that is buried in the back. This wine was also quite closed; I'm sure that it could age for a lot longer. It's got good balance and structure, but unfortunately, it's showing a lot of alcoholic heat. This wine shows a lot of the character of 2005--much more refined than the bombastic fruitiness of 2007, but still, there's that alcohol thing, which dominates the character. However, not as plush and overwhelming as 2007. I could see how some people would be into this wine on a normal day, but it isn't for me. There is none of the graceful dance of cherries and spices that I really like...overall verdict...C. For what it's worth, Sarah didn't particularly care for this wine either, so I opened up a 2007 Perrin and Fils Cotes du Rhone Villages for her. I preferred the Cotes du Rhone by a significant margin, and so did she. You can grab the Cotes du Rhone for 9.79$ right now in SoCal at Costco, which is a lot less than the 15$ I spent on this in Seattle. A good deal; definitely worth checking out for 10$ if you like a fruitier style of Cotes du Rhone. Oh, and one "fruit" disclaimer: I don't dislike fruit, actually, I like it. It's just that "fruit" is cheap...and why pay a whole lot for something that only has one dimension of flavor? So a 10$ well balanced fruity wine is good in my book. The same wine at 40$? Rip-off.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2009

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:50:00 +0000

I've had a couple of Riesling's from this producer before--they were quite good, and most importantly, cheap. I've never had their Sauvignon Blanc, but I was definitely willing to give it a try for 12$ (I think) at Costco. I've found that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is one of those categories of wine where you always pretty much know what you're going to get. This is both useful and maddening at the same time. Take Cotes du Rhone for instance--you don't know what you're going to get unless you do your homework. It could be many different grapes--anything from Grenache to Syrah, maybe Mourvedre, and any number of combinations of other grapes. It could be New World and monolithic. It could be tart and acidic. It could be anywhere in between. The point being, there is a ton of variation. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, doesn't seem to suffer from the same fate. Sure, there are differences, but when I get a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, I can be pretty sure that I'm going to get some tropical fruit, lots of acidity, and above all else, that jalapeno-cut grass thing. This particular bottle, although plagued by "marketing," is quintessential New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and a ripping example of it. Lots of melon, lime, jalapeno and grass, and a perfect balance of acidity and ripe fruit. Finely textured, layered, and nuanced. This is a fantastic bottle of wine--I'm definitely picking up a few of these to have around the house this summer. Now briefly back to the marketing--it says "Cellar Selection" on the bottle. Are we too dumb to figure out what's good and what's bad? What happened to "reserve?" Who the fuck ages Sauvignon Blanc for long anyways? Is this a sign that the category of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is off to face the same problems as Aussie Shiraz--and thus needs crappy marketing terms like "Cellar Selection" to appear on bottle for gullible consumers? My guess is that with little distinction between wines in the category, and good wines available for around 10$, yes. Although you should definitely try this wine--over-supply is a good thing, and I think this wine is a fantastic deal. A

Also--if you have a second, you owe it to yourself to check out W. Blake Gray's posts on Mega Purple. It's crazy that wine is so un-regulated/un-transparent that wineries aren't required to list what goes into their wines. And also, really, who fucking cares about color in a wine? I stopped paying attention a long time ago, for a really specific reason--it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how the wine tastes, smells, and goes with food. What it looks like is completely irrelevant. People should glom onto W. Blake Gray--he's seems like he's one smart dude, and I like his stuff.

Tiefenbrunner Pinot Bianco 2008

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:05:00 +0000

I picked this up as a companion to the Baur Pinot Bianco so that we would have a comparison piece. 12$ at Costco. We haven't exactly had a lot of Pinot Blanc; that definitely makes it harder to figure out whether or not a particular example is good or not. This wine is extremely floral (smells exactly like those little white flowers outside of my office), with a ton of apple, mango, and apricot. Some stone/mineral character, a good amount of richness, and some acidity to balance it out. Maybe could be interpreted as being a bit flabby. This is a more interesting wine than the Baur, but I'm also not all that floored by it. Kind of seemed like an un-oaked Chardonnay that some really pungent lilacs petals had fallen into or something. Still, interesting to see a different expression from a different region. Goes okay with crab, but honestly, there was a bit too much spice for this wine to handle adequately. B

Justin "Justification" Paso Robles 2007

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:11:00 +0000

I'm not normally a big California wine consumer...however, I'd heard really good things about both the Isosceles (Cab Blend) and the Justification. I figured that I might as well pick up a bottle of this at Costco and try it out--even though 34$ (at Costco...recession wine too...there's no way in hell they would have had this two years ago) is what I consider to be getting up there in price. Justification is a Cheval Blanc style blend (I'm guessing anyways...) that is 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot. 14.5% alcohol It's no secret that I love Cabernet Franc, but this wine represents the stylistic Yang to the Yin of Chinon. Instead of having slightly herbaceous flavors and being lighter as opposed to darker, this wine is big and rich. I have to say, I was floored by this wine, and Sarah liked it a lot too. When people say they are into California wine, I can only hope they're talking about wines like this. It's a deft combination of power, grace, and ripe fruit. It's paradoxical--huge monster red fruit flavors ranging from cherry to raspberry and beyond, but also balance and acidity that supports it all. And then all of the more savory almost herbal, tobacco-ish flavors come in. I realize that this wine is fairly expensive, but it's cheap compared to what I imagine the equivalent must be out of any other Cab Franc based Bordeaux blend, and cheap compared to the most of California. It's also a great pairing for a grass fed rib-eye. And boy does it deliver. I'm definitely going to get another bottle of this while I still can. A

Domaine Saint Roch Fitou 2005

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:19:00 +0000

11$ at the LA Wine Company. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as I never had had something from the Fitou AOC previously. I guess I was expecting value Rhone-style wine? It's probably worth reading the recap from the Wine Doctor rather than me paraphrasing what he says so expertly. Let's just leave it at this: Fitou is a village in the Languedoc, much like Minervois. I don't know too much else about this wine--it's what makes funky little wines from tiny little places more interesting. I do know that it's composed of 45% Grenache, 45% Cinsault, and 10% Syrah. Initially candied cherry (typical grenache), but over time develops into raspberry, blackberry, and maybe even some vanilla, along with several more savory and spicy scents, including tar, pipe tobacco, and earth. Medium to light bodied, with ample acidity and some tannin on the back end. The finish is a little flat, and the wine is somewhat "rustic." However, it reminds me a lot of Cotes du Rhone. You could spend a lot more on Cotes du Rhone or even some CdP, and they might not be as good as this wine for the price. This wine is a good value, and is interesting to drink. Went pretty well with some really fatty pork chops (As pork should be-- fuck all that uber-lean factory pork!) that I picked up at the Farmer's Market. Oh, and I know that the photo doesn't show it, but what's with the weird bottle shape?? Actually, what's with bottles in "table wines" period? If I could get a wine like this in a 3-liter bag in box, I would always have a box on hand. And I would probably turn into a drunk. Vintners and importers--meaning not huge multi-nationals--get on it. If you give consumers good wine in boxes, they will find it and buy it. In this case, you would have sold 4 bottles instead of just 1. B/B+

Quinto do Vallardo Douro 2007

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Picked this up at K&L for 20$. Then I saw it at Costco for 15$, so I picked up another bottle of it. I figure if K&L and Costco are overlapping on something, it's probably a pretty good bet. Then I saw that this was the wine of the week in the LA Times. I'm not really a fan of Irene Virbila (personally, I find her to be picky and ridiculous...actually, no I think the right way to describe her is "too LA" for my tastes. She's certainly no Sam Sifton, Frank Bruni, or Ruth Reichl...although Ruth Reichl held the same job at one point.), but I have had a few of her wine selections and been into or fairly pleased with them. Wine Spectator gave this a 93...and although I certainly didn't buy the wine because of that, I'm sure that it's part of the allure for Costco and the status-conscious LA Times in particular. 93 points for 15$!!! OMFG!!! Anyways, there seem to be a lot of people that are into this wine.

I haven't had a lot of Portugese wine, but the ones that I've had have been interesting. The main thing that I've found interesting about the Portugese reds that I've had is how similar they taste to Port--which really shouldn't be surprising--but for some reason is. This wine has a similar thing going on, in that it's got lots of almost dried cherry fruit and spices. Nuanced and detailed, with great balance and a whole lot of grip, before leading into a savory earthy/herbal finish. Glad that I have another bottle of this wine. At 15$ or 20$, it's definitely something worth drinking. The only thing that I didn't like with this wine is that it seemed to be lacking a little bit in the complexity department, meaning that it came off a little bit one-dimensional, but one-dimensional in the sense that it seemed to be hiding a substantial amount of its' character. I would imagine with some more bottle age, this wine will get more compelling. Sarah liked this wine a lot. A-

Shramsberg "Mirabelle" Brut Rose NV

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:46:00 +0000

I had this about a month ago at my neighbors and thought it was fantastic, so I bought a bottle at Costco for 19$. A blend of Pinot and Chardonnay. Lots of strawberries and some biscuit-y notes. Very French in comparison to many of the California sparkling wines that I've had. The first time I tasted this, I was pretty shocked how French it was. I was expecting something that was fairly bombastic, but instead was greeted with a delicious, elegant, well-balanced wine. This is definitely worth checking out for 19$. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than any comparable Rose Champagne that you're going to find...the last bottle of Rose Champagne that I had was really good--but it was also twice as much as this bottle, and personally, I prefer the Mirabelle. Incidentally, the Mirabelle stood up well to a Habanero chicken sausage (not quite as hot as you think)...perhaps this would be a good match for other spicy food? It's not Riesling, and it's not off-dry, but I think it's fruity enough as long as the spice level isn't nuclear. A-

Charles Baur Pinot Blanc 2008

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 31 May 2010 01:10:00 +0000

13$ at K&L. I like whites from Alsace--most of the time I get a huge kick out of them and they're delicious. It's not that this wine isn't--it's just that it didn't really reach out and grab me by the throat. There's certainly nothing wrong with the red/Fuji apple-ish and lemon flavors, nor with the subtle bit of mineral that sneaks in on the tail end of the rather Rubenesque frame, it's just that I didn't get all that excited by this wine. I definitely preferred the Rose Cremant d'Alsace that we had last summer from Charles Baur; I believe it was the same price. C

Dr. Loosen Riesling 2008

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:49:00 +0000

10$ at the LA Wine Company, but there are a lot of other places that you can get this as well. I drank this with more crab salad with paprika vinaigrette and also...huevos rancheros...smothered in salsa. I find drinking wine with Mexican food to be not only kind of a little bit curious and odd, but also kind of a challenge. I think beer probably works a little better most of the time...but sometimes you just want wine. Which is why I keep bottles of off-dry, not too expensive with screw-caps Riesling around in the first place. Another bonus: You could probably drink the whole bottle if you wanted to, in a single sitting, because at 8.5% alcohol, you're not going to end up too smashed. This wine can really be summed up in one word; "limestone." Well, actually, I meant limes and stones. But whatever. B-/B

Domaine des Ballandors Quincy 2007

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Picked this up for 17$ the last time I was at K&L. I actually tasted this wine there, thought it was pretty good, and picked up a bottle. It basically comes off similar to a Sancerre, but a little riper. This particular wine has a lot of melon and mineral notes, citrus characteristics, and a touch of the grassy, herby aromas that Sauvignon Blanc is so well known for. It doesn't seem to be as stony or as angular as most of the Sancerre that I've had; it comes off as significantly rounder to me. Overall, fairly tasty, and a good compliment to a crab salad with paprika vinaigrette as well as sauteed green beans with caramelized red onions. I tend to be a fan of extremes though...and that means I might just prefer something as aggressively angular as Sancerre, or on the flip side, as pungent as a Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, instead of this wine. This is lost in some sort of middle ground for me. It's certainly a good wine, however, I'm not enthused enough about it at the price to go and get more of it. C+/B-

Federico Tinto Roble Ribera del Duero 2007

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:58:00 +0000

I think this wine is a throw-back of sorts: it's cheap enough to drink damn near every day at 15$, it's got a retro label (really, there's not a chance in hell that any branded wine company would release a wine with a label like this), and it's low alcohol (12.5%). It's also delicious. Lots of cherries, blackberries, some vanilla, and a touch of something savory--maybe spiciness, maybe a little bit of smoke, along with good balance and plenty of acidity. I really liked this wine; so did Sarah. Apparently, this guys brother is behind Pesquera (which is fairly iconic in terms of Spanish wine). When Spanish wines get it right, they get it right. This is not one of the New World-y oak bombs, but rather a refined, old school bottle of wine. Wines like this are why people must have gotten excited about Spain in the first place. A- Sarah and I drank this while we watched the finale of Lost.

San Francesco Ciro Rosso 2007

vivalawino@gmail.com (Jeff) — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:05:00 +0000

I picked this wine up for 13$ at K&L. From Calabria--further South in Italy than Naples--basically the toe of Italy. 100% Gaglioppo. Gaglioppo is another weird indigenous grape that I am so enamored with. There doesn't seem to be much information about it available.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect opening this wine; I vaguely remember Steve at K&L telling me something about it...but I can't quite remember. Oh well. This is what makes buying random things fun...you're never quite sure what to expect. Initially super tannic, but opened up quickly. I have to say, this wine reminded me of a youngish Chianti Classico because of the almost dried cherry flavors and acidity. If you had served this to me blind, that's what I would have guessed. There are also some spicy, earthy elements that show up in the nose, and for a brief instant, I thought that I smelled some incredibly ripe raspberry. An interesting, fruity wine that's a good food wine, and relatively cheap at 13$. When you can get wines like this for less than you can pick up your typical "branded" California Cab or Chardonnay, why on earth would you even bother with those? Not only is this better wine, but it's more interesting to drink. B/B+