2008 Lapostolle Casa Carmemere from Rapel Valley in Chile

Hello everyone!! I love this wine!! I don't believe I've blogged this before, but we've had it before maybe a year or more ago. It was the 2005 vintage and I was very impressed with it. Unfortunately, I had to hunt around a bit to find it again, and when I did it was in the 2008 vintage. This wine won an award from Wine Enthusiast for "best new world wine". We had this with broiled flank steak, onion and shitake, and cheesy polenta. This was a very good pairing. The wine had a lovely deep purple violet color. The nose carried aromas of blackberry with some cherry, plum, and blueberry. There is also a nice toasty vanilla component. On the palate it has a beautiful silky mouth feel. It is medium to full bodied with this beautiful smoothness to the tannins. It has a lingering finish. Very fruity but a bit of chocolate and a little spiciness on the finish. This wine is very well structured. I need to find more of it. Indeed, because of this wine I now had 3 other chilean carmeneres sitting in my little "stash". I'm looking forward to trying them.

2009 Statti Gaglioppo from Calabria Itally

Hello everyone!! we had this wine last night with shepherd's pork chops and Calabrese potato salad. The recipes were both from the region of Calabria. I had planned on having a Salice Salentino with this, but I was shopping at Bob's and noticed this Calabrese wine. I thought, "what could be better?" This was actually an excellent pairing and another example of how beautiful it is to pair the cuisine of an area with a local wine. I knew we would want something with bright acid and soft tannins, because I had read about wines from this region, and because we had none of the heavier elements in this meal to stand up to big tannins. This wine was a bright cherry red with a bit of violet. It had aromas of cherry, raspberry and plum with a little vanilla. On the palate it had a fresh, crisp quality along with the fresh fruit and bit of vanilla. The acidity was not too much, but enough to brighten the wine and carry the fruit to a nice crisp finish. We really enjoyed this wine, especially with this particular meal. It reminded me of a nicely developed beaujoulais, but from Italy. It had that light, fresh quality about it. The body was light to medium. This would be a good summer wine for grilled chicken and salads. I got this at Bob's for $18.

2009 Analivia Rueda Verdejo

Hello everyone!! We had this wine earlier tonight with a seafood and veggie dish. I was not wild about this wine at first, but it improved quite a bit as it opened in the glass. At first it had an unpleasant bitterness and seemed a bit disjointed, but as it opened the flavors mellowed and the bitterness took on the taste of zesty lemon peel. It had a bright golden color. On the nose there was lemon and some tropical fruit mixed with a crisp minerality. On the palate there was fresh lemon, lemon peel, a herbal character (rosemary?) and a seashell-like minerality. It was of medium body with a nice full mouth feel. It had a tingling acidic finish that contained the fresh citric and mineral flavors. I paid $13 dollars for this wine at Total Wines in Atlanta.

2009 Caleo Salento Primitivo

Hello everyone!! We had this great little wine the other night with hoagies ala Al. The color was a deep violet ruby. The nose was not real big, but contained aromas of blueberry, cherry, and black raspberry along with toasty vanilla and a little spice. On the palate it was smooth and fruity with soft tannins and enough acid to support the fresh fruit. It also had a lingering fruit filled finish. Overall, it was yummy! And I only paid $8 for this at Total Wines in Atlanta. It was actually a very nice pairing with the spicy meats and onion of the hoagies.

2008 Villa Maffei Valpolicella Classico Ripasso

Hello everyone!! We enjoyed this terrific wine tonight with bolognese sauce and pasta. It was a great pairing with the brightness of the wine cutting through the richness of the sauce. It was a deep ruby red in color. The nose contained aromas of cherry, almond, vanilla, and spice. It was fresh and crisp with bright cherry flavor. The tannins were very smooth. It was of medium body. I really liked this wine. it was extremely pleasant and easy drinking and not too heavy. I paid $15 for this at Total wines in Atlanta.

2007 Catena Malbec

Hello everyone! We had this wine last night with chicken tacos. The tacos were a little on the too hot side, so we weren't really able to fully appreciate the wine until after dinner. Fortunately, it was even better for opening a little longer. The color was a deep inky purple red. On the nose there was cherry, vanilla and a little smokey tobacco. On the palate there was blueberry and cherry followed by soft, smooth tannins and bright (but not too bright) acids. On the finish there was tobacco, licorice and bitter chocolate. The finish was long and lingering. It had a beautiful, silky texture and great complexity. I paid about $18 for this at Total Wines in Atlanta. It was a fabulous wine and I wish I had more of it.

2009 Caleo Nero d'Avola

Hello everyone! We had this really surprising wine a few nights ago. We first had it with pork chops stuffed with fontina and prosciutto, We had the second half bottle the next night with home-made pizza. This wine was much better on the second night. The color was an inky violet red. On the nose there was cherry, vanilla and licorice. On the palate there was cherry, vanilla and much more dark flavor than on the nose. There was licorice, tar and tobacco. This wine was really interesting because the body was medium, but the flavor profile was very dark. It had soft tannins, but a bright acidity. It was a little disjointed on the first night, but on the second night everything had smoothed out and it was very enjoyable. We paid $8 for this wine at Total Wine in Atlanta. This was a really great find!

2007 Sparkman Wilderness Columbia Valley Red Wine

Hello everyone!! We had this lovely wine last night with coffee rubbed rib eye steaks and asparagus salad. I was actually looking for a bigger wine for these steaks and I thought this was a cabernet sauvignon blend. So while this was a really good wine, I believe it would have been even more enjoyable with a chicken or pork dish. This wine is a blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, petite syrah, and petite vedrot. It was made in the style of the French Rhone blends. The color was a deep inky garnet. The nose was of dark berries and vanilla (not a big nose, but present). On the palate there was blackberry, dark cherry, a little vanilla and a touch of blueberry. It had a nice cherry finish with a hint of chocolate and coffee. The tannins were soft and well integrated and there was enough acid to make it vibrant but not harsh. It had a beautiful silky, smooth mouth feel. I can't remember where I got this wine, but I found it listed for $26 to $30 a bottle. Part of the proceeds go to a wildlife fund for the Northwest United States.

2009 George DuBoeuf Morgon (Cru Beaujoulais)

Hello everyone!! I have been wanting to try this wine for a while now. I have seen it mentioned several times and heard that Cru beaujoulais is the wine to try if you like fresh light French wines, but are not particularly fond of beaujousais nouveau. We had this wine with a salad consisting of chicken breast, dried cranberries, and blue cheese on a bed of lettuce. It was a very nice wine with the overall impression of being bright, fresh and vibrant. I believe that the bright (but not overpowering) acidity helped to give this fresh, vibrant liveliness. The color was deep garnet, which surprised me, as I was expecting the lighter, purplish color of a nouveau. The nose carried aromas of cherry and raspberry with a bit of vanilla. There was also a definite floral component which I found difficult to identify. On the palate it was very fruit forward and a little sweet with bright acidity and very soft tannins. It was light bodied but full flavored. The finish was soft and fruity. Overall it was not big, not particularly complex, but pleasant. I got this wine at McScrooge's for about $15. I would drink this wine as an alternative to rose. To me, this would be more interesting than a rose but pair well with many of the same foods.

2009 Grooner Gruner Veltliner

Hello everyone!! This was a lovely wine from Austria which, according to its fans, goes with virtually everything. It was very nice with our salmon patties from fresh Market and the accompanying broccoli salad. The color was a pale greenish yellow. The nose was of pear and apple with a bit of minerality. On the palate there was apple, pear, and a crisp lime flavor. There was a good bit of limestone or seashell minerality. It was a very pleasant medium bodied wine which had a mild effervescence, making it that much more refreshing. I believe this wine would be perfect with scallops, crab cakes, shrimp, or chicken tacos with lime in the sauce. As we sat at the table sipping and thinking of all the things that would be tasty with this wine, I began to understand its popularity. I got this at McScrooge's for about $10 a bottle. I may take it to one of the up-coming wine and food dinners.

2007 Il Poggione Rosso Di Montalcino

Hello everyone!! We just had one of my best efforts ever! Our older son has been staying with us this week while on spring break and is leaving for Atlanta this evening. So, I planned a special "Sunday dinner" for the occasion. We had a truly Tuscan meal. I felt as if I was sitting in a villa in Tuscany enjoying the food and wine while breezes floated in from the vineyards. We had tuscan roast chicken with pancetta and olives, polenta with red pepper and cheese, and broccoli rabe with sausage. The dishes were all complementary without being too similar and the wine was spectacular with the food. I got excited as soon as I saw the color on this wine. It was a deep brick red, not too dark. On the nose there was cherry and vanilla (the oakiness on this wine is really under control and in no way overshadows the wine itself). There were also aromas of licorice and some blueberry and raspberry aromas. The flavor was true to the nose, and this wine had a wonderful silky texture. The tannins were present but soft and well integrated. It had a nice lingering cherry vanilla finish. There were traces of earthiness present. Overall this was a very elegant medium bodied Italian wine. This is an example of why I love Italian wines so much! I got this wine at Total Wines in Atlanta for about $30, and I wish I had more of it. Al suggested getting more and setting it aside for awhile, but this is "ready to drink". It required very little time to open and would probably not benefit from more time in the bottle.

2009 Pinot Noir D'Autrefois

Hello everyone!! I got a new stove this weekend! And to try it out I fixed game hens stuffed with farro. They were little gems of deliciousness. The acid of this wine cut through the richness of the little birds. It was a great pairing! I got this wine at Total Wines in Atlanta for $10. It was listed as a staff favorite, and at this price I just couldn't pass it up. The color was ruby, of medium depth. It had a very nice bouquet that rose up out of the glass to greet me. It contained aromas of plum, blueberry, vanilla and flowers (violets?). The flavor profile was true to the nose. What I really liked about this wine was the bright acidity. It had a freshness to it that was very complimentary to the food. Once again the French win me over with a well balanced, food friendly, elegant wine.

2007 Terre d'Ardoise Carignan Vieilles Vignes (Old Vine Carignan)

Hello everyone!! This was a beautiful little wine from Campbell Station Wine and Spirits. I believe I paid $11 or $12 for this little gem. I'm developing a real love of these light French reds. They are so very food friendly, and they happen to pair well with the foods that we eat, especially chicken and pork. This wine was a deep ruby red with a touch of brick at the edge of the glass. On the nose were aromas of toasty oak, raspberry, vanilla, a touch of licorice and a bit of dried leaf or mulch. The flavor was similar to the nose but what I really liked about this wine was the wonderful silky texture. It was nicely balanced, very smooth and pleasant to drink. The body was light to medium. We had this wine with chicken in shallot sauce, roast broccoli, and Italian bread. It was delicious! I ran right out and bought two more bottles.

2009 El Prado Tempranillo Cabernet blend

Hello everyone!! We had this wine with a steak and blue cheese salad. It was too big for the food, and would have been better with a burger, or steak and potato, or a nice rubbed flank steak. Also, it's young, so it was much better for opening an hour or so. The color was deep inky purplish red. The nose was not very big, and carried aromas of blackberry, and toasty oak. The flavor profile was true to the nose with added notes of chocolate and a touch of licorice. It was very fruit forward with firm tannins and bright acid. It was a little rough at first, but improved significantly as it opened. I paid $6 for this wine at Total Wine in Atlanta. It would be a very good everyday wine if we ate heavier, beefier foods. Also, I think this would improve with age.

Does anyone but me wonder how anyone can make money by selling wine at this price?? Since I've been spending more time "bottom feeding" I have been amazed at some of the wines available for less than $10. Yes, you can improve the odds of getting good wine by moving up even into the $15 range. Still, I sometimes find very acceptable wines at the lower price point, and I wonder how the producers do it. Box wines run about $5 a bottle (or $20 a box, figuring 4 bottles to a box). These are bulk wines. I know enough about economics to understand that higher volume production means you can often lower your profit margin and still make good money overall. But the little pearls I've been searching out are generally not mass produced wines, though they are not exclusive "cult" wines either. I just don't get how anyone can make money selling $6 wine when you're talking retailer, distributer, importer and producer all making a living. You'd have to sell a lot of wine. Clearly, I still have a lot to learn about wine and the wine business. Until then, guess I'll just keep enjoying.

2009 Blackstone Winemaker's Select Merlot

Hello everyone!! I believe I am behind the curve on this one. I have seen this wine numerous times on restaurant wine lists, and I have passed on it. My loss! I'm actually not a big Merlot person, having been introduced to wines through my husband and the rest of his Italian family. So, the whole Merlot thing completely passed me by. However, recently I have been using a new cookbook that suggests wine pairings with the recipes and they suggest a lot of California wines, such as Merlot. I've been enjoying the velvety smooth, fruit forward, delicious and uncomplicated pleasures of Merlot. This wine very much fits that description. The color was a deep ruby red. The nose was somewhat aromatically challenged with light oak and vanilla and not much fruit. The flavor was very cherry, a little blueberry, vanilla and a little touch of licorice on the finish. What made this wine so enjoyable was the smooth creaminess. The tannins were smooth and mellow (we did open it 30 to 60 minutes before dinner, so it had a good bit of time to breath). We had this wine with pork chops in Merlot sauce, roasted cauliflower, and rice pilaf. It was a very good pairing, almost guaranteed by using some of the wine to make the sauce. It was also extremely good with little squares of dark chocolate. I know this is a simple wine, but it's so delicious and uncomplicated! It's like that guy you hang out with that makes no demands of you, just easygoing, no fuss. At $10 a bottle at Campbell Station Wines, this will probably become my go to everyday Merlot. It would also be great for parties, or for friends that aren't necessarily wine drinkers. You might turn some of them on to the pleasures of wine.

Dinner with friends: NV Il Conte D'Alba Moscato d"Asti, 2008 A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir, 2004 Brunello di Montecino

Hello everyone!! We had dinner with some friends on Saturday night. I made this really intense mushroom lasagna with homemade pasta. We also had salad and bread, and brownies for dessert. We had a great time! Forgive me if the notes are a little brief, but we went through several bottles and I made notes after our guests left.

We started the evening with the Moscato d'Asti. This was given to me by a friend from our little food and wine group. I thought it was delicious! It was sweet, but refreshing with a nice bit of fizz. Interestingly, it had a regular cork, not a screw top and not a champagne cork. It was pleasantly floral on the nose. The flavor profile was of apple and pear with a bit of minerality. This made a nice apertif, and would also be great as a dessert wine.

We opened the A to Z pinot noir as we started on dinner. It was very nice. It a little heavy for a Burgundian pinot and a little too light for a typical New World pinot. This hits a sweet spot for many people, which is probably why it's so popular. It had the aromas and flavor of strawberry and blueberry with a bit of spice. It started out a little "rough", but mellowed out nicely after 15 or 20 minutes in the glass. I got this at McScrooge's for about $20. It was very nice, especially after opening.

Then we opened the 2004 Brunello from Casisano-Colomboio. This was an excellent, delicious, silky smooth wine. It had a similarity to the A to Z pinot noir, but with an elegance and sophistication lacking in the Oregon pinot. It had aromas of vanilla (oak, but well under control) There was raspberry and cherry with horehound and a little spice on the finish, which was beautiful and lengthy. It was balanced and smooth, but very real and a little rustic. The elegance of this wine made me think of the Testa Rossa with its amazing silkiness. That was such a beautiful wine! But I come back again and again to the Italian wines. I think it's because they ARE more rustic. They have a richness of character, a complexity that is unique to these wines. Oh well, I guess my personal bias is showing, but I LOVED this wine! It sells for about $40 at Total Wines in Atlanta.

Finally we opened a Fonseca 10 year tawny port to have with the brownies. It was yummy with the dried cherry and raisin flavors. I still have half the bottle in the fridge, and I'll make more complete notes later. My first impression is that we liked the Graham's better, but it may be that because we had it after the delicious Brunello, it affected my opinion of this wine.

2006 Testarossa Subasio Central Coast Syrah

Hello everyone! This was a gorgeous wine!! Possibly the best wine I've ever had! We had this with little filet mignon steaks stuffed with blue cheese. The color on this wine was a deep inky ruby -purple color. The aromas were blackberry, forest, spice, and licorice. The blackberry aroma gradually became more cherry as it opened. The flavors were true to the nose. It had a long, lingering finish with just a touch of tobacco. The flavor was big, but the body was medium. What made this wine really stand out was the texture It was soooo smooth and silky! It was balanced and elegant. Different aspects of the flavor profile emerged as we drank it with different foods. With the salad there was more spice, horehound and tobacco. With the steak there was more fruit and the silky texture was more apparent. The wine was such a nice surprise! I wish I had more of it. I purchased this wine at McScrooge's over a year ago. It was on the clearance rack and I believe I paid $20 to $30 for it. It sat in my wine rack all that time, because I wasn't sure what it would be like. I tried to find Testarossa syrah on-line and found that the current vintage is sold out at the winery. The price listed for this wine was $54. I couldn't find it on-line, but I will keep my eyes open.

I'd like to take a minute to explain the lack of scores in these blogs. I feel that rating, grading, scoring wines is something of a necessary evil. How do you score poetry or art? Do I give one Shakespearean sonnet a 93 and another a 97? Do I score Michelangelo higher than Rembrandt? Isn't it better to just stand back and take it in, to let art, poetry or music move you? I feel that wine also fits into this category. This was one of those wines that had such grace and beauty about it. I've had a few other such bottles. They are best experienced, not analyzed. I know it helps consumers to look at the scores from various reviewers as a quick reference. It can be very helpful, and I use the scores myself to help select new wines. It's the ultimate shorthand for wine. I'm absolutely not qualified to score wines. I would need to drink a lot more of those inspiring bottles. Wow, that's something to look forward to!

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2009 Columbia Valley Guwurztraminer

This is an ok Washington State Guwurztraminer. It was a nice pairing with our Indian spiced pork tenderloin. The color was a clear straw. There were aromas of honeysuckle, pear and sweet spice. The flavor profile was of pear, honeysuckle, and nutmeg with a little smokiness. It was medium bodied, and this helped it hold up well to the tenderloin. Not exactly a glowing endorsement, but it's hard to find a good Gurwurztraminer at a decent price. This one was $9 at Ashes.

Wine dinner with friends

Hello all!! We had friends over last night for our monthly wine dinner. I don't often blog these dinners, as there as many wines and my memory of specific labels is just not there the next morning. However, this time it was our turn to host. This means that it is my responsibility to make a few notes for others in our group, and bottles are generally left with the host, so I have the information needed for making those notes (no excuses, ha-ha).

We started the evening with a non vintage Irtalian Prosecco Riondo Spago Nero. It was semi-sweet to semi-dry (depending on who you ask). It had a lightly floral effervescent nose with some apple and pear components to the flavor. 10.5% alcohol and a very pleasant, easy to drink, fairly inexpensive Prosecco. I picked this up at Bob's because it was labeled as the #1 Prosecco in Italy and had a 90 pt rating and was priced at about $15(?) a bottle. It was pleasant and would make a nice summer sipper for the back deck.

Next was a pair of Pinot Grigios. The first was 2008 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio from the very Northern region of Italy, bordering Austria. It was light and crisp, citric, but not too lemony. This wine was a classic Italian Pinot Grigio. It was smooth and balanced, very elegant. The other Pinot Grigio was a 2008 Il Papavero from Sicily! It was bolder, fruitier, and more aromatic. It lacked the elegance of the Northern Pinot Grigio, but was still very pleasant. This was an interesting wine, since Pinot Grigio is typically from Northern Italy, and is generally thought of as a cool climate grape. The fuller body and bolder flavor profile is consistent with the warmer terrior of Sicily. These wines were served with mushrooms stuffed with bread crumbs and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Delicious! We also had stuffed shells with gorgonzola and walnuts. Fabulous!

Next, we had a Primativo, also from Southern Italy. It was a 2007 Matane from Puglia and cost about $13. The wine was very good. I described it as halfway between a zinfandel and a merlot. It was very fruit forward with flavors of cherry, plum, and vanilla. The aromas were also of plum and vanilla (it reminded me of plum pudding on the nose). The tannins were smooth and plush. This is a very food friendly wine, and if I remember correctly, it was inexpensive enough to qualify as a great everyday wine. It's a good example of why Primativo is a varietal worth exploring. We also had this with the mushrooms and continued to sip it between food courses.

Next was a green salad with shrimp and lemon juice dressing. It paired very well with a 2007 Pieropan Soave Classico. This wine was labeled as their 40th vintage. It was an excellent Soave. It had lovely floral and fruit aromas. It was very smooth, well balanced, with a medium body. It tasted of soft fruit along with some almond. There was pleasant, but well balanced acidity. It had a lingering finish. This is a very food friendly wine and would pair well with a number of fish and lighter chicken dishes. If you've never had a really good Soave, try this one, or Pio Cesare, if you can find it. Soaves got a really bad rap during the 80's and 90's because there were some really poor ones on the American market. Fortunately, there are some really nice examples available now. They are worth seeking out. It's a great wine for when a Pinot Grigio or Sauv Blanc is too light and a Chard or Riesling is too fruity. I like these wines, but I sometimes have trouble finding them.

Next, we had a 2006 Santa Margherita Chianti Classico. This was a terrific chianti. It had medium, body and was very aromatic. Lots of cherry and vanilla with a really nice component of smoke and spice. The tannins were firm, but smooth. 2006 was a great vintage for chianti and this particular wine is on sale at Campbell Station for about $20. I hope it's not all gone by the time I get there. We had this wine with smokey sauteed potatoes and tasty cheesy focaccia.

Next we had a 2004 Gattavecchi Montepulciano di Nobile. I've actually blogged this wine before. It's 100% Sangiovese, and full of deliciousness. This is one of our favorite wines, and '04 is a highly rated year. This wine came from Total Wines in Atlanta and was a little less than $30 a bottle. We had this with home-made bolognese lasagna. The wine and the lasagna were both very good.

Finally we had a 2001 Bellini Santo del Chianti. This wine was also from Total Wines in Atlanta and was purchased for Christmas Eve dinner. We never got to it then, so we opened it last night. I think I paid about $20 to $25 for a 500 ml bottle. It was very pretty, with a peachy rose color. It was very sweet, even on the nose. It tasted of golden raisins and was well balanced, reminding me of a tawny port, but with more subtle fruit flavor. We had it with cherry-almond biscotti and dark chocolate covered strawberries. It paired especially well with the dark chocolate.

All of the pairings were very good. It was especially fun to do the comparison pairings, like the mushrooms with the two Pinot Grigios and the Primativo. It was interesting to see how individual palates varied. All in all, another successful wine dinner.

2007 Cameron Hughs Lot 192 Napa Valley Merlot

Hello all!! We had this wine a few nights ago with pork chops and cherry sauce. This was a very, very nice pairing. The color on this wine was deep purple-ruby. The aromas were of vanilla, toasted oak, and raspberry. The raspberry darkened into blackberry as the wine opened. The flavor profile was similar and developed into blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla and a touch of cocoa. The tannins were soft and plush, but became firmer as the wines opened. And the finish started as a little short, but lengthened nicely as it opened. As expected with a merlot, this was very fruit forward and not too complex, but very enjoyable, especially with the cherry sauce on the pork chops. At $13 a bottle at Ashes, I think I'll get some more for everyday drinking. Merlots pair nicely with fruit sauces such as this, but also with spicy foods, so we're drinking them more than in the past.

2008 Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Hello all!! I enjoyed this wine with Al several nights ago. We have had this wine before in earlier vintages. It is available locally at Ashes and McScrooges and probably at other liquor stores, and tends to cost about $20 a bottle. It had a very dark violet-ruby color. The nose started out as fairly tight, but it became more aromatic as it opened. There were aromas of violets, blueberry, plum and cherry. The flavor profile was true to the nose, with more cherry and vanilla developing as it opened. There was current and spice on the finish. This was not a big heavy wine, but had a light to medium body. It was interesting, and it became better as it opened, developing more spice on the finish and softer, smoother tannins. I liked this wine! It's a nice, honest wine with lots of personality. It would be very good with lighter Italian dishes prepared with mushrooms.

2006 Ruffino Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva

Hello everyone!! We enjoyed a fabulous meal tonight! We had duck with rice and lentils, and an arugula and grape salad. I love duck and this one came out particularly well. The wine was very good. I chose this wine because 2006 is supposed to be a terrific year for chianti and it's getting hard to find. I really enjoyed the wine and it was an excellent pairing with the food. The color was a deep brick red. The nose was of cherry, blueberry, a bit of licorice or horehound and a hint of forrest (cedar?). The flavors on the palate were true to the nose. The tannins were very smooth, giving the wine a silky feel (unusual for a chianti). It had a soft finish of cherry, vanilla, and black tea. It was not real big, allowing the delicacy of the Sangiovese grape to come through. It was of light to medium body, making it a nice accompaniment to the food. I really liked this wine. It managed to express a lot of personality, and do so without "shouting". I have another bottle, and while I believe it will age well for a few years, it's certainly ready to drink now.

2004 Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Savignon

Hello all!! We had this wine last night after dinner. We wanted something nice to sip on a very dreary Friday night. So we lit the fireplace and broke out the cheese and crackers, then moved on to dark chocolate. The wine was very good. It was inky dark with brick-red color at the edges. The nose was fairly big with aromas of dark cherry, vanilla and licorice. To me, it was a little too oaky. This did mellow out as the wine opened. On the palate there was cherry, solid but fairly smooth tannins, vanilla, licorice and dark chocolate on the finish. Again, it was very oaky. This was a really big wine that wanted a big juicy steak. It improved significantly as it opened. The oakiness really smoothed out as it opened and the wine became smoother, more velvety, and more elegant. We don't drink a lot of these big California Cabs, partly because of the price and partly because we don't eat a lot of steak, roast beef, and grilled meats. This was a very delicious wine, especially after opening. And, while it's a style we don't necessarily seek out, I certainly understand why so many people love these wines. This winemaker has an outstanding reputation and I'm really excited about having had the opportunity to try this cab. This was actually a gift from a friend. I believe it retails for at least $60 to $70 a bottle. Sorry the review wasn't more of a rave, but I have to call it like I see it. And I see it as something many people would rave about, just a little too big, and a little to oaky for my palate right now. Too bad we didn't open this with a big Porterhouse steak (but we only ever get as far as Kansas City strips). If I had the opportunity to have this again, I wouldn't pass it up, but I wouldn't buy it at this price point.

2007 Horse Heaven Hills H3 Merlot

Hello all!! We had this wine tonight with pork tenderloin, marinated in paprika and garlic, with peach chutney, and salad. The color was deep plum. The aromas were somewhat faint, and consisted of dark cherry and some oak. On the palate there was blackberry, firm tannins and cocoa. This sounds pretty yummy. And this wine had good reviews, particularly at this price point ($14 at Ashes). It was disjointed at first, but the flavors mellowed as it opened. Still, I didn't care for this wine. To me, it was thin on the mid-palate. It was described as having a velvety finish, but I found it to more closely resemble a thin flannelette. Disappointing. I prefer the 2008 Berringer Estate Founders and the 2008 Chateau St. Michelle Indian Wells to this wine. The St. Michelle's, in particular, was very good.

2008 Berringer Merlot Founder's Estate

Hello all!! Tonight we had this very nice, straightforward, honest $10 bottle of merlot. The description on the back of the bottle was actually very accurate. It's described as having flavors of blackberry, plum and toasted spice (a little oak). The color was of deep ruby. And the aromas were not real big, but were true to the flavors. The tannins were a little more than velvety, but not unpleasant. This is a very fruit forward wine, as are many California merlots. I've been trying to develop a list of acceptable everyday wines so we can move beyond the box. I find true "bottom feeding" to be a bit of a challenge, but very satisfying. We are enjoying better wines overall, and there have been some pleasant surprises (like the Alamos merlot). I may explore merlots a little more, but, overall, this could be a nice addition to our list of everyday $10 wines.

2005 Da Vinci Chianti Classico

Hello all!! I have written up Da Vinci Chianti before, but I had it at a party at someone's else's house, so I didn't note the vintage and I don't believe it was a classico. I've been trying to lose weight, but we took a break from all the of veggies and had home-made tortellini with home-made brown spaghetti sauce, bread, and salad (very healthy with lots of broccoli). The wine was very, very good with this. I love opening a bottle of wine and sharing it with one other person (Al). It makes a couple of hours of sipping. During that time I get to experience it in all its glory as it slowly opens and sometimes fades. This evening was like that. The wine started out as a deep ruby red with a little brick color to it. The nose was not huge, but carried aromas of cherry, vanilla, and a touch of licorice. The flavors were cherry, plum, vanilla and horehound. As time passed current developed to mingle with the other flavors, and eventually overtook the cherry. The horehound became licorice. The color became even darker and the licorice stronger. The tannins started out as soft and velvety, but as the color darkened and the licorice became stronger, the tannins roughened up. I believe this wine is a "drink me now" wine. It was fascinating to watch it literally age with me over the course of two and half hours. I would buy this wine again, but I'd look for an '06, (supposed to be a very good year for chianti and could probably be held longer).I believe this wine was $25 at McScrooges.

2008 Rosteau Cotes du Rhone Villages

Hello all!! I really enjoyed this wine tonight!! It has been sitting around for awhile, so I'm not sure were I got it or what I paid for it, but I think it came from Bob's and I probably paid $15 to $20 for it. We had this wine with roast chicken (with garlic) and broccoli salad with pine nuts, onion, and sundried tomatoes. I wanted a nice bright, but fairly light red wine. I get a little tired of pairing roast chicken with chardonnay. This was actually a very nice pairing. The wine was light, but fresh and lively. It was very nice with the strong flavors of the garlic and broccoli. The color was a translucent ruby. The nose was of blueberry, strawberry and a little earthiness or forest aroma. The flavor was like the nose but it had a some added spiciness and a bit of rootbeer. It had soft tannins and a lingering finish. Overall, it was similar to a burgundian pinot noir but a little bit heavier. It was light bodied, elegant and complex. It must have been good because it inspired a philosophical conversation on the acceptance of ones mortality with maturity. I need to find more of this. And, while many '08's need to be aged a little more, this wine is ready to drink.

2009 Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay

Hello all!! We had this very nice California Chardonnay tonight with halibut and vegetables in parchment. The spiciness of the food somewhat overwhelmed the wine, so that it was only in after dinner sipping that the true flavors of the wine emerged. This would be a nice wine with roast chicken (not too much seasoning) or a salmon salad, or tuna steaks with veggies. Anyway, it was very nice and has received quite a bit of favorable press. We found the tasting notes on the back label to be a fairly acurate description of the wine. It had a bright dandelion yellow color. It seemed aromatically challenged at first, but it was cold and we did have it with food that was fairly heavily seasoned. The aromas that I picked up were lemon zest and pineapple. The flavors were of mango, papaya, and pineapple, with lemon zest and green apple on the finish. It had a nice, bright acidity and hit the entire palate with flavor. This is a very food friendly Chardonnay, and very reminiscent of a French White Burgundy. I really liked this wine and am especially happy about the fact that I picked this up on sale at Ashes for about $10. This wine needs to be part of our new policy of drinking better wines on a daily basis.

Mas Donis Barrica 2007 Old Vines (Spanish)

Hello all!! We enjoyed this wine a few days ago as a nice sipping wine after having chili for dinner. We snacked on cheese and crackers and sipped this wine. This is one of the wines I picked up at Wine Library. It is 85% grenache and %15 syrah. It was about $10 a bottle and described as delicious! The color was a dark inky garnet. The nose was of blackberry and cherry with vanilla and a little licorice. The flavor profile was blackberry and cherry with vanilla, licorice and a little tobacco on the finish. It had a wonderful silkiness with smooth tannins. It had a light to medium body. Overall, it was very nice, especially for the price. I wish I had more of it!

2008 Maia Lina Chianti

Hello all!! This is a lovely, honest little wine from Italy. Ashes has been selling it for $9-$10 dollars a bottle. It's a not very dark garnet color. The nose is pleasant but not too big. The flavors are lots of cherry and raspberry with a little oaky vanilla. It comes across as very fresh and fairly light, with a light to medium body. This makes a nice everyday wine and is light enough to have with salmon or chicken dishes, especially when served with a tomato based sauce.

We actually took several bottles of this wine with us to Philadelphia recently when we visited Al's parents. We also took an exciting side trip while in Philly. We found ourselves with an entire evening and most of the preceding afternoon without family commitments. So, we drove North into New Jersey and to Wine Library! I was pretty excited about it. Wine Library wasn't all that big, but there was soooo much wine. And the gourmet department was great, too. The variety of great stuff to be found in that amount of space was really impressive. I felt like I was making a little pilgrimage! I wish I could have bought more wine, but alas, I got what I could. I did get several bottles that will be blogged eventually. And I'm looking forward to other opportunities to visit the Wine Library.

2008 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay

Hello all!! I'm still catching up some wines that we tried over the past couple of weeks. Tonight we actually had a Geyser Spring Pinot Gris. I believe we had this wine on Christmas Eve with all the seafood of the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner. It's a very nice wine, crisp and clean with good acidity, but also some pleasing fruitiness. It pairs well with seafood and is only about $9 a bottle at Ashes. Hence, it appears regularly at our table.

But on to the Chalone. We got this wine because it was mentioned on Gary Vaynerchuck's Wine Library TV. He was quite enthusiastic about it, so we wanted to give it a try. This wine came from Total Wines in Atlanta and was about $20 a bottle. Gary says this label is very consistent year to year. The color was light dandelion. The nose was of pear and white peach. It had bright acidity, crisp and clear, with flavors of pear, white peach, apple, and a little bit of nutmeg. Al picked up a touch of honey and almond on the finish. It was lightly oaked and nicely balanced. I described it as elegant and understated. Very nice.

2009 Crios Torrontes

Hello all!! We had this wine a few nights ago with baked chicken with roasted latin veggies. This was a very good match and actually saved the meal as the vegetables were a little bland (next time I'll add an onion). It had a pale dandelion color. The nose was of pear, citrus, and lemon zest. The flavors were similar but with a lightly honeyed mouth-feel. It had soft acid and was clean and light on the palate. This is actually one of my favorite white varietals and is generally available at very reasonable prices. Torrontes are generally consistently good, and are an excellent choice for people who are not big wine drinkers. It's a good wine to try, if you haven't had it already. This particular wine is about $15 at Ashes.

2008 Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Merlot

Hello all!! We had a very nice merlot this evening, with breaded, oven baked pork chops (a nice pairing). It had a deep garnet color, and aromas of blackberry and vanilla. It started out a little rough around the edges (it is a 2008). But it opened up nicely into a lovely velvety fruit forward Merlot. This is exactly what people like about Merlot. It was a beautifully balanced fruit forward velvety pleasure to drink. As Gary would say, it had a high delicious factor. It's not particularly complex, but it was yummy! I got this for $20 at Ashes last night. I'm not generally a big Merlot fan, but I may have to keep a bottle around.

2009 Alamos Malbec from Argentina

Hello all!! We had this wine last night with a spice rubbed flank steak and broccoli rabe. This is widely available for $10 or less. I have seen it at Ashes. I actually tasted this wine a year and a half ago at a tasting hosted by McScrooge's. The tasting featured wines from Alamos and I have to say I was pretty impressed, especially when the price was considered. This wine was a deep garnet to purple. It started with aromas of blackberry and smoke. The taste was true to the nose, with the faint smokiness lingering far back on the mid palate. I also picked up a faint taste of licorice. As it opened the blackberry developed into dark cherry and the licorice became more apparent. It began to resemble an Italian Salice Salentino. We really liked this wine, and at $9-$10 a bottle, this could be a really great everyday wine.

There are other excellent (especially for the price) wines from this label. Alamos is owned by Catena. When we went to the wine tasting, Alamos was represented as a rather small operation owned by a collection of investors from the United States and working with local winemakers. I don't know whether ownership of the label has changed, but the wines were and are both very affordable and very good. We particularly like the torrantes ($8-$9 at Ashes).

2008 Erath Pinot Noir from Oregon

Hello all!! I am sitting here, right now, enjoying a glass of this lovely pinot noir. I may have blogged it before, I didn't check. It has a nice brick red color that is not too dark (appropriate for a pinot noir). And it has the warm aroma and taste of plums and earthiness. I don't notice the typical strawberry component. Anyway, this is a very nice pinot fro just about $20 at McScrooge's. It should be available at many other stores. We had this wine with salmon and a lightly spicy, rather complex vegetable sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, caper, green olive, and raisin. It was a very nice pairing.

I went to a work related party last weekend. I was asked to bring the wine. I took the advice of a salesperson in a well known local liquor store, and I was very disappointed. I bought Woodbridge wine, the white Zin, the Resieling, the Chard, the Pinot Noir, the Merlot and the Cab blend. We never made it past the Pinot Noir. The wines were completely lacking in character. The varietals were barely recognizable. I was embarrassed to have brought these wines. I was so upset by the whole thing that I vowed "No more plonk!!". Now, what will become of this? Well, I started out by trading the three leftover, unopened (1.5 L) bottles of Woodbridge for two bottles of 2008 new release French Bordeaux. The next night I bought four more bottles of the new release French Bordeaux, a bottle of California Merlot and a bottle of Torrantes. For at least a little while I am going to indulge in some of the promising bottles we have stacked around the dining room. I still have a lot of catching up to do on the blogs, but I'm going to work on making an even bigger backlog of tasting notes. I may not be able to afford really high dollar wine, but I don't have to endure plonk! There is plenty of good wine, and the occasional bottle of really inspiring wine, available in my price-range and I intend to enjoy it! To personality!! To pleasure!! To great wine!!

2009 Villa Lanata Moscato D'Asti Single Estate

This was our big New Year's Eve wine! I made baked goat's cheese rolled in sundried tomato seasonings. It was yummy with the wine. The alcohol content of this wine was only 5.5%, making it a great sipping wine for after dinner. It had a lovely golden dandelion color. The nose was of pear, apple and honey. The flavor profile was true to the nose with a little almond on the finish. Overall, a pleasant little bubbly. (Sorry, but I'm not much of a champagne person)

2007 Amavi Cellars Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Savignon

This wine was actually a Christmas present for my husband! We saw it reviewed on Wine Library TV. Unfortunately, they do not ship to Tennessee, so I had to hunt this wine down on the internet. I believe it was about $25 a bottle. The color was deep brick red. The nose was very earthy with lots of cherry. There were aromas of mulch, dry leaves, forrest, old wood, and vanilla. The flavor profile was cherry, licorice, vanilla and cocoa with rootbeer early after opening. It had a nice structure with balanced tannins and acids. The finish was long and tasted of dark cherry and cocoa. Overall, it was both delicious and complex. And, I have 2 more bottles to enjoy!!

2008 La Posta Cocina Blend

This is another wine consumed between Christmas and New Year's. I believe we had this wine with empanadas stuffed with mildly spicy beef. The blend is 60% Malbec, 20% Bonarcha, and 20% Syrah from Mendoza Argentina. I believe this was a substitute offered by the staff at Total Wines when the Malbec I requested was unavailable. I can't be sure of the price, but I believe it was about $10. The color was a dark inky purple-garnet. On the nose there was blackberry and a little smoke. The flavor profile was blackberry and dark cherry with licorice on the finish. It was silky with soft tannins that actually became firmer as it opened. This is a good example of the hidden gems that are available at an affordable price if you just hunt around and take advantage of the sales staff's knowledge.

2005 Reserva Solestium Salice Salentino

I'm really far behind in my blogging responsibilities. I have a backlog of wines for which I have recorded tasting notes on little index cards lying around the house. The holiday festivities extended to include a trip to visit relatives out of town in Philadelphia (not too far from Wine Library in New Jersey). But for now...

This very nice little wine came from total Wines in Atlanta for $9. To tell you the truth, I delayed opening this wine because at this price I was worried that at this price it wouldn't be very good. On the other hand, at this price, I couldn't resist it. The color was deep, dark ruby. The aromas were cherry, vanilla and a little horehound. The flavor profile was similar with cherry, vanilla, and horehound, moving to rootbeer on the finish. It was very silky with soft tannins and acids. It was smooth and elegant and had a high delicious factor. All for $9!!!