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.

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.

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!!

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!!!

2009 Leyda Pinot Noir from Chile

We had this wine tonight with pasta and pork chops with peppers. This light red was a nice compliment to the tangy and well seasoned pork chops. The color was brick red. The nose and the flavor profile started with lots of cherry. As it opened the cherry dissipated and strawberry and blueberry emerged. After opening for an hour or so the blueberry and cherry disappeared completely, and we were left with strawberry and plum! This wine also had a nice forest, mulch component and a little bit of spice. I bought this at Ashes for maybe $12. It was recommended as a Burgundian pinot. Honestly, when we first opened this wine I wasn't too sold on it as Burgundian. However, as it opened it developed more of the delicate complexity expected of a French burgundy. This is a very nice wine for the price. Also, it will be even better in a couple of years. I really love having this style of wine around because it is sooooo food friendly. I'll probably keep this around (or set some aside).

Big Guy Red 2005 California Red blend

Hello!! I am now in Quebec, Canada and enjoying some truly beautiful scenery! Everyone here has been very kind, in spite of the fact that my French is pretty much non-existent. Tonight we arrived at our little condo and feasted on cheese, bread, apples and pears. The wine was pretty good with the aged goat cheese (a local product, reminiscent of a Spanish Manchego, but a little less sharp). This wine was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, and Syrah. It was deep garnet in color, almost purple, and very dark. The nose was of red cherry, and oaky vanilla. The palate was much like the nose. This was an inoffensive, simple wine, with a rather simple flavor profile. I really was hoping for more. It was a 2005, so it had a little time to age, and I bought it on the recommendation of a friend whose palate I trust. Maybe it was me? Maybe it was the picnic type pairings? This wine just really didn't do anything special for either myself or Al. Having said that, I think it would be a nice wine to serve with beef or a pork tenderloin to guests who aren't big wine drinkers. It would be good with burgers. It had soft tannins and not too much acid and was fairly well balanced with an ok finish. I paid a little over $15 (maybe as much as $18?) at Campbell Station Wines. It just lacked complexity. I feel that in this price range, I can do better.

Cartlidge and Browne 2008 California Pinot Noir

We enjoyed this wine a few nights ago with a classic pork roast served with rice and salad. It was very nice with the pork roast but would also be good with turkey or a nice savory roast chicken. The color was a lovely rich plum. It had aromas of plum, blueberry, spice and a little tar. The flavor was true to the nose and it had soft tannins, medium acidity and a silky mouth-feel. It was very nicely balanced and had a lingering finish of blueberry and spice (Al noticed a little ginger). Interestingly, I noticed the finish mainly on the mid-palate, an area that is weak in many wines. I bought this wine at Bob's for $12. I went in and asked for an everyday pinot noir in a Burgundian style. Indeed, it was very Burgundian with the complexity of flavors and a fairly light style. What I like about these wines is that they are so very food friendly. They are perfect for meals where you might feel like reaching for a heavier, oakier white. Nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it's just nice to have a red. That's the perfect time to try a Burgundian Pinot Noir. This wine does have that Burgundian style, although I have had lighter Burgundian Pinot Noirs. This wine is a very nice middle ground Pinot (not too light and not too heavy) and I thought it was very enjoyable. At $12, it was really a find.

2006 Mas Carlot Les Enfants Terribles Rhone valley red wine

Hello! Last night we had this wine with spaghetti and meatballs. Why a French wine with a classic Italian meal? Well, the sauce was improvised from the sauce leftover from braised veal chops we had the other day. It was a rich creamy sauce, more French than Italian in flavor. The wine was a good match to the meal, standing up to the richness and complexity of the meal. The color on this wine was a deep purple. The nose was full of blackberries, along with some smokey, oakey aromas. On the palate there was lots of blackberry, baking chocolate and a little licorice. It had soft, well integrated tannins and mild acidity. It was a little weak on the back palate and the finish was short. It was good but not great. It was a little too much oak for me. I got this at Bob's for $15.50. I'd drink it again, but I'd not go out of my way to pick up a bottle.

2007 Ona Anakena Malbec Limited Edition

Hello all!! I should preface this by saying that I'm really not a big malbec fan. They tend to be a little too big for my palate. Also, we don't do a lot of barbeque, tending to eat foods and drink wines that are either Italian or French in style and flavor profile. But, my husband, Al, has always had a soft spot for the malbec and syrah wines that I tend to avoid. So, I asked my son, Mike, to bring one up from Atlanta Total Wine has a catalog, so I picked one out and Mike brought it to me on his last trip to Knoxville. We were having barbeque pork on Labor Day and I thought this malbec would be a good pairing. And it was good with the barbeque. I could also see having this with a big roast in the winter. The color on this wine was an extremely dark inky purple. There was a lot going on with the nose. It started out with some pretty heavy oak, but this faded within a half hour or so of opening. The nose opened into dark currents, mulch, and spicy cinnamon and cloves with a bit of violet in the background. On the palate there was the intense jammy dark fruit flavor of currents and blackberry. The tannins were firm and a little harsh. There was lots of bitter chocolate and a bit of tobacco, especially on the finish. It was weak on the mid-palate, which seems odd considering the overall intensity of this wine. I believe this wine would be much better after a few years in the bottle (I'm developing a preference for red wines at about 5 years or more), but I'm not convinced that age will solve the problem in the mid-palate. I think I'll try another malbec next time.

2005 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine

Hello!! This is one of my all time favorite wines. I actually got this by mistake when I was trying to order a Columbia Crest award winning cabernet on-line. This wine is a cabernet blend and is produced using traditional bordeaux techniques. The flavor profile will sound similar to other wines I've described, but the difference is that this wine is sooooo smooth, silky and balanced! It's elegant. It had a very nice dark garnet color. On the nose there was bright dark cherry, blackberry and blueberry with a little fennel (celery and licorice). It had a rather strong oakiness on the nose when it was first opened, but this dissipated after 20 or 30 minutes, leaving a little vanilla behind. The flavor was very much like the nose with fruit on the early to mid palate and the spicy fennel and vanilla on the end. There were also subtle undertones of leather and pipe tobacco. The finish was extended and very pleasant. This was very delicious, complex and so balanced and silky. I don't drink a lot of domestic wine, but I would if it were more like this! Also, I didn't pay all that much for this wine. We rarely drink anything over $30, and this is no exception. I think I paid $90 to $95 for 3 bottles of this with tax and shipping, so it must have been about $27 a bottle? I wanted to order more, but it was all gone. Alas, this was our last bottle. We had this with black and blue steaks, baked potato and salad. It was a very good pairing, but the steaks could have been less peppery, to really compliment the wine. I purchased this wine through J.J. Buckley. They are in California, and they do ship to Tennessee.

2007 Brazin Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel (red label)

Hello! I thought I had blogged this wine before, but no!! One month last spring (before the blog) the wine group did a whole dinner of Zinfandel. It was pretty interesting. There's a big world of Zins out there. They are typically California wines, and many of them are from some of the oldest plantings in California. Apparently it was a popular grape among the Italian immigrants who first planted vineyards in California. As a varietal it was overlooked for a number of years while cabernets became very popular. However, some of the old plantings still remain, and zinfandel has pretty decant following today. Having said all this, there are lots of zinfandels available, in a variety of price ranges. They tend to be big, bold and fruity with varying hints of mocha, pepper and sometimes a little licorice or leather. They pair well with basic American foods such as burgers, steaks, not too hot barbeque, and (our favorite) pizza. Some of the more expensive single vineyard zins are fairly complex and should age well, but in general zins are everyday wines.

Our favorite everyday zin is Brazin Dry Creek Valley, available at most local liquor stores (I've seen this at Ashes, Bob's, McScrooges, Cedar Bluff, and I'm sure it's at others as well). It runs from $11 to $15 a bottle. It has a nice deep color, and on the nose there is lots of cherry and a bit of oak and spice. It's very fruit forward with cherry, plum and blueberry with a bit of cinnamon on the finish. The label describes hints of mocha and vanilla as well. I would agree with this. Overall, not complex, but very tasty and enjoyable. We had it with our homemade pizza and it was delicious!! Brazin also makes a Lodi zin with an orange label. I don't care for it as much. The flavor profile is a little different and I didn't think it was as well balanced as the Dry Creek (both were 2007), but everyone's palate is different, so you might want to give it a try.

2009 Ropiteau Vin de Pays D'0c Pinot Noir (French)

This wine is from a winery established in 1848 in the South of France. It's one of the wines we picked up at Total Wine in Atlanta for $9 a bottle (I just wish I had bought more). We had it with a black and blue salad, but it would have been better paired with the classic duck. Pinot noir is very food friendly and is a good choice when you want a red, but not one that is too heavy for the food. When first opened it had this unique blend of cherry and strawberry with a bit of dry leaf aroma. As it opened over the course of an hour or more, this wonderful leafy, forrest aroma developed and the tannins emerge, giving the wine more structure. It has a very nice balance of acid and tannin and the fruit forward characteristic develops into something more subtle and complex as it opens. I really like this wine. It's one of my favorite pinot noirs ever. I can't believe I paid $9 a bottle for this. I don't know if it's available in Knoxville, but I think I'll look for it.

California 2006 Bogle Phantom

Hi!! Well, my younger son will be turning 22 in a few days and he requested burgers for tonight. I bought some prepared burgers from Fresh Market, bacon and cheddar. First I sauteed a couple of onions nice and slow so than they were sweet and caramelized. Then I just pan fried the burgers, and laid a slice of cheddar on top to get melty before taking them up. I then deglazed the pan with a little white wine, reduced it down and stirred it into the onions. We used chiabatta for buns, toasted for a minute in the broiler. A little tomato and lettuce with the sauteed onions, and it was a great burger. Bogle Phantom is a blend of petite syrah, zinfandel, and mourvedre from California. I've had this wine before, but I didn't like it as well this time. I think it's because we've been drinking so many European wines. It seemed a little harsh to me. The fruit was big, but the tannins were a little rough and it lacks balance. Also I get a little burn from the alcohol (14.5%). It's definitely lacking in complexity. Maybe it would be better with some age? The nose is blackberry and oak, but not a big nose. On the palate I taste mostly blackberry with a little vanilla, and maybe a little chocolate and smokiness on the finish. I think it was better when we had it with a steak, but overall, there are better wines out there. At $20 from Cedar Bluff Wine and Spirits, I'm sure I could do better. Perhaps a nice bordeaux from Bob's?

California Francis Ford Coppola Rosso

Hi!! We actually went out to eat Friday night. We went to Aubrey's to have one of their fabulous salads. It's been so wicked hot the past week or so, I couldn't stand the thought of eating anything heavier. However, I was still in the mood for a red wine, so I ordered the granny smith salad with little slices of steak and balsamic vinaigrette. I ordered the Francis Ford Coppola Rosso to go with it. I knew this would be a bit of a stretch, since I had ordered this wine before. This would be great with a big burger or a steak, but would be a little big for a salad, even if it did come with steak slices. The real problem with the pairing was the salad dressing. The balsamic dressing was a little sweet and kind of clashed with the wine. So, I just ate my salad and then enjoyed sipping the wine after the meal. The salad and the wine were both delicious, just better separate than together. This wine is actually a blend of three different varietals. It was very fruity, even jammy, with a nice amount of spiciness on the nose and the finish. The spiciness definitely gave it more interest. This wine sells for $6 a glass at Aubrey's or, I believe, $30 a bottle. Not bad for wine at a restaurant, but it would be much less at a liquor store. Incidentally, the wine list at Aubrey's seemed pretty heavy on domestic wines, with quite a few well known and well priced labels. Usual restaurant markup for wine is somewhere around 3 times retail. That's why I always drink better wines at home than when I'm out (unless it's a "bring your own bottle" place, like Savelli's).

2004 French Cuvee des Aedoises des chateau Eries Fitou

Hi!! This was a night of leftovers. I grilled some steaks and we ate leftover cheesey polenta, roasted pepper salad, and a little sauteed brocoli and leeks. It was all pretty good, but I managed to overcook my own steak a little (Al didn't mind, because he likes them medium well anyway). I'm from cattle country, and it seems just wrong to eat a steak that not red and juicy in the center. Oh well, on to the wine. This particular wine is a Fitou from the Languedoc region. I honestly don't know much about it. But, it rated high on the delicious scale. It was $11 or $12 from Bob's, if I recall correctly. It had a beautiful deep rich color and was pretty aromatic on opening the bottle. On the nose ( or "sniffy sniff" if you follow Gary Vaynerchuck) it smellled of cherry and peppery spice. I could pick up aromas of oak and vanilla. Tasting started with blackberry and dark cherry. There was pleasantly firm tannins and a nice silky body, then a lingering peppery spicy finish. It paired nicely with the steak. This was a terrific wine for the price. I think we need another bottle to keep on hand.

2007 Italian Tiziano Chianti

Hi!! this is a very nice everyday wine that pairs well with many foods. I reach for this wine when I want a red that's not too heavy or "big". We had this wine with scallops fra diavolo (which was very delicious). It's also a good wine to serve to people who are not big wine drinkers. The tannins and acids are pretty soft. My notes from a previous tasting are that it is delicate and elegant with no apparent oak. It tastes and smells of cherry. It's a very pleasant,easy drinking wine that pairs well with a variety of foods. We often have it with lighter pasta dishes with fresh, bright tomato sauces. It does improve after opening for about 30 minutes or so.

2005 Pio Cesare Barolo

Hi!! We tried a barolo a few days ago and I'm still trying to decide whether I liked it or not. We had it with home-made tortellini stuffed with ricotta and served with a very meaty tomato sauce. Thad Cox, at Ashes, recommended that if we wanted to drink it now, we should decant for at least 4 hours. Well, it was opened and decanted 2-3 hours before dinner. It was still very tight. In fact, I now know exactly what people mean by this. It was extremely rough when first opened, with harsh tannins and strong acid. It did soften a bit, but really it just never finished opening, even after about 6 hours. It seemed pretty well balanced to me, with firm tannins, bright acid, and dark cherry with a little licorice on the finish. It was quite pricey at $69 a bottle at Ashes. Really, I'd like to get another bottle and set it aside for 5-10 years.

Barolo is supposed to be an iconic wine from Italy, one that collectors take quite seriously. It's definitely a "big red" and is best served with meat ro meaty dishes. As you may know from previous blogs, this wine is definitely out of my usual price range. But, it was on the Matt Kramer list of Italian wines as a "don't die without trying it". It has quite a reputation as one of those eye opening wines that turn people on to drinking wine. I can't say that this Barolo had that kind of effect on me. But, it did make me realize how important aging is for some wines. I suspect that my impression of this wine would be very different if it aged 5-10 years or more. Some say these wines age well for 30 years or more. Really, I feel it's unfair for me to evaluate this wine. It's just too young. But, after drinking it, I now know just what that means.

2006 Cantele Salice Salentino

Hi!!

I haaven't posted in a while. I've been busy cooking, drinking wine, reading about wine, and of course working. Also it's been wicked hot. The heat makes me want to reach for lighter food and white wines. However, don't think for a minute that I'm tiring of reds.

Last Friday night, date night for Al and myself, we went to Savelli's for pizza. We brought a 2006 Cantele Salice Salentino with us. It's a favorite. We've had it several times, and it never disappoints. I picked up a replacement bottle at Ashes yesterday for about $12 or $13. It's very cherry on the nose, with a little oakiness. On the palate it's again very cherry with soft tannins and acidity and a smooth velvety mouth feel. Very nice on the mid-palate and a pleasant lingering finish. It's very nicely balanced and very good with food. Honestly, the wine was way better than the pizza. A better pairing might have been something a little meatier. Matt Kramer recommends serving it with ribs.

We had this wine again when we had some friends over. We served ribs slow cooked in Italian spaghetti gravy, polenta, roasted pepper salad, and zucchini. This wine was a very nice pairing. It had enough body to hold up to the food well, but with the delicious cherry taste, the velvety body, and the friendly tannins and acids, it was a nice wine to serve with dinner for guests who do not drink a lot of wine. A hit!!

Bad Bordeaux

Well, tonight I fixed and ate what may be the best burger I've ever had. It was made with one pound of ground bison and one sweet Italian sausage, plus an egg, 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of dried thyme, and some ground pepper. We had them on buns with all the fixin's. We also had sweet potato slices with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. The wine was the $6 Bordeaux I mentioned a few days ago. It was pretty bad. It was a 2007 Mouton Cadet from Baron Phillippe de Rothschild. The color was pretty light for a Bordeaux. The nose was not memorable. The tannins were rough, and the wine seemed unbalanced. I hoped it would improve as it opened, but it didn't. Frankly, I've had better boxed wines. Would it improve with age? Maybe, but I doubt it. The tannins would probably soften, but with the fruit flavor so weak and the pale color, I don't really think it would improve. Rothschild is supposed to make some very good wines, this just isn't one of them. Even at $6, it's a pass.