Cotes Du Rhone Villages Montreuil Red Wine of France

Sorry, I could not find a year on this bottle. I actually picked this up at a grocery store here, in Quebec, to have one evening in our room. It was $15, and I believe I've seen this in the states. It's a blend of syrah and grenache. It was a nice little wine, and true to its type. It was fairly light in appearance and in taste, with a ruby to garnet color. The nose was raspberry, blackberry, and a little vanilla. There was an added touch of spiciness (orange rind?) on the palate. It had a soft and silky feel in the mouth. The finish was soft and rounded, pleasant but not terribly long. We had this wine with sandwiches in the condo kitchenette. It was nice with the sandwiches, which were loaded up with veggies. This would pair nicely with chicken, turkey, salmon, etc. You could have it when you would normally serve a burgundian pinot. As a person, this wine would be the dinner guest who gets along well with others, a quiet, pleasant guy.

Gattavecchi 2004 Vino Noblie di Montepuluciano, Reserva Dei Padri Serviti

This was a beautiful bottle of wine, full of soul and personality!! It is made of 100% Prugnolo Gentile grapes (aka Sangiovese). It had a deep garnet color, reminiscent of blueberry juice, and was not terribly dark. The nose was of plum, blackberry, cedar and licorice (the label also mentioned vanilla, but I didn't pick it up). The palate was much like the nose but also with a dark cherry component that rounded out the other flavors nicely. The flavors were well integrated and all were present on the finish. It was very smooth and elegant. The tannins were somewhat firm, but not too strong. The weight was medium. It got better and better as it opened over an hour or so of sipping. I got this at Atlanta Wine and Spirits for a little less than $30. I've already blogged this wine in the '03 vintage and we loved that too, but '04 is reputed to be even better, and I think it was. Both wines were excellent and I'll continue to seek out this producer.
We really liked this wine! It was a bottle that really brought home what wine writers mean when they talk about authenticity and soul. It felt like a very serious wine. It was almost like having a third person at the table, someone who is very adult, polite, and pleasant. A sharp contrast to the last wine. I have to say that the Big Guy red was pretty much like its name. It was loud and a little too slick, like those "party guys" we all know who get a little too loud and have a little too much fun. He's ok for an outdoor barbeque, but not someone you can have a serious conversation with. He's too busy impressing other people and telling slightly off-color jokes. The Montepulciano, on the other hand, is like that quiet, well traveled older friend. You can sit and converse with him and perhaps he'll share some of his experience with you. It's a totally different kind of relationship. I could digress into a discussion on "Old World" versus "New World" wines here, but I think there's already enough mud-slinging on that topic. I've had wines from the New world that have Old World soul and vice versa. One of the challenges I face when buying wine is to find these soulful bottles in a price I can actually afford, or to put it another way, to avoid the wines that are just cheap consumer products. I hate to make generalizations like this, but we all know that all wines are not at the same level. The trick is to find wines that are really enjoyable (and moving, if possible). That's really what all the wine talk is about.

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.

2008 Abbona Dogliani Dolchetto

Hello!! I've just tried my first Dolcetto and I have to say, it was very nice! Dolcetto is from the Langhe zone in Italy. It is an everyday wine of that region and is commonly enjoyed with the lighter appetizer course, but also with everyday meat or vegetable dishes. It is very food friendly and pairs with foods much as a pinot noir or Cotes du Rhone would. It's a light to medium bodied Italian red with light acid and fairly firm tannins. This wine had a very nice nose of cherry with a little vanilla. The flavor profile was similar to the nose with lots of cherry and a nice bit of toasty vanilla oak. It was a very smooth, somewhat silky wine which hit the entire palate, although it was lighter on the back of the palate. Still, it had a nice finish. Overall, very pleasant, but not very complex. I could see this as a very nice everyday wine which would pair well with a variety of foods. Here's the downside. This varietal is very popular in Italy, especially in the Langhe region, but not a lot is exported. Consequently, it's a little pricey. I paid $27 at Ashes for this wine. This particular wine is supposed to be a very good example of the varietal. Would I buy it again? Yes, I will pick up another bottle soon (while they still have it). It is just so food friendly and so yummy, to us. It you do a lot of casual Italian cooking a couple of times a week, like I do, you may want to keep one or two in your wine rack.

2003 Gattavecchi Riserva dei Padri Serviti Montepulciano Nobile

Hello!! We had this delightful Italian wine with steaks and polenta. It was a deep brick red and had a big, full nose. It had aromas of plum, plum, plum with some vanilla and a little cherry. On the palate it was very smooth with soft acids and well integrated tannins. The flavor was plum, cherry, raisin and vanilla with a distinctive touch of root beer. It covered the entire palate and had a lingering finish. It hit the entire palate and was overall smooth and elegant. This wine came from Total Wines in Atlanta and was $25 a bottle. The '04 vintage is also available, and is supposed to be an even better vintage. The '04 is rated at 91 points by Wine Spectator. These wines are particular favorites of myself and Al. Years ago, we ordered a bottle at a restaurant on a whim and were blown away. It really turned us on to wine in a whole new way. It's become a standard for us. Montepulciano had suffered in reputation since then, but there have always been excellent examples available, if you just take the time to find them. After all, it was these wines and these winemakers that gave rise to the Super Tuscans. But there are still winemakers in Italy producing excellent Nobiles. I'm picking up a couple more bottles.

2007 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne

Hello everyone!! Last night we had roast chicken with snow peas, garlic and aromatic vegetables. It was delicious! We had this French Bourgogne with it. It was light cranberry in color, and fairly transparent. It was somewhat aromatically challenged with bits of raspberry, current and strawberry on the nose, with maybe a hint of smokiness. On the palate red current and raspberry with a little mulchy, earthiness. The tannins were soft, but present, and the acidity was very light. Not one of my favorite wines but a nice light red that went very well with the chicken. This is a French burgundian style pinot noir as opposed to the much bigger and bolder new world style pinot noirs. Like rose wines I find that although some of these very light reds are not my favorite sipping wines, they are pleasant and very nice with lighter foods, especially when you just don't want to have a white wine. Because of that they do have a home in my wine rack. This wine is fairly simple for a pinot noir and lacks the complexity of other French pinot noirs that I've had in the past. That being said, it it what it is. It's a pleasant (under $15 a bottle) burgundian style French pinot noir. Would I buy it again? Maybe. Or maybe I'll try something different. It would be a good wine for Thanksgiving dinner. I would by far perfer this wine to a nouveau beaujolais (very grapey!) with my turkey.