2007 Snoqualmie Riesling

Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Price: <$10 I received this as a gift from my sister-it-law and couldn't wait to open it. Obviously, since she just gave it too me yesterday (thanks, Stacie)! Rated a "top value" wine by Wine Spectator. Snoqualmie is one of the first wineries in WA to make wines from USDA-certified organically grown grapes. Overall, this winery has been labeled the value brand of the year. This wine is crisp, refreshing, and bursting with aromas of spicy pear, dried apricots, and honey that lingers on and on. I had this paired with spicy PF Chang's, and it was phenomenal right down to, and including, the fortune cookie! Also highly recommended by my sister-in-law is the Snoqualmie Naked Chardonnay - so named for not only being naked of oak, but also naked of anything non-organic.

2004 Red Bicyclette Syrah

Taste: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Price: $10-$12

A delightful French wine for under $15 from the Gallo family of wines! I had this wine with penne pasta with tomato and meat sauce and found it quite surprising. I tend to shy away from the whimsical labels, but wow! I would not only buy this wine again, but would try other wines of this label as well. Color of this wine is deep purple. Bouquet is rich blueberry and blackberry fruit. Palate is full and generous with intense fruit. Light tannins allow a nice, lingering, jammy finish. The web site has a fun description: "Deep, rich, and jammy. Blackberries invite cherries to slow dance, then sneak a warm, spicy kiss."

Fetzer Valley Oaks Gewurztraminer

Taste: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Price: $8 (Sam's Club)

This wine is lychee in a glass, with hints of honeyed apricot and peach, and is fabulous paired with Asian food, especially spicy PF Changs. The Fetzer web site recommends pairing with Jalapeno Jack - now that's one I'd like to try one day soon! For anyone who loves food and wine pairing, http://www.fetzer.com/ is a nice resource, utilizing their wines of course, but gives a broad range of ideas for each. They also have a wine pairing chart that matches each of their wines to: Cheese, Seafood, Poultry, Meats and Herbs & Spices.

2005 skn Napa Vally Cabernet Sauvignon

Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Price: $10.89 at Winechateau.com (normally $18)

skn stands for screw kappa napa and is created by winemakers Richard Bruno and Greg Kitchens for Don Sebastiani & Sons. I would describe this wine as dark garnet in color, with a nose of tobacco or coffee, ripe raspberry or blackberries, and vanilla oak. I agree with other reviews that it delivers classic Cabernet flavors of currants, blackberries, cherry preserves, black pepper, and cocoa with hints of cloves and earth. Compared to other Cabernets, it does not have strong tannins, so would be a great bridge for non-cab lovers. It is fruity like a Merlot, but with more body. Would definitely buy again at the $10 price.

Selena Chardonnay - Riverland Australia

Taste: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Price: $12-$14

I had the good fortune to taste this wine at a wine tasting with my sister-in-law outside Atlanta, and was very impressed. I recently opened the bottle I brought home and found it even better than I remembered, perhaps because, as the website points out, the buttered toast flavor continues to develop for up to two years. From the winemaker: "This wine displays a distinctive elegance and clarity of fruit. The colour is a vibrant straw with green tinges, while the bouquet is of citrus blossom and melon over a hint of freshly kneaded dough. The palate again shows a citrus and melon fruit flavours with a rich and creamy texture. The wine finishes crisp and clean zesty acidity." A very interesting description of the vinification can be found at http://www.salenaestate.com.au/tastingnotes/sechar.pdf

Banfi Rosa Regale

Taste: 5/5

Value: 4/5

Price $18-$24 (Sam's Club has best price)

This is one of my favorite sparkling wines, hands down! I had heard about it, but had the opportunity to taste it at Wine South in Atlanta a couple years back, and the only way to describe it is FUN - delightfully vivacious and festive! It is a sweeter wine, but what could be better than bubbly berries?!? Serve with anything from chocolate, to brunch, to Thanksgiving dinner - you won't be disappointed!

2005 Banfi Centine

Taste: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Price: $12-$15

This wine falls into the category of "Big Tuscans." Per the winery, Centine is a bright ruby-red youthful wine, intensely fruity with a lingering finish - a testament to its overall balance. It is an ideal companion to pasta, grilled or roasted red and white meats. Grape Varieties: 60% Sangiovese; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot. I find it to be more fruity and more enjoyable than a Chianti or Sangiovese, with a hint of chocolate covered raspberries, cinnamon and a touch of dustiness. It is one I plan to have in my cellar at all times!

2006 Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel

Taste: 5/5

Price: $18

Value: 4.5/5

I recently had the pleasure of tasting Zinfandels from across California: Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Lodi. I found that my favorites by far were the ones from Lodi, although I suspect the reason I liked them was not so much due to their locale, but to the fact that they were both old vine Zins. I found them both to have a wonderful jamminess to them. This very well may be my new favorite red! I recently bought Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin at $10 to see if I can get the same great experience for 1/2 the price.

2007 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Chardonnay

Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Price: $20 (Kroger sale $15)

From the winemaker: Nearly four decades ago we discovered that the west and southwestern regions of Sonoma County are ideal for growing Chardonnay grapes. The cool maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean arriving reliably in the form of fog each summer evening maintains the bright natural acidity that is key to the balance of any fine chardonnay, while the warm summer afternoons we enjoy ensure plenty of ripe fruit character. The 2007 vintage started off with a very dry spring, which tended to make for smaller clusters, smaller berries, and less canopy overall. The growing season was about as perfect as you would want, with warm afternoons and cool evenings, and a complete lack of hot or cold spells. With no weather problems at harvest time, few are surprised with the exceptional quality of this vintage, which will likely go down as one of the best in recent years.

We barrel fermented about 70% of this wine, and aged that portion in barrel for 5 months, offering the wine a touch of brown spice and vanilla, while cold fermenting the remainder to maximize a fresh fruit-forward character. Bright lemon and apple aromas mingle with hints of toasty barrel complexity, and on the palate, pear and pineapple with spice and refreshing acidity will have you coming back for another glass.

My comments: While a very good, enjoyable Chardonnay, it would be a second pick to the Chateau St Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay I wrote about previously. Lemon and buttery apple on the nose, fuller body with a good amount of crispness on the palate. Very toasty when aerated in the mouth.

2004 Concannon Central Coast Petite Sirah

Taste: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Price: $14-$18

I am not very familiar with Petite Sirah, other than knowing it is not the same as Syrah or Shiraz. "On its own, the flavor of Petite Sirah can be vaguely black peppery, but can mostly be described as "vinous" and, although agreeable, pleasant, and sometimes delicious, not highly distinctive. Nevertheless, wines made from Petite Sirah age slowly and can survive fairly long cellaring of ten years or more." According to the label, Concannon was the world's first winery to bottle Petite Sirah. I agreed with the description of this wine having depth and character from just the right amount of tannin, and being full-bodied, with rich cherry flavors. I also found it chewy with a long finish. Would definitely buy this taste above price point wine again.

2006 Chateau St Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay

Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Price: on sale $15 (reg $20)
Another Kroger bargain! When I have time to stop and browse the expansive wine aisle at Kroger, I'll pick up a few wines just because they are $5+ off regular price/the price you'd find at most wine shops. Today, I picked up this number, a Rodney Strong Sonoma Co Chardonnay, a Chateau Souverain Merlot and a Hogue late harvest Riesling - stay tuned.
Description by the winery's web-site: "Rich, luscious mouth-filling "best of region" wines [make up] the Indian Wells Series - jammy, fruit-driven reds and juicy, tropical whites. The region’s warm days cause the [chardonnay] grapes to assert sweet citrus and tropical characteristics, while the cool nights promote good structure, balance and flavor intensity."
This is one of the best Chardonnays I've had for the price and I intend to get more while on sale. The aroma is fresh bread and cream, the flavor is butter, pineapple, raw almond and toast. The balance is superb and the finish is lasting with just the right amount of toasty oak. For the record, I've also had the Indian Wells label of Cabernet and find it equally pleasing.

2005 Rosemount Estates Diamond Label Shiraz

Taste: 3.5/5

Value: 3.5/5

Price: $9-$12

I remember when you could buy this wine for $6-$7 a bottle! Then again, I remember when gas was under $2 a gallon, too. As the price goes up, I seem to like this wine a little less. Yesterday, when I opened it, I rated it 3/5, but it seemed to mellow a bit by this evening. At first opening, the aroma (and taste) of alcohol was a bit overwhelming. Day 2, however, it had nice balance. Present, but not overwhelming tannins and a nice jamminess. If I remember and have time, I would open it a good hour ++ before drinking - if I buy it again.

2006 Mandolino Muscato Santa Barbara

Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Price: $13-$16

I bought this wine at the recommendation of my friend/owner of our local wine shop. He told me if I didn't love it, he'd give me my money back, so my expectations were high. Even though I prefer off-dry whites, being a Moscato, I expected this to be too sweet for my taste. I was wrong. This wine was a perfect blend of a hint of sweetness (orange essence) and crisp acidity that would pair well with many lighter , and even spicy foods. Smells sweeter than it is. Their label claims texture, balance, and richness, and I agree! This is definitely a wine I would have on hand at all times.

2005 Kumkani Chardonnay/Viognier

Taste: 3/5

Value: 3/5

Price: $7

I don't think I've ever poured a wine the color of Mountain Dew before. The label describes this as a 79% Chardonnay 21% Viognier with bright aromas of lemon, peach, honeysuckle and vanilla with a rich flavor and a long satisfying finish. The flavor reminded me of granny smith apples and lemon curd, and not in a good way. I have had chardonnay/viognier blends that I like much better than this, such as the Wolf Mountain Chanteloup that I have written about previously, and was actually the flavor I was hoping to repeat. Chanteloup wine is fermented completely dry. The unique flavor of Chanteloup is achieved by blending 70% French Oak fermented and sur-lie aged Chardonnay with 30% stainless steel fermented Viognier. French Oak imparts a softer finish, and sur-lie means aged for a time on the lees, or yeasty precipitate that remains in the cask after fermentation, which leads to a distinctive yeasty (described as fresh and creamy) aroma and taste. I will continue to search for a blend more reminiscent of Chateloup, that I can actually get in Alabama, but would not buy Kumkani again.

2003 Poggio Alle Sughere Morellino di Scansano

Taste: 4/5
Value: 3.5/5
Price: $18
This is a Sangiovese blend from Tuscany, Italy. Made from 90% Morellino (the "kissing cousin" to Sangiovese - who knew?) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. I've not become a Chianti fan yet, as most I've tried have been flat and tannic to me. The Cabernet gives this wine nice structure. The night I opened this, I had it with penne pasta with meat sauce and was ready to buy a case! It was dark fruit and low tannin on the nose and full of raspberry, cranberry and black cherry flavors with an earthiness and a touch of tobacco. The finish is slightly spicy, long and supple. By long, I mean a few hours later I could still taste the pleasant finish. My disappointment came the next day. I was looking forward to having a glass after work, but found it much more tannic. Is it that being open one day made such a difference or my memory of the night before too fond? I don't know, but I would most likely keep a bottle of this on hand for future Italian meals or even steak. There is another Sangiovese I like, from GA of all places, made by Blackstock Winery in Dahlonega for $15 that is heavy on the tobacco flavor and divine, but hard to get unless you go to Publix in GA or the winery itself.

2006 Pierre Chainier Vouvray

Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Price: $10-$13

An unmistakable bottle as it is octagonal and yellow, with a plain label. I'm less familiar with Vouvray, which is apparently French Chenin Blanc. This is a semi-sweet wine with moderate acidity, so I suspect it would be good with food as well as for a sipping wine, which is how I had it. It was perfumey on the nose, so I was surprised to find it was refreshing and reminiscent of honeysuckle and pear. Would buy again.

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Cabernet

Taste: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Price: $25-$30

Please note, although it may seem like I drink an awful lot of wine, some of these posts come after a wine tasting or a glass at a friend's house. They are not all full bottles that I have opened and consumed!

This is the second time I have had the great fortune of trying this wine. Although more than I would typically pay for a bottle, I still give it a high value rating because it TASTES like a much more expensive bottle. The nose reminds me of a traditional library you might find in an old mansion, so I guess I would classify it as cedar, smoke and leather. People who don't like Cabs usually don't like the heavy tannins that bowl them over on the nose, let alone the taste. This wine is fruit forward and soft on the tannins. Rodney Strong wines are generally great. This is a winery I missed the first time and would like to visit on my next trip to Sonoma.

2003 Columbia-Crest Two Vines Cab-Merlot

Taste: 3.5/5

Value: 3/5

Price: $7-$10

The winemaker notes “Generous blackberry, black cherry and raspberry aromas and flavors unfold from the glass. This is a luscious, expressive wine with a soft, appealing finish” so at $7, I was excited to give this a try. I found the nose to be heavy on the alcohol and the overall experience nothing to write home about. A friend's opinion was that it was "ok". I would be much more apt to buy Alice White from Australia, which can be found $6-$10 in our local grocery stores.

2005 Three Blind Moose Merlot

Taste: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Price: $8-$10


I would definitely buy this Woodbridge, CA Merlot again. I found the nose to be dark berry fruit (black cherry and plum) and light oak, with smooth drinkability and flavor that mimicked the berry fruitiness. The oak and tannins were present in the finish in a nice, but not overwhelming balance. I could easily have looked down my nose at the whimsical label, but I would have missed out. I would enjoy taking this to a "blind" (no pun intended) tasting to get other people's opinions.
Notes from the winemaker: The grapes came primarily from vineyards in the Central Coast and Lodi regions, both excellent sources for high-quality Merlot. Mild summer weather and a relatively light crop in these areas contributed to an impressive concentration of color, aroma and flavor in the fruit, which was harvested in fine condition before the sun vamoosed and Jack Frost – or Jack Nicholson – came nipping at our heels. We night-harvested the fruit, crushed it into stainless steel fermenters, then inoculated the juice with a cultured yeast. (Yes, yeast are highly cultured.) The juice fermented for a week at 70-800 F. and was pumped over the grape skins several times daily to maximize extraction of color, flavor and tannin. A judicious dollop of French and American oak enhanced the wine’s texture and complexity, as did blending in small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel.

2006 Cline Viognier vs Wolf Mountain Chanteloup

Taste: 3.5/5
Value: 5/5
Price $10-$13

This wine is a drier, medium to full body, non-oaked wine. The aroma is heavy on the peach, but the flavor did not follow through for me. The wine review on the bottle reads: "a powerhouse of flavor that is full-bodied. It will make an excellent match with flavorful foods like Mediterranean stew and spicy Mexican dishes. Also recommended with lobster." I had it with Cajun tilapia, and found it too purfumey for my taste, as I do with most Viogniers, but as I mentioned in a previous post I favour the fruit forward wines. Although I am not likely to purchase it again, it is still a fantastic value at $10-$12, and I would not hesitate to give it as a gift to someone who likes purfumey wines.

Wolf Mountain Chanteloup

Taste: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Price: $20

In contrast, there is a Chardonnay/Viognier blend from GA of all places, called Chanteloup. The winery's description is: "French for "Song of the Wolf", Chanteloup is a medium-bodied dry white wine with a hint of French oak. This wine was fermented completely dry and offers an excellent balance of fruit, floral notes and delicate French Oak tannin imparting a softer finish. This unique flavor was achieved by blending 70% French Oak fermented and sur-lie aged Chardonnay with 30% stainless steel fermented Viognier. Enjoy with smoked seafood, poultry, white-meat dishes and soft cheeses." I first tried this wine with my sister-in-law when we did a GA wine weekend in Dahlonega.

So many wineries, so little time!

I would have to say my increase in wine consumption really took off after the birth of my second child. Coincidence? I went on a girls week to Napa with 3 of my friends from Colorado, only I couldn't drink much wine because I was 4 months pregnant. My doctor, whose name I will withhold, actually told me I could drink 1-2 glasses over the course of the day. Prior to this trip, I was still in the Merlot stage of wine drinking and had not yet crossed over to appreciation of Cabs. The most memorable wine of the trip was Frank Family Chardonnay, which continues to be one of my favorite Chardonnays if I'm going to splurge.
Last fall, I had the opportunity to return to Napa for a week with my sister. Vacationing with my beloved aside, this was one of the best vacations I have ever had! I am a planner, and a lot of the joy I get from traveling is in the anticipation and planning. We booked our trip 18 months in advance, and spent the 6 months prior to the trip looking over winery maps of Napa and Sonoma, planning 5-6 wineries each day, going to web sites, and looking for classes we could take. Interestingly, we struck out on classes until the month or so of our trip when we hit payload! There were so many great moments, I'm sure I'll forget some, but we started out with a wine and cheese tasting at V Sattui, where we got to taste Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the vineyard. This was my first experience pairing a rose (Gamay Rouge) with BBQ, and Blue Cheese with Port. Both were out of this world! We later visited a small winery called Havens (so small we didn't think they were open when we first arrived) - known for their Albarino, and ended the day at Domaine Chandon with a flight of Champagne (not a Champagne fan myself) and a tomato mozzarella salad. Other highlights from the trip were sitting on the hill overlooking the vineyards at Viansa in Sonoma, visiting Chateau St Jean (one of my favorite wine portfolios), the progressive tasting at Sterling, a wine class at the Franciscan where we were the only two students, and a winemakers dinner at Copia. There are so many memories I am leaving out, but those are the ones that flood instantly to memory.
So why is Chateau St Jean one of my favorite wine portfolios? You know how after hearing a live performance, the music takes on a more personal meaning? That's what happened to me at the winemakers dinner at Copia, which was sponsored by Chateau St Jean. Hearing Margo talk about how she cultivates and blends her wines made them more personal for me, hence my listing of her wines as a favorite portfolio. Never in my life have I ever tasted a $100 bottle of wine. Never would I have believed that it could be so much better than a $15 bottle of wine, but I almost succumbed to temptation and spent $100 on this bottle of Cinq Cepages. BTY, I recently found it for $50 on some web sites. Anyway, I talked myself out of it because I tend to save $20 bottles of wine for special occasions, when would I ever be able to bring myself to open a $100 bottle of wine?!? My wonderful sister gave me a bottle of Cinq Cepages for Christmas last year. I'm saving it for my 40th birthday or some other monumental occasion.
If I lived in CA, which I will never do, I would have to give up a weekend a month to work at a winery, because then you get a reciprocal 30% discount at most of the wineries! My only complaint, well more a disappointment, about the trip, was that the wines you taste are typically their limited production, so you can only buy them at the winery or through their website. So many of the wines I brought home, I don't want to open, because I feel like they are irreplaceable. I was also surprised at the amount of money spent on tastings alone - $10-$25/tasting, 5-6 tastings/day over 6 days - well, you can do the math!

A good wine sale

The other day, I had to stop by Kroger to pick up some chips for our fajita dinner. I didn't really have to go to Kroger, per se, but they have a really good wine selection. I live in AL, where it is legal to sell wine and beer in the grocery store, but until recently it was not legal to have wine shipped to AL. Anyway, since I needed chips and didn't want the hassle of the Walmart checkout, I went to Kroger, where I could also puruse their wine selection. I had a couple run of the mill bottles written down that I wanted to try to find. I have a wine review book by Andrea Immer that I went through after I bought it and marked various wines that sounded like ones I would want to try. She uses a panel of tasters to rate wines on both taste and value scales and even gives each wine a grade on how well it ages in the few days after the bottle is opened. After a good 30 minutes of just walking up and down the wine aisle, reading different bottles, my gaze fell upon 'R' Napa Valley Cabernet (Raymond Estates) that was on sale for $13. This is normally a $20+ bottle of wine that I had previously purchased at a wine tasting at my favorite wine shop. I hadn't been that excited over buying wine since Leap Day, when I got a one day offer from winechateau.com for free shipping! I ended up leaving with 2 bottles of R, a bottle of Chateau St Michelle Indian Wells Cab, a bottle of Covey Run Riesling, a bottle of Three Blind Moose Merlot and a bottle of BV Coastal Estates Pinot Noir. All in all, a great wine outing!

How I became a wine lover

When I try to remember how, exactly, I became a wine lover, I really can't say. By that, I mean, I really don't know. I didn't grow up in a wine producing area or in a wine drinking family. I didn't drink my first big red and think "this is it". I could say that the dietitian in me buys into the health benefits of wine, but the truth is, I just love wine! I "specialize" in the $15 and under wines for everyday consumption. I used to feel guilty about the amount of money I spend on wine, but a wise friend (my sister) pointed out that, unlike most women, I don't get my nails done and I don't get highlights, so when you add it up I'm getting off cheap - almost.

Like many wine drinkers, I started out with White Zinfandel, thinking I was a wine drinker. Now, when I happen upon said WZ drinker, it's hard not to snicker. In fact, having become a wine lover, it took me until just last year that I could even bring myself to buy a bottle of anything rose, and that came after a trip to Napa with my sister, who is also my best friend, where we were served Gamay Rouge with BBQ, and it was incredible! I'll share more about that trip in a later post.

I would describe my taste preference as sweeter whites and bolder reds, fruit forward vs floral. Two of my favorite wines are Covey Run Riesling ($8) and Liotro (an Italian red ~$12). I love that I can drink a glass of wine one day and like it, have it with a meal the next day and love it. I love that I can taste a gazillion different Chardonnays or Merlots or Cabs and they will all have their own nuances, some I may not care for, some I may appreciate, and some I may fall head over heels for, all depending on where the grapes were grown, the climate and soil conditions, and how the winemaker ages and blends the juice. I love that a wine I drink by myself may be good, but the same wine shared with a friend may be phenomenal. I love that I can drink a Cab and get bowled over by the tannins, then pair it with blue cheese and all I taste is juicy fruit. I love the way wine looks in a wine glass - the right wine glass. I'm not saying I have Reidel glasses for every type of wine I drink, but I do have my (rather large) multipurpose red and multipurpose white glasses. It's just not the same drinking wine out of "Olive Garden" type wine glasses.

It is rare that I don't have a bottle of wine open that I drink over 3-4 days, and since I am given to enjoying a good bit of wine, I thought it prudent to start a wine blog to help me keep track of what I've tried and what I've liked!