So Here I Go Again

Whitesnake 2008 Russian River Valley Zinfandel ($: Free)

Tuesday night Beth and I traveled to Haddonfield, NJ to meet up with some of Beth's high school friends. Fast forward to the latter part of the evening; there's an empty bottle of Riesling, an empty bottle of Pinot Gris, an empty half-bottle of Sharrott's cranberry wine (yes, made from 100% New Jersey cranberries), and a half empty bottle of DiMatteo's Pasquale Red, a local sweet blend of Concord and Ives (think Welch's with a big kick), all resting on Maria and Jim's beautiful brand new granite countertop.

It was a great night of sweet wine and sweet conversation, often about wine. So, as the evening was winding down and Maria asked, "do you like Zin's?" After the consumption I witnessed, I responded with, "Red?"

Maria then left the room, I'm assuming to some secret wine stash, a cellar perhaps? and returned with a beautifully labeled bottle of Whitesnake Zin, (which, oh, btw, she designed) for us to take home. Free wine? Oh gosh, I couldn't.

Gotta admit, I don't know much about Whitesnake. I floored Beth by admitting I hadn't seen the video to "Here I Go Again," because, 1.) I'm much younger than she, and B.) I grew up believing that inside every cablebox lived the devil.

I guess I had pretty low expectations for the bottle, because I was floored by its quality. Great nose, big initial cherry, peppery pop with a long, smooth finish. Wow, a very tasty wine. It was after all, an 08 Russian River Valley Zin. It should be solid, right? My only issue is that I had it without food, and I think it's a bigger wine that would have gone really well with a steak. My fault.

Hey Bompensa's, next time we visit, how about less of the sweet stuff and more Whitesnake Zin, huh?

Grade: B+ (Projected grade with said steak: A-)
Beth's Grade: B

Twill Be the Night Before Christmas

Easily the coolest tradition I married into is the way New Jersey Catholic Italians celebrate Christmas Eve. Tonight, Christmas Eve, brings the "Feast of the Seven Fishes," which is a 7 course seafood meal that spans over 5 hours while consuming 8+  bottles of wine.

We'll kick off the appetizer round with (1) Beth's baked crab dip, (2) and crab claws (my favorite, I think), (3) shrimp cocktail, and (4) salmon tar-tar. There will also be some spreads and cheeses, which I waited 35 minutes in line for yesterday at Bagliani's, one of the local Italian markets that had a police officer stationed in the street directing traffic. I can't make this stuff up.  

Once we're full from grazing on apps for hours, we'll make our way to the table. Tonight's menu promises (5) Uncle Pete's calamari (pronounced by New Jerseyians "gallamon") stew, (6) Uncle Pete's crab cakes. Did I mention that Uncle Pete works as a chef's assistant at a fancy restaurant? Lucky us. Then we'll cap off the seafood portion of the night with (7) Uncle Pete's pesto with shrimp.

No seafood for dessert. Beth was busy yesterday making cookies. Seven types, I think.

It's pretty much open bar with Joe tending all night, so we picked up a little bit a this and a little bit a that. I'll probably go Riesling out of the gate and then switch to Pinot. I picked up Duck Pond, which used to be one of my favorites  a few years back.  For the main course, I think we're tapping into that middle bottle; a local, yes, South Jersey Cabernet Franc from Sharrott Winery in Winslow. Sounds undesirable, probably. But it was a gold medal winner and goes for $60 or so. Twas really tasty last year when we visited the winery.

I must mentally prepare for tonight. I lied, Max spilled powdered sugar, gotta vacuum. Merry Christmas to all!

Just What My Doctor Ordered

"Phantom" Bogle Vineyards 2008 Blend ($14.99)


Full disclosure: I was put on an antibiotic today for a sinus infection and have sucked on 20+ Halls since 7 AM, so my palate might not be up to whatever standards it usually is. I did make sure to ask my doctor if drinking wine on said antibiotic was permitted and she gave me the green light. So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

Jared sent me a text awhile back saying he and his lovely wife liked this wine, so I searched amongst the other Bogle bottles at Hi-Times, then asked for help and was led to the cellar with the fancy bottles.

See, I view Bogle as being somewhere in the Mondavi/BV category. Maybe? They seem to make a lot of wines in the $8-15 range that are readily available at every drugstore right next to the Carlo Rossi jugs and Frenzia boxes. So, sort of for the same reasons I've never ordered a $6 Burger from Carl's Jr., I don't typically pick up or have much interest in Mondavi/BV/Bogle's pricier labels. I leave the fancier things to people who make fancy things. Maybe I'm missing out. Is the $6 Burger any good?

I read the Wine Spectator cover article on Tim Mondavi and they referred to the "cash cow" labels that the Robert Mondavi Corp. (and many of the big wineries)  produce in mass to meet the demands of Wall Street and being a publicly traded company. Tim talks about how these labels eroded their image and I have to agree. The association I have with the bigger wine makers would have never led me to picking up a bottle of the Phantom.

Perhaps I need to change my stance on these labels. Beth and I really liked the Phantom. It's a blend of Zin, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre. Pre dinner I thought the Petite Sirah stood out and was a little tart, but after letting it open up for awhile and pairing it with some tasty filets, it was really good. It was a nice change of pace. Big, full bodied, zippy, yet different. Nice suggestion, thanks.

I've reserving a grade until I can breathe through my nose.

Hi-Time Finds

In preparation for holiday spending, and promising myself not to give Max a bowl of corks for Christmas, I loaded up on cheaper, ok cheap wine, or as Johnny likes to say, "lower hanging fruit." Not that my lower hanging fruit looks or tastes anything like his. Mine's probably better served for cooking in comparison, but hopefully you get the point.

November's newsletter from Hi-Time  caught my eye, and once I was there I picked up a few bottles surrounding the bottles in their promo. I picked up a bottle of the Wine of the Month, the Beaujolias-Villages, but didn't get to it on Turkey Day and left it in Arizona. Aimee, let me know how that worked out!

3 of the 4 above were really solid. Left to right, the Garnacha De Fuego ($6.95), was great. I picked up a 3rd bottle today at Total Wine. Very flavorful, yet not as heavy as a Cab or Zin. Actually finished off a bottle tonight with salmon for dinner. I wouldn't have felt cheated had it been $12. Buy.

The Farque 2006 Syrah ($5.95) was featured in the newsletter. It was my least favorite of the four and the only one where I felt like I got what I paid for. A little too harsh, too bitey. Pass.

Dona Paula 2009 Los Cardos Malbec ($6.95) was a ridiculous value. This could have easily been a $15 bottle. Actually one of the better Malbecs I've had in awhile. Very solid bottle at a phenomenal price. Buy.

Last, but not least; Excelsior 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($6.95). I had the lowest expectations for this South African Cab. Surprisingly, and thankfully, I thought it rocked. It had a little spicy zip at first, then mellowed out. It was very flavorful with a nice long finish. A little research shows that Wine Enthusiast gave this 88 points. Sounds about right to me. A great pickup for under $7. Buy.

Hopefully, if you actually pursue any of these bottles, they're still available. I got my December newsletter today and the top 3 Cabs of 2011 I read about on the front page are priced at $300, $175, and $139.95! How many readers do I need for that to be my lower hanging fruit? Spread the word!

Standing. In the Shower. Thinking.

Note to self: Type blog posts after showering. It's where I do some solid thinking.

As I was reminiscing on spreads of Thanksgiving Days past and thinking about failed wine pairings that I was certain would draw rave reviews, I concluded that something's gotta give or else I can expect the same lack luster results this Thursday. It's too late for me to change the wine lineup, and probably the menu, but my God, my diet and fluid consumption sure has changed. Thankfully. I think.

Thursday will probably be the only day of the year, save maybe a hung-over Denny's breakfast of chicken-fried steak, where I'll put gravy on anything, especially meat. I'll have that piled next to some cream of something based somethings. I didn't realize how odd it was that I grew up with no less than three (3!) Jello based side dishes until my Mother-in-law asked, "Beth Marie, Why do they eat Jello for Thanksgiving?" as she's preparing pasta and red sauce. Throw that next to some canned cranberry sauce that looks like Alpo and we've got ourselves a feast fit for a pilgrim but not a fine(ish) wine lover.

Next year I say we either scrap the traditional smorgasbord to accompany great wine or I go back to Hawaiian Punch.

Turkey Day Wine List

Since thousands have asked about which wines will be on the table to accompany the Eldridge/Smith Family bird, here goes...

In the white department we've got a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc favorite from Hi-Times. I think Aimee will dig it, plus it should make a nice pregame beverage:

Also in the white department, two of my favorite German Rieslings:

The Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiller goes for 8-10 bucks. I've picked it up at the Tustin Total Wine and I was able to direct my dad to it at the Tucson location. If I recall correctly, it scored a 92 points from Spectator. A very nice, green appley Riesling, again, if I recall correctly.

The Monchhof is a 2010 Turkey Day find from Hi-Times. I've had it a few times since and loved it every time. A very smooth bottle.

As for the reds, we're going with:

The Beaujolais-Villages is the Hi-Times November Wine of the Month. It goes for $8.99 (I think) and I also saw it yesterday at the grocery store here in Arizona.

The Inman Family 2007 Pinot was a WTSO purchase that Tom thinks I won't enjoy. We shall see.

I've never really found a wine to go with the Thanksgiving Day meal. Perhaps, Matt Money Smith of the "Petros and Money Show" is right when he said there's too many flavors on a traditional Thanksgiving Day plate that if you think about it, don't really go together, so it makes pairing wine nearly impossible. He suggests a nice, rich Brown Ale.

I'd love to hear what you're cracking Thursday. I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers!

A Peaceful Easy Feeling

What an enjoyable Saturday. Granted, it took rain, 2 semi-sick kids, good football games and wine to enjoy it, but I (we) enjoyed it none the less. There's a chance you know that I've been wanting to try the Pinot Noir that the Jansen's gave us as a token of appreciation for watching James. I guess I was waiting for a good food pairing? Maybe I was holding out for the right non-week day opportunity? Either way, I decided to make salmon for dinner (I decided to tell my wife to make salmon for dinner), therefor tonight was the night for Pinot.

Belle Glos 2009 Pinot Noir

If you did any fact checking on my Riesling post below (scroll down till you see two adorable boys in Michigan jerseys), you know why I dropped out of the school of journalism. I said that the Wellesley Wine Press wrote about the Riesling, when they didn't. That was someone else. But they did rave about this bottle of Pinot, and I can clearly see why. 

As I said, we opted for salmon for dinner. The problem (problem?) was that around 2:30, watching the Michigan game, beer just wasn't cutting it for me and with the cloud coverage and the time change, it looked late enough to start drinking wine. So I did. 

Opening the bottle was/is my biggest complaint. It had a candle waxy thing going on instead of the usual foil coverage. I shouldn't have to know my way around The Home Depot to open a bottle of wine, should I?

Anyway, this wine was a success on its own, with our appetizer of Cheddar Chex Mix, with our fabulous main course, and even out of my nose. See, mid-meal, Max, who's been really into planets this week asked somewhat out of the blue and mid-sip, "Dad, what if I call Uranus, Uranus-anus?" Hence, me giggling like a 7th grader, and nearly choking on my wine. It was still good, barely burning my nostrils. 

It's hard for me to use adjectives for Pinot. It's either enjoyable or it's not, and this one was awesome. It was bigger and chewier than most I've had lately (or ever). Smoother too. Very, very enjoyable wine. I agree with Tom's assessment that this was better than the LWC from a few months back. It was that good. 

Tom, we will work for wine anytime. Thanks again. 

Grade: A / 4 (I stole some sips from Beth)

Beth's Grade: A-

The Specialist Occasion Wine

If you stare long enough at the T.V. in the background, the Bears will jump off-sides again.

Amusee Cellars 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (60% off: $29.99)


Twice this fall I've had the pleasure of drinking Amusee, and it just so happened that both times were to celebrate huge, monumental occasions. Johnny and I went in on this wine from WTSO about three months ago. According to their sale at the time, the original price for the bottle was $75 and as John pointed out, the winemaker, Reed Renaudin, used to be at Screaming Eagle, which as avid followers of PurpleTooth, I think I'll put a bottle of Screaming Eagle on my Christmas list, in case you were wondering what to get me.

Anyway, I had it Friday for the 2nd time to celebrate 9 years of mawwiage. The first time was at Johnny's house and he cracked it to celebrate the return of the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.

On the first go 'round I thought it was a huge Napa Cab. As the write-up said, "Full bodied, powerful, and enormously endowed." We had a glass then tore into pizzas and the wine was phenomenal from start to finish. Super smooth with a nice long finish.

He said, "Endowed."

Friday night we opened it before putting steaks on the grill. It again was great, but didn't seem like the same bottle of wine. It had a little bit, just a touch of a not quite ripe cherry. It reminded me of the last few times I've had Chimney Rock, which I really like, but wouldn't put at the top of my all-time favorites list. I thought it got a lot better with dinner, but finishing up the bottle afterwards, again, I didn't find that same huge, smooth bottle I had the first time around.

Round 1 Grade: A
Round 2 Grade: B+
Beth's Grade: "Oh, an A"

For Everything Else, There's Mastercard

2 Tickets to Des Moines (It's a city in Iowa): Around $700.

Rental car, hotel in Ames, food, and unhealthy amounts of Natural Light: $400ish.

2 Tickets to an Iowa State game: Free? 

No, they were playing Texas, so maybe $60.

Coming home to see that Uncle Jason converted your son into a Wolverine fan: Priceless.

We thought we were working for free, but turns out the going rate for watching the oldest Jansen boy for a weekend is 2 solid bottles of wine. I've only gotten into the Riesling so far. The highly hyped Pinot (by Tom) will hopefully not stay on the rack through the weekend (that's called foreshadowing!). 

Der Bucket 2009 Riesling Spatlese

As Tom always does, he did his research. This time from The Wellesley Wine Press, which I think is a blog written by a guy who does what I do, but way more serious and has a much bigger budget. Maybe. Anyway,  he really liked this Riesling. I like Riesling. Tom likes me. So I scored a bottle. 

A few months ago (on this special day. Sorry, gotta scroll down) I picked up this whopping 95 point Riesling Spatlese because it was a special day and because it was 95 points. Had I not been so consumed  with the rating and actually listened to the lady explain EXACTLY the question I'd asked about Spatlese, I would have heard her say something about the grapes being the same, but they are left on the vine about 2 weeks longer than normal, thus losing their plumpness, shrinking up and becoming much more concentrated and sweeter. 

I guess she knew what she was talking about. This was a very sweet, Gewurtzraminer like wine. Very tropical fruitish, somewhat syrupy, yet very smooth. Not so smooth that it reminded anyone of "flat pop," but smooth in a normal good wine way. 

I really enjoyed it. But I also loved the other Spatlese I had and enjoy Gewurtzraminer. I can definitely see how this wouldn't be for everyone (including Beth), but also see how it came so highly recommended. 

Grade: Priceless

Beth's Grade: "Too sweet"

T1 Report Card

The first trimester is coming to a close, which means I have some grading to do.
A quick scroll through the 25 posts (Wow, I've been drinking. Lots) since my "Summer School Awards" has me thinking this may not be a report card for the fridge.

1st Period: Cabernet Sauvignon    
Grade: A
Citizenship: O (outstanding)

Comments              
Works well independently
Communicates ideas clearly with expression

Cab is still king. I've only had a few the past few months, and the ones I had were pricey, but hot-damn, with food, without food, on picnics or ass kickin' WTSO purchases, this is a good grape.

2nd Period: Pinot Noir
Grade: C+
Citizenship: N (needs improvement)

Comments             
Inconsistent class work
Difficulty staying on task

Perhaps I've vented enough about Pinot lately. 






Tremendous upside, but can leave you feeling like this girl's walk of shame.




3rd Period: Anything From Italy
Grade: F
Citizenship: U (unacceptable)

Comments              
Minimal effort / participation
Needs to apply editing / revision skills
Poor performance on assignments / tests
Parent conference requested

I give up. Italy gets the FU report card. How can the food be so good and wine such a huge part of the culture only to underwhelm and disappoint me time and time again? I'm afraid to go back to New Jersey after typing this, but Italy is being recommended for Saturday School.

4th Period: Zinfandel
Grade: A+
Citizenship: O

Comments              
Excellent effort / participation
Shows cooperative / positive attitude
Completes quality homework

Zin has reached the "Boom Shocka Locka" stage. I can't remember the last bad bottle of Zin I've had and a lot of what I've been buying has been under $12.


He's on fire!


5th Period: Sauvignon Blanc
Grade: C
Citizenship: S-


Comments               
Needs to use self-control
Frequently sleepy / tired
Missing/incomplete / inconsistent homework

Wow, what a difference a few months make. Back when the weather was hot and girls was dressin' less, this was the summertime go-to. Now? It's more like counting on Josh Freeman to quarterback your fantasy team to victory on a Monday night. He could. The Bucs are 4-3. Or he could throw 4 picks and put up 5 points like he did in week 5.

I'm recommending testing of Sauvignon Blanc for Bipolar Disorder.

Yes, that's Man E Faces

6th Period: Riesling
Grade: A
Citizenship: O


Comments              
Effort has led to progress
A pleasure to have in class

Riesling has become the Melissa Sue of the Fall. It can do no wrong except perhaps be too sweet. There's a plethora of tasty German Rieslings starting at $8 that satisfy predinner, with apps, spicy foods, fish, chicken, or in place of water on a hot day.

That gives a Trimester 1 GPA of 2.72. That F will get you kicked off the football team, the C average will get you grounded for 2 weeks.

What does it all mean? Probably nothing, other than if you come over soon (and we'd like you to) we'll be serving Riesling, Zin, or Cab!

White Out

Perhaps this would have been a better choice?

Saturday night Beth made her Uncle Pete's famous pesto sauce with shrimp and cavatellis, so I followed the book and paired it with a Sauvignon Blanc from, you guessed it, Marlborough, New Zealand. 

Cottesbrook 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($10.99)

I opened it while Beth was cooking and knew I wasn't going to dig it. I then broke out some cheese and crackers and still no dice. I thought it was really tinny, metallicish. Beth thought it was very grassy. Either way, I didn't like it. I didn't dump it (yet) because I wanted to try it with the Pesto, but I decided if wine was going to play a role in an enjoyable Saturday evening, I'd need to execute Plan B. 

Plan B:

Colome 2010 Torrontes ($12.95)


I grabbed this at Hi Times a while back for two reasons. One, Colome makes one of the better Malbecs around, and B, I'd only had Torrontes (that's a grape) one other time, which happened to be the Summer School, "Kermit" award winner from Crios.

It was very different. I thought it had a light, yet sort of floral taste, with pineapple. Beth tasted a lot of peach. We both wished it were crisper and thought it was bland, but an improvement over the Blanc.

The Verdict:
Neither bottle was very impressive, but I didn't want to open a third bottle with dinner out of principal. Should I have? I say no, and here's why I'm glad I didn't. Having been cheated of a good wine buzz after an awesome Saturday night meal, I decided to crack open another bottle after the kids were in bed.  I went with Clancy's, winner of the Summer School "The Seals" award.  I thought it tasted really tart. Not at all what I remember it tasting like.

I corked everything and over the past 2 nights revisited each bottle, cashing 2 and dumping 1. Turns out, I think, the garlic of pesto was too overpowering for anything I had to throw at it.

Numbered grading scale lives here

Grades: 
Sauvignon Blanc: D- / 1 (The dumper)
         Beth's Grade: D


Torrontes: C / 2 (Much better tonight with shrimp tacos)
Beth's Grade: C


FWIW, Clancy's went back to usual delicious self the next night.

Wine Class Review

About a month ago, Beth and I went to a wine class at Total Wine. I mentioned this a while back, and apologize for saying I'd have a write-up soon. I can only imagine how hard it is to hold your breathe that long. Won't happen again. 

Pictures? Pictures:

They send me emails all the time, and finally the "Sauvignon Blanc & Cabernet Sauvignon" class caught my eye. I signed us up to see what was up. 

The Good

We got to spend a Thursday night sampling 12 (6 each) Sav Blancs and Cabs from around the world. I really liked learning about where each of the grapes are grown, why they're grown there, then getting to see, smell, and taste the difference distance makes on the same varietal. And there was a huge difference.

For the record, I confirmed, at least from these 6 Sauvignon Blancs that I prefer Marlborough, New Zealand by a wide margin. As for the Cabs, I liked them all but the French Bordeaux. Way too dry and chalky for my palate. My favorite hailed from Washington state and I think sold for $60 or so. 

We got some tasting note sheets that could have helped me take notes if I ever took notes, which I don't. But they looked cool. They did help me pay more attention to the details of each wine. So that was nice. 

I was also able to rule out becoming a sommelier in the near future. I thought it sounded intriguing, now I don't think it's for me. More on that later, but it's good to know you don't want a career change before you invest in changing careers. 

The Bad

From the table set up and power point presentation, I could have been back at National University except I was getting a buzz and we didn't break for Quizno's. There was no confusing this "class," with a winery's tasting room, and as Beth pointed out, the ambiance is what makes tasting great for her over exploring wines. For me, it's a combination of the two. I don't really enjoy wineries that pour wines I find undrinkable. I wish they'd held this at their wine bar instead of their back classroom. 

The Ugly

What is it about adults and classes that brings out such unique individuals? Aside from the guy in Hansen's barrel room that burped and blew it on the back of my head, I can't really recall anyone else in any tasting room that annoyed me. Yet in one classroom, there were, again, several unique people that I'd rather not drink wine with again. 

There were a few people, that after a few tastes, were cracking dorky jokes with Mike, the host. Mike's jokes got worse and his "Crazy good!" tagline with the white guy shoulder shrug dance came more frequently. 

Then there was this girl:

"One time, in Som class..."

She had an answer for everything. Mike would ask, "What do you taste?" 

Som class's answer, "cassis!" or, "limestone!" 

Mike would respond with, "yeah, yeah, goodstuff."

Finally I asked how I'd know if I were tasting limestone or cassis and of course Som class told me that in Som class they had to know, so she'd bought every herb and spice available at Whole Foods. Ugh.

Combine her with the red faced guy, also taking Som classes, making the obnoxious noises and loud sniffing sounds while tasting and I think I'm 1 and done with wine classes at Total Wine. 

Pinots and Pumpkins

The Jansen's came by, and while the they were doing this:

Tom and I got into this:

On the left, Bedrock 2009 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) $39.99

And on the right, Nicolas Potel Maison Roche De Bellene Volnay Taille Pieds Premier Cru 2009 Pinot Noir $39.00



"I don't always drink California Pinots. But when I do, I've noticed a lot of them taste like Bedrock."

Ironically, we saw that commercial while carving pumpkins. 

Bedrock was a little light in color, and had a good solid nose. There was a lot of strawberry jamminess going on. Beth, Tom and I thought it was good not great. Meg thought she answered wrong by liking it a lot. 

This wine is a great reminder of why I ventured away from Pinot for a while. When I wasn't enjoying "the good ones" at $25-$40, I figured the grape just wasn't for me. Then Johnny dropped the Williams Selyem bomb on us, Jared threw LWC my way, Wine Spectator said the 2009 California Pinot vintage was the best thing invented since the Rubix Cube, and I'm back on the Hot Tamale Pinot Train.

Perhaps I need a bigger bodied Pinot? Maybe my palate's screwed up? Either way, I was left feeling like I don't get it and Pinot is the worst valued varietal on the market. I'm not trying to pile on Bedrock. "It's not your fault." But I'm close to putting Pinot with Tri-Tip as things other people like and I never need to order (I go pulled pork EVERY time). 

Bedrock Grade: C

Beth's Grade: C-

The French wine was sort of Johnny's doing. About 6 weeks ago on a Friday night, right before kick-off of CDM's first game, I got a WTSO email for a $113 Pinot being sold for $39.99. I forwarded it to John, who I'm sure had already received the email, with a message of "Wtf?"Around halftime John replied, saying he'd "already made an executive decision and bought (me) a bottle." That's a good friend.

As for the wine, what a difference 6,000 miles makes. The WTSO write up says, "Layers upon layers of complex flavors." I was going to describe it as "different," but I'll go with what they said. The finish was  the most interesting thing to me. There was almost no finish, super smooth. I'm not sure if that's really awesome and that's what I paid for or if it was overpriced and for $40 I should have had a more flavorful, longer finish. Either way, I liked it, but didn't love it. 

Grade: B-
Beth's Grade: "Probably the same."

The winner of the evening? Pure pumpkin carving awesomeness. 

Not All d'Arenberg's Are Created Equal

d'Arenberg's d'Arry's Original 2007 50% Shiraz/50% Granache ($14.99)

This is not this:

I knew the blend I picked up from Total Wine was not The Dead Arm, the $50ish bottle of Shiraz seen above. I went with the, "Well, The Dead Arm is one of the better wines I've had, this bottle's gotta be pretty good too, right?" buying philosophy. Remind me not to assume all of a winery's wines are the same. They're not. I knew that too. I'm a little mad at my purchase. But I've had The Stump Jump, also from d'Arenberg, and I remember it being better than this.

I'm also a little mad that I paired this with the ravioli and butternut squash recipe from Real Simple. That dish gets an A. Wow, nice work Marie and Beth. This wine was too big, too chewy and too tart for that dish. The next time we have that dish, I think I'll go either Pinot or Riesling.

Grade: D+ / 1.5


In other consumption news:

Montebuena 2009 Rioja (100% Tempranillo) ($9.99) 
Robert Parker Rating: 90 Points


Total Wine's been pumping this wine up for a while. A few of their advertisement/coupon emails have mentioned this, and when I walked into the store last week, I almost tripped on the way too big floor display.

It was okay. Nothing to write me emails about. We had (some of it) last night with baked chicken and veggies. Again, not too shabby. I felt neither ripped off nor impressed. I finished it this evening and felt the same way. Just all right for me.

Grade: C / 2

The Riesling Throw Down

Monchhof 2010 Riesling $13.99


We cracked German Rieslings on consecutive evenings. This one, Monchhof, I picked up from Hi-Times. We had it with pork chops and it wowed the dinner table. Phenomenal balance, not too sweet, yet no tartness, great flavor, and super smooth. There was nothing about this wine that I didn't like. I'm thinking this may be my Thanksgiving Day turkey match.


Grade: A / 4

Bree 2010 Riesling $9.99

No, that's not a top-shelf Vodka bottle. 

I grabbed this at Total Wine. It was priced right and I was really intrigued by the sleek, clubby bottle shape. Note to self: Assume sleek, clubby bottle shapes are as big of a red flag as cheesy labels from poorly named wineries.

Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad. But following the Monchhof and it's trendy bottle, I was hoping for something better. If I didn't pour my glass myself, I would have sworn it was a Sauvignon Blanc. It had a tropical fruity nose and that pineapple juice flavor that I found a few times this past summer. Not my thing.

Grade: C- / 2

1st Ever Purpletooth Movie Review!

Saturday was a big night. Not only were we excited about the Wiens Zin, but Beth and I had the kids in bed before 8 and watched a movie. Repeat, WE WATCHED A MOVIE! Not all of it, but most of it and then finished in the morning, but still, a big night. 

The Flick: 

A few months ago, my sister went wine tasting in Arizona. She said she had a good time and mentioned that the lead singer of Tool had his wine there and that she'd tried it. Cool enough. 

Sometime later, high school friend, fellow ASU Alum, and Purpletooth member, Pablo Rodriguez mentioned that he and his wife had gotten into wine and gave this movie, "Blood Into Wine," a strong recommendation. I added it to my Netflix que that night, and finally got around to watching it. 

This is a documentary about Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of Tool and A Perfect Circle, and his start-from-scratch winery in Jerome, Arizona. Tool's sound and crowd didn't really seem to translate to wine, I still, for some reason, assumed Maynard was just a millionaire putting his name on a label. Turns out, he's pretty darn dedicated and passionate about his endeavor. 

I thought they did a really good job of telling Maynard's story (though I didn't think I cared), showing the challenges of establishing a winery, in Arizona no less, explaining the importance and influence of terroir, and then providing a unique insight into the wine industry. Add in a pretty cool soundtrack and you've got yourself a worthy rental. 

Thank you Pablo, good call! 

I'm A Wiener!

Wiens 2009 Zinfandel ($19.99)

This was the only bottle of wine I brought back from Temecula. As I mentioned in the Pitt Wedding Recap, this was the 2nd stop of the day for me and Beth. We both really liked the atmosphere and vibe at Wiens, which I thought may have influenced my decision to buy a bottle. The 09 Zin was the first of the 8 or so wines we tried there. I liked it, thought it was a little light for a Zin, but figured it would be enjoyable. I also liked that at $20, it was the cheapest bottle of red on the tasting menu. Bonus. 

We cracked this Saturday night with some pizza while babysitting Mr. James Jansen. We didn't need wine to get through the night, the kids were great, but this sure didn't make the evening worse. 

We were both surprised at how much flavor the wine had. There was nothing light or delicate about it. It had a really nice, flavorful, raspberryish pop and a long spicy, yet smooth finish. I thought it was very similar to the Old Vine Sobon Zin that I've had a few times lately. I must say, it exceeded my expectations.  

Grade: B+ / 3

Beth's Grade: B+

Sunday Recap

Beth and I headed out to Temecula for the "Instant Classic" Przytarski wedding. We got on the road at 9:30 in the morning to take full advantage of our day in wine country. Let's take a look back at the day that was as I count em down, worst-to-first, Casey Kasem style:

#11: Ponte

Ponte, our first stop, blew. Not only did the wines stink (I didn't have very high expectations for Temecula wineries, just wanted a fun day) but $20 per tasting anywhere outside of Napa is ridiculous. I thought the tasting room was boring and the people working the bar didn't do anything special. On your next trip to Temecula, keep driving past Ponte.


#10: Longshadow Ranch

This was stop #4 of the afternoon. Tom had scouted it out online and it had high reviews. It's located next to a pumpkin patch, had horse stables on the grounds, a lively private party outside, cool tunes playing inside the tasting room, and lots of people. I thought maybe, just maybe, we'd found a gem.

The wines were slightly better than terrible. We did quite a bit of dumping. What offended me/us the most, and I'm getting nauseous typing this, was that most of the wines smelled like raw ground beef. Yeah, seriously. Like we were ready to patty up some burgers. It was really gross.


#9: Burger King Double Cheeseburger
Speaking of burgers, we hit the BK prior to Ponte. I couldn't tell you the last time I had Burger King. Years. For $1.49, the Double Cheeseburger no pickles provided the perfect amount of greasy base for a marathon day of drinking.

#8: Wiens 

Our 2nd winery stop was Wiens. The tasting brochure mentioned that they had "Big Reds." Perfect. The tasting room was beautiful in a modern sort of way, really cool people behind the bar, a great crowd tasting. Awesome ambiance. The wines weren't bad. I actually bought a bottle of Zin here, which you could very well be reading about soon.

#7: Syrah at Faulkner
The wedding took place at Faulkner. A beautiful spot. Like most winery weddings (I think) the bar served beer and Faulkner wines. I instinctively got a glass of their Cab from the bartender. It wasn't very impressive and I was thinking there's no way I could drink it all night, and I'd switch to beer. For some reason on my return visit to the bartender, I decided to try the Syrah. Great move on my part. It was pretty solid. I think I convinced 8 people or so to avoid the Cab and go Syrah. I was feeling pretty confident at that point in the evening.

#6: Lions Comback/My Fantasy Teams Continue to Dominate
I did check Live Scoring from my phone a few times.

#5: Wedding Commute
Thankfully for us, Johnny's girlfriend Amanda was the designated driver because she had to get back home for work today. They were up front, and me, Beth, Roussous, Tom, and Meg piled in the back of Johnny's car like we were Seniors trying to get to Taco Bell and back before 5th period started. To make it feel even more like 1995, we had Dr. Dre blasting "Ain't Nothin' But a G Thang," before switching over to some Fugees, "Killing Me Softly."

#4: Tasting at Doffo

We met up with Tom and Meg around 1, and proceeded to our 3rd winery of the afternoon. Tom had been here before and knew we'd like it. The wines at Doffo were really, really solid. Expensive, but solid. Of the 4 wineries we tasted at, Doffo reminded me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm-zWDaoCtI

#3: Picnic Lunch and a Bottle of Cab with the Jansen's

We stuck to the afternoon plan of having a picnic at Doffo. Tom came prepared with an assortment of fine meats, cheeses, wraps, and veggies. We bought a bottle of the 08 Cab and sat on the patio overlooking the vineyard. Nice way to spend an hour or so.

#2: Mr. Pryztarski Getting Choked Up Saying His Vows

Mike's new wife is so cool, there's not even an ounce of sadness in me now that I won't ever get to see Single Drunk Pitt try to pick up on girls at the bar again.

Emily was a gorgeous bride. Stunning. And when Mike started in on the vows he lost it, not bawling or anything, but he got pretty choked up, costing me a gentlemanly wager with Tom. Darn.


#1: I Realize We're Aging Like Fine Wine

So the girls have had a few babies and us guys don't have the same hairline we had 10 years ago (except for T.J.), but in my dazed state at some point in the evening, I looked around at the crowd of some of my best friends, and realized, we're getting better with age. Pitt's dancing has improved, the girls are hotter and do a better job of dancing and singing at the same time, we drank the bar dry, and closed the evening with a sick sing along to "Sweet Caroline." Mrs. Klump would call it, "A wonderful, fabaless, fabalee, evening."


Pitt, thank you for connecting me to almost every California friend I have. I feel so blessed. 

Cheers to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs Przytarsky. May you enjoy Maui, and many, many years of happiness. We love you guys. 

Friend of the Family

Sobon Estate 2009 Hillside Zinfandel ($9.99)
Sobon Estate 2008 Fiddletown Zinfandel ($19.99)
     Wine Spectator  92 points


Fresh off my Total Wine class (more on that later), I decided to put my family through a tasting of two Zins, both from Sobon Estates. I've already reviewed the Sobon Estate's Old Vine (I gave it an A-, and is a Purpletooth Trimester 1 Award frontrunner), so I decided to set out and see if the Sobon's really know what they're doing. Turns out, they do.

I cracked the Hillside first. Everyone was happy with it. It had a sweet  yet slightly dry finish to me. I found it to be very raisiney. To my surprise, this was the rest of the crowd's favorite. I liked it, but I think I liked the Old Vine quite a bit more. The Old Vine had a little more pizzaz and was smoother. Both are a steal for under $12.

The Fiddletown to me, had a lot more going on. This was a Big Boy Zin. I found it to be much bigger, more complex, almost chewy compared to the Hillside. I tasted a lot of fruit, but also tobacco, peppery flavors with a really long finish. I grilled some filets from El Toro, and I found the match to be heavenly . Beth thought it was "too raisiney," while Joe found it to be "too scratchy." I loved it.

In conclusion, the Hillside was Jennifer Anniston (very likable, yet nobody's favorite) and the Fiddletown was Angelina Jolie (crazy, exotic)

Bottom line, Sobon Estates makes some good wine.

Hillside Zin Grade: B- / 2.8       Beth's Grade: B-
Fiddletown Grade: B+ / 3     Beth's Grade: C

Back to Malbec

Amalaya 2009 Malbec Blend ($13.99)


About a week and a half ago, having beers for breakfast while watching the early morning college football games at Rudy's in Newport Beach, Tom, Johnny and I somehow turned our conversation to wine. Johnny had mentioned that this bottle, Amalaya, a less expensive Malbec, from the makers of Colome, was his go-to for wines under $20. While at Hi-Times on Saturday, I twisted my own arm and placed a bottle in my basket.

While preparing dinner, I cracked this open, and, right out of the gate, everyone was impressed. There's a lot going on in the glass, especially for a Malbec. A very fruity, cherry nose. After the first sip, and I realize if I had any credibility at all as a wine drinker, I might lose it right here, but the fruity flavor immediately took me back to my grandma's kitchen and I swore I was drinking Hawaiian Punch out of a cup with my name on it. I love me some Hawaiian Punch, this isn't meant to be a bad thing. Once the punch blast subsided I tasted a lot of cherry and berry that effortlessly turned into a nice spice that still managed to go down smoothly. Like I said, there was a lot going on with this wine. All good things.

We kept dinner pretty simple tonight, Trader Joe's chicken sausage (apple and mango). I thought the wine was a tad too big for the meal, and might pair better with with a steak.

Grade: B / 3
Beth's Grade: B

Weekend Roundup

As you can see, we kept the recycling man in business this weekend. From Joe needing a wine for his "meatballs and sawce" Saturday night, to Keira's baptism Sunday, and washing down tonight's grilled chicken dinner, we've been crushing some grapes.

I hit up Hi-Times Saturday morning, and had a little help from the lady who had steered me towards Purple Tooth Summer School award winner, Papa Luna. She went 2/3 with a check-swing foul ball of my own. 

Here's the breakdown, and a reminder of my new numbered grading scale:

1- Dump it. Regardless of price.
2- Just alright. Maybe save it for tomorrow but have no intentions of polishing off the bottle.
3- Pretty good. Pour it out evenly and enjoy.
4- Great. Hope you get more than your fair share, especially if drinking with someone who may not appreciate it.

Blah:

Il Bastardo 2010 Sangiovese ($7.98)

-The Il Bastardo was pretty bad. As Joe said, "Jason...it didn't get any better from the time you tried it." Good wines shouldn't get worse after they open up. It did last 3 days and we gave it 3 attempts hoping to fall in love with it, but no dice. Joe had the quote of the night last night when I broke my glass, spilling the remains of the bottle, "well, finally, the end of the Bastardo." 

Grade: D / 1.5

Yum:

Mohua 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($9.98)

-The Mohua was the Hi-Times #12 rated "Down Under" wine. I really liked it and it seemed everyone else did too. Everything I enjoy about Sauv Blanc. Just sweet enough. Smooth. Really good.

Grade: A- / 3.5

Joe's Grade: A

What the...?

Tres Picos 2009 Garnacha ($13.99)

-Tres Picos was a wine I loved a few weeks back. I was disappointed this time around. It had a great nose, but lacked the flavorful punch I remembered and finished a bit dry. Could be that it didn't fit with the Sunday afternoon setting? Either way, not nearly as impressed.

Grade: C+ /  3

Eh, yeah, I guess:

Ridge 2007 Lytton Springs 71% Zin / 22% Petite Sirah / 7% Carignane ($41.99)

-We had Ridge Lytton Springs side-by-side with the Tres Picos, which is a strange midday matchup, but nobody was complaining. I thought it had nice flavor. My only gripe with it was the finish. Too dry for my palate. Pretty sure that's from the 22% Petite Sirah. Quality wine, just not my favorite style.

Grade: B- / 3

Yeah, yum:

14 Hands 2008 Hot to Trot Red Blend ($8.98)

-Tonight, Hot to Trot pranced onto the patio for dinner (buh-dum-CH!) I was really close to putting this bottle back on the shelf due to a somewhat cheesy label and very cheesy name. It was really good in a Folie a Deux, safe play sort of way. I think it would be hard to not like this. Very easy drinker.

Grade: B- / 3

Beth's Grade: B

Joe's Grade: B