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!