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

Spain - The New Frontier

After the home run of Spanish, Papa Luna, Uncle Tom and I made a conscious effort to explore the Spain section of Total Wine in search of other gems.

Valserrano Rioja Crianza 2007 ($9.99) 
90% Tempranillo and 10% Mazuelo


Ever go to a brewery for a meal and order one of their beers just to feel a little more adventurous than the guy at the next table drinking an Amstel Light? You like your micro-brew, glad you tried something new, also glad you didn't commit to a 12 pack, and perhaps, maybe, you'd order it again. That was this.

The nose reminded me of a Paso Cab. Paso's not known for Cabs, so that's not necessarily a great thing. But I smelled an Earthy, cherry, tobacco smell. Took me right there.

This wine had a lot going on. Very zingy, spicy and flavorful. It was dry on the finish. Not dull, flat-black, but felt some dryness there. Beth and I enjoyed its uniqueness as we paired it with BBQ'd chicken and some asparagus.

Here's where things got interesting. Some wine expert would either offer a simple explanation, or be disgusted with my actions, but as dessert rolled around for Max, I too grabbed a Skinny Cow. Expecting the worst when I followed up a bite of ice cream sandwich with wine. I found to go really well. The wine had less of an edgyness, wasn't so dry and finished well. I actually liked it a bit better this way.

Overall, I'm glad I branched out. It was different from what I've been buying/drinking. I wouldn't rush back to this bottle, but wouldn't shy away from trying other Spanish wines because of this.

Grade: B