WTSO shines in debut

Verdict:

Eponymous 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($29.99)
Wine Enthusiast Rating: 93 Points


I think it's pretty safe to assume that if you pay $25+ for a Napa Cab, you'll get something better than decent. This write-up isn't so much about this bottle, which was better than decent. It had all the great things that one would expect from a Napa Cab: great nose, dark cherry, "chocolatey raspberry" (Beth's quote) and a fantastically smooth finish. Nope, this write-up will focus on the purchase. A first of perhaps many for me.

A few weeks ago, Tom pointed wtso.com in my direction. "Wine 'Til Sold Out" is a site that sells one wine at a time, at a discounted (allegedly) price, until it sells out, then it's on to the next bottle. Order a certain number of bottles and get free shipping.  So, I partnered up with Johnny on my (our) first purchase, the '06 Eponymous. I think this wine was originally $60, but don't quote me on it, and was discounted 50% to $30. Together we got the 3 bottle minimum for free shipping. A few days later, the Fed Ex man dropped it off on our door step. Everybody's happy.

I brought it to Opah for dinner, paid the $15 corkage fee and enjoyed every last drop of it. Not a bad little restaurant either, by the way.


Grade: A- / 4
Beth's Grade: A

Inspired, But Not Really Impressed

Kim Crawford 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($12.97)


We opened the popular Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc the other night. It was somewhere between ok and good. It smelled like a bag of Skittles, very tropical fruity as the bottle said it would be. The bottle also said I'd smell grass, but I didn't sneeze when I took a whiff. It had a little too much grapefruit tart for my taste. Beth said she tasted grass and swears she didn't hear me talking about the back label with my mother-in-law. Grass? Really?

Anyway, this bottle gave me an idea for a new rating scale. A 1-4 scale to coincide with the letter grade that I use now. Let me run it by you:

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.

Grade: B- / 2.5
Beth's Grade: C+

Red Carpeting the Hood

LWC (Clos Pepe Vineyard) 2009 Pinot Noir ($36.99)
Wine Spectator rating: 93 Points


My dad, sister and brother-in-law got out of  the Arizona heat this holiday weekend to spend some time with us. They got the 2011 Royal Eldridge treatment. Pulled pork for lunch, with beer by the way, football was on. For dinner we seared some Ahi steaks with crab stuffed mushrooms. Maybe it's a good thing they're leaving today; we have no more tricks up our sleeve.

The Pinot we cracked for dinner has an interesting story. About a month ago, Jared sent a text about a "phenomenal" Pinot he had the night before. I asked for a pic because, shocker, I had plans to go to Total Wine with Tom later that day. I got the pic and wasn't impressed by the spray paint stencil look, but decided if Total Wine carries it, I'd get a bottle. Must satisfy my reader, right?

On the Pinot aisle, I pulled the pic up on my phone and searched for LWC (Loring Wine Company). I instinctively grabbed my pants to protect my money and looked side to side expecting to get mugged. There on in the middle of the aisle were 7 or so different LWC Pinots. So much purple spray paint, for a split second, I thought I was in Compton. My mind was quickly put to ease, however, as I noticed most had Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast tags dangling below the bottles. Whew! Then I noticed the prices. Who does Jared think he is cracking $30 bottles of Pinot on Sunday nights? I shot him a text telling him I found LWC, but they were pricey. He got back to me saying "That makes sense. My wealthy friend brought it over last night." Classic. I decided I wanted to see what the wealthy people were drinking and got the highest rated one: a 93 pointer.

Don't let the label fool ya. This was a very nice bottle of wine. Strong earthy / cherry nose. Loads of flavor, yet still soft. Very well balanced. Tom picked up a bottle as well and described it as "lush, earthy,  and elegant." I couldn't agree more. Excellent pickup.

Grade: A- 
Beth's Grade: B+ 
Aimee's Grade: A
Tom's Grade: A-

Wut U Had

Thanks for the audience participation last night. America has voted:

Jared's Pick: Sequana 2008 Pinot Noir ($36, on sale for $16.99)


Grade: A

Tom's Pick: Frog's Leap 2008 Zinfandel ($17.99)
Wine Enthusiast Rating: 91 Points


"The Carlsbad Jansens paired their gourmet Dominoes 2 mediums for $5.55 feast with a 2008 Frog's Leap Zin from Napa Valley $19.99, 91 pts WE). This wine impressed from the start and we were glad we made the "leap." It was everything a zin should be, a nice fruit forward approach with a spicy finish. This wine had a decent amount of petite syrah in it which gave it some nice tannins and a bit of a drier finish. Very robust though, I'm convinced this wine could have held its own with any meal (steak, pizza, bbq). I really am back on the zin train, for a variety of reasons. One Zin might be medium-bodied and very fruity, some are rich and full-bodied, others are a bit sweet (my least favorite), and some are even rustic and tannic. You are 

almost always assured of a wine that will be full of zesty spices, like pepper, cedar, bold red fruits. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox and let the professional do the bloggin:)


I have to commend Mr. Purpletooth himself on a great site. In a world gone mad, it's nice to see good people talking about good wine, especially with the prose and palate of one Jason Eldridge. Keep up the good work J, you're the next Robert Parker!"

Gracias!

Grade: Not Given

Beth's Pick: Mallee Point 2009 Shiraz ($4.99)


"Surprisingly de-lish! Smooth, kind of fruity and just GOOD."

I actually got paid to get this bottle. I had Total Wine's usual, get $5 off every $50 coupon. My bill on one trip was $48 at check out. So, they have these bottles at the check stand, like gum at a grocery store, and by spending $2, they took $3 off my bill. The checker said it is his favorite wine under $5 in the store.

I had a glass at midnight to celebrate a Sea King victory. Nice flavor. A tad dry, but I didn't have it with food. A bag of sunflower seeds probably didn't do my palate any favors, though.


Beth's Grade: B+ / My Grade: B-

Show Me What Ya Workin Wit

It's Friday! It's also September. This combination will find me not on my patio with a bottle of vino, but under the lights at some high school football field in Orange County. Tonight's stop: Anaheim.

Let's hear from you guys tonight. Use the comment box, tell me what you're drinking, and give it a grade. Bonus points if you include a pic.

Enjoy the long weekend, cheers!

Your Moment of Zin.

Under the influence of  loyal readers, Jared expressing his love for Folie a Deux, and Tom claiming he was "going back to Zins" (and Pinots), I ended up with 4 bottles of Zinfandel in my little wine fridge. Such problems. I managed to get through them all the past 2 weeks for your enjoyment.


Zin #1:

Folie a Deux 2008 Zinfandel ($13.99)

This was the first of the four that I tried. As I wrote earlier, I agree with the Total Wine guy who called it "Safe." This seems like the type of wine you could find at a restaurant and order by the glass for $8 and be happy. There's nothing not to like, but there's also a little lacking in the creativity department. Maybe I was influenced by its popularity and the Total Wine guy's comment. I'd like to revisit this.

Grade: B / Beth's Grade: B+


Zin #2:

Sobon Estate 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel ($11.99)


Zin #2 would've had Randy Jackson yelping about "A hot one tonight, America!" This was awesome.  From the first sip, BAM, blasted with a balanced barrage of berry: raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, boysenberry  (ok, I don't know what boysenberries taste like), and no, I'm not confusing this bottle with my Jamba Juice go-to, "Banana Berry."

I almost destroyed this wine by pairing it with pulled pork that I had drenched in sweet & spicy BBQ sauce. Horrible pairing. But before dinner, then after dinner, and into the evening, it was "lights out."

So much fruit up front and so smooth on the finish. For $12? Highway robbery.

Grade: A- / Beth's Grade: A


Zin #3:

Courtney Benham, 2008, Zinfandel ($11.99)


Thankfully for Benham's sake, we didn't drink much of her wine Saturday night after a couple of  cocktails at Brooke Becker's 5th birthday party. Maybe it was the beer or perhaps vodka lemonades that left me unimpressed as I used this as a chaser for a Trader Joe's frozen pizza.

I gave it a second run tonight (Monday) at dinner, and it was much better. We had cheese ravioli with baked cauliflower, sage, and olive oil. A very mild dinner, and it went well with it. As Beth put it, a lot of "peppery cherry." It was a little more bold and slightly less smooth than the other 3 Zins, but still worth the price.

Grade: B- / Beth's Grade: B



Zin #4:

Montoya 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel ($9.99)


I cracked this tonight as well for a side-by-side comparison to the Courtney Benham. This was really good.  I thought it was a more cherry than berry, but every bit as smooth as the Sobon. For under $10, this was very impressive.


Grade: B+ / Beth: A-


To recap, we (ok, I) went 4 for 4, and I, too am going back to Zins. Chianti may be dead to me.
The rankings:
1. Sobon
2. Montoya
3. Folie a Deux
4. Courtney Benham

All In On Chianti

The Lineup: 

I think I was hoping to have an eye-opening experience and my world of eating Italian food would never be the same. Turns out, I like my old world Italian food just fine the way it was. At Total Wine, with the in-laws soon to be out,  I decided to dabble in a few "nicer" Chiantis. I don't think I'd ever paid more than $8 for a bottle, so perhaps I was missing out on something?

Viticcio 2008 Chianti Classico ($19.99)
Wine Spectator rating: 91 Points


We cracked this a few nights ago to go along with Marie's Veal Scallopini. Prior to dinner I found it to be big, bold and tart. It did settle down a bit, and was better with food, but the tartness was there throughout. Maybe a bottle like this needed to sit in a cellar for a few years? Either way, I wasn't too impressed with the wine. The food was awesome though.

Grade: C- / Beth's Grade: C / Joe Cacia's Grade: B+ "for sure."

Viticcio 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva ($23.99)
Wine Spectator rating: 93 Points


Tonight's bottle was 2 years older, 2 points higher, $4 more and a "Riserva." I had really high hopes when I bought it, but those expectations were tempered after the let down of the '08 bottle. This bottle was to enhance Marie's Chicken Cacciatore. Again, Marie's cooking stole the show and the wine was less than stellar.  This was slightly smoother, and a little less tart than the '08, but really nothing to write home about. Maybe I shouldn't have tried 2 wines from the same winemaker? Nonetheless, I think I'm done with Chianti for the time being.

Grade: C / Beth's Grade: C+ / Joe Cacia's Grade: B+