Jam Jar

Over the holidays - between our party and hosting relatives - we somehow ended up with this "Jam Jar" in our quiver of wine bottles. It is Tuesday night. I'm playing late night tennis and sticking with water. Mrs. Vino asks that I open a bottle. I scan the bottles and think, "Why not?" The label clearly says, "Sweet Shiraz". I'm thinking, "Well all wine has some sweetness." Mrs. Vino can't get past the smell. I taste. Cough syrup. I can't get the taste out of my mouth, which I suppose means it has length - but not good length. I consider brushing my teeth. I pour the liquid from this wine bottle down the drain and it is now been safely stored for proper aging in my $20k leaching field in front of my house - where only the grubs can drink it. If this last sentence puts a bad taste in your mouth, well then you know what this wine tasted like.

Santi Solane Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso

Long name. I need to break it down. Valpolicella is region of Italy that is just behind chianti in production. Valpolicella Ripasso is aged at least 12 months on wood with an alcohol content in excess of 12% made with partially dried grape skins. The name "valpolicella" dates to at least the 12th century and likely comes from the ancient Greeks and may mean "valley of the cellars". Enough Wiki-pedia! "Wood" must mean "oak" because I smell it. I find this $15 bottle dry yet light - and it pairs well with a chicken pasta dish with a cream sauce. This region is known for producing good value wine. Sounds familiar. I always look for any label from this region. Mrs. Vino is too focused on the NFC Championship game to comment.

La Crema 2007 Monterey

In scanning my reviews by variety I note few Pinot Noirs tastings. There are four $20 La Crema's in the cellar and they've been there for some months. I'm always hesitant to crack the $20 bottles, but have been on a roll with them lately, so why not. When I've waited to open a wine and know it is pricier (by my cheapo standards) I try not to let the anticipation and price cloud my judgement. The first sniff and taste are not overwhelming - and I can tell that Mrs. Vino feels the same way. The vintner's notes suggest I should be tasting pomegranate. Yes, I get that intense fruit flavor. All the on-line reviews reference minerality. This might be why Mrs. Vino identifies a bitter aftertaste. One dominant thought is on my mind as we empty the bottle and sip the last glass. "I'm loving every last sip." Maybe that is my lesson for this review. My last tastes might say more about a wine than my first ones. I'll look for this wine again, but always be sure it is part of a case discount! (one final note - La Crema's come from everywhere at many price points - Sonoma, Monterey, Los Caneros etc.)

Huntington Zinfandel 2006

Memo to self - which I realize goes without saying on all my wine reviews on this web site. Do not purchase any more wines from Huntington. I've now had the Petite Syrah and the Zinfandel and both have been a bit off. Mrs. Vino couldn't drink either. I'm too cheap to do that. This one actually had some of the nice spice I expect from Zinfandels. I've heard others refer to wines as "sloppy" and that might be a word I would use here. The flavors just don't blend together - with the sweetness almost tasting like injected sugar. Needless to say, I won't look for this one.

Hess Allomi Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Last fall, when attending a distributor function at Julio's I sampled a California Cab. I confessed to the Hess representative that I generally drink Cabs from Chile. (Not that I'm opposed to other Cabs, it's just that the Chilean wines are much less expensive, generally reliable and I like them!) "Too earthy," he says to me. "Don't get me wrong," he says, "I went through a phase where I drank a lot of them, but I now prefer the California Cabs." I liked the sample and picked up a bottle - in the $18 range - although that was a special that night as it is generally around $22. I match in up with some mid-January charcoal grilled steaks. This is a "big hairy" red - and I'm beginning to see the distributors point. I love it and would recommend it to any of you big hairy cigar smokers out there. Mrs. Vino isn't a big fan - finding it just doesn't have any sweetness. I'll look for it! Shhh - Don't tell her. She'll learn to like this one. (Hey - ck out Brett "it is all about me" Fav-raa playing for the Vikings in the playoff game in the background. )

Cotes du Rhone - E Guigal 2005

Every time I read about Cotes du Rhone wines, the writer mentions E Guigal as a very reliable distributor. I match this $14 wine with Friday night pizza but I wouldn't hesitate to pair this with steak or lamb. My novice opinion says that blends - when done well - tend to be smoother than wines made from one variety. This one is 50% Granache and 50% Syrah, which are the traditional varietals of this region. I really didn't get any one berry or fruit flavor, although this one leans more towards berry flavors. I see this shipper and wine everywhere and plan to continue to pick it up.

Tuffeaux Bourgueil 2006

New rule. When your team is eliminated for the year - open a nice bottle of wine! (My football team - the Pats went down today - hard!) Back to the wine. On the nose I get smoke - unusual. Not a fruity wine - but that doesn't mean it doesn't have good flavor. Great tannins and length - I'm still tasting the wine minutes later. Pair this with almost anything. In fact, this would be a bottle I would drink on its own - without food. Mrs Vino would have it with an uber dark chocolate. She does say the wine is a bit bitter. I get that. I generally see Cab Franc as a blend - but if you want to try this varietal on its own - which actually grows well in New England (oohhh the NE Pats went down hard:() - I would look for this one - even though it is close to $20. (Hey - like the crackling fire in the photo background?)

Andeluna - Malbec - Mendoza Argentina

Tonight we're having ham. As we're driving home from errands, I say, "hmmm what wine goes with ham? Hey, we've got a bunch of Malbecs in the basement. (I must have meant cellar:) That would be good." Mrs. Vino is skeptical, but the first recommendation I see after Googling wines with ham suggests a Malbec from Argentina! Bingo!! Maybe I am learning something. My impression is that Malbecs consistently have great balance and structure and this wine fits that impression. I get a bit of blackberry with good acid. The back label references ten different flavors - including blackberry. Ten! Ridiculous. Maybe Miles from Sideways helped them out. Look for this one. It has been a while since I had the Norton Malbec, but I'm thinking the Andeluna is better at a very similar $10 price point. (Don't forget "7" the Malbec blend which is awesome.)

Ecco Domani

Mrs. Vino is making shrimp risoto and suggests a Pinot Grigio. Ooohhh - she's getting agressive. I like it. We had a leftover PG from our X-mas party and I had not taken the opportunity to sample it. I was expecially anxious to try this one after my recent positive experience with the Jermann PG. Unfortunately, the Ecco Domani was much blander and less flavorful . While there were no strong negatives and the wine paired well with the risoto, I would definitely seek out the Jermann PG next time - even at a 100% premium. (Jermann was $20 while the Ecco was $10.) In this instance, price matters.