Joseph Cattin

This is my first review of a Pinot Blanc. There seem to be endless wine varietals and sampling new ones is one of the many things that makes wine fun. I found this wine as simple and delicious as its label - a wonderful wine to match with our scallops on a warm spring day. Just a hint of light peachy sweetness on the front end, but the wine finishes off with a crisp clean finish. (Sounds like Budweiser - but this is much better!) This wine would be perfect for an afternoon lunch on the patio. I will look for this wine from that little region of France that at one time bounced back and forth between Germany and France

Medalla Real, Santa Rita, Maipo Valley Chile 2006

At a recent wine store visit, I was chatting with a representative of a winery from California and I told him that I drank a lot of Chilean Cabs, mostly because they were consistently good value. He said that he went through a phase where he drank many of them, but that he now prefers the California Cabs which are less earthy and organic their Chilean counterparts. I had this conversation in mind when I pulled this wine as our second wine for a Saturday evening dinner with my brother and his wife. (see prior post) The moment I tasted this Cab and contrasted it with our first bottle of a California Cab, I noted a much earthier flavor. Mrs. Vino announces that she likes this one much better. "More flavor." The Wine Spectator rated this at 91 points - exactly the same score as the BV wine from the prior post - but for two wines made from the same grape, scoring the exact same WS rating, they could not have been more different. This wine was much bigger and bolder. I loved them both and thought, "this shows why the point rating can be a useful barometer, but really says very little about the wine. I purchased this wine a little while back and am guessing I paid just under $20 for the bottle. Definitely pick this one up if you see it in that price range. I learned that inviting another couple certainly presents an opportunity for an informal wine tasting where two wines can be tasted. We all had fun with it!

Beaulieu Vineyard, Georges De Latour, Private Reserve, Napa 1996

A few years back, Mrs. Vino stole away with her book club for a spring weekend on the Cape. She asked what wine she could bring and I gave her a few lower priced "BV" wines, figuring the ladies weren't going to pay too much attention to the wine. When she returned on Sunday evening she handed me the bottle pictured to the right. As you can see it was a "BV" but a 1996 BV Private Reserve Cab from Napa! She says everyone insisted this was one of the wines she brought. Well I put it in the wine rack and over the last few years I've smiled and wondered every time I scanned our wines. Yesterday I decided, I better not wait any longer. To celebrate the grand opening of this 15 year-old bottle we invited my brother and his wife for some grilled tenderloins, along with fried mushrooms and onions, roasted potatoes, broiled asparagus and a fresh orange and yellow tomato dish. I was expecting a big hairy red, but I found the wine far more gentle and easy. I never would have guessed this was a straight Cab. My brother picks up on a smokey or toasty flavor, which is exactly what the Wine Spectator commented on when they gave it 91 points. Of course, 1 bottle is not going to last for the two couples on a Saturday evening, so see the next post for a contrasting cab that we opened. I see this wine is $70 on the web, much more than Mrs. Vino paid.

Bourgogne Pinot Noir - Michel Picare 2006

Mrs. Vino's sisters are here for some shopping and March Madness. They whipped up some awesome fish tacos and I grabbed this Pinot, which we all liked. We found it light and pleasant with good acid. There are enough tannins to give it reasonable structure and length. This was listed at $14 at the Wine House in Holliston, but with the volume discount I was closer to $12 - and a solid Pinot in this price range is definitely a wine to look for.

Domaine Pichot Vouray - 2004

We're grilling up some Cod tonight and looking for a change of pace, so we go for this white. I'm not sure sure when I picked this up, but it definitely offers something new in comparison to all the reds we've been quaffing this winter. Immediately I notice some melon like sweetness, which is pleasant and well balanced with some acid. Too sweet for Mrs. Vino but she liked it with the fish. I see this is another small time winery where grapes are hand picked - and it shows. The wine sells for about $10-$12 on the Net and I would definitely pick it up at this price. The wine showed no ill effects of its' age.

La Font du Vent - Cotes du Rhone

I'm starting to know when Mrs. Vino is going to like a wine. This wine smells pleasant and light. It is more refined than most wines we drink. While I don't taste dominant fruits, I find a light black pepper spice and reasonable tannins on the back end. I look to Mrs. Vino...wait for it... "oh...this is nice". Mm-hm. Medium to heavy bodied, the wine blends well with our spare ribs. I Google this wine to get the varietals and learn that it is 70% grenache, 25% syrah and 5% mourvedre - which I'm reminded are the typical Cote du Rhone grapes. I read that the growers are small, known for their Chateaneuf-du-Pape and take extra care of their grapes - it shows! The alchohol conent feels perfect at 14%. I see this wine at $14 on the net, which was the retail at the Wine House. I of course paid less with my SNL Cone Head, mass quantity discount. I will look for this one again.

The Immortal Zin

We had a fantastic "Primitivo" (Italians call Zinfandel Primitivo) at Truffles Grille and Wine bar in Milford the other night, so I decided to pick up some more Zinfandels at my recent Wine House visit. (BTW - while I didn't write up a full evaluation, the Primitivo was called Amano and I see it retails for about $10, so I will be looking for it!) Anywho - this Immortal Zin was no quite as refined as the Amano. Mrs. Vino says it is sweeter than other Zins we've had. There is a distinctive pepperyness you get from Zins and reasonable tannins to balance out that sweetness. So, we liked this $11 wine, but won't necessarily look for it.

XWinery 2008 Red X North Coast

Picked up 22 new bottles today at the Wine House in Holliston and I was adventurous because I've never tried about 18 of the 22 bottles. Tonight I'm starting with a blend consisting of 55% Syrah, 23% Tempranillo, 14% Granache, 8% Zinfandel. I'm a fan of all these varietals and I generally love smoothness that comes with a blend - so my anticipation is high. After smelling and tasting, I check the alcohol content (14.5%) because this wine is setting my mouth ablaze! Eventually I work my way past the alcohol and detect a cherry/jammy like flavor that typically comes with a Syrah. Great tannins and a little pepper which I'm guessing comes from the Zin and the Grenache. There's nothing bashful about this wine and I would pair it with some steaks or a burger. Too late - pasta tonight - but it will work. At $11 I'll pick this one up if I see it again, but I won't necesarily rush to the store to get more. (BTW - Mrs. Vino and I ought to burn through the 22 bottles in a bout 22 days:)

Riundo Prosecco

Julio's had a huge display for this $11 Prosecco which got 90 points from Robert Parker Jr and also was featured in the NY Times. Clearly this sparking wine from Italy needs more prestigious press, so I'm here to help it out. Me and Mrs. Vino crack it open for New Year's Eve. Mrs. Vino immediately announces that she likes it, which is a strong statement because she's not a big fan of sparkling wine. This wine has a great bouquet and I find it a refreshing match for our Chinese take out. At $10 - $11 this is a great inexpensive alternative to most champagnes. Gary V says it is great if you have a big group and need something to toast with. Everyone will enjoy it and you'll save yourself some bucks. (Wiki tells me that Prosecco's secondary fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks, while for champagne that fermentation occurs in the bottle -requiring more manual labor.) Happy New Year all! Sorry I'm a bit tardy with this advice. You'll know for next near and your next big toast!

Helfrich - Vin D'Alsace

On Thanksgiving Day I took the advice of some of some more experienced wine bloggers and tried a bit of Gerwurztaminer. My first taste impression was that I would be dumping this down the drain. But I had time on my hands. The family was relaxing while the Pats beat up on those poor Lions and I decided to keep trying. This wine had the bitter/sweet smell and taste of flowers. (I see others referencing rose pedals and I suppose that makes sense.) My brother sampled a bit of it and suggested that he would drink this as a dessert wine. Hmmm. So, I drank a bit more, corked it and threw it in the fridge while I slipped over to safer bet for the big meal - a New Zealand Pinot Noir. An hour or so after the stuffing - that is the stuffing of the people who ate too much, we returned to the table for some pie and I uncorked the Gerwurztaminer. My mother-in-law had made the best apple pie I've ever had in my life. Normally I wouldn't trust my memory, but this pie was off the charts and I wasn't the only one to comment. Even more interesting the Gerwurztaminer fit it like a glove. The food wine pairing was perfect and with each taste of pie I wanted some wine and vice-versa. So not only was it the best apple pie I ever had, but it also was close to the best food/wine pairing I had ever had. Alway listen to your big brother!