Sunday, October 14, 2007

Clean Slate Riesling 2006

Price: $11-12 @ Spagio Cellars, Columbus, OH (we think)
Recommended by: in-store tasting
Comments: Considering the cost, this is a very nice wine. We've learned from our friends at Wine-O-Rama to keep our eyes open for German Rieslings, particularly those from the Rheingau region. This one isn't from that specific region (it's from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, the other major Riesling-producing region), but it is very tasty. We particularly liked how dry it was and how nicely it accompanied the salmon we had for dinner. Flavors of peach dominate the palate along with flowers and mineral notes. We would definitely have this one again, particularly with any fish dish.
Rating: 7.75/10

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006

Price: 12.98 @ Gary's Liquors
Recommended by:
a "best value" wine at Gary's

Comments:
Karie was in the mood for a Pinot tonight, so we picked up this relatively inexpensive
Monterey County one. We knew nothing about except the sign at Gary's said that it was a "best value" wine. It has a nice cherry flavor, but it doesn't have a ton of depth. It's not one that stands out but will do in a pinch.
Rating:
6/10

Thursday, October 04, 2007

2 Brothers Big Tattoo Red 2005

Price: $9.99 @ Gary's Liquors (W. Roxbury, MA)
Recommended by: display at store and charitable cause
Comments: Our wine rack has been empty lately (oh, the horror!), so we stopped by the local wine store tonight to stock up. We probably went overboard, but our wallets' loss is our blog's gain, right?!? Among our purchase is this interesting Cabernet/Syrah blend (50% each). We weren't expected to be blown away, and we really weren't, but it's a great value wine. It is a deep, fruity wine with a heavy cocoa flavor and very dry finish. We wish we would have tried it with food, because it would go very well with meat or pasta dish. Some of the proceeds (50 cents per bottle) are
donated to the Hospice of Arlington, Va., and other breast cancer research foundations in the name of the vintners' mother. We look forward to trying this one again.
Rating: 7/10

Chateau Ste. Michelle

We apologize for our extended absence from Bloggerland, but we've been traveling for the past three weeks. However, on our travels, we were lucky enough to find time to visit the wonderful winery Chateau Ste. Michelle (in Woodinville, WA), a longtime favorite wine producer of ours. The visit did NOT disappoint! We started by doing the standard tour, which was fine. Then we got to taste some of their basic wines, which was also fine. But when we started asking specific questions about their higher-end Merlots, things got really fun. Rather than simply talk to us about the different wines, our wonderful tour guide (and new best friend) Joan ran off for a moment, only to return with her hands full of glasses of the various Merlots that CSM makes. And they were goooood. There are some older vintages at the winery that you just can't get anywhere else. And lovely, lovely Joan made sure we got to try them. We walked out with a 1999 Cold Creek Merlot and a 2004 Canoe Ridge Merlot (and a bottle of their Whidbey's Port Chocolate Sauce . . . mmmmmm). Sadly there were no remaining bottles of Whidbey's Loganberry Liquor to be found, which is Karie's mother's favorite beverage ever (she used to live on Whidbey Island), although the nice employees at CSM looked long and hard for it. To all the folks there, and particularly to Joan, thanks for a wonderful visit!