Monthly Archives: January 2009

2000 Jade Mountain Mourvedre

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2000 Jade Mountain MourvedrePrice: $16.99 @ BevMo

What They Said:

Per the winery (pdf) “The old vines, combined with low yields of two tons per acre, transform this normally rustic red grape into a fine complex red wine that is both hearty and satisfying. Mourvèdre is broadly planted in the famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation in the southern Rhône valley, but it is seldom bottled as a single variety. Its characteristic aromas of pepper, spice and sweet tobacco are mixed with raspberry and blackberry fruit that linger on the palate. The wine’s dense flavor and silky tannin make it versatile for food pairing. The 2000 vintage shows great concentration and is meant for the richest foods of Southern France and the Mediterranean. Mourvèdre is a perfect partner for leg of lamb, Mediterranean beef stew, pasta primavera, and grilled fish, such as sea bass. In warm weather, chill this wine to 50 degrees and serve it with summer barbecue to enjoy its complex, delicious fruit flavors. Optimum time for consumption 2002—2012″

What I Think:

I’ve had this one since almost the beginning of time, my wine drinking time that is. One of my early splurges which I have looked at year after year. For those that may not be familiar with Mourvedre it most commonly appears in Rhone blends along with Grenache and Syrah. Until I took a look at the pdf I tracked down I had forgotten that Jade Mountain was part of the much larger Chalone Wine Group.

Not sure why it lasted so long nor why I decided to open it this given night but I am very thankful I did. The nose was subdued seeming a bit smoky and warm. It hits heavy at the front of the palate, seems almost inky and shadows the presence of dark purple fruit. The flavors turn to dark berries (blackberry and boysenberry) and towards the end of palate the wine turns slightly chewy leading to a great tangy, nice tannic finish. This was much richer and deeper that I would have initially thought. A very complex powering that doesn’t over power, certainly leaning towards the old world in style. I’m a fan. I’m also looking to try a few more of Jade’s offerings, I asked for tips on twitter and @JugShop recommended the La Provencale. Anyone here have tips for me? As for this one is an early wine of the year favorite and could start a Mourvedre buying and drinking run… Anyone want to come along for the ride?

Rating: Wow!

2005 Benson Ferry California North Coast Select Chardonnay

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2005 Benson Ferry California North Coast Select ChardonnayPrice: $5.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the bottle “This delicious Chardonnay showcases the vibrant fruit the grape develops in the North Coast’s coolest vineyard locations. Fresh aromas and flavors of green apple and citrus are accented by understated barrel spice. The light, lithe palate is enhanced by a crisp, lingering finish.”

What I Think:

After my day job gave me a reason to celebrate my wife decided to splurge on some wines and asked for some recommendations at the local Trader Joe’s. This was the 2nd choice as a comparison wine to the La Crema Chardonnay which is soon to be reviewed. I’m not going to dally much on the topic here. This one was unexpected. It was like a Sauvignon Blanc in a Chard bottle. Cutting lemon, citrus notes on a heavy stainless steel backbone courtesy of the barrel. Not for me. Perhaps if you love Sauv Blanc and like Chardonnay you could enjoy this. Just set your expectation accordingly before opening. I’ll be looking past this one in the wine aisle when I visit again to see what’s next.

Rating: Skip It

2006 Vinum Cellars Clarksburg Petite Sirah Reserve

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2006 Vinum Cellars Clarksburg Petite Sirah ReservePrice: $12.99 @ Whole Foods

What They Said:

Per K&L Wines “Nothing like a little inside joke to spark your curiosity. “Pets” is a nickname for Petite Sirah used by vet (veteran, not veterinarian) growers like Ken Wilson, who owns the vineyard where the fruit for this wine comes from. A portion of the profits for this wine will be donated to the San Francisco SPCA animal shelter in memory of Wilson’s dog, Tanker. Inky in color, this is wine that will leave a mark on your teeth and your memory. Notes of wet clay, lavender and clove lead into dark huckleberry fruit on the nose and palate. Subtle notes of vanilla cola linger on the finish. The wine had massive, teethcoating tannins and intense concentration to boot. It’s easy to see another correlation between this and pets, in the more traditional sense, it can easily become your new best friend.”

What I Think:

My curiosity on this one was easy to capture when my friend and colleague of RJ’s Wine Blog gave it a thumbs up and later ranked it as his #5 wine in his Top 10 of 2008 list. Couple his thumbs up with my enjoyment of all things Petite Sirah and it was an easy sale. In trying to tie this back to the winery site I found this PETS offering which seems to be the same, that said you can see my label clearly doesn’t match, can anyone confirm this is the same bottle?

Once the bottle made it home I was quick to open it. The nose was typical Petite Sirah. Initially, I was not to impressed. $13? Thinking immediately what do I have from Trader Joe’s to do a taste-off with… I felt this was tightly wound and full of tannins. To be certain it didn’t need some air I was sure to drink it over a few days, not much help. Full of dark but muted fruit and lacking the type of finish I expect from a Petite Sirah. I’m a fan of big and chewy but this one didn’t get it done. Even my wife, who rarely does so, gave it a thumbs down. Now, perhaps this is the case of the overhyped movie that ends up falling flat. Couple that with my dramatic rise in expectations with double digit price tags and this one may have had the chips stacked against it from the get go. Not bad by any means but at this price point I was expecting a bit more. That said feel free to give it a try, most love it. Perhaps I stand along on this one but I’ll spend my money elsewhere. Seen two Petite Sirahs at Trader Joe’s, one was the Rendition, I’ll give a try and see if it turns out better.

Rating: Pricey

2006 J. Vidal-Fleury Cotes du Rhone

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2006 J. Vidal-Fleury Cotes du RhonePrice: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by W.J. Deutsch & Sons

What They Said:

Per wine.com “Brilliant garnet red color. Red fruits and spices on the nose. The mouth reveals rounded tannins (thanks to the stay in the oak barrels), a warm and full-bodied wine with an uncommon and lasting aromatic intensity. The proof that Côtes-du-Rhône can be a serious and elegant wine.”

What I Think:

This wine seems to make an annual appearance at Trader Joe’s and stays briefly before disappearing until the next vintage. This time I grabbed a bottle before it had the chance. Sometimes you have a sense of a brand or label and this has always been one of those cases where I considered this a well pedigreed bottle of $7 wine. I knew J. Vidal-Fleury was an old and famed negociant firm (founded in 1781), what I didn’t know is that they were acquired by Etienne Guigal in 1985 which just further enhances the pedigree referred to above.

Shortly after this wine arrived in the house I pulled the cork out and was greeted by a peppery nose and red fruits aromas. The initial presence on the palate was a bit plain and hot (perhaps tannic) but as it transitioned to the mid-palate lush fruits appeared turning slightly sour as it lingered and was accompanied by white pepper notes on a light tannic finish. The blend seemed to be focused on the grenache side of the typical Cotes du Rhone blending combination thought I couldn’t find any information to validate that. Perhaps I will contact the importer.

This one lives up to its pedigree of being a nice, perfectly balanced blend with fruit and spice making it a good pairing for most spicy and/or meat dishes. I’ll be getting another bottle and would suggest you grab one to try as well…

Rating: Buy It

Editor’s Note (17-Jun-2009): Received an email from the importer that the blend percentage on this one is 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Other.

2006 Navarro Brut Sparkling Wine

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2006 Navarro Brut Sparkling WinePrice: $25.00 direct from the winery

What They Said:

Per Navarro Vineyards “Most winemakers focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for sparkling wine but Navarro admits to a rebel streak. In 1989 we made our first sparkling Gewürztraminer and fans still ask when we’ll make more. This is our third bottling. We don’t make it every vintage because most years we are fairly confident that we will get our grapes to 24° Brix, perfect for our signature still Gewürz. In 2006 we weren’t sure. The vintage was cold and late and the grapes had already turned a lovely ripe, russet color at only 20° Brix. Just as importantly, it was one of the rare vintages where we had several blocks of Gewürztraminer with no millerandage; all the berries were normal-sized two-seeded berries. The ratio of free-run juice to skins was high, promoting fine flavors, clean aromas and high natural acidity, perfect for sparkling wine. We decided to celebrate with this bottling. We blended 10% Chardonnay into the cuvée to strengthen the wine’s backbone. Delicate peach and spice in the aromas and flavors combined with fresh baked-bread yeastiness and a dazzling citrusy finish. Silver Medal winner.”

What I Think:

Gewurzt, interesting. This one came in my last wine club shipment, only the 3rd time they’ve actually made it since 1989. Offers a nice sweetness that isn’t quite as cloyey as usual. Fizzing and yeasty with a bit of citrus on the backbone. Hints of crisp apple notes appear sporadically throughout. Full disclaimer, I’m not a huge fan of Champagne so dropping $25 is pretty much never in the picture. If that seems reasonable to you, definitely get this one. Certainly enjoyable, I’d just rather buy a nice bottle of red…

Rating: Pricey

2005 Fresno State Winery California Syrah

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2005 Fresno State Winery California SyrahPrice: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the bottle “Layers of dark fruit are complimented by an elegant blend of French and American oak. Supple tannins create a memorable and long-lasting finish on this classic Rhone-style red wine. Our Syrah is a perfect companion for grilled steak or lamb.”

What I Think:

Fresno State Winery, interesting I thought. Not UC Davis but certainly in the conversation when discussing the who’s who in the wine education world. That was enough to get it my cart. They have their own dedicated website which leaves me with questions, wondering and once again awe. Awe in the power of Trader Joe’s business model which consistently allows us to drink wines that cost $12 elsewhere for a fraction of the price. Wonder in why the site redirects to a funky URL and questions as to why any site would remove the information about a particular vintage when it is no longer for sale. Not very user focused now, are we?

Now onto the bottle, I am going to keep this one brief. Nose of herbs and fruit. Nice, rich fruit but all the same a bit restrained which is unusual and appealing at this price point. Slightly chalky on the palate. A finish that starts with mint and fades to blackberry & barrel flavors. As I think back to the Trader Joe’s inventory, there is not another Syrah in this price range I like better, nor a label I can remember wanting to try. That must mean Buy It!

Rating: Buy It

2007 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Pinot Noir

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2007 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Pinot NoirPrice: $12.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer (pdf) We set out to find a couple of magical wines that had the character, style and pedigree of really good reds. And yet, we dreamed both would have reasonable prices far lower than wines of this caliber normally command. Fulfilling our fantasies required a dedication to tasting and patience. Really good wines don’t grow on trees after all. Many tasting panels later, we discovered these wines worthy of the moniker Trader Joe’s Reserve. The Grand Reserve Pinot Noir has spent six months in oak to develop its grand complexity. This wine is rich with smoky plum, black cherry and raspberry. We watch our costs carefully, so we can offer values that might make others blush (or, rosé). We’re selling each 750 ml bottle of Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands for $12.99.

What I Think:

Wow, upon reflection I still can’t believe I paid $13 for a bottle of wine at Trader Joe’s. Further confounding this is that it was one of their very own private labeled bottles. This one had some background before it arrived. Angela and her crew called it a favorite in reviewing the majority of Trader Joe’s Pinot Noir offerings. Shortly thereafter Danny gave it a solid two thumbs down, saying after a single sip that he saved himself some coin. Obviously at this price point my expectations are sky high. The only thing tempering them is knowing how good it is to find quality Pinot at a reasonable price point.

Now let’s move on to the main event. On opening an aromatic nose smelling of light fruits, cherries and raspberries, with hints of cola. On the palate holy moly! I am initially blown away by fruit, a bit on the sweet side even. This needed time to blow off, wonder if that is the sip Danny had. After giving this one some time the fruits mellow with cherries and cranberries predominant on a light frame that lasts and linger through a long finish with barrel notes, a bit of spice and sour fruit. All in all, this was nice but I need a bit more than just fruit. I would have liked a bit more complexity or if not a range of flavors. I much prefer this Hayman & Hill which also hails from Santa Lucia and is even a few bucks cheaper…

Rating: Pricey

Going to President-elect Obama’s inauguration?

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If not make sure you eat and drink like you were there, right down to the wine pairings. Megan, over on Wine & Spirits Daily, turned me onto the culinary version of what’s in store for the day. I’m dusting off recipe books and heading out to do some wine shopping. Here’s the menu:

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Creating

Appetizer: Seafood stew paired with 2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc

Main Course: American birds (pheasant and duck), sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes paired with 2005 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noiricon

Dessert: Apple cinnamon sponge cake paired with Korbel Natural Sparkling


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If you are looking for something a bit more casual grab your favorite local take out and a bottle of the Yes We Can! from Periscope Cellars.

Love to hear what you will be drinking in the comments?  I’m leaning towards making the meal layed out above.  I’ll update here if/when I track down the recipes.  Either way finds some that works for you and welcome our new President to office.  Wish him luck, he’s going to need it.

Editor’s Note (15-Jan-2009):

Just learned via Dr. Vino’s post that Duckhorn and Goldeneye are actually made by the same company. Wonder where Korbel fits into this picture?

Adios 2008, Hello 2009

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photo by littlemoresunshineInspired by Dr. Deb’s question “Have you taken time to review your 2008 wine habits?” in her post on Good Wines Under $20 I decided to take a peak under the hood and look back on 2008.  I have a little home grown application I use to manage and track my inventory which helped me pull together some numbers.

In 2008, I tasted 313 wines with an average cost per bottle of $8.93 which was about 11% lower than my 2007 average of $10.03.  Trying to stay ahead of the economy J.  The more likely reason was a greater focus on Trader Joe’s where I purchased 72% of mine wine up from 44% a year earlier.  K&L purchases were down 50% and BevMo and The Wine Club were removed from the shopping itinerary.

224 (72%) of the bottles were red.  Strangely this was the same exact number of bottles purchased at Trader Joe’s.  The number was a modest decrease from the 76% of ’07 likely resulting from the result of my first real summer in years after moving out of San Francisco.  2005 was again the most prevalent vintage consumed at 35% though less so than the 48% of the year before.  2006 did replace 2004 in 2nd.

These wines spanned 39 grapes from 12 countries representing 41 different major wine regions.  Surprisingly only 55% were from the US, I expected the number to be higher.  The Red Blends dominated the top spot and were followed by Cabernet and Zinfandel in the 2nd and 3rd spot.  Rosenblum, Navarro, Epicuro and Columbia Crest were the four labels exceeding 10+ bottles consumed for the year.  The cheapest was the 2005 Amaicha Bonarda at $2 and the most expensive was the 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine de Marcoux at $45

Ah the brink of 2009, what are my wine resolutions?  Keep expanding my horizons.  I love finding new grapes and new regions.  Think I may spend a little more time searching for these unique offerings outside of Trader Joe’s.  The second is to drop some wine clubs, the economy L.  The last few are around blogging and the site.  For blogging, be more regular.  Had a great run there at the end of the year with 8 posts in 8 days.  Also took a few months off.  So I’ll try to balance it out a little better.  On site, I am going to keep on experimenting with new things.  I added Facebook Connect (bottom of the right hand column on the home page) and am in the middle of working on a new design.  Here is a sneak peek.  Let me know what features and/or functionality you would like to see added…

More than anything I look forward to sharing another year of adventures with all of you. We have a great community here and I appreciate all your comments, recommendations and support and look forward to more of the same in 2009.  Now, let me get to work on some of those new posts…

2005 Callabriga Dao Red

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2005 Callabriga Dao RedPrice: $8.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Evaton Inc.

What They Said:

Per wine.com “CALLABRIGA DÃO 2005 is deep red in colour with lively aromas of fresh and ripe fruits, and has some notes of resin and aromatic herbs. Full-bodied, it is abundant and firm in tannins, with lively acidity. This acidity is still present on the finish which is lively with notes of fruits.

Callabriga Dão 2005 is produced from a blend of red varieties Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Alfrocheiro Preto, expressing the region’s characteristic sensory liveliness.

#57 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008″

What I Think:

I came across both this Dao and the Douro offering at Trader Joe’s. Having long coveted a TJ’s Portuguese offering (2nd only to my desire for a $5 quaffable Malbec) I grabbed both despite the $9 (lofty by my standard TJ’s price point) at first blush. For those that may not know Portugal has long been known for dessert wines and has only recently begun focusing on producing quality red wines for exports (I know this is a massive generalization). The good news for those of us stateside is that are ultra-affordable. One of my first wine loves was a $9 bottle of Ramos Pinto, ever since I’ve been smitten with these offerings.

Now onto this one, pure pleasure from the start. Rich blackberries on the nose with pepper and mint in the periphery. The color is a dense purple. On the palate you are greeted with flavorful fruit on a dry, leathery, backbone which lingers/tickles on a lasting finish. Velvety smooth and smoky throughout. Warning! I like drier reds and am a sucker for Portugal. That said this is the best sub $10 bottle of Portuguese wine I’ve had in years…Skip the Douro, but splurge and grab a bottle or two of this now. Were it a few dollars cheaper I would likely be buying by the case.

Rating: Buy It