I was talking with a guy recently about wine and he told me he didn't see what all the fuss was about. "After all," he said, "it's just crushed grapes." His implication, of course, was that all wine is created equally. My response was to ask him if he can tell the difference between the ground beef patty on his Whopper at Burger King and a prime cut filet mignon at Ruth's Chris Steak House. "After all," I said, "they're both just butchered cow."
A number of factors enter into the equation of what makes a great wine. Climate, soil, the grapes themselves, and the winemaker. Perhaps chief of all is mother nature. Is the climate right for the grapes the winery is growing? Or are they growing grapes ill suited for their terroir simply because they want to cash in on the latest "hot" wine. Lots of wineries planted pinot noir in the aftermath of the "Sideways" phenomenon, and unfortuantely many of them were ill suited terroir-wise to grow pinot noir. Is the soil right for the grapes being grown? Is the winemaker passionate about making great wine, or is he primarily a CEO running a business? Sashi Moorman, head winemaker at Stolpman Vineyards, says that there are no talented winemakers, only passionate winemakers and those who are not passionate. He means, of course, passionate about making great wine instead of decent wine. What is the tonnage per acre that the winemaker is trying to achieve? Is the quality that lower yielding vineyards would bring being sacrificed to higher yields resulting in a diluted product? How involved is the winemaker with the actual making of the wine? Most winemakers at large wineries have little to do with actual winemaking, spending most of their time filling out order forms and over-seeing the operation of the winery. And after all is said and done, how much did mother nature cooperate in a given season? Was there a late frost? Not enough rain? Too much rain? Were the temperatures just right? Did mother nature allow the grapes to be picked at the optimal moment, or was it necessary to harvest the grapes before they fully ripened? 2007 looks to be a banner year throughout most of California, but a late April frost wiped out as much as 90% of the fruit in some vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Quality will be up, but quantity will be down. That means that prices will be up as well.
Just crushed grapes? Hardly.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
A few wines I've tried lately
Ferrari-Carano Sienna 2006: Retail: $38.00. This is a blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and malbec. Ferrari-Carano is better known for their white wines, but this wine was excellent. I got it at a restaurant in Reno, Nevada on the recommendation of the sommelier. The wine is young, but opened up nicely within minutes. Very good.
Rombauer Merlot 2005: Retail $40.00. I've never had a bad wine from Rombauer, and this was no exception. The movie Sideways scared a lot of people off of merlot, with most of them not knowing why they shouldn't order merlot. Of course this is nonsense, as there are many outstanding merlots on the market. Also, the world class Pomerol, from France, is 100% merlot, but I digress. This Rombauer merlot was pared with a prime beef ribeye, and it held up very well. One of the better California merlots I have tried.
Fess Parker Ashley's Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2005: Retail: $55.00. Fess Parker is one of my favorite wineries right now. This is the best pinot noir I have tasted in years, and one of the best ever in my 20-plus years of being a wine fanatic. Do not confuse this wine with the entry-level Fess Parker "Santa Barbara County" pinot noir, which retails for around $20.00. That's not a bad wine at all, but the Ashley's Vineyard Pinot Noir is light years ahead in terms of quality. Very highly recommended, although the price tag might scare some people off.
Edited to add this note: I tried this wine again today (12/24/28) and it is still very young. I opened the bottle it about an hour before serving the wine and it was still tightly wound when dinner began. During the meal, however, it unfolded very nicely. This is just a beautiful wine, very typical of the top pinots being produced in the Santa Rita Hills appelation of Santa Barbara County.
Fess Parker Rodney's Vineyard Syrah 2005: Retail: $45.00. I'm a big fan of Santa Ynez Valley syrahs, and this is an excellent example of what that area can produce. Again, this is not to be confused with Fess Parker's cuvee level syrah, which retails for around $20.00. I like that wine, and serve it often, but the Rodney's Vineyard Syrah is in a different league. If you like syrah, this one is worth the $45.00 it will set you back.
Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Retail: $70.00. This wine was rated 96 points by both Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), and the Wine Spectator, but it is not ready to drink right now. I bought two bottles, one for now and one for later. It is very good, but it is still too tightly wound to really appreciate. Give it another year or two at least, preferably more.
Rombauer Merlot 2005: Retail $40.00. I've never had a bad wine from Rombauer, and this was no exception. The movie Sideways scared a lot of people off of merlot, with most of them not knowing why they shouldn't order merlot. Of course this is nonsense, as there are many outstanding merlots on the market. Also, the world class Pomerol, from France, is 100% merlot, but I digress. This Rombauer merlot was pared with a prime beef ribeye, and it held up very well. One of the better California merlots I have tried.
Fess Parker Ashley's Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2005: Retail: $55.00. Fess Parker is one of my favorite wineries right now. This is the best pinot noir I have tasted in years, and one of the best ever in my 20-plus years of being a wine fanatic. Do not confuse this wine with the entry-level Fess Parker "Santa Barbara County" pinot noir, which retails for around $20.00. That's not a bad wine at all, but the Ashley's Vineyard Pinot Noir is light years ahead in terms of quality. Very highly recommended, although the price tag might scare some people off.
Edited to add this note: I tried this wine again today (12/24/28) and it is still very young. I opened the bottle it about an hour before serving the wine and it was still tightly wound when dinner began. During the meal, however, it unfolded very nicely. This is just a beautiful wine, very typical of the top pinots being produced in the Santa Rita Hills appelation of Santa Barbara County.
Fess Parker Rodney's Vineyard Syrah 2005: Retail: $45.00. I'm a big fan of Santa Ynez Valley syrahs, and this is an excellent example of what that area can produce. Again, this is not to be confused with Fess Parker's cuvee level syrah, which retails for around $20.00. I like that wine, and serve it often, but the Rodney's Vineyard Syrah is in a different league. If you like syrah, this one is worth the $45.00 it will set you back.
Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Retail: $70.00. This wine was rated 96 points by both Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), and the Wine Spectator, but it is not ready to drink right now. I bought two bottles, one for now and one for later. It is very good, but it is still too tightly wound to really appreciate. Give it another year or two at least, preferably more.
Some white wine recommendations
Bodega Norton (Argentina) 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. An excellent wine that retails for around $9.00.
Fess Parker 2006 or 2007 Viognier. Aroma and taste of ripe peach and orange marmalade. Retails for $22.00. When you want something a little different.
Zaca Mesa 2007 Viognier. A great bargain at Costco, selling for around $13.00 right now.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2007 Chardonnay (Washington state). A very pleasant wine, and a good bargain. Retails for $13.00.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 or 2007 Pinot Gris. Same winery as above. Pinot gris and pinot grigio are the same thing. One word (grigio) is Italian, the other is French. They both mean "gray." This is a very nice wine. Nothing complicated, but goes well with Chinese food. Retails for around $13.00.
Edna Valley 2007 Chardonnay. From the Paso Robles region of central California. A very nice wine. Retails for around $15.00.
Kim Crawford 2007 or 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is from New Zealand. It is excellent. Very floral; the smell almost reminds me of kiwi. Retails for around $17.00.
Villa Maria 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Another New Zealand wine, where the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world are being made at present. A little cheaper than the Kim Crawford, but just as good, if not better, in my opinion. Retails for around $13.00.
Chateau St. Jean 2007 Fume Blanc. A well respected Californa winery from Sonoma County. Fume (which means 'smoke') blanc is the same thing as sauvignon blanc. Robert Mondavi made up the name in the 60's when he started aging his sauvignon blanc in oak. Retails for $13.00.
Ferrari-Carano 2007 Fume Blanc. This is a consistently good wine from vintage to vintage. Retails for $15.00.
Fess Parker 2006 or 2007 Viognier. Aroma and taste of ripe peach and orange marmalade. Retails for $22.00. When you want something a little different.
Zaca Mesa 2007 Viognier. A great bargain at Costco, selling for around $13.00 right now.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2007 Chardonnay (Washington state). A very pleasant wine, and a good bargain. Retails for $13.00.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 or 2007 Pinot Gris. Same winery as above. Pinot gris and pinot grigio are the same thing. One word (grigio) is Italian, the other is French. They both mean "gray." This is a very nice wine. Nothing complicated, but goes well with Chinese food. Retails for around $13.00.
Edna Valley 2007 Chardonnay. From the Paso Robles region of central California. A very nice wine. Retails for around $15.00.
Kim Crawford 2007 or 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is from New Zealand. It is excellent. Very floral; the smell almost reminds me of kiwi. Retails for around $17.00.
Villa Maria 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Another New Zealand wine, where the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world are being made at present. A little cheaper than the Kim Crawford, but just as good, if not better, in my opinion. Retails for around $13.00.
Chateau St. Jean 2007 Fume Blanc. A well respected Californa winery from Sonoma County. Fume (which means 'smoke') blanc is the same thing as sauvignon blanc. Robert Mondavi made up the name in the 60's when he started aging his sauvignon blanc in oak. Retails for $13.00.
Ferrari-Carano 2007 Fume Blanc. This is a consistently good wine from vintage to vintage. Retails for $15.00.
Some red wine recommendations
Columbia Crest 2004 or 2005 Merlot Grand Estates (Note: Not to be confused with the Columbia Crest Two Vines, a lesser wine) This is a Washington state winery. One of the best red wine values on the market right now. The 2004 made Wine Spectator's list of the top 100 wines for 2007. Retails for around $13.00.
Fess Parker 2003 or 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah. The 2003 is better, but harder to find. I like this wine a lot. Retails for $20.00.
Famiglia Bianchi 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an Argentine wine. I've been drinking this wine for over 20 years and it's always good. Retails for around $17.00.
Norton Malbec Reserva 2004 or 2005. Another Argentine wine. Malbec is Argentina's top red wine, and it produces a world class wine from some of Argentina's top wineries. Retails for around $17.00. I like the '04 better than the '05.
Norton Malbec 2007 (or 2006 also). This is the regular entry level (cuvee) from Norton, and it is very good, and cheaper than the Reserva. Retails for around $9.00.
Catena 2005 Malbec. Another Argentina malbec. A very good wine at a decent price. Retails for $20.00.
Pascal Toso 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva.
*and*
Pascal Toso 2006 Malbec Reserva. These are two very good wines at reasonable prices from an old Argentine winery. Both retail for $20.00
Pascal Toso Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 or 2006. This is the entry level (cuvee) cab from Pascal Toso and it is very good as well. The 2005 is better than the 2006, but both are good. Retails for $12.00
Cocodrilo Vina Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. This is an Argentine wine made by the American winemaker Paul Hobbs, who runs his own winery in Argentina. A great wine for the money. Retails for $16.00.
Castle Rock 2005 Pinot Noir. From Sonoma County in California. A very good bargain at $13.00.
2 Up Shiraz 2006. A good shiraz (syrah) from Australia. Very nice with grilled beef. Retails for $13.00.
Penfolds 2006 Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon "Koonunga Hill." This Austrailian shiraz-cabernet blend is a good wine and an excellent bargain. By the way, "shiraz" and "syrah" are the same grape/wine. The name difference is strictly a geographical preference in Australia. Retails for $12.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Syrah 2005. A very good wine made by the Concha y Toro winery in Chile. Shows what syrah is capable of. Retails for $20.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. An good wine from the same producer (Concha y Toro) as the one above. Will rival or surpass most California or Bordeaux wines in the same price range. The same is true for the Syrah above. Retails for $20.00.
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. ***and***
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2004 Syrah. Both of these wines are good. They're not as good as their wines from 2001-2002, but they're still good. From Chile. Retail for around $20.00 each.
Artesa 2004 Merlot. This is a very good wine, with part of the grapes coming from Napa Valley and part coming from Sonoma. The 2003 was excellent, but I don't think you'll find it on the shelves any longer. Retails for around $18.00. My brother and sister-in-law came out to L.A. to visit from New Orleans last year and this was my sis-in-law's favorite wine out of the ones she tasted at our house, for whatever that's worth.
Fess Parker 2003 or 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah. The 2003 is better, but harder to find. I like this wine a lot. Retails for $20.00.
Famiglia Bianchi 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an Argentine wine. I've been drinking this wine for over 20 years and it's always good. Retails for around $17.00.
Norton Malbec Reserva 2004 or 2005. Another Argentine wine. Malbec is Argentina's top red wine, and it produces a world class wine from some of Argentina's top wineries. Retails for around $17.00. I like the '04 better than the '05.
Norton Malbec 2007 (or 2006 also). This is the regular entry level (cuvee) from Norton, and it is very good, and cheaper than the Reserva. Retails for around $9.00.
Catena 2005 Malbec. Another Argentina malbec. A very good wine at a decent price. Retails for $20.00.
Pascal Toso 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva.
*and*
Pascal Toso 2006 Malbec Reserva. These are two very good wines at reasonable prices from an old Argentine winery. Both retail for $20.00
Pascal Toso Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 or 2006. This is the entry level (cuvee) cab from Pascal Toso and it is very good as well. The 2005 is better than the 2006, but both are good. Retails for $12.00
Cocodrilo Vina Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. This is an Argentine wine made by the American winemaker Paul Hobbs, who runs his own winery in Argentina. A great wine for the money. Retails for $16.00.
Castle Rock 2005 Pinot Noir. From Sonoma County in California. A very good bargain at $13.00.
2 Up Shiraz 2006. A good shiraz (syrah) from Australia. Very nice with grilled beef. Retails for $13.00.
Penfolds 2006 Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon "Koonunga Hill." This Austrailian shiraz-cabernet blend is a good wine and an excellent bargain. By the way, "shiraz" and "syrah" are the same grape/wine. The name difference is strictly a geographical preference in Australia. Retails for $12.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Syrah 2005. A very good wine made by the Concha y Toro winery in Chile. Shows what syrah is capable of. Retails for $20.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. An good wine from the same producer (Concha y Toro) as the one above. Will rival or surpass most California or Bordeaux wines in the same price range. The same is true for the Syrah above. Retails for $20.00.
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. ***and***
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2004 Syrah. Both of these wines are good. They're not as good as their wines from 2001-2002, but they're still good. From Chile. Retail for around $20.00 each.
Artesa 2004 Merlot. This is a very good wine, with part of the grapes coming from Napa Valley and part coming from Sonoma. The 2003 was excellent, but I don't think you'll find it on the shelves any longer. Retails for around $18.00. My brother and sister-in-law came out to L.A. to visit from New Orleans last year and this was my sis-in-law's favorite wine out of the ones she tasted at our house, for whatever that's worth.
Buying wine
A friend of mine told me recently that he never pays less than $10.00 for a bottle of wine. He feels confident that if he pays at least $10.00, he'll get a good bottle of wine. Is he right? Of course the answer is, it depends on the bottle of wine he's buying for $10.00. Some ten dollar bottles are lousy, while others are great values.
That's not to say that price is meaningless. If I served you 20 wines in a blind tasting, 10 costing about $40 a bottle, and 10 costing around $10 a bottle, and then asked you to pick your 10 favorites wines from that group of 20, assuming you have a fairly well developed palate, you would probably choose maybe 8 from the $40 bottles, and 2 from the $10 bottles.
So obviously, when you're shopping for wine the trick is in knowing which $10 bottles to buy. And it changes from year to year, and from grape to grape. In California, 2005 was a great year for Chardonnay, but a bad year for Zinfandel (red). 2003 was a great year for Syrah. 2002 was one of the best years in two decades for Cabernet Sauvignon. It's like anything else: you have to do a lot of research. This year I travelled twice to Santa Barbara. Traditionally strong wineries like Cambria, Byron, Zaca Mesa, and Au Bon Climat released some very mediocre wines this past year (mostly 2004-2005 vintages). On the other hand, from the same region Foxen, Stolpman, Fess Parker and Beckmen had outstanding years. What I'm trying to say is that you really have to keep up with it to know what's going on in a given year.
One rule of thumb right now is that pinot noir is a bad buy almost across the board. Due to the popularity of the Sideways movie a glut of really bland, thin, insipid pinot noirs have flooded the market. Every winery looking to make a quick buck is planting pinot noir grapes, whether or not they have the right soil and/or climate to grow the grape. The result? A LOT of crappy wine out there selling fror $25 and up.
Syrah, on the other hand, especially from Califfornia's Central coast (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, etc) is an excellent value these days. I guarantee you that a $20 bottle from that area will be better than any $20 bottle of pinot noir right now.
One other point about buying wine: I almost never pay full retail price for wine. There's just no need to do so. Figure out what you want and look for those wines on sale. If it's a wine that you like buy several bottles at a time when it's on sale. Sometimes stores will put a wine on clearance because it's not selling well. Again, if you know you like the wine, stock up. Even if I'm trying a wine for the first time I still won't buy it if it's not on sale. Of course, I keep a lot of wine in stock at my house (I have an outside fridge as a wine "cellar"), so I never have to go out and buy a bottle ASAP, and I can afford to wait for sales.
Here's an example. I found a Castle Rock 2005 pinot noir on sale at Ralphs for the absurd price of $5. It normally sells for $13. This is not a wine I would have bought normally, but at that price I figured what the heck. It was actually quite good. Even at $13 it would have been good, but at $5 it was a steal.
That's not to say that price is meaningless. If I served you 20 wines in a blind tasting, 10 costing about $40 a bottle, and 10 costing around $10 a bottle, and then asked you to pick your 10 favorites wines from that group of 20, assuming you have a fairly well developed palate, you would probably choose maybe 8 from the $40 bottles, and 2 from the $10 bottles.
So obviously, when you're shopping for wine the trick is in knowing which $10 bottles to buy. And it changes from year to year, and from grape to grape. In California, 2005 was a great year for Chardonnay, but a bad year for Zinfandel (red). 2003 was a great year for Syrah. 2002 was one of the best years in two decades for Cabernet Sauvignon. It's like anything else: you have to do a lot of research. This year I travelled twice to Santa Barbara. Traditionally strong wineries like Cambria, Byron, Zaca Mesa, and Au Bon Climat released some very mediocre wines this past year (mostly 2004-2005 vintages). On the other hand, from the same region Foxen, Stolpman, Fess Parker and Beckmen had outstanding years. What I'm trying to say is that you really have to keep up with it to know what's going on in a given year.
One rule of thumb right now is that pinot noir is a bad buy almost across the board. Due to the popularity of the Sideways movie a glut of really bland, thin, insipid pinot noirs have flooded the market. Every winery looking to make a quick buck is planting pinot noir grapes, whether or not they have the right soil and/or climate to grow the grape. The result? A LOT of crappy wine out there selling fror $25 and up.
Syrah, on the other hand, especially from Califfornia's Central coast (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, etc) is an excellent value these days. I guarantee you that a $20 bottle from that area will be better than any $20 bottle of pinot noir right now.
One other point about buying wine: I almost never pay full retail price for wine. There's just no need to do so. Figure out what you want and look for those wines on sale. If it's a wine that you like buy several bottles at a time when it's on sale. Sometimes stores will put a wine on clearance because it's not selling well. Again, if you know you like the wine, stock up. Even if I'm trying a wine for the first time I still won't buy it if it's not on sale. Of course, I keep a lot of wine in stock at my house (I have an outside fridge as a wine "cellar"), so I never have to go out and buy a bottle ASAP, and I can afford to wait for sales.
Here's an example. I found a Castle Rock 2005 pinot noir on sale at Ralphs for the absurd price of $5. It normally sells for $13. This is not a wine I would have bought normally, but at that price I figured what the heck. It was actually quite good. Even at $13 it would have been good, but at $5 it was a steal.
My trip to Santa Barbara County wine country
Here are my 10 favorite wines from the trip (and 8 others that came close to making the list):
1. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Toasted Rope"
2. Stolpman 2006 La Croce (50 syrah 50% sangiovese blend)
3. Stolpman 2005 Syrah "Estate"
4. Fess Parker 2006 Pinot Noir "Ashley's Vineyard"
5. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Williamson-Dore Vineyard"
6. Stolpman 2006 Syrah "Hilltops Vineyard"
7. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "Rodney's Vineyard"
8. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "The Big Easy"
9. Stolpman 2006 "L'Avion" (a 90% Roussanne-10% viognier blend...my favorite white of the trip)
10. Koehler 2005 Magia Nera (67% sangiovese and 33% cabernet sauvignon blend)
*************************************************
11. Beckmen 2005 Syrah "Purisima Mountain Vineyard Block Six"
12. Koehler 2005 Syrah "Estate"
13. Epiphany 2005 "Revelation" (Rhone-style blend)
14. Epiphany 2007 Grenache Blanc (my second favorite white of the trip)
15. Ken Brown Pinot Noir 2006 "Santa Rita Hills"
16. Beckmen 2006 Grenache "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
17. Beckmen 2006 Grenache Blanc "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
18. Koehler 2007 Riesling "Estate"
1. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Toasted Rope"
2. Stolpman 2006 La Croce (50 syrah 50% sangiovese blend)
3. Stolpman 2005 Syrah "Estate"
4. Fess Parker 2006 Pinot Noir "Ashley's Vineyard"
5. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Williamson-Dore Vineyard"
6. Stolpman 2006 Syrah "Hilltops Vineyard"
7. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "Rodney's Vineyard"
8. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "The Big Easy"
9. Stolpman 2006 "L'Avion" (a 90% Roussanne-10% viognier blend...my favorite white of the trip)
10. Koehler 2005 Magia Nera (67% sangiovese and 33% cabernet sauvignon blend)
*************************************************
11. Beckmen 2005 Syrah "Purisima Mountain Vineyard Block Six"
12. Koehler 2005 Syrah "Estate"
13. Epiphany 2005 "Revelation" (Rhone-style blend)
14. Epiphany 2007 Grenache Blanc (my second favorite white of the trip)
15. Ken Brown Pinot Noir 2006 "Santa Rita Hills"
16. Beckmen 2006 Grenache "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
17. Beckmen 2006 Grenache Blanc "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
18. Koehler 2007 Riesling "Estate"
Two good, inexpensive white wines
Two inexpensive white wines that I tried recently that are worth mentioning.
1. Chateau St. Michelle 2007 Pinot Gris.
Chateau St. Michelle is a Washington state winery that made its reputation with white wines. They're known in particular for their Reisling. They also make a chardonnay that is usually a good wine for the price. Anyway, I tried the 2007 Pinot Gris today with some Thai food and it was very good. I've had the 2006 pinot gris and liked it a lot, so I was pleased to see the consistency from that vintage to this one. Pinot gris (or pinot grigio) is not really a complex or exciting wine, but I think it goes great with spicy food specifically because of the lack of complexity. I think this wine retails for around $13.00 or so, but I got it on sale for $8.00 at my local grocery store here in Los Angeles. Highly recommended for what it is: a good, uncomplicated white wine that will go great with spicy food, Chinese food, etc.
2. Kirkland 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Kirkland is the store brand label for Costco. They sell a number of wines under their own label, like shiraz from Barossa, Australia, cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, pinot noir from Santa Barbara County, and now this chardonnay from Napa Valley. I'm not sure if they buy up excess wine and bottle it, or buy excess grapes and actually make the wines themselves (like Cameron Hughes), but whatever they do this wine is a winner! I paid $7.99 for it at Costco and it is worth twice that much. I noticed last time I was in the store that the 2007 vintage for this particular wine is out so I'll be giving that one a try soon. This is very good wine, regardless of the price. At $7.99 it's a great value as well.
1. Chateau St. Michelle 2007 Pinot Gris.
Chateau St. Michelle is a Washington state winery that made its reputation with white wines. They're known in particular for their Reisling. They also make a chardonnay that is usually a good wine for the price. Anyway, I tried the 2007 Pinot Gris today with some Thai food and it was very good. I've had the 2006 pinot gris and liked it a lot, so I was pleased to see the consistency from that vintage to this one. Pinot gris (or pinot grigio) is not really a complex or exciting wine, but I think it goes great with spicy food specifically because of the lack of complexity. I think this wine retails for around $13.00 or so, but I got it on sale for $8.00 at my local grocery store here in Los Angeles. Highly recommended for what it is: a good, uncomplicated white wine that will go great with spicy food, Chinese food, etc.
2. Kirkland 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Kirkland is the store brand label for Costco. They sell a number of wines under their own label, like shiraz from Barossa, Australia, cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, pinot noir from Santa Barbara County, and now this chardonnay from Napa Valley. I'm not sure if they buy up excess wine and bottle it, or buy excess grapes and actually make the wines themselves (like Cameron Hughes), but whatever they do this wine is a winner! I paid $7.99 for it at Costco and it is worth twice that much. I noticed last time I was in the store that the 2007 vintage for this particular wine is out so I'll be giving that one a try soon. This is very good wine, regardless of the price. At $7.99 it's a great value as well.
Three wine reviews
Here are a few relatively inexpensive wines that I tried lately.
1. Norton 2005 Malbec Reserva
I lived in Argentina for five years back in the late 80's and early 90's and I've been a fan of Norton for a long time. Malbec is Argentina's best red wine, with some of them reaching world class heights. This particular wine isn't one of them, but it's not bad at all. Wine Spectator rated it 88 points and that seems about right to me. I served it with some beef empanadas that I bought at an Argentine restaurant in my neighborhood and a green salad. It was the perfect wine for that kind of simple meal. The cost of the wine is about $13.00 at both Costco and World Market. Btw, Norton makes a regular malbec that sells for around $9.00. I'm not sure that the Reserva is worth the extra money. It probably spent a little more time in oak before being released, but the regular Norton malbec is usually a good wine and a real bargain.
2. Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Zinfandel.
Screw Kappa Napa became popular some years back by, as the name implies, using screw top caps instead of corks. At the time they were one of the few USA wineries that did so. They also (supposedly) made some good wines back then, but these two wines were very disappointing. I tried the zinfandel first and thought it was mediocre at best. Then I tried the cabernet sauvignon and it was even worse. The cab had a very vegetal taste, as though the grapes had been harvested while not yet ripe. These wines retail for around $15.00, but I got them on sale at Ralphs for $8.99. Even at $8.99 I was disappointed.
3. Marquis Phillips 2006 Shiraz.
I saved the best for last. This is an excellent wine, made by one of Australia's leading producers of shiraz/syrah. I'm a syrah fan, so this wine was right up my alley. This has all the fruit and spice/pepper you would expect from a top notch syrah. Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) rated this wine 92 points. The real shocker is the price: I got this wine at Costco for $11.89 a bottle! It just might be the best red wine value I saw all year. I bought a case earlier in the year after trying a bottle. Btw, the 2007 is out now and I have not tried it yet. If you can find the 2006 I recommend you buy it over the 2007, but you may not be able to find any more 2006's.
1. Norton 2005 Malbec Reserva
I lived in Argentina for five years back in the late 80's and early 90's and I've been a fan of Norton for a long time. Malbec is Argentina's best red wine, with some of them reaching world class heights. This particular wine isn't one of them, but it's not bad at all. Wine Spectator rated it 88 points and that seems about right to me. I served it with some beef empanadas that I bought at an Argentine restaurant in my neighborhood and a green salad. It was the perfect wine for that kind of simple meal. The cost of the wine is about $13.00 at both Costco and World Market. Btw, Norton makes a regular malbec that sells for around $9.00. I'm not sure that the Reserva is worth the extra money. It probably spent a little more time in oak before being released, but the regular Norton malbec is usually a good wine and a real bargain.
2. Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Zinfandel.
Screw Kappa Napa became popular some years back by, as the name implies, using screw top caps instead of corks. At the time they were one of the few USA wineries that did so. They also (supposedly) made some good wines back then, but these two wines were very disappointing. I tried the zinfandel first and thought it was mediocre at best. Then I tried the cabernet sauvignon and it was even worse. The cab had a very vegetal taste, as though the grapes had been harvested while not yet ripe. These wines retail for around $15.00, but I got them on sale at Ralphs for $8.99. Even at $8.99 I was disappointed.
3. Marquis Phillips 2006 Shiraz.
I saved the best for last. This is an excellent wine, made by one of Australia's leading producers of shiraz/syrah. I'm a syrah fan, so this wine was right up my alley. This has all the fruit and spice/pepper you would expect from a top notch syrah. Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) rated this wine 92 points. The real shocker is the price: I got this wine at Costco for $11.89 a bottle! It just might be the best red wine value I saw all year. I bought a case earlier in the year after trying a bottle. Btw, the 2007 is out now and I have not tried it yet. If you can find the 2006 I recommend you buy it over the 2007, but you may not be able to find any more 2006's.
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