Got a bottle of 2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc to go with the bluefish tonight and it was only $14.

jf

Oh, screw caps!

Actually, I bought two bottles of the Kim Crawford. The price was $5 less than I used to see it so I bought all there was on the shelf. New Zealand SB is a favorite of mine and, except perhaps for Isabel, the Kim Crawford is the best i have found.

Went to look for the second bottle tonight and it was gone. We keep wine (and empties) on the floor in a corner of the pantry under a cabinet--looked all around---nothing. Checked the fridge---nothing. Checked the car---nothing....

Finally I mentioned to kathy that there was a bottle of wine missing...puzzled look...blank stare...."Well, there were some kids collecting cans and bottles for their hockey team and I did throw some empties in a bag for them...."

I wonder who is drinking that fine bottle of wine tonight?

jf

Well.. I hope the hockey team at least won.

I found an interesting choice in the clearance bin today, so I figured I'd give it a shot. This was a 2001 Oberon Napa Valley Merlot. Now, I don't normally get all enthusiastic about merlot, mostly because it's grown and vinified to be mild and unassuming (OK... bland). This was quite a bit different, with well rounded dark fruit flavors, a little spice and even a hint of chocolate. And in definite contrast to most merlots, this one has a nice tannic finish, although I found myself wishing this wine were a little more acidic.

From what I understand, this wine is the result of a rather prestigious winemaker making a cut in the volume of their high-end merlot offering. But this wasn't an astronomically priced wine, normally selling for about $20, and since it was in the clearance bin, I got it for $13. Worth looking for if you're in the mood for a tasty, yet still easy drinking wine.

I'll look for that Matt. I like a really fine Merlot, but they are either few and far beetween, or expensive beyond what I think is reasonable.

Franciscan used to make a good one, and some producer around Monterey that escapes my mind at the moment.

Tonight I opened something I bought yesterday, a 2003 Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva Carmenère from Chile's Colchagua Valley. I had tried another of Edwards' wines recently (their Doña Bernarda blend) and found it delightful, so I thought I'd give this varietal a chance.

Now, the Chilean vineyards have a bit of a problem on their hands. A large number of Carmenère (sometimes also known as Grande Vidure) vines were planted there in the pre-Phylloxera days, when they also comprised a good percentage of the vines in Bordeaux. After the Phylloxera blight, Bordeaux growers more or less dropped Carmenère from their vineyards, opting to replace them mostly with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Phylloxera never really affected the vineyards in Chile, so the growers there just kept on using it.

Well, now fast-forward a century or so, and the Chileans are now producing world-class wines. In an effort, perhaps, to make some of the Carmenère acreage more attractive to European buyers, much of it was passed off as Merlot. Even today, Chilean growers are producing Carmenère grapes that they think are Merlot. Merlot and Carmenère are very similar in a number of respects, so it may not really be all that simple a matter to differentiate the two.

But, this particular wine from Edwards makes absolutely no pretense about being anything other than Carmenère. While the profile may suggest Merlot, the color displays a distinctive purplish cast that Merlot lacks. This Carmenère also has a much earlier and decided tannic bite, along with a better balance of acidity than most Merlots. The finish is short, but very pleasant.

Carmenère deserves to be better utilized in the global wine market. It has a little more personality than Merlot, in my opinion, but still makes for an eminently drinkable wine. For Merlot lovers, this grape may just push you over the edge into more robust wines, as it makes an excellent stepping stone from the simple joys of Merlot to the more challenging aspects of a number of other grape varieties.

I've had a Carmeniere from Casillero del Diablo that was quite memorable, too.

We finished off the Carmenère with dinner tonight. SO said it was reminiscent of Grey Flannel cologne!?!?

Afterwards, I decided to open up yet another experiment. This is a 2003 Hanging Rock Petit Verdot from the Macedon Ridge area of Victoria, Australia. Complete with the latest Stelvin closure (a/k/a screw cap), this member of the "Rock" series epitomizes the attitude of the new Oz winemakers. Fruit is the name of the game, and they don't care how they get it!

Petit Verdot is typically only used as a blending grape, and it is still occasionally used in its home Bordeaux, and a bit more recently to add to the Meritage-style blends from the upper tiers of California wines. Now I know why.

This could have been a really pleasant wine, but this particular winemaker must have started with grapes with really high Brix (sugar potential) content. So, this wine, while still not quite bordering on the demi-sec, still has enough residual sugar to make it a bit too sweet for my taste.

But, the fruit in this wine is overpowering. Such forwardness can only be explained by using incredibly ripe grapes (and Petit Verdot is often cited as a late-maturing variety!) with an extremely long hang time, a practice that has become de rigueur among lots of the Oz growers. The fruit profile, though, is decidedly one-note: cherry. In fact, I almost wanted to compare this wine with those cherry-flavored cough syrups. That would be an unfair comparison, though, because the tannins and acidity that this wine also packs make a nice counterbalance for the extreme fruitiness.

In a number of respects, this wine has a lot in common with some of the old-vine Zinfandels from California's Amador County. This is a fairly dense, dark wine with a bit of a closed nose (that's oenophile talk for little aroma!) but a surprising burst of taste on the tongue. This Petit Verdot has a long and surprisingly firm finish. But, I am hesistant to recommend it as a food wine, mostly because of the intense cherry flavors. But as a stand-alone wine for enjoying on its own, it does pretty well. It sells for about $10.

Matt, how do you learn all this stuff?

jf

Learn what? I like to know what I'm drinking, and I like to try new things, and the more unusual the better. So, I do a little research. What I learn in my research just sort of builds on what I've already discovered in previous research. Google is your friend!

I used to know all that stuff.. used to keep up with all the wine rags, etc.

No time anymore, what with Dad-ing.

This Saturday at approximately 5:00 p.m. c.s.t. the annual Chateau Lafite party will commence.

Some interesting older and newer vintages including another Bordeaux from the late 1970's Early 1980's will compete for the title of "Best of Party".

Lafite is the undisputed champion 3 years running.

quote:

Originally posted by markj:
This Saturday at approximately 5:00 p.m. c.s.t. the annual Chateau Lafite party will commence.

What should I bring?

Yourself and your SO.

A plate to pass and a bottle of wine is what most people bring.

Oh yeah, be prepared to play some piano too!