Last two night's wines:

2003 Mackenzie Russian River Pinot Noir $15 - all the fruit elegance of a great Cotes Du Nuits, but with a California backbone. Delicious, and perfect with Pork/Mushroom Meat Loaf

2004 Luzon Jumilla (Spain) $8 - Fab wine. Deep and dense and licorice all over the place. A great complement to leftover prime rib. Huge value from Spain.

And by the way, while I was looking for info on the wine, I joined YET ANOTHER forum!!!

Janet will be thrilled, no doubt.

http://www.wines.com/cgi-bin/uubcgi/Ultimate.cgi?action...ro&BypassCookie=true

Last night was a bad night. We got socked with a nasty snowstorm just in time for the evening rush. My commute took twice as long as usual getting home, so I had no time to prepare anything decent for dinner. I settled for some crappy chili I could nuke in the microwave. I don't drink wine with chili for some reason, so the wine waited until after dinner.

I opened a bottle of the 2003 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz-Cabernet from South Australia, a wine I have enjoyed as a relatively cheap, decent, everyday kind of wine (about $8). This one seemed different, and when I tasted it, I had only one thought: acetone. The aftertaste was reminiscent of nail polish remover. I thought, "Oh, maybe it's just the consequence of eating crappy chili just before." So, I drank my glass and hoped that today would reveal this bottle's true nature.

So, I went back to the bottle today and tried a bit, since I was a bit leery. Unfortunately, yesterday's assessment still held true. I guess I'll pitch this bottle. There's still one more in the cellar, but I think I'll wait and try it later. In the meantime, I've opened a 2003 Turner Road Cabernet from Paso Robles, California. Too much oak and malolactic fermentation for me tonight for some reason, but still way better than that bottle of solvent.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt G.:
but still way better than that bottle of solvent.

Around here, it's a question of bottles improperly stored at the merchant's. I get a fair number of bottles that are off, or nearly so. Tney go right back. Not a savvy wine crowd in this area (which I hasten to add, does not mean I'm any kind of wine maven -- but I can tell when a bottle's bad).

Matua Valley Pinot Noir 2003
New Zealand
$11
Worth every penny.

jf

I've tried the Matua line as well. How would you contrast it with the Mark West?

I took a Kinkeade Ridge Viognier/Rousanne blend to a party last night. This winery is in southern Ohio and is making very, very good vinifera wines. It really blew the tasters away that this was an Ohio wine.

Okay, I think I got through all the notes and finally found a good local place to buy wine. Based on recommendations, found the Mark West Pinot and the Zin Zin.

Johnmoonlight - I can't see any of the SB's you posted that were rated 90+. Could I trouble you to mention them by name? Every other label on the thread is viewable....

I personally like the Kim Crawford a lot, but surprisingly my wife does not - I guess I should keep buying it, it works out well for me. Another one we really like and it's inexpensive like the Nobilo - Monkey Bay.

I tried a Kenwood SB recently - I won't bother with it again. It was okay, but I'll stay with the NZ and try other ones from CA.

A red that I found for $10-11 that I really like is Col des Vents from France - a great marketing statement - red table wine, catchy, eh? I'd compare it to a Rhone. It is interesting to drink reds again, we were almost 100% whites for 5 years in TX. Well, whites and margaritas.

This may be getting a bit off topic, but...

The ideal, for me, is to find a local place that knows the kind of thing you like, and can steer you there. The closest I come is not exactly in the neighborhood; it's a special trip by car -- but they believe that good wine needn't be ridiculously expensive, and keep a list of their top 100 wines, and their descriptions, on view throughout the store. I've done amazingly well for very little money.

Mark, how did the Lafite go over?

quote:

Originally posted by Mikhailoh:
I've tried the Matua line as well. How would you contrast it with the Mark West?

I took a Kinkeade Ridge Viognier/Rousanne blend to a party last night. This winery is in southern Ohio and is making very, very good vinifera wines. It really blew the tasters away that this was an Ohio wine.

I have had perhaps 8-10 bottles of Mark West and found it inconsistent. Two or three were notably dull. The best were better than anything I have had in that price range.

The Matua was luscious at first sip, as Pinot should be, but not as good as the better bottles of Mark West. Interestingly, the Matua was pretty dead the next day (I have a little hand pump that takes some of the oxygen out of a half drunk bottle). The Mark West always held up extremely well after opening.

For the same money, I will buy the Mark West before I buy the Matua, unless I want a bit of a change.

DP, the primo New Zealand SB is supposed to be Cloudy Bay. I have not tried it and rumor has it priced at about $30 a bottle. (Santa?) From their website for the 2005:

Pale straw green in colour and vibrantly aromatic, the 2005 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is like an exotic infusion of fresh ginger, sweet basil, and lemongrass layered over ripe tropical and citrus fruits. With great purity of fruit flavours, the palate is mouth-wateringly juicy yet finishes with a refreshing crispness.


jf

$30, not likely to find it without going to Madison or even a larger city. And for $30, then figure gas and.... okay, never mind.

We had a bottle of Fernleaf NZ SB tonight, also about $10. Very good, worth trying for $10.

DP

Thanks, JF.. that's about how I found it too. Both MW and Matua are very nice wines, but the MW, upon several hours air time, opens up more and more while the Matua seems to fade. I think the difference you might have found in the MW might be related to air time. They're pretty dumb on opening, great the next day.

I think the Matua might be better with sauced salmon or tuna, but I'd buy the MW too. It goes with all things a good Burgundy should.

All right, how about something very different?

I’m looking for a decent bottle of Frankenwein, in fact at this point I’m growing thirsty enough to consider buying a whole case to enjoy over the winter. A hardy German white wine you might think is really pretty dull. But some things tasted remain in the memory for a long time; that nice easy drinking wine in the box bottles. Muller-Thurgau is the grape, derived from Riesling and Silvaner – in California and elsewhere the former is called Johannesburg Riesling and the latter White Riesling. Developed by a guy named Muller in a Swiss town called Thurgau. Well, however it is, I know of few wines that compliment a good baked chicken with brown and wild rice or bulgar wheat and red cabbage as well as this one. Have to get some locals around here to make ma a fresh apple straddle to go with it.

PS, have you ever heard of a new modern dance called the Frankenstein, pronounced as in the movie, Young Frankenstein, as Fronkensteen? You have to have appropriate heavy metal to do it. You basically shake your hands one at a time and stomp around to the music? and move your head in a jerky manner. I think it will take off and become the hottest rage among the young – that is, IF they are EVER inclined to take up ANY dancing.

Wine thread we have, now all we need is a thread about women and another of song.

How about it, where can I get the best deal ON LINE on Frankenwein?

quote:

Originally posted by Matt G.:
Mark, how did the Lafite go over?

Very well!

I will post more later.

We had four different 81 Bordeaux's including the Lafite. The Lafite was the most consistent throughout the evening. It was exquisite to say the least.

The other 81s (again, more about them later) were all very interesting.

I took no notes so I will have to do this from memory. I will also call my buddy who was there to get his impressions and report back soon.

DB,

I'll start at least one of those threads, if not simultaneously.

I ventured into a new local wine store while my daughter was auditioning last night.

It is truly something new, and is called Wine Styles. It's a national franchise operation, something I had never heard of before in wine shops. The schtick is they organize their wares by flavor profile rather than by varietal or nationality. Pretty much all their wines are under $30, with the majority being below $20.

The flavor sections, if I recall correctly, are Crisp, Silky and something else for big and buttery whites, Fruity, Mellow and Bold for reds. They also have a bubbly section and a Nectar section for dessert wines. For each section they have recommendations on the types of food to go with each. Interesting place. They are in LA I know, and parts of the east coast, so you may have one in your area.

Also tried a WINE TO AVOID at dinner last night.. it was Samantha Starr Pinot Noir.. nasty, vegetal and offputting chemical smells. WHo the hell picked THAT for a high-dollar wine list I will never know.

Cheers