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My New House Wine

Cork: Authentic
Name: Toasted Head
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Region: North Coast California
Country: USA
Producer: Toasted Head Winery
Price: $14.99
Purchased at: Cheers Liquormart
Date: 08/12/08
Served With: Colby Jack Cheese Chunk
Appearance: Looks meduim bodied, Garnet
Aroma: Cherry, Coffee and Chocolate
Taste: The aroma did not disguise the taste. Numbs the tip of the tongue on entry then spreads evenly throughout the mouth. Excellent tannin structure that represents a solid body which slightly belies the appearance but it all matches up in the end.
Comments: You gotta love a wine that warms the belly without being overly heated. We have made this wine our new house wine and did a blind test with our old house red wines (Blackstone Cab and Hayman & Hill Cab) and there was simply no comparison. This wine has much better body, is more even and is a better fit overall for my current palate. And the price is good too…I’ve seen it online for as low as $11.99.

I have a wooden wine rack that sits in my living room and holds 24 bottles of wine. Here in Colorado Springs the type of storage that I have is only a factor during the last 2 weeks of July and the 1st 2 weeks of August as that’s when the temperature soars and we don’t have A/C.

We’re fortunate that we don’t have to worry about the ambient temperature very often but there have been times when I’ve noticed that our red wine is too warm at the time of drinking. Of course, the white wine is stored in the fridge as we don’t usually have many bottles of it to worry about! During the summer season though we do put the open bottles on ice as even they can become too warm for the palate.

If you’re fortunate enough to be able to have open storage like I do and are looking for a stylish Wine Rack then look no further. I was checking this site out earlier today and found that they have a very large selection of functional and stylish racks. They also carry coolers if you’re budget allows and your palate demands!

I fear that even as a redneck I’ll be investing in a cooler sooner rather than later and this may just be the place I purchase from!

Cork: Authentic
Name: Joseph Cattin Riesling Grand Cru
Type: Riesling
Vintage: 2006
Region: Alsace
Country: France
Producer: Help?!
Price: $17.99
Purchased at: Cheers Liquormart
Date: 06/01/08
Served With: Can’t remember, been drinking it a lot
Appearance: Light golden, sparkling with hints of thirst quenching ability
Aroma: Earthy mineral-like qualities that I can’t describe. Some light grapefruity/lemongrass as well.
Taste: Hits the tip of the tongue with initial sweetness that quickly evaporates mid-palate into a tasty and refreshing dry wine. Finishes clean with no aftertaste and no lingering sweetness that causes dry mouth.
Comments: Loving this stuff right now. I guess you could say I’m branching out but I’ve found nothing better on a hot summer eve than a crisp, clean and refreshing white wine. This wine is low on the sweetness scale as graphcially represented at the Cattin website. I haven’t found much better bang for the buck either as this Grand Cru comes in at under $18 a bottle. I had to add a category here as I never thought I’d review a Riesling! However, there are more in store!

Cork: Authentic
Name: Kinton Syrah
Type: Syrah
Vintage: 2005
Region: Santa Barbara County
Country: USA
Producer: Kinton Vineyards, Santa Maria, CA
Price: ’twas a gift
Purchased at: Wine.com
Date: 2/2/08
Served With: Colby Jack Cheese & Townhouse Buttery Crackers (this is the ‘Redneck’ wine review!)
Appearance: Deep, dark & luscious maroon. Very leggy.
Aroma: Hints of American oak and white pepper.
Taste: Initial flavors of tobacco and some other woody characteristics. A middle palate reminiscent of greeny things like hay, straw or maybe even grass. Finishes nicely with hints of anise.
Comments: Here’s a wine that happens to pair very well with the appetizer. It gives a nice contrast to the cheese and helps to cleanse the palate between bites. It’s full-bodied but not overwhelming and while I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the anise-type finish I would definitely drink this wine again.

Incidentally, I heard through the grapevine that this wine was recently added to the wine list at the world-famous, 5 Star hotel in Colorado Springs called the Broadmoor. It should sell well!

Cork: Synthetic
Name: Rosenblum Richard Sauret Vineyard Zinfandel
Type: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2005
Region: California Central Coast, Paso Robles
Country: USA
Producer: Richard Sauret Vineyard
Price: $25.99
Purchased at: Wine.com
Date: 11/09/07
Served With: Ala Carte
Appearance: Looks pretty hearty for a Zin. Nice legs. Doesn’t look thin at all.
Aroma: Now this smells excellent - classic American oak, black pepper and hints of vanilla. It even smells complex!
Taste: Great complexity, spicy and smooth on top, finishes with baking spices.
Comments: We really enjoyed this wine. The aroma and initial flavors were reminiscent of the Spectacular Shiraz though not quite as full bodied. Yet it was very robust for a Zinfandel! This is quite possibly the best non-old vines Zin that I’ve ever had, certainly as robust as any Zinfandel I’ve ever had.

The bottle has a great “Pull Tab to Remember” feature on the back label. What a great way to conveniently remember whether you like the wine or not. Just pull the tab and put it in your wallet or purse and pull it out when you’re shopping for your next bottle of wine!

One thing to note is that there appear to be at least 2 different lines of Rosenblum wine. I was shopping at my favorite local wine shop and found the “appelation” line of Rosenblum wines. They are priced lower and we did have a Zin in that line at a friends house last week. It was good but not as good as this version.

Cork:Authentic
Name: Molly Dooker Gigglepot
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006
Region: South Australia
Country: Australia
Producer: Molly Dooker
Price: $54.99
Purchased at: Wine.com
Date: 11/09/07
Served With: Dry Rub Pulled Pork Sandwiches, cole slaw
Appearance: Wow! This is the deepest, darkest, richest looking Cabernet I’ve ever seen. Makes my mouth water just looking at it!
Aroma: Ripe dark berries, Maybe some black pepper
Taste: Very jammy…plummy. Balanced and smooth.
Comments: This was a very nice bottle of wine to enjoy with friends. It’s fun to say the name and I could stare at the glass all night! I just could not get over how luscious this looked. While it had some very jammy flavors it was not too sweet by any means. I found it to have great tannins which helped define a finely structured and layered wine that I enjoyed for as long as I possibly could.

One of my friends who is really on a Shiraz kick lately really enjoyed this wine (as we all did) but it’s worth noting because if not for the tannins that characterize a fine Cabernet Sauvignon I could have thought I was drinking a Shiraz. I give it an 8+.

Cork:Authentic
Name: Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2003
Region: Napa Valley
Country: USA
Producer: Grgich Hills Cellar
Price: $55.99
Purchased at: Wine.com
Date: 11/09/07
Served With: Salmon marinated in reduced balsamic vinegar with capers and herb-scented olive oil
Appearance: Like a garnet stone; deep burgundy with red on the edges where the light shines
Aroma: Cherries, crushed red roses, berry cobbler, currant, oak
Taste: Very tasty, slight fruity taste on the front of the tongue, a mellow middle and a balancing, tannic finish.
Comments: If a cobbler was cooked with cherries, currants and sweet tobacco in an oak-fired oven it might come close to the taste of this wine. Add the alcohol, of course!! This is one of the more balanced Cabernet Sauvignon wines I’ve had. I loved the balanced tannic finish…it’s like the flavor spreads evenly around your mouth as you swallow creating a very satisfying, warm experience. We decanted this wine for about 30 minutes before enjoying it with a salad and then with the main course of salmon. I’m not great a pairing wines yet and this was good with the meal but better before and after.

I must say that going back over my previous reviews where I gave J. Lohr 2005 Cabernet 8.5 corks I may consider adjusting (normalizing) some of my previous reviews. Not that the J. Lohr isn’t a great wine for a great price, because it is, but because to compare an 8.5 of J. Lohr to the 8 corks I give this wine is grossly unfair. This Grgich Hills Cabernet is a very good wine. But, if I had to choose between this bottle at $55+ or the Spectacular Shiraz at $27 I’d take the Canonbah Bridge every time!

Sorry, a little off track there but you get the idea! Taking nothing away from Grgich Hills - it’s a great wine and deserves all the kudos it gets!!

Another huge thanks to the Wine Hiker where this bottle of wine came from!

Cork:Authentic
Name: Meridian Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2000
Region: California
Country: USA
Producer: Meridian Vineyards
Price: $12.99?
Purchased at: Cheers Liquormart
Date: 11/09/07
Served With: Teriyaki Chicken & White Rice
Appearance: Deep purple, rich
Aroma: Faint berries, very light, not much, if any, oak
Taste: A layered wine with smooth cherries on the front with a citrusy finish.
Comments: Hmm…I had to think about this one for a while. This wine doesn’t have the characteristics that I typically applaud in a Cabernet Sauvignon. However, as my wine education grows one of the things I’ve learned is not to judge this, or any, wine based on what I like, rather judge or rate it based on the wine itself and what it is telling me. Kinda like “Deep Thoughts”, with Jack Handy! Anyway, there are some layers present here but no tannins to speak of. I had to go back and double-check the label to make sure this wasn’t a Merlot! Maybe it’s the age of the wine, seven years old, or just the way it was produced but this is a very smooth, unoffensive, “great for guests” bottle of wine. I’d drink it again!

It arrived today. The famous case of wine from the California Wine Hiker. One week after winning the award I have 12 fabulous bottles of wine to share with you all!

I know you would like to know what the inventory consists of. I know because if I were you I would want to know!

Before I reveal what this great case of wine consists of I want to whet your palate a bit. I know that wine ratings aren’t everything but this is, after all, a wine review blog and it’s worth noting that not a single rated bottle of wine in this case came in less than 90. There is one bottle that is not rated but after seeing everything else in the case I thoroughly trust the Wine Hiker.

Additionally, It seems to me that Russ put a lot of thought into choosing each bottle. I can’t say enough how appreciative I am of not only the wine but the thought that went into it. From Malbec to Muscat and Rose to G.A.M. the list doesn’t disappoint!

Now, let met pimp another site for just one second as I tell you that I have compiled the list of wines at wine.com. They allow you to create multiple wine lists, wish lists, etc. and also tell you the rating of each wine from various reviewers, whether or not it is an organic wine, a collectible wine and lots of other cool features as well.

So, without listing each wine here and without further adieu here’s the list of awarded wines from the Wine Hiker. Incidentally, each wine will be reviewed here!

Cork:Authentic
Name: Chessman Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel Reserve
Type: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2005
Region: Paso Robles
Country: USA
Producer: Chessman Vineyards
Price: $13.99
Purchased at: Cheers Liquormart
Date: 11/18/07
Served With: Chili & Cornbread
Appearance: Dark & rich, deeper in color than most Zins
Aroma: A bit of blackberry and oak on the nose
Taste: Very mellow with a subdued fruit start, small hints of vanilla and a lingering, spicy finish!
Comments: Here’s a wine that came recommended by one of the wine guys at Cheers. He said it was one of the best Zins he’s had lately. I must agree! I really do like the old vine zins much better than regular zins for the most part. They seem to have a much smoother, longer finish and some offer hints of vanilla as this one does. Though some advertise “Old Vines” zins they can bowl me over with heat and fruit but this one has good balance and mellow”ness” that I like in a rich, robust Old Vine Zinfandel.