What I’m Drinking: Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare

About a month and a half ago, I had the good fortune of being invited to attend an afternoon wine tasting with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard. He was delightful, and it was fascinating to meet him and to hear his (often unique) ideas about grape growing, winemaking, and everything in between. We tasted many, many delicious wines, but, surprisingly (or maybe not), the 2011 Vin Gris de Cigare was the wine that resonated with me most. Randall Grahm spoke of it as a rosé that was made to be a rosé (as opposed to a rosé that is a byproduct of making red wine). Minimal skin contact is permitted, resulting in a paler color, retained acidity, and more elegance. While the strawberry and raspberry aromas and flavors still popped, a slight minerality and lightness was notable. It instantly transported me 11 months back in time to a balcony in Aix-en-Provence, where Kevin and I quaffed a similar rosé while we enjoyed an impromptu picnic of charcuterie, cheese, strawberries, olives, and baguette, all procured from the market that morning.

Cheese at the market in Aix-en-Provence

And so began my summer 2012 obsession with Provence-style rosés. I currently have no less than five different varieties in my possession, as has been a running trend for the past month. The best I could do when it comes to purchasing the Vin Gris de Cigare locally right now was the 2010 vintage, which is juicy and lush, with ample acidity and that same mineral vein. It is a gorgeous pale salmon hue with both flavors and aromas of strawberry and raspberry, cherry, peach and apricot, zingy lemon, and just a touch of spice. At 12.8% alcohol, this blend of 71% grenache, 16% roussanne, 11% grenache blanc, and 2% mourvedre has body, but without being overly weighty. And at under $20 a bottle, it is a delicious wine that is also easy on the pocketbook, which is typical of Provence rosés as well. With the 100 degree temps that have been all-to-common in Chicago recently, these wines are the perfect thing.

Other wines that remind me of a sunny balcony in Provence:
2011 Commanderie de la Bargemone (Coteaux d’Aix en Provence)
2011 La Courtade L’Alycastre (Cotes de Provence)
2011 Chateau Margui Perle de Margui (Coteaux Varois en Provence)

What I’m Drinking: Kunin 2010 Pape Star

While this wine does push the limits of my self-imposed bottle budget, I appreciate the fact that it is consistently delicious from vintage to vintage, always a crowd-pleaser at parties and get-togethers, and topped with a convenient screw cap!  Always a Rhone-style blend, the 2010 vintage consists of 46% Grenache, 27% Mourvedre, and 27% Syrah, and is a brilliant and clear ruby hue in the glass.  At 14.4% abv, there are some faint legs, but the alcohol is not overpowering.

The clean, youthful nose bursts with fruit aromas - cherry, strawberry, and red plum - but also maintains more complex undertones of cola, oak, mineral, and wet earth.  Likewise, juicy, fresh raspberry and black cherry lead on the palate, but are complemented at the finish with black pepper spice and a notable minerality.

This wine is dry and well-balanced, with a healthy acidity and light to medium tannin levels to off-set the fruit and alcohol.  The result is a medium-bodied red with a lengthy finish that drinks well alone, and pairs well with a variety of dishes.  A bottle of this is worth snapping up for a weekend occasion!

What I’m Drinking: Domaine du Penlois Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay du Chatelard 2009

Here is the wine that I am absolutely obsessed with right now.  Which is funny, because I am not usually a fan of Chardonnay (This fact may be obvious based on the glaring absence of Chardonnay from the blog thus far).  Generally, I find the oaked versions to be too oaky and the unoaked versions to be, frankly...boring.  But all of that changes now, because I just really love this Beaujolais Blanc.

First of all, it is a Beaujolais Blanc - not your everyday occurrence.  Secondly, it practically screams summer.  The color is a pale sunshine gold, and the nose just bursts with ripe fruit.  Think peach, lychee, lemon, and pineapple, all mixed up with a little touch of honey.  The aromas are of above-average intensity and just on that edge between youthful and something a touch more complex.

Despite the overtly ripe character of the nose, however, this wine is dry and bright, with acid on the higher side of medium and a moderate alcohol level.  The body is robust, but not heavy, resulting in a palate experience that is at once rich and refreshing.  Flavors are slightly less ripe, but equally as intense, as the nose and the taste leads with acid (lemon, gooseberry) and rounds out with the riper richness of lychee, honey, and peach in a thriving finish.

This is a good quality under-$20 wine that is one to snap up if you can find it!  I have been keeping (or not keeping) a bottle on hand every week since the beginning of July.

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Excursion: Barolo

Kevin and I just returned from a two week excursion to Italy and France, which included, among many other stops, two days in Barolo, Italy.  Thanks to importer Joe Miretti, we were able to stay at the Hotel Barolo, which is owned by the Brezza family, the family behind that delightful Dolcetto that I wrote about earlier this year.  The Hotel is situated perfectly to overlook the picturesque village of Barolo and the grounds also include a lovely swimming pool (the only one in Barolo, it appears) and the Restaurant Brezza and Brezza tasting room.

Barolo is a small wine village of about 700 inhabitants, surrounded by hills of vineyards - gorgeous and somewhat remote (well, more so than, say, Rome and Venice, where we’d spent the earlier part of our week).  While we mostly relied on trains to take us from place to place during our trip, getting to Barolo required the service of a car.  We arrived in Torino late on a Friday afternoon, secured what seemed to be the only automatic transmission vehicle in all of Italy, and were off in our Mercedes A160.  Despite the merely suggestive nature of maps in Italy, and some precariously winding mountain roads, we managed to make it to the hotel in a little more than an hour, arriving around 5 PM.

What greeted us was a breathtaking view of the hills of the Langhe region, where Barolo is situated within Piedmont, with hill after hill covered in vines and the next two villages visible through the slight haze on hilltops in the distance.  Barolo itself snuggled before us, with its several restaurants, tasting rooms, inns and homes, one castle (now home to the Wine Museum), and a church bell that tolled the hour and every fifteen minutes in between.  Despite it’s very reasonable price, our room was large, with modern amenities and shuttered floor-to-ceiling doors leading out to a lovely balcony.

Though I’ve been told that there are several excellent dining options in Barolo, after dining at the Ristorante Brezza the first night, we just couldn’t resist going back the second night.  The homemade pasta was certainly the highlight, with light and angelic “tajarin” (tagliatelle), topped with meat sauce the first night and olive oil the second, and “agnolotti del plin” (tiny meat-filled ravioli) gracing our plates.  We had Brezza wines with dinner both nights as well, enjoying the deliciously fresh and fruity Langhe Nebbiolo the first night and a more complex Barbera the second.

Though we certainly didn’t have enough time in Barolo overall, we were able to spend Saturday afternoon exploring the Wine Museum, wine shops, and cafes along Barolo’s main street.  The best part of our visit, however, was Friday evening before dinner, when we were lucky enough to taste wine with Enzo Brezza, Brezza’s winemaker.  Our tasting started with a tour of the winery, where we saw the original barrel-vaulted structure, built in the late 1880s when the family first started making wine (Enzo is the fourth generation winemaker in his family).  This room is now used for barrel-aging, and the giant casks dwarfed my 5-foot frame!  After seeing the newer wine cellar, we got down to business tasting wines.

We started with the Dolcetto and Langhe Nebbiolo, which we were happy to have again.  While we tasted, Enzo used his detailed map to show us the vineyards where the grapes for each of the wines had been grown, and we snacked on thin, crunchy breadsticks and some of the best cheese we’d had all trip.  Then it was on to the Barbera bottles, more full and complex wines.  We chatted about Enzo’s winemaking education and the places he has visited around the world to make wine.  We discussed the design of the wine labels, which he has been revising.  Then, on to the even more complex Barolo.  We tasted two more recent vintages before getting to the crown jewel of our tasting - the 2001 Brezza Castellero Barolo.  This was by far one of the best wines I have ever tasted.  I couldn’t resist purchasing a bottle right from the source, even if I had to chance it home in my suitcase!

It was very difficult to leave the Hotel Barolo, and everyone in the Brezza family who had made our stay so memorable.  But on Sunday morning we said goodbye to Enzo’s sister Tiziana and hopped into our A160 to leave...but not before Enzo’s mother Carla gave us a bag of delicious hazelnut cookies to take on our way!

What I'm Drinking: Ognissole Primitivo di Manduria 2008

I'm just realizing as I write this that, thinking about my current short list of go-to wines, I guess I have been on a bit of an Italian and Italian-inspired wine kick.  The situation promises only to worsen (improve?) with our scheduled trip to Italy and France in June, which includes a couple of days in (swoon) Barolo.  Stay tuned for more info on that...

In the meantime, I will continue to keep stocking my wine rack with bottles of delicious wine from all over Italy, including this Pugliese red from Feudi di San Gregorio.  The Ognissole Primitivo di Manduria tends to be a crowd-pleaser, a wine that gets great reviews pretty much wherever I take it, and about which I've received the "Where did you get this wine?" text more than once post-gifting.  Given that, it's not surprising that the neighborhood wine shop can't keep it on the shelf - my friends aren't the only ones who find it irresistible!

Primitivo is a close relative of Zinfandel, and Zinfandel fans will be especially happy with this wine.  The style is surprisingly new world - this wine packs a punch in the areas of fruit flavor and % abv - but maintains enough acidity and secondary flavor to stay interesting.  The color is on the border of ruby and garnet, and is on the lighter side of medium in intensity (more pinot noir than cabernet).  Not surprisingly, some slow-moving legs form on the glass with a swirl or two of the wine.

On the nose, this wine is all about fruit.  Red cherry, raspberry, jammy strawberry, dried cranberry, and red currant are all apparent.  Beyond the fruit, there is also a hit of baking spice (cinnamon and clove), a little bit of mineral earth, and a slightly medicinal character.  Alcohol is definitely apparent on the nose as well.

Though the fruit character might suggest otherwise to some, this wine is definitely dry, with good acid, tannins on the lower side, and a healthy dose of alcohol.  It all adds up to a juicy medium-bodied wine with a solid medium finish.  The palate is relatively true to the nose, with lots of red fruit and a slight medicinal quality in the background, but black currant and a hint of savory animal characteristic are also present to keep things interesting.

Overall, this easy-drinking wine hovers around $20 retail, and is a great pick for a Friday night gathering around some thin crust pizzas, fresh out of the brick oven!

What I'm Drinking: Brezza Dolcetto d'Alba San Lorenzo 2009

Drinking this wine right now is just a tiny bit of wishful thinking.  I was pleasantly surprised when I stopped by my local wine shop a couple of weeks ago and found a familiar face - importer Joe Miretti - pouring a few of his Italian gems.  As usual, he had some great stuff with him, including a few reds that might have been a little more appropriate for the wintery weather.  But when I tasted the 2009 Dolcetto d'Alba San Lorenzo, I just couldn't resist taking a bottle home.  And once it was home, I just couldn't resist opening it...even if I might generally think of it as something I would save for the warmer season that we are all already longing for.

This is a delicious wine, and the 2009 is a delicious vintage.   It is a beautiful, clear ruby color with slight touches of purple in the glass.  On the nose, it is definitely fruit-forward, with aromas of predominantly red fruit - cherry, red currant, red raspberry, and strawberry.  It is certainly not an overly simplistic wine, though.  There are mineral undertones and something a bit earthy and ever so slightly woodsy about it that adds depth to the nose.

On the palate, the wine is light bodied and dry, with low tannins and a healthy acidity.  As expected, the flavors are red fruit dominate - strawberry, cherry, and cranberry, with a slightly metallic and stony finish.  The wine has a solid medium length and is not overly simple, but also not too complex.  This is a light, fun, good quality wine that is versatile and also a great value.  Keep it in your cellar for casual dinners with family or friends.

Goosecross Cellars

Last fall we were fortunate enough to spend one gorgeous, sun-drenched afternoon in the Napa Valley (the fact that I haven't written about it up to this point only serves to underscore how incredibly hectic that particular stretch of 2010 was for us). To be honest, it was a bit of a last minute excursion during a weekend visit with friends. And, to be even more honest, I realized after we'd decided to go that I just hadn't been drinking a lot of Napa Valley wine recently. So our agenda was a bit, ahem, unstructured.

Luckily for us, sometimes a lack of plan is the perfect catalyst for a fresh experience. On that particular day, Goosecross Cellars was a big part of just such an experience for our little group. Thanks to a friendly tip, we headed over to taste wine in the barrel cellar at Goosecross. The laid back atmosphere of the barrel cellar was just our style. And we loved hanging out with Jose, who entertained us with lively stories and trivia questions while he poured us our tastings. It was a ton of fun and the wine was absolutely delicious. Delicious enough that Kevin sprang for our most expensive bottle ever - an exquisite Merlot (okay, it wasn't that expensive, but when you buy as much wine as I do, there has to be a limit somewhere). I also loved the Syrah and, among the whites, the Viognier especially stood out.

A few weeks after our trip, I searched out the Goosecross website, wanting more info on the wines that we'd tasted. I was surprised, though I shouldn't have been, to find a website that goes well beyond an online store... What I found instead was a website dedicated to the wine enthusiast. Ever the school nerd, I was happy to see that Goosecross has a Director of Education on staff and tons of online educational content, including articles and a quick, but entertaining Wine Trivia Challenge.

The real win for me, though, was finding Napa Valley Wine Radio. The podcast, which is available via the website and also on iTunes, is released every three weeks. Generally hosted by Nancy Hawks Miller, who is the Director of Education at Goosecross, the episodes are just about perfect in length and cover various wine and food topics. Recent episodes include a 2010 Harvest Recap, a conversation with Master of Wine Benjamin Lewin about Wine Myths and Reality, and an interview with Duane Dappen, president of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers. I have to say that after listening to the recent episodes, and perusing the list of back episodes, I am eager to dig into the archives to learn more about wine clarification, the integration of food and wine, even how to plant a vineyard from scratch. There are over 100 episodes, so I might be busy for a while...

So, if you find yourself in Yountville, definitely search out Goosecross Cellars and make an appointment for a tasting in the barrel cellar (try to be more prepared than we were..!). If not, consider taking advantage of all of the awesome education Goosecross provides. If you are even a bit of a wine geek like me, you will be fascinated!

Food Read: Palmento

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a wine tasting and book signing with Robert Camuto, author of the 2010 book Palmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey. The tasting featured the wines (and real live winemakers) from two of the wineries highlighted in the book, which chronicles the evolving wine scene in Sicily. The wines were interesting - something like a wine nerd's dream, as they departed significantly from the usual styles in their utterly unaltered Mt. Etna-ness. Well, actually, though the Mt. Etna terroir undoubtedly contributes, "unaltered" is probably the key here. The wines are raw, minerally, acidic, fruity, oxidized...and strangely attracting. These are wines that have practically made themselves in how unmanipulated they are. Interesting.

Also interesting is Camuto, who can claim Sicilian roots, but was born in New York, has lived in Texas, and now resides with his wife in southern France (his book on French wine country, Corkscrewed: Adventures in the New French Wine Country, is next on my list). Sometime mid-tasting, Camuto wandered over to my end of the counter and was generously forgiving in his evaluation of the amateur explanation of wine regions and their varietals that I was imparting upon my beer-centric countermate. We had a lovely conversation, at the end of which I found myself with my very owned signed copy of Palmento (which I purchased, of course).

The next day, on the plane to California, I found out just how fortunate I'd been. If Camuto is pleasant in conversation, his writing is twice as captivating. This is not a stuffy wine book, but rather wine lit, a foodie read, and travel writing all in one. Camuto's descriptions of food are like poetry. His accounts of the countryside, the wine, the weather, the people - are all shockingly vivid. The end result is a tome that will make you want to immediately travel to Sicily, or at least to wine country, and that really makes that wine information stick. How can you forget the details of making fine Marsala once you've read about its modern caretaker? I read the whole book over the weekend. My only regret? That I wasn't able to read it before the tasting, so that I could have appreciated the experience all the more.

Wine of the Week: Caparone 2006 Paso Robles Aglianico

The Caparone 2006 Aglianico has become so much a part of my life that I almost forgot to write about it. It's true - it wasn't until I picked up the August issue of Wine Enthusiast and saw Aglianico mentioned as a good alternative to an earthy Cab in the "Drinking Outside the Box" article on wine alternatives, that I remembered that not everyone is as familiar with the Italian red as I've become. In fact, most people would probably say "Ah-lee-what?" It's pronounced "Ah-lee-ON-ee-koh", and if you think you'll have a hard time remembering that, don't worry - after you try this wine, you might, like me, decide that you need to keep a bottle on hand at all times.

I have the recommendations of my neighborhood wine shop (yes, I've found a good source of recommendations!) to thank for introducing me to this bold, delicious red. Caparone 2006 Aglianico is a deep inky ruby color - a little mysterious. The aroma is rich and rustic, with a hint of barnyard, a lot of earth and leather, and some purple fruit - rich blackberries - on the back.

As you might guess, this wine is full-bodied - chewy, with prominent tannins. The taste is incredibly rich and bold. It's not too fruity, but blackberry and black currant are definitely present. Also present are a bit of barnyard again, some black pepper and a smoky charred component. The wine is well-balanced - with lots of everything! And it has a long, long finish.

This wine has a particular style that reminds me of a Super Tuscan. And while it is exceptionally delicious, it is not for the faint of heart! It IS a good introduction to how "barnyard" can be pleasant in a wine, though, and at under $20 a bottle, it works for a special occassion or just for a night in. I think it is a perfect bottle to open when I have a surprise guest stop by, particularly if a glass of wine is the sole refreshment - this wine stands wonderfully alone!

Wine of the Week: 2008 Rayun Syrah

I have to admit that I became much more interested in this wine when it got a mention as a good pairing for a recipe that I was perusing in the February issue of Food & Wine, and I realized that I just happened to have a bottle waiting in my wine rack. Not that a recommendation in Food & Wine automatically guarantees that I will love a wine but, to be honest, I just haven't as yet found so many fool-proof sources of good under-$20 wine recommendations in my new neighborhood. Thus, I've been trying a lot of less-than-desirable wine. I brought the bottle with us to our favorite neighborhood BYOB pizza place that night, excited by the possibility of a decent $10 find.

A decent $10 find it is, and an excellent pairing for pizza, at that. As one might expect from a young Syrah, the color is a dark purple. The aromas are slightly sour and slightly smoky, in a red fruit-meets-wood stove kind of way, but with a hint of blackberry. I expected this wine to be quite full-bodied and spicy, but found that it was neither as chewy and tannic as I anticipated, nor as peppery. But, the less prominent (but still bold) body and tannins, as well as the balance of fruit and acid, make it an incredibly drinkable red that is a great match for a rich meal full of cheese and red sauce. The flavors are red fruit dominated - think cherries - with a bit of bitter mocha. Definitely worth the $10, and a screw top to boot: no opener required!

Wine of the Week: NV Bodegas Alconde Rosado Fresco

This week's wine is, of course, another rosé (I wasn't kidding about that rosé phase I mentioned). I went to my favorite wine shop last week to snatch up a bottle of my thus-far favorite rosé, and when they were (gasp!) out of it, I ended up with this instead. No worries - I am happy for the opportunity to try yet another recommended rosé.

The Bodegas Alconde Rosado Fresco hails from Navarra, Spain and, other than its frosty bottle and watermelon pink color, perhaps the most noticeable thing about it is the fizz! Yes, this wine is from the "Colección Semi-Seco" and sports some spritely bubbles. Catchy, but to return to my always underlying rosé question - Is it any good? The short answer is yes - at $11 a bottle, it has its place...and that place is on the patio.

This watermelon-hued, fizzy wine has strawberry aromas, with a touch of green apple and maybe some pear. Chilled to a proper "white" temperature, or even beyond, it presents as a bit more dry than it really is, with enough acid to be really refreshing. It is medium-bodied on the approach, light in the mid-palate (where it all but disappears), then long on the finish. And the taste? Strawberries again, with a touch of pink grapefruit bitterness and perhaps some Granny Smith apple. It's not the most complex wine ever, but fun enough on one of those 90 degree days we've been enjoying in this part of the country. Happy August...

Wine of the Week: Domaine Massamier La Mignarde 2008 Cuvée des Oliviers Rosé

I just wouldn't be doing this season justice if I didn't review a rosé (or several). Always looking for something a little bit different, I've been absolutely obsessed with the stuff this summer. Most of the rosés available in better wine shops these days are classified as dry, not sweet, and are far from the dreaded white zinfandel. But the real question is - are they any good? Since my last run-in with a pink wine also involved a coffee mug and my college roommates, I decided to take the time to get to know some real rosés and decide for myself.

Admittedly, this rosé is not my favorite among those I've tried, but it's my latest taste...and I have to start somewhere. Also, while I didn't love the flavor, I found this wine to be interestingly full bodied compared to other rosés I've had. While most rosés more closely resemble whites in substance, this one seems to be about as close to the middle ground between a red and a white as it gets.

A blend of 80% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, and 10% Grenache, the Cuvée des Oliviers Rosé is a bright pink shade with an orange-ish hue, and is almost coral in color. The aromas are of tart berries - the bottle mentioned red currants and strawberries, but I also picked up a distinct raspberry aroma, along with floral undertones and, frankly, some earthiness. The taste is bold - sour strawberry with a spicy hot, lemon-zesty component. And, of course, the wine is substantial. It has a hefty weight on the mid-palate, and a very long finish. And, of course, it's dry.

At about $12 a bottle, this wine is another one to try if you're looking for something very different. Stayed tuned for more rosés!

Wine of the Week: GioCato Pinot Grigio 2008

This week's wine is a very interesting Pinot Grigio from Slovenia - another good recommendation from my local wine shop. I was looking for a summertime white that would harmonize well with a light Italian meal and was assured that this wine would fit the bill. I am happy to report that while I sometimes personally find Pinot Grigio to be a bit lacking in interest, this particular one is actually anything but.

A relatively young wine, it displays a very light, almost green straw hue, and an ever so slight effervescence. The aroma is pear and apple, but also sweet and tropical. Its tastes follow suit, with prominent pear and stone fruit flavors balanced by the crisp acidity of lemon and some mineral undertones.

This is a well-balanced wine, that is less light-bodied than many other Pinot Grigios that I have had. It is acidic on the finish, which is substantial for a white. All in all, I found it to be well worth its $11 price tag.

Wine of the Week: Vina Carmen Carmenere Rapel Valley 2006

I chose to profile this week's wine, the 2006 Carmen Carmenere from the Vina Carmen winery in Chile, for two reasons. First, it retails for under $10, which is always appreciated. Secondly, it is a wine under $10 that is actually a little bit interesting and definitely something different.

Dark red (almost purple) in color, the 2006 Carmen Carmenere releases aromas of raspberry, which are accented by spicy, almost fiery, herbal background notes, reminiscent of chili peppers. The taste is bold, with the fruit coming through on the approach and the mid-palate, and a lingering spicy black pepper finish following. I found the fruit flavors to be mainly raspberry and black cherry. The most striking aspect of this wine's flavor to me, though, is the hard-to-miss green pepper woven throughout. That green pepper flavor is not always a desireable characteristic, but it seems to work here, and while it's not something I would like to have every day, it is an interesting departure from the usual earthy red. This wine is worth a try if you're looking for something different, but still inexpensive.

Wine of the Week: Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2007 & 2008

Since Malbec was my wine of choice for much of late 2007 and early 2008, I thought it would only be appropriate to review one. After all, Malbec is the quintessential value wine these days, often coming in at the under $20 price-point while still offering a reasonably rich and complex wine experience. I know I am in good company in having an affinity for it.

A couple of weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the Altos Las Hormigas 2007 Malbec. I was so impressed with it, in fact, that I went back to the store to get a second bottle. But when I got there, I found not the 2007, but the 2008 vintage. It seemed like a great opportunity to compare, so I brought a bottle of the 2008 home.

Let me start by saying that both vintages are good. I do favor the 2007 slightly, but at around $13, the 2008 is still a well-worthy wine. Both wines are dark purple to ruby in color, and they share some aromas, but yet have subtle differences. My 2007 tasting notes included black cherry, raspberry, cassis, fig (or something similarly sweet), and even a slightly medicinal note. The 2008, however, still had the black cherry and raspberry, but they were rounded out by a floral scent and some spice (the winery's tasting notes say violet and nutmeg, but I'll leave that up to you).

In terms of taste, the 2007 was positively juicy, with blackberry and black cherry flavors, and just a hint of cocoa. The 2008 wasn't as juicy, but still had a strong blackberry flavor and an undeniable blueberry aspect. Instead of cocoa, the 2008 tasted of spice.

The Altos Las Hormigas Malbec is a full-bodied, structured wine, regardless of the vintage. Tannins are prominent from the mid-palate through the long finish to the end. I found these both to be great wines, best enjoyed immediately upon opening. Drink them right away - they don't retain their bold flavors overnight.

Wine of the Week: Stag's Leap 2005 Napa Valley Petite Syrah

If this wine's label strikes you as a bit more fancy than usual, I'll provide fair warning that your instincts are correct. This bottle checks in well above my usual $20 price cap. In fact, the reason I purchased it at all was because, after enjoying this wine at the extravagant restaurant price during a friend's birthday dinner several months ago, I was thrilled to find it at Trader Joe's for around $33. I had to pick it up.

Not being one to wait for the ever-elusive perfect occasion to open a special bottle, I left this one in the cellar only until the moment felt right. And that moment was a casual Saturday evening at home with Kevin just this past weekend. We opened it late in the evening and each had a generous glass - the perfect opportunity to truly enjoy and appreciate a good wine.

The 2005 Napa Valley Petite Syrah has an extremely dark ruby hue, and abounding aromas. I picked up smoky leather notes right away, followed by dark purple fruits - blackberry and plum - and also some cassis. There was a particular sweetness to the scent as well, perhaps a vanilla, and floral undertones. Cocoa was the last scent that I picked up, but it is not to be underestimated.

If you like big California wines, this wine is for you. It is full-bodied, with prominent tannins and a long finish, but is still surprisingly well-balanced. Flavors are both juicy and savory, with the same plum, blackberry, and cassis as on the nose, but also including smoky and spicy elements as well. The finish is slightly bitter. I called it medicinal, but others have likened it to bitter chocolate, which is probably a more appealing description! Overall, this wine is very good, though too pricey to be an everyday wine for me. Perhaps next time I will spring for it on only a very special occasion - or, better yet, find a $20-and-under "stand in"!

Wine of the Week: 2007 Bodegas Luzon Luzon, Jumilla, Spain

By now, the 2007 Bodegas Luzon is well-known in the wine world for being a wine of exceptional value, and for good reason. Favorably reviewed by all the big names, this $9 red blend from Spain is a fantastic deal. In the words of Wine Enthusiast, it "Overdelivers by a lot!".

The Luzon is an inky ruby- and violet-hued Monastrell-Syrah blend from the Jumilla DO in the Mediterranean Coast region of Spain. It is surprisingly complex on both the nose and the palate, delivering both fruit and "non-fruit" aromas and flavors. I found the initial scent to be dominated by purple stone fruit, such as dark cherries and plums, but also followed by leather and mineral/earth notes.

A solidly medium-bodied wine with a smooth, velvety mouthful, the Luzon is well-balanced. Flavors are fruity, spicy, and savory. Black cherry dominated the fruit portion for me, but a smoky, even "gamey" flavor was also prominent. Herbal notes have also been associated with this wine. Though I didn't pick those up during my first tasting, I'd like to open another bottle and try. At $9 each, it would be well within the budget to repeat this wine!

Wine of the Week: 2004 Taz Pinot Gris, Santa Barbara

I know that I just wrote about margaritas, and now here I am writing about a wine in my next post, but I just couldn't wait to share this really interesting pick! The 2004 Taz Pinot Gris is around $15-$20 (depending upon where you live), so it is at the top of my usual $20-and-under price range, but I think it is a great wine, particularly for a special occasion that is calling for something a little more interesting. I was lucky enough to attend a tasting of Taz Vineyards wines a couple of months ago, and found this wine to be the most interesting of the wines we tasted, though all of the wines I had from this small-ish Santa Barbara County winery were good.

The 2004 Pinot Gris is a golden straw color, with aromas of lime and tropical fruit (the tasting notes mentioned lichee, but I couldn't pick that out in particular). It is a full-bodied, almost creamy wine, with a medium to long finish. The taste is exactly what you might expect based on the nose - also tropical. Upon first sip, I was greeted with the overwhelming taste of pineapple, which was followed by strong guava flavors, combined with bright green pear. This wine is pleasantly balanced and uniquely flavored - the perfect thing to try the next time you are looking for a white that is a little bit different.

Wine of the Week: Hogue Fume Blanc Columbia Valley 2007

I bought this wine a while ago at Trader Joe's because I had been reading about Fume Blanc and thought that Hogue's version would be a good bet in the under-$20 range (I think it was about $11). It turns out that I was right - it was a good bet! This pale yellow, almost green in color, slightly effervescent wine was not a bad pick for the price point. The aroma was of stone fruit, peaches in particular, and I also picked up some tropical notes - perhaps papaya or guava. As you might expect, it is a very light-bodied wine, but I was surprised to find that it has a longer finish. Not so surprising, but rather pleasing, was the fact that it features a bit of an acidic tang as well. The predominant flavors that came across to me were of citrus (lemon zest) and tart green pear, with some herbal notes. I will definitely keep this wine in mind for pairing with early summer meals.

Wine of the Week: Chateau Montus 2003 Madiran

This wine departs from my usual picks because it is not as widely available, and because it is only under twenty dollars if you buy a half bottle! Still, when I sampled it at a wine tasting about a month and a half ago, I knew that I would have to write a post about it. First, the specifics: I purchased this wine through the hosts of the tasting for about seventeen dollars for the half bottle (375 ml). It is a relatively high alcohol blend of 80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and is from the Madiran appellation in Southwest France.

The wine is extremely dark purple in color, even inky. The aromas are of currant, blackberry, tobacco, and leather, but the taste is really what makes this wine interesting to me. At first, almost no fruit comes through, and the wine is really all about the tannins, and woody, smoky, non-fruit flavors. It is only after it has been given some time to breathe that any fruit comes through, cassis and blackberry most notably, on the mid-palate. In the meantime, the wine is full-bodied with a long, coarse finish. Tannins are prominent, but not astringent, lending it a smooth, "chewy" texture. The balance is only threatened slightly by the high alcohol. Once this wine has had some time to open up, the fruit, the tannins, the acid, and the alcohol all play nicely. Before that? It is an interesting change to have a wine that is not so juicy. Definitely worth a try if you come across a bottle.