YARD DOG WHITE - 2006

From McClaren Vale, Australia. White blend of 55% Chardonnay, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Riesling, 10% Semillon, 5% Viognier. 13.7% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale yellow color. Fair amount of acidity. Light, smooth, dry and bright with citrus on the nose. Pear and melon dominate the mid-palate with honey on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

85 PTS

Reminds me of an average Pinot Grigio. Drinkable and a solid value at $9 a bottle but not at all exciting. I wouldn't exactly recommend this wine, but I think it is pleasant enough to be enjoyed by many

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CHATEAU MALMAISON BARONNE NADINE DE ROTHSCHILD - 2000

75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. 12.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark garnet color with leather, pencil and barnyard on the nose. Lots of sediment in the wine with earth, floral and dark berries being the predominant flavors. Somewhat monolithic and mellow.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

86 PTS

Average effort. Not very exciting. Chewy tannins that lean a toward the bitter side. Drinkable wine but questionable QPR at $30

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PINE RIDGE RUTHERFORD CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 2003

From Napa Valley. Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec blended in. 14.4% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich red color and vibrant nose of raspberries and creamy oak. Loads of cherry and pomegranate are underscored by nice vanilla oak notes and a cranberry finish. Some tobacco, black fruits and minerality on the mid-palate. Somewhat chewy with great complexity as this wine evolves in the glass. Very smooth.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92 PTS

Retails for around $45 a bottle. Very impressive wine that took me by surprise. I was not expecting as much depth and character based on some previous Pine Ridge Cabs I had recently tasted. Very pleased with this effort and worth the price tag.

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2004 Bell Sonnette

I had a crazy idea the other day of a vaguely Japanese steak dinner, something to break up the meat-and-potatoes routine. Or the organ meat and odd critters routine. I started things off with some miso soup. I cheated here, using a concentrated miso import, but my fellow diners and I were very happy with the results. To the savory broth I added chopped green onions, cubed firm tofu, and plenty of enoki mushrooms. Enokitake have a great buttery flavor, as well as a texture that's like a bean sprout when raw and like a noodle in soup. Don't overcook these, but they add a lot of flavor to dishes. (Plus I love the fact that they look like some crazy wild thing you'd find growing on a dead log in the forest. Forbidden fungus... Mmmmmmm...)
I promise that I'll get my konbu and katsuobushi together to make a real bowl of miso shiru. Watch this blog for a future update!
For the main course I had organic grass-fed ribeyes marinating in soy sauce, slow roasted to rare in the oven and then seared off in a hot skillet. I also made another batch of the Napa cabbage and watermelon radish slaw from a few posts ago. Might as well enjoy it while those beautiful radishes are still around.
The wine was the true star of the evening. The 2004 Bell Sonnette is from Napa and was a real treat. $50, 14.6% abv. 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 11% Petite Verdot. This was a gift from my friend Paul, and I'm going to be hard pressed to top this one in 2009. I've always been a fan of Bell, and this little treasure is worth getting if you can find it--this was bottle 212 of 2398. (He got it from Wolfchase Wine & Spirits, I don't know if anyone else has it.) It's curious to think that, assuming two people per bottle, only 5000 people will get to try this wonderful wine. Makes me wonder what small run wines will never even cross my path.
There's a nose of chicory coffee, plum, and nutmeg. Medium tannins with dark berry flavors and a long, long finish. It's distinctly California without being a fruit bomb. Excellent balance, and I commend the nearly quarter volume given to Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot, two wonderful grapes that so often are only present as a splash.
I don't do a lot of Asian cooking (and this meal barely qualifies), but I think I've been neglecting it in my culinary self-education. Plus it gives me the excuse to try a whole lot of new weird and wonderful ingredients.

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2005 Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon

Over at Wolfchase Wine & Spirits beside Costco I came across the 2005 Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. $20, 14.1% abv. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Petite Verdot, 1% Malbec.
There's only one way to sum up the first impression of this wine: cherry and cream cheese Danish. There's a jammy cherry element, then a buttery/toasty pastry aroma, followed by a creamy undertone that makes you crave a cup of coffee. Once it hits all parts of the tongue and goes down the gullet, you've got some tart acidity, firm tannins, and a little bitter finish. After breathing, there are notes of fresh cut grass and green pepper. Nicely complex, and I'd be curious to see how this develops with even more time in the cellar.
I keep saying "don't buy wines based on the label", yet I keep doing it. What can I say... a blackboard full of chemistry diagrams (specifically regarding oxidation and reduction)? The memory scent of chalk dust tickling my brain? I'm a sucker for certain fonts, artists, and references. It's kind of like the old advice that fancy fishing lures aren't made to catch fish, they're made to catch fishermen.
Keep this in mind as a gift for that quiet 20-something in your family that spends far too much time reading science fiction novels and playing video games, but give it with the condition that he has to drink it with a girl... that's not his mom or sister.
I'm not trying to be cruel here, I'm saying this as someone that once spent more time around elderly librarians than available women my own age. Some of the best advice I ever got was from a beloved great uncle who, upon giving me a graduation gift, said, "I want you to spend this on wine, women, and song. If you try to spend this on books or anything practical I'll kick your ass." Based on his background in military intelligence I really didn't have a choice.

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JUST TALK: WINE & PHILOSOPHY

I recently had the opportunity to review a copy of Dr. Fritz Allhoff's book "Wine & Philosophy". A compilation of a series of essays, it is a very good read that has lots of interesting ways of looking at wine. A historical look that spans various time periods and civilizations, this book lets the reader see how wine has been viewed over the many years it has been enjoyed by mankind. With chapters including "The Art & Culture of Wine", "Tasting & Talking about Wine" and "The Politics & Economics of Wine" to name a few, you can see that this isn't just any old book on wine. My favorite essay is entitled "Talk about Wine?" by Kent Bach. He points out that being able to talk about wine requires experience at drinking wine as well as learning a special vocabulary. This sums up my experience with wine and probably everyone who learns to appreciate the different varietals of wine available. That is also my excuse, I guess, for my continued quest to find different, affordable wines which I think with time, and trial and error, you start to develop a knack for. Check out Dr. Allhoff's book if you get a chance. It's an interesting read and would also make a nice gift for that someone special who enjoys wine. I noticed that it is also on sale at Amazon.com right now. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

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2004 MADDALENA CABERNET SAUVIGNON

There's only been one other time that I've rated two different varietals from the same winery as high as my last two ratings. As you may recall from my last post, if you didn't read it please look below, #1 and I absolutely loved the Sauvignon Blanc from Maddalena Vineyards. Not expecting near as much out of the 2004 Maddalena Cabernet Sauvignon, we opened this and let it breathe for thirty minutes or so. I poured a small tasting amount into my glass and swirled for a few seconds. Not the dark, ruby red you see in some Cabernets but more of a medium red color. As I took a nice, full amount of aroma into my nostrils, I was greeted with vanilla, plum and spices. On the palate I picked up raspberry, spiced cherries, a little bit of caramel and maybe just a little oak. Tannins were almost non-existent and this wine had a silky finish that made me want more. Lots more! Having enjoyed this bottle as much as their Sauvignon, I had to find out more. These grapes are sourced from the Cass, Erickson and Steinbeck vineyards and aged in new and used oak barrels from French and American coopers. This wine was rated 88 points by Wine Spectator and was a Gold Medal winner at the Los Angeles County Fair. Retail price on this one is $13.95 but a recent check of the San Antonio Winery site showed it on sale at $12.95. Believe me. That's a steal at either price! Another very easy 5 Corkscrew rating. I thought I might be getting a little too easy in my ratings but #1 agrees wholeheartedly and she's a much tougher rater than I am. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Maddalena Cabernet Sauvignon for a real Treat!

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