Friday Night Rosé

$11-$20, 3.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »
Jul 112010

***I received this wine as a sample***

2009 Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah

The last four weeks at work comprised one of the busiest times I have had since I started working.  My days were full of internal discussions on how to move forward with one of my biggest projects this year, intense meetings with people from other offices who want to work on the project, internal and external phone calls with additional people who are interested in the project, and more emails than I know what to do with.  So, when my boss closed the office early on the Friday before July 4th, I was ecstatic.  I wasn’t able to leave at noon when we officially closed, but I escaped a few hours early.   Since Hubby was going out with some friends, I made a few detours before coming home, where I ate some Thai takeout, opened a bottle of Rosé, and caught up on some trash tv.

The 2009 Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah (winery, snooth) was made from 100% Syrah grapes and had a really dark pink color with hints of orange, particularly on the rim.  On the nose, there were bright red fruits with a hint of perfume.  In the mouth, there were strawberries, raspberries, violets, and something a little foresty on the finish.  The wine was very dry, with good acidity, and a light-to-medium body.

Is this worth a glass after work? Definitely!  If you see this wine in the store, grab it; you won’t be disappointed. At $17, this wine pushes the limit on what I’m likely to pay for a Rosé, as I am not generally a huge fan.  However, this wine surprised me.  It is slightly heavy for a Rosé, but that’s part of what I found intriguing about this bottle.  It had nice flavor and a touch of body, but was still refreshing, light, and flirty—what I expect from a good Rosé. Admittedly, my pairing with Thai was probably not the best choice, but the wine was quite enjoyable.

Overall: 3.5 Corks

**I would like to extend my sympathy to everyone at Viña Montes.
I’m sure that Mr. Douglas Murray will be missed by you all.***

Posted by Alleigh at 8:00 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

6th Sense On St. Patrick's Day

$11-$20, 3 Corks, Prices, Ratings 2 Responses »
Mar 172010

***I received this wine as a sample***

In 2004, I went to a local Irish pub with several of my friends to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  While a group of us were standing around talking, a guy not with our group came over and introduced himself as Mike before starting to talk to one of my girlfriends.  Mike had a few beers (as had most people in the bar) and was insisting that he was from Fargo, ND; however, as one of our own friends was from Fargo, we recognized that this guy’s accent was different.  I started to say something to him about it, but another guy stepped in to save Mike.  While the conversation between Mike and my girlfriend died shortly thereafter, the wingman and I spent the rest of the night chatting and having a good time.  We exchanged numbers at the end of the night.  A week after that St. Patrick’s Day meeting, the wingman and I went out on our first date, after which my closest girlfriends said they had premonition that he was going to be different…and 6 years later, we’re happily married.  Hubby and I both agree that neither of us knew as quickly as my girlfriends, but sometimes your friends see things that you don’t.  To celebrate our meeting and St. Patrick’s Day, I made a nice dinner and opened a bottle of 6th Sense Syrah.

2007 6th Sense Syrah

The 2007 6th Sense Syrah (winery, snooth) was blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah grapes and was very deep purple with slow forming, but drippy legs.  On the nose, there were juicy fruits—mostly blackberry, blackcurrant, and dark plums—followed by a touch of blackcurrant leaf and tobacco.  In the mouth, there were blackberries galore, followed by some black plums and a touch of tobacco and pepper.  The wine was very high alcohol, and had high acidity, strong tannins, and a medium-to-full body.

Is this worth a glass after work? Sure…you won’t be drinking anything out of the ordinary, but you’ll have a decent, reliable glass of wine. At a suggested retail price of $16, this wine was good, but a little unbalanced and boozy.  That said, I paired it with chicken Parmesan and garlic bread, which helped tone down some of the acidity and alcohol, and made the wine quite enjoyable.  All in all, the 6th Sense Syrah is a decent wine at a decent price, and it was great addition to the dinner celebrating Hubby and I meeting 6 years ago today.

Overall: 3 Corks

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted by Alleigh at 8:00 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

6th Sense On St. Patrick's Day

3 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »
Mar 172010

***I received this wine as a sample***

In 2004, I went to a local Irish pub with several of my friends to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  While a group of us were standing around talking, a guy not with our group came over and introduced himself as Mike before starting to talk to one of my girlfriends.  Mike had a few beers (as had most people in the bar) and was insisting that he was from Fargo, ND; however, as one of our own friends was from Fargo, we recognized that this guy’s accent was different.  I started to say something to him about it, but another guy stepped in to save Mike.  While the conversation between Mike and my girlfriend died shortly thereafter, the wingman and I spent the rest of the night chatting and having a good time.  We exchanged numbers at the end of the night.  A week after that St. Patrick’s Day meeting, the wingman and I went out on our first date, after which my closest girlfriends said they had premonition that he was going to be different…and 6 years later, we’re happily married.  Hubby and I both agree that neither of us knew as quickly as my girlfriends, but sometimes your friends see things that you don’t.  To celebrate our meeting and St. Patrick’s Day, I made a nice dinner and opened a bottle of 6th Sense Syrah.

2007 6th Sense Syrah

The 2007 6th Sense Syrah (winery, snooth) was blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah grapes and was very deep purple with slow forming, but drippy legs.  On the nose, there were juicy fruits—mostly blackberry, blackcurrant, and dark plums—followed by a touch of blackcurrant leaf and tobacco.  In the mouth, there were blackberries galore, followed by some black plums and a touch of tobacco and pepper.  The wine was very high alcohol, and had high acidity, strong tannins, and a medium-to-full body.

Is this worth a glass after work? Sure…you won’t be drinking anything out of the ordinary, but you’ll have a decent, reliable glass of wine. At a suggested retail price of $16, this wine was good, but a little unbalanced and boozy.  That said, I paired it with chicken Parmesan and garlic bread, which helped tone down some of the acidity and alcohol, and made the wine quite enjoyable.  All in all, the 6th Sense Syrah is a decent wine at a decent price, and it was great addition to the dinner celebrating Hubby and I meeting 6 years ago today.

Overall: 3 Corks

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted by Alleigh at 8:00 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

And Now, a Break from the WBC09 Recap for a 2004 Hermitage

$51 and higher, 3.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »
Aug 082009

Coming back to DC after the Wine Bloggers’ Conference meant a few things for me—over 1,000 emails in my work inbox, a two-week deadline for a major project, and a desire to drink anything but California wine. Honestly, during the first week back from CA, I didn’t drink much wine at all. By this past Monday, though, my work inbox was approaching a manageable size, my project was rapidly picking up momentum, and my French wines were calling my name. As I don’t hide my weakness for wines from the Rhône river valley, it’s no surprise that when I came home Monday night after a long, but very satisfying day at work, I grabbed an Hermitage before making Hubby and myself our first home-cooked dinner since returning from the west coast.

The 2005 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage (snooth) is 100% Syrah grapes. It had a deep ruby color, with a garnet rim and big legs. On the nose, I was hit with barnyard and Band-Aid aromas, which make me think the wine had a bit of a Brett problem. That said, those aromas weren’t so overpowering as to be unpleasant. Following those smells, there was a nice mix of raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, along with something herbaceous and a touch of lead pencil. In the mouth, the wine was much fruiter, with all black fruit flavors— blackberry, blackcurrant, and black cherry. Following the fruits were dusty, meaty flavors, with only a touch of the barnyard and herbaceousness that was on the nose.

Is this worth a glass after work? Definitely! If you see this wine in the store, grab it; you won’t be disappointed. At $55, this wine is on the high-side for an everyday glass of wine, but even with the hint of a brettanomyces problem, the wine is aging nicely and offers something a little different. I paired the Hermitage with a grilled chicken that was seasoned with fresh basil and garlic, and it was great pairing because the fresh basil actually brought out the pleasant meaty flavors of the wine. On my second night with this wine, I drank it with homemade Philly cheese steak sandwiches, and it was a perfect pairing. The wine was also enjoyable in its own.

Overall: 3.5 Corks

Posted by Alleigh at 3:03 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Sonoma Grand Tasting at WBC09

$11-$20, $21-$30, $31-$40, $51 and higher, 2.5 Corks, 3 Corks, 3.5 Corks, 4 Corks, 4.5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 2 Responses »
Aug 072009
I admit it, by the time the Sonoma Grand Tasting started, I was a bit overwhelmed. This was my first Wine Bloggers’ Conference, and up until this point, I’d never tasted more than 15-20 wines in one sitting. At the WBC, though, by 5pm there had already been wine tasting in the welcome room, wine tasting at lunch, and wine tasting at the speed tasting, so the Sonoma Grand Tasting was taking me further outside of my tasting comfort zone than I’d even been before. So, I was nervous, but I was also up for the challenge.

The Sonoma Grad Tasting was a roped-off patio area near the pool at the Flamingo Resort. As you can see from the pictures, there were a lot of bloggers in a very small space, but it served as a way for us to get to know each other very quickly. People were standing around talking, eating delicious cheese and spreads with crackers, and of course, tasting 2, 3, or 4 wines from every vineyard at the tasting.

The Grand Tasting was definitely a success for me. I tasted Murphy-Goode wines for the first time and was pleased with what I tasted, as I had never even heard of the winery before the contest for the Really Goode Job. I worked my way through some well-know, affordable everyday wines that I often look at in the wine store, but haven’t had a chance to purchase, as well as tasted some lesser-known, more-unusual wines that were pleasant surprises. While all of the wines were good, none of them knocked me off my feet. Admittedly, I was nervous that I was the only one who felt that way, but after talking with other bloggers throughout the weekend, it seemed that my opinion was shared by others.

My notes from this event aren’t very detailed, but here are some pictures and my overall ratings:

Murphy-Goode Winery (website)
2008 “The Fume” Sauvignon Blanc—$12.50 3 Corks
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon—$20 3 Corks
2006 “Liar’s Dice” Zinfandel—$21 3.5 Corks



Chateau St. Jean (website)
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon—$30 3.5 Corks
2007 Chardonnay—$25 4 Corks



Souverain (website)
2007 Chardonnay—$13 3 Corks
2007 Merlot—$15 3 Corks



Frick Winery (website)
2006 Cinsault—$26 4.5 Corks
2007 Grenache Blanc—$27 4 Corks





Alexander Valley Vineyards (website)
2004 Syrah—$35 4.5 Corks
2007 Sin Zin—$17 3 Corks
2008 Dry Rose of Sangiovese—$12 3.5 Corks

Dutton Goldfield Vineyards (website)
2006 Sanchietti Vineyard Pinot Noir—$58 3 Corks
2006 Freestone Hill Vineyrd Pinot Noir—$58 3 Corks
2007 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir—$38 3 Corks
2007 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay—$35 2.5 Corks

Posted by Alleigh at 2:15 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Speedy Wine Tasting at the WBC09: 4 and 3.5 Cork Wines

$11-$20, $31-$40, $41-$50, $51 and higher, 3.5 Corks, 4 Corks, Prices, Ratings No Responses »
Aug 062009
As I mentioned in Speedy Wine Tasting at the WBC09, the Wine Bloggers’ Conference attendees had a chance to taste 11 different wines, each within a 5 minute timeframe—a speeding date with wine, if you will. Thank you to all of the wineries that participated. We may not have had a chance to spend a lot of time with your wine, but we all certainly enjoyed the time we had.

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of every bottle; however, these wines are ones that I would definitely like to spend more time getting to know.


4 Corks

For some reason, I felt particularly rushed when tasting both of these wines. I wish I had a few more minutes to really play with them, but my first impressions left me wanting more.

2006 Clif Bar Gary’s Improv Syrah (winery)
$35
It had nice, strong black fruit flavors, good spiciness, and strong tannins.




2007 Cline Ancient Vines Mourvèdre (winery)
$16
This wine was dominated by spice flavors, mostly cloves, that mixed with black cherries and plums. There were good tannins, and the wine had a nice finish.







3.5 Corks

2005 Rodney Strong Vineyards’ Rockaway Pinot Noir (vineyard)
$75
The 2005 is the first vintage of this wine, and although it wasn’t quite there for me at this stage, it has potential. There were nice raspberry and cherry flavors, but the wine was a little too “hot” and a little too young to be worth $75. If you see it at a lower price point, though, don’t hesitate to grab it.




2005 Snows Lake Two (vineyard)
$45
The Snows Lake Two is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and 28% Cabernet Franc grapes. The wine was a deep purple, with big legs, and it tasted of dark berries and cedar, with a touch of plums. The tannins were soft and balanced well with the acidity and the body. Honestly, it felt more Cab Franc dominated than it actually was. Overall, this wine would be a good choice, particularly paired with food.












2007 Cupcake Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (vineyard)
$13
The wine rep explained that this Cab was trying to be approachable but complex, and I definitely thought it put forward a good effort. The wine was very purple with a nice, creamy berry flavor and a touch of smoke. The body was surprisingly light, and at $13, it seemed like a good wine for a glass after work.











2007 Foggy Bridge Chardonnay (winery)
$18 suggested retail
According to the wine rep, this Chardonnay tries to bridge the gap between oaked and unoaked Chards. 50% of the grapes are barrel fermented, while the rest are put in stainless steel. Additionally, while they don’t have the certification yet, the vineyard hopes to be organically certified by next year. The wine itself had butter, grapefruit, lime, and mineral notes. The woman sitting next to me also mentioned the taste of toasted marshmallow, which I noticed once she pointed it out. Overall, I expected the wine to have stronger flavor characteristics because it underwent malolactic fermentation, but it actually was surprisingly light and crisp. At $18, this is an enjoyable wine that is definitely worth a glass (or two).

Posted by Alleigh at 1:32 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Speedy Wine Tasting at the WBC09

$10 and lower, $11-$20, $31-$40, $41-$50, $51 and higher, 2.5 Corks, 3 Corks, 3.5 Corks, 4 Corks, 4.5 Corks, 5 Corks, Prices, Ratings 3 Responses »
Aug 052009

Someone at WBC09 described the Live Blogging Wine Tasting event as “speed dating” with wine. For each wine, we had 5 minutes to talk with the representative (usually the winemaker), ask questions, taste the wine, and take notes before the next representative was at our table to start the process all over again. I tasted 11 wines total during the speed tasting. The comparison to speed dating was perfect because 5 minutes was enough time for a quick introduction, a little flirting, and a decision as to whether or not there was enough interest for a follow-up, but definitely not enough time to learn everything there was to offer or to really get a detailed impression. For me, though, there were a couple of differences, mainly that I tried to take pictures and to tweet during the event. I would never do (or at least openly do) either of those things during speed dating. That said, although I took a number of pictures, most of them didn’t turn out, and anyone who follows me on Twitter (@Alleigh) knows that I quickly abandoned my attempt to Tweet in order to spend a little more quality time with the wine.

With that in mind, here is a quick overview of how I rated each wine in this post. In an effort to keep this organized and make my notes more searchable in the future, I’m going to put my tasting notes in separate posts that are organized by rating level.

5 Corks
2005 Cornerstone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (winery)—$100

4.5 Corks
2007 Benovia Winery Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir (vineyard)—$55

4 Corks
2006 Clif Bar Gary’s Improv Syrah (winery)—$35
2007 Cline Ancient Vines Mouvedre (winery)—$16

3.5 Corks
2005 Rodney Strong Vineyards’ Rockaway Pinot Noir (vineyard)—$75
2005 Snows Lake Two (vineyard)—$45
2007 Cupcake Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (vineyard)—$13
2007 Foggy Bridge Chardonnay (winery)—$18

3 Corks
2007 Lion’s Pride Pinot Noir (website)—$35
2007 Tandem Chardonnay (vineyard)—$54

2.5 Corks
2007 Line 39 Petite Sirah (website)—$10
NV Pinot Evil Pinot Noir (website)—$19.99

Posted by Alleigh at 3:52 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
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