Returning soon!

Hey all, sorry for neglecting you. I have been on vacation in Yellowstone, and will return to my wine drinking duties shortly.

I can say that Yellowstone is damn pretty, and I highly recommend you visit. I would pick not the week leading up to Labor Day, however, or really around any major holiday.

Though given how cosmopolitan the attendees are, you may be S.O.L. anytime of year, well, except between October and May. Maybe a little snowy and starving-and-desperate-to-eat-wolfy.

But it is super pretty and amazing, and like a good wine, it may just change your life.

Curtis Viognier 2012

I am not a fan of Viognier. There some weird flavor in them that is dry and crappy. But I can no longer say they are all awful. This Curtis was definitely better than any others I have had. It was light,  a gently fruity sweetness, but also nice round and buttery Chardy-like flavor.

If you like whites, you'll like this one. It's-a goooood. It's not light like a Sauv Blanc, it's beefier like a Chardy, and maybe a little more so. I'm not sure what it is about this varietal, but I personally find it a little confounding. Like it is hard for me to get my mind around the flavor.

But rather than being repulsed, like my experiences with Pinot Grigio, (or Pinot Gris), which all taste like zombie feet, I find myself intrigued.

Bottom line: Drink it!

Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

I was all excited about SIMI. Mostly because of those big capital letters. It's one of the more expensive cheap wines at Costco, at $15 per bottle.

This wine is super generic. It is the most wine-flavored wine I have ever wined in my wine-hole.

There is no complexity. It is flatter than a [flattest thing ever]. There was no identifiable flavors. Once I thought I was getting vanilla, but then... I wasn't.

Bottom line: Meh. If your experiencing too good of day, this, the prozac of wine, will even you out.

F. J. Serra Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This was a fun cheap wine. Not spectacular, but not awful. I think it was about $12 or so. I know I post a lot about cheap wines, but it's because my housemate keeps buying them for us to drink. He's good about picking out new and different ones.

So as long has he keeps providing them I'm going to keep blogging about them.

Bottom line: fine in a pinch, but it won't change your life.

Tobin James Chardonnay James Gang Reserve 2012

Tobin James! The party tasting room! This is a fun winery. Their sun logo is on everything, and not just on some garbage merchandise. Some are cleverly thought out and a little unique and different from other wineries. If you have been to wineries you start to see the same kinds of things over and over again.

So I definitely recommend this Chardy in the warm late afternoon. Or even a small glass at lunch can be quite refreshing. It is lightly fruity, but not sweet. A very elegant balance between sweet and dry. This wine is just a fun time in a bottle. If you don't like fun, I think there's a pinot gris waiting for you in your '85 Pontiac. SNAP!

Bottom line: You like fun don't you? Drink it!

Grizzly Republic Grenache 2008

This wine is from our recent trip to Paso Robles, where we explored a whole new, and as it turns out, magical!, area of California. Paso = Go There!

Grenache is typically a pinot-like wine. Though personally I find it sweeter and just better, in about every possible way. (Incidentally there also exists in the world a Grenache-Blanc, just as there is a Pinot-Gris, however Pinot-Gris is undrinkable swill).

This Grenache is unique in that the year these grapes were growing, there was a forest fire nearby and the smoke settled over the vines. You can TASTE the SMOKE in the wine!!! It is the craziest thing! It is like a natural event that occurred in history has been saved in this bottle.

Now, Grenache is a lighter wine than, say a Cab Sauv, but what I feel it has in common with Pinot is it has a lot of subtle complexity. You definitely get fruit, though lighter fruits, like raspberries or cranberries, and a bit of spice, some vanilla. And a forest fire in your mouth!

Don't be put off by my talk of the smoke. It is not at all overwhelming. It is there, but it in no way overpowers the enjoyment of the wine. I just can't shut the hell up about it because it is so unusual!

Bottom line: Drink it!

Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2012

This Zin is a friggin' delight. Though not without tannins, it isn't too sharp and pointy. It has a spiciness you would expect from a good zin, and beautiful dark cherry and berry fruits carry through the nose and into the finish. And it just has a big and bold flavor. I swear my friend Beth can hear me opening this from Hollywood.

I'm sure you can pair this with just about anything until the cows come home, but it is perfectly good to just drink. Which we did. We drank the entire thing in one sitting,

Napa Cellars has both their Classic collection, which is where this Zin is categorized, and a Platinum Reserve, which features a Chardy, Cab Sauv, and a Syrah.

I'm currently cellaring my Platinum Reserve bottles, but believe me, I can foresee a time when I have to bust into the good stuff. But luckily I had enough foresight to grab Classic Collection Cabs, Syrahs, Zins and Merlots. They are all above average wines, but the Cab and Zin in particular are quite good. And affordable. You can find them in the grocery stores for between 18 and 25 per bottle, and many stores offer 6-pack discounts, so you can actually save more money on some very good wine.

Not "good" wine. REALLY good wine. I hesitate to call these "great," because when you have great wine, the rest of the world just becomes a little desaturated, and you really start to understand the difference. And your taste starts to discriminate a bit.

But if you are having a party and need (or just 'want,' I'm not judgin') some REALLY good wine, this is like the slightly nerdy professor, who is also a little sexy, who starts off a little serious and turns out to be a lot of fun, mostly for his extensive knowledge of dirty jokes.

Bottom line: Loosen up and drink it!

Matua Road Vintage Red 2010

This is another one of those I meant to post about before things with mom's health took a turn for the worse, but never got around to it. While I think it was good, this early draft had the following cryptic note:

"Wines from the North Island, Otago Pinot Noir, 2 Paddocks, Mt. Difficulty"

My housemate's sister was visiting from NZ, and offered those suggestions as worthy of investigating.

Bottom line: Well, what are you waiting for? You have homework to do!

Coppola Claret Black Label 2010

Okay what the fuck is a Claret? According to a quick search, it is a style of winemaking from back when. It used to refer to light colored reds from the Bordeaux region, back when red wine used to be clearer or lighter, like a Rose, however eventually Bordeaux wines became darker. And now the term is a catch-all for dark red wines made in the Bordeaux style. So this a Claret-style Cabernet Sauvignon.

This is quite a smooth wine, very nice mouth feel, but perhaps more European than a California wine. I kept trying to "taste" it, and I just wasn't getting much. Like a lover that is clearly distracted. Do I have to do all the work?!?

I got fruit at the beginning but then I just got a flatness, a malaise.

To be honest, I haven't yet encountered a Coppola wine that I felt was rave worthy, or even revisit-worthy. I'd rather drink my "comfy-shoe-wine" Menage a Trois, because that shit is just FUN! My past Coppola experience is thus: I had whatevery Cab Sauv, a nasty Petite Sirah that no amount of decanting could make better, and a bland--I mean blend (a typo that became apropos). Now I'm sure this is "better" than a $7 blend but there is no heart in the wine. There is no emotion in it. I feel like I'm drinking a corpse, and not in a good Halloweeny way.

If you are a fan of Coppola, this is definitely one of the better wines, and I have seen it at Costco too. This bottle was a gift, though so I'm not sure of the price and I'm too lazy to google it, which would take about five seconds, but that is precisely how much I really don't give a shit about Coppola wines.

Bottom line: If you are a fan, this just might be your jammy jam. Otherwise, just imagine it being distilled through Francis Ford Coppola's neck hair (you're welcome for the visual).

Matua Sauvignon Blanc 2013

I have a guilty pleasure: a glass of good Sauv Blanc around 3PM. I don't do it that often, because I don't need my "alky alarm" to sound, but it's summer. It's 95 in my backyard. I don't have anything to do or anywhere to go. It's hot outside and inside this bottle, it's crisp and cold and refreshing and ready to make all my cares melt away.

And! I found it at Costco.

New Zealand is known for Sauv Blanc, and this is quite delightful. It has a sweet fruity bouquet, but don't be fooled! There are some that shall remain unnamed that turn their nose up at fruity whites, but the hints of melon and citrus evenly balance the dry center, and linger into the refreshing finish.

I'm not a huge fan of white but am coming around on Sauv Blanc. And while I wasn't necessarily bowled over by this wine, I was refreshed and happy.

Bottom line: This could be your key to happiness!

Artesa Artisan Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

This is the shiz-nit.

Artesa just makes good wine. End of story. This Cabernet is tasty all over the place! Swimming in complexities, flavors from all sides, it has the magic flavor ribbon that I like so much.

At this moment, all I know is this is good. I don't know why exactly, but this wine is the kind of experience that makes you start to "get" wine.

Bottom line: Drink it!