Glen Ellen - Chardonnay

Price: $8
Region: California
Year: 2009

I actually and just about to get ready to head to a wine tasting tonight, and had a few minutes so thought it was a good time to write another review. I have two wines from last week, but I thought I would start with one of the wines that was sent to me a couple of Fridays ago. There were two 1.5L bottles of red, and this bottle of Chardonnay. If you go back over my 2+ years of reviews, the white wines are few and far between. Interestingly enough, I have another one ready to go from two weeks ago that I have not gotten around to yet. Even though we usually buy a white every week for my wife, I usually only have a taste. Since I knew I was going to be reviewing this, I sat down with a glass, some spinach dip, and my wine journal to give it a try.

While I don't find it that difficult to see the variety of sight differences between red wines, I tend to lump white wines into two categories. There are those pure white wines, that have very little color at all, and then there are some with a bit of a yellowish tint. Now, I'm sure there are those that would say there is much more to it that that, I'm sticking with that for now. This wine definitely had a bit of a yellow tint to it. I really gave this one a good swirl to try and conjure up as much of the smell as I could, and I was pretty impressed. This wine had a nice floral aroma about it that was definitely not overpowering. When it comes to white wines, there are few that I love, but I must say I tend to stay away from Chardonnay. My general impression is that I will get a very dry wine, and when I do choose a white over a red, I look for something a bit more on the fruity side. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as I took a sip, and was bracing myself, I was actually quite surprised that this wine had a very crisp flavor with a pleasant hint of pear. It did not have a bad aftertaste, but went down smooth, and was quite enjoyable. I only had the one glass as my wife enjoyed it as well, and I had a nice looking red standing by just calling my name. I think we will add it to the list of white wines that we buy as a little change of pace from our typical Chenin Blanc.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Not what I would call typical, but pretty tasty)

Glen Ellen - Petite Syrah (Magnum)

Price: ~$10
Region: California
Year: 2007

If I said this review was a departure from my normal process, that would be a rather large understatement. I have been writing this blog for close to three years now, and for anyone who has run across my reviews in that time, you will know that the original intent of this blog was twofold. First, it was really hard to find any reviews that I could really relate to. The exotic flavors and smells that were described in the reviews I would read, just didn't coincide with what I experienced when drinking wine. Second, I wanted to focus on wines that were in a reasonable price range. That is primarily because those are the wines I buy, but also because I know there are some good bargains to be found out there. Interestingly enough, I have been pleasantly surprised with the number of views that my blog has received over the pas three years. Nothing spectacular, but enough to keep me interested in writing each week (my goal anyway). So, as I posted a new review a few week back, I received an inquiry as to whether I would be interested in receiving a few "media samples" of wine to taste and review. While I was completely caught off guard, I wasn't about to say no. A few days later a couple of bottles of Glen Ellen wine showed up on my doorstep, and luck would have it, I had not tried any of them, so they are a perfect fit for me to review. I decided that if I ever receive samples of wine for my blog again, I will review that wine along with my weekly review. So, here I am writing my 2nd review this week.

Now, since this is a bit of a departure from the norm, I am completely aware that my integrity is coming into play, but here goes. As I sat down on Friday evening with a hamburger from my kid's favorite Friday night takeout place, I poured a glass of Glen Ellen Petit Syrah. I would say it was was a touch light for this grape, but good color nonetheless. When I gave the glass a swirl, the aroma was much more in line with the Petite Syrah wines I have had in this price range. While for me, the wine I always go back to is the Bogle Petite Syrah, this wine was not noticeably lacking in this area. Now, it was time to give it a taste. One thing I noticed right away was that it was actually quite smooth, and although it was more in line with the color, meaning it was a little light for a Petite Syrah, it has a pretty good overall flavor. Considering this bottle was a magnum (1.5L), the value was even better. I would say this is a solid choice if you are having some friends over for a party, and need to find a good tasting wine at a reasonable price.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Good taste, even better value)

Terra Alta Ludovicus - Red Blend

Price: $12
Region: Spain
Year: 2009

This wine came courtesy of my wife again, who really tries to make sure she picks a bottle that I have not tried before, so that I can write about it here. One of the advantages she has, is that she usually has a good idea what's for dinner on Sunday night when we get together with her parents. This particular Friday, there was a small wine tasting, and she mentioned to the person giving out samples, that she was looking for something to go with a chicken and sweet potato stew. He recommended this bottle from Spain, that is actually a blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. There was been few Spanish wine that I really did not care for, so I was looking forward to dinner on Sunday.

I opened the bottle a bit before dinner, as I usually do, and I sat down with my wine journal to make some notes. Given the grapes that are blended to make up this wine, I was hardly surprised to find a very dark wine. It definitely had a grape jam look about it. Part of what I am definitely trying to get away from is making any assumptions about a wine just by sight. I'm getting better for sure, but I slipped a little with this wine, as I was expecting something along the lines of a Cab or Syrah. It had a very pleasant aroma, but I thought it was a bit tart. I'm not quite sure the percentage of each wine, at least i didn't write it down, but if it is based on the order they were listed, it makes sense that it would lean toward the Garnacha or Tempranillo, both of which I'm a little less familiar with. As I tasted this wine, the tartness that I came across in the aroma, was nowhere to be found. This wine was very smooth, with a good flavor from start to finish. I would say it fell on the side of being a bit lighter than I expected, but again, this where I need to try and experience what the wine is, instead of thinking what it should be. I will say, it went well with the delicious chicken and sweet potato stew. Not a bad way end the weekend.

Rating: 3.25 corks (Something a little different, and worth a try)

Alexander Valley - Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $17
Region: California
Year: 2007

This has probably been the longest streak of not reviewing a wine online since I started writing my blog back in 2008. Definitely not a habit I want to get into. A few different things happened recently that made me carve out some time for a new entry. First, while reading one of my wine-a-day calendar entries, I was reminded why I started writing this blog to begin with. It was one of those reviews that I just don't get. This one happened to point out the subtle taste of pencil shavings in a particular Cabernet. I'll be the first to admit that I have a limited array of flavors I usually pick up on when tasting a wine, but pencil shavings has never been one of them. To be honest, if I ever do taste pencil shavings in a wine, it will be time to move on to some other topic. The second thing that happened was the change of seasons. I'm not quite sure where late Summer or even early Fall disappeared to, but not much motivates me more to enjoy a glass of wine then a cracking fire on a brisk fall even, especially as it gets close to the holidays. Lastly, as my wife picked up my son from school, she stopped by the store to pick me up a bottle one Friday afternoon, as I was running late. Being the considerate person he seems to be turning into, he insisted on using allowance to by me a special bottle of wine so that I could write about it in my blog. So, this so happens to be that bottle. While I tried my best to remain open to either enjoying this wine, or not, I can't help but think my final verdict was a bit tainted, but I did my best nonetheless.

I had this wine the weekend before last, and I believe it was with an Italian dish my wife had made for Sunday dinner. As I poured a glass to have before dinner started, I noticed a wine with a soft grape color. It was a little different than a typical Cab, but sometimes something a little different is welcome. As I gave the glass a swirl, and took in the aroma, I wasn't at all surprised to find a very pleasant, fruity smell, that I would again have to describe as soft, and not over-powering. I then went to take a sip, and the taste that immediately came to mind was blackberries. Again, the flavor wasn't bold, but subtle. It also had very good length with a smooth finish. This wasn't a cab that would stand up and command attention, but not one that you would easily forget either. My goal is to not buy a $17 bottle of wine each week, but for a few extra dollars, it it definitely worth a try.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Good choice)

Rio Seco - Malbec

Price: $14
Region: Argentina
Year: 2008

As I was driving home this past Friday, I knew I already had a half of a bottle of wine waiting for me when I got home. I'll review that bottle another time, but in addition to that bottle, my wife had stopped by the store on her way home from work, and grabbed me this bottle of Malbec. Since I didn't need it Friday, I saved it for Saturday dinner. Saturday ended up being a fairly long day as I took my son and some of his friends to play paintball for his 14th birthday. When I got home, I had a buffalo chicken wrap, and a bottle of Malbec waiting for me. After running around in the woods all day shooting paint at people, it was nice to sit down and relax with a glass of red wine.

Since the big bold red wine are usually my favorite, I was looking forward to giving this one a try. I really have enjoyed most Malbecs that I have tried, so I was hoping this one would be no different. The first glass was poured, and at first sight, I was definitely not disappointed. This wine was very dark, almost like black cherry in color. Things just kept getting better because the aroma was very nice indeed. it had a nice strong fruit smell, and really the black cherry was starting to become a common thread. As I took a sip, I really got the feeling that the wine was very slow to develop. It didn't come right out and hit you, but slowly built up to a wondering flavor with a great finish. As with the smell, I could really taste the fruit in this wine. I really do think black cherry is how I could best describe what I tasted. There was really a lot to like about this wine, so I poured my wife a small glass, and she agreed. This wine is definitely worth a try, but it does seem hard to find a bad Malbec, especially if you put out a couple more dollars and go for one in the $12-$14 range. This one for sure, is worth it.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Gotta try it)

Ercavio - Tempranillo Roble

Price: $12.99
Region: Spain
Year: 2007

I think I am going to have to take a day off one of these days if I ever want to catch up on my backlog of reviews. I've had a couple of decent wines the last couple of weeks, and I've surely skipped a few that I'd like to review, but it is always easiest for me to pick one that is relatively fresh in my mind, so here goes. I had been to the wine store the weekend before last, and grabbed a couple of extra bottles because I knew work was going to keep me pretty busy during the upcoming week, and wasn't sure if I'd find the time. I walked around for quite a while on Saturday afternoon, and eventually found myself in the Spanish wines aisle. There was a decent sale going on, and for some reason this one caught my eye at a dollar or two off. I've had good success with Tempranillo in the past, so I was hoping to find another gem.

We didn't have anything special for dinner, just a few burgers and fries from our local hamburger joint (5 Guys), but it is always a tasty meal. After a long day of running around for my son's 11th birthday party, I was ready to unwind a bit with a glass of wine. I noticed at first glance, that the wine had a very nice clarity too it. I would say the color was a dark red, but not quite a Cab or Shiraz. As I usually do, I gave the glass a good swirl, and then a few quick sniffs, and found it was a bit fainter than I was expecting. It did however, have an interesting hint of vanilla. I would say it was fairly pleasant, but a little more of the aroma wouldn't have hurt. At this point, I would say I was pretty middle of the road in my expectations. Nothing blew me away yet, but nothing caused a red flag to go up either. When I took a sip, what hit me was the fact the wine had very good length. The taste went from the front of the mouth, all the way to the back of the tongue, and was pretty smooth to boot. I wouldn't say I was jumping up and down over the flavor, but I did notice a bot of the vanilla I smelled earlier. I think it was a bit off of the beaten path, but sometimes that is a good thing. Definitely worth a try if you want to take a break from the same old thing.

Rating: 3.25 corks (Worth a shot)

Jim Jim - Shiraz

Price: $9.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2008

It has unfortunately been a few weeks since I last sat down and wrote a review, and again, it hasn't been for lack of material. One of these days work will slow down, and I'll have a bit more free time to catch up on the backlog. In the meantime, I'm going to stick with what is fresh in my head, and that is a bottle of wine I tasted last Friday night. On my way home from work, I had to stop and pick up my son from one of the first field trips of the school year, so luckily my wife offered to stop by the store and pick me up a bottle of wine or two. On a few recent Fridays, I've stopped at the local convenience store on my way home and grabbed her a bottle of Coke with Lime, and she's stopped and grabbed me some wine. I know I'm the one who always makes out on the deal, but I'm not about to start complaining. She has a pretty good grasp of wines I have not tried yet, and this week was no different. She came home with two different wines that I had yet to try. I was kind of in the mood for a Shiraz, and sure enough she grabbed an Australian Shiraz I had seen on several occasions, but had never picked up. It was time to give Jim Jim a try.

It is obvious from first glance, that the a wine called Jim Jim, with a picture of a dog on the front is going to have some story behind it on the label, and sure enough, it did (I'll let you pick up a bottle to read for yourself). I don't think we had anything too intriguing for dinner, maybe just some sandwiches, but after a long week, I was really just looking forward to a nice glass of wine. Things were starting off on the right foot once I poured a glass. A very dark looking ruby colored wine filled my glass. I was expecting a very strong smelling wine, and while it was very pleasant, it definitely wasn't overpowering. To me, I smelled just a bit of fruit, maybe a little blackberry, but based on the bold color, and a bit of a mellow aroma, I wasn't sure which side the flavor would tend to lean towards. Luckily for me, it was a combination of both. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the wine was for a $10 bottle, and it really had a wonderful flavor, with great length. The taste just lingered on the palette for a few seconds, and then slowly faded. No hint of bitterness in this wine.Jim Jim (I just like saying that) was a real find in my opinion, and if my wife continues to come home with wines like this, I might just let her pick them all out.

Rating: 3.75 corks (One of the better $10 bottles I've had in a while)