Les Caves Joseph 2006

Bordeaux picked up at Trader Joe's for $5.99.



I had very low expectations for this wine, after our Burgundy experience. Honestly though, it was not that bad. I'm not sure that is a technical wine description, "not that bad". It's true though, my first thought was "Not that bad". I have had so so so much worse.

60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dry haystack nose, a little rust and band-aid. Currants and smoke, very balanced but not too exciting. For $5.99? This will definitely be a standard in the "cellar" (read, kitchen) for when guests drop by. Paired very well with the bread and beer cheese we had with it. I have to admit I was a little depressed after reviewing this wine. Oh how the mighty have fallen. But! Steak, Baked Potato, Les Caves Joseph..as Willie Wonka once said "eh".


Not too bad for a $6.00 Bordeaux. Not great, but not too bad.

Blason De Bourgogne, Cuvée 2007

In a word. No.

We've been snowed in for days here in Portland. The drinking companion and I managed to venture out yesterday not because we were stir crazy, or out of food.

I was out of wine.

Trader Joe's is the closest market to us. As he stocked up on "essentials" (bread, milk, eggs..whatever) I wandered over to the wine section. When what to my wandering eyes should appear? A Red Burgundy for (gasp) $7.99. Doesn't quite rhyme. Doesn't quite taste good either.

I love Burgundy.

The drinking companion has never had a Red Burgundy. I've often mentioned the absolute heaven and joy that is a French Pinot Nior to him, teasing him with a Gevrey-Chambertin or a Nuits-St-Georges every time we're in a wine shop. You know, the wines I'm not writing about, because well..we can't afford them now, can we?

If you are introducing someone to Red Burgundy for the first time, this would not be the wine to do it. It's like introducing someone to internet dating and bringing home the psycho woman who lives in her parent's basement.

This wine is thin, like skim milk. "Strawberry Kool-aid" the drinking companion stated. My first thought was an old Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown (or maybe it was Linus?) mentioned the hot chocolate he was drinking tasted like "water with a brown crayon added to it." This was water with a red crayon. Sour strawberry, tart, no finish. In a word, icky.

Luckily, Trader Joe's also had a Bordeaux...

2004 Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot

When I started this blog I promised myself I would not review bulk wines. Why should I? There are so many great, value priced wines produced by smaller wineries out there, why would I waste my time on a bulk wine? I mean my God people, when I think of bulk wine I think of that scene in "Sideways" where the wine is being dumped into the tanker by a hose. That, to me, is not the wine I want to drink.

Well, I'll tell you the reasons I'm drinking this. Christmas shopping, spending way too much money on gifts that have a life expectancy of ten days, utter and complete exhaustion, wal mart, and then sending the drinking companion in to the Hood River Safeway for a bottle of wine. His pick? Columbia Crest Two Vine Merlot for a mere $5.85.

Brave choice I thought, knowing if it was undrinkable I had a bottle of the yet-to-be-released Syncline 2007 Mourvedre at home. The nose has an amazing blackberry bramble thing going on, I thought to myself it's probably the stems that were crushed along with the grapes. (The grapes were in fact de-stemed, I'm just being snarky) No matter, I pressed on (no pun intended, really). The wine is smoooth, with flavors of berry and chocolate. None of that metallic aftertaste I usually get with bulk wine. Not a very complex merlot, but definately a food friendly, drinkable wine that paired nicely with the spinach and parmesan pasta we had for dinner. We finished the bottle and debated going out to get another. However it's chilly here in the Gorge and we're in for the night. Time to break open the Mourvedre and watch "Weeds".

2006 Château de Ségriès, Lirac Rouge, Cuvée Réservée

A Few weeks ago I discovered Nirvana. Otherwise known as Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
on SE Hawthorne in Portland Oregon. One word? FRENCH. I was surrounded by Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Rhônes. Heaven.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a lone bottle, the 2006 Château de Ségriès, Lirac Rouge, Cuvée Réservée for..wait for it. $13.99!

I have a particular fondness for Rhône Wines. Deep, hedonistic, spicy...like attracts like I suppose. I quickly made it over and claimed it as my own.

We opened the bottle that night. 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Carignan. Dark and rich, with flavors of cracked black pepper and black cherry. Long finish and soft tannins, a fantastic wine at a price I could almost afford.

My drinking companion and I got in a spat that evening so he protested everything, well, me. Including the wine. "Sucks to be you" I thought as I polished off the bottle.