Table Wines- NV L'Authentique and 2007 Archeo Nero D'Avola

Yeah, I'm back. My personal life has taken an unexpected, dramatic and sad turn as of late. I won't bore you with details. This last month has been hands down, the worst I have ever experienced. I'm trying to focus on the positive. I still have a sweet and wonderful drinking companion, I have my amazing job, a home and a working vehicle. Which, is more than a lot of people I know have right now. I've been in the mood to drink, but writing not so much. Let's catch up, shall we?

Another wine from Trader Joe's. L'Authentique, a blend of..um..I'm not sure. "Red Table Wine" from the Languedoc region of France. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault? L'Ugh is more like it. Seriously. This is not good. Yeah I know, $4.99 what do you expect. Well, not this. You can buy a Magnum of Rene Junot Red for $4.99, and it's much better. No nose, flabby, too sweet, not really drinkable. You know what you can do with this wine? Make Sangria.

OR! You could drink this; Archeo Nero d'Avola. I hesitated even purchasing this wine, really, it's from Sicily? I know nothing about wine from Sicily. Well, Nero d'Avola is the most popular grape in Sicily, and now we know. I have to say this was such a pleasant surprise! Big raspberry and blueberry flavors, spice and smoke. Smooth tannins, easy to drink and paired nicely with the simple pasta dish I made for dinner. For $4.99 I think it's a tremendous value and will definitely pick up another bottle or two. Or if things get any worse, maybe five cases.

Castillo di Jumilla, Monastrell Rosé 2008

I'm happy to report it's not just me.

There are a few blogs I follow; it's nice to see I'm not the only one slacking on posts. I don't know why. The stars probably. I'm just glad I'm not the only one. This makes me feel just a bit less guilty about not taking the ten minutes to write a little wine review.

Rosé!

The weather has been beautiful lately, and with warm temperatures and sunshine comes Rosé wines. I had a birthday a few weeks ago, and after an afternoon drinking beer at Hopworks
(Which happens to have a phenomenal Happy Hour, check it out next time you're in Portland) I convinced the drinking companion to head across scary SE Powell to the equally scary looking wine shop and lounge, Vino Vixens. He loves me and wants me to be happy, and it was my birthday. He resigned himself to losing an hour of his life while I shop for wine.

Ok. So yeah, Vino Vixens is located in a nondescript strip mall next to a bowling alley and Acme Doughnuts. The sign was hand painted (I say was, they just got a fancy new sign) and the hours stated they were closed. I tried the door anyway, it's just what I do. The door opened..and there stood friendly Dominic. Or was it Derek. Damnit. Friendly man who's name started with a D. He explained they were having a private party that evening but would be happy to show us around. The place is huge. And cool. High celings and foosball. They also hold wine classes and have their own bowling league. I was shocked that in all the time I've lived in Portland, I've never visited this cool wine shop blocks from my house.

D asked what I was in the mood for and I answered a kick-ass Rosé. He strolled over and picked out this little gem, a 2008 Spanish Monastrell Rosé from Castillo di Jumilla. $8.99

The first thing I noticed was it's the color of watermelons. Not green, I mean the inside of a watermelon. It was an absolutely beautiful ruby colored Rosé. The nose was crisp strawberry and raspberry with a bit of Monastrell cracked pepper. One of my favorite flavor combinations is strawberry with black pepper. Let's not judge.

Full, balanced acidity, very dry. Absolutely perfect for a late summer evening on the front porch with three guys who ride motorcycles and smoke cigarettes, holding glasses of pink wine. I love men who can drink pink wine.

I'm buying a case.

Wow. I'm kind of a loser

I have three empty bottles in front of me.

Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris- Alsace, France

Altos De La Hoya Monastrell- Jumilla, Spain

Oreana Winery ?- Santa Barbara California

These are three bottles I had saved because I wanted to blog about them. When I had time.

Right.

I have time, and guess what?! I've lost my notes. Just three empty bottles on top of my refrigerator.

#1. I would not have kept the empties if they weren't worth writing about.

#2. I'm sure they were good.

#3 I'm a little depressed my best friend's nephew did not win American Idol. (Adam Lambert, I'm sorry. David Mitchel, go celebrate anyway)


#4 Tonight I'm drinking a Condesa De Sarabella Garnacha 2007


Is ok. $4.99 at Trader Joe's. After a few hours of decanting it's quite good paired with Iberico Cheese and Cibatta. No nose. Sorry, but I could not get any distinct..anything. "Dull Strawberry" is what I wrote down. I'm not sure what "Dull Strawberry" is. Tasting is something a bit more. Strawberry, Apple, Cranberry maybe? Very soft and supple, surprising for $4.99. Didn't WOW me but drinkble and much, much better than most wines I've found in this price range. The wines I've been too lazy to write about. Those. wines. The wines that didn't make the empty bottle on top of the fridge.

Must. Blog. More.

2006 Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Ahhhh...housesitting again in the Gorge. No commute, no working on the house, no weeding. Time to sit back and update my neglected blog. I have five wines to post about, a Spanish Mourvedre, a Pinot Gris from Alsace, a...wait a minute. My notes. My notes are in Portland. I finally have a second to write and left all my notes on the coffee table in the living room. Welcome to my life.

No worries! I went grocery shopping before my stay out here and picked up a few bottles. First up the 2006 Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from, yes, Trader Joe's. $4.99.

Montepulciano is a grape native of the Abruzzo region of Italy. Not known as one of the top wine producing regions in Italy, Abruzzo produces very food friendly, accessible wines. Just what I need to pair with my Italian Sausage sandwich and unobstructed view of Mt. Hood.

My nose in the glass I got kind of a dough smell, and sausage. Like..pizza. Maybe I'm just hungry. Nope. Maybe it's the glass...nope. An interesting nose. After a little air I can pick up some cherry and..violets? Maybe not violets. What is that flower. I have to be honest, after weeding every flipping thing that grows out of the ground smells the same. By product of Spring in Oregon. Grass, tulips, Iris, dandelions. Everything. Very light and clean, tart cherry, nutmeg and cinnamon, soft tannins. The label proclaims it's "Made with Organic Grapes", after a little research I discovered this winery also practices bio dynamic farming. Easy to drink, non-offensive table wine. Hmm. One for the cellar? No. Not really. Worth the five bucks? Definitely.

2007 Girardet Grand Rouge

Road Trip!

My oldest son is here on Spring Break from Santa Fe for two weeks. What better way to counterbalance the warm, dry desert air and blue skies of New Mexico than a trip to the Oregon coast in March. We set out with the only clear destination being Tillamook, for cheese curds. We all love squeaky cheese curds.

After loading up on cheese curds we headed South to the Blue Heron French Cheese Company for a bottle of wine and a visit with the chickens. Granted my son is 17 and not the least interested in a petting zoo at this point in his life, but I'm a fan of chickens and wine, so he humored me. He's a good kid.

Blue Heron has an amazing selection of Oregon wines. After skipping bottle after bottle of $50.00 Pinot Noir, I discovered a 2007 Girardet Grand Rouge for a mere $12.00. The label said it was "In the tradition of the French Rhone Valley" but failed to mention what varietals were actually in the wine. No matter. I'm feeling adventurous.

Now before you go and say "Well, she should just change the name of this blog to 'Recession Rhone' I will tell you I have TWO wines that are next in line for review that aren't Rhones. One of them isn't even French. One of them is WHITE. So..just..be paitent.

This has an old world nose. Mmmm... beautiful, stinky barnyard. Got a little hazelnut and vanilla. Not a fruit forward wine- picked up some blueberry and currant on the mid-pallet. Nice structure, a bit tannic but not like I wanted to rip my face off, would be interested in seeing what this would taste like tomorrow. Except my brother-in-law finished off the bottle. Great value though, I'll keep an eye out for more of Girardet's wines.

I tried to find out the breakdown of grapes with no luck. The only thing I could find was "a blend of 14 varietals." ! ! !

Yum.

Le Ferme Julien Rouge 2007

Has it been a month? Really?

I'm sorry. Really, truly five followers of this blog. I am sorry I have neglected you. I work at a winery. Some months are painfully slow. Others, like wine club shipment month, can be a bit hectic. Add on a 144 mile commute each day and it's all I can do to keep my eyes open, let alone blog. The next two weeks will be spent house sitting for a lovely couple who happen to live a 1/2 mile from where I work as they vacation in Mexico. I hope to update this more frequently than once a month. I also vow with the new found three hours a day I have, to purchase more wine out side of "Trader Joe's"

You don't want my excuses, I know. You just want to know what, or what not to purchase.

"La Ferme Julien Rouge 2007"

I know I said Rhone and I were on a break. My name is Sara and I am an addict, ok? My cart filled with fresh fruits and veggies, brown rice, salmon..oh what the Hell? A Rhone blend for $5.99? Fine, whatever. I bought it, ok?

Classic Rhone table wine. 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignan and 15% Cinsault.

This is not offensive. This wine is a second label from from French winemaker Francois Perrin. It has bright fruit and cracked pepper on the nose. It's young and tight, but opened up a bit after an hour of leaving the screw cap off (yes friends, the screw cap). It reminds me a lot of the Rhone Wine with the chicken on the label, who's name escapes me at the moment. The wine I would drink in Jersey when I was feeling less than flush with cash. (I googled it, La Vieille Ferme). It tastes almost identical except there is a goat on the label, not a chicken. Barnyard animals aside, it's an easy drinking, every day table wine with bright raspberry and spice notes and soft tannins. Would I serve this at a dinner party? No. I'd pour Syncline Wine Cellars Mourvedre (one case left- jump on it). However, with a tomato and basil sandwich after a long day of wine club shipments? Yes yes yes.

2006 Chariot Gypsy

$5.99 From Trader Joe's.

Shall I say $5.99 from Trader Joe's on Super Bowl Sunday. (Go Pittsburgh!). Yep, stood in line 20 mins for this wine. Stood behind some jack ass who decided that 30 mins before kick off on Super Bowl Sunday was the right time to return the box of granola bars he had purchased earlier.

It's times like this the East Coast ire tends to rise up.

I am practicing being a loving, giving, patient person. In Portland it's ususally easy, there are moments though, like today, being a Steelers fan stuck in line at Trader Joe's. desperate to get home to watch the kick off with a purchase of cheap red wine. Getting stuck behind "let's return granola bars" man. There was no swearing, no punching in the face. Though had I still been living in Hoboken in might have ended differently.

I digress.

Bright, fun nose. Cherries Cherries Cherries! The drinking companion argued. "Strawberry". I told him after I write this I would google it and see what the consensus was. Er. Cherries.

This is light and fruity. Cherries and smoke. It's a blend, but I am unsure of what it is. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah, Merlot maybe? Whatever it's worth the $5.99. Granola man or not.

Steelers !!!

2006 Andezon Côtes du Rhône

I am noticing that I am drinking a lot of Southern Rhône wines.

This became apparent today at the local Fred Meyer when I was choosing a bottle for tonight. All I was looking at were Rhône or Rhône Style wines. No Alsatian whites, no Aussie Shiraz, no Argentinian Malbecs. Just Rhône. I am boring myself, can't even imagine what you people are thinking.

Rhône wines are like comfort food for me. Rhônes are my Shepherd's Pie, my meatloaf, my fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. It's winter. It's dark. It's rainy. I am away from my family. Rhône's somehow, in a small way, make me feel just a bit better. I do drink other wines. I do drink white wines even. Just not now, not tonight. Tonight I need the warm, spicy comfort of the Southern Rhône. Tonight? Andezon, purchased at the newly remodled Hawthorne Fred Meyer in Portland Oregon, $11.99

I'll start with the nose, like always. Very earthy. Kind of like potting soil. Lavender. I like. The wine is very concentrated, very structured, very...wait. What is that? This, sour tasting funk? You know how you meet someone and the first date goes oh so well and you're excited and giddy and thinking "you know, I think this is it"! Then you meet for the second, and you start seeing, well, little things. Like, he talks really loud or he's mean to the server and you realize that what you thought was great and wonderful is really just...average? It has a good reputation. "Oh this is fabulous" the wine steward said. Parker gave it 90 points (though he and I don't agree on too much) It's like that. I wanted to like it, I really needed to like it. But, I just. Didn't. I am regretting passing up the Malbec that was wooing me from the corner. Maybe a bit more time? Decanting perhaps? Maybe just two star crossed lovers who just couldn't make it work this time around.

Rhône and I are on a break.

Post Script.

After I publish a blog I usually google the wine I just reviewed to compare the opinion of others to see if I am 'up in the night' (like my sister says) about a wine, or if the opinions are similar. Apparently compared to other reviews I am waaaay out in left field. Nothing but raves. I did notice that in other reviews this wine was paired with (usually) heavy fare. "Shepherd's Pie" seems to be a favorite. To clarify I did not pair this with anything tonight, except the newsletter I've been working on for Syncline. It did make me smile when I read a review on Wine Advovate likening Rhône wines to comfort food.

In Fine Rouge

In Fine Rouge was my other selection from Wilderness Wines the other day, and for $9.99 am seriously impressed with this find. This delicious wine is 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, aged 8 months in concrete tanks from The Côtes du Ventoux AOC in the Southern Rhone. Oh Bonjour!

This is the kind of wine this blog was created for. Small family owned and operated, biodynamic and substainable farming practices, small production handcrafted wine. This is value wine nirvana.

It has a wonderfully expressive nose, bright berries and violet. Seriously, I just had my nose in my glass for about three minutes. Smooth cherry and raspberry flavors with a little licorice spice on the finish. Paired with burgers and fries. My ex-husband's tasting notes? "Wow, really good."

Where to buy

2005 Villalta Ripasso Valpolicella

I wanted to do something nice for my ex-husband. I know that probably sounds odd, but I am staying with him for ten days while I am in Maine so I thought cooking a nice Italian dinner paired with a nice Italian wine would be, er, nice.

After purchasing all the necessary ingredients at the local IGA, I stopped into Wilderness Wines for a bottle or two. While browsing the Italian section (all 7 bottles) I decided on the 2005 Villalta Ripasso Valpolicella. I am a big fan of Valpolicella wines and for $9.99 why not? Except that I wasn't wearing my glasses, and once I pulled my debit card out I discovered $9.99 was actually $19.99. Er. Well. I'm too shy to put anything back so I sucked it up.

This is a blend of Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara, and being a Ripasso the wine is passed over semi-dried grapes used to make Amarone, inducing a secondary fermentation (see Bob, I know what I am talking about, ok?). It is rich with tobacco and meat, silky tannins and a long finish. For $9.99 I would say Bellissimo! Or is it Bellissima? For $19.99 I'd still say Bellissimo! But with ten fewer dollars in my wallet. My ex-husbands review? "This is good".

Tomorrow night, it's back to France! Stay tuned my fellow winos.

Rangeley Maine

I am on vacation in Northern Maine. I know, it's January. Who in their right mind goes to Maine in January. Me. Long story.

Wine options are limited up here, but if you find yourself in Rangeley Maine, January or anytime of the year, check out Wilderness Wines. They don't have a website I can direct you to, but they do have an insanely eclectic selection of unheard of and hopefully interesting wines out here in the middle of nowhere. Very fun stuff.

I just got paid so I'll pick up an obscure bottle to try tonight, I'll let you know how it goes. In the mean time I am sipping a Domaine Saint Michelle Brut to celebrate the swearing in of our new President. I needed bubbly and had my choice of this, a Korbel Extra Dry, and a NV Veuve Cliquot that I could purchase for $62.00. Seeing as this is the same bottle that has been sitting at the Rangeley IGA for the past three years in an overheated corner, I went with Ste. Michelle. No review, it's just serving it's purpose.

Obamanos!

Big Nose Red

One of the perks of working in the wine industry is...wine. Shady Grove Winery is about to release it's 2007 Cuvée Gratziella, a blend of Tempranillo and Juan Garcia. Factoid for you, this is the first Juan Garcia grown in the state of Washington. I was able to get a preview the other day, and am blown away by this wine. I'll keep you updated on when it's released and where it will be available. In the mean time, try Shady Grove's Big Nose Red-if you can find it. A full bodied blend of three different Spanish variatels. At $14.00 it's a fun, big, raspberry cola, dark fruit, currant, heypeoplejustdroppedbyunexpectedlylet'sbreakthisopen table wine, and with my industry discount I can drink it everyday. Nah nah.

PS- Thanks to my five readers for your encouragement and feedback, it means a lot.

Bourbon

This is a wine blog.

I've been on a bit of a bourbon kick lately. I blame the snow. Starting tomorrow I'll lay off the bourbon and be right back on wine.

Thank you for your patience.