The original (and maybe only) blog that focuses on the restaurants and foods of the Lake Norman Area. I discreetly visit area restaurants and post my own unbiased reviews. I hope you enjoy. Bon Appetit!
The other day at the local Harris Teeter, I ran across a bottle of Beringer. I've heard of Beringer for as long as I can remember, but I don't think I've actually TRIED a Beringer.
So, when I saw this 2009 Chardonnay on sale for about $8, I decided to pounce.
I'm seriously glad I did.
To the nose, it has a light feel -- like that of a sauvignon blanc. It's smell mostly consisted of citrus and pear, with an acidic twinge that only 14% alcohol can bring.
The taste, however, was completely different. Though it had the citrus and pear I was expecting, it had a yummy oaky flavor and creamy mouth-feel. Yeah, it's a full-bodied wine, but the taste of alcohol was negligible. Good for me! Bad for my liver. :)
It has become one of my go-to wines for the foreseeable future.
When it comes to food, I'm not terribly snooty -- I'll eat anything as long as it tastes good.
But when it comes to my wine, I have a little bit of attitude. I don't care if it's cheap or expensive, I just want the wine makers to deliver a good product.
So, when I saw the Wily Jack website I was worried. Their homepage focuses on the label and not the wine. Here is the first sentence of their homepage -- I kid you not:
Wily Jack wines have packaging that is graphically compelling and entertaining, with stories that chronicle the life and wisdom of Wily Jack.
Yeah, their website boasts that their wine bottlesthey have stories that chronicle the life of Wily Jack -- a fictional character. Seriously, if I wanted to read while drinking -- I'd stick with Playboy Cosmo.
Click the jump to read the rest of the review and the score.
During this past August, my wife and I traveled around Sonoma, Calif., wineries with a friend. We had a great time trying, drinking, and occasionally buying some of the great wines of this region. There were many wines that I would be happy to drink (and drink, and drink) again. But none captured my heart like the 2006 Blackstone Rubric.
First, some background: After visiting the huge, gorgeous, and slightly overly-landscaped Chateau St. John the three of us made our way across the street (literally) to Blackstone Winery. Blackstone has a completely different vibe. The tasting room consists of a small farm house (at least that's what it looks like) with a small deck and modest landscaping. And standing behind the counter we found Erwin.
Erwin is a great guy. Originally from Germany, he eventually made his way across the pond - and then across the continent - to where we found him. He was very personable and extremely knowlegable about wines. I certainly learned a few things from him. (See below for the video of him showing us the vineyard)
I was enjoying the tasting that Erwin was pouring, but when he brought out the Rubric he had my attention. I had never seen this varietal before. What was it? What does it taste like? And more importantly -- what's the alcohol content??
As it turns out the Rubric is a combination of the following wines: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petite Sirah, and 2% Tannat. And what a combination they make. This wine had a wide variety of flavors, from cherry and blackberry to coffee and chocolate. LOTS of chocolate. The Rubric is so dark red, it's almost black and it has a soft, but lingering, silky mouth feel despite having 14.5% alcohol! I enjoyed this tasting more than any others, and if it wasn't for the fact that I'd need to pay to ship it home, I would have bought several bottles. (Yeah, I'm cheap. I know.)
From what I understand, the Rubric isn't available in N.C. stores, and due to limited production, it isn't even available on their website -- I looked. So, if you're ever in Sonoma and want to try an amazing red, give the Rubric a chance. It's one of the best wines I've ever tasted. For these reasons, and many more, the Rubric gets a perfect score!
Wine Rating:
Score: 5/5
Price: $$$ (Over $20)
Wine Info:
2006 Rubric
Blackstone Winery
8450 Sonoma Highway
Kenwood, CA 95452
p) 800-955-9585
http://www.blackstonewinery.com
Here's the video of Erwin showing us around the vineyard.
On my never ending search for great, yet cheap, wines, I ran across a bottle of Camelot Chardonnay. Coming in at about $7 at Harris Teeter (on sale) and with a sorta hokey name, I decided that this wine was worth a try!
Even after I read the back of the bottle, I liked it even more -- "The name Camelot evokes the magical kingdom of King Arthur's Court, where beauty, goodness and harmony prevailed. You discover those same qualities in every bottle ... "
I've never run across a bottle of chardonnay with goodness and harmony! I wonder if that's more on the oaky or the fruity side?? Either way, with this much schmaltz on the back, I HAD to give it a try.
We served the bottle with hoisin shrimp and asian cucumber salad (recipe this Friday), and I've gotta say that I was SHOCKED to find this bottle was REALLY good!
This 2007 California chard has a light mouth feel, with hints of apple and citrus. The 13.5% alcohol isn't apparent, and in no way overwhelmed the light meal we had for dinner. Coming in a such a low price, I'd have no problem with paying double for it.
I have no problem buying this wine again, and I recommend you give it a try too.
Wine Rating:
Score: 4/5
Price: $ (under $10)
Wine Info: 2007 Chardonnay Camelot Vineyards 425 Aviation Boulevard Santa Rosa, CA 95403 866-366-4043 http://www.camelotwines.com/
The movie Sideways has a notable quote: " . . . the day you open a '61 Cheval Blanc, that's the special occasion."
And I'm just going to take that quote, run with it, and say "The day you gulpslurp drink a 2004 Opus One -- THAT's the special occasion." Then combine it with my Dad's 75 Birthday, and you've got one amazing special occasion.
The Opus One was served with Filet Mignon, grilled asparagus, and fingerling potatoes. Needless to say, the meal and the occasion were phenomenal. It was my first tasting of an Opus (my wines tend to be priced around $10), so I was very excited. But was the Opus up to the task? Short answer: yes.
I was surprised to see that Opus One is given the generic label of Red Wine. Really? This is a $%$#@!&^%@*!% Opus One. Can't they at least gimme the types of grapes used? After I calmed myself, and did a quick Google search, I learned that this wine is a bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (86%), Merlot (7%), Petit Verdot (4%), Cabernet Franc (2%), and Malbeck (1%).
The wine was full bodied and with a 14.1% alcohol content, you'd best make sure that you've got a meal that can handle it. Fortunately, the Filet Mignon was a perfect choice. The wine has strong currant and red fruit flavors that are followed by hints of tobacco, leather, and minerals. The wine starts dry, but the dryness dissipates towards the end. The nose on the wine has some plum and fruit with a lingering hint of tobacco.
All in all, a great wine to celebrate a special occasion -- even if that special occasion is just opening the bottle.
Wine Info:
Wine Rating: 4/5
Price: More than I can afford. (approx $90)
Winery Info: 2004 Red Wine Opus One Winery St. Helena Hwy Oakville, CA 94562 (707) 944-9442 http://www.opusonewinery.com/
If you've read my wine reviews before, you probably know two things about me: 1) I prefer California wines; 2) I'm easily suckered by pretty labels and marketing. So, when these two things came together in a bottle of a relatively inexpensive bottle of 2006 Surf Point Chardonnay, I quickly threw the bottle into the basket and headed for the checkout.
Because I've been suckered by pretty labels before, I was half expecting this label of palm trees, blue sky, and surf boards, to be a harsh acidic wine. I'm man enough to say when I'm wrong, and I was VERY wrong.
This wine was really good! It was a light wine, and tasted as if it was stored in stainless steel tanks. But that's not a bad thing this time. My nose detected light and fruity smells, with apple, lemon, and hints of mango. Where my tongue tasted some apple and peach. But with these tastes came a light and crisp mouth feel with very little acidic burn on my throat. Really, a very solid wine.
The Food Lion website claims that this wine is "exclusive" to them. However, a quick Google search shows that this wine is indeed for sale in other places. Either way look for this wine to be in the $10 range.
Wine Rating:
Score: 4/5
Price: $ - $$ (I bought it for under $10, but it shows for about $12 on some websites)
Wine Info: 2006 Chardonnay Surf Point Vineyards Graton, CA http://www.sonomawineco.com/ (According to globalwinestocks.com, this is the company which produces Surf Point. However, I haven't been able to confirm this info.)
Shortly after Christmas I received a bottle of 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon from my parents. Ahh, the joys of shipping hooch across state lines -- it's like living during the era of prohibition!
But, you've gotta admit, this is one excellent care package!
The J. Davies wines are made by the same people who make Schramsberg Champagne sparkling wines. My understanding is that they're very new to the world of regular wine. But OMG, they have absolutely nothing to worry about. This wine was amazing!
This Cabernet Sauvignon was the smoothest that I've ever had, with no alcohol burn on the back of the throat. Consisting of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, and 6% Petit Verdot, this wine's taste was smooth and consistent, with strong flavors of currant, plum, and black pepper. Just smelling it before the first sip, my wife and I just knew this wine was going to be amazing. And it was.
Usually I stick to the cheaper wines (hey, lacking full-time employment for over a year will do that to ya!), but I can honestly say, that this wine is worth every penny. Thanks to my parents for introducing me to this wonderfully tasty and smooth wine from Napa -- my taste buds have just moved to a higher wine bracket!
Wine Rating:
Score: 5/5
Price: $$$$$$$$ (about $80)
Wine Info: 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District J. Davies Vineyards Calistoga, CA 707-942-8354 http://www.jdavies.us/
While perusing the wine aisle the other day, I ran across something new to me. Easily portable (perfect for picnics!) little cardboard boxes that hold wine -- sorta like a Capri Sun for adults. Each box holds almost 3 glasses worth of wine. Yes, it's box wine -- but at least it doesn't come in the gallon sizes!
This mini-box comes from Australia and contains the Alice White Chardonnay, but don't ask me about the year -- it's not listed. This wine has a light mouth feel and an almost non-existent nose. I really can't smell much except the alcohol. There might be a hint of citrus and pear, but it's faint at best.
The taste is very similar to the smell. It's a faint flavor of citrus, apples and pears. But the mild alcohol flavor almost overwhelms it. Really, its one of the strangest chards I've had. It lacks both smell and flavor. Because of this it's not bad.... but it's not great either.
Ok, ok, it's Friday. I know. But this post was meant to appear on Wednesday. So, that's why I still consider it to be a Wine Wednesday Posting....
But I'm here to tell you about a great bottle of wine -- that you've never heard of. Deficit Red.
It comes across as a novelty wine. With a huge downward pointing red arrow on the label to the phrase on the back: "For the debts I have paid, trying to stay ahead, here is a bottle of wine. Now we are all in the red!"
This is a robust Cabernet. With strong flavors of black pepper and plum, this wine has a good blend of spice and fruit. But it does have a heavy mouth-feel, and strong nose. So, we found it best to let this one air about about 10 minutes before drinking. It softened the pepper and alcohol, while allowing the fruit to become more intense.
If you're having a meal with this wine, be sure that it's a strongly flavored meal. Pasta with tomato sauce, steak, etc. The meal could easily get lost in the strong flavors dancing around your tongue.
This Cabernet from Monterey is quite good and worth a try. Also, considering the down economic times, it's hard to wine (Get it??) about the approx $12 price tag.
Wine Rating:
Score: 3.5/5
Price: $$
Wine Info: Deficit Red 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Monterey, CA http://www.alittlemorewineplease.com/catalog1.0.html.0.html
The other day I was rummaging around the Food Lion Discontinued Wine Cart. This thing is awesome, EVERYTHING in there is 20% off!! Sometimes you find a Gem. Sometimes you find something that can peel the paint off of a car. But with my trained eye, and superior wine sensing skills, I found a 1/2 bottle of 2006 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Merlot. Mondavi has good stuff, and this is the Private Selection. It sounds hoity toity. So, it's gotta be great! Right?
Wrong.
This wine was so bad, neither my wife or I were able to finish our poured glasses. Usually I find Merlots to be a mild wine. Light fruit and spices. Sorta a half-way point between the subtle flavors of a Pino Noir, and and the more concentrated flavors of a Cabernet Sauvignon. This was none of those.
This wine overwhelmed our nose and mouths with fruit and acid. Lots and lots of fruit and acid. But not the good fruit. This was almost like a concentrated syrup flavor... with a watery consistency. No spice, no oaky tones. Just super concentrated fruit. YUK!
I've been to the Mondavi vineyards, I've enjoyed Mondavi before, and I hope to again. But I simply cannot recommend this wine to anybody.
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a Foodie reader. Jinny wrote the winning entry for the Write a Review contest, which appeared about 30 posts ago. So, last night I sat down at Corkscrew with Jinny and her boyfriend over onetwothree (lost count) glasses of wine, and had a great time.
During our time there I sampled the Fox Brook Cabernet. It's a solid wine, but far from transcendent. From my understanding, it is Albertson's (California grocery chain) equivalent of Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck."
This cabernet has strong flavors of fruit. In particular, I noticed plum and blackberry, with a hint of currant. Its smell is also on the fruity side, but this doesn't overwhelm the wine. The wine isn't dry, and has a smooth finish.
This wine is yet another new experience from my all too brief (aren't they always?) vacation last week. After dinner at High Thyme, my wife and I walked next door to a coffee store. This is one of my favorite coffee shops EVER. Do you know why?
Time's UP!
Not, it's not just because they sell coffee. It's because they sell coffee AND wine. Yeah, I could have moved in and never left.
While perusing I ran across this Tempranillo by Matchbook. If you're like me you're asking. "Tempran-What-A?" After a brief Google search, I learned that Tempranillo is a wine grape that is Spanish in origin. And it's at it's finest when mixed with other wines.
Apparently the folks at Matchbook know their stuff because this wine was rockin'. Served with pasta and home-made tomato sauce, this wine held its own against the acidity and robust flavor of the sauce.
At first the wine was slightly dry. But after a second, WOW. My palate was hit with flavors of cherry, fruits, a hint of vanilla and a whiff of leather. The wine shows a complexity I wasn't expecting. And it's REALLY good.
For the price, it's one of the best wines I've had. This seriously needs to be on your shopping list.
Wine Rating
Score: 5/5
Price: $$ ($15)
Wine Info: 2006 Matchbook Tempranillo (Blend: 77% Tempranillo, 14% Petite Sirah, 9% Graciano ) Dunnigan Hills, California
The night before our wedding, my wife and I got plastered and ran away to be married by Elvis in Las Vegas had a lovely rehearsal dinner. My mother had planned this thing within an inch of its life, and it was perfect. One of the things that added to the perfection were the cases of wine they smuggled across multiple state lines during their drive from California!
These cases included a Petite Sirah from the small Santa Cruz winery called David Bruce.
So, the other day when my Mom told me to look for a bottle of David Bruce in the mail I was a little excited. After all, this had all the potential to be a great bottle!
A few days later the bottle arrived, and soon thereafter we shared the bottle of wine over a large dinner. At first this 2004 Petite Sirah from Paso Robles was almost too fruity. The fruit flavors were very concentrated, and overwhelmed the palate. However, after a few more minutes of airing the wine, it opened up a LOT.
Be warned, this bottle will knock you on your butt. At 14.9% alcohol, we were both a little loopy after dinner. After airing-out the wine, we came to enjoy it. Though the fruit flavors were still there, they mellowed out. The wine had strong flavors of blueberry and plum, with a hint of black pepper. The wine had a light tongue feel, and went down with just a slight dry finish.
It's a very good wine. I don't know if I would pay $30 for it. However, if it's being given to me as a gift, I'll happily take more!!
Wine Rating:
Score: 4/5
Price: $$$
Wine Info: 2004 Petite Syrah (Paso Robles) David Bruce Winery 21439 Bear Creek Road Los Gatos, CA 95033 http://www.davidbrucewinery.com/
I've gotta admit, I fell in love with this wine years ago -- because of the bottle. This sorta round bottle of wine is covered in a straw/wickerish covering. It just screams Italian, and since I love Italian food, this was a match made in heaven.
In fact, I even went so far as to use one of these bottles as a candle holder -- something I learned from a small restaurant when I was in DC. But now I'm married, and if I still had that wax covered bottle of wine on the table, my wife would probably have a aneurysm. So, it's gone, but the fond memories remain.
All this back story leads to the fact, that when I learn about an upcoming Italian meal being made at home, it's the first thing I reach for!
So this weekend when my wife made a delicious lasagna, I had that bottle of wine opened about 30 minutes before the lasagna left the oven.
This 2007 Chianti isn't a great wine and it won't rock your world. But it is a good wine, and has enough tannins to make it perfect for most Italian cooking. I took a whiff, and detected a slight hint of cherries. With the sip I tasted currant and cherries. It's a light wine and goes down easy. But it does have a dry finish that lingers for a while.
Overall a good wine, that's a good value. In order to get more value from the wine, I suggest you use the empty bottle as a candle holder. :)
As I've mentioned previously, I have a love for the Pine & Post Cabernet. Dollar for dollar, I think it's the best value out there. So, the other day while cruising the Harris Teeter wine aisle, I came across a Pine & Post Chardonnay. Needless to say, I snapped it up in record time.
This 2006 Chardonnay is from the Columbia River region of Washington State, from the same region where their Cabernet is from.
I found this Chardonnay to be much lighter in texture and taste than other Chardonnays. This wine lacked the butter and oak flavors that I typically enjoy in chards. Instead it has flavors of pineapple, citrus, and green apple. The finish is crisp with a slight acidity, but not too crisp. If I had to guess, I'd say that this wine was aged in steel and not oak barrels.
It's a good wine, and if you're going for a lighter and crisp wine, this is a good choice. But to me it seemed more like a Sauvignon Blanc and not a Chardonnay. It's good, just not my style.
FYI, It would be a perfect compiment to lighter dishes including fish and sushi.
Now, I know what you're thinking. The late Paul Newman's company - Newman's Own - makes salsa, marinades, salad dressing, cookies, lemonade, cereal, popcorn, and pizza. What's the only remaining food group missing?
If you answered "Ice Cream," you're wrong. (But good idea!)
You should have answered wine!
In general I've found Newman's Own products to be darn tasty, so when I was at the opening of the Bloom grocery store off of Beaties Ford Rd., I decided to splurge and grab one.
This 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is heavy on the fruit. It is moderately dry and leaves a fuzzy feeling on the tongue. It has strong amounts of cherry and blackberry, with a hint of spice. While my nose detected some vanilla, which was completely overwhelmed by the previously mentioned fruit.
It's a decent wine, but for the $12 (sale price) I paid, I've had better. Then again, I've had worse, too!
Wine Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $$
Wine Info: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Newman's Own Rebel Wine St. Helena, CA 94574
As a wine lover who lives a few minutes from Birkdale, you may be surprised to learn that I've only visited Corkscrew twice. During those visits I sat outside, only ventured inside briefly.
So, last night I ventured out of my house to check-out Corkscrew. It was one of the best ideas I had all day!
I walked in, sat down at the bar, and took a look at their wine menu. Since I was only ordering a glass, I wanted to get something new ... something I'd never tried before. (After all if it sucked, I didn't want an entire bottle!) I settled on the 1919 Malbec from Argentina.
It's my first Malbec, so I didn't know what to expect. It's a dark purple red wine that smells of cherry and spice. Upon drinking it I tasted currant, cherry, spice, and a hint of minerals and black pepper. It's slightly dry on the finish, but not so much that it made my mouth feel like I just ate a cotton ball.
This Malbec comes from the Mendoza region in Argentina. Being a thin-skinned grape, it doesn't take well to freezing. And apparently the Mendoza vines in Argentina produce larger grapes in tighter clusters than do their French counterparts.
Also, I just wanted to give a shout-out to the folks at Corkscrew. I had a great time while there. Though I brought the paper to read, I didn't get to read much of it. I had animated interactions with some regulars. And I enjoyed my conversations with the bartenders.
The wine was good, but I enjoyed hanging out at the bar more. I plan to have a few more tastings at Corkscrew before the year is done.
Wine Rating
Score: 3/5
Price: $$ (online bottles tend to go for a little over $10)
It's been several years since I last had the opportunity to visit California's Central Coast. This region's wine growing abilities were highlighted in the movie "Sideways," which was shot on location in some great vineyards. (Yes, this is one of my favorite movies)
This means, that whenever I get the chance to try a new wine from that region, I will try it if it's in my price range. This Paso Creek Merlot, was about $14, so it was on the higher side of my standard price range, but I'm glad that I got it. It's a GREAT find!
I served this 2006 Merlot with a steak, covered with grilled peppers. And I've got to say, the wine held up against this flavorful meal very well. This is a dry Merlot with a full body. It has a lingering finish that has a hint of currant and spice, with a whiff of vanilla. It was a deep red / purple, and after a brief spill, I learned that it can leave a stain like nothing else!
According to the Paso Creek Vineyards website, this Merlot was aged for at least 18 months in French and Eastern European oak. And 35% of the barrels were new. The alcohol content on the bottle says 13.5%, but the website claims 13.8%. I believe the website -- this wine packed a very good wallop!
But I've gotta say, this was a great Merlot. That's $15 well spent.
Since I've declared this to be "Pizza Week", I've decided to do a run-down with the top three wines, which I've already reviewed, that would be perfect with a slice of pizza.
These are full bodied wines, that will be able to hold-up against a slice of spicy pepperoni, or will compliment a more mild tomato and basil.
Either way, these are wines that you should savor and enjoy. And with the exception of the St. Clement Merlot, they're under $10.
This weekend I walked into the local Harris Teeter and was greeted by the Bargain Carts. There were two grocery carts filled with discounted (probably discontinued) bottles of wine.
Whenever I see these I feel like a kid at Christmas opening presents! What will the cart hold? Will it be something I like?? I hope it's a pony!! Oh, wait, sorry. Got carried away!
I glanced through the bottles, most of which I've never heard of -- and a few which I won't buy. But as I was looking, I ran across a bottle of 2006 Archetype Shiraz. Moderately aged -- I like that. Australia makes a good Shiraz (a.k.a Syrah) -- I like that too. It only costs $10, discounted from $15. I like that even more!
So, I bought the bottle. And last night I served it with Four Cheese Tortellini with Marinara Sauce. It was great with this meal.
This Shiraz is a little heavier and thicker than I'm used to from Shiraz. In some ways it almost seemed more like a Cabernet Sauvignon. It has strong currant, black pepper, and spice flavors with a hint of vanilla. It goes down smooth, is slightly dry, and has a mild acidic kick at the end.
Overall a great wine, and if you are fortunate to find it, I recommend you add this to one of your meals.
Score: 3.5/5
Price: $$ (Just over $10 -- on sale)
Wine Info: 2006 Archetype Shiraz Barossa Valley Australia
