Everything thing else Q4 2006

It is annoying that when I update an older blog, it doesn't rise to the top. But I guess this makes sense for most blogs, but not mine... I don't want to start a new post for every damn wine I try, so I keep updating existing blogs. Sigh.

This will be my catch all for various wines....

As of Nov 2006, I've decided to keep my notes in a spreadsheet, so that I can sort and reformat the data more easily. Publishing directly in Google Spreadsheets was the initial goal, but it's not quite ready for that, so I'm storing the data locally in OpenOffice (http://openoffice.org) and uploading it Google Spreadsheets. The benefit to me is speedy updates and a well-featured spreadsheet. The downside is that publically visible updates will only occur sporadically, say every 2-4 weeks. Of course if there were any readers, I might update more often...

See my spreadsheet for 2006 Q4 tastings so far.

Chateau Puygueraud 2000 George ($20, WC) : WS 91. A bit closed. Medium bodied with dark fruit, dirt, and a dark twig taste. Moderately smooth with some tannins. I neither liked it nor disliked it. A friend liked it alot initially, especially the nose. Probably should have had another year or so. [C+].

Cameron Hughes 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon ($9, CC) : Solid California Cabernet flavor. Medium bodied with a solid taste of cabernet and oak and none of the flavors of a cheap wine. . A good value at $8 but not at $20. [B to B+].

Bodegas Conte Valdemar 2001 Reserve, Rioja ($?, ?) : I don't remember where I got this Tempranillo blend, but I'm guessing the WC for $10. Light-medium bodied, with restrained flavors of dark fruit, and a bit of spice. Short, slightly acidic finish. Not for me. [C-]. Cambe back to this the next afternoon, as I wanted a glass to go with the left over meatloaf from the work. Nose of earthy fruit with bit of sharpness. The flavors had rounded out a bit and the acidity helped a bit with the food. But still just a [C].

St Francis 2003 Red ($9, CC) : A blend of various red varietals: Cab, Zin, and others. Started out closed, tasting like a simple hearty red, but after 30 minutes, had developed nicely with oaky vanilla along and a richer feel. Medium bodied. Others liked it too after breathing. At this price I'll have to try 1 more bottle [B-].

Georges Duboeuf 2005 Brouilly Chateau du Nervers ($11, WC): RP 91. A Beajolais, so it was juicy (acidic) in style. I didn't care for it much by itself, but it should go nicely with food. I don't have the palate to distinguish good from poor Baujolais, so it tasted fine. [C].

Falesco 2004 Umbria, Valesco ($9, WC/BM) - WS 90. A perennial favorite of some critic, this Italian red has never been a favorite of mine, but the critic's comments keep me trying it. I think I've had one bottle out of 4 or 5 I've liked over the last 2 years (the 2003 was a WS 88). Started out tart and "racy" (acidic) with red fruit. Medium bodied. By the next night in an open bottle, a lovely aroma of violets, minerals and red fruit. It had softened a bit and tasted like it smelled. Better with food than on its own. Yet, I'm just not that fond of it. [C+ to B-]

Pepperwood Grove, 2001 Merlot ($4-8, TJ) - WS 88. The first few bottles in 2004 were quite nice and I found it at TJ's for $3.99 so I bought a bunch more [A-]. But for the last year or so, it has been not very good. [C-] Opened a bottle tonight and it was bad. Like it was a tiny bit burnt and not meant to be aged this long. Terrible. [D].

Rosemount 2003 Merlot-Cabernet ($5-7 all over). I think I picked this up on the cheap and it tastes like it. A hard metallic nose. Austere fruit with a metallic finish. Blech. [D]

Scherrer 2000 Cabernet ($20/375ml, restaurant) - A lovely massive California cabernet. I thought it was just great though others at the dinner table preferred the lovely Seghesio 2005 Sonoma Zinfandel. Had the classic cab taste in spades. A wall of fruit and oak. At this price it is only a [B+].

Corks, screw tops and hurting yourself

My take in the "great" cork vs screw top debate: I love those screw tops.

I collect corks, so I'll miss the corks a bit, but not that much. My reasons why I'm pro screwtop, from least to most significant

1. You get that nice "snap" sound, when the screwtop opens.
   
2. You don't have to worry about the wine getting corked or going bad due to a bad cork,
3. You don't have to remove the foil around the damn cork,
4. You don't have to remember to bring a cork screw, especially if you'll consume the bottle in a remote location.

Speaking about opening wine, in talking to various co-workers and friends, I hear about people hurting themselves when dealing with wine (I'm especially referring to you M.N.) Surprisingly, people seem to hurt themselves in ways you don't expect. Again from least often to most often, based on my limited data collection it seems to be:

1. Broke a glass, typically while washing it, and cut onself.
2. Pinched, squeezed, cut, poked or dorked onself trying to remove the cork. But the number one biggest hurt-yourself-area is
3. Cut onself trying to remove the foil around the cork. In many cases the foil is not easy to remove and creates sharp edges in the process.
   

Foils

In dealing w/ the foil, I don't try to cut the top off, but rather try to remove the whole thing in one piece by twisting the foil off the bottle. I find this to be faster in most cases and much less risky. Of course, some foils are glued on or the bottom of the foil is taped onto the bottle with some paper label, making things more challenging. In these cases, I try to remove enough of the paper, so I can break the seal and remove the entire foil.

If I have to cut the foil, I still try to remove the entire foil. I start near the bottom and try to tear it off in a spiral motion. I stay away from cutting the foil over the cork where you can get sharp jaggies, that you have to poke your fingers into.

At a wine tasting where I was pouring, I was doing the whole-foil-removal and felt a bit out of place as neighboring pourers were cutting the foil just below the top. But then I noticed a grape grower who was pouring the wine made from his/her grapes doing the same thing as I was. So I knew I was fine.

Cork removers

Here are my preferences:

• Waiter's cork screw. An exciting development in the last year is the double hinge on the pivot point, so the cork comes out straight the whole way.
  
• Rabbit ears or the "Screwpull". A mechanically ingenious device in which you clamp the rabbit ears around the bottle, lift the lever removing the cork, remove the device away from the bottle, clamp the rabbit ears around the cork and repeat the motion. The cork drops off the curly metal and you have an open bottle with the cork on the table. If the device is new and mechanically tight and you aren't too much of a wimp, the whole process takes less than 5 seconds.
  
• There are a variety of not-too-often-seen mechanical screws where you turn T-handle that pulls (literally unscrews) the cork out due to a spiral groove somewhere. These typically fit over the cork with some sort of cylinder or cone. They are not terrible small.
  
• That's it.
  
• In particular I hate the winged cork screw opener where you lower levers that start out looking like rabbit ears and lower them next to the neck to remove the cork. They are big, inelegant and I once pinched myself badly using them. I only use them as a last resort now and sneer when doing so.

A few other openers I've seen:

• I got a gift of a long needle which pokes through the cork. You then pump air into the bottle through the needle which creates pressure pushing the cork out. I must have used it wrong the first time, but since then it surprisingly works as advertised. I still don't care for it much as the needle is a nasty looking torture device masquerading as a cork remover.
• I bought a device similar to the waiter's corkscrew but it hinges in the middle so while you teeter, the cork totters. Make sure you teeter down and you're OK. However it is less good than the waiter's device as you have less mechanical advantage so it takes more brute strength. Still I appreciated finding yet another cork removal method.
  

Favorite Wineries Q3/Q4 2006

There are some wineries that I buy a lot of wine from. Mostly because they offer good value for which Im' a sucker. The wines are not always good or even great, but just often enough there is a unexpected jewel which keeps me trying them again and again.

Columbia Crest:

I've probably bought more Columbia Crest wine than anything thing else in the 2005. My only 2 case purcheses (a whole case) were 2001 Grand Estates, Merlot ($7, TJ/WC/CC) [C to A] and 2002 Two Vines, Shiraz ($6, TJ) [C to A]. Both were exquisite (rich, big, lush, fruity oaked) on several occasions and got good WS scores, but have recently (03/206 onward) been disappointing or tasted corked after a year.

Another magnificent wine on 4+ occasions was the 2001 Grand Estates, Cabernet ($7, TJ/WC). The first bottle was disappointing, so I shied away from it, but the WS score made me retry it and from then on it was an on-off relationship. At its best, it was a rich, fruit, oaked, chocolate/vanilla beauty, surpassing both of the previous wines. But a good 50% of the bottles were no where near that good. Still I probably bought 9-12 bottles over time, as it was that good on occasion.

The 2002 Grand Estates, Cabernet ($7, TJ) isn't quite as good as the 2001 and it too is a bit of an on and off wine. The bottle tonight (11/2006) started with a smooth medium rich body of fruit and oak and over the next 90 minutes developed additional complexity. A hint of chocolate and coconut. But faded after 2 hours. [B+].

Old Favorites

It's annoying to read about some one else's favorites that are no longer on the market. Except of course if they are your own old favorites, then it's perfectly reasonable to write about them. So off we go...

The first bunch are all Columbia Crest. While it may seem like I'm in completely love with their wines, I'm not. I'm just mostly in love with many of their wines; largely because they are very good and they are super inexpensive and readily available. Note there are two lines of wines: Two Vines ($5-6 TJ) - their lowest priced bottlings which rarely have the refinement of the Grand Estates ($7-9 TJ,CC,WC,...). The TV are typically simpler with more immediately accessible fruit - in the vein of a table wine. The Two Vines is often released a year earlier. E.g. as of this writing the 2003 TV Shiraz and the 2002 GE Shiraz recently came out.

Columbia Crest 2002 Grand Estates, Chardonnay ($7 TJ/WC): One of my wife's all-time favorite wines. Independent of price. And I'm pretty fond of it too. An over the top, butter oak (smoke) bomb. Aromas of freshly buttered popcorn or butterscotch and the flavors to match. So good and so cheap that we have a nickname for it "Old Faithful". Fruit with crispness as well. [A+]. I know I bought 18+ bottles of this over time in 2005-2006. Not all bottles were great.

Sadly, the last 4 bottles, tasted in Mar-Sep 2006 haven't been so terrific [C+ to A-], so I was beginning to wonder if this wine doesn't age well. But tonight (10/09/2006), a bottle from my friend's "cellar" basement (of my wines, of course) was back to its old magnificent self. Started smoky but as it breathed, the butter-oak ball express came roaring back. Only 3-4 more bottles left and I don't expect them to last much beyond 6 more months so I better get drinking.
Finally, the 2003 is much more normal tasting though some bottles have hints of the oaky butter. [B]

Columbia Crest 2001 Grand Estates, Merlot ($8 TJ/WC/CC): Got a 90 WS. Tried it, liked it, bought more bottles, tried more, and bought more. Some were good [B], but some were great [A] with a fruity, oaky silky palate. I eventually bought a case from the WC, bring my purchases to near 20-24 bottles (my single largest buy in 2005). However about 9 months later, most of the bottles I tried were disappointing - they tasted corked, or burnt (too much heat) or just over the hill [C-]. There may also have been storage variation from the store. I know a neighboring CC got a palate in late in the game ($7) from which I bought 6-8 bottles, and that palate slowly dwindles over 4+ months; made me wonder how much that hurt the wine. I tried yet another bottle over the last 2 nights and it was the first good bottle in a while, but more importantly it restored some faith that the remaining ones might be good. And surprisingly I drank it after it had been open 1 and then 2 nights, respectively, which usually destroys the Columbia Crests. Ironically the last glass was the best with a strong earthy woody tone along with the burnished berry [A-].

Columbia Crest 2002 Two Vines, Shiraz ($5-$6 TJ): WS 88. The 2001 TV was very good, but some early bottles of this wine were even better, with smooth berry and oak and an impressive richness. [A]. I ended up buying 6 and then a case. As with many of the others Columbia Crests, the bottles I tried in Q1-Q3 2006 were not very good [B-]. Some if it may have been storage issues, but I'm not sure. Last night (10/16/2006), a well kept bottle tasted good except it started out with a metallic taste; after 45 min, the metal was gone and there was a hint of cork in the finish; after 2 hours, it was tasting nicely with big fruit and a some richness [B+]
Tried another bottle (10/29/2006) and it was a return to the original form. Smooth and lithe body. Obvious berry fruit with cedar and spice and hint of sweetness. Quite tasty. [B+ to A-]

Marquis Phillips 2003 South Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon ($12 WC/CC): First bottle, big fruit but slighlyt burnt. [C+] Next few bottles had a wonderful dark fruit, with spicy wood in a smooth rich body. Very tasty. [A]. By the time I got through these, I couldn't find any more, so I'll have to savor the last of the 6 bottles I got. (I'm not nearly as fond of the 2004, too).

Sep to Dec 2006 Picks

Even though it is quite possible that no one is actually reading this blog, it became apparent to me that a wine diary just wasn't that helpful to the potential future reader. So I'll write a quarterly blog, updated when necessary of the best wines I've found. I'll also slough to the diary format any the non super star wines.

So what wines am I buying at least 4 and maybe 6 bottles of?
(See my rating system to understand what the letter grades mean)

Under $10:

Columbia Crest 2002 Grand Estates, Syrah ($7 TJ): nice coffee, chocolate hints. Smooth, almost big. Really nice. My first [B+ to A] wine a while. Tried a second bottle and it was equally good. [A-]. I've bought 8 bottles as of 10/04/2006.

La Ferme Julien, 2004, Rouge, Cote du Ventoux ($5, TJ): Grenache 50%, Syrah 20%, Carignan 15% and Cinsault 15%. There is a rooster on the label as the winery mascot. From the south Cotes du Rhone region in the north Provence region (Mt Ventoux) near where we visited. Aroma of red and black fruit with a stony freshness (like a peach pit). Tastes of red fruit with a solid minerality (though ironically I only noticed this after returning from France) underneath. Medium bodied for this style. Noticable acidity but well balanced. Good on its own and even better with food. Has a bigger body than many wines I tasted from this region, which I like. Tastes like a nice version of the table wines available at all restaurants in the Cote du Rhone region, including Lyon. Still good after a day or two in an open bottle. [A]. (At this price, this is likely to become my open a bottle anytime red. esp with cheese.)

From $10-$15:

Jim Barry 2004 The Cover Drive, Cab ($14? - WC): Started simpler with a big plum, jammy taste, but after 30-45 min and continuing for 3 hours, developed a nice spice, and woody (eucalyptus?, cedar?) vein to go along with the rich fruit. I wish I hadn't drunk so much initially. [A-]. (The 3 bottles of the 2002 was good, ok, and then after sitting for 2 years, amazing, so I'm holding a few bottles of the 2004).

R.L Buller NV Fine Tokay 375ml ($12, WC) - Superb. This is what I think a dessert wine should taste like. A tawny, gold with noticiable viscosity when pouring. Luscious, thick, smooth with no bitterness or edge that inexpensive dessert wines/ports often have. Tastes: Obvious honey and raisins, with hints of walnuts, maple syrup. Some in the group smelled pistachios (?) . [A-/A]
(This scores very well with Parker regularly.)

Drylands 2005 Sauvignon Blanc ($14 - WC): My favorite SB. Crisp citrus with good acidity and a roundness not usually found in such a NZ SB. Some sips tasted downright sweet, which a few other also said. Hard to go wrong with this wine at this price. [A-].
I didn't actually get many bottles of the Drylands, but ...

Babich 2005 Sauvignon Blanc ($10 - WC) : WS 90, Nearly as good as the Drylands to me and apparently better according to others, I picked up 12+ bottles over time of the Babich. And look at the price. A bold citrus taste that will wake you from the dead. Other testimonials:
- At a BYOB wine tasting a woman I didn't know tasted this and said "Wow! That is the best Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tasted."
- At the New Zealand wine tasting event in San Francisco, many of my co-workers who attended were very impressed with the Babich wines. The higher end black label (which this isn't) was especially nice.
Obviously, as I've picked this up on 4 different occasions, an [A].

Other very good NZ Sauvignon Blancs are Matua, which are also roughly $14 from WC. I thought the 1 bottle of the Matua 2003 I tried was amazing with a creamy texture along with the crispness, but the 2004-2005 were not nearly as good. My wife (and WS) however have liked the 2004 and 2005 quite a bit.