A bargain on a 2005 Bordeaux?

The 2005 vintage was very strong throughout France, but it was the 2005 Bordeaux that stood out. The famed region seemed to have a once in a lifetime vintage, which really means a once every 20-25 year vintage. Critics were raving about the extremely high quality across the board from top and even middle producers.

Futures prices, to buy the 2005 before it came out, were truly astronomical. There are 5 first growths, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite, Latour, Margaux & Haut Brion, which routinely make the best wines from the region. The Chateau Margaux was being sold at $725 a bottle. Yes, that's right. The 2005 Pavie was a relative bargain, being offered at a mere $300 a bottle.

As someone who is gradually starting to Bordeaux flavor profile it makes no sense to buy expensive Bordeaux. I find it tastes of

• restrained fruit of dark woody berries
• tobacco leaf aromas
• coffee
• very little acidity
• smooth tannins

I've bought a few 2005 futures, to enjoy in 10 years, when my palate has hopefully come around some more, but they were cheaper.

But what I really want is a 2nd or 3rd tier Bordeaux that isn't so elegant but more fruit forward. The problem is it is very hard to figure this out from the reviews. Even fruity Bordeaux are quite restrained compared to an Australian or Chilean wines. And under $20 if possible.

Occasionally, these pop up, where you get an 87 or even 89 pointer for $18. But it's hard to find a WS 90+ Bordeau for under $20. Especially from 2005.

So it was a pleasant surprise to see the 2005 Chateau Caronne Ste-GemmeHaut-Médoc for $14 at Costco. Here's the Wine Spectator barrel tasting.

Lots of berry and chocolate character with hints of vanilla. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and silky tannins. Impressive. Almost hard to believe, it's so good. Almost 92-94. Score range: 89-91.

I opened a bottle to see how much more I should get and it's not clear. It's fairly nice but not amazing. It is quite young, which doesn't help my evaluation. But at $14, it is one of the cheapest bottles you'll find, even if t is dissappointing relative to the WS review.

It is restrained with classic tobacco and coffee notes. I get some woody fruit. Thin body but very smooth. I know the wine will be small ("elegant" or "refined") but it's hard to reset my palate, still. My score: 87.

Update: it turns out I had preordered 5 bottles from the Wine Club back in 2006 and these have come in, so I have plenty. It is turning out to be a great gift wine, cause who wouldn't want a 2005 Bordeaux?

Fettered by expectation

I've had some highly rated wines recently and been quite disappointed. In thinking about this some more, I can't think of a WS 92+ wine that I've been blown away by (whoops spoke too soon, the Montes 2005 Alpha Syrah at 92 is great, but that's the only one.. I promise). Most of my favorite wines are typically in the 88-90 points, partly because they tend to be affordable so I can just sidle up to a bottle and enjoy it knowing I have another one stashed away.

What wine was the catalyst for this column? It was two. The first was the highest scoring red I've ever bought and drunk, and the second was a wine from region I'd been dying to try that was #97 on the 2006 WS top 100. But as I rack it, my memory is littered with the high scoring wines that disappointed. Here are some:

1. Numanthia-Termes 2003 Toro, WS 95 at $65. This winery makes big thick very highly rated wines, year in and year out. I got some of the 2003's at a library sale and wanted to share a bottle with dinner guests. It was big, dark with dark purple fruit, some flower notes, perhaps some odd notes of stone and pencil. Medium finish. Nice but not amazing. My score: 89.
2. Altano 2003 Duoro Reserva, WS 91 at $19. I'd had some great Portuguese wines at restaurants and the critics are raving about how great some of the $12-$20 wines are. So I found this gem at BevMo and got 2 bottles. BevMo conveniently indicated #97 on the Top 100 of 2006. Nice. And what a thin, somewhat one dimensional dissapointment. It may have been a bad bottle, but there were no off notes. It was just very unflavorful. My score: 80.
3. Robert Mondavi 2004 Oakville Cab, WS 93 at $33. In the WS Top 100 of 2007. I really don't know what the big deal is. Very nice Cab flavors of fruit, spice and a bit of earth. But weak in flavor for a highly rated wine. Did somebody dilute this? My score: 87.
   
4. Orin Swift 2005 Prisoner, WS 93 at $35. My style according to the review, but like the Numanthia, somewhat big with various burly flavors (berry, olive, ??) but ultimately not that impressive. Bit too tannic still. Sigh. My score: 86
5. Rosenblum 2002 Rockpile Ridge Zinfandel, WS 94 at $19. This was/is the highest scoring from WS ever (at the time). I've had quite a few bottles of Rosenblum Zin I enjoyed more than this. Perhaps I waited too long, as (a) they don't seem to age well and (b) I don't seem to care for the Rosenblum tannins much anymore. My score: mid 80's.
   

Of course on the flip side, there have been the surprises. Wines that were great that had no right to be even finished, let alone liked.

1. Star Lake 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. We had a meeting at work and person D gave person J a bottle of wine. Neither knows wine. It was a funky, earthy (mushroom or truffle), heavy, oily wine that had nothing in common with a NZ SB. But intruiging. And by the 3rd try, it had really grown on me. What the heck was this? I'd buy this given the oppurtunity. WS 78 (!) at $22 from Draegers. My score: 90.
   
2. Robert Mondavi 1991 Napa Cab, WS 91 at $16(?) in 1993 (?). This wine had been moved around with some care initially, as spending $16 on wine in 94 was a big deal. And then I left it at my Mom's for 2 years in a cupboard. Where the house gets to 85F during the summer routinely. The last 4 years it has been in the wine fridge and pretty much fignored. I would see it and say I've saved it this long, I can wait another month. Finally had friends over who like elegant (dilute) Napa cab so I cracked it open. I thought it was nice but like most Napa Cabs, not big enough for me. But one of the guests who rarely likes a wine, really liked it. Of course it took his wife to say, "oh, I'll pass, since my husband really likes it which doesn't happen too often", for us to realize he liked it. Why the heck hadn't this wine gone bad? He said it tasted as good as you could expect a 1991 to taste and he likes aged Napa cabs.
3. Sebastiani 2002 Merlot, $12 (?). Tasted blind. A bit light in color but huge in body. Big, thick, with dark purple fruit, hints of bacon, smoke, chocolate followed by chewy, but pleasant tannins. The bacon and tannins made me think of a malbec. The chocolate makes me think a Rosenblum Syrah. There is no way this is a Merlot as it is way too dark and brooding. Wow. Wine: 91. ((And this past weekened I found another bottle of the 2002 at the Pak N Save on Thanksgiving buying yams. Woo hoo.))
   
4. Yellowtail 2006 Shiraz, $8.60 for a magnum at Costco. Give it 30 minutes to breathe, to soften and develop. Strong dark berry with obvious oak and vanilla. Big flavor, medium finish. A great cheap bargain. My score: 89.
   

Some of the disappointment has to do with my monthy "dull" phase where nothing seems amazing, which is fortunately balanced by my monthy "bright" phase. I'll just have to remember to try the supposed great ones when everything is tasting well.

The hunt for red centobers 2007

Wine Spectator just came out with their Top 100 wines for 2007. (Centobers is my wifes name for wines in the top 100, I tried for 15 minutes to come up with a catchy phrase but had much worse results.) My yearly quest is to see how many of these I can find and secondly am willing to buy. So far so good this year. All the wines I have are all on the cheaper side, esp for their score.

I only have one wine in the top 10, and it was the third cheapest. I did have 16, 17 and 18. Anyways, here's the current rundown on what I have along with my insights.

• 5) Two Hands 2005 Bella's Garden Shiraz, several bottles. Got this at Costco
• 12) Pegau 2004 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. One of the most expensive wines I've bought at $66.
  
• 16) Schild 2005 Barossa Shiraz, got half a case. The 2004 scored even higher, but I haven't tried either.
  
• 17) Orin Swift 2005 Napa Valley The Prisoner, a few. I tried this and it was disappointing. It's supposed to be big and ripe, but it wasn't especially noteworthy. My score was probaby an 88.
• 18) Bodegas LAN 2004 Rioja, 2 bottles but getting more. Supposed to be thick, syrupy yet fresh. Sounds good to me.
• 24) John Duval 2004 Barossa Shiraz, this comes in a big flangy bottle that doesn't fit well with other wines. I've never even heard of John Duval before this.
  
• 30) Vina Montes 2006 Alpha Syrah, 8 bottles. One of my favorite wines for under $20. An obvious choice to make the T100.
• 36) Drylands 2006 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Got 8 bottle many months ago for under $12. At its best, my favorite NZ SB, as it has a hint of sweetness to go with the citrus. Not all bottles shine though.
• 56) Fescobaldi 2004 Nipozzano Reserva Chianti. I expected this to make the T100, as there it was $18 for 91 points with large production (20,000+). I got 4 bottles. It tasted like a Cote du Rhone with dark red fruit and a nice mineral undertone.
• 57) Thorn Clarke 2006 Barossa Shotfire Ridge. I think I got a case, many months back. Except for my very first bottle of the 2003, every bottle since then '03 to '05 has been quite nice. Sadly the one 2006, I tried was not quite as intense or rich as I had hoped. But let's see if a few years will help.
• 71) Columbia Crest 2004 Grand Estates Merlot. Nice to see this on the list. The 2001, 2003 and 2004 were all 90 points for $8 with very good availability (50-80K cases). Picked up a bottle or 5.
• 72) Yellow Tail 2005 Reserve Shiraz. A very nice wine for $9, with intensity and tannins to last for several years as described in my YT post. I just got 4 more bottles at BevMo tonight.
  
• 73) Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I was able to get this for $9 at the Wine Club last year for quite a while and picked up 6 bottles. Quite nice.
• 91) Seghesio 2004 Sonoma Zinfandel. I have a bottle as I'm a member of Seghesio's wine club. I have the Seghesio curse... their wines taste fantastic everywhere but at home. I still have several bottles of their acclaimed 2002 waiting in the fridge, to dissapoint me at a later date.
• 92) Mulderbosche 2006 Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc. At $10, how could resist a Chenin Blanc. Nice but nothing spectacular... say an 86 in my book

So, it looks to be 15 out of the top 100, which isn't too shabby.

What wines to I most want to get on the list?

• 1) Clos des Papes 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. I saw the picture of the #1 wine, got very excited but then realized I had the 2004 not the 2005. With 7,500 cases, I should be able to find some of this $80 Rhone.
• 49) Vina Santa Rita 2004 Medalla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm somewhat enamored with good Chilean Reds now and at $19 this looks enticing.
• 60) Rosemount 2003 McLaren Vale GSM. I've some real nice bottles of this rich, fruity red from 2001 and 2002. And some slightly flat bottles, too. I got 4 bottles of the 2002 at Trader Joes for $10.
• 97) Perrin & Fils 2005 Les Christins Vacqueyras. I'm still holding on to my 2004's, though I should start drinking them.

Swish and swallow

Looking to get more out of your wine? Then try holding the wine in your mouth for 30-60 seconds, swishing it around like mouthwash, before finally drinking it or spitting it out. I think I blogged about this over a year ago, but it's worth an all new post.

Background: I was at the Rosenblum open house where they serve 40+ high alcohol wines and I had to drive, so I was spitting the whole tasting. That meant, a decent mouthful which I would taste for 20-120 seconds and then spit. And I found I liked the wines a good bit.

Many wines revealed flavors and a richness in texture after 20 seconds, that you don't get from normal drinking. At first spitting seems like it ruins most of the enjoyment of having wine, but if you're actually into tasting the wine, especially for evaluative purposes as in what to buy, then spitting works well. I've also found ports and sweet dessert wines gains significant body after 30 seconds in the mouth. And I found swishing and spitting to be strangely satisfying in its own way.

You still get some alcohol by spitting. I took decent mouthfuls of each and a bit is swallowed. Some critics say it's a 1/20 to 1/30 dilution, namely tasting 20 wines is like drinking one glass, but I think it's more like 1/10 to 1/15. Plus on three of the wines, I liked them enough to outright swallow.

As I enter this post, I'm having a big oaky Chardonnay (Kali Hart 2005) and doing sniff, swish and swallow. It's pretty enjoyable and sure beats the sniff, swish and spit routine.

Yellow Tail Shiraz

As an avid Wine Spectactor reader/follower, I read with pleasant surpise that the Yellow Tail (YT) Reserve Shiraz from 2005 and 2006 scored 90 and 89 points, respectively. The list price is roughly $11. After a few weeks of mentally reminding myself to hunt this down, I checked BevMo which featured this wine in their "second bottle for $0.05" sale. The list price was an outlandishly marked up $15 but they were all out, as this still gave a bottle at $7.50.

I went into a Safeway a couple weeks later, when I was too lazy to drive all the way to a Trader Joes for food and found 3 bottles of the 2005, so I snapped them up. (And had to buy 3 more other bottles to get the Safeway "6 bottle 10% discount." I chose a $29 2003 (!) L'Oratoire Chateauneuf du Pape, a $6 Columbia Crest Merlot/Cab and the $7 Rosemount 2005 Shiraz to round out the 6 pack).

I finally opened the YT 2005 Reserve Shiraz a week later, not to be confused with their regular 2006 Shiraz, which also scored well (87 points). I can see why it scored well. It has intense berry flavors, some oak, with a healthy bit of acidity, alot like other high quality Aussie Shirazes that I've found for $20-40. My wife liked it a lot, but I felt it was too acidic to be top-notch. Buy, oh what a difference a night makes. The next night, I tasted a much sweeter softer wine, that I would rate a 91, that was much more appealing, but my wife tasted an off putting bitterness. (I'm drinking it now, as I enter this.)

I've since seen it at BevMo again, and seen it on sale for $9 a bottle. And I just picked up the 2006 regular Shiraz in magnum size, which is 2X a regular bottle, for $8.60 at Costco. This should be one of the outstanding bargains for an under $6 per 750mL wine.

The bottom line is the Yellow Tail 2005 Reserve is a serious Shiraz and at $9-$10 is a bargain. You may not love it, but it is a concentrated wine that is a major step up from most wines at this price. Hunt down the Reserve 2005's while they still exist (50,000 cases) and if now, try some of the 2006's too.

I didn't think I would blog about Yellow Tail, but the wine world is unpredictable.

Recommended Wines: Q4 2007

This is my quarterly list of wines I've first tasted or re-tasted in Q4 that I recommend you try. As this quarter is just beginning, this list is a bit sparse.

For a fuller list see my previous quarter's recommendations, since that quarter has ended.

Upto $10:

1. Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet 2004 ($7 TJ) - Wow. That's what I said upon tasting this. Tastes like a fruity, oaky cab should taste. Berry with oak, vanilla, coconut and hints of chocolate. Medium body with a smooth finish low acid. No tannins. I'll retry this a bit and if it is consistently this good, I'll get a case. My first bottle and overall score: 91. I've retasted this four times and it remains my highest recommendation. It won't bowl you over with power but it's sweet, smooth, oaky, and just delightful. I just had my last bottle over lunch at work and under sub-optimal circumstances of a cloudy sky outdoors, it was delicious throughout. ((Notes: the 2003 is not nearly as good, so look carefully for the 2004's which are just coming out as of Sep 2007. I've seen some Trader Joe's carry both years side by side and they look identical. The Columbia Crest red wines do not age well in every sense of the word. In particular, if you open a bottle, do not expect it to be good the next day... but at this price, it's not a big deal.))
   
2. Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot 2004 ($7 TJ) - Yes, it seems I'm on the Columbia Crest bandwagon.. but that's because they make great wines. This has been a bit more erratic with some excellent bottles (2) and some not so exciting bottles (2). The last bottle was quite good with characteristic dark berry, oak, spice and vanilla; I'd score it a 90. Similar in style to the Cab, but a bit heavier and darker.
3. Yellow Tail 2005 Reserve Shiraz ($10 Safeway, Bevmo) - A serious, concentrated wine with intense blueberry and other berry flavors. Good acidity. Hints of meat initially. I liked it much more the 2nd day when it was sweeter and smoother, but my wife liked it the first night. Check it out. This is the Reserve bottling, not the regular bottling.
   

From $10 to $18:

In this price range, you start to get a lot of variety for pretty good wines.

1. Montes 2005 Alpha Syrah ($15, Costco, and more) - my favorite wine for the summer/fall of 2007. Tremedous fruit, spice and loam flavors in a very well balanced, complex wine. Intense nose. I used to hate Chilean wines, but this wine has completely won me over. Also got 92 from Wine Spectator.
2. Beringer 2005 (or 2004 or 2003) Alluvium ($12 Wine Club)- a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. A refreshing complex white with both acidity and smoky richness. The last bottle I had on 9/30 (technically still Q3) had a "toasted oak/cheerios" (me) or "yeasty" (my wife) nose. It wasn't as good as previous bottles, but it constantly evolved. Only one glass really hit the spot over the weekend.
   
3. Hess 2004 Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon ($18 Costco) - I had some at a Ruth's Chris in Charlotte in late Sept. A rich fruity cabernet, that went nicely with my filet. Quite nice. Why is it that so many wines just taste better in restaurants.?
4. Yes, it's a repeat from Q3, but I'm having a lovely Marquis Philips 2005 Shiraz. Rich, ripe, sweet fruit with spice in a thick luscious frame. Not simple, but not incredibly complex, but who cares. So yummy.
   

Best wines I can remember having recently. You may or may not be able to find these, but it's what I thought was really nice.

1. Montes 2005 Alpha Syrah - the first authentially Chilean wine that I've liked. I was NOT a fan of chile and this wine may have single handedly turned the tides. Though I've discovered many other wines not from Chile also have the loamy funk I associate w/ Chile. A complex, fruity, spicy wine. At $16, just buy it.
2. Marquis Philips 2004 Shiraz ($12) - I had forgotten about this and "discovered" a few bottles in my remote cellar. Tasty fresh berry with lots of sweet spice and a minty edge at the end. All in all, quite delicious. I'd give this a 92. I'm also wondering if the Marquis Philips should be aged for a few years, given how nice this is. I have a bunch of the 2005 and 2006's but should probably lay some down. ((The 2005 is also very nice and recommended in my Q3 2007 blog, but of course they aren't available anymore as the 2006's are just coming out.))
   
3. L'Oratorie 2005 Chataueneuf Du Pape ($28 WC) - my first CdP. The first taste was a shock, thick and sweet. This was the reknowned CdP? But as the wine breathed, the mineral element came about and the fruit died down a bit. So it was like a massive fruity cote du rhone. I had some with a flatiron steak at a restaurant (I brought the bottle) and it was superb. At a wine tasting at work, this was the favorite of most people. .... And I found the 2003 of this wine at my local Safeway. It is not as big, but given some time to breathe has a nice fruit and balance. Together they make for a nice micro vertical.
   
4. Rosenblum 2003 Fran's Syrah Rockpile Ridge ($40, winery) - huge, burly purple fruit with spice and oak with vanilla. I found the tannins to be drying, but everyone else just loved this to death.
   

The heaviest bottles out there for a regular wine

As I tossed the empties into the recycling bin, one winery's bottle was heavier and thicker than any of the others. Any guesses? It was the Santa Ema Reserve Merlot and also their Cab. These are $9, but they are bottle as if they are $90. What winery uses the thickest bottle you've run across?

Who knew this could taste like smoke and chocolate

I had a case of wine consisting of a Argentine Malbec, Central Coast Syrah (Rosenblum), Aus Shiraz (Jip Jip), Sonoma Merlot, Sonoma Cab, Chilean Syrah, Napa Zinfandel (Joel Gott), Napa Zinfandel (Neyers) and few more. The wine had notes of brooding dark purple berry with bacon, smoke and dark chocolate in a medium body. Smooth. It was a fascinating wine. I gave it a 91. The problem was I just could not guess what the heck this was.

My first two and best guesses were the Malbec and the Rosenblum Syrah. I've had a Malbec blend with bacon and the Rosy's can have smoke and chocolate. Nope. The remaining possilities where not great. The Aussie Shiraz was not it either, though it can have some of these flavors, but the Jip Jip wasn't that The Zins were next to fall. This was getting ridiculous.

I guessed a few more that I don't remember but my 8th guess was finally "right". The Sebastiani 2002 Merlot, probably $12 from Trader Joes 2 years ago. Ack... merlot's cannot taste like this. Smoky bacon and dark chocolate. Wow.

Let's just say I learned something from this bottle which is all you can really ask from a wine.