What can you buy blindly?

One of the great aspects of wine is that it has vintages. For a serious winofile, it is part of the fun and yet quite confounding. And trying to pass vintage information to more casual drinkers looking for advice is eyeballs rolling into their sockets time.

What then would I recommend you buy if you are vintage blind and looking something nice? The following have all been consistently good for the last 4 years with at most one slighlty off year.

1. Montes "Alpha" Syrah. World class stuff for under $16-20 with good availability. The Cabernet hasn't been quite as good, but is still very solid. Their Chardonnay is also well rated, but I haven't tried it.
   
2. Lehmann Clancy. This blend of Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and occasionally other varietals is the model of consistency. Along with the fruit, there's a touch of bordeaux with earth and tobacco. And I've found it for $13.
   
3. Lehmann Shiraz. And the Cabernet Sauvignon is awfully good too. Pretty much any red from Lehmann under $20 should be nice.
   
4. Beringer Alluvium. This white blend is one of my favorites and it's consistent.
5. Perrin & Fils Vacquerayas. A high quality Cote du Rhone (CdR) for under $18. This will age nicely too.
6. Any of a number of good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc producers. Drylands, Babich, Matua, Huia, Kim Crawford, Nobilio and many more. I find them all to be quite good and somewhat indistinguishable, so I try to keep it at under $13 a bottle, since I'm not caring much about differences. Prices are rising slowly though. And they say these should be drunk young.
7. Thorn Clarke Shotfire or Barossa anything. The "Shotfire" Shiraz is their premier wine but the new "Barossa" cuvees of Cab and blends have also been very nice the last 2 years. They also made nice riesling in 2006. They are firing on all cylinders.
8. Rosenblum Petite Syrah, Syrah, whites, and Zin. There are so many different bottlings it is hard even for me to keep track of them and I'm very loosely affiliated with them. The style is over the top. Huge fruit, lots of oak. I think the Petite and Syrah are their best wines for the past 2 years and I haven't had a bad white (Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Chardonnay, and blends). The Petite Heritage Clones has been a deal in 2005/6 with decent availability.
9. Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz. Marred a bit by inconsistent bottles, but I've had stunning bottles of the 2001, 2002 and 2003. The 2004 got another 90 pts from WS. And under $10 at many places.

Not quite as reliable but very good to excellent at least half the time are the following.

1. Sebastiani Merlot Sonoma. Give it 5 years of age from the vintage, and some of these (2001, 2002) have been sublime with tobacco and slight herbal note over the rich fruit. It has good availability often for under $14.
2. Rosemount GSM. My main concern is some difficulty in finding this. And it can be over $20.
3. Hess Select Cabernet whatever is under $20. They have a $14 bottling (red label) and just recently released the new label Allomi for $18 (Costco). I've had some great bottles and some so-so bottles. But it's hard to find good Napa or Sonoma Cab for this price.
4. Marquis Philips Cabernet, Shiraz or Sarah's Blend. The wines from this joint venture between Sarah and Sparky Marquis and Dan Philips have lagged a bit the past year after the Marquises left the venture. But they are still solid at $14.
   
5. Mollydooker anything near $20. This is the new venture for Sarah and Sparky Marquis and the past two years have been nice. The problem is they cost $20 if you're lucky.
   

And I've saved the best for last. If you read this column with regularity, you know what is coming.

The Columbia Crest Grand Estates line. Tremendous availability at $7 to $10 at Trader Joe's, Safeway, Lucky, Longs, .. you name it. The one caveat is that nobody I've mentioned Columbia Crest to has confirmed they like it. (Except Darick.) Sigh... pearls before swine.

It's a fruity, oaky style on a medium to big body. Regardless of price, these are some of my favorite wines. As my palate matures, I very occasionally think they manufacture a wine "product", which any producer of 100,000 case wines probably does. However, it is a product designed pretty much exactly for my preference.

And in a blind tasting the other day, I gave their 2002 Shiraz 91 points.

1. Cabernet Sauvignon. Their 2004 and 2001 were amazing wines. My wife doesn't proclaim "Wow, this is yummy" too often but this wine has done it several times.
2. Merlot. The only poor vintage was 2002. And WS thinks so too, giving the 2001, 2003 and 2004 all 90 points. I've bought at least 6 bottles of 2003 and 2004. And 18 bottles of the 2001, which is showing some strange woody notes and has become drinkable again, after tasting poorly from 2005-2007.
   
3. Chardonnay. Our favorite Chardonnay. Often very oaked with buttery notes. The 2002 was my wife's and my favorite Chardonnay. Ever. (It has gone down hill as of 2007, with 3 of the last 5 bottles not being so good. A lesson that not all wines age well. We have one bottle left.) The 2004 was terrific, too. The 2005 just got 90 points from WS, but the one bottle I tried wasn't as good as the 2004.
4. Syrah. I don't have as much experience with this varietal in the Grand Estates line as the other varietals. The 2002 was very delicious with a caramel overtone in early bottles I tried and in the last bottle 4/2008. (Two Vines their cheapest label had a wonderful 2001 Syrah.)
   

Cheap finds for April 2008

The Concha Y Toro 2006 Carmenere Casillero del Diablo $7 has notes of big dark cocoa with vanilla and some toasted grain over the slightly sweet dark berry. A big rich bruiser that's not perfectly balanced (hey it's $7) with mineral sneaking into the finish sometimes. Drink instead of a big Zin. And this is your chance to try the Carmenere varietal. At BevMo, Trader Joes and probably many places, with 130,000 cases made. My score: 89.

R Wines 2007 Riesling Roogle $8. Quite nice. Nose: pineapple, white
peach. Med big texture at first, with mineral, some sweetness and peach.
Some acidity in the long finish. Not sure of the availability, as I got this at the Wine Club. My score: 89.

The hunt for red centobers 2007, part deux

In a previous post, I listed the wines from the WS Top 100 that I had gotten. Now that another 5 months have passed, the Wine Club, my main source, has offered several more that I've been willing to get. Let's revisit where we, or well I, stand. I admit, I am a bit obsessed with filling out the list, though chasing the list represents only a small fraction of my purchases.

• 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. I've tried it twice now and it wasn't anything special. My score: 86.
  
• 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. This is just an amazing wine.
  
• 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.
• 55) Casa di Terra 2005 Bolgheri Morrecio $17. Has to sit for 2+ more years.
  
• 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.
• 62) Louis Jadot 2005 Moulin-a-vent. I enjoyed the various 2005 Dubeouf's from the same region, so I think this should be super. I'm giving them a few more years to mature.
  
• 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.
• 74) Fontanafredda 2006 Barbera Piemonte Briccotondo $10. Hasn't been picked up yet.
• 83) Chateau 2004 St Emilion for $26 (above the list price of $20). Sitting for few years.
  
• 85) Dchlumbrger 2005 Riesling Alsace Les Princes Abbes $13. Have yet to pick this up.
  
• 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.
• 94) Godeval 2006 Vina Godeval $15. Had this for a spanish wine tasting. OK, but nothing to write home about.
  
• 97) Perrin & Fils 2005 Vacqueyras Les Christin $17. This is a super solid cote du Rhone in previous years. Haven't picked up the 2005's yet.
  

I picked up another 7 or so wines, so it's upto 21+ wines now, which is not bad at all. And I've had several close calls on other wines. E.g. I had the Terradora 2006 Greco di Tufo not the 2005 listed in the Top 100. I also have a 93 pt Four Hands Syrah, but not the 93 pt Petite Syrah on the list.

The biggest disappointment: bottle variation

The hobby that some drink and call wine is for dreamers. Like all great pursuits, it's filled with wonderful surprises and equally fraught with twists and turns of unimaginable disappointment. Well, perhaps fraught with disappointment that borders on the significant.

There are many forms of disappointment. What ... Glad you asked.

There is finder disappointment A, when you try a great wine elsewhere, and then can't find that bottle to buy. There is finder disappointment B, where you think you have another bottle, but you can't seem to find it. There's buyer disappointment C, where you taste something 2 years after purchase and wish you had bought more. There's buyers disappointment D, where you struggle to find something and then later come across a cheaper, plentiful supply of it. There is drinker disappointment E, where you drink something and find it is still too young or even worse has passed its prime. There is buyers disappointment F, where a highly rated wine or expensive wine fails to live up to its reputation.

And now we start to get to the major leagues of despair. There is drink disappointment G, where you've been saving a one-of-a-decade bottles for a decade and it just isn't that good. And finally, in my book the biggest one of all, drinker disappointment H,when that amazing bottle you had somewhat recently is not even close the next time. Oh, the damn bottle variation.

Bottle variation encompasses all sorts of issues. Cork problems. Storage problems. Pairing problems. Dare I admit, taster problems, when say you're nasal passages are on vacation that day. Or just plain bad bottles. This is where I will publically lay all the blame. Argh.

Why am I rambling on about this? Because the second bottle of one my favorite wines in the last quarter, the Can Blau $15, was just terrible. I mean, shake my head bad. I'm not drinking much of it and that which I am is solely re tasting to see if it has gotten any better. What happened? This is a 2006 so it's not like age was an issue.

This is a somewhat reoccurring theme. I've had diametric bottles of Jacob's Creek 2003 Shiraz Reserve, the Bianchi 2002 Cabernet, Martin Weyrich 2003 Insieme, and the Marquis Philips 2004 Sarah's Blend all in the last 6 months. Some is my own doing. But most of it is that damn bottle variation. When is the country song about this topic getting released? I'm shocked it hasn't happened already.

It is a good thing I bought 5 more bottles of the Can Blau after the initial one. Here's a toast to the next bottle being better.

What can you really taste well?

We all smell and taste uniquely, which is a better way of saying differently. In particular, there are tastes each of us are extra sensitive to and others we're figuratively blind to. What are yours?

Unfortunately, most of us are very good at detecting things we don't like. The cruel irony. But I've seen this repeatedly at blind tastings. We were at a brutal tasting at a wine store with 10 wines, and had to line up the country and varietal. The wines were all over the map. I was oh for 10. But my non-taster wife pegged the Chilean wine easily. Another time, I ran a similar tasting and had people line up region and varietal. The person who hated merlot got it one easily.

My personal tasting strengths are

• I dislike oxidized wines. Most fruit-forward wines after sitting out for a night taste "stewed" this way to me, which is quite unfortunate. I'm forced to open a new bottle every night.
  
• There is an obvious smell and taste of Chilean funk in their wines. In my blind tastings, it is readily apparent, though sometimes it takes a bit of time to emerge. The good news is that I used to hate these wines, but I have really come around to enjoy them. Several of my top 2008 Q1 wines are Chilean.
  
• I dislike a certain tannin, present in most Rosenblum wines especially Zinfandels, that tastes like ground up cardboard. Nobody else seems to taste this. Somebody recently said it would be a "brown tannin" I dislike. Doubly unfortunate is that this tannin came about in 2003/4, before which I had committed to getting a lot of their wine. I had their 2001s (Sauret, Oakley and Continente) and was entirely smitten.
  
• Cote du Rhone reds have an obvious texture. I don't know if others can taste this, but there is a lean mineral core underlying all the wines.

The harder aspect of this discussion is figuring out what you do not taste well. Besides it is embarrassing to disclose you can't tell your carrots from your peas. For me, I suck at

• Australian Shiraz versus Cabernet. The wines are fruit bombs and well, its hard to tell these grapes apart sometime. The signature fruit of a Shiraz is not that obvious.
  
• Californian fruit bombs. I'm not really sure what a Calif Syrah tastes like. Or a Merlot (see next point). Or even an inexpensive Cabernet.
  
• Merlot. It's something I'm working on... to figure out the core of Merlot. I've had lots of different styles (Californian, Washington, Chilean, French) and I haven't detected the common thread. This is one of my goals for 2008.
  
• Whites. While I like whites, sometimes very much, there seem to be roughly 16 types of whites. In contrast, there are hundreds of types of reds. And while the critics seem to taste four to six different fruits in a white, I usually get one or two. And they're the same fruit every time. Sigh.
  
• Sparkling wine. Anything done in the champagne style tastes largely the same to me. I can detect slight differences, but I just don't care, and you have to spend a lot more money for me to taste it. So it's $15 sparklers for me at the most momentous events.

The king of beers

I was in New Orleans recently for a vacation. The first 2 days were so hot and humid, that wine was out of the question. Give me a beer with my poboy. And my beer of choice was obvious, even the presence of many contenders.

Budweiser.

The stuff that advertises on every Super Bowl with horses. Big horses.

I have to thank my friend Steve R. for this as he kept (and keeps) saying Bud is great, as they get the choicest ingredients, given their size commercially. And, begrudgingly, as he kept giving me a case for the holidays, I've come to appreciate Bud. Yes, me, the former "Why do all domestic beers suck?" and "Why are all the mass produced beers so watery and lame?" has completely changed (and lost) his mind.

Budweister. It was much better than the Pabst and the Corona I also tried.

There's a wonderful smoothness with a slighly sweet finish to it. Steve says it has a hint of vanilla, and I agree. I could go on and on, but we're talking a low-end beer and you're already sneering at me, so I'll stop. But next time you need something wash down that oyster or shrimp poboy or fried chicken on a lazy N'Orleans day....

Wines of Q1 2008

My favorite wines that I had in the first quarter of 2008, in no particular order. Note that these wines generally had or have good availability.

• Montes Alpha 2005 Syrah. This beauty was $16 at Costco. Available for the last 6 months. I've 3 bottles I can remember and they where outstanding, disappointing and outstanding, but all in different ways. I bought at least 8+ bottles of this. I strongly recommend trying this wine out, no matter the year, as it has been consistently good for the last 4 years. WS gave the 2005 92 points. I also had a 2003 tonight, the last of the 2003 in the cellar, and it was just lovely (WS 91). I've had both the 2005 and 2003 in the last week and gave each 92 pts.
• Cellar Can Blau 2005 Blau. From Spain. WA gave it 92, so I bought a bottle for $14 at Costco and was blown away by how good this was (plummy, band-aid, earthy spicy on a lovely body with nice acidity). Costco was out, so I got 5 more bottles at the Wine Club for $16. My score: 91.
• Concha Y Toro 2005 Merlot Peumo $14-17. Got a bottle from Costco, and finally tried it 2 months later. Just lovely dark fruit in a rich mouth feel and a smooth finish. My score: 91 (WS 90) I also picked up the 2005 Cabernet, but haven't tried it yet (WS 91). But the 2003 (WS 90), which I ran across in my cellar was a bit tired this week. My score: 88. Overall, these wines are consistenly strong in the $14-19 range with very good availability.
  
• Beuhler 2005 Zinfandel. Quite a surprise with wonderful raspberry aroma and flavors. (Reminded me of the Kangarilla Road Zin from Australia). Not too ripe and a big change of pace from the normal ripe dark berry of Cali Zins. Just lovely. My score: 91.
• Columbia Crest 2004 Cabernet Grand Estates $7-$9. This was my wine of the year for 2007 as most of the bottles I tried were so oaky, vanilly, coffee-y, and just fruity smooth. I wish I had stocked up with a case in reserve, especially given the price. (WS 87) My score: 90-92.
• Jim Barry 2005 Shiraz Lodge Hill $13. Got this at the Costco in San Luis Obispo and was very impressed at the lovely red/purple berry over a steely core. I have since picked up another 8 bottles, through various means. (I've always had a soft spot for Jim Barry as it was one of the earliest Aussie Shirazes I fell in love with on my limited budget.) The 2005 should age for several years. My score: 90. (WS 90).
  

What else did I learn in Q1?

• A good Pinot can be amazing. I had two. The first was at the Napa Rose in Disneyland, where the Tartini (?) Pinot from Santa Maria, CA was just amazing. And then an Andrew Rich 2002 Pinot I brought to Gary Danko was just lovely with beautiful spice. I've started slowly picking up Oregon and Burgundy Pinot for the future.
• Chilean wines are lovely. The critics have said this in the past, but my palate has finally adjusted to their terrior. They have a unique "funk" to their nose of loam and yeasty toast, that I can identify immediately. But now, I like that funk.
• The heart of my collection and drinking remains in Australa. Shiraz dominates but there is Cabernet and an occasional Rielsing. I rarely have a disappointing wine and for the price it can't be beat.
  
• Cote du Rhone was not so much to my liking. While I've liked the super minerally red berry taste in the past, it wasn't floating my boat lately. And I've had well respected Perrin & Fils Vacquerayas (WS 91 or 92), so it wasn't as if I was drinking a bad wine.

My new resolve: world class wine for under $20

I finally figured out what this blog is about.

Amazing world class wine for under $20 a bottle. For everyday enjoyment.

The beauty of this approach is that I (or you) don't put too much expectation on a bottle. I can just open it, enjoy it for what it is worth. And hopefully learn something, especially if it a new region or varietal. The education continues for pretty much any bottle unless it is a mass produced super-consistent wine. But that's not what this column is about, nor is it what you're about I'm guessing. Most of the time. (Not so-guilty not so-secret: I love Columbia Crest. And I've enjoyed Yellow Tail.)

The fine print is:

• I want wines that rank with pretty much the best there is, unless you're willing to spend $150+ a bottle.
• I want to drink world class wine day in and day out. This means loosely wines that get an excellent (90+) rating from the usual suspects (Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, etc).
• I want wines from across the world.
• I want to drink every varietal from every major region that grows it.
• I want to expand my wine palate to learn about the wonder that is wine.
• I want to do this for under $20 a bottle, whenever possible (see next item), and possibly for under $14 a bottle if possible. If I have to spend time hunting down bottles, then so be it.
  
• There are a few regions in which $20 a bottle is just too restrictive, so I up my limit to $25 or even $30 if I have to. But usually, patience and vigilence make it possible to stay under $25 for almost all types of wines.
• This is mostly about red wines.
  

The pricing exceptions with their limits are

• Vintage port $30. In the good years, anything classic is over $40 a bottle, but the trick is to buy in non-classic years.
• Burgundy Pinot $28. It's really hard to find a good Burgundy (pinot noir) for cheap.
• Bordeaux $25. Even in the great years, if you find 4th or 5th growths, there are bargains. And by choosing from non "great" years that are subsequently in the shadows of the great ones, there are even more bargains as these years get overshadowed. Ex. 2004 Bordeaux is vino-non-existance after the 2005's were released. And the low end 2005's are also fantastic. Still it's hard to find excellent Bordeaux for under $16. So I give myself a bit of slack.
  
• Napa Cabernet $35. It's ridiculous that Napa Cab is just about the most expensive wine out there, especially if it is any good. Even the "3rd growths" are $16-$30.

I happen to live in one of the best wine markets of the world, Northern California, so I'm able to find many wines at very good prices. I have to ever vigilant. (Today I found a nice Burgundy for $21.) But if you adjust the prices appropriately, you should be able to find amazing wines for a modest amount.

Let the fun begin!