What am I drinking?

For years I've wanted to know what the big-name official wine critics drink on their own with their own money. It's one thing to talk about wines at a fancy tasting run and paid for by someone else, but it is another to know when push comes to shove what these people actually choose to spend their money on.

And lo and behond, WS (Wine Spectator) has quietly (since they didn't tell me) introduced a new features called what we're drinking now that is (almost) exactly what I wanted. All the senior editors (reviewers) have short write ups on a wine they had recently, every few days. The main problem is that most of the writeups are from restaurants where the author was having to choose from a limited wine list. Still it's interesting to see the choices and to read about how a wine fit the expectation perfectly with acidity and fruit and went with the food and it was all of .... 87 non-blind. Which really means the right "87" can be a very enjoyable wine. Which is what the WS says about 85-89 as "very good wines" and it is really good to know most of the reviewers feel that way, too.

OK, now it's my turn. Here's some of the wines I've had in the last week.

• Concha Y Toro 2003 Merlot (WS 90, $17). This was almost port. To pruney for me, but my wife liked it just fine. Were there storage problems? My score: 83.
• Hayman Hill 2006 Pinot Noir Lucia ($11). I've enjoyed this as one of the best budget Pinots in the past, but this bottle was off. Tasted stale and a bit oxidized. I had a partial glass and that's it. My score: not good.
  
• Small Gully 2002 Shiraz Robert's Block (WS 89, $17). I've held this for a good while as WS said after 2008, and that's now. Decent Shiraz flavor in a tangy fruit style with some vegetal and earthy notes. Not as ripe as I'd have liked. My wife didn't care for this much. My score: 86.
• Marquis Philips 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($13). Ripe fruit but it is not clear it's a Cab or a Shiraz or ... ? My wife liked his of course (as I opened this for her). My score: 87.
• Hess 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Allomi (WS 88, $20). Very disappointing as I had one truly great glass of this (at a Ruth Chris in Charlotte, NC) and several less than stellar bottles. This has the cab flavors but was still too tannic and acidic with no smoothness. My score: 86.
• Devil's Lair 2006 Chardonnay Margaret River (WS 92, $22). More smoky oak than I'm used too in this perenially highly rated wine. I also loved the 2005. I drank this too cold so the flavors were muted much of the time. Good fruit with balance and acidity in the last half glass that finally warmed to near room temp. A tad more sour than optimal. I drank this over several days and it held up well in the refrigerator. Ironically, this is a white that might need a bit of time. My score: 86-90.
• Columbia Crest 2006 Chardonnay Grand Estates (WS 90, $8). The latest vintage of this wine that never disappoints. (The 2002 and 2004 were the previous) Rich with a nice butter, oak and acidity with the ripe fruit. My score: 89-91.

Like all bloggers, I hope this will turn into a regular column, but like all bloggers I'll be lucky if this lasts more than 4 entries in the next 3 months. Time will tell.