A great buy a bit over a year ago.

Like everything in life, you can only a great buy when you take some risk.

It was the Leasingham 2007 Riesling Magnus that got a WS 91. And made the WS Top 100 list. The Wine Club offered it for $9.99 a bottle but if I bought a case, it was $6.99 a bottle. Heck, that's barely $84 for a whole case I thought. That's like 5 $17 bottles. So I bought a case.

It's an Aussie riesling so it has a bit more vibrancy (acidity and citrus) and less floral than a German riesling. It has a pure beam of lime once it breathes and warmes up a bit. Some minerality and it tastes like a riesling should. In short, it's superb. My scores over the 4 bottles I've had are 89-93 points.

If only I had bought 2 cases. :)

A lost case

A few months back, I packed up a case of wine as a gift but in storing it at work in an obscure location in the basement, somebody stole it. I think I lost 11 bottles. The dollar values was not too bad, since you know my price range. It was probably $160-$180. More galling was the wines I lost. Based on recollection they were:

1. Souverain 2007 Chardonnay (WS 90, $10 CC) - I have two cases, so not a big deal.
2. Yalumba 2007 Viognier (WS 91, $12 CC) - A WS Top 100 wine of the year, but I have 4-5 more bottles.
3. MacMurray Ranch 2007 (?) Pinot Noir (WS 89, $14 CC) - there's pretty good production so I can get more. I also have 2-4 more.
4. Janasse 2006 (?) some Merlot based Cote du Rhone - only bottle I had.
5. Devil's Lair 2006 Chardonnay (WS 92, $26) - this may have been the "best" bottle that was stolen. I have 4 more but this one pisses me off.
6. Fitou 2006 - ($8 WC) one of my favorite everyday French wines with a lovely purity and minerality.
7. ... well that's all I remember for now ...

An ideal pairing with a Malbec Rose

This summer Costco had a Crios 2008 Malbec Rose for $9. Parker gave it 90 points, so I tried it, liked it and bought a few bottles. It was a typical nice rose. Refreshing with nice acidity and some sweetness among the light strawberry and watermelon notes. It's now Sept and we've had some hot days. So my wife opened the rose.

And I've just found the pairing to make this rose sing. I get aromas of caramel, lightly roasted coffee, and sweet tar notes from this rose. It really smells like a red. And it tastes almost like a red in the finish. Very interesting. What is this magical catalyst for the rose?

A Spanish granache.

The Montgo 2006 Garnacha Calatayud Flor del Montgó Old Vines (WS 87, $10 WC) which has the taste I like. Namely it resembles a Cote du Rhone in a style I like with purple fruit, a bit of acidty and a hint of minerality.

And what the granache giveth, the malbec taketh. After having the rose, the Spanish granache tastes a bit flabby. But it's a worthwhile sacrifice, as a rose has never tasted better and has a complexity I've never had in a rose before.

And now I'm sipping one wine, just to make another wine taste better. That's a first.