Jerry Bullfrog's Wine Stash

Day One Hundred Sixteen

2010-05-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

See? I'm still here. And I actually have something relevant to post on this most sacred of holidays, Cinco de Mayo!

Leave it to American ingenuity to celebrate another country's "holiday" (Cinco de Mayo has about as much significance to Mexicans as the Battle of New Orleans does for us... 1000 cool points to the first person to tell me what the Battle of New Orleans is) by drinking.

Ah, Mexican beer, such fabulous, well-crafted names such as... um... well...

Right. Name a craft Mexican beer. The best that come to my mind are Negra Modelo and Bohemia... both darker beers with some substance. No need for a lime in those, right?

But... why the lime in the first place? We have an answer! And it's not too appealing...

Just as Jesus resuscitated Lazarus, lime resuscitates Corona's skunky dead body.

So... yeah. Do you really want to drink old, stale beer that's been masked with lime? I hope the answer's no. However, I will admit that on a hot, 95 degree day in the middle of summer, nothing sounds better than an ice cold beer. To this I say drink Pacifico. Yes, it's made by the same company as Corona (Grupo Modelo, who also makes Negra Modelo), and for the most part it tastes exactly the same... but the one difference? IT COMES IN A BROWN BOTTLE! That is, it won't get skunked anywhere near as quickly as Corona.

Day One Hundred Fifteen

2010-04-25T01:02:00.000-07:00

I'm going to hit the pause button on this blog for the time being... I'll still update, but it won't be a daily ritual, and I'll still count to 365. Other items have come up (surprisingly, one of them is not Wii) and I feel I must tackle other challenges involving the written (typed) word at this time. In addition, when I actually have something interesting to say, I can create a post around that instead of the three-line cop-outs that have become more and more frequent.

Alternatively, if you want to review something (or want me to review something), feel free to post it in the comments section.

Day One Hundred Fourteen

2010-04-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Newman Day!

Not that I'm actually partaking in the rituals, but it's still nice to know that today's the day.

This actually reminds me of a theory I came up with a few years ago... what would happen if you shoot one ounce (for simplicity's sake, let's call an ounce a shot) of good vodka every hour, on the hour, for 24 hours... how drunk would it make you? Pending that you continue to live your life as normal, you can drink water, but every hour you need to take a shot. Would it all build up in your system and you'd get wasted or would you feel nothing due to your body metabolizing and burning off an average of one ounce of alcohol per hour? Discuss!

Personally I think you wouldn't feel anything.

Day One Hundred Thirteen

2010-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Watched The Big Lebowski tonight... always a good movie. How apropos that the first mixed drink recipe/review in this blog will be a White Russian?

It's not necessarily something I'd order at a bar (or even make at home that often), but in the spirit of the movie, why not?

One slight problem though... Crotchy ordered chocolate milk from a dairy and we only have that in the fridge... no white milk. But hey, let's go with it. Call it a Brown Russian.

So, in a highball glass, mix two parts vodka with one part Kahlua and fill with (chocolate) milk (or cream if you so desire). The chocolate milk definitely gives it more of a chocolate flavor and subdues the coffee.

The Dude would abide.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the massive lack of photos lately, Crotchy's camera's battery is out of juice and we can't find the charger... and my camera's dead as well. Expect the photos when we find the charger... or the buildup of empty bottles becomes too much and we toss them all and we end up with stock photos.

Day One Hundred Twelve

2010-04-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back. Here we have a Heater Allen Pils, a Czech Pilsner from just south of Portland, Oregon.

A medium gold color... not much head to speak of. Fairly muted aromas, but malt, honey, grass, and spice come out. A spicy/hoppy, grassy finish. A really nice session beer and definitely in my top five choices for Pilsners.

And now... sheep pigs.

Day One Hundred Eleven

2010-04-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

...will be around shortly.

Day One Hundred Ten

2010-04-20T22:26:00.001-07:00

Blabbity blabbity blab.

Day One Hundred Nine

2010-04-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

Seriously... is this necessary? Did we learn nothing from Crystal Pepsi? This transcends mere facepalm.

This is facepalm on a biblical scale.

(Side note: I enjoy how the women in the photo for that article are doing the exact opposite of every point the article makes: drinking dark beer out of a glass.)

Besides, it was already done by Miller and deemed a failure.

Oh, and ladies... apparently you're not supposed to like beer, what with its color and caloric content and all, but Molson Coors gives you the OK to drink this because it'll remind you of water, and we all know how low-cal water is.

But hey, why stop there?

There is a wine review within all this whining... a 2007 Rex Hill Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley, an unoaked Chardonnay aged on its lees (dead yeast/other particles that sink to the bottom of the holding vessel and filtered out when the winemaker deems it appropriate... lees can add creaminess, body, and complexity to a wine).

A light golden color, a lot brighter than the golden yellow color of oaked Chardonnay. Aromas of citrus, apple, pear, and cantaloupe... flavors include green apple, pear, lemon, and a bit of honeydew. Very crisp and a lot of acidity.

Day One Hundred Eight

2010-04-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

I wonder about people and their rationale in creating "best of" lists... as I don't throw much weight behind rankings, ratings, or point scores (they should only be used as a guide, when it comes down to it they mean nothing, just one person's opinion), I don't worry about what's on the list; instead, I try to figure out how the person came up with their list (how their ranking system works, what their system focuses on, etc.).

I was researching some info for my new beer blog and came across this list of the top five breweries in Oregon, definitely a state known for good beer. Now, looking at the list... these all seem to be the big-name breweries whose beer you can find anywhere. Is that a problem? No, of course not... they have their big name because they produce good craft beer. But what about the breweries who don't ship beer to every state, the breweries who only sell their beer in Oregon? Long story short, I didn't find the article too insightful. If you look on BeerAdvocate and search for the best breweries in Oregon, you get a different response... ranked in terms of the overall average of all the beers each brewery produces (because the goodness of the beer should be what the system is based on):

Hair of the Dog
Upright Brewing
Vertigo Brewing
Walkabout Brewery
Deschutes

I'd never heard of Vertigo or Walkabout before I created my list, but I'm certainly going to check them out now... if they have good beer, who am I to deny myself a trip? I may end up not liking either one and that's my opinion... contrary to the dominant opinion on BeerAdvocate, yes, but my opinion regarding what beers I like is all that matters.

Back to wine today... we have a 2005 Gulfi Rossojbleo Nero d'Avola, a red Indicazione Geografica Tipica wine from Sicily. IGT wines, in the Italian classification system, are a step above Vino da Tavola (table wine, meaning only the country of origin is listed on the label... no grape, vintage, or appellation within the country is named... a common designation in Europe) but below DOC(G) wines (Denominazione di Origine Controllata [e Garantita]) such as Barolo and Chianti, which are from specified areas within Italy and have to conform to certain production laws. There's a lot more leeway allowed with the IGT designation, as it only states the general location of the wine's origin.

Nero d'Avola is one of Sicily's most important red grapes... in fact, aside from Marsala, Nero d'Avola is one of the best wines coming out of Sicily.

A cloudy ruby color with a light violet twinge. Raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, and chocolate aromas... a lot of fruit. A lot of tannins and very good acidity...a nice balance. Flavors confirm the aromas but with more bittersweet chocolate.

Day One Hundred Seven

2010-04-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ugh... really?

One, how much will this cost. Two, the ratio of inane to relevant tweets is about twenty million to one.

What's next? How about we archive all crops harvested in Farmville, or even MySpace's Facebook-inspired ripoff Farmtown? If Twitter was a place to share scientific, cultural, or actual sociological info, then yes, by all means go ahead and catalog that. But do we really need to sort through eleventy billion tweets that all proclaim "less than three" to find one that actually makes you think? No, no, and no. In a few years I believe that some kind of newfangled device will come around and Twitter will go the way of the Dodo bird...

Or LiveJournal.

Today we have the Rogue Chipotle Ale, a beer made with chipotle peppers. I picked this one up to make chili with and lo and behold there's some left over.

A reddish amber color with a small white head. Smokiness and some pepper heat in the nose. A little woodiness, smokiness, and chipotle heat in the flavor. It's very mild but that's only my opinion... I tend to favor insanely spicy foods.

Day One Hundred Six

2010-04-16T23:42:00.001-07:00

An interesting spirit today, one that I picked up at the distillery/brewery... the Rogue Hazelnut Rum.

What can I say about this except hazelnut, hazelnut, and more hazelnut. Well, it's a light gold color with a tinge of brown to it and aside from a bit of alcohol on the nose and a bit of vanilla in the flavor, it's all hazelnut. A very long, nutty finish... quite good straight up.

Day One Hundred Five

2010-04-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sigh... it had to be Alabama that banned the sale of a wine because of its label. Well, like the article says, 49 other states thought the label was fine.

I had the 2010 Jubel on tap today... surprised it's still out there. It's still very good.

The beer today is the Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot, an American Strong Ale by definition but I'd say more like an Imperial Brown Ale... think Newcastle on steroids.

A brown, slightly ruby color with a thin, off-white head that dissipates rather quickly. Aromas of bread, malt, a little caramel, and some piny hops. The malts dominate the nose but the hops come out in the flavor... pine, slight citrus, malt, caramel, and a bit of alcohol. A very dry finish. Nothing too big to scare anyone away but it can hold its own.

Day One Hundred Four

2010-04-14T23:57:00.001-07:00

Taxes are done and in the mail and I don't owe as much this year as last year... always a good thing!

I really should fix my filing status so more money is withheld... as I have it at the moment I end up paying a small amount to both state and federal, which is probably how it should be. Yes, my paychecks would be a few bucks lighter with a new status, but there's something about getting a tax refund that's so satisfying. I know it's not really free money but it sure feels like it.

I've got an idea for another blog rolling around in my head, one that would focus specifically on beer (and wouldn't be daily). Perhaps I'll start setting it up soon so I can start double-dipping some reviews... ha!

Today we have another Great Divide beer... another Yeti for that matter. But this one, unlike the last one which had coffee added to it and was aged in oak, is the regular Great Divide Yeti, another Imperial Stout out of Denver.

A young one... bottled November 2009. A thick, milk chocolate-colored head about a finger's worth thick sits on beer black as night and about as viscous as motor oil. Aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee... it's got a very slick mouthfeel... dark chocolate, coffee, a little caramel, and a burnt malt bitterness make up the flavors. This one's certainly got some kick to it.

Day One Hundred Three

2010-04-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Wii's still calling my name... after several hours of Mario Kart (where does the time go...) I suppose I can work on updating this thing.

So here we have the Avery Samael, an oak-aged English Barley Wine (English in the sense that it's based on the Barley Wines/Old Ales of Britain, i.e. not hoppy like American Barley Wines). Avery produces three "demonic" beers, all with very high alcohol: Samael, The Beast (a Strong Belgian Dark Ale), and Mephistopheles (an Imperial Stout)... if all these demons are too much for you though, you can cleanse yourself with a couple of other beers they produce: The Reverend (a Belgian-style Quad) or Salvation (a Strong Belgian Pale Ale)... a little something for everyone! Personally though, I'll stick with what Billy Joel said... "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun."

You know that only the good die young.

Batch 4, bottled April 2008. A dark amber, almost sickly-orange color... lots of sediment. An off-white, yellowish head that dissolves quickly. Aromas of sweet bread, orange, peach, raisin, and caramel... a big, boozy sweetness to it. Caramel, toffee, Grand Marnier, raisin, and sugary bread. Definitely doesn't taste as alcoholic as the percentage would lead you to believe (15.53% abv), but remember this is a Barley Wine, so you should already know what you're getting yourself into.

Day One Hundred Two

2010-04-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened... I got a Wii. Something to further distract me from timely updates and keeping abreast of the latest news in the intoxicating world of spirituous beverages. Ah well, at least now I can keep in touch with friends by vehemently dissing them in a jocular manner while playing Mario Kart.

Also, I need to get better at bowling so maybe I can beat Crotchy for once.

Today's wine is a new varietal for the year, a 2006 Caparone Aglianico, an unfined and unfiltered, estate-grown wine from Paso Robles.

Two things about this wine: First, fining and filtering wine can make it more stable in the bottle (i.e. it doesn't start spontaneously refermenting or have huge chunks of sediment) but some winemakers argue that fining and filtering can strip away the character of a wine. I haven't had enough unfined/unfiltered wine to make an educated statement on the matter (nearly every wine uses some degree of fining or filtering).

Second, Aglianico is traditionally a Southern Italian varietal which was originally brought over by Greek settlers before Rome became a power in the Mediterranean. The varietal appreciates dry climates with lots of sunshine, hence Paso Robles is a good area to attempt this vine.

A dark garnet color... aromas of raspberry, blueberry, black cherry, violet, smoke, and the slightest bit of band-aid. Intriguing. Flavors of blackberry jam, raspberry, violet, leather, and a little cinnamon. Really high acid and good tannins. I was also surprised at the alcohol in this one... 13%. That's low for any wine by Paso Robles standards... but it doesn't produce a wine where the heat overpowers everything else; a good balance and a food-friendly wine.

Day One Hundred One

2010-04-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to work on a balance of beer and wine lately as it seems most of the space in my refrigerator is taken up by random 12 oz, 22 oz, and 750 ml bottles of beer... and if I want to eat my meals (rather than drink them) I should take care of that situation.

And sure enough, to throw everyone off what I just said, here's some wine, a 2005 Château Graves de Goujon, a Bordeaux blend from the Lalande de Pomerol region on the Right Bank (just north of the much-more-touted Pomerol region).

The blend on this wine is 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. The back label also makes a point to state that 2005 "was amongst the best vintages in Bordeaux." OK. A ruby red color with aromas of blackcurrant, cassis, black cherry, herbs, and cedar. The flavors are black cherry, cassis, herbs, and a little tobacco. It's still pretty tannic... a nice, long finish. It still needs a little time to smooth out its tannins, but drinking pretty well right now.

Day One Hundred

2010-04-10T23:57:00.001-07:00

One hundred days... I'm surprised myself. The fact that I've been (mostly) disciplined enough to post a review (nearly) every night through these first few months is certainly a good sign. Also the splitting of reviews between wine and beer certainly spices things up so I don't sound like I'm saying the same thing every night... although it sure seems like I repeat myself a lot, especially with similar varietals/beers. My nose can only dig so deep.

Tonight we have the grape I have a love/hate relationship with... Pinot Gris/Grigio. Same grape, different way of saying it (French vs. Italian). I love the Gris, loathe the Grigio. Stylistic differences... Gris seems to have so much more body and flavor than Grigio, which I find thin and acidic. That's why I love Alsatian and Oregonian Pinot Gris so much (although even if it was called Grigio I'd still like the style)... it's all about terroir: location, location, location.

The Pinot Gris today is a 2009 Lumos from the Temperance Hill Vineyard in the Eola-Amity hills region of the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

A bright yellow color... it's nearly colorless. Aromas of red apple, pear, lemon, and melon. It's quite acidic (being less than a year old, I should have expected that)... flavors of red apple, green apple, lemon, pear, and a floral note... quite crisp, quite refreshing, quite enjoyable. Now if only Italy and California could get its act together...

Day Ninety-nine

2010-04-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hiking and wine are always a good match, yes? At the apex of our hike today, Crotchy and I opened a non-vintage Delicato Simply Grand, a semi-sweet white wine... something refreshing.

A bright yellow color with aromas of apple and pear... actually smells a lot like a Muscat. Flavors of apple, pear, and a hint of citrus... good acid. The base grape for this white blend probably is Muscat, as it is semi-sweet but by no means a dessert wine (or simple sweet wine). Refreshing, as intended, and a good match with spicy food.

Oh, and for an idea where I was when this photo was snapped, Mount St. Helens is somewhere around thaere, although not pictured in this particular one I believe... I think it's somewhere off to the right.

Day Ninety-eight

2010-04-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Another sour today, a Girardin Gueuze 1882 from Belgium.

A gueuze is a blend of young and old Lambic which,after bottling, has been aged further to produce a very dry, intense beer (these Lambics aren't like the Lindemans Framboise or Kriek, which add fruit to the beer... this is straight, unaltered Lambic.

The beer foams with a carbonation consistent with soda... very large bubbles and a white head that dissipates very quickly. A pale, light brown/orange color... tart lemon, green apple, white vinegar, and apple cider vinegar.

Tastes like sour lemonade... it's not overpowering... maybe a bit of sweetness left in there? But a lot of lemon with some apple cider vinegar. Another refreshing sour.

Day Ninety-seven

2010-04-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite drinking games involves watching Food Network, specifically Bobby Flay's Throwdown. The premise is simple: before the episode begins (or before Bobby starts cooking) select some peppers and put stipulations on them... i.e. tonight's stipulations were if he cooks with Poblanos, Crotchy and I get another beer and chug. Anchos, a shot of Hazelnut Rum. Chipotles, a shot of homemade orangecello. Any other pepper not mentioned, a shot of both. Unfortunately, both episodes tonight featured desserts, so no peppers were mentioned at all. Come on, Bobby, make a jelly doughnut with a raspberry chipotle filling... I'd be all over that.

Oh, and I recommend trying equal parts orangecello and vanilla vodka... it tastes just like an orange creamsicle.

Stopped in at a Rogue Public House today... definitely had my fill of Rogue beers, but go figure, I'm reviewing a guest beer that they had on tap, the Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, a barrel-aged Imperial Stout from Denver, Colorado.

A small tan head that quickly dissipates... maybe it's the glass that doesn't hold the head (a wide-mouth goblet)... a very dark color, almost like motor oil... pitch black. The aroma explodes with coffee/espresso... very dark coffee. A little oak and vanilla underneath all that as well. A lot of coffee and dark chocolate flavors as well and a thick, meringue-like mouthfeel. I see very little lacing, but again, that could be due to the glass. Regardless, for a warming beverage on a cool day, drink this beer.

Also, I'm not sure if California Assembly Bill 1598 would affect coffee in beers (it's designed to outlaw caffeine in malt beverages), but if beer is included in this bill, please protest. Those in California would no longer be able to buy beers (and production would probably cease as well, preventing other states from getting these beers) such as Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, Ballast Point Victory at Sea, and anything else brewed with coffee.

Day Ninety-six

2010-04-06T22:12:00.001-07:00

When in Rome...

The review today will be the Deschutes 2010 Jubel, a once-a-decade beer that's apparently the same as the Super Jubel beer that's released yearly at the pub but this one was aged in Pinot Noir barrels for 13 months before release.

A dark reddish-brown color that's barely transparent. Tan-colored head that recedes after a few minutes and leaves a spotty layer of foam on the surface... good lacing. Candied fruits, such as cherry and raisin, dominate the aroma, followed by caramel, vanilla, and oak... picking up a bit of the Pinot Noir as well. The flavor... holy cow, there's a really prominent cherry/raspberry Pinot Noir character here. Other than the cherry/strawberry Pinot character oak and malt round out the flavors. A little bit of booziness, but I'm sure it'll smooth out with age. The beer's pretty viscous and has the slightest bit of tannins from the oak.

It's tasty stuff... I wonder how this would hold up over time... as I found out, when stored properly, beer can age gracefully, but could this still be in top form when Jubel 2020 is released?

Day Ninety-five

2010-04-05T02:11:00.000-07:00

I should have figured that after a three hour nap starting at 6 pm I'd be awake at this hour. Oh well, let's make the most of our time.

On this night we have a 2007 Erath Pinot Noir from Oregon. I never got around to explaining Oregon wine in the last post about Oregonian Pinot Noir that I had. Well, here we go...

Just like California, the designation "Oregon" means the grapes can come from anywhere in the state, but unlike California, where a wine can be varietally-labeled if it contains at least 75% of the stated varietal (or 85% if an appellation is named), in Oregon the minimum is 90% except for Cabernet Sauvignon, where it's also 75%. Likewise, if an appellation of origin is stated on a bottle (i.e. Oregon, Willamette Valley, etc.) then 95% of the grapes must come from the stated area... the percentage is only that high in California when a single vineyard is named on the bottle. These practices protect the integrity of the wines being produced and, especially for Pinot Noir, create wines that are evenly balanced with fruit and terroir (California, especially the Central Coast, sometimes blends Syrah into its Pinots, creating a fruit-driven wine that usually has more body than Oregon Pinots but less finesse in my opinion).

The main regions in Oregon are Southern Oregon (containing the Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley appellations), the Willamette Valley (known for Burgundian and Alsatian varietals), and several regions shared with other states: Columbia Valley and Columbia Gorge (with Washington) and Snake River Valley (with Idaho). Pretty much every varietal you can think of is grown somewhere in Oregon or there's a law relating to it.

You can also only buy spirits in private liquor stores that have been approved by the state to sell the alcohol on their behalf. You also can't pump your own gas. But there's no state sales tax. But I digress...

A garnet color with aromas of strawberry, red cherry, pomegranate, and mushroom with other hints of earth. A very light mouthfeel with flavors of red cherry and cranberry. Lots of red fruit and a little funk, although I don't get any funk on the flavor profile. Soft tannins and medium acidity... nothing too complex, just a fun little Pinot.

Day Ninety-four

2010-04-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

And, 1000 miles and several days later, here we are. Mostly everything's in place and as of tomorrow I won't have to poach anyone's unprotected wireless connection to update... which is always a good thing.

Although I really wanted to be in Southern California today to feel the earthquake, I don't necessarily think that I'll miss the constant, looming threat of a massive earthquake swallowing the state (although, with the occasional strong quake relieving pressure along the fault lines, I feel a catastrophic one becomes less likely). But I'll trade earthquakes for rain and be happy. It's not so bad as you'd think... it only rains about four times the amount spread out over five times the number of days from where I used to live... so on average there's not as much rainfall per day but more days with rain.

Today's wine is a 2001 Cottonwood Canyon Barrel Select Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley. I'm beginning to enjoy Chardonnays with a bit of age to them, so let's see how this one compares. A golden yellow color with a slight bit of cloudiness to it. The aromas include apple, pear, vanilla, a bit of oak and butter (not overpowering!), and what I believe to be wet wool... interesting. The taste is apple, pear, honeydew, vanilla, and some oak and butter. I like that the oak and butter complement the aromas and flavors of the wine and don't dominate, which we all know is one of the banes of my existence. I'm sold... aged Chardonnay is the way to go.

Day Ninety-three

2010-04-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Between moving and setting up a fantasy baseball team I haven't had much time to do much of anything else. I don't feel that I'll do so well this year though... last year was a runaway victory mostly through the efforts of my pitching staff, but this year there's a cap on how many starts each pitching slot is allowed... meaning I can't drop/re-sign pitchers based on who's starting each particular day (theoretically I still can, but I'd run out of starts after about two months). My pitchers this year, at the moment, seem mediocre at best... it's going to be a long year.

I know I've spoken up in protest regarding flavor additives in wine on several occasions before, but this one actually works by basing its flavor on an excellent pairing: port and chocolate. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. So, today we have the non-vintage Trentadue Chocolate Amore, a Merlot-based Port-style wine infused with chocolate essence.

A dark ruby color with a very overt scent of chocolate with an undertone of raspberry. A syrupy mouthfeel... chocolate is less prevalent on the palate but still there... the prominent flavors are more blackberry and cassis. It doesn't taste as "fake" as the other Chocolate Ports that I've had.

Call it a sinful indulgence every now and then.

Day Ninety-two

2010-04-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

I have finally reached my destination! But alas, I'm tired once more, so a review will follow in the near future.

Day Ninety-one

2010-04-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

We've reached the quarter mark of this blog! And I'm still at Russian River at last call! A review of this beer will follow soon as well.

Day Ninety

2010-03-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am at Russian River. It just happens to be on the way to where I'm moving, so why not? After driving for around nine hours today, Crotchy and I popped in about 45 minutes before last call... enough time for two beers, yes?

The first one, and subject of today's review, was the Russian River Supplication, an American Wild Ale that's aged in Chardonnay barrels where the beer undergoes a secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces, which gives this beer it's sour, tart kick.

A pale golden, translucent color with a small white head. Aromas of tart green apple, white grapes, pear, gooseberry, and a good amount of funky horse smell from the Brettanomyces. Flavors follow the aromas for the most part with green apple, white grapes, gooseberry, grapefruit, and the horse funk. There's a hint of oak under all of the tart flavors too. Very nice lacing with distinctive lines, although the carbonation is a bit clunky... the bubbles feel a bit too large. Overall though a really good beer.

Day Eighty-nine

2010-03-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Again, a tiring day of moving this and that up a few flights of stairs over and over again... but of course there is time for wine. Today, for the final night in my apartment in California, a truly Californian icon of wine: the 2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

A reddish/purple color... aromas of cassis, plum, blackberry, coffee, and eucalyptus. A good amount of tannin here and lots of alcohol (15.0%)... flavors of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, and an assortment of herbs. A nice California Cab... very typical of the style. Is that good or bad? Your call.

Day Eighty-eight

2010-03-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

A whole lot of beer consumed tonight... a whole lot of everything, actually. 2002 Stone Old Guardian, Alpine Exponential Hoppiness, 2006 Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws just to name a few of the beers consumed. However, here's the standout and the review for today: a 2006 Brasserie Cantillon Iris, a Belgian unblended Lambic.

A hazy orange/amber color with a white head that fades quickly. A lot of lemon on the aroma followed by sour apple, lime and vinegar. Flavors of tart apple, pear, peach, and lemon... it's very dry, probably a result of the live yeast in the bottle consuming every last iota of sweetness. The aftertaste is very similar to fresh lemon juice.

I can really get into all these low alcohol sour beers... a lot of them are quite refreshing. If a beefy sour is desired, however, there's always Russian River.

Day Eighty-seven

2010-03-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

It's finds like these that make me love my job of being a psychopomp to the world of alcohol. I was at an industry tasting a few months back when I hear from Spaceman Spiff that a local wine and liquor store (not mine if you were wondering) cleaned out its massive backroom cooler only to find old vintages of a lot of Stone beer. Naturally I bail from the tasting and make the jaunt over to said store to see what I can get my hands on. And this is how we have this beer today, the oldest one I picked up: a 2001 Stone Double Bastard.

A little crud around the opening, but nothing serious. It pours a reddish orange color with a light tan head. Yes, still carbonation! It leaves nice lacing on the glass, but not much. No real sediment to speak of either.

The aromas are a bit muted but I get alcohol-soaked cherry, orange, caramel sweetness, a lot of malt, and faded hops. A Stone beer where hops take a back seat? Amazing! It only took about nine years of aging. The flavor has a fair amount of malty sweetnes to it which makes for a thicker mouthfeel... the alcohol-soaked fruits come up first followed by some brown sugar, maple, and oak. A finish of hazelnuts lingers for about 30 seconds.

This beer has aged as gracefully as I could have wanted. I only wish I had more... but good thing I have bottles of the 2006-2009 vintages in storage.

Day Eighty-six

2010-03-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

The 2005 Two Angels Petite Sirah from the Shannon Ridge Vineyard in the High Valley appellation of Lake County. The High Valley sits on land ranging from 1600 feet to 3000 feet in elevation, so definitely true to its name.

Dark purple color.

Lot of dark fruit on the nose... blackberry, black cherry, blueberry jam, and the slightest hint of coffee and leather.

Blueberry, strawberry, raspberry flavors... a whole lot of fruit here as well.

A nice fruit-forward Petite Sirah... nothing complex, but a nice pizza wine.

Short, yes, but I've been moving lots of stuff today and need to be quick.

Day Eighty-five

2010-03-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

Crotchy dragged me to a country bar tonight... definitely not my first choice of places to hang out on a Friday night. I was mostly fearing this because, from being there before, I know they really didn't have anything good to drink--no taps, only bottles (the best choice being between Newcastle or Guinness) and for wine... well, let's just say that the Almaden Mountain Burgundy wasn't getting too much attention from the patrons. I thought about things to make the evening more fun/go by quicker, then it hit me: make yourself a test subject and use critical reasoning to find out which is the best mass-marketed light beer! So, here we are... a comparison between Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite, straight out of the bottle. Who will emerge as the victor in the battle of the flavorless "beers?"

I don't need photos of these. You've seen all their commercials ad nauseam and their image is ingrained in your memory.

And I know I've stated that I'm "holier-than-thou" and never touch this stuff, but for science I can make an exception.

I started the night with a Bud Light. Can't get much in the way of aroma except rice and some kind of artificial sweetness. It tastes like rancid clear gummi bears. I finish it before it warms up enough and I'd start getting more flavors.

Next up is Miller Lite. It must be better because it's spelled "Lite" instead of "Light," right? Right away I can tell the miller is more carbonated and has more of a corn scent and flavor to it... not much of that artificial sweetness at all.

Finally we have Coors Light. It's not carbonated as much as the Miller and has a bit of a heavier body, but a metallic taste jumps out first that makes the first few sips rather harsh. It has some of that rancid gummi bear flavor too and really tastes a lot like cardboard. Oh, but it must be because, even though all these beers were sitting in ice all night, this bottle wasn't "As cold as the Rockies" and that's why I didn't like the taste. Yeah, right.

So, the final tally... the winner is Miller Lite, followed by Coors Light. Last place goes to Bud Light. The Miller was actually bearable... I wouldn't actively order it again, unless these three were my only options. But still, serve these beers ice cold... no need to analyze them for appearance, aromas, flavor content, etc. because you will be disappointed.

Day Eighty-four

2010-03-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

And just as I'm updating today from being lazy last night I get called into work. Ah well. Brace yourself for a lot more info on Burgundy.

Day Eighty-three

2010-03-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

My intention was wine tonight, but when I'm invited out for a beer after work, who am I to say no? Especially when I have the opportunity to try the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz & Ken's Ale, an Imperial Stout, on tap... but of course I don't have my camera, so we'll have to suffice with a nice photo of the bottle instead of the actual beer/tap handle.

This is the first beer in a series of four celebrating Sierra Nevada's 30th anniversary... all will be collaboration beers, meaning they're be brewed with input from other brewers. This beer's a joint venture between Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada and Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing (and washing machine) fame.

The beer pours a very dark brown color with a chocolate milk-colored head that dissipates rather quickly but leaves a lot of lacing. Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, and cocoa... but these are quite subdued. They get a bit more pronounced as the beer warms, but still rather muted. After swishing, the mouthfeel of this is like a chocolate meringue... very airy but thick. Flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, and a slightly burnt flavor, but these are a bit muted as well. Definitely not as "Imperial" as other Imperial Stouts, but that increases the drinkibility. I'll hold on to my bottles for a few months or so and see how they're drinking then... this can only improve with time.

Day Eighty-two

2010-03-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to do something a bit different... instead of one review, let's go for two! These are related, however: both are AleSmith YuleSmith beers, but the first is the summer release, a Double IPA, while the second is the winter release, a Red Ale.

The summer:

Golden orange color with an off-white, slightly yellow head that sticks around for a while. A bit of lacing sticks to the side of the glass while some sediment sinks to the bottom.

The grapefruit jumps out first, followed by aromas of orange, pineapple, pine, and malt.

Good carbonation leads to a nice mouthfeel... a little burnt toast comes through at first, followed by flavors of citrus, pine, and a bit of booziness and sulfur. The bitterness at the end isn't overpowering.

It's good, but missing something. It's been in my fridge since last July, so it's probably lost a step and needed to have been drunk sooner.

And now, to further my review, here's the winter...

A brown/amber color with a very light brown head... good retention and lacing with a good deal of sediment falling to the bottom of the glass.

A lot of roasted malt aromas followed by a citrus and pine hoppiness. An alcohol aroma in there too.

Good mouthfeel with the malts dominating the flavor with hops playing second fiddle... citrus, pineapple, and a nice bitterness.

Overall, I like the summer version a bit better, as it's a bit more hoppy and I like that. But it was an aged summer version, so I'll say that fresher is definitely better with either version of this beer.

Day Eighty-one

2010-03-22T22:05:00.001-07:00

I just realized tonight that half of the reviews in this blog may end up being beer... I started this blog at the beginning of the year with around 200 bottles. Out of those, about 60 are in temperature-controlled storage, meaning that they need more than a year to reach maturity, so I won't be touching them this year. Add to that bottles from wine club shipments, bottles Crotchy or I buy, and public tastings and we'll probably get to around 190 wine reviews at most. Well, we'll figure something out as the available wine starts dwindling.

We'll keep it brief tonight. The wine is a 2006 Concha y Toro Trio Reserva, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Shiraz, and 15% Cabernet Franc from the Maipo Valley in Chile.

A garnet/purple color... aromas of black cherry, red currant, dark chocolate, coffee, and black pepper. Flavors include black cherry, blackberry, black pepper, coffee. A rather bitter finish... the coffee and pepper really comes through. Good tannins and acidity... they're in a good place right now.

This is one of those wines you need food/cheese/whatever to be paired with it, as the finish is a bit off-putting as it is, but a complementary item would make it sing just a little bit more. That, or decant... it opens up with more of the described fruit after about an hour.

Day Eighty

2010-03-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

On the way back to our humble abode, Crotchy and I found ourselves at the Firestone-Walker Brewery in Paso Robles. We remember my post commenting on their anniversary blend... well it just so happens today that they have a part of the blend on tap, the Abacus Barley Wine.

Poured into a four ounce snifter... a reddish brown color with a small, off-white head... well, actually not much of a head to speak of, as it dissipates quite quickly. Aromas of stewed fruit (like raisin), cocoa, molasses, and Bourbon. I can see where the anniversary blend gets its chocolate from... the flavor is of chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla, caramel, coconut, raisin, and fig. Not much in the way of carbonation, yet the beer still has a fairly light body. It's not the hoppy Barley Wine style you think of when you think Barley Wine (such as Stone's Old Guardian); this has considerably fewer hops and the barrel-aging brings out a certain creaminess in the beer.

Day Seventy-nine

2010-03-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

Quite a large amount of good wine has been consumed by all tonight, from the 2003 Silver Oak Napa Valley in the limo on the way to Pebble Beach to the Cab they featured at the party, 2005 Jordan Alexander Valley. Both nice, but more of the "drink it now" variety of Cab... no real need to age them. Another wine worked just fine for me, however: a 2006 Tolosa Winery Pinot Noir 1772 from the Edna Ranch Vineyard in Edna Valley.

This wine is made from three different Pinot Noir clones: 115, Pommard, and 2A. There's a whole bunch more available to use... Pinot Noir mutates very easily and each clone has subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle... i.e. Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc) differences in the wine the grapes produce... one may be more fruit-forward, one may have more secondary characteristics, etc.

A clear, ruby red color. Aromas of red cherry, red currant, strawberry, cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla. The alcohol comes through on the nose as well, even though this wine isn't particularly high in alcohol (13.8%). Flavors of strawberry, red currant, cinnamon, and some cola. A very nice Pinot... it's got a backbone to it, which helped it paired nicely with everything throughout the evening.

Day Seventy-eight

2010-03-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I'm watching a Michael Jackson special... they just played all 13 or so minutes of Thriller... awesome.

So the wine for today is a 2004 Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. It's a violet color with aromas of cassis, black cherry, cranberry, and cedar. It's still got a lot of tannins coupled with flavors of cassis, cranberry, allspice, and cigar humidor. A nice wine overall but maybe too focused on secondary characteristics and not enough fruit.

My post tomorrow may be a bit late, as I'll be at a dinner party... but I promise a review of an excellent and epic wine... if the wine is anything like last year's party, oh man.

Day Seventy-seven

2010-03-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned this before, but still... why is it when people come in to buy alcohol for a party, the person doing all the shopping either doesn't drink at all or has no idea what they're looking for? It's a lot easier when someone has a general idea of what's being served/what people like.

Amongst other queries, I was asked for a "Margaritas for dummies." I'm thinking it's some kind of book laying out how to make a margarita, but after getting more info out of the customer, turns out it's just the pre-made margaritas. I show her where the pre-mixed drinks are...

"And which ones are margaritas?"

"...the ones that say 'margarita' on them."

"Oh OK. Which one's good?"

I don't touch the pre-made stuff so I sell her on some Cuervo. Not my cup of tea but I got her happily trotting along to share her new find with her friends.

Today's wine is a 2004 J. Jenkins Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest from Baja, Mexico, altough the winery itself is in Julian, CA. Honey is the dominant scent on the nose, followed by candy apple, honeysuckle, some citrus, and nuts. The flavor... wow, was not expecting that. A lot like a Sauternes, but not overly cloying... honey, peaches, butterscotch, and a very nutty aftertaste... a lot of almonds. I'm really impressed with this wine... like I said, it's lighter than a Sauternes, but very similar flavors... and probably a third of the price of some of the better-known estates. I can see this being great with blue cheese or a platter of assorted nuts.

Day Seventy-six

2010-03-17T22:18:00.001-07:00

What could be more Irish than whiskey? Well, maybe actual Irish whiskey, but I don't have any of that. But I have Scotch! So we'll go with that today.

Hey, it may not be Irish, but it's a hell of a lot more Irish than the gallons of green Natty Light being consumed throughout the country right now.

Somewhere along the line, Americans got this idea that green beer on St. Patrick's Day equals being Irish or something like that. It's been rather disheartening these past few days... so many people asking if we have green food coloring or pre-colored green beer. One woman asked me where the Irish beers were... I pointed them out, she asked, "Are they green?"

"No, they vary in color."

"But how can you tell they're Irish if they're not green?"

Ugh. I want to make some kind of smarmy comment here but that comment actually hurts my brain so much me no think witty something put here.

Even a pint of Budweiser brewed in Ireland is more Irish than any green beer... unless it's green Harp.

The Scotch we have today is a 50 ml bottle of Balvenie 15 Year Single Barrel Single Malt. Single barrel just means that the entire bottle came from a single cask of Scotch, not a mixture of different barrels, so each bottle has subtle differences based on which cask it came from.

It's a golden orange color... aromas of honey, vanilla, peat, and oak. It smells quite inviting... and it's very warming but doesn't burn. Flavors of honey, apple, and toast and an aftertaste of peat. Very good to keep you warm on a cold night.

Day Seventy-five

2010-03-16T23:26:00.001-07:00

I always wonder what drives people to buy the alcohol they do, whether it's out of habit, the desire to try something new, swaying by mass-marketing, whatever... but I just can't fathom why you'd want to buy Budweiser Select 55. Does calorie-consciousness really drive someone to buy a beer with 55 calories and 2.4% abv? If you're that conscious about what you drink, you probably shouldn't be drinking beer in the first place.

I mention this because someone came into the store today--straight from the gym next door--and bought a couple six packs of this "beer." So, you still want to drink beer but don't want to ruin your workout? No, sorry. Like I said, don't drink beer. From what I've heard it basically tastes like someone injected corn flavoring into a bottle of carbonated water... and the 2.4%? Again, no, sorry. I drink beer for the enjoyment of the beer itself, not to "look cool because I have a beer." Damn the calories, I want flavor! At least go for MGD Light 64... yes, you'll have to deal with nine more calories, but hey, you'll get 0.4% more alcohol... and probably 0.8% more flavor.

I can get more enjoyment (and eel more "jovial") from two bottles of excellent craft beer than an entire six pack of anything light. However, you should drink beer because it tastes good, not because of how cheap it is/how drunk you'll get/how it'll affect your social standing/how many calories are in it. No... although the slow descent into inebriation is a nice side effect of beer consumption in certain situations, drink beer because it tastes good and for no other reason. Don't worry about anything else but flavor.

The wine review today is a bottle of 2006 Morgan Hill Cellars Chardonnay from California. Now we know I'm not a fan of California Chardonnay, but this one gets off to a good start... it's a bright yellow color, much lighter than other Chardonnays, which leads me to believe that this won't be as oaky. Aromas of apple, pear, peach, citrus, melon, vanilla, and a bit of oak. OK, we're good so far... On the palate I get banana, green apple, some orange, and a hint of vanilla. Quite a creamy mouthfeel... I appreciate the limited use of oak in this wine. Compared to a lot of other California Chardonnays, this is one of the ones that fits the style I enjoy: not overly oaky and a good fruit profile.

Day Seventy-four

2010-03-15T23:34:00.001-07:00

Beware the Ides of March... I was rather busy today organizing things, loading things, looking for an actual place to live instead of a rough concept of what area, etc. but I managed to fit in some time for something to review. All for the better, yes?

So, for today, we have the 2005 Water Wheel Shiraz from the Bendigo appellation in the state of Victoria, Australia.

We know about Aussie Shiraz... I've commented a few times on it before. Let's see if this one can shatter the preconceived notions about what I think I'm about to imbibe.

A medium purple color but not as overtly purple/violet as Shiraz can be. Aromas of cherry pie, blackberry preserves, blueberry, and black pepper... it smells a good deal "lighter" than what I expected, but it still has all the makings of a fruit bomb. The flavors include blackberry, cherry, a little leather, and some vanilla, but pretty restrained overall. Less fruit-forward than I expected, but there's still a lot of fruit here. It's almost the same consistency as a cool-weather Zin... jammy, but not overtly so. A nice, restrained Shiraz.

Day Seventy-three

2010-03-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

The beer party was a great success, although I overestimated the drinking capacity of the guests, therefore I now have much more beer than I know what to do with. Well, yes, I can always drink it, but combine it with the wine that I review and I may be in way over my head. I need to get rid of it fast... perhaps another party will need to be the order of the day, as I do not want to load up about 12 cases of alcohol and haul it 1000 miles when Crotchy and I move in a couple weeks.

Well, remember, the point of this blog is to alleviate the excess amount of wine, beer, spirits, etc. that I have, and it was mostly in preparation for an upcoming move... I just didn't expect the move to occur so soon after I started the blog.

Oh, and during the cleanup from the party, Crotchy threw away some empty bottles that I had lying around and still needed photos of... I realized it too late, hence the stock photos for some entries over the past few days.

Well, after a long night of drinking beer, what's one more today to give me some of the hair of the dog?Let's go with the Rogue Chatoe Rogue First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager, a Schwarzbier made from malts and hops grown by Rogue itself... an "estate beer," if you will. Schwarzbier is just German for "black beer," meaning that the color of this beer, a lager, is... black. It's not necessarily heavier than ~~any other lager~~ any other good lager, just that the malts used are naturally dark and roasted.

As the name implies, this beer is black as night. A very brown, bubbly head that hangs around for quite a while... good retention. Tons of roasted malt aromas which lead into coffee and some smokiness. As expected, the visual of this beer is confusing... it looks like a Russian Stout and somewhat smells like one but the mouthfeel is light and crisp. Coffee and dark chocolate dominate the flavors, but hops play a nice role as well... a solid hoppy bitterness to complement the bitterness from the coffee flavor.

Day Seventy-two

2010-03-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

More beer! Here's a German offering, the 1809 Berliner Weiss from Brauerei Weihenstephan, the oldest continuously-operating brewery in the world.

Berliner Weiss is a wheat beer that has been fermented with some lactobacillus, giving it a slightly sour flavor. It's a good intro to sour beers before diving head-first into the world of mouth-puckering sourness. In Berlin, flavored syrups are sometimes added to the beer to alleviate some of the sour twang.

It's a bright straw color and very cloudy. Very good carbonation but the head recedes rather quickly. The aroma is what I expected: sour green apple, sour pear, and sour lemon. The beer's very dry and refreshing with flavors of tart green apple and lemon with a kick of wheat at the end... definitely not overly sour... kind of on the same level as Lemonheads.

Day Seventy-one

2010-03-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

Let's start off these few days of beer happiness with a bottle of 2009 Stone Imperial Russian Stout, one of the flag bearers of the Imperial Stout category.

What makes a Stout "Imperial" or even "Russian?" Well, back in the 18th century, beer was exported from Britain to Russia... this beer had to have more alcohol in it though so it wouldn't freeze when it reached the colder temperatures of Russia. Hence the name.

This beer's very dark... very black. A tan, chocolaty head dissipates after a few minutes. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, a hint of anise, and dried black fruit. Quite good carbonation, which makes this beer feel lighter than it actually is. Lots of coffee, roasted malt flavor, and a bit of chocolate. It's still a bit rough around the edges, though... it needs a year or so more aging to round out completely.

This vintage seems lighter than previous vintages, which can be good or bad depending on your preference I suppose. But I like my Russian Stouts beefy.

Day Seventy

2010-03-11T23:01:00.000-08:00

I recently checked reviews of some of my high-end Bordeaux from 2005 and discovered that pretty much all reviews stated that these wines are in their "dumb phase" at the moment... like humans, after the vigor of youth has passed, wines can become closed, muted, and surly before becoming wonderfully elegant and mature. How long does it last? Again, like humans, who knows? But I wasn't planning on touching any of those wines for at least another 10 years, and they'll be great by that time... everything has to grow up sometime.

In the spirit of Bordeaux and 2005, today I bring to you all a 2005 Christian Moueix Bordeaux Supérieur from... you guessed it, Bordeaux. Two things: first, Christian Moueix oversees production at Château Pétrus, a highly-respected and world-renowned estate in the Pomerol appellation on the Right Bank (the 2005 vintage of Pétrus will currently run you about $4000 per bottle) and owns Dominus Estate, a well-known winery in Napa Valley. Second, what makes this wine "Supérieur?" Supposedly permitted grape yields are lower and the minimum alcohol is 0.5% higher than regular Bordeaux, but really not much else.

This wine's a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc (Merlot is the dominant grape variety grown in Bordeaux). A purple/ruby color with aromas of red cherry, blackberry, cedar, and some herbaceousness. The flavor's a bit watery... not much substance. Pretty beefy tannins though. Red cherry, tobacco, and copper flavors.

This is kind of what wines in a dumb phase are like... thin, hollow, and not much flavor. However, I doubt a $10 bottle of Bordeaux has a dumb phase to worry about, so maybe there wasn't much here to begin with.

Day Sixty-nine

2010-03-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

I've been very much in a beer mood lately. Maybe it's the natural progression toward new things... I've drunk a good amount of wine, but compared to the beer that some folks have drunk, it pales in comparison. Not saying that it's a contest, just saying that if you want an "education" in beer or wine--that is, get a good feel for styles/varietals and well-known producers--and you have $1000 to spend, you can become a lot more educated on beer than wine. Perhaps my shortage of funds has led me to beer and away from wine, as the most expensive beers are quite affordable compared to the most expensive wines, but I still enjoy good beer, as my reviews generally indicate. To quote Hunter S. Thompson, "Good people drink good beer."

And that quote got me thinking... about litter. In the parking lot of work tonight I saw an empty MGD can (which I'm legally required to pick up and properly dispose of)... why don't I ever see bottles of Stone, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Alpine, or any other craft beer littering the parking lot or streets? It's always a can of Bud, a bottle of Corona, bottle of Heineken... good people don't litter. Good people drink good beer.

But we have wine tonight, because I have much more of that than beer. Tonight we have a 2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Nebbiolo Stolpman Vineyard from the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara. Nebbiolo is better known as an Italian wine from Barolo and Barbaresco, two areas within the Piedmont region in Northwest Italy. Barolo and Barbaresco are dry, tannic monsters that need years to become tame in the best vintages that reek of tar and roses. Let's see how this stands up.

A nearly opaque dark ruby/purple color, much darker than any Nebbiolo I've seen. Blueberry, sweet cherry, and rose aromas, followed by a bit of a cigar humidor smell. Flavors of candied cherry, blueberry jam, prune... I guess I'm trying to say there's a whole lot of fruit here, much more so than any Barolo, Barbaresco, or really any other Nebbiolo I've had. It's jammy and Zin-like... I should have known this going in, containing 15.8% alcohol and all. I mean, I know Nebbiolo ripens very late in the season, but damn. The tannins are very chewy... it's like you're trying to run saliva over your tongue because it's so dry, but it takes a while for the saliva to get flowing again. They lighten up after enough exposure to air, but still...

Are we sure this isn't Zin?

Day Sixty-eight

2010-03-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

Felt like a white wine tonight, so let's go with a varietal that I have absolutely no love for, the cougar juice for women who are "too sophisticated" for Chardonnay... the wine today is a 2008 Fontana Candida Pinot Grigio from the Venezie region of Italy.

A bright yellow color... citrus, green apple, and a hint of minerality on the nose. Something like green apple, lemon, and alcohol flavors dominate... very light bodied but pretty acidic stuff. It needs food and to be served at a very cold temperature. But what do you want for $7?

As I said, I'm not a fan of Pinot Grigio... I find a lot of it to be flavorless swill. Pinot Gris, on the other hand, that's the stuff to look for. Yes, it's the exact same grape, just its Italian and French names... but, just like Syrah and Shiraz, one holds so much more charm and finesse than the other. Based on west coast wines, from what I've seen in California, a vast number of producers label their wine with "Grigio," and none of it's really anything to write home about. Oregon tends toward "Gris" and the wines have much more body and depth of flavor.

Plus the cougars only reach for the Grigio. Not even sure if they know Gris is the same thing...

Day Sixty-seven

2010-03-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

Watched Beer Wars tonight. An interesting movie, and if you're a fan of craft beer you should probably see it. It's basically about how Anheuiser-Busch is the evil corporation that controls the market and the little guys who want their piece of the pie but can't break into the market. Yes, basically a big corporation-bashing movie, but, being in the industry and seeing all these things happening first-hand, I can relate. Then again, I rarely (if ever) drink Anheuiser-Busch products, so it wasn't any kind of revelation for me.

Oh, if you're curious about which products fall under the Bud or Miller/Coors family of labels, here's a list to check out.

So here's the Firestone 13 Anniversary Ale from Firestone-Walker Brewing Co. Very dark brown color with a milk-chocolate colored head. Speaking of chocolate, the aroma of this beer takes me back a few years... I get Cocoa Krispies and milk predominately, but also vanilla, coconut, caramel, and a slight nuttiness. It smells great. It tastes great too... cocoa, mocha, vanilla, coffee, oak, and the Cocoa Krispies in milk. A slightly bitter chocolate aftertaste.

I had the Firestone 12 right after drinking the Alpine Great last night, and I thought it was good, but nothing really special. The 13... this is something special indeed.

Day Sixty-six

2010-03-07T22:23:00.001-08:00

See? I told you it wasn't that great and worthy of all the praise heaped upon it. And the Academy agrees with me. Just because you saw it thirteen times doesn't mean it was good.

And with that, I conclude my Avatar bashing for the year... unless something too juicy to pass up occurs.

Earlier today I started wondering about beer, wine, and vegans... specifically what beers and wines are vegan-friendly. Now, right away, you may be thinking, "Wine? Well, it's grapes, of course it's vegan-friendly."

Well, yes and no.

Traditionally, brewers and winemakers have used animal ingredients, such as gelatin, egg whites, or isinglass (a product made from dried swim bladders of fish), when fining and filtering their product. Usually none of the animal product remains in the beer or wine, but, if it's not filtered enough, it can. A lot of breweries and wineries are switching over to natural fining agents that make their product vegan-friendly. Which beers and wines (and spirits for that matter)? Check out Barnivore... they have a pretty comprehensive list of what's in, what's out, and sometimes what's used in specific beers and wines.

From what I've seen, for a quick rule of thumb, British beers usually aren't vegan-friendly, but German beers pretty much always are (when in compliance with the Reinheitsgebot).

I was originally going to review a different beer tonight, but the one I have here is too good to pass up. This isn't a vegan-friendly beer... it's Alpine Beer Company's Great, a Barley Wine that was aged in Bourbon barrels for a year.

The beer's a dark amber color and the pour produces no head, although you can see a bit of carbonation. The aromas are toasty goodness: vanilla, chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, and hazelnuts. The mouthfeel is slightly syrupy and the flavor is even better than the smell... different flavors emerge in waves one after another: chocolate and vanilla first, then coffee, then a brown sugar nuttiness to finish it off. The 14% alcohol? Can't taste a bit of it. Again, just like last Sunday's Alpine beer, another successful beer that will make you more Zen.

Day Sixty-five

2010-03-06T23:15:00.000-08:00

Well, how about an epic wine to end the week? 1984 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve from Napa Valley... but the wine is estate-bottled, so it really should be Rutherford, but like the last 1984 Cab I reviewed, I explained that Rutherford wasn't a designated appellation yet.

Spaceman Spiff brought this wine over... he bagged it for a good price online. At the price, I wasn't expecting this 26-year-old wine to be any good... poorly stored, way past its prime. Well, guess what? The bottle looks quite good and there's a lot of sediment in the neck and shoulder (a sign of proper horizontal storage!). My hopes have been raised, so let's see.

A brick color... pure brick, no other shade of red or purple. The nose is full of bell pepper with undertones of cassis, leather, and some cedar. In the flavor department, it's multi-layered: at the front end is mushroom, followed by overripe cherry and cassis in the middle, and on the end there's leather. The tannins are soft but some acid has held on in this wine. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this... I thought it'd be past its prime. But it's held on quite nicely... it would have probably been better a few years ago, but quite nice now and definitely a steal.

Day Sixty-four

2010-03-05T22:39:00.001-08:00

Something happened today at work that got me wondering... someone approached me and said he usually drinks Coors Light but wanted to know what other beers are light but have more of a kick to them (that is, more alcohol). My basic instinct was to just show him Bud or Miller and be done with it, but I thought, "No, I can help you." I showed him some pilsners and lagers, thinking that these styles of beer have more substance to them than any widely-available light beer. After showing him a few different beers, he asks, "Now, are all of these beers light beers?"

"Well, lighter in style, but not 'lite' like Coors Light."

"Oh, OK. Thanks anyway."

Initially, I thought, "Fine, stick to your crappy beer, never expand your horizons." But I got to thinking... do people like that actually like light beer because of its flavor or because of the lower caloric content? If something besides a lager could be made in a light style, would people like that guy drink it over BMC?

I don't want to see it done, but say that Sierra Nevada created a light pale ale... would it sell well?

The wine we're drinking tonight is a 2003 Conte di Bregonzo Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara from the Valpolicella region around Verona in Northeastern Italy.

Amarone's made in an interesting way... the grapes are dried, concentrating the sugars; some dessert wines are made this same way. But Amarones are completely fermented out, leaving a totally dry, high-alcohol wine (legally it must be over 14%). If the grapes aren't completely fermented out, you end up with Recioto della Valpolicella, a semi-sweet wine. The leftover lees from an Amarone fermentation can also be added to regular Valpolicella wine, causing a second fermentation and giving the wine more color, alcohol, and flavor... the new wine's called Valpolicella Ripasso.

This wine's a dark brick/brownish color with aromas of chocolate cake, raisin, prune, incense, and tar. The wine is chewy... the tannins stick to your tongue, but they're not harsh... you can really taste the raisins and chocolate; it's s pretty much liquid Raisinets with a little extra tarry funk. This wine needs something extra to give it that extra oomph, though... how about some Parmigiano Reggiano?

Day Sixty-three

2010-03-04T20:24:00.001-08:00

Well, the poll's been open for a week, so I'll call it and give the results. When we say "next weekend," we mean... it depends. The option "Depends on the current day of the week" won, but "The upcoming weekend" and "The weekend after the upcoming weekend" tied for second, both garnering one fewer vote than the winner. So... I actually was right. It really depends on the day of the week. So, Crotchy, please specify which weekend from now on. I suppose I'll need to do the same thing though.

Right, so today we have a 2003 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve from the Santa Lucia Highlands. What's that? The Santa Lucia Highlands are known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but a Cab? Unheard of! Too cold for Cab! Well, let me tell you what... it's a moderate climate, yes... but so is Bordeaux. And I've had some pretty nifty Cabs and Zins from Santa Barbara, also a moderate climate area, proving that, in the right conditions, grapes that would seem to need warmer weather can shine in cooler climates.

Dark red, almost purple color... black cherry, blackberry, and a little sweet oak on the nose, followed by ethanol... at 14.5%, why not? The flavors follow the nose, but the alcohol isn't so pronounced. Compared to a Cab from Napa or Sonoma, this is much lighter in style with a good balance of tannins and acid... slightly more acid, but that may not have been the case in this wine's younger days.

Day Sixty-two

2010-03-03T22:21:00.000-08:00

I started this review quite early today (before noon), but held off on including any kind of filler material... like this... in the hope that something would happen to me/I'd observe something worth mentioning, but alas. Maybe if I didn't spend most of my days when I'm not at work (which hasn't provided the usual fodder for this blog lately) curled up on the couch watching cooking shows I'd have more to talk about. But going outside costs money, of which I currently have none and the money which I did have at one point, over the course of several years, became the liquid assets I now review.

The wine we'll be reviewing today is a 2005 Château de Chamirey Mercurey from the Mercurey area of the Côte Chalonnaise in Burgundy.

Mercurey (and the entire Côte Chalonnaise for that matter) is smack-dab in the middle of Burgundy; to the north is Chablis and the Côte d'Or (Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune), and to the south is the Mâconnais and Beaujolais. Mercurey, like the Côte de Nuits, is planted pretty much entirely with Pinot Noir, the best red grape of Northern and Central Burgundy. The wines don't quite reach the level of wines from the Côte d'Or, though, but good bargains can be found, and affordable red Burgundy (especially from a blockbuster year like 2005) is always nice.

The wine's a medium/dark ruby color... a bit darker than the Oregon Pinot we sampled yesterday. There's a an earthy funk, with mushroom, forest floor, and a bit of violet leading the way followed by aromas of cherry and pomegranate. Not the funkiest red Burgundy I've ever smelled, but it's there. The flavors begin with slightly sour cherry, then the earthiness follows... dried pine needle and mushroom. It's slightly tannic, but the wine achieves a good balance thanks to the acidity. A good intro to red Burgundy, as the funk won't scare anyone away.

Day Sixty-one

2010-03-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

I've watched quite a bit of TV today and I noticed something... in at least five different instances, be it on Food Network, Bravo, CBS, people have over-emphathized the letter H on words where the H follows a W... like hwen an H follows a W the H is pronounced as the first letter. And all I can think of is Family Guy and Cool Hwip.

We're going to be here a hwile. Oy, it's getting hweird.

The wine of the day is a 2006 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. A 100% Pinot Noir... this area's international recognition for its Pinot Noir is quite strong... and why not? Cool weather, good soil, and it's not as "popular" as Napa or Sonoma, meaning the winemakers can usually do what they want... which is good in my opinion, as the Pinots end up being more Burgundian in style than American. A little slice of Burgundy in our own backyard... and you don't have to pawn your first born for a good bottle.

A light red/ruby color... aromas of forest floor, strawberry, cranberry, cherry, ginger, and ethanol... this is a big boy for the Willamette Valley, ringing in at 14.5%. Flavors of cherry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, and a bit of earthiness. You can definitely feel the tannins, but the medium-high acidity balances everything out. Not a full-bodied Pinot by any means, but it definitely holds its own... a nice bridge between new world fruit and pure old world funk.

Day Sixty

2010-03-01T21:14:00.001-08:00

All the wine I partook in yesterday certainly affected me today... and the beer I reviewed sent me over the edge. But the show must go on. We'll go with dessert so I only have to sample a small bit of wine. Today we have a 375 ml bottle of 2007 Bridlewood Late Harvest Viognier from California's Central Coast. After fermentation, we're left with a residual sugar content of 10.7 g/100 ml.

The wine has a slightly syrupy appearance and a deep golden color. Aromas of orange blossom honey, peach, nectarine, apricot, and honeysuckle fill the glass. The texture is a bit viscous... flavors of apricot, pear, peach, and a slight amount of honey commingle nicely. Good acid as well... it balances the wine so it doesn't taste overtly sweet. Still, this is definitely a dessert wine. I could see it pairing wonderfully with anything Sauternes would pair with, such as Roquefort Cheese, walnuts, or foie gras.

Day Fifty-nine

2010-02-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

Alpine Exponential Hoppiness! Imperial/Triple IPA! ZOMG ROTFL!!!!1!!1!

Yeah, no.

However, I will say... this beer, Alpine Beer Company's Exponential Hoppiness... golly darn. Hops? Oh yeah. Malt? Definitely. A wonderful dark golden color, the head maintains... no dissipation. Fruit cocktail syrup, pineapple, mango, sweet cherry, orange rind, caramel aromas. Man. This beer is aged on oak chips and I assume that's where the caramel comes from. Pineapple, mango, papaya... a menage of tropical fruit flavor! And caramel... candied citrus fruit? Oh yeah. Hint of pine too. This is fresh... the 11% alcohol? I don't taste it... less of that ethanol flavor than than Pliny the Younger? Yup. More fruit? Definitely. More hops? Maybe! Oh man, this is so creamy... I can wax poetic about this beer all day.

I've heard that Alpine won't distribute their beers to any shop who won't keep their beers in the cooler... let alone anywhere outside of Southern California. And I respect them for that. This beer needs to be fresh and pure. You need the fresh hops and malts.

Is this IPA better than Pliny the Younger? In my opinion... yes. SACRILEGE! Well, you can't argue that it's more balanced. Maybe opinions of PTY are biased due to the rarity of the beer, but seriously, Southern California, open your eyes. This beer is a nicely balanced IPA, only available in shops in your locale, and available more than once per year (and doesn't run out in less than three hours). So many people base the IPA standard on Pliny... and yes, Pliny is good, but... Exponential Hoppiness is better.

Honestly, Pliny the Younger ruined my tongue... I drank a few quite potent IPAs after the day I had PTY, and it ruined me. I couldn't appreciate IPAs... no love for hops. But this... this makes me love the genre again.

Now, I still have a LOT of IPAs to try... but can they hold a candle to PTY, let alone Exponential Hoppiness? I don't know. But they'll be hard-pressed to try. DRINK THIS BEER. It will change your outlook on beer. You will become more Zen. Trust me.

Oh, by the way, yes, for the time being, this has become one of my favorite beers. EVAR!!1!1!

Day Fifty-eight

2010-02-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

Another uneventful day. But now I am in search of beer, so that's kept me occupied. And I had this in a tasting, so here's a generic stock photo of the bottle.

Today's wine is a 2008 Shoreline Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Series from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. You have to search the bottle to find the vineyard, though... on the back label in small print you find out that the wine's from the Wax Eye Vineyard.

Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is one of my favorite white wines... the combination of the fruit flavors, the herbaceousness, the acidity... perhaps only a Sancerre can compare, certainly not much from California can hold a candle to Marlborough. Much like Cabernet Sauvignon, I find many Sauvignon Blancs from California to be too alcoholic. Blame it on the weather... Marlborough is generally quite cool, so grape sugars remain low throughout a slow ripening process. California can get a bit warm at times and the ripening process can be a bit... jagged. Take a look at average listed alcohol contents... New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, more often than not, clock in at a listed 12.5-13% abv; while some California Sauvignon Blancs can be at that level, I find that most of them are at least 13.5%... I've even seen 15%. Too much for what's supposed to be a light-to-medium-bodied white wine.

...at least that's what I perceive the science of a wine's alcohol content to be.

The wine's a very bright yellow... nearly colorless. The first thing you notice on the nose is bell pepper and grapefruit (like it should be with any good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc), followed by undertones of lime, asparagus, and grass. It has a good amount of acidity... on the palate there's grapefruit, gooseberry, and bell pepper. Medium finish of citric acid. Not as complex or overtly herbaceous as some other New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I've had, but at about $7 for the bottle, quite a good value for Marlborough.

Day Fifty-seven

2010-02-26T22:33:00.001-08:00

Nothing of interest to mention today, so we'll get right into the wine.

Today we have a 2005 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard from the Santa Maria Valley appellation in Santa Barbara. Bien Nacido Vineyard is pretty well-known and quite prominent... if you're going north along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, just as you hit the outskirts of Santa Maria, it's the huge vineyard on your right. It's utilized my many producers in Santa Barbara and mostly planted to Burgundian varietals, but there's also some Syrah, Merlot, Barbera, and other interesting selections.

A very dark purple color... a nice pastiche of blue and black fruits on the nose (blueberry and blackberry of varying sweetness levels) along with leather, black pepper, vanilla, spices, a little smokiness, and an ethanol burn.

Pretty silky tannins... flavors of blackberry, candied blueberry, leather, allspice, and a bit of pepper.

It's complex, but I'm not really getting Rhône complexity... it's got big fruit and it's a big wine... definitely in the Aussie style. Perhaps a few more years of aging will push it to the French end of the Syrah spectrum.

Day Fifty-six

2010-02-25T22:24:00.001-08:00

Another mishandling of accept/except by corporate... and something very prominent! We need to display signs indicating that we will no longer accept checks, but the signs say, "We will no longer except checks."

And yes, the signs were designed by the same person who butchered these two words before. Good thing I can hold his folly up to the light and he takes my jabs in stride. It's for the betterment of all, yes?

Today's wine is a 2004 Bodega Weinert Carrascal, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from the Mendoza region of Argentina. The wine's a dark brick red color with a tinge of rust color. Chocolate aromas jump out of the glass, followed by plum, cherry, strawberry Fruit Roll-Up, saffron, and smoke. Interesting if I do say so myself. Flavors include black cherry, plum, fig, and smoked meat.

For a sub-$10 bottle I picked up a couple years ago, this is quite complex.

Now, Crotchy and I have an ongoing disagreement about choices of words when referring to the future. I'll leave it open to an anonymous poll and let the readers decide who's right (spoiler alert: I am).

On a weekday, when you refer to "next weekend," you mean...
The upcoming weekend
The weekend after the upcoming weekend
Depends on the current day of the week

View Results

Day Fifty-five

2010-02-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

A woman came up to me with a 1.5 liter bottle of sparkling wine... she then asks, "Is this bottle close to the same amount that two bottles would be?"

I stand there for a few seconds, trying to determine if this woman was joking... she wasn't.

"Yeah... it's exactly two bottles."

"OK, because I saw that this bottle said it's 1.5 liters, but I couldn't tell... I saw that the regular bottles are 750 milliliters... how many millimeters are in a liter?" (Yes, she switched to meters at this point)

"One thousand."

"OK, so 1500 millimeters equals 1.5 liters? How can you remember such confusing measurements?"

"You just have to know these things in my line of work, ma'am."

...or just know your multiples of 10. I actually then convinced her to buy two regular-sized bottles of that same sparkling wine... they were cheaper for some reason. I suppose the cost of glass makes up the difference...

All right, let's become cheerier... this wine was ranked #52 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 List in 2008, a 2004 Bodegas LAN Rioja Reserva from the Rioja region of Spain.

Rioja wines are classified by how long they're aged; there are four classifications: Joven, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. For reds, Joven wines are aged less than a year in oak, Crianza wines are aged a minimum of one year in oak and one year in the bottle, Reserva wines a minimum one year in oak and two years in bottle, and Gran Reserva wines a minimum two years in oak and three years in the bottle.

The blend for this wine is 80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha (Grenache), and 10% Mazuelo (Carignane). A dark ruby color... aromas of black cherry, plum, cinnamon, dill, vanilla, and rose petal. Flavors of sour cherry, plum, blackberry, and a bit of cinnamon and vanilla... that's indicative of all the oak in this wine. A bit tart and the tannins are still there, but the wine is most likely at its peak... like most Rioja, it needs food to be at its best.

Day Fifty-four

2010-02-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

How about some fun with returns and exchanges? We sell a brand of mini-breathalyzers at my place of employment that can be used to give a rough estimate of your BAC. Apparently, a woman bought one a few days ago and she found it wasn't to her liking, or so she thought...

"Yes, I'd like to return this breathalyzer."

"OK, is there anything wrong with it?"

"Yeah, it only goes up to 0.4, that's not high enough to see if you'd be legally drunk."

"Um... yes it is. This goes up to .4, the legal limit is .08."

"Wait, you're saying it's .08, not .8?"

"Yup."

"Oh... OH... so .4 is pretty high... you'd probably be dead, right?"

"Yup."

"OK. I'm not going to return this then."

You can't make stuff like this up.

The wine of the day is a 2007 Andrew Peace Master Peace Red Willie Blend from South Eastern Australia. Listing South Eastern Australia as the area of origin is kind of like listing "California" as the place of origin on a wine... the grapes can come from anywhere in the general area (SE Australia includes all or part of the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania).

The thing I like with Australian wines is that, if the wine is a blend of at least two varietals and no grape makes up more than 85% of the blend, they have to tell you the exact proportions of the blend... this wine's a blend of 30% Shiraz, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Grenache, and 20% Mataro.

Dark purple color, blackberry, black cherry, and a bit leather on the nose... the blackberry is very dominant. Juicy blackberry, raspberry... tannins are pretty much gone in this one. A nice, simple table wine.

Day Fifty-three

2010-02-22T14:26:00.001-08:00

As I sit here, watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay, waiting for my wine sauce to reduce, my eye catches the fruit fly hovering around my glass... where do they come from? I never see fruit flies around the fruit bowl, only around open bottles of wine. I swear, they must lay dormant in wine bottles and emerge once the cork is popped.

While I wait, why not have some wine as well? Here's a 2007 Sketchbook Pinot Noir from Mendocino County. A transparent ruby/garnet color. Sweet strawberry aroma and a little alcohol burn... 13.5%. It's very light-bodied, prominent strawberry flavor with a bit of red cherry coming through at the end.

And it's official... LT is done as a Charger... released earlier today. I know that it's become a pass-first offense, but to have that extra threat (if he could stay healthy)... I hope the Chargers know what they're doing and this doesn't come back to bite them in the fall.

Day Fifty-two

2010-02-21T23:13:00.001-08:00

Back to the wine stash. Have I not been drinking wine at all the past week? For the most part, yes, I haven't had any wine except for a few instances at dinner. It's good give the olfactory system a rest from the vine every now and then... keeps it sharp.

I'm updating as I'm cooking meals for the upcoming week... once the onions overtake me, I'll write a few sentences then get back to dicing. The cycle continues. Maybe my senses are now too sharp.

Today we're jumping straight into a Bordeaux, a bottle of 2004 Château de Pez, a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel wine from the St. Estèphe commune. What does "Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel" mean? Absolutely nothing! Well, it used to mean something... in 1932, a list of châteaux that were not included in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification but produced superior wine was drawn up and divided the selected châteaux into three groups, lowest to highest: Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. The list was modified every few years... the last modification was in 2003... then some producers who were demoted from the classification sued, and in 2007 the French courts banned the use of the term "Cru Bourgeois" on wine labels. It's been revised since then where "Cru Bourgeois" can appear on labels for the selected châteaux, but no other term, such as "Supérieur" or "Exceptionnel" can appear with it.

So, long story short, as of the 2003 Cru Bourgeois Classification, this wine was one of the nine Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels and it proudly states the fact on its label.

A purplish, red brick color with a touch of brown. On the nose I get cedar, leather, tobacco, and a whiff of vanilla and sweet black cherry underneath the funk. The flavor is more fruit-forward, with black cherry, cassis, and an herbal undertone... something like a cigar with a cedar wrapper that's being stored in a leather pouch. Just like the aromas.

For an average year and being from the commune that traditionally produces the most tannic Bordeaux, this is drinking quite nicely right now; everything's in a good balance. It's more muted than other wines I've had, i.e. the aromas and flavors don't jump out and say hi, but it's a very sound wine.

Day Fifty-one

2010-02-20T23:51:00.001-08:00

The conclusion of FeBREWary is at hand! And I just made it... Crotchy and I were quite busy going through viral videos.

Think of every beer you've ever had... what's your favorite? Now, imagine the "desert island" scenario... you're on a desert island and it has only one beer, but any beer you want. You'd be drinking this beer for the rest of your life. Which beer would you pick?

For me, I'd pick what I'm reviewing today, the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I know what you're thinking... "But Jerry, that beer is so widely available... wouldn't you go for something rarer?" Honestly, no. I've thought about this for a while... if I picked an IPA, such as Pliny the Younger or even something less hoppy, I feel that I'd get tired of hops after a while. Stouts or Porters? They'd be much too heavy after time. Lagers? Most are way too light, and although refreshing, I'd want something with a bit more substance than a good Pilsner.

So, the Sierra Nevada Pale... a brownish gold color with a very light yellow head. Citrus, bread dough, and some pine needles on the nose. Bread, malt, lemon, pine... a slight bitterness at the end, but the malty sweetness balances it out.

Maybe you need to try it from the tap at the brewery itself, or on tap at higher altitudes... there's something about high altitude that makes it better. Maybe it was simply fresher when I drank it at 6000 feet, but gosh golly darn it was good... and of course everything is better at the brewery itself. But overall, whether on tap or bottled, this is a very well-rounded, tasty beer... a classic.

Day Fifty

2010-02-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

And after Crotchy finished up on her farm, cafe, sorority, and treasure hunt, I can finally update.

Another lager today to even out the score... in fact it's another Pilsner, the Samuel Adams Nobel Pils. This beer claims that all five noble hops are used in its production... that's odd, last time I checked there were only four varieties of noble hops: Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and Tettnang.

This beer is a German-style Pilsner... there are two main styles of Pilsners: German and Czech. The only real difference is that Czech Pilsners are a bit lighter in style. Pilsners also originate from the town of Plzen in the Czech Republic (Bohemia at the time the style was created, allegedly by Pilsner Urquell, in the 1840s).

Golden straw color... quite bubbly with a light head. A malty, honeyed, hoppy aroma. A bit bready and earthy on the flavor, combined with the honey and some lemon. Malty on the front end and a bitter, herbal finish, but the bitterness doesn't last long.

A very nice beer and a pity that it's only available a few months out of the year as a spring seasonal... it'd be very refreshing during the long days of summer.

Day Forty-nine

2010-02-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking today how our favorite grammarian hasn't given me any ammo lately. In fact, he's been quite mum since the last post critiquing his choice of words... not many emails at all. I hope he plays along soon enough so I have more to share with everyone.

Today's beer is the BrewDog/Stone Bashah, a collaboration between BrewDog and Stone which resulted in a black Belgian-style Double IPA. Unlike many of Stone's collaborations, which are brewed and bottled at the brewery in San Diego, this beer is a product of BrewDog in Scotland.

Quite dark brown, nearly opaque. Small, light tan head. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate, hints of coffee and smoke, and a whiff of hops. Flavors of roasted malt, coffee, and a bitter, slightly herbal finish... the hops doing their job. It's quite interesting... if you had given this beer to me without telling me what it was, I would have never guessed that part of it was a Double IPA... definitely more Belgian in style. It's good, but there's too much going on. This beer has a bit of an identity crisis...

Day Forty-eight

2010-02-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've been giving a lot of attention to ales this week so far. As a matter of fact, just as red wine makes up 99% of my wine stash, ales make up 99% of my beer stash. Where's the love for the lager? How about a souped-up lager? How about the Port Brewing Panzer Imperial Pilsner?

Now, regardless if a beer is a Pilsner, Stout, Hefeweizen, Bock, or whatever, all beers fall into two groupings; ales or lagers. Ales are created by using top-fermenting yeast (meaning the yeast sits at the top of the fermenting vessel) and warm fermenting temperatures... the resulting beer is high in esters (which, like wine, give beer aromas and flavor compounds) and a medium to full body. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeast and cooler temperatures which result in a drier, lighter-bodied, crisper beer with fewer secondary characteristics.

As an Imperial Pilsner, this beer is maltier, hoppier, and more alcoholic than a typical Pilsner (this beer clocks in at 9.5%).

Pale gold color and not much of a white head. Smells of grain, grass, and a little citrus. Malty flavor with a slight hoppiness. Very warming; the alcohol gives it a bit of dried fruit flavor, like prune.

Oh, and Miller Lite... that's not what a Pilsner should taste like. Pilsners should have flavor. And "triple hops brewed?" You use what, three hop clusters per batch? You want real Pilsner? Try the Lagunitas Pils, Victory Prima Pils, or even Pilsner Urquell. Gobs more flavor than anything a light beer can offer.

Day Forty-seven

2010-02-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

What's up with people who allegedly like craft beer but at the same time are so out-of-touch with the beers themselves?

Today I had several calls that really made me wonder... are these people searching for the rarest of the rare because they want the opportunity to sample the best of the best or just because they heard somewhere that its good and want to get it, even if they don't appreciate that particular style of beer?

Examples of what people asked for from today alone:

--Pliny the Younger (right time frame, but not available in bottles... not to mention quite rare at this point)

--Utopia (Four months too late, released biennially, and they didn't realize the $175 price tag)

--Firestone 13 (Also about four months too late)

--Black Tuesday (Four months again, only available at the Bruery, and sold out extremely quickly)

These are rare... gone a few days from when they're released. If you want these beers, please know the protocols and latest news about them. Don't whine to me now because I can't get you a bottle of Utopia. And don't pointlessly throw your money at a beer that you may not even like.

And heaven help you if you buy beer to resell it on eBay for a profit!

On the advice of a friend I ventured into Belgium today to try the Val-Dieu Blond (I was actually recommended the Grand Cru, but I had no idea where to find it).

The beer's a light gold color, about a finger's worth of white head. Aromas of apple, pear, coriander, other spices, and a bit of ginger. Flavors are quite muted, but some green apple and wheat comes out. It's quite drinkable... nothing too forceful or heavy.

Day Forty-six

2010-02-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

So, I forgot my camera but managed to snap a few shots on my phone... and now I can't upload any photos from my phone. But here's a photo of the tap that I found from last year... it pretty much looked the same, except no pitchers this year.

And it has come to pass. Here, we have the IPA. And my experience. As we know, like I said, this is a review of Russian River Brewing Company's Pliny the Younger, an Imperial IPA.

I showed up to Hollingshead's Deli at 9:15. Seven others were in line. As I waited and read my Palahniuk, more appeared... probably 80 by the time the place opened at 10. I found my way in and ended up with the third glass poured... ahh, fresh. An orange, golden color with copper shades at the edges. A small white head that dissipates quickly.

I sit and absorb the atmosphere around me. I notice the glasses on the counter, reserved for those worthy enough to have glasses. Assman, Fun Buns, Jo Mama... names such as these adorn said glasses. I bring my nose to the glass... grapefruit, orange, tangerine, apricot, and pine needles... yes, it's all here, a well-rounded IPA. I also notice the scent of onions and smoked meat in the air. Well, I am at a deli... and now I'm hungry. Maybe later, I need beer first.

As the beer warms a bit, I take another whiff. It's more well-rounded... everything is better integrated.

A carbonated mouthfeel... piny flavors followed by grapefruit, apricot, and a hint of the finest herb. The bitterness lingers... for quite a long time.

I watch the tap sweat. Giving its all, striving to be the best. We're out of large glasses at 10:30... out of small glasses at 10:45. Now we're relying on the goodness of others to give up their glasses so all can be served. The first keg, 15.5 gallons, gives up the ghost at 10:59. Gone? No, another keg is available to pick up the slack.

I get a large glass from the second keg. Thirty-four ounces total... this second pour is maltier and less alcoholic than the first... much more balanced. I watch the gentle folk come up and refill their glasses. The other taps seem so lonely... I'm sorry, Blind Pig, Santa's Little Helper, and Wee Heavy... you need to step out of the spotlight today.

I sit and wonder, contemplating the mysteries of the world and my glass. I finally hear the announcement at 12:28... the second keg has blown. Two kegs... 31 gallons of 11% abv beer... gone in 2.5 hours.

So, does this beer live up to the hype? Well, it is a very good IPA and I am very fortunate to say that I have had it. But I need to sample some of the rarer, less-hyped IPAs to really formulate my opinion. I enjoyed it and I feel it should be available a few more days out of the year so this mad rush doesn't occur (the brewery itself was out of this beer in nine hours)... but the absolute best? With so many styles of beers and brewers out there, it's a relative opinion.

Day Forty-five

2010-02-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

What better way to spend a mass-marketed Hallmark holiday than by drinking beer? It's even better if the beer is appropriately colored to match the fauxliday!

Crotchy and I headed out to the Bruery today and I found myself with a tulip glass filled with Melange No. Sechs, the sixth beer in the Melange series... this beer itself is a blend of three separate brews: a beer made from beets, cocoa nibs, and rose petals, White Oak Sap, a Bourbon barrel-aged Wheat Wine/Belgian Strong Pale Ale, and Bourbon barrel-aged Rugbrød, a Rye Beer.

My first return to the Bruery since I was there at the end of October and waited in line for four hours to purchase a bottle of Black Tuesday, a 19.5% abv Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout. But I got my beer and got to try some tasty pours from the tap that day.

An orange/red/pink color on this beer with a lighter shade at the surface and a light pink head. The aroma of rose is quite prevalent, followed by a scent of beet juice and earth. A creamy mouthfeel... a combination of sweet and sour flavors of rose, earth, and a hint of chocolate. It paired nicely with the chocolate that was available as well... beer and chocolate may be more versatile than wine and chocolate.

Definitely one of the more interesting beers I've tried, like a non-tart sour. If you like the style of sours, this beer is definitely worth a shot.

Day Forty-four

2010-02-13T22:33:00.001-08:00

I feel like I had such a great item to talk about, another classic entry in the "Things I don't quite care for" category, but for the life of me I can't remember it. Damn. To the wine then... a 2005 Hahn Estates Malbec from the Hook Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands, which is located in Monterey County.

Malbec's home in its native France is split between two main areas: Bordeaux, where it was used as a blending grape in the past (it's mostly gone out of fashion there), and Cahors, a small region in southwest France where the grape is called Côt and blended with Merlot and Tannat to produce pretty tannic wines. Currently, it's the star red grape of Argentina with a bit finding its way to the Central Coast and Sonoma County, where it's used in Bordeaux-based blends; some of the grapes are made into single-varietal wines, like this one. And remember how Pinot Noir was the "it" wine a few years ago because some movie said it was? Well, the pendulum has swung back and I would say that, at least based on my observations, Malbec has replaced Pinot as the wine of the moment.

This one's pretty dark colored... purple all the way through. Plum, blueberry, vanilla, violet, and spice on the nose. Plum, fig, raisin, blackberry, star anise, and some bitter herbs. Quite a fruit-forward wine, with well-integrated tannins and medium-low acidity. Drink up.

Now, as I've said before, I know this is a wine blog, but remember, I like other things too. Therefore, for the second installation of a theme week, starting tomorrow we will begin FeBREWary... for one week I will review interesting beers that I happen to encounter, with, as I've said before, the crown jewel hopefully coming on Monday when I can savor Pliny the Younger, which as of today is the highest-rated beer in the world according to the good folks on beeradvocate.com.

Don't groan, I have many more puns that are much, much worse.

Day Forty-three

2010-02-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

The wine that you cook with should always be good enough to drink on its own. So, here's the wine that I cooked with tonight: a 2007 A Mano Soave from the Soave appellation in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.

Soave is produced in the hills of the province of Verona, primarily from the Garganega grape. The grapes are vinified in stainless steel, so it maintains a light, fresh quality... it's a good match with food, preferably chicken, seafood, or pasta with olive oil.

The wine's light yellow, pretty much the same color as straw. I get honeydew, apple, pear, and hay on the nose... almost like a Chablis. The flavors I get are honeydew, dried herbs, light hay, and a crisp minerality... pretty high acidity too. Definitely a winner with a meal, and with most Soave at very affordable prices, definitely worth a try by all.

I'm watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics at the moment... I'm actually more of a Summer Olympics person, but Crotchy likes all the Olympics... so I suppose I have to show a vested interest in the Winter Olympics too. It's probably because she's Canadian or something.

However, when it comes to quadrennial sporting events, I'll take the World Cup over all.

And what was up with Nelly Furtado's shoes?

Day Forty-two

2010-02-11T22:22:00.001-08:00

Something quick, cheap, and easy tonight. But first, a correction to Tuesday's post...

I found the "official" equation for calculating units of alcohol (at least according to one of my wine books). The number of units equals the milliliters of the drink multiplied by the alcohol by volume, which is then divided by 1000.

So, Bigfoot, in a 12 oz (355 ml) bottle at 9.6% abv, contains 3.408 units of alcohol, while Guinness Draught, in an 11.2 oz (331 ml) bottle at 4.0% abv, contains 1.324 units of alcohol... so in actuality you'd need to drink about 2.5 bottles of Guinness in the same amount of time as one Bigfoot to get the same effect. You'd end up consuming fewer calories by drinking the Bigfoot.

The wine today is a Stonewood Cellars Merlot, a non-vintage Merlot from California. The write-up on the back label says, "No vintages to worry about, just America's favorite varietals at their flavor peak." Hmm... I sense mediocrity afoot. A dark red/purple, opaque color... I'm getting black and red cherry, rose, and some kind of sweetness... like the cherries are very overripe. Some sweet cherry and blackberry on the palate, but it's fleeting. Nice balance of tannin and acid, though. Food wine? Definitely, especially at under $7.

Day Forty-one

2010-02-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I found a place that will have the Younger on tap on Monday. And if what people are saying about it is true, this is going to be one hell of a beer.

So, in the beery mindset, here's something that Crotchy snagged from a party, a 940 ml bottle of Corona Familiar. Apparently, this beer is only available in Mexico; it's not imported to the States. How deep into Mexico you have to go to find it... I'm not sure. All I've seen in some travels down to Ensenada is regular old not-so-enticing Corona Extra. But this will be a fun one to review.

It's a little darker than Corona Extra, but that's not saying much... it still falls into the fizzy yellow beer category. The aroma is corny... that is, it smells like corn. A hint of malts as well. It tastes more malty than the Extra, almost like a very light amber lager, but not much happening in the flavor department. It's got the typical Corona finish to it... bleargh. I couldn't see sticking a wedge of lime in this to improve the flavor, though... it's not watered-down enough to warrant that death sentence.

And come Monday, of course there will be a review of Pliny the Younger.

Day Forty

2010-02-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

...and to prove my point, here's a Zinfandel that's listed as having 0.1% less alcohol than the 2007 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon.

But first... something I saw that really got my goat, a Men's Health feature from those "Eat This, Not That" fools... apparently, the Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is the "Worst beer in America." Really? Not a Belgian-style ale, which could contain actual Belgian sugar to increase the alcohol and provide additional flavor? OK, whatever, but then they list the healthier alternative to Bigfoot: a bottle of Guinness Draught. Wait, hold on here... we went from a Barley Wine to a not-so-weighty dry Irish Stout? Not exactly the same cup of tea here. Their excuse is "Beer gets most of its calories from the alcohol itself," which is true, but say I do want to get a good buzz and I have the option of Bigfoot or Guinness. Bigfoot has 304 calories (according to the article) and 9.6% abv... Guinness has 126 calories and 4.0% abv. I can drink one Bigfoot in ten minutes and feel pretty good, or, based on my skewed math, I can drink 2.4 bottles of Guinness in the same time frame as that one bottle of Bigfoot to get the same alcoholic effect. However, would the extra bottle-and-a-half of Guinness that I consumed water-down the alcohol and not make me feel as buzzed? May I actually have to drink more than those 2.4 beers to get the same effect?

And for some accurate math, 2.4 bottles of Guinness Draught equals 302 calories... but you know, you save two precious calories by drinking an equal alcoholic amount of Guinness than the Bigfoot. Woo. Guess I can skip out on four jumping jacks tonight.

In addition, if you scroll back to number 20 on the list, the "worst light beer" is Sam Adams Light... they suggest drinking Beck's Light instead. Have you actually tried those two? Sam Light is the only light beer that doesn't taste like fermented horse urine that's been watered down... it's actually got some depth of flavor. I've had the entire lineup of Beck's beer... I thought the most flavorful, and therefore my favorite, was the non-alcoholic. Yeah, take that for what it's worth.

If you want to get drunk without a lot of calories, shoot vodka... 95 calories per 1.5 ounce shot. And Men's Health, don't come off so high and mighty when you have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe find a beer expert who isn't afraid to get down-and-dirty with the topic, not the pansy who's currently doing the research and who's most extreme beer of choice is probably Corona Light.

Oh, right, the wine... a 2005 Zichichi Old Vine Zinfandel from the Zichichi Family Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. A violet/red color, barely transparent... I'm getting aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, black pepper, and tumeric (intriguing!). Medium-high acid and tannin, flavors of lightly sugar-coated strawberry, raspberry, and a small amount of raisin... tasty stuff. Not really jammy, but a good amount of sweet fruit. Very elegant and nuanced, more so than the Caymus, which I suppose was the original intent of this post, but I went off on a pretty long tangent.

Day Thirty-nine

2010-02-08T22:14:00.001-08:00

For the birthday, why not bust out something old school? The past few days have been quite nice, but where's the epic wine in all this hullabaloo? Well, right here.

1984 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon, a Bordeaux blend out of the Napa Valley. Well, actually, it should be from Rutherford, a sub-appellation within Napa Valley, as the grapes were grown on the estate in Rutherford, but Rutherford didn't become a designated area until 1991 so the label lists Napa as the origin of the grapes. Also, the winery has changed its name from Niebaum-Coppola (highlighting the winery's founder, Gustauve Niebaum, who started the winery as Inglenook in 1880, and current proprietor, Francis Ford Coppola, who bought most of the land owned by the winery in 1975 with profits from The Godfather) to Rubicon Estates.

Don't know the alcohol on this one, the label doesn't say (labeling laws weren't as strict back then as they are now), but I'm guessing it's somewhere between 12-13% abv (California wines were very much not the alcoholic bombs they can be today). Brick-colored, still with a bit of dark red in the center. The aromas I'm getting include cassis, black cherry, tobacco, leather, pencil lead, and a nice hit of that Rutherford Dust. The flavors include cassis, black cherry, leather forest floor, clove, anise, and a hint of black olive on the finish. As the wine opens, the black olive character dissipates. Man, the tannins are still here... they belie the wine's age. Nicely balanced with the acid as well... this wine was shown some love in its past, as its holding up incredibly well for being the same age I am.

This has a lot of the same subtleties as a good Bordeaux and it shows what once was and what can still be strived for with California Cabernet: a balanced, medium-alcohol wine with good fruit and undertones of earth, spice, etc., not the big, brash, overripe, in-you-face nuclear attack of fruit and alcohol that most of them are today... I mean look at Caymus... it has that modern hedonistic, berries-drenched-in-vanilla flavor, which can be nice, but their Cabernet usually tops out at over 15% alcohol... that's not a Cab percentage, that's a jammy Zin...

Day Thirty-eight

2010-02-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

Any one else notice this Super Bowl is dragging along? I've pretty much lost interest. I'm actually having more fun watching Puppy Bowl VI on Animal Planet.

Also, why is CBS showing spots for the Who from the 70s? Guess what CBS... they don't quite look like that anymore, nor do I expect them to be as energetic... not to mention that two of them are dead. And like every commercial break there's been an ad for Budweiser... and they've all sucked. Really? Anheuiser-Busch-InBev is the largest beer company in the world. Can't you put together anything better? But I suppose crappy product leads to crappy ads.

For our return to wine, here's a 2000 La Selvaccia Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello is a clone of Sangiovese and supposedly produces wine with a "superior" flavor. Brunello di Montalcino can only be made of 100% Brunello, unlike Chianti which can be a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and a few other grapes.

This wine's a brick red color and has a musty black cherry aroma, followed by dried cranberry, leather, wet earth, and oak. Still tannins in this ten-year-old wine and still fairly high acid. Cherry, cranberry, and leather flavors... a very nice Tuscan wine which would be even better when paired with beef or game. Definitely more chutzpah than a Chianti.

And thank you, Who, for playing every song that I knew you'd play but didn't want to hear. Also, thank you, CSI, for introducing the next generation to the most overplayed Who songs.

UPDATE 8:51 pm: Turns out the game wasn't half bad... especially because the team I wanted to win won. Now let the wondering commence on what would be if the Chargers hadn't released Drew Brees.

But this... I love this. Schadenfreude is the best kind of freude.

Day Thirty-seven

2010-02-06T23:29:00.001-08:00

And another night of moderate to heavy beer/spirits consumption. I know this is a wine blog, but I suppose I'm excused due to it being the weekend of my birthday... oh, and drunken Scrabble isn't as much fun as drunken Apples to Apples. Where's the edgy humor? You can't spell suggestive things without the right letters!

So no wine tonight... but I promise, tomorrow there will be wine, and on Monday I'll crack open something incredible.

The beer of the day is a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA... a golden/orange-colored beer with a white head. The smell is grapefruit, mango, flowers, and hops... this is one of those citrusy IPAs; I'm not really getting any piney notes. Medium carbonation... the flavor is a bit bitter with mango and white flowers and is very nicely balanced... it's hoppy, but the malts make this beer quite well-rounded.

Day Thirty-six

2010-02-05T22:06:00.001-08:00

So... OK. I've had a good amount to drink at this friendly gathering right now... I love drunken Apples to Apples. It's so wrong yet so right.

For today, since I have no wine where I'm currently at, and I'm at a bit of a loss to where exactly I'm at, I'll review some rum that I've had for quite a while, Angostura 1824, a 12-year-old, hand-bottled rum.

Aah, rum. My first love from the world of distilled spirits. Thanks to you, I upped my appreciation to whisky and Cognac, but you were the first... like the mistress who is past her prime yet still smokin' hot... you want to get rid of her for more "sophisticated" endeavors, but she still holds a place in your heart... remember your first love? Therefore, here is my favorite rum from my formative years. I struggle to find actual meaning in my last few sentences.

Not that rum is a "lesser" spirit, by no means... it has just as many nuances as Scotch or Cognac, and it's really quite good that it's the only spirit where you don't have to pawn your first-born to get a bottle of really old stuff. This rum is crafted in Trinidad (and most likely Tobago too) by the same folks who bring us Angostura Bitters. The Caribbean sure knows its rum.

An orange/red color. The dominant scent in this rum is flat Coca-Cola... and it smells delicious. Orange peels and brown sugar also play prominently in the aroma. The taste is incredibly smooth, with orange and brown sugar flavors and an incredibly warming feel as it dances down the gullet.

The best rum ever? Most likely. You need to try this... you will not be disappointed. Bullfrog's guarantee.

Day Thirty-five

2010-02-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a slow couple of days, so I have no bad grammar to report on or things I've found that I don't like to rant about.

Well, I suppose let's talk about Russian River's Pliny the Younger, which will be released tomorrow. It'll make its way down to my part of California starting Monday, but where exactly is it going and when will the kegs be tapped? I have a couple leads on where the beer will be on tap (it's only available on tap and in very limited quantities), but not when, and I want this beer! Once I find it and get a glass of this hoppy nectar, I'll review it... I expect it to be awesome.

If you know, please let me know and I'll give you major props in my review.

In the spirit of staying on-topic, the beer review today will be a vintage 2009 North Coast Brewing Co. Old Stock Ale. Like the last beer I reviewed, this is an Old Ale, meaning that this beer is... well, old. Traditionally, Old Ales (aka Stock Ales) were beers that had been allowed to age and then blended with young, "mild" ale to the preference of the customer. Old Ales in the modern age are dark, malty, and similar to Barley Wines.

Dark, brownish/red, pretty well carbonated with a light tan head. Getting fig, raisin, date, dried apricot, and brown sugar aromas. Bubbly mouthfeel and flavors of dark toast, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and a hint of chocolate. Contrary to what my description sounds like, it's not really sweet. Clocking in at 11.5% abv, it's quite easy to drink, although I wouldn't advise more than one per sitting... it's a beer to sip and savor, like a fine port.

Day Thirty-four

2010-02-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

Years ago, I was quite naïve about the world around me and I used to think that the music I liked was the best and everything else sucked. Classic Rock, early 90s Alternative, Jazz... that was the greatest music ever, no question about it. New, modern music couldn't hold a candle to any of my music! And now, being older, wiser, and hearing the music that's been produced over the last 15 years, I can look back at my former self and know, even back then, I was right.

It just occurred to me that I never commented on the Grammys... and that was the reason.

I liked Kings of Leon... liked... then I heard that one song eleventy billion times on the radio and now I can't stand hearing anything about them.

Oh man, I just saw a commercial on Food Network for an induction range... boil water in 90 seconds? Hell yeah I want one! Random tangent!

Let's move to a hipper subject: wine. Today's tipple is the 2006 Osborne Solaz, an 80% Tempranillo/20% Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Castilla in Spain. It's a dark brick red color. Raspberry and faint black cherry and leather aromas... I'm not really getting much from the nose... the alcohol is actually the most pronounced scent (only 13.5%). The flavors follow the aromas. More acids than tannins... it'd work quite well as a food wine. Not much on its own, but hey, at about $5 for the bottle, pretty darn good for the money.

Day Thirty-three

2010-02-02T22:29:00.001-08:00

A quick update today, as I'm in the final stages of fixing my desktop and I don't want to stay up too late tonight... unlike last night.

Today we have a wine that's been sitting in the wine fridge for a couple years, a 2004 Carina Cellars Syrah from the Tierra Alta Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley. Aside from having a climate well-suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County also does some mighty fine things with classic Rhône varietals such as Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier.

Funny story about Carina Cellars... whenever Crotchy and I go tasting in Santa Barbara, the Los Olivos tasting rooms (there's about 12 in a two-block radius), and specifically Carina, are always at the end of our trek (pending we get that far north). It's not by design, it just works out that way. As you can guess, after a difficult day of "research," by the time we get there, our taste buds are shot and our minds a bit befuddled... and that may be why we always think they have such good wine. Well, I'm clear-headed now, so let's see what this one's got.

It's a medium purple color, with a little bricking at the edges. I get smells of blueberry, cherry snow cone syrup, raspberry, and leather... very fruity, almost jammy like a Zin. For the flavors, we have blueberry preserves, blackberry, a little wild game meatiness, and a finish of Thompson seedless grapes... which makes it quite tart... yup, acid dominates.

And now, back to fiddling with the motherboard.

Day Thirty-two

2010-02-01T20:43:00.001-08:00

One month already? Time certainly flies when you're having fun.

We all remember my lament of the higher-up without any grammar skills? Well, I now have another story to share! Today's butchering of grammar involved more homonyms: he rambled off some introductory info in an email then followed it with, "And now, without further adieu..."

Again, we're all cool. Now to our first Bordeaux of the year! Now, Bordeaux is a complex mistress... it's not the cluster that Burgundy is, but still complex. The CliffsNotes:

Bordeaux is divided into the Left Bank and Right Bank... the region is split by the Gironde River. Left Bank wines are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Right Bank uses Merlot. We'll just talk about the Left Bank for now...

The main region on the Left Bank is the Médoc, the main subregion of that region is the Haut-Médoc, and that's divided into six main regions, the four most important being, from north-to-south, St. Estèphe (the most powerful wines), Pauillac (powerful yet elegant), St. Julien (more elegance than power), and Margaux (the most elegant). In their youth, though, all these wines are quite tannic and need time to open up.

Also, Haut-Médoc wines are classified into five "growths," but we'll get into that once I review a classified wine.

So, today's wine is a 2005 Château Lalande-Borie from St. Julien. The winemaker for this château also crafts the wine at a second-growth château in St. Julien, Ducru-Beaucaillou. This wine has a reddish purple color... it still looks very young. The aromas include black cherry, cassis, forest floor/dust, coffee, and a light scent of pencil shavings. The mouthfeel is quite velvety with flavors of cassis, blackberry, red cherry, red currant, black coffee, herbs... this wine really evolves in the glass. I initially poured it a bit above cellar temperature (around 62 degrees Fahrenheit), and by the time it got up to room temperature (68 degrees), the red fruits (and actually the fruit as a whole) became more prevalent. Big tannins, but not forceful... this wine could last for quite a while. This vintage was a great year for Bordeaux, and all the classified wines are quite epic, although the full potential for the best wines won't be realized for at least another 20 years.

A very nice wine, but like I said, a few more years would really bring it to its full potential.

And until tomorrow, I bid you all adieu.

Day Thirty-one

2010-01-31T21:32:00.000-08:00

Are "alternative" methods of sealing wine and beer evil? Do the screw-cap and the can deserved to be banned?

It's a new decade... I thought this debate would have ended by now, but I still help people who'll request a certain varietal/style of wine and I take them to what I feel is the best example, which happens to come in a bottle with a screw-cap, and of course, they immediately diss the method of closure and demand another wine, one that's "Sealed with a cork."

Coincidently, they don't seem to care if it's sealed with real cork or synthetic cork (essentially the same thing as a screw-cap, just "classier")... probably because you can't definitively tell unless you know beforehand or until you remove the capsule around the neck of the bottle.

Look at New Zealand, perhaps the best place to find Sauvignon Blanc in the world (at least in my opinion)... you'll be very hard-pressed to find a bottle of wine without a screw-cap. Does that make their wine inferior? Of course not, it's still damn good Sauvignon Blanc. Screw-caps aren't just for Boone's Farm anymore.

However, I'd say that screw-caps are best for wines that are going to be drunk right away (which about 98% of the world's wines are meant to be), as no one's quite sure yet how extended aging in a screw-capped bottle affects wine. Maybe cork allows a small amount of air into the bottle, which helps the wine age (again, no one's quite sure)... but who cares about that if you're drinking the wine two days after you buy the most recent vintage? And no cork taint!

Plus there's a whole lot of less-prestigious wine with cork or synthetic cork closures... not to name names or anything.

Furthermore, Bud/Miller/Coors has tarnished the idea of good beer in cans so thoroughly that craft beer drinkers tend to immediately look away from any beer in a can and go straight for a glass bottle. Cans have evolved to the point where they don't make the beer taste metallic, like the can itself (unless the beer is extremely light-bodied and sucks... like B/M/C). Plus, cans are lighter, easier to transport, easier to recycle, doesn't use as much material.

And that's my spiel. To put my money where my mouth is, today we'll open a screw-cap wine, a 2005 Gryphon Pinot Noir from California. Unlike the last "California" wine, where I wasn't sure exactly where the grapes came from, Gryphon's website says that the grapes for this one hail from Anderson Valley and Santa Lucia Highlands, both areas very good for Pinot Noir (although grapes from neither area make up 85% of the blend, hence no specific appellation listed).

A transparent, dark ruby color... strawberry, cherry, some raspberry, and light earthy aromas... strawberry, red cherry, and hints of pencil lead and cola flavors. Mellow tannins and acid, holding up quite well for a five-year-old Pinot. Maybe a screw-cap is kosher for short-term storage too? It's a big boy for a Pinot... 14.5% alcohol, but I can still see it being compatible with food, especially salmon, duck, or light pork dishes.

In conclusion, I urge you to try a screw-cap wine or canned craft beer... I guarantee they'll be just as good as wine bottles sealed with cork and glass beer bottles. Still not sold on box wine though... I'm treading carefully through those wines and not expecting much.

Day Thirty

2010-01-30T22:35:00.000-08:00

So... are Uggs still popular? I mean, outside of the vapid, mindless followers of a certain vapid, mindless heiress with questionable moral ethics (to put my feelings quite mildly), does anybody else wear them? I must have seen fifteen women wearing these monstrosities today, and it really made me wonder: is it still a fashion statement (or does it state that you have no fashion sense of your own)?

Are they comfortable? Hell yeah, I know they're incredibly comfortable... but that's all I can picture... I see them as being "slipper comfortable," like you wear them around the house. "Outside comfortable?" No, sorry, I think you look stupid.

Oh yeah, and essentially you're wearing fur... it's actual sheep skin, folks. Mary had a little lamb whose flayed skin kept her toes warm.

Then again, it could be a reflection of the women living around the location of my place of business... man, I drew a winning card, didn't I? Ugg-wearing, short skirt-flaunting, Chardonnay-swilling, middle-aged women... never play Crazy Eights with the Devil. Seriously... some of these women have more plastic than Mattel.

Ugh. And another blatantly obvious Avatar allusion? I grow weary of the poor storyline that I perceive this movie to have... especially that deleted scene that I already mentioned on Day 12. Pointless! The only scantily-clad blue being allowed on-screen should be Dr. Manhattan!

I suppose that I do like Avatar, though... without its success, what would I constantly bash? Ah well... OH! You remember that Scotch I reviewed, the Highland Park 18 Year? Well, what can you do with Scotch barrels after they've outlived their potential for Scotch? You can age beer in them! Thus we end up with today's review, a Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special 18 Reserve out of Scotland. What's even better, this beer was aged in casks that previously aged Highland Park 18 Year!

Bottled in January 2009... dark brown/black color with a small tan head... the carbonation dissipates rather quickly. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, caramel, and Scotchy goodness. It's got a smoky, peaty flavor framed by chocolate, caramel, and a little bit of oak. Due to the dissipated carbonation, it has a soft mouthfeel, also making it easy to drink. Clocking in at only 8% alcohol by volume, this Old Ale is a lot more manageable than most of the Stouts that spend time in Bourbon barrels, which, depending on the size of the bottle, can be too much for a solitary man to conquer.

Day Twenty-nine

2010-01-29T23:13:00.001-08:00

Great wine after great wine... it may be a while before I can top what we've tasted over the past seven days.

All the corks from the wines this week (save the Monte Bello, as that was sampled at the winery) are lined up in order, left to right... you can see I had a bit of trouble with the Syrah cork yesterday... a good occasion for an Ah-So... also, if anyone was wondering where to find all the wonderful wines from this past week, the Monte Bello, East Bench, Geyserville, and Syrah are most likely available at your local specialty wine shop... the Petite Sirah, Carignane, and today's wine are only available through the winery.

Now, yesterday I said the final wine for the week was "going to be sweet" and I meant it literally: the final wine in our Ridge adventure is a 2007 Zinfandel Dusi Ranch Late Harvest from the Dusi Ranch Vineyard in Paso Robles.

"Late harvest" means just what it sounds like: the grapes were left on the vine after they had ripened and were allowed to become overripe, thereby increasing the initial sugar level for the wine. Two extremes can result from this: you ferment normally and end up with moderate-alcohol and enough residual sugar to make it a dessert wine, or you ferment out all the sugar you can and end up with a dry table wine that's also a super-charged alcoholic bombshell. It looks like Ridge took a moderate stance here: still enough residual sugar to make it noticeable (1.4%) but enough fermented out to make you take notice of the alcohol (15.5%).

Pure, 100% Zinfandel, purple/brick red color... not as viscous as I imagined it to be. Very ripe raspberry, raisin, fig, and some ethanol make up the aromas... raspberry reduction sauce and stewed blackberry dominate the flavors, as well as some prune and ethanol (which dissipates as the wine opens up). Good acid, good tannins... actually not very sweet at all. You can tell that this is jammier and richer than Ridge's other Zins, but yeah, definitely not as sweet as I initially imagined this wine to be. It still works as a dessert wine (I'd pair it with chocolate truffles), but also it's not too sweet so it can work as a table wine as well (barbecue).

Thus we have come to the conclusion of Ridge week, but I'm certain a few more Ridge wines will find their way into the tasting notes within the next eleven months. Be sure to check out 4488: A Ridge Blog for the latest news regarding new releases, events at the wineries in Cupertino and Healdsburg, and good stuff overall.

Until tomorrow, farewell.

Day Twenty-eight

2010-01-28T23:36:00.000-08:00

"It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to."

As long as it keeps rolling, I will be its Sisyphus.

It's been quite the eventful day, between my desktop being on the fritz (a pitfall of building your own computer but not really "knowing" computers) and my lunch not agreeing with me... yes sir, it's been fun. But I feel better now, and thanks to the MacBook, we can continue uninterrupted.

I like Syrah. I definitely enjoy the French style (less fruit, more earth and subtlety) over the Australian style (jammy fruit, dominating the flavors); fortunately, well-made Californian Syrahs can walk the line between French Syrah and Australian Shiraz... the fruit flavors aren't over-the-top, but there's a good amount of secondary flavors under the fruit. I mention this because (surprise, surprise) today's Ridge wine is a 2005 Syrah Lytton West from the Lytton West Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. This wine is a blend of 94% Syrah and 6% Viogner... that's right, a white wine blended with a red. This Syrah takes a nod from the Côte-Rôtie region of the Northern Rhône in France, where up to 20% Viognier is allowed to be blended with Syrah. The Viognier adds floral notes to the wine and, in the right amounts, actually deepens the color while lessening the overall tannins of Syrah.

Purple/garnet color, aromas of blueberry preserves, blackberry, violet, white pepper, and some old saddle leather. The nose is quite intriguing; it draws you in... flavors of blueberry, stewed blackberry, and licorice. A good tannic grip, but it's not overpowering. The Viognier balances the wine nicely... it really walks the line between the jammy Australian Shiraz and a Côte-Rôtie.

Tomorrow we'll finish up Ridge week with a fitting cap to our adventure... it's going to be sweet.

Oh, and I know, but I can't find my copy of Catcher in the Rye at the moment, so we'll have to suffice with a novel from one of Salinger's influences.

Day Twenty-seven

2010-01-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching a show called MANswers on Spike (this past weekend our DVR happened to delete all the shows on it, so I was kind of stuck... guess we'll never be able to watch Michael J. Fox: Incurable Optimist... we'd been saving that since last May). An... interesting show? I'm not sure... I leaned a few things, I guess, but most of it involved hot air and hooters. I really wish I didn't learn what went into skin creams...

In other news, today I attended an event that makes me proud to work in the wine business: industry tasting! I found a few tasty items (which may or may not be reviewed later), but the highlight (lowlight?) was Chocovine... today was the first time that I tasted this... drink... that I've heard people rave about. It's a blend of "Fine French Cabernet" and Dutch chocolate, combined to look like a cream liquor; the first time I heard about and saw this, I immediately thought, "Disgusting." But now that I've tried it... I would wholeheartedly agree with my first assessment. It was very thick and viscous and it tasted like a blend of chocolate condensed milk and ethanol. I got no "French Cabernet" flavors out of it, and frankly it tasted like super-creamy chocolate Bailey's. I don't like cream liquors to begin with, and the Chocovine was very off-putting. Perhaps a good substitute for Irish Cream, but not as it's marketed: a dessert wine.

Because, honestly, how does Jerry Bullfrog feel about flavor additives in wine? Yeah...

Now we come to today's review, a bottle of the (currently) oldest Ridge in my collection, a 2003 Geyserville from the western edge of Alexander Valley in Sonoma County. Aside from the Monte Bello blends, the Geyserville blends are Ridge's go-to wines, a Zinfandel blend that varies year to year. The 2003 blend was made up of 76% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, and 6% Petite Sirah.

Reddish purple in color and transparent at the edges... stewed raspberry, dried strawberry, blackcurrant, and herbs in the aroma, as well as a little bit of musty earthiness, but in the best meaning of the term... my olfactory regions tell me there isn't any cork taint in this bottle, possibly just a result of age. And the flavors... at this point, perfect acid, perfect tannins. Ripe raspberry, leather, and a little cherry in the finish. Drink this wine now for the right balance of tannins, acid, fruit, and maximum enjoyment.

Oh, if anyone was wondering, I said "currently" because the oldest bottle of Ridge that I've had in my collection and had the pleasure to enjoy was a 1984 Monte Bello... and after 25 years it was still going strong.

Day Twenty-six

2010-01-26T22:21:00.001-08:00

I had a nice chat today with someone about the differences between Zinfandel, Zinfandel rosé, and White Zin. After conversing for a while, he told me that his wife only drinks White Zin, but he wants her to be more "serious" with wine consumption. I persuaded him to try a drier Zinfandel rosé (similar flavors, not as sweet), and an off-dry/medium sweet Riesling to hit that sweet tooth. Small victories like that make me happy.

I also had a discussion, for the second time in three days, about the merits--or lack thereof--of Nickelback. Y'know, I feel that I don't even need to touch that one. Anything I say about Nickelback's style of "music" will be agreed upon by the reader... for we may not always agree on wines, but we will always agree on Nickelback being the epitome of a craptacular band.

Today from Ridge, we have a 2006 Carignane Buchignani Ranch from the Buchignani Ranch vineyard on the northwestern edge of Alexander Valley. This is old vine Carignane (even though that phrase has no legal definition, I checked and all the grapes going into this wine come from at least 50-year-old vines), indicating that the flavors will be more concentrated than if younger vines had been utilized.

A bit about Carignane (or Carignan if you happen to be European): Until about 1988, it was France's most widely-planted grape (since overtaken by Merlot); most of the acreage was and still is found in southern France, especially in the Languedoc region... some is also grown in Spain, notably its native region of Cariñena. In Europe, it's mostly used as a blending grape in basic French vin de table (Table wine, the lowest designation of French wine); in California, it's mostly used as a blending grape in box and jug wines (coincidentally, the unofficial lowest designation of Californian wine). However, this one's 100% Carignane.

I haven't had much varietally-labeled Carignane before, so I'm not sure what to expect going in. Nosedive...

This is another very dark wine that light can't seem to penetrate, although it's more ruby in color rather than the purple found in the Petite Sirah. Aromas of cherry and a little licorice and clove

Fairly high acidity, tannins seem to have almost integrated completely... I'm getting good acid but really no tannins. It finishes with cherry and vanilla.

A very easy-to-drink wine... if you're trying to get into reds, this would be a good introduction. Nothing forceful, just a nice, soft, easy-to-like red.

Day Twenty-five

2010-01-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

Welly well well wellington... back after a few days out of town and ready to get back into the swing of things. We'll go quickly on this post, as I'm a bit tired after driving around 400 miles.

Coming in at number three in Ridge week is the varietal they're famous for: Zinfandel. This is a 2007 Zinfandel East Bench out of Dry Creek Valley. The grapes for this wine come from the eastern borderlands of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County that separate this appellation from the Alexander Valley appellation. Also, this is only the second vintage that Ridge has produced wine exclusively from these grapes.

The blend is 92% Zinfandel and 8% Petite Sirah. Dark purple, lighter at the edges, and opaque. Interesting... this runs contrary to what I learned while training to be a sommelier (I am, so I actually do have the credentials to somewhat know what I'm talking about) that one of the telltale traits of a Zin is that you can see through it. This may be the result of the Petite Sirah in the blend, though.

A menage of interesting scents... raspberry, blackberry, and other bramble and candied fruits, ginger, and black pepper. I've never really smelled ginger in a wine before... the sushi buff part of me says it's nice. I'm also only getting a hint of ethanol... the 15.4% alcohol led me to believe that a boozy smell would be much more prevalent. It's all nicely integrated. The flavors include blackberry, raspberry, prune, a good dollop of red cherry, and a little black pepper. Good tannins and acid, but the tannins are more prevalent. Also, it's not an over-the-top fruit bomb, and I like that.

At this point, it's a very nice, fruity Zin, but couple years aging on this one will bring everything together in perfect harmony. As wonderful as the 2007 vintage was in California, to get the real essence of that year, the wines still need to age a bit.

Day Twenty-four

2010-01-24T23:27:00.001-08:00

Day two of Ridge week! Today's wine may be one of the heaviest, most brooding wines that they craft (reminds me of myself as a teenager), as this grape is known for producing powerhouse reds.

But first, I must confess to partaking in another wine earlier today that, like the Ridge Chardonnay yesterday, I must mention. At dinner tonight, Crotchy and I split a bottle of 1997 Domaines Schlumberger Gewürztraminer Grand Cru Kitterlé from Alsace. Thursday it was a Burgundian Grand Cru, today it's an Alsatian. Like Burgundy, Alsatian grand crus come from single vineyard sites, but Alsatian grand crus are usually only made in the finest vintages. The wine was a deep golden color and contained scents of honey, lychee, orange peel, white flowers, and apricot. The flavors included honey, peach, nectarine, and some ginger and allspice. It was quite viscous as well... much more so than an off-dry white wine normally would be.

Like the Ridge Chardonnay, another example of a white wine that has aged gracefully.

But now, the reason we're all here... today's Ridge is the 2004 Petite Sirah Dynamite Hill from the Dynamite Hill section of the York Creek Vineyard in the Spring Mountain District, all located in northwestern Napa County. With this designation, it's a bit like a small Burgundian producer who only has a few rows of vines in a Grand Cru vineyard but makes his own wine, albeit a few barrels at most... you know exactly where these grapes came from in the vineyard. Terroir at its finest.

So, Petite Sirah... where does that name fall within the spectrum of Syrah/Shiraz? Actually, it's a completely different grape, also known as Durif (although Petite Sirah/Durif itself is a cross of Syrah and Peloursin, but don't worry about that. You won't be tested on grape genetics). Don't let the name fool you though... there's nothing petite about wines from this varietal. It's known for big, tannic, juicy wines that can knock you in the face with a sledgehammer if you're not prepared for the onslaught. Even with this wine being 100% Petite Sirah, I know it'll be more elegant than others, though.

This wine's very dark purple, a little lighter at the edges. Also, it's totally opaque... if there was a black hole of a wine from which light couldn't escape, petite sirah would be that wine. The smell jumps out of the glass and hits me... I have it sitting on the table about two feet away from me and I can still make out berry aromas. Let's go in for a closer look... I get blackberry, blueberry, tar, black pepper, some forest floor funk, and a slight amount of oakiness, represented by clove, cinnamon, and vanilla. And the taste... it has sprightly acidity and, for a full-bodied Petite, the tannins are quite manageable and don't dominate the finish. The flavors include blueberry, plum, cassis, tar, and leather.

The only downside is, like with all Petite Sirahs, the dark, impenetrable purple color stains teeth pretty easily. In this situation with this wine though, it's very much worth it.

Day Twenty-three

2010-01-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

In my tastings, I sometimes come across wineries that have an extensive portfolio of wonderful wines... nearly everything produced is a world-class example of a particular grape varietal or style. As such, of course I'll have a selection of wines from these wineries because, hey, it's what I do. So, to preach the greatness of these particular wineries, from time to time I'll have a "theme week" where I'll only review wines from one winery. To kick off the first day of the first theme week, I found something good...

Crotchy and I drove a bit and scaled the Monte Bello Ridge to get to Ridge Vineyards today. I've collected quite a few bottles of their wines over the years; their reputation is primarily based on the selection of zinfandels they produce from the North and Central Coasts. The zinfandels and other wines were definitely good, but one wine stood out... well, actually two: the first, a 1992 Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz Mountains that they broke out from their cellar was, in a word, wow. Golden, viscous, honey and a slight nuttiness in scent and flavor... I've never had a chardonnay that had been aged that much and had aged so gracefully. Quite the experience. However, this review focuses on the wine that was poured immediately after that chardonnay: the 2006 Ridge Monte Bello from the Monte Bello Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Monte Bello is a cabernet sauvignon-based wine that puts Ridge's reputation oner the top. The 1971 vintage of this wine was included in the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 (if you've seen Bottleshock, you've heard of this tasting), where it took fifth place... in the re-judging of the same wines 30 years later, it took first. This vintage is composed of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 10% petit verdot, and 2% cabernet franc.

Poured from a 375 mL bottle that was double-decanted... a lovely violet red color. Aromas of black cherry, blackberry, and a slight hint of an herbaceous scent (possibly due to the cabernet franc). It smells quite classy and definitely not full of the vanilla and oak scents found in many other high-end California cabernets. The taste includes cranberry, black cherry, cassis, and a bit of leather. The tannins aren't as strong as I imagined them to be, even after the double-decanting. Even so, the finish lasts for minutes. Excellent now, but this wine would benefit from another 10 or 15 years aging to bring everything together in a symphony.

If California classified its vineyards and wineries like Bordeaux, this wine would easily achieve First Growth status. I'm certainly looking forward to the wines this week...

Day Twenty-two

2010-01-22T02:25:00.000-08:00

I'm totally wired on a whole lot of espresso and have a few hours left in me, so I dug deep, deep, deep into the darkest recesses of my wine collection and pulled out quite the gem. Not because I believe it's any good, but because it gives me an excellent opportunity to go on a caffeine-induced tirade.

Here we have what I consider one of the most useless waste of grapes in the world of wine, a style I wish was never created, and, sadly, the most popular wine for older women who don't like chardonnay: almond-flavored sparkling wine.

To start, here's my theory about almond-flavored sparkling wine: any different brands that you come across all originated from the same winery from grapes grown way out in BFE, California... the same product is in every bottle. Take the two that I work with every day, Wilson Creek and Weibel, and this one that I'll be opening in a bit, the non-vintage Foothill Vineyards Almond Champagne Private Cuvée. Again, allow me to reiterate: Champagne is from France. This mangled wine doesn't even deserve to be in the same sport as a Cristal or Veuve. But I digress... look on the back label... each will say something like, "Produced and bottled by: (name of winery that sells it), Woodbridge, CA." You're telling me that there's at least three different wineries in Woodbridge that all produce this? I don't think so. Don't believe me? Look at the alcohol percentage on each one... they all clock in at 11%. So, three different wineries, all located in the same town, each produce a different almond-flavored sparkling wine and each just happens to have the exact same alcohol by volume? I have serious doubts about the provenance of all these wines.

And don't tell me that the almond flavoring used may be different in each wine, because I guarantee that it isn't. Hell, if I had some almond extract and a bottle of André Spumante I could probably make a product just as good if not better than anything on the market.

I don't know... is this stuff even popular outside of California? Could some of the readers confirm or deny this?

What's even worse is that the same product, under different names, has different prices depending on the brand you buy. Weibel is $5 cheaper than Wilson Creek, but do I sell more Weibel than Wilson Creek? Of course not. I probably sell 10 cases of Wilson Creek for every case of Weibel. The folks buying this wine want the bottle from the winery they've heard of and may have been to, even though the grapes all come from the same place, which is nowhere near where the Wilson Creek winery is located: Temecula.

And now allow me to begin the review:

I control the popping of the cork and it opens with a hiss like that of the serpent in the Garden of Eden... it bubbles with the consistency of Sprite. The aromas are split between bitter and candied almond. The mouthfeel is actually quite flat and it tastes like the mystery flavor in those packaged fruit snacks you got in your lunch in elementary school. Oh man, I loved Thunder Jets.

Not disagreeable in flavor per se, I see why people like it, but there is still so much wrong with gerrymandering the natural fruit of the vine.

Five minutes later, the bubbles are gone and the wine is flat.

Do I have a personal beef with this particular winery? Of course not. Is my beef with this particular style of fermented beverage? Oh my quite certainly. I'm hesitant to even call this stuff wine... aside from it's implications of being like Champagne, calling it wine would imply that it's on the same level as sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, etc... Stella Rosa has a better claim to being wine than this excuse for undistilled brandy. It's unnatural!

Oh, but if you do like this stuff, please do me a favor and break the cycle by buying the least expensive brand you can find. K thx bi.

Day Twenty-one

2010-01-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

All right, remember the post where I shared my displeasure with California chardonnay? Well, here's a review of the kind of chardonnay that makes me stop in my tracks and say, "Hello, ma'am."

I was driving around aimlessly (as I so often do) and decided to stop in at one of the wine shops that I frequent. This shop has one of those Enomatic Wine Dispensers for tastings, so for a nominal fee and the push of a button, wine will be in your glass. I scanned the available wines and one struck me as a must try: a 2006 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru.

I don't have a photo of the bottle because I didn't expect to taste wine, so I didn't have my camera. But here's someone else's photo of the label.

This vintage was a pretty good year for white Burgundy (vintages are quite important in Burgundy, as weather has a big effect on the grapes in this region). But a bit about Burgundy first: it's a confusing cluster of appellations, vineyards (each vineyard having its own appellation), and classifications. Take this Corton-Charlemagne: it comes from the Corton-Charlemagne vineyard (a Grand Cru vineyard, the highest classification of Burgundian wine, of which there are 32 total, not counting the seven Chablis Grand Cru vineyards, which are another story), which is located within the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny, which is located within the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. This vineyard has dozens of owners thanks to the inheritance laws of Napoleon and can only be planted with chardonnay... most owners/growers sell their small bit of grapes to a négociant (Maison Louis Jadot in this instance), who blends and bottles the wine.

Rumor is that the vineyard was named Corton-Charlemagne because it was planted with white grapes at the request of Emperor Charlemagne's wife, who preferred that he drink white wines so his beard wouldn't constantly be stained.

There's a whole lot more to Burgundy than this... all the different vineyards/appellations (over 500), classifications from Grand Cru down to Bourgogne Rouge/Blanc, all the different areas... we'll get there later this year.

But for now, the wine at hand... it's a lovely golden color. The aromas don't jump out of the glass, but they sure do leap gracefully... lemon, honey, green apple, pear, and chalky minerals. A creamy mouthfeel... the flavors include the minerals along with lemon curd, tropical fruit, toasted nuts, and vanilla. It's quite acidic and a bit tannic for a chardonnay, but I expected a lot of structure... good white Burgundies need a few years to mellow and reveal their full potential. The finish lingers for quite a bit.

So, how is it? Totally worth it. A few more years and it'll be even better. As somebody who doesn't particularly care for chardonnay, this is quite possibly one of the best chardonnays I've had. This is what chardonnay should taste like.

Day Twenty

2010-01-20T01:12:00.000-08:00

My thirst has not been quenched for the night, but I find myself at a crossroads... I still don't want to try my luck with wine and I'm through with spirits for the night, so that leaves us with beer... but the two beers I put in the fridge are pretty high-octane stuff and I don't really feel like a powerful ale... both are from Stone, one's an Imperial Russian Stout and one's an Old Guardian. Well, go big or go home I suppose.

This beer is the 2009 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale... 11.3% alcohol by volume. It's been about a year since it was released, so let's see how it's maturing.

Barley wines are a particularly strong breed of beers and called barley wine because they can reach the alcoholic strength of grape wine.

Popped the cap and it floweth over mightily... but only lost a little in the transfer to the glass. Rusted orange color. Smells like Grand Marnier, orange juice, and a malty sweetness. Sticky mouthfeel with flavors of burnt sugar (maybe blackstrap molasses?), booze, malts and grains, and a very bitter but toffee-like finish. Interesting now, but it still needs some time to age. Luckily, I have some vintage 2007 Old Guardian as well, so we'll get to that sooner rather than later.

Day Nineteen

2010-01-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

Well I'll be gosh-diddily-darned.

It happened again. The wine I opened to review, a 2003 Mak Coonawarra from Coonawarra, Australia, is corked. How do you know if a wine is corked? Well, first, is it sealed with actual cork and not a synthetic cork or screw cap? Second, does it smell like wet newspaper and taste like wet cardboard? In that case, I'm afraid that your wine is infected with 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA for short). Don't worry, you'll smell it... the human olfactory system can detect TCA down to parts per trillion... it's that unmistakable. It won't hurt you, either... you can drink the wine without worry, it may just taste a bit unpleasant.

TCA affects anywhere from less than 1% to around 10% of all wines, depending on who you ask. You don't know and won't know if you have an infected wine until you open it. TCA can also infect barrels, pipes, hoses, and other equipment in a winery, in which case the percentage of bottles with cork taint will be much higher.

I want to get rid of these wines, but I'm a bit hesitant to open my fourth bottle in two days... I might be heartbroken a third time. Don't have any cold beer at the moment... I suppose I'll have to undertake my first spirits review!

If there's one thing I love just as much as wine and beer, it's Scotchy Scotch Scotch. But Scotch whisky is a confusing mistress. First, here's the CliffsNotes on how Scotch is made:

Most importantly, you need to be in Scotland. Then you get some barley and steep it in water until it germinates and enzymes break down the starch. The barley is dried with smoke (usually with some peat) then ground up and added to boiling water; starches are converted into sugars via those enzymes, yeast is added, it ferments, and you end up with a crappy-tasting beer that's then distilled in pot stills two or three times (depending on the location and producer) and transferred to oak barrels that have previously been used for maturing Bourbon, Sherry, Port, etc. How long in oak? However the bloody heck long you want it in oak! Although you will lose a portion of your product due to evaporation the longer it sits in oak... about 1.5 % each year. This is called the "Angel's share." Assemble a blend of all your barrels (or sell it as single barrel Scotch), add water to cut the strength (or sell it as "cask strength"), bottle it, and you're good to go.

Old Bourbon barrels are probably the most popular barrel for Scotch, as they're quite plentiful due to the law that requires every batch of Bourbon to be aged in new barrels.

So, this Scotch that I'm drinking... an 18 Year Old Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The label tells us that this is a single malt, meaning this whisky is 100% malted (steeped in water and germinated) barley whisky from a single distillery... if other grains aside from barley were used in creating this Scotch, it legally couldn't be called single malt. The age tells us that the youngest whisky in this bottle has been aged in cask for at least 18 years. Also, the Highland Park Distillery is the most northern distillery in Scotland, located on the Orkney Islands.

Poured from a 50 mL mini bottle that I had... added a smidgen of water to release the esters. Very nice pale golden color. In the nose there's honey, moss, herbs, smoke, and floral scents. Smoke, honey, peat, a little taste of salted nuts and sea air and a very dry finish of oak make up the flavors. Incredibly smooth too, no harsh burn. If I could afford it regularly, I think this would be my go-to Scotch.

Oh, and generally, whiskey is how it's spelled when referring to American or Irish whiskeys; whisky is how it's spelled when referring to whiskies from anywhere else.

Day Eighteen

2010-01-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Conversation of the day:

"Hi, I'm looking for a red wine... now I forget the name of it or even what it was, but it was really good! I know it had a picture of a tree etched on the label, but I don't know anything else about it."

"OK... did you buy it here?"

"No, I actually forget where it came from, but it wasn't from here."

You could substitute this situation for any job that sells any goods in the retail marketplace and I know it's no easier for anyone else.

In other news, it finally happened. I originally intended to review a different wine, a 2005 Witch Creek Winery Mourvèdre from Cucamonga Valley, but upon opening and tasting it, I discovered that it had become vinegar. That, or the bottle is tainted... not cork taint, this is that acidic funk from brettanomyces or lactobacillus... great for sour beers, not great for wine.

So, we've moved on to a 2006 Wattle Creek Shiraz from Alexander Valley. Shiraz, eh? Most American producers prefer the French "Syrah" to the Australian "Shiraz" in regards to the name of the grape... unless the wine's based on an Aussie style. So let's see.

Dark purple color. The aromas jump out of the glass... chocolate-covered blueberries, blackberries and cream, and vanilla. For flavors, there's vanilla, blackberry, chocolate, mocha, and white pepper. Some tannins, but not much. This is definitely based on those big bombastic Aussie shirazes... a nuclear explosion of fruit and not much subtlety.

Day Seventeen

2010-01-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

(The following paragraph has been censored due to my personal thoughts on the Jets/Chargers game being quite volatile.)

The wine waits at least another year.

I've been drinking beer from San Diego all day, and the best one was the Alesmith Grand Cru Ale, made in the style of a Belgian strong dark ale. Reddish amber color. Smells just like applesauce. Flavors of caramel apple and Fuji apple and has a finish of orange pulp.

I don't feel much like writing. Insult someone, throw in some suggestive humor, bam, there's my normal post.