Now that we’re a couple of months into 2010, I took a look back at the wines I tried in 2009 and present to you my list of Favorite Red Wines of 2009! Fave 2009 Whites coming soon!

• Pine & Post Cab Sauv – $9
• Simonnet-Febvre Pinot Noir – ~ $10
• Finca el Origen Malbec – $11
• Lucky Star Pinot Noir - $9
• Mark West Sonoma County Pinot Noir – $12
• Memo Montepulciano – $11
• Morande Pionero Pinot Noir – $10
• Spellbound Petite Syrah – $13
• Alexander Valley Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – $?
• Angeline Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – $14
• Oyster Bay Pinot Noir – $15
• G5 Puerta Bonita Garnacha – $15
• Eos Estate Zinfandel and Petite Syrah – $15ish? and $16
• Bliss Cab Sauv – $15
• Chateau Fantin Bordeaux Superioeur – $16
• Big Fire Pinot Noir – $18
• Poppy Pinot Noir – $16
• Rivola Sardon de Duero Cab Sauv – $17
• Vina Robles Cav Sauv – ~ $18
• Le Signal Domaine Ligneres Carignan – $19
• Murphy-Goode Cab Sauv – $20
• Wirra Wirra Church Block Cab Sauv – $20
• Chateau Robin Cotes De Castillion – $22
• Louis M. Martini Cab Sauv – $15-$20
• L’Oustal Blanc Minervois – $21
• Twenty Rows Cab Sauv – $23
• Oberon Cab Sauv – $24
• Molnar Family Pinot Noir – $26
• Douglas Green Shiraz Reserve – $20ish?
• Obsidian Ridge Cab Sauv – $29
• Patricia Green Pinot Noir – $30
• Hartford Zinfandel – $30
• Chateau Rollan de By Medoc – $30
• Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir – $??
• Anne Amie Pinot Noir – $??

A New Year’s Eve wine, this Molnar Family Pinot Noir was a treat to help ring in the new year during our celebrations with friends in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Coincidentally, I’ve recently written about another wine called Obsidian Ridge – it just so happens that Molnar Family and Obsidian Ridge are made by the same great folks over at the Tricycle Wine Co. (remember the cool Fly Over video?) That’s one of the things I love about delving just a bit deeper into wine – you start running across the same names and the same locales… winemakers coming and going to different wineries, family-owned and generational vineyards, fun collaborations between top talent. You really start to see the wine community as an evolving organism in itself. And at the same time, it reminds me of the music industry – nothing is ever set in stone, each artist is always trying to create something new and different, maybe even inspiring… and it’s so fun when different artists join forces and learn from each other about the craft they love so much. I get the feeling it might be a similar world in the wine craft.

If you’re interested in the more technical aspects of the wine making as it relates to the climate and geological/topographical features of the land, then be sure to check out their description of the Poseidon Vineyard where these grapes originate (here’s a short snippet from their site):

At high tide the river tastes of salt, a reminder of the sea’s proximity and reach as well as an inspiration for the name Poseidon. Pacific winds blow through the Petaluma Gap from the west and bring cooling fog throughout the spring, summer, and fall, tempering the generosity of California sun. Although Poseidon was the god of water, in his additional role of god of earthquakes he created the uplifted Mayacamas Range, which provides the soils and gravel of our vineyard.

With this inaugural New Year’s Eve beauty, you’ll find a beautiful ruby-hued wine with very fresh berry flavors and a great balance with the tannins. If you like the Morande Pionero Pinot Noir, then you’d LOVE this Molnar (except for the price difference). Give it a try with this yummy baked brie and mushroom appetizer – you won’t be sorry! Even better, if you’re lazy in the kitchen like I am, don’t even worry about the thyme and just use pre-sliced, pre-washed white or baby bella mushrooms from the grocery store. Easy.

Origin: Carneros, Napa Valley, California
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $26
Next time: Get a glass!

This Obsidian Ridge Cab Sauv hails from Napa in California. It’s part of a wine group called Tricycle Wine Company (cute, huh?). I encourage you to check out a cool video on their site – get to know the three top wine dudes and their variety of vineyards.

When I picked up this new bottle at Highland Wine, they likened it to this other favorite of mine: Chateau Rollan de By Medoc. And they were right! This Cab is a little gem. I haven’t tasted these two favorites side by side, so I wonder which one I would like better – maybe that’s an experiment for the future.

This, like the last two posts, was one of my birthday tastings and ended up being my favorite one of the night. This Cab’s a bit on the lighter side for a Cab, but it still has enough tannins to stand up to a meal. Great flavors all around – highly recommended!

Definitely check out their website to view the Fly Over video I mentioned as well as the fun bios of the talented folks involved, as well as the story of how this vineyard came to be in the new Red Hills area of Napa.

Origin: Red Hills in Napa, California
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $30
Next time: Get a glass!

The other night, Highland Wine and DBA Barbecue hosted a great wine-tasting centered around wine-pairing with… you guessed it… BBQ! It was really fun, and I enjoyed snacking (making a meal) on the big variety of appetizers and sampler dishes they brought out.

Here’s what we tried:

N.V. Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava ($12) to go with pulled pork and smoked chicken – This was my favorite wine of the night. Stunningly delicious – so fresh and crisp with light sweetness. Now that the weather’s getting chillier, this was a punch of springtime. I’m going back for some bottles of this!

2007 Petit Rimauresq Rose Grenache/Cinsault (Provence, France: $15) with wings and smoked turkey – This rose was more dense and mellow compared to the first wine. Less spring-like and crisp, it reminded me more of baked fruit, maybe like apricots in its heavier qualities. Not bad, but I’d rather have two bottles of the first one and skip this one next time.

2008 Bauer Haus Riesling QBA (Nahe, Germany: $13) to accompany white cheese and corn muffins with honey butter – SUPER SWEET! If your friend likes White Zinfandel, give her this instead. A little of this sweet wine would go a long way for me, but I think it would be really awesome with a spicy asian dish. I’d love a slightly less sweet version of this wine, but I would definitely not turn down a glass of this Riesling.

2008 Terra Antiga Vinho Verde (Portugal: $13) to pair with oysters on the half shell – Ah, one of my new favorite wines from this summer. It’s like honeysuckle. Go get a bottle if you haven’t already. It’s awesome. I didn’t try it with the oysters (they were out of season, and I don’t like raw oysters… enough said)

2007 Winzer Krems Gruner Veltliner (Austria: $13) with bacon wrapped shrimp and boiled peanuts – Nice light sweetness but high on the citrus flavors. It paired well with the shrimp, but overall I wanted less citrus and less acid.

2006 Flora Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (Napa, CA: $21) to go with deviled eggs – I said “no, thanks” to the deviled eggs, but for folks who like a mild oaky, buttery Chardonnay, you’ll like this Flora Springs. For non-oaky, non-buttery Charddonay fans, skip this one and get a Le Chat Rouge instead.

2007 Umani Ronchi Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (Italy: $13) to accompany frog legs and grilled portabella sandwich – This was my favorite red wine of the tasting. It was mild and fruit-forward, not overpowering, just a great humble wine. I see a few bottles of this coming my way soon.

2007 Finca El Origen Malbec Reserva Mendoza (Argentina: $11) to pair with pulled pork salad – This wine packed a punch in terms of jammy and spicy. I didn’t dislike it but I never embraced it either.

2008 Penelop Sanchez tinto Joven (Spain: $14) with brunswick stew – As with most grenaches, the high tannins didn’t deliver the experience I wanted. When paired with a heavy stew, the tannins would be balanced better, but still…

2007 R&B Swingsville Zinfandel ($12) with andouille sausage, red beans, and rice – I think I tried this wine back in the summer at the Smyrna Wine Festival. Recommended.

2006 Vaca Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Small Lot Reserve ($14) with Texas beef brisket – EXCELLENT Cab. Medium tannins (but goes great with food), some spice but not overly so, and full-flavored. Go get some!

2005 d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz-Grenache (Australia: $17) to parnter wth Carolina-style spare ribs – This wine was enjoyable and it definitely goes great with a big piece of meat.

2007 Opolo Vineyards Summit Creek Zinfandel ($21) paired with baby back ribs – Reminded me of a port in its dessert wine similarities. Lots of caramel flavors. I prefer a lighter zinfandel to this dessert bomb but it was fun to drink. Skip mentioned it would pair with chocolate really well… I might have to try that one at some point. A Vosges Barcelona Bar would do the trick.

Wyatt and I were recently on vacation with his parents in Bald Head Island, North Carolina — a beautiful, quaint town off the coast near Southport and Wilmington. Hauling over quite a few bottles of wine on the ferry proved to be well worth the muscle power! Our first night there, we tried the 2007 Spellbound Petite Sirah from Napa, California. WOW! I’d read a bit about Petite Sirah but mostly just remembered that it’s nothing like regular Sirah/Shiraz (who knows why they’re named as if they were). This wine was smooth and velvety – great fruit flavor but heavier and more subtle than my usual Pinot Noir faves. The tannins weren’t offensive! They complemented the wine perfectly.

I wasn’t surprised when I found the Spellbound website only to discover that Rob Mondavi (son of THE Robert Mondavi) is one of the folks behind this lovely and delicious concoction.

In addition to the Petite Sirah, the Spellbound line also offers Cab Sauv, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Old Vine Zin. These are on my list to try in the future!

Next time: Get a case!
Origin: Napa, California
Where: Highland Wine & Crystal
Price: $13.50