This Deep Purple Zin is a really fun wine. First off, it tastes excellent. Second, the label is rockin’! If you’re into Mardi Gras, Jimi Hendrix, and Zinfandel, then this wine is for you. It’s definitely fruity and jammy but without being a horrible fruit bomb. It’s just very rich and tasty – not heavy on the tannins, much more focus on the fruit. Kind of a heavy version of a new world Pinot Noir.

Thanks, Kari, for sharing this wine with me!

Origin: Lodi, California
Where: From a Friend! Looking into it…
Price: around $13
Next time: Get a glass!

A while ago, I got a promotional email from Snooth.com, advertising a special on Cameron Hughes wine – a case of 12 (3 each of 4 wines) for a great price, and it included free shipping. I’d never heard of Cameron Hughes, but I decided to give it a shot. This purchase is also my first time ordering wine online and having it shipped – now that the state of Georgia finally allows wine shipments via mail (too bad their other alcohol laws are still 1800s prudish!).

Cameron Hughes bottles a huge amount of wine based on a method they call the Lot Series. Here’s how it works – for several reasons, high-end wines often have an over-supply of grapes from a variety of vineyards. Cameron Hughes strikes a deal to bottle the juice from these premium vineyards. Rather than blending the various lots, they bottle each vineyard exclusively of the others. So, for example, this Lot 147 is 100% juice from only one specific premium vineyard. The various lots and their respective Cameron Hughes wine Lots come in a variety of price ranges and varietals. Interesting concept… but also one that you often can’t really get a lot of information about each specific lot or who the original/primary bottler would be. Cameron Hughes also sells to places like Sam’s Club and CostCo, so check it out.

This Cabernet from Sonoma County was delicious! It’s 100% Cab grapes and just very drinkable – a great balance – not too fruity and not too tannic. I’m glad I have more than one of these very drinkable wines.

Origin: Sonoma County, California
Where: Cameron Hughes Online
Price: $12.75 through the online special
Next time: Get a glass!

This Finca el Origen Reserva Malbec was another star of our Superbowl Party. Not so much a wine for appetizers, this wine paired well with the turkey and veggie chilis. Bold oak, subtle tannins and fruit make this Argentinian Malbec a delicious beauty thanks to winemaker Gonzalo Bertelsen.

Check out their website, too – There’s some great information there as well as some amazing photos of the vineyards. I learned that portions of the Andes Mountains, including the location of these vineyards, was under water at one point during the formation of the continents. As such, there are a plethora of fossils to be found, particularly ammonite, a now extinct marine creature related to today’s octopus and squid. It is the shell of the ammonite creatures that inspired the beautiful spiraled logo that decorates this beautiful wine.

This winery produces a wide range of varietals, ones that I’m eager to taste after enjoying this Malbec Reserve. Keep an eye out for their Chardonnay, Viognier, Cab Sauv, Malbec, Syrah, Cab Reserve, and Malbec Grand Reserve. I’m definitely going to look out for their Cabs and Malbec Grand Reserve. It would be a fun taste test to try their Malbec, Reserve, and Grand Reserve against each other.

Interestingly enough, I’d tasted this wine before at a BBQ pairing tasting — and didn’t love this wine! I guess it’s just an example of how your opinion of a wine can vary based on the situation and tasting environment – what food it’s paired with, temperature at which the wine is served, your mood, etc.

Origin: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $11
Next time: Get a glass!

To tag along with my Fave Red Wines of 2009, here are my star whites from this past year:

• Man Vintners Chenin Blanc – $9
• Minini Orvieto – $9
• Le Chat Rouge Chardonnay – $11
• Starborough Sauvignon Blanc – $12ish?
• Luna Argenta Prosecco (bubbly) – $12
• Kiona Vineyards Riesling – $12
• Cavas Hill Brut Rose Reserva Artesania Cava (bubbly) – $12
• Borgo Boschetto Pinot Grigio – $13
• Terra Antiga Vinho Verde – $13
• Pascual Toso “Toso” Brut (bubbly) – $13
• 071 Prosecco Veneto (bubbly) – $14
• Villa Cornaro Prosecco – $14 (this is the bubbly that went with Wyatt’s marriage proposal!)
• Fonty’s Pool Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon – $14
• Fonty’s Pool Chardonnay – $16
• Holly’s Garden Pinot Gris – $20
• Wolf Mountain Vineyards Plenitude Chardonnay-Viognier blend – $20
• Wolf Mountain Blanc de Blanc Brut (bubbly) – $25

When it came time to choose some wines for a Superbowl Party, I had some tough decisions. I had a lot of Pinots to choose from, lots of new Cabs, and an assortment of other random new wines. The main course of the evening, besides the football game, was a pot of turkey chili and a pot of veggie chili. The notes from Highland Wine recommended a pairing of this Dolcetto D’Alba Il Moroso wine with spaghetti… close enough to chili, I figured, and it worked! This Italian Dolcetto reminds me of a more powerful Pinot – enjoyable fruit characteristics with velvety tannins.

To learn more about the Dolcetto grape, check out its Wikipedia page.

Origin: Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $14
Next time: Get a glass!

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 – $??

This lovely Pinot debuted on Valentine’s Day Eve with a simple meal of baked chicken with rosemary and roasted red pepper flakes, baked sweet potatos, and steamed broccoli. The garnet-colored Pinot was a great balance of bright fruit and supple tannins. I love a Pinot that shows off its fruit without being a fruit bomb, and this is an excellent example!

Although I can’t find a website for Arthur Wilbanks, the label describes the wine nicely (except for the usage of the “&” sign versus spelling out “and”… grammer nerd, I know!

Wine, like music, should be savored, cherished & involve the senses. Our gentle sloping vineyards rest in a cool maritime climate allowing a lengthy ripening period accentuating the smooth, succulent character. Soft & delicate with elusive tannins, red fruits, and carressing structure, our wine harmonizes with vast cuisine and lively conversation.

Also, this wine goes great with watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics!

Origin: Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo, California
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $12
Next time: Get a glass!

This Big Bang Rioja, also called “BB” made it to my wine collection by way of Highland Wine’s monthly wine club (one of the best things I’ve ever signed up for!). The accompanying wine notes recommended pairing this powerful wine with roasted lamb with rosemary and garlic. Wouldn’t you know that’s exactly what our friends the Glovers cooked for our New Year’s Day feast! Perfect.

We uncorked the Big Bang with high expectations — and it delivered! This blended wine is composed of 50% Garnacha, 40% Tempranillo, and 10% Graciano. Wine Advocate describes this wine as:

The Garnacha was raised in concrete vats, the Tempranillo and Graciano in oak for nine months. Dark ruby colored, it offers up an exceptionally spicy nose (from the Graciano) along with floral notes, underbrush, cassis, cherry, and plum. Medium-to full-bodied on the palate, it has layers of flavor, excellent acidity, savory fruit, and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. It will be at its best from 2010 to 2017.

I’d tried some Riojas in the past at tastings and was never particularly fond of them. The more I’ve thought about it, I think it comes down to the massive power of these wines – oftentimes, they have strong tannins, so they’re just not going to come across at their best at a tasting without a big powerful meat to go with it. They’re just too much to really enjoy as a solo beverage. So next time you have a spicy, flavorful lamb – definitely give this wine a try!

Origin: Rioja, Spain
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $17
Next time: Get a glass!

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!

I was a little hesitant to try this wine at first – Skip from Highland Wine basically described Le Signal one as a huge blueberry aroma! I thought it was going to be a huge blueberry fruit bomb, totally weird, and what the heck would it go with. So this was a “let’s give it a shot” at Christmas-time when my parents visited. My dad and I compared Le Signal against the Eos Estate Petite Sirah (more on that one later). We also had fun comparing wines poured with and without his new Vintue Wine Aerator.

I’m a big fan of Sweetwater Beer’s Sweetwater Blue beer, with powerful hints of blueberry flavors. Having experienced – and enjoyed – that beer, it’s easy to pick up on the blueberry notes in this wine. Luckily, I don’t have the insanely powerful sense of smell that Skip has, so I wasn’t completely overwhelmed by a blueberry bomb going off in the kitchen.

My dad and I first tried this wine before dinner, with and without some baked brie and mushrooms appetizer. Without food, the tannins are pretty powerful and overwhelming. I’d suggest saving this one for a heavier appetizer or a nice dinner – we had a few delicious Cornish Hens as our Christmas dinner stars, and the wine was an excellent accompaniment. But before dinner, go for something lighter.

Now, on to the story of the wine. Label is iconic but not overly interesting. Two-toned icon of a truck with wine casks on the flat truck bed/trailer area. The story is interesting though – from the label and the website:

In the 1920’s, Louis Lignères delivered the domaine’s wines with his Berliet barrel-carrier truck to the Pyrenees Mountains. His customers couldn’t be impatient: it took him 22 hours at an average speed of 11km/h (6.8mph) to go from Alaric Mountain to Lourdes! And he announced his arrival with the Signal of the truck’s characteristic horn.

Pretty neat. And… I’m also intrigued by grapes I’m not very familiar with – this one being primarily Carignan (also spelled Carignane), a historically popular French grape. This blend is Carignan 80% , Grenache 10%, Syrah 5%, Mourvèdre 5%. I recently read an interesting article mentioning Carignan in Wine Spectator (by the way, I’m appalled by their obvious typos and grammatical errors in each issue) how it is being replaced with more popular New World grapes like Merlot and Syrah. Le Signal is a prime example of why traditional grape varieties should be preserved – and more importantly, why they should be flourishing!

So try something new – Carignan – and expect greatness; you’ll find it in Le Signal!

Origin: Chateau la Baronne, Montagne d’Alaric, France
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $19
Next time: Get a glass!