California Pinot
highland Wine
$21
Get a glass!

Another new favorite — the 2008 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel blew my socks off a few weeks ago when we paired it with slow cooked BBQ pork ribs that had been on the Big Green Egg all day!

This Zinfandel from the Lodi region of California was very rich, full of mature fruit flavors but also with some nice tannins to round it out – just superb!

Origin: Lodi, California
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $18
Next time: Get a case! or definitely Get a glass!

2009 Banshee Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, California
Price: $22
Origin: Santa Lucia Highlands, California
Where: Highland Wine
Next time: Get a glass!

2008 Basico Rojo, La Mancha, Spain

A seriously delightful, delicious wine that goes easily with many dishes and is ridiculously inexpensive for how great it is. 50/50% Tempranillo/Cab Sauv blend.

Price: $8
Origin: Spain
Where: Highland Wine
Next time: Get a case!

2006 Baxter Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Toulouse Vineyard, California

Price: $27
Origin: Anderson Valley, California
Where: WineryInsider.com
Next time: I’ll pass.

2009 RouteStock Cellars, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Price: $18
Origin: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Where: Highland Wine
Next time: Get a case!

It’s been a while since I’ve wine blogged lately, so this post is way overdue. This post will be a catch up post of quite a few wines that I’ve tried over the past few months, as I’ve been busy being a newlywed and also being a new puppy owner and a busy employee at my job and on and on… The majority, if not all, of these wines are from Highland Wine whose great monthly wine club I’m still thoroughly enjoying!

• 2006 Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake County, California $29 – I’ve continued to go back to this fabulous wine for special occasions. Here to confirm that it should be on your must-have list for great dinners, special occasions, gifts, and just a great wine you can always count on to be amazing! Get a case if you can; or definitely get a glass.
• 2007 Moillard Cotes Du Rhone “Les Violettes”, France, $13 – The first time I had this at a tasting, I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this bottle wasn’t as good as I remember it being – or maybe something was wrong with this bottle. I’ll give another bottle another chance sometime soon (especially at $13 a bottle), but I’m less excited about this being a long-term prospect as I once was.
• 2005 Prima Voce Toscana, Italy, $18 – This wine is a Super Tuscan blend of 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Syrah. I paired it with the leftovers from the Mother’s Day dinner I cooked my mom last night! It paired extremely well with the pork chops (minus the apple sauce) and asparagus and mushroom tart – give all three a try! Warning – lots of sediment was in the cork, so you’ll want a strainer to filter this one. Get a glass!
• 2007 BearBoat Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA, $17 from Hop City – I first tried this wine last year at a fun engagement party that my friend threw for my then-fiance/now-husband. The party was so much fun, and this wine was delicious and had a cute, funny cartoon on the back about bears enjoying this wine. Get a glass!
• 2005 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain, $15 – This wine was absolutely spectactular. Not too many tanins, not too fruity, just a great enjoyable balanced wine. Get a case, especially at this price.
• 2009 Arthur Wilbanks Pinot Noir, Edna Valley, CA, $12 – I’ve bought a few more bottles of this wine since the initial tasting, and it still delivers! Great with easy chicken and salmon recipes.

I purchased three bottles of the 2004 Chateau de Clarefont from Winery Insider (wineryinsider.com) in April. I finally got around to opening one of the bottles last week. Over time, I’ve learned that many French wines benefit from being decanted a little earlier than other wines (maybe this applies more to European wines in general, as opposed to American and South American wines… I’m still forming my generalization though).

The Chateau de Clarefont was a nice Bordeaux, from the Margaux area of France. I was hoping it would be as great as the Chateau Mongravey that I tried in March at a Bordeaux tasting.  The Chateau de Clarefont was good, but not as stellar as the Mongravey. However, the price difference is about $10, with this wine running around $18 (not including the shipping from the online retailer) versus $28 for the Mongravey.

Origin: Margaux, France
Where: Winery Insider
Price: $18
Next time: Get a glass.

The Masi Tupungato Passo Doble is a fun weeknight wine made with 70% Malbec and 30% Corvina grapes. It went great with pizza and I can see it going well with a hamburger – something meaty and substantial. Bold but not overwhelmed by tannins or spice. Easy and fun to drink, but I recommend opening it several hours or a day ahead of time. The time to breathe made a big difference!

Origin: Argentina
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $15
Next time: Get a glass!

In the spirit of summer, I’ve been enjoying these two new whites lately.

Two grapes you’ve probably never heard of… Gros Manseng and Moschofilero.

I’ve never heard of this grape – Gros Manseng. But damn, it’s good! Domaine des Cassagnoles Reserve Selection has a great, screwcap selection for $14. It’s a little tart, very fresh with hints of grapefruit and green apple.

Another new grape for me… Moschofilero by Boutari from Greece. It’s awesome! Refreshing and delicious – great acid, crisp, pear, slight lemon, gorgeous complexity.

Go get these and enjoy some summer rays before that autumn breeze kicks in!

Boutari Moschofilero
Origin: Greece
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $16
Next time: Get a glass!

Domaine des Cassagnoles Reserve Selection
Origin:  Cotes de Gascogne, France
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $16
Next time: Get a glass!

For a recent Sunday diner, W and I cooked up these tasty pork chops from a Food & Wine recipe… and decided to pit these two wines against each other.

Like another Byron Pinot Noir (not this Nielson Vineyard one), I bought this wine in memory of my grandpa, Byron Gwaltney… known as Pop. Unfortunately, neither of these wines will be purchased again. Very acidic and spicy, the Byron Nielson Pinot paired not too well with the pork chop and definitely not well on its own. Big fail on this one…

On the other hand… The Ornellaia Le Volte is a Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cab Sauv grapes. It is absolutely delicious! Great fruit backbone, smooth tannins, absolutely stunning. If you like wines that are predominantly spicy and lower on fruit, then you probably won’t love this wine. The big fruit went great with the soy, caramelized glaze on the pork chops… and this is a wine you can enjoy all on its own as well. This wine makes me happy :) It’s a little pricey to be an everyday wine… but enjoy it when you can!

Byron Nielson Pinot Noir
Origin: Santa Maria Valley, California
Where: Smyrna WOB
Price: $28
Next time: I’ll pass

Ornellaia Le Volte
Origin: Tuscany, Italy
Where: Highland Wine
Price: $29
Next time: Get a glass!
Great gift wine for friends

W and I got married at the end of June! These are the awesome wines we served at the reception at Park Tavern – Halls of Fine Wines in Inman Park carries some of the Valdivieso wines, as well as Hop City Beer & Wine in West Midtown. Of course, your favorite wine shop could easily order them for you if you don’t want to track them down.

Valdivieso Extra Brut Champenoise Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay, 2008 Malbec

Their sparkling wine is made in the style of Champagne – toasty, yeasty, and absolutely delicious with a billion tiny bubbles! Their Chardonnay is not oaky and not buttery, just the way a good white wine should be – with the perfect amount of acid for a refreshing taste. And their Malbec… YUM! Seriously, get a case of their Malbec. It’s insanely fabulous. They have a broad variety of wines in almost every type of grape, as well as reserve labels and single vineyard labels.

Origin: Lontue Valley, Curico Valley, Chile
Next time: Get a case!

Estampa 2008 Sauv Blanc/Chard/Viognier Reserve

This wine was so yummy – the absolute perfect summer wine! This is what I drank throughout the wedding reception, in case I had any spills (you have to watch out for slightly spastic, potentially drunk huggers!). Estampa also has a delightful Carmenere Reserve (2007 vintage, blended with Cab Sauv and Cab Franc), which we didn’t serve since we already had a Malbec… but their Carmenere is one of my new favorites. It’s spurred a recent Carmenere-buying and tasting craze at my house lately – results on that soon now that I’m back to catching up on my wine blogging. Like Valdivieso, this winery also has several collections – Gold, Reserve, and Estate with lots of varietals in each line. And, they get an A+ on a really well-done English version of their website – very savvy and beautiful photos!

Origin: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Next time: Get a case!

Santa Chiara Pinot Grigio

Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about this wine online, except that it is from the Veneto region of Italy. I know it’s less than $20 retail, definitely. Good luck finding this one… If you do, get a bottle, it’s great!
Catalpa Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir was good but I’d like to taste it again after these few months. I’m doubtful this would be a new favorite Pinot. But it was definitely tasty.

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Price: Approx. $12
Next time: Get a glass!

W and I enjoyed these two awesome French wines at Le Planteur, our favorite French restaurant on the island of St. Martin, where we spent our honeymoon.

2006 Lacoste-Borie

This wine is wonderful Bordeaux blend from Pauillac (northern part of the Left Bank – see this Bordeaux map).  Sorry I don’t have a picture of this label. I was too busy eating the delicious food!

Origin: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France – left bank
Where: Le Planteur, Oyster Pond, St. Martin
Price: Around $25, according to Snooth
Next time: Get a glass!

2006 Chateau La Tour de Mons

Another great Left Bank Bordeaux blend from France, this wine hailed from the Margaux region (central area of the Left Bank – see this Bordeaux map).

Origin: Margaux, Bordeaux, France – left bank
Where: Le Planteur, Oyster Pond, St. Martin
Price: Around $35, according to Snooth
Next time: Get a glass!