2005 Christian Moueix Merlot Bordeaux

Christian Moueix is the winemaker for Petrus, the super expensive Merlot (bottles go for thousands) from Pomerol deemed "the most famous red wine in the world," according to Robert Parker Jr. (the 2000 and 1998 vintages received 100-point scores). He also makes Napa's Dominus Estate, another perennial winner of high ratings and high prices.

Even though this bottle was only $10, I still thought it might be a decent given Moueix's reputation and the fact that he put his name on the bottle. I was looking for a restrained, old-world wine. Instead I got a nose of ripe cherries and alcohol. In the mouth there was red berries, some heat, with a spicy finish of black pepper that tangs the tip of the tongue, maybe cinnamon.

Pass on this one, there's better $10 bottles of Merlot out there.

Winemaker's notes (via wine.com):

Christian Moueix has created this uniquely personal cuvée through a selection of wines from numerous small growers in the Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Francs and Côtes de Bourg appellations. The common factor in these three areas is the predominance of the Merlot variety. In the Côtes de Castillon, it acquires elegance, finesse and longevity; in the Côtes de Francs, structure and fruitiness; and in the Côtes de Bourg, is selected for aroma, body and richness.

Blended to evoke each of these aspects of the Merlot's personality in a very Bordelaise style, the wine spends, depending on the vintage, approximately six months in old oak casks to enhance structure and harmony. Sweet, supple berry and wild cherry fruit mark this charming, medium bodied wine. Fruit impressions carry into nuances of herbs and vanilla underscored by a fresh, elegant acidity and ripe, soft tannins.

2006 Charles Smith Boom Boom Syrah

I'm really loving Washington State Syrahs. First there was the 2006 Gramercy Cellars' 'Lagniappe' Syrah from Walla Walla that I had at Cyrus in Healdsburg (review here) and now this Charles Smith entry level Syrah, that is anything but entry level. As I mentioned in my review of his Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Smith is a Walla Walla, Washington State-based winemaker generating a lot of excitement among wine Geeks. His labels, "Charles Smith" and "K Vintners" sell a variety of wines, with the more expensive K Vintners specializing in field blends and Syrah.

I paid about $18 for this bottle, though you can probably get it for as low as $13, if Google Shopping is any guide.

On the first night of pouring this wine, I got an interesting nose of earth, old rubber and vanilla. These melted away in a few days, and what was left was more dark berry scents.

In the mouth, on the attack, this wine tasted a lot like a Grape Jolly Rancher. Remember those? I also found Boysenberry and jammy notes. Slight bit of heat on the finish.

Overall this wine was intriguing, but not challenging. There was some complexity, some layers, but it's not a geeky wine where it compelled me to sniff and swirl all night trying to discern what was going on. It was enjoyable, and kept me interested with every sip. It also makes me want to try some of Smith's K Vintners Syrahs, which start around $35 a bottle and go up from there.

2007 Rosenblum Kathy's Curvee Viongier

2007 Rosenblum Kathy's Cuvee Viognier

Tried this in the tasting room in Alameda a few months ago. I remember liking it, and almost buying it, but not wanting to spend $18 for it at the time. However, I've seen it on sale all around recently, and will probably pick up a bottle this week. The cheapest I've seen it is at Nob Hill in Alameda for $10, IIRC. Safeway had it for around $15.

On the nose, the wine showed a nice fruit bowl dominated with peaches and apricot. In the mouth it was initially chalky, followed with dried fruits, such as apricots. Spicy finish.

It's a nice, interesting white wine that would go well with a lot of foods, and if you haven't had a Viongier before, it would be a good place to start.

2003 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco

I've been seeking out more Italian wines since attending the Golden Glass event in San Francisco last summer, where I was blown away by the high end offerings being poured. Dining out at Healdsburg, at the Madrona Manor, more recently, I spotted the 2003 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco on the list for $38, and I decided to bite.

The Nebbiolo grape makes some of Italy's most famous wines, including Barolo and Barbaresco (these are wine zones in Northern Italy's Piedmont region, not grape names). While good examples of these wines can run hundreds of dollars per bottle, wine labeled Nebbiolo tends to be cheaper.

Nebbiolo can make powerful wines, big, bold and tannic. With five years in the bottle, I thought this particular wine might be good to go, however it never seemed to open up for me (we had to leave dinner before the extent of the chef's tasting menu was complete, so I took about half the bottle home with me and finished it during the next two days). On the nose I got cassis, and in the glass I found some nice fruit, dominated by blueberries, but brawny tannins took over and never let the berries leave a lasting impression. Could use some aging. (the most recent issue of Wine Spectator has a retrospective on Barolos and Barbarescos from the 1998 vintage, and said they're just starting to come around).

The "Langhe" in the wine's name refers to a broader region that came into existence in 1994. Wines from this region have less restrictive rules that apply to wines labeled Barolo and Barbaresco, and can be blended with non-native grapes (think Cabernet Sauvignon).

Parker gave Vietti high marks in his 7th edition buyer's guide, rating both the 2004 and 2005 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco wines 90 points.

Nothing came up on a google shop search, so I'm not sure how much this bottle retails for, but likely half of the $38 I spent. I've tasted better wines in the $20, but I'd be curious to try this again in a few years to see how it develops.

Thumbprint Cellars

Thumbprint Cellars is a great little Sonoma producer with a tasting lounge in downtown Healdsburg, off the main square. I stopped there over the holiday and tasted some of their wines. Here are my notes:

2007 Pinot Noir, Schneider Vineyard, Russian River Valley, $45
Nose: Earth and cherries
Mouth: Bright fruit, tangy finish.

2005 Pedroni Vineyard, Cabernet Franc, Dry Creek Valley, $45
Nose: ashy pepper flakes, green peppercorn.
Mouth: Peppers, peppers peppers! Finish of black cherries and raspberries. Really drinking nice right now.

2005 Three Some, $43 (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot)
Nose: Cab Franc comes through with strong pepper.
Mouth: Raspberries on attack, pepper-shaker throughout, long finish of black plums.

2005 Climax, $49
Nose: sweet, candied fruit
Mouth: Very sugary fruit, strawberries.

I really enjoyed these wines, but I didn't buy any during this visit. I'm finding it increasingly harder with the economy the way it is to justify spending more than $20 for a bottle of wine that realistically I'm going to pop for a daily drinker some week (or, save for a year or two for some magical event that never comes and just open it for a special dinner or dinner party).

I've also seen several of Thumbprint's wines on discount site
www.winestilsoldout.com for as much as half off, if not more. For instance, the 2005 Thumbprint Cellars Dry Creek Valley Schneider Vineyard Reserve Merlot 2005 (originally priced at $33.99) was available last week for $16.99.

Still, the people behind Thumbprint know what they're doing, and if you have a chance to try some of their wines, whether it's at a tasting, a wine bar, a restaurant or even the tasting room itself, I recommend you do.

2007 Epicuro Vermentino IGT Lazio

Bought this wine at Trader Joe's for $4.99. Clocks in at 13% alcohol.

Found some funky flavors on the nose - really strong pineapple scents and something else that I could only describe as crayons. Yes, the smell of Crayola crayons. Weird, I know.

In the mouth this wine starts off nice with syrupy tangerine, lemon flavors, then, unfortunately disintegrates at the center. The rich fruit present at the beginning falls off, leaving a steel-metalic taste and alcohol notes. I'm guessing this is because the wine was aged in stainless steel tanks, and didn't see any oak, according to the winemaker's site.

For less than $5, this wine is certainly better than many others at this price range, but I ended up leaving half the bottle unfinished. I might serve it at a big party, but overall I've liked Epicuro's reds, such as it's Salice Salentino, much better.

2006 Hedges "Three Vineyards" Red Mountain, Washington

I've been seeking Washington State wines recently and Hedges Cellars's "Three Vineyards," Red Mountain blend has received 90+ ratings in the past. The other thing that attracted me to this wine was it's origin - Red Mountain. Wine writer Elin McCoy had a column in August talking up Red Mountain AVA in Washington, saying that she found "stunning cabs and syrahs made from grapes grown in Red Mountain, the state's smallest and most exciting appellation."

Since this wine can be had for less than $20, what's not to like? (I purchased my bottle from K&L for $18).

Hedges calls the wine it's flagship of its estate bottlings, saying it is a "classic Red Mountain wine showing deep, dense color, firm yet supple tannins, and well defined acidity."

The blend is 51% merlot, 38% cab 7% cab franc, and 4% syrah, all from three estate vineyards: Hedges Estate Vineyard, Bel'Villa Vineyard, and Red Mountain Vineyard. It clocks in at 13.6% alcohol, a nice level for a restrained wine.

This wine didn't open up for a day or two, but when it did, I found aged leather on the nose. It blossomed into a sumptuous wine with some contact with oxygen, displaying blackberries and currants in the glass, bright, unfiltered fruit flavors that finish with green peppercorn and a tannic tang on the tongue.

I'd recommend seeking out this wine, especially if you can get it for less than $20.

Flying Goat Coffee

I've been drinking some coffee from Flying Goat Coffee in Healdsburg since my visit almost a month ago and just had my last cup yesterday. It was a "meh" coffee. Not bad, not super exciting. It was the Kenya AA Gatomboya, Neryi Hill District, and from an inverted Aeropress, I got a distinct darjeeling tea-like taste and some baking chocolate flavors.

Much more enjoyable was a cup of French Pressed Ethoipian Koratie served to me at the cafe itself the week after Christmas. I didn't take notes, I just took pleasure in every sip. It had a nice round mouthfeel, and some fruit notes.

I was disappointed with a macchiato that I had at the cafe itself. There didn't seem to be any care with the way it was made, or skill shown with the dollup of foam. I've made better macchiatos at home, and I'm no pro.

They do have some great rare and limited coffees at the shop, including the Price Peterson's Esmeralda from Panama (which I discussed in my first post) and
a highly regarded Ethiopian Aricha selection.

Despite the mixed experience, I will still stop by Flying Goat whenever I'm in the Russian River Valley because, so far, it's the best location I know of in the area to get specialty coffee.

2006 Rosenblum Yolo County Syrah - Rominger Vineyard

A few weeks ago I took my mom to the Rosenblum Cellars tasting room in Alameda because it's only a few minutes from my home, and she wanted to visit some wineries during her trip here. The people at Rosenblum are pretty laid back and they have a good variety of wines to try, though they are most known for their Zinfandels.

Somehow I got talked into joining the wine club ("it's free! plus you get 30% off all purchases today!" basically sold me). After tasting several wines, including the reserve flight that normally would cost $8 a person but was free because I joined the wine club (and since they rotate those wines on a weekly basis, you'll know where I'll be stopping by most weekends) I ended up purchasing a bottle of the 2006 2006 Yolo County Syrah - Rominger Vineyard. Normally priced at $25, I got it for about $17 with the discount.

The reason I picked that bottle out among the myriad choices was because I remember reading something about it getting a good score (I'm not a score-whore, but I've been on a Syrah kick lately, and when several places praise the same wine, my interest is peaked).

I opened this up a week later and poured it over several days. The wine appears dark as night in the glass, and the nose gave up scents of blackberries, anise, and on one night, I even detected something akin to Ju-Ju fruits.

In the mouth this thick, syrupy wine has notes of wild berries, chocolate, and had a mocha finish. Rosenblum describes this as their version of a Côte-Rôtie wine from Northern Rhone Valley. The wine is co-fermented with a bit of Viognier.

"Elements of plum and dark berry fruit mingle with floral notes as well as vanilla and cracked white pepper in the bouquet. Full-bodied, soft textures and distinct flavors abound on the palate," according to the Rosenblum site.

While I liked this wine, I wouldn't buy much more of it at $25 -- as you can get it for $12.99 at K&L. For that price, this wine is a super bargain, and I'd recommend getting a bottle to try at home. Much better than most bottles you're likely to encounter below $15.

Pair from Portugal

My mom rounded up some Portuguese wines for me in New Bedford, MA before heading out west to visit for Christmas. New Bedford has a large Portuguese population, and many of the package stores (New England speak for liquor shops) have a plethora of non-port offerings from Portugal. I've said it before and I'll continue to push these wines because they usually represent great values.

The two we tasted were the 2000 Borges Reserva Douro ($11.49) and the Quinta do portal Mural Tinto ($8.99).

Borges: 13.5% alcohol. On the nose I found dry coffee grounds and nice berry notes. There's oak and vanilla on the attack, but not too much that it seems overdone. The wine quickly switches gears to a coffee-chocolate taste, and then the finish lingers on raspberry notes. Pleasant wine, great deal for the price. This wine reminded me of the much more expensive 2005 Benziger Tribute ($80) a biodynamic wine and Bordeaux blend.


Mural Tinto: Wasn't a big fan of this one. Alcohol-soaked cherries, gamey flavor, and red currants. Was wondering if I had a bad bottle, but I'm not inclined to try it again.