Continuing on the theme of big winter reds, we dug deep into the cellar for this gem.  In 2009 I, along with a bunch of other bloggers, invaded Calaveras County, specifically the town of Murphys, CA.  One of our stops on that trip was Newsome Harlow, a favorite of mine from my first visit to Murphys.  So this wine has spent a bit of time since then chilling in my basement waiting for me to open it up.  The 2006 Newsome Harlow Train Wreck retails (at the time) for $19, has a real cork closure, and clocks in at 14.4%.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) A divine chocolate covered blueberry blackberry tart dusted with cinnamon and campfire jumps out of the glass.

2.) I actually enjoyed this more sipping it after dinner than with my burgers. Maybe it was the burgers, but I think it was because I just wanted to savor it on its own.

3.) In my notes, I might have the favorite thing I’ve ever written about a wine in my comments on this bottle: “It’s like a s’more in a glass!”

4.) Calaveras County is pumping out some great wines and is well worth your time to visit and try all the wineries.

On the nose I got chocolate, herbs, cinnamon, blueberry, blackberry, cedar, campfire smoke, and graham cracker. The graham cracker cinched the “s’more” reference for me.  The wine had one of those noses I wanted to dive into and swim around in.  In the mouth I found cinnamon, red hots, smooth fruits, blueberry, blackberry, black cherry, and spice. The 2006 Train Wreck has well integrated tannins with a long finish and is drinking fantastically at this point. Drink up!

I know what you are thinking. Napa? Riesling? Really? Yes really, and it’s good.  I can’t say that I’ve had a lot of Riesling from Napa.  In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever previously had any.  The 2010 Cornerstone Stepping Stone Riesling registers at 13.5% alcohol by volume content, has a real cork closure, and retails for $18.  I seem to have misplaced my photos for this bottle.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) A warmer climate riesling, the tropical fruits stood out for me in this offering.

2.) Don’t serve this wine too cold, it will mute the flavors.

3.) I’m universally impressed with the new line of offerings from Cornerstone Cellars.

4.) I would recommend this wine as a great value from Napa.

On the nose I found lemon, stone, honeysuckle, star fruit, and floral notes.  In the mouth I got lemon rind, pineapple, spice, honeysuckle, white flowers, perfume, and wet stone. Overall I found the wine to be tropical without being sweet.

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from Rodney Strong.

Although our weather is still oddly behaving as if it’s spring rather than winter, I’m getting in the big red wines while I still am in the winter mindset!  We have had a few random colds days here and there, and that’s when we busted open the 2007 Rodney Strong Rockaway, a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Rockaway clocks in at 15.2% alcohol by volume, has a real cork closure, and retails fro $75.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) I served the wine with herb roasted chicken. I’d suggest something with a little more fat to stand up to the wine.

2.) The wine is a nose and mouthful of blackberry juicy goodness with a side of chocolate and espresso.

3.) With Valentine’s Day coming up, pair this wine with a steak and a chocolate torte for a great evening.

4.) The Rockaway comes in one hefty bottle.

On the nose I found juicy blackberry, black currant, pepper, chocolate, espresso, and a little note of campfire.  In the mouth I got black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, black currant, earth, and more black fruit.  A dark fruit wine with lots of juicy notes complemented by earth, spice, and chocolate, serve it with your next steak dinner.

Champagne has long been a favorite party drink, no doubt partly due to the theatrical nature of opening a bottle which results in a satisfying – POP! fizzle.  (Plinking an in-law with a cork from all the way across the room is only an added bonus…)  Originally created accidentally in the Champagne region of France, the effervescence was a byproduct of wine being bottled after cooler weather prematurely halted an incomplete fermentation process, which would resume with the onset of warmer weather.  With no place for the carbon dioxide produced as a fermentation byproduct to go, the pressure would cause bottles to explode, at times setting off a chain reaction sending glass shrapnel everywhere.  Twenty to ninety percent of the bottles could explode in a single cellar.  For this reason, the poor monks tending such bottles labeled the wine “le vin du diable,” or the Devil’s wine, and great efforts were undertaken to remove the offending bubbles.  Today, thankfully, the explosions only take place on our pallets, but the next time you sample a glass of your favorite champagne, spare a thought to those poor monks who risked their lives to help create such a celebratory treat.

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from F. Wildman.

Sorry for the radio silence! Christmas and my daughter’s first birthday being within 3 days of each other left me with little time to write.  Though plenty of occasions to raise a glass of bubbly and toast, which is what we did with the JJ Vincent Cremant de Bourgogne.   The JJ Vincent has a traditional Champagne closure, clocks in at 12% alcohol by volume, and retails for about $20.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) We drank it on a Saturday afternoon, which just set the tone for a good day.

2.) It’s a great budget friendly option for bubbles.

3.) You can get a lot of bang for you buck looking outside of Champagne to some of France’s other sparkling wine regions.  In general, Cremant d’Alsace is a favorite of mine.

4.) In the coming year I hope to drink even more bubbly, as it always makes me happy.

On the nose I got lemon, yellow apple, pear, teething biscuit (am I showing my mom colors now?), and pineapple.  In the mouth I found very prominent apple, pineapple, and a melon finish.  Overall, the wine had nice acidity with a touch of sweetness on the finish.  With the low(er) alcohol content, this sparkler made a great start to a Saturday afternoon.

A few weeks ago I took part in many Taste Live events surrounding the Napa Valley Film Fest.  Over the course of 4 days I tasted a ton of great wines from Napa helping to celebrate the Film Fest from afar.  I’ll always take a good excuse to drink in the middle of the day! One of my favorite wines from the event was the 2009 Saintsbury Carneros Lee Vineyard Pinot Noir.  The 2009 is not yet released, but will retail for $45, clocks in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, and has a real cork closure. I took this with me to our weekly neighborhood BBQ and it was a huge hit there as well.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) I couldn’t ask for a better wine to drink mid-day on a Saturday. Or with my neighbor’s delicious seasoned pork on the bbq.

2.) Also consider this for your Christmas dinner celebration. Especially if you are serving a pork loin.

3.) The Pinot had all the herby, mushroom-y, and earthiness with bright red fruits that I love about Pinot.

4.) My neighbors adore when I have live tasting events, they totally benefit!

On the nose I found dried cherries, raspberries, herbs, spice, mushroom, and earth. This was a wine I definitely went back to after the tasting concluded because I really wanted to savor the aroma. The format of a TasteLive event doesn’t leave a lot of time for savoring, so a mid-day event is actually perfect for me, since it doesn’t leave me ending the event at 10 and looking desperately toward bed. In the mouth I got dried cherry, raspberry, herbs, earth, and pepper. The wine had great acidity and drank beautifully on its own and with food.

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from Natural Wine Merchants.

I have been all about the bubbles in the last couple of weeks. It must be the holidays. Picture me singing, totally off-key because I’m pretty tone deaf: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. .” Yes indeed, I have the holidays and sparklers on my mind. Tonight we tried the Pizzolata Fields Prosecco, which has a kind of cork that was part way in the neck of the bottle and part out…in any case, it took me forever and a day to open the bottle, it clocked in at 11% alcohol by volume, and retails for around $11.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) Damn that cork was IMPOSSIBLE to get out. Removing it involved me whining and almost ready to slam the top of the bottle against some bricks.

2.) Other than the cork, this was an excellent Prosecco.

3.) $11. Need I say more?

4.) Bready with notes of candle wax and green apples, combined with fine bubbles, which rocks my world.

On the nose of the wine I got lemon, green apple, candle wax, and bread.  In the mouth I found notes of honey, lemon, and pear.  Overall I found the wine to be quite dry with tiny bubbles, though I would honestly describe it as more prickly than bubbly. At the price point, serve it at your next party or with dinner on Tuesday.

From the Wannabe Wino Family to yours, wishing you a Thanksgiving full of family , friends, good food and wine!

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from the PR folks for the brand.

Thursday of last week was the annual arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau from France. That is really not my thing, so I celebrated by drinking French wine, but not Beaujolais Nouveau.  The holidays tend to make people think of sparkling wine to toast at all the parties and belt-widening dinners and cookies. I’ve made a big effort the last few years to drink sparkling wine throughout the year, but must admit I still drink more of between now and January 1 than I do the rest of the year! We started out this season with the Jaillance Cremant de Bordeaux Cuvee de l’Abbaye.  The Jaillance has a traditional Champagne closure, clocks in at 12% alcohol by volume, and retails for about $19.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) It’s never a bad thing when my first note for a wine is “yum.”

2.) The bready-yeasty notes just jumped out of the glass.

3.) If you greeted me at the door with a glass of this at your party I’d think you are awesome.

4.) I’m adding this to my list of sub-$20 house sparklers.

On the nose I got lemon, pear, yeast, sourdough, bread, and apple notes. In the mouth the yeast carried through with lemon, green apple, and pear. The wine had great acidity and bubbles. I was definitely happy with my selection to celebrate French wine!

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from the PR folks for the brand.

On a cold, blustery night, with a fire roaring in the wood stove, what could be better to cap off the evening than a glass of port?  Not much.  With daylight savings in full effect, the nights are long and dark, the only cure for which is a huge fire and a warm blanket.  Some red wine and a hearty stew helps as well.  On one such night we pulled out the NV Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port.  The Terra d’Oro is a 375 mL bottle with a plug cork closure, clocking in at 19% alcohol by volume and retailing for around $18.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) Chocolate covered figs, currants, and blackberries in a glass make it a fabulous complement to homemade vanilla ice cream.

2.) Pour it directly on your ice cream or drink it on the side.

3.) It’s a fun dessert wine for the price point and would make a great companion to those rousing after-holiday dinner Pictionary tournaments.

4.) Everyone will have room for at least a small taste of this wine even after the turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans, sweet potatoes, pie…..

On the nose I got chocolate, spice, pepper, blackberry, fig, plum, sage, and chocolate syrup.  In the mouth I found blackberry pie, creamy vanilla, chocolate, chocolate syrup, fig, and currants.  Not too sweet, not too dry, this would be great as dessert or to complement the dessert course.