2009 Ohio Barrel Tasting Review

Yesterday was one of the most enjoyable days of the year for a local wine fan. For the last 4 years or so, several Southern Ohio wineries have gotten together and put on a Barrel tasting day on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Given that the wineries are all a bit spread out in location, we were only able to visit three of the six or seven participating, but we enjoyed every one.

Let's start with our first stop of the day, Kinkead Ridge in Ripley. Kinkead was sampling 4 varieties from their 2008 vintage all still aging in the barrels - Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Verdot. I'll start by noting, 2008 was an amazing growing year for grapes here in Southern Ohio - hot and dry with a late harvest. With that fact in mind, it's no wonder all 4 of the wines Ron at Kinkead was sampling were absolute BOMBS. I tend to talk up Ohio wines probably more than I should, but for once I think it's no exaggeration to say no one would ever believe these wines come from Ohio - they taste way more like huge reds from northern California. My personal favorite at this point was the Syrah which will be the first Kinkead has put it's primary label on since 2005. Each of these wines will be released around Labor Day 2010 so be sure to make a note of it for future reference.

From there we headed just up the road to Meranda Nixon winery. Meranda is located on a former tobacco farm which was converted over to grapes about 6 years ago. Each time I visit I continue to be impressed with winemaker (and owner) Seth's Chardonnays. First he released an American Chardonnay that was produced from purchased California grapes and now he has moved on to making and bottling his own Estate grown Chardonnay. We tasted the 2009 which is obviously brand new and very young at this point but certainly showing great promise already. In addition we also tasted their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon which like Kinkead's is already big and robust as well as a 2009 Norton. If you're not familiar with it Norton is a true American grape and does well in areas like Ohio. This one was also very young and will continue to change dramatically over the next couple years of aging.

Our final stop of the day was at an old favorite, Harmony Hill in Bethel. The Hill was tasting 3 wines from the barrel as well - their 2009 Woodwind which is a Seyval Blanc, 2009 Rhapsody - a Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and the 2009 Ruboto - their crowd pleasing Chambourcin. Each wine was shaping up nicely and will be sure to be in high demand once bottled and available when Harmony Hill opens back up with live entertainment in the late spring.

All in all it was a great day in Southern Ohio wine country. Beautiful weather, some great wines, and some of the most friendly people you will come across. Each Ohio vintner really appreciates the art of winemaking and the art of making their visitors happy. I encourage everyone to get out and visit these wineries when you're in the area.

What's On My Wine-Mind Tonight?

Well, tonight I'm drinking a wine I know I've already blogged about (St. Clement Merlot) so instead of a new review, you just get what's swimming in my head right now.

• A good friend, Bryan Radtke, has started a great new blogged called Uncorked Cincinnati centered on all things wine in the Cincinnati area, be sure to check it out.
• For the first time in my life I personally know someone who is running for Congress, check out his campaign site here.
• Now that we're into November all the wine-making activities have slowed down. My new wine is in the carboys just beginning to age a bit. I really do love this time of year for drinking wine. Something about the cooler temperatures and upcoming holidays that just really make opening a good bottle seem like an even better idea. I'm already thinking about what I'd like to open for Thanksgiving, not sure yet, plenty of good choices.
• Loving this weather but ready for it to be just a bit cooler. Also really enjoying Bengals football for once, here's a toast to hoping it will last.
• Starting to look forward to the Cincinnati area Barrel tasting coming up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. About 5 local wineries open up to let you come in and sample the new wine right out of the barrel, one of the best wine events of the year in this area, check it out

Well, that's all for now, hope you're enjoying a nice glass this evening

Wine and Life, part 1

Decided I'll take a slightly different approach to this wine blogging thing. For the most part, I think most folks who read this really just want to know, is it any good, and what does it cost. But I think people also read for the same reason we obsess over our friends facebook/twiiter, etc status updates - we love a little insight into everyone's daily lives. So, I'm still going to write about wine, but I also hope to relate it to a little more about my life in general.

Tonight I'm drinking a California Zinfandel that I really really like, especially at the $7 it goes for. It's called Dancing Bull and is an 07 Vintage. Get some, soon! The funny thing about Zinfandel is it's the variety that so many of us start out on when we first try wine - not exactly the kind like Dancing Bull, but rather that old sweetie White Zinfandel. If you're not aware, White Zin is made from the same grape as Zinfandel, but as it ferments it's not allowed to stay "on the skin" long so it only picks up a bit of pink color and the winemaker stops the fermentation process before all the sugar converts to alcohol, so you're left with a sweeter, lower alcohol wine. Perfect for all the new wine drinkers. As much as I would disdain drinking White Zin today, I do hold a fond memory of one bottle of the stuff. Several years ago (pre-kid days) my wife and I took a vacation to Charleston, SC - an absolutely wonderful town. It was our first time there and we both loved the mix of history, charm and coastal atmosphere. On our first evening in town we had dinner at a seafood place called Hyman's right on the main street in town. Of course, being new to wine and knowing that "seafood should go with a white", we ordered a bottle of White Zin. Dinner was fabulous and man that bottle went down great! It's funny how things like that stick out to you even years later - for some reason my wife and I often think about that dinner and what a great time we had just enjoying Charleston and being on vacation together that night. And we still laugh about how much we loved that White Zin.

Well, if you're newer to wine, I totally encourage you - get a bottle of White Zin, learn to love it. Just promise you'll continue to explore the wine world from there! Anyway, I look forward to sharing more in the days to come.

Doing Napa the Right Way

Hello enophiles. After a prolonged break in blogging, I'm finally back to do some wine reviews. Tonight I wanted to talk a little about the trip we took to Napa back in July and highlight one of our favorite wineries from the visit. First off, I have to say, if you're going to Napa you have to do a bed and breakfast and you really should stay in the northernmost town - Calistoga. And if you're choosing a bed and breakfast in Calistoga you have to choose Chateau De Vie. The place is simply serene and the hosts are incredible, not to mention the fabulous breakfasts. Another benefit of the B&B - they can recommend some great small wineries! When we go to Napa we really feel the way to have the best experience is to seek out the smaller guys and just skip the crowded big labels. With this in mind, we were able to find several again this year. One of our new favorites (although the winery is certainly not new) is Vincent Arroyo. Vincent has been making wine in the Napa Valley for over 20 years and he's done a great job of keeping quantity small and quality high. We stopped by, tried several and left with about 6 different bottles. Tonight I wanted to review his 2006 Petite Sirah.

The winerey primarily sells on a "futures" basis meaning you can sign up to have wines delivered to you when they are released and most "sell out" via this method so are never really available for sale through the tasting room. Fortunately we were able to get a bottle of this Petite Sirah while we were there. It's certainly a bold, full bodied wine. With lots of color and great texture, it has an intense nose that to me displays herbal spices and pepper - think almost clove like. Taste wise, I think this wine would probably be even better a few years from now. There is a lot of wonderful P. Sirah flavor here, but also still heavy on tannins. This wine will age nicely. At $32 a bottle it's actually a very good buy for a big Napa red like this, but given the wonderful size of the winery (only 8000 cases total) you won't find it in a store near you. Check out his website linked above and treat yourself to one of these and some of his other great wines. Enjoy.

KinKead Ridge 2008 Viognier - An Excellent Break in a Stressed Life

Well, it's been an exhausting week or so around here, and it's nice to relax a bit and just write about something that really put a smile on my face tonight - a 2008 Kinkead Ridge Viognier/Roussanne blend. Before I get into the wine, I'll just make a note to thank all those who have wished my father well over the last week. He has been in the hospital since last Wednesday, and we're still not totally in the clear, but hopefully things are looking upward. There's an interesting story between he and my love of wine that I'll have to blog about sometime soon.

Anyway, on to the wine...this is a white from one of my favorite Ohio River Valley wineries that we picked up last weekend, and wow do I love it! I know Ron and Nancy out at Kinkead Ridge are very excited about this wine and after tasting it I understand why. This wine is SO refreshing and flavorful all at the same time - it made a wonderful pairing with our cajun shrimp and pasta alfredo tonight! It's a 57% Viognier, 43% Roussanne blend and I detect a bit of honeysuckle on the nose in addition to the fruit forward aromas. In your mouth the wine has just a tinge of tingliness and I actually noticed a bit of spice, almost like ginger or something, again, in addition to the very flavorful fruit notes like orange and pear.

I've always been a big fan or Ron's red wines such as his 2006 Revelation Red and before that the 2005 Syrah, but this white may actually be my favorite wine he has produced. The wine runs $15.95 a bottle and is well worth that. For a list of where to find Kinkead Ridge wines, click here. If you're in the Southern Ohio area, I would really encourage you to visit Kinkead Ridge on a Saturday afternoon and check out all they have to offer. For me, tonight's glass offered a nice relaxing break from some of the stress I've had the past week or so. Tentative plans are to head to Napa next week, so I should have plenty to blog about soon. Happy tasting all, hope you enjoy the first miracle!

A Wine with a Witty Name

Wow, has it been a long time since I blogged about wine!! It's amazing how finding 15 minutes to talk about something you love seems to become so difficult as our daily lives begin to overwhelm us. Here's a toast to hoping we are all always able to slow down and enjoy the things that truly make life enjoyable.

Well, to get back into things, tonight I tried a wine with a really witty name - Goats Do Roam! Of course playing off the French region, this wine actually comes from South Africa. They make a Red, White and a Rose, tonight we had the white. It was a very nice and refreshing wine for a warm summer evening. We've had some long days at work, so just ordered a pizza and opened a bottle for dinner this evening. The nose had hints of pear and in the mouth it created a nice tingly sensation and tasted of apple and pear. I think the cost was below $10 which so many of the good South African wines are currently, so I would consider it a very good buy. We have a bottle of the Goats Do Roam Red which we'll try at a later date, I'll let you know how that one goes. Hope you have all been enjoying the first miracle!

Pedroncelli 2006 Pinot Noir

Another post from vacation at the North Carolina shore. Tonight my wife and I had a kid free night to visit probably the nicest restaurant on Oak Island - Island Way. We were both in the mood for a Pinot Noir so I chose a medium priced one from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma - a Pedroncelli 2006 Pinot Noir. I'm not sure what this would retail for in a store, but the restaurant was offering it for $35 so I'm guessing a retail of around $20. To be honest until tonight I had yet to find a Pinot Noir from CA that I really liked - I'm just too much in love with Oregon Pinot's right now to find the CA ones that much to my liking. However, the menu notes on this one said "soft and velvety" which sounded good to me. The notes were right - this wine was a perfect Pinot Noir. Maybe it just complimented my oysters and seared tuna perfectly, but I loved this wine. There was a bitter of pepper on the nose, then in the mouth it was exactly as advertised, soft and velvety with a slightly spicy finish. I must admit, a California Pinot Noir I really really like. Again, I haven't seen this in a store before, but if you do I would encourage you to pick up a bottle. If you do, let me know what you think, and what you pay for it if you don't mind! Enjoy the first miracle.

A SUPER Deal on a Napa Merlot

It's been a while since my last post, probably because of how busy I've been with running a marathon and planning for vacation. My family and I are on vacation this week at Oak Island, NC. It's a great place, imagine Myrtle Beach with about 10 people for every mile of beach. So here's the interesting wine story related to our vacation at Oak Island. On our first night here we went to the local (small) Food Lion to stock up on some goods for the week. In the wine section I noticed a sign that said Weekly Wine Special - St. Clement 2005 Merlot $7.99. I could hardly believe it! When we were in Napa last summer my wife and I visited St. Clement winery on recommendation from a friend at work. It's a beautiful small winery that sits on a hill, and I could clearly remember that NONE of their wines were much less than $30 a bottle. So even though I couldn't remember their Merlot that well we agreed to buy 1 bottle to see how we liked it then come back for more if it really were as good as we expected. Well the wine is terrific. Very dark with a deep cherry nose; very soft in the mouth with hints of chocolate and berries. So next we looked it up on their website to confirm what we thought - the wine retails for $28 a bottle. This wine was $20/bottle off - needless to say we headed right back to the Food Lion to buy them out. There were 7 bottles left out and I talked to their wine guy to see if they had anymore. Unfortunately he explained that each week their distributor brings one wine to put on special and whatever they have is out on display. Funny enough I've never seen St. Clement in a store, but come to a small Island about as far away from Napa as you can get in the U.S. and there it was for 75% off. Oh well, we've got 7 bottles of this terrific bargain to bring home!

EOS Estate Chardonnay

First off, thanks to an old friend for the last post on a good value wine from Spain, Mr. Tyler Haney. Funny how life works, we were great friends 15 years ago, then as everyone knows, life sends you off in your own different directions. Back at that time neither of us had even had a glass of wine, today thanks to social media we've reconnected and realized we are both passionate about it. I hope to continue seeing posts from Tyler on here increasing the amount of wines we can cover.

As for me, tonight I had a nice valued Chardonnay from EOS Estate. I first tried EOS Chardonnay several months ago at one of the favored shopping sites in Cincinnati - Jungle Jim's. They had a rep there giving out samples, and we bought a few bottles at the time. Since then we were finally able to find it in a nearby Kroger and got some more. At around $13.50 a bottle it's a very reasonably priced Chardonnay and once you try it I believe you realize it's well worth that price and more. My own personal notes on this one: a nose of toffee and earthy tones with a pallet of apricot, apple and buttery oak. We had this tonight with bacon wrapped shrimp, salad and a bread dip of tomatos and feta cheese and the wine was a perfect compliment. It made me really look forward to summer and wish our weather would finally turn that way. I hope you'll try the EOS, as always let me know what you think if you do.

Value from Spain

I, like most wine lovers, can recall the bottle that pushed me over the line from being a casual wine drinker to being a complete wine enthusiast - the '03 Rosenblum Cellars Rockpile Road Zinfandel. At the time I knew very little about wine; I only knew that, for some reason, this wine was different. As soon as I got home from dinner with my wife that evening, I ordered an entire case. A few months later, Wine Spectator agreed with me by ranking this wine #3 on its list of the Top 100 wines of 2005. And so it began...

Sometimes, I'm really amazed at what wine can do. Maybe it's just enhancing that filet mignon you grilled to perfection on a warm spring evening. Or maybe it brings back memories of sitting in a beautiful piazza, leisurely people-watching until the siesta is over. Or maybe, as in this case, it helps old friends reconnect. Regardless, wine is just as much about moments in time as it is about crushed grapes.

But let's be honest. Most of us don't have the time or the means to travel to Florence all that often or to open a bottle of '82 Bordeaux every night. So what do we do on those nights when we're just sitting on the couch after a long day? That's when we need the value wines to fill the gaps. And, as many people have learned over the last few years, Spain is a great place to look for value.

Enter last night's wine - the '06 Panarroz Jumilla, a blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvedre. At $8 per bottle (or less) this wine definitely fits the bill for value. Upon pouring the first glass, I was immediately impressed with the huge nose of plum, with some cedar and blackberry hints as well. On the palette, this wine started with pure sour cherry, followed by more plum, cedar smoke and some black pepper. The long finish was quite pleasing as well. Although I was drinking this wine while watching some basketball and stringing a tennis racket, it struck me that the Panarroz would make an even better food wine.

While this blend would definitely please the Chat du Pape fan on a budget, I would recommend this wine to anyone as a good, solid everyday-drinking wine. Additionally, if you're looking to expand your palette from American or Australian wines, the '06 Panarroz Jumilla would be a great place to start.

2003 Sawyer Cellars Bradford Meritage

So a long week has ended with some gorgeous weather here in good old Cincinnati, OH. It was a perfect evening to open a nice bottle of wine and have dinner out on the deck. Since it's a Friday I decided to open something pretty nice this evening, a 2003 Sawyer Cellars Bradford Meritage. Sawyer Cellars is a small winery we visited during our trip to Napa last year, and we were so impressed we joined their wine club. They're located in Rutherford, which seems to be my favorite area within the Napa Valley for great red wines.

The '03 Vintage is composed of Cabernet Sauvingnon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot - a wonderful mix of Bordeaux style wines. We drank this tonight with a dinner of beef tips and noodles, and it was a perfect complement. Both on the nose and in the flavors I was overcome with the sense of cherries. My best description for the nose is candied cherries. The flavors are very pleasing and full of berry properties. This wine has such a nice balance in both tannins and acidity, making it perfect for drinking with dinner. Another attribute I love about this wine is it's deep ruby red color, indicating a wine with good body that spent the right amount of time on the skins during fermentation. Now you'll pay for what you get with the Bradford Meritage with the price running around $48 a bottle, but for a nice weekend wine, or special occasion I have to say this wine is worth it. The best way to find Sawyer wines is either through their website or to visit them in person, so look them up, you won't be dissapointed. They know how to help you enjoy the first miracle. Happy Friday all.

Bordeaux in Ohio - Kinkead Ridge Cab Franc

It's been a long day and nothing sounds better right now than a nice glass of red wine to finally slow down with. Playing single parent tonight as the wife's out of town, so decided to open one of my favorite local wines - a 2006 River Village Cellars Cabernet Franc from Kinkead Ridge. Kinkead Ridge is a winery located in Ripley, Ohio and ran by a great couple named Ron and Nancy. Ron is dedicated to growing and producing French varietal grapes/wine that mirror European styles. I've been to his vineyard and I have to say it's amazing. I would call Ron very Type A when it comes to managing his vines, they are impeccable. So on to this Cab Franc...

Kinkead Ridge released this wine under their 2nd lable of River Village Cellars, and this tells you a little something about how particular Ron is about his wines. The Cab Franc has won several medals in both domestic and international competitions and has been compared to wines at 3 or 4 times it's price range. They offer the Franc at $12.95 a bottle and it's well worth it. As to my personal thoughts on the wine - the nose is interesting, a combination of earthy and smokey aromas hits me. It's a very approachable wine, with a good balance of acidity and tannins allowing it to sit easily in your mouth. It's flavors include a bit of spice as well as typical Cabernet Franc tastes. Overall, I highly enjoy this wine. I would strongly encourage you to check out Kinkead Ridge's website and give them a visit when they open back up in the summer. Just tell them you enjoy the first miracle and heard they have some good wine!

Happy Easter, and a Good Napa Red

Happy Easter all! I hope you've enjoyed the holiday and reflected on it's meaning. I enjoyed the day with family and an exciting Master's event on TV. Can't believe Tiger blew up on 17 and 18. Anyway, once we finally got back home and settled in for the evening my wife and I opened up one of our special bottles we had brought back from Napa last summer - a 2002 Nord Estate Red Wine Cuvee. If you've never heard of Nord Estate, I'm not surprised. They're actually not so much into the winemaking and distributing business as they are the grapegrowing business. They concentrate on cultivating 1000's of acres of sustainable vineyards in the Napa valley. We met one of the family members during our trip and it was incredible how dedicated they are to creating a truly sustainable and high quality vineyard. They then sell their produce to many of the top winemakers in the Napa area.

They do however produce a small amount of cases of their own "Estate" wine. I call this a special bottle because when we were there they had only 9 cases of this vintage remaining, so we bought a case to bring home. A Cuvee simply means it's a red wine blend, Merlot and Cabernet. I enjoy the wine a lot, especially the fruit taste when it first hits your tongue. The only thing about this wine that puzzles me everytime we open a bottle is it's nose. I'm not sure why, but for some reason when I smell this wine the first thing that comes to mind is a green vine. You know the smell you notice when a green vine or plant is cut in half...that's what I notice with this wine for some reason. It's not necessarily an offputting smell, it's just makes me think the wine is going to taste young or "green", but it doesn't. Being a 2002 it has some age on it and has nice structure and balance. So anyway, I like the wine a lot and if you get a chance to go to Napa I really really encourage you to make an appointment with the Nord family to visit their vineyard. One of the family will meet you in the vineyard and give you a private tasting at a picnic table in the middle of the vines. A wonderful experience, one that makes you truly enjoy the first miracle.

Wine from Kentucky??

So here's something different for tonight. My wife went on a business trip yesterday into the hills of Kentucky (apparently they do do some kind of business there) and in the process spent the night in Lexington. Well, while shopping around last night she noticed a store in an outdoor mall that said "Winery". Figuring what the heck, she dropped in. The store was a tasting room/gift shop for a winery about 20 miles away in Nicholasville, KY called Chrisman Mill. Apparently she got a sampling of about 6 of their wines, and decided to buy a couple of bottles of something called "Ensemble". Apparently this wine is made mostly (or perhaps entirely) from the Vidal Blanc grape - a French American hybrid variety that typically makes a nice semi-sweet wine. Now if you know me, you know I'm a big advocate of southern Ohio wines and wines of the midwest in general. I would really love to see a complete renaissance of this area as a premier wine growing region in the country. With that in mind, I'm always excited to try something new from OH, KY, or IN.

Well, we popped the cork on this tonight and poured a glass. I was pretty pleased with the nose - strong oak and fruit aromas making me think of a nice buttery Chardonnay. However, I've got to be honest, upon tasting I really did not like this wine. First off, the wine has a good bit of residual particles in it leaving it a bit cloudy. Likewise, it has a bit of air in it giving it just a hint of fiz. I'm pretty familiar with a good Vidal Blanc as Bill Skvarla at Harmony Hill makes one of my favorite local wines out of the grape - his Concerto which is crisp, pleasing and refreshing. This wine however just didn't have the right taste. I can't really put my finger on it, but there's just something offputting about the taste of the Ensemble. As bad as I hate to say it, I would not recommend this wine. I would love to be able to recommend all of the wines from the tristate, but I suppose that's probably a goal that's a bit lofty. Oh well, if you happen to have tried it and think otherwise, please let me know. Until next time, enjoy the first miracle.

Palo Alto Reserve from Chile

Last night we tried a bottle of Palo Alto Reserve from Chile. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Syrah and retails right around $10. The reason we decided to pick this wine up at Kroger's was because it won a Gold Medal at the Cincinnati International Wine Festival. If you've never been, the Wine Festival is a fantastic event put on each March here in the Queen City. There are typically over 130 boothes serving over 600 wines throughout the evening. Of course you have no chance of sampling them all in the 2.5 hours the event runs each evening, but you can definitely pick out several you've been interested in trying and probably find many you had no idea existed. We've discovered many many wines at the festival that are now on our favorites list. We did not happen to try the Palo Alto at the Festival, but since it won a Gold, and given it's price, we decided to give it a shot. Overall assessment is, ok, probably wouldn't buy again. I would call it a very peppery wine with hints of plum. Nothing overly displeasing about it, it's just that there are so many good/fun wines at the $10 mark that I probably wouldn't go back to this one. Anyway, it was worth the try. Anyone else with stories of great finds at Wine Festivals or large tasting events? Feel free to comment, would love to hear.

Tasting Notes From the 1st Weekend of April

I've got a lot of catching up to do. We had quite a few different wines over the weekend and I somehow wasn't able to find the time to blog about any of them yet. I must admit, after all the various wines over the past few days, my notes are a bit fuzzy, so I may be brief on a few of these.

First a quick shout out. Apparently our friends who brought the Colorado wine over weren't thrilled with my review, so they decided to make up for it by bringing all kinds of good wine over this weekend. Here we go....first up a Stonehedge Reserve Zinfandel from Mendocino, CA (retails around $17.99). This was a good wine, especially if you don't want an overpowering Zinfandel. It had just a hint of spice to it, but a lot of nice blackberry and other fruit flavors. I would say give it a try, but before you do you may want to check out their $10 Cabernet which is really good itself.

Next we opened a bottled of 2005 Harlow Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Everyone was very pleased with this wine (I believe it retails for under $10). I don't remember much about the nose on it, but the flavors were gentle, fruity and finished with just the right amount of tannins. Both of these wines however were just warm ups for the real show stopper of the night.



Our friends had been saving a bottle of 2002 Stag's Leap Merlot from Napa Valley. If you aren't familiar with Stag's Leap, let me take a little diversion here. The winery has been around for over 100 years and is one of Napa's most famous and prestigious wineries. They are probably best known for producing the Cabernet Sauvignon that won the 1976 Judgement of Paris blind taste test between French and California wines. If you haven't seen it, there is a very entertaining movie just out on DVD called Bottleshock which is based on this event - while not totally accurate (what movie is) I highly recommend the movie! But back to the 2002 Merlot. Simply an incredible wine. Perhaps here is the best way to sum this up - my friend kept saying "I don't like Merlots so I'm not sure I'm going to like this". To which I replied, trust me, a good Merlot tastes nothing like the junk that has been over produced lately, and much more like a good Cabernet which I know you like. After one sip he was amazed. On the nose I got strong floral aromas, like wildflowers, mixed in with pear and other tree fruit. The best part was the taste in the back of your tongue and the texture as it went down. Simply one of the smoothest wines I have had. This wine can be found in the $30's and at that price is an excellent example of what a Merlot should be - go find some right away. Thank you to our friends for brining this over, and thank you for reading - enjoy the first miracle.

Wine Tasting Notes 4-1-09 Gato Negro Cab

It's Wednesday evening, which means middle of the week, time to wind down, relax a bit and get ready for Lost. I think I've found the perfect wine to just sit back, relax and sip on for the evening. Tonight I'm drinking a '08 Cabernet Sauvignon from Gato Negro in San Pedro, Chile. If you haven't tried them, Chilean wines are some of the best wines for the $ available right now in my opinion (if you don't believe me ask my good friend @bobbyarnold who was there recently). This particular Cab retails for under $10 which makes it great for any simple night or occasion.

The nose on this to me is a bit peppery and a lot o fruit aromas. Certainly nothing overpowering, but just about right. In the mouth it's a great balance of a dry wine being not too dry. Mild fruit flavors, medium tannins, and a silky finish. At this price point, I really really like this Cab. First time I tried this was at a local tapas restaurant when it was on special for $12 (not bad for a restaurant price!), and I enjoyed it a lot then. Since then I've found it for as low as around $6 locally. Please, if you like Cab's and are looking for some good deals - go find this wine and give it a try. If you do, I'm sure you'll enjoy the first miracle!

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Weekend Wine Tasting Notes - Catch-up #3

So this last weekend tasting note is a bit tough for me to do, given that it's a review of a wine I made - the 2008 FetZin. It's tough because if I'm too positive about it you could obviously say I'm biased, but if I'm too negative you could say I'm being modest, so I'll just do my best to give my honest opinion. My honest opinion is I love this wine. The background is - I wanted to start testing my wine making skills so this past fall I purchased some grapes through a local fruit distributor. I bought about 70 lbs of Zinfandel and 70 lbs of Cabernet Sauvignon. Both varieties came from Lodi, CA. The Zinfandel grapes were beautiful. Dark colored, full clusters and very firm. (The Cabernet's were not so hot but we'll discuss them later). I bottled this Zin about a month ago and was pretty excited about it at the time, I believe it's only gotten better over this first month in the bottle. First thing I'll say about it is even though there is no residual sugar (it has a fairly high alcohol content of 15%) it almost tastes sweet in your mouth. The nose on the wine is vanilla, oak and cherry. When I taste it my thoughts are black cherry, chocolate, blackberry, and vanilla. One of our guests who tried it called out another flavor that I totally agreed with - fig. This is a wine that is almost perfect either by itself or with a desert. Not sure I'd recommend it with a meal, unless it was something really spicy. The flavor is "sweet" enough for someone who doesn't typically drink reds to enjoy, but it's also a "big" red wine so the red wine fans will also really like it. When my wife and I first tried it her first comment was this tastes just like the Rombauer Zinfandel we had in Napa (Rombauer was a great Zin that retails in the $30's). I'll sum it up by saying I'm very excited and pleased by my first real wine production. Unfortunately the 70 lbs of grapes only produced a little over a case of the wine. I want as many honest opinions on this wine that I can get, so if you're interested and we're getting together, let me know I would love to share the Zin with you. That's all for now, enjoy the first miracle!

Wine Tasting Notes - Weekend Catch-up #2

We had a real treat over the weekend as some company brought over a bottle of 1999 J Pinot Noir. J is a vineyard in Sonoma that my wife and I had visited last summer and it probably ended up as our favorite Sonoma winery (although I admit we spent most of our time in Napa). By the way, if you're planning a trip to Napa/Sonoma, let me know, happy to provide some suggestions. J is known for it's Brut and it's Pinot Noir, so when I saw this I was very excited to pop the cork. Now being a '99 I will say that's getting up there for a Pinot Noir. Typically a Pinot will age well for 5-10 years so this one was up there. Fortunately it had aged well, with the only indication of it's age being that it had a bit of cloudiness when poured. The nose was perfect for a good Pinot Noir, nice and fruity. The drink itself was soft as a pillow and had a great fruitiness. Overall I loved this wine, just like I do several other varieties from J. I would totally recommend their wines and am very happy to have received this from our guests. I encourage you to find some J next time you're out and as always, enjoy the first miracle.

Wine Tasting Notes - Weekend Catch-up #1

So I'm a bit behind and need to catch up on my notes from the weekend. Three wines to review and I'll give them each their own note here. I'll start by saying - Friends are great! - especially when they bring wine over! Twice this past weekend we had friends over who brought a bottle each, and each time something I had never tried. So first off we have an interesting one, a 2002 Meritage Red from Grande River Vineyards in Colorado. You read that right, a red wine from Colorado. What's interesting is I've always said one would think Colorado could produce some good wines, after all, they get the most days of sunlight of any state in the union. This was my first chance to actually try a wine from Colorado. Well, I have to say, it was drinkable, but probably little more than that. One of our friends actually poured her glass out while 2 of us were fine finishing up a full glass. It turned out to be an extremely dry wine and left you truly feeling like cotton mouth. Flavor wise it was really not bad at all. All in all, I was glad to have finally tried a Colorado wine, and very grateful for our friends having brought one back for us, but probably wouldn't recommend it if you're taking a trip to the mountains anytime soon. Up next, something with some age from Sonoma. Enjoy the first miracle.

Wine Tasting Notes for 3-25-09

Ok, tonight's a fun very affordable wine. My wife made brushetta for dinner and decided to open a bottle of CK Mondavi Chardonnay to go with it. This is a wine that retails for under $10 and can be found almost anywhere. Although it's a Chardonnay this drinks as a much fruitier and less dry wine than you might expect from a Chardonnay. On the nose I get aromas of fruits such as pineapple and peach. Upon first sip I get the usual buttery note typical of a Chardonnay. In your mouth it's all fruit and reminds me more of a Pinot Grigio than a Chardonnay. This is a good wine for a meal with a little spice and for just sipping on a hot summer day (which by the way it's not here in good old Cincy, rained pretty much all day). Anyway, for the taste and the price I'd definitely recommend this anytime your looking for a fun white wine. Hope you have some sometime and as always, enjoy the first miracle!

Wine Tasting Notes for 3-24-09

Ok, tonight we decided to open up something from one of our favorite wineries - a 2006 Merlot from Goosecross Cellars in Rutherford (Napa Valley), Ca. This is a very small winery (~9000 case production) that you won't find in retail. You can buy directly from them at the winery, on their web site, or do like we did and join their wine club. www.goosecross.com.

The 2006 Merlot goes for $42 on their site, and club members get a 10% discount on all wines. So this wine was absolutely terrific. The aromas I got immediately were of charred oak, cherries and even strawberries. It's a Merlot so yes it's a dry wine, but wow is this ever a soft, silky wine in your mouth. It's really full of very pleasing berry flavors and sits on your tongue easily before going down. It leaves just a bit of a tartness in your mouth, but nothing overly sharp or displeasing. Even though it's obviously a bit harder to find I would absolutely recommend you order a bottle or two from their website. The great thing about their small production size is that it's ok for them to ship to Ohio (for those of you in my state. FYI the current rule is, if a winery produces over 50,000 cases annually they cannot ship to OH, but this rule varies state by state and it's a ridiculous rule). Anyway, I hope you decide to check them out and let me know if you do. They also produce fantastic Zinfandel, Cabernet and Syrah among other varieties. That's all for tonight, enjoy the first miracle!

Wine Tasting Notes 3-23-09

Ok, so I probably don't drink wine EVERY night, but I do enjoy a glass or 2 on most evenings, so i figured why not start posting some tasting notes while I'm at it. After all, my dream is to one day open my own winery, and I fully believe effective use of social media will be an important part of making that successful, so I might as well start now.

So, tonight's wine for review is a Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage from South Africa. This past Saturday night an old friend from Germany stayed with us overnight and brought this as a thank you gift. Having just sampled some South African Pinotage at the Cincinnati Wine Festival recently, I was anxious to pop the cork on this. A bottle of this retails somewhere around $10 (but hey, I didn't buy this one! In case you're shopping for it, it has the Cheetah on the label).

This is a very dark, deep red wine, I really like it's color. The nose on this wine (in other words, it's smell) is like a berry jam. You get a sweet grape and blackberry aroma from the glass. As I take a sip, my first impression is that this is a very soft wine, easy to drink. For those who aren't big red wine fans, this is a great "starter" red wine. There's no bitterness to it as it sits on the tongue and goes down very easy. The mix is 65% Cabernet and 35% Pinotage and the Pinotage adds an almost sweetness to the typical Cabernet flavor. Again, this blending makes it an easy drinking wine for someone who may not yet be a fan of the dryness of Cabernet. We had this with some bacon-wrapped BBQ chicken and my only complaint would be that it can't quite stand up to a dish with flavors like that. It's great on it's own, or probably with a milder flavored meal, but a bit flabby for something with BBQ flavors. It also leaves your mouth a bit dry or parched feeling, which is more typically of a dry red like Cabernet.

Overall, I liked the wine, and at the price point I would definitely recommend it. So try a bottle next time your out shopping and let me know what you think. And stayed tuned to see what tomorrow (or the next night) brings.