Like most winos I know, we are all suckers for a fairly priced Napa wine, and get especially excited when it is from the famed 2007 vintage.  So, I plunked a couple of them in my 10% discount 6 pack carrier and headed for self checkout.

It isn’t often I use the word “lovely” when describing cabernet sauvignon, but in this case it absolutely fits.  It offered a sound structure for mid-term cellaring, but was soft enough around the edges to please right now.

Over the 2 hours I tasted it, the wine  provided twists and turns as to what it predominantly offered…all I can ask from a bottle priced under $20!

I guess my palate still has it, as I see Wine Enthusiast gave it 93 points.  Certainly one of the best deals around.

Quality, complexity, and varietally correct.  Pick some up and confidently enjoy!

It has been a while since I have had time to post about some of my favorite wines of the year, and I’m glad to have a little now before Monday Night Football to post about what may qualify as my go-to cabernet for 2011.

The folks at Folsom and Associates, the marketing arm for Robert Mondavi Winery, sent me this one a few months ago to give it a test run.  Coming off the staggeringly good 2007 vintage, it has been a while since I tasted something that gave me pause.  This one did.

Retail $28, buy widely available for far less, the 2009 RMW Cab is all it should be:  voluptuous,  with a hearty combination of full ripe tannins, balancing acidity, and complex barrel flavors of cinnamon toast, dark berry fruit, and a whisper of cabernet “sauvage”.

Perhaps one of the reasons I liked it so much is that it barely qualifies to be labeled as a cabernet sauvignon at all, with only 75% of the blend being CS.  Merlot, cabernet franc, and a few percentage points of common blending varietals all come together adding to a wine I just might like a hint better than it’s 2007 counterpart.

High praise indeed.

Well, I’m here to tell you that no 3 words could be more accurate than when applied to the 2008 La Follette Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Noir.  A wine that is nothing short of magnificent. 

Managed by third-generation farmers, the Sangiacomo Vineyard benefits from a daily stream of cool air pulled inland from the San Pablo Bay in the Sonoma Coast.  The resulting wine is freshly fruity, yet impeccibly balanced with tea, a sweet earthiness, and french oak to coax out additional length and harmony.

Mostly what struck me about this wine was it’s elegance.  It absolutely slipps off  your tongue in a way only pinot noir can, yet exceeded any preconcieved ideas I may have had.  This is one of those wines that I receive in the mail from a winery or distributor that made me stop in my tracks, take a step back, and realize why I dedicate so much time to teaching and writing about wine. 

Honestly, I went directly to the grocery store and purchased a beautiful piece of fresh salmon, roasted it in the oven, and served with a few spoonfulls of pesto cream over the top.  It was absolutely perfect.

One more note on concentration.  When my wife and I don’t finish a bottle over dinner together, we know it is a wine with depth and concentration, and this was no exception.  I corked the remaining wine and had it the next evening prior to dinner, but this time with some lofty expectations. 

I was not disappointed. 

Find it.  Get it.  Enjoy it now or age for up to 10 years.

Characteristic ripe and under-ripe red berry aromas come together with the subtle use of oak and seasoned with a hint of clove spice. Tannins and acids are slightly elevated, but in balance contributing to a fuller body style.

Zinfandel ranks only behind cabernet sauvignon among red varietal plantings in California, with single vineyard Sonoma zins among the most important.

Try with a honey glazed ham dotted with clove and be very, very happy.

14.5% alcohol, 92 points.

I’ve seen this wine a number of places, including BevMo and Costco, priced between $15-$20.

Big House Red

So I just got through tasting and reviewing the three Big House wines that were sent to me by the distributor.  While writing my tasting notes a different thought process rolled through my head.  Let me explain…

A few years and beers ago my pal Dale, the bartender at Latitude 32 Grill and Pub in Pacific Beach, CA recanted a story from the previous night where a well dressed woman sashayed through the door of this neighborhood pub and asked to see the wine list.  Ever the clever lad Dale is, he went back to the office where he scribbled in large permanent marker three words on a coctail napkin.  “RED”, ”WHITE”, “PINK”.  I don’t think she’s been back.

Big House wines offer the same unrepentantly simple offerings.  Big House Red, Big House White, and Big House Pink.  Currently, the 2008’s have been released to most major supermarkets.

While I was tasting through the bottles I was reminded of the many reasons we all enjoy the beverage.  One of which is foremost in most peoples mind; simply for the sheer pleasure of enjoying a glass of wine.

Big House wines are never going to score the highest marks with critics, nor where they intended to.  They are meant to offer a medium for which to share a few laughs with friends and be an uncomplicated partner in the process.  At this, these wines very much succeed.  Plus, shopping for red, white, or pink wine doesn’t get much easier than this.

As these wines were not made for critics, I’m not going to score them, but I’ll offer my take on how they go down and you can decide if you want to give these inexpensive (around 8 bucks), well marketed, niche wines a go the next time you run into one at Safeway.

2008 Big House White:

I found this wine to be clean and aromatic.  It has a lightish body with medium acidity.  Peaches, white flowers, and orange blossom on the nose, with river rock and chalk minerality showing through on the palate.  The finish is short and clean like the entirety of the wine.

2008 Big House Red:

Relatively light in color and body for a red consisting largely of syrah, petit syrah, among a number of other varietals.  Cherry and sour cherry plus a little plum surrounded by a vanilla-carmel shell.  Medium-minus soft tannins that melt away quickly as does the finish.  This is a wine that can be served at room temperature or chilled, whatever the occasion would call for.

2008 Big House Pink:

Red-salmon, almost light pinot in color.  Very rich on the nose for a rose, it shows the grenache sour cherry aspect well, and may be just a hint vegetal–but not to any offensive level.  Medium alcohol and body with what seems to be a very minor note of older oak as well.  Blueberry bubble-gum plus a rush of non-descript mash of frutiness on the palate.  Dry.  This wine is exactly what it is supposed to be.  Simple, inexpensive, likeable.

I wonder now about that day at Latitude 32 if the bar had these wines to offer, would she have returned for another visit.  From what the bartender said about her, well, probably not.  But many others just might have.

2006 Juan Gil, Jumilla Red Wine, $16

Above average in weight with firm tannins that don’t overpower the wine. Very complex and complementary aromas of grilled plums, Bing cherries and game surrounded by a backbone of fresh herbs and a hint of blackberry. Bright fruit comes alive on the palate exacerbating the blackberry and plum notes, followed by a lasting finish of fruit and lingering barrel spice. 14.5% alcohol, 91 points.

Find the best deals on Juan Gil  wine here

-The Cork Head

*read my column on Jumilla wines here

This massively structured, full-bodied syrah explodes in the mouth with baked cherry, green peppercorns and gentle whisper of scorched earth minerality. The magically integrated tannins carry the flavors on and on where sweet vanilla shows up to complete the 20-second finish. Grill up a rib-eye steak with Montreal seasoning and enjoy!  14.5% alcohol, 91 points

-The Cork Head