Author Archives: colonelgrape

2011 Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay

A very interesting bottle of Chardonnay. It’s an un-oaked California that drinks more like a Chablis. It’s aged in steel and cement vats instead of oak which gives it that French profile. The vineyard got creative with the cement looking ceramic bottle which is kind of cool. Definitely no light messing with this wine on the shelf. This is the second cement wine we’ve reviewed and the first white. Something tells me it won’t be the last though…

colonelgrape: 92. I really enjoyed this bottle. I’ve been looking for a California Chardonnay that we both like and we’ve finally found one. Not suprisingly it’s one that tastes like it’s from France! This wine was a nice gold color and had a big nose of tropical fruit, minerals, and apple. On the palate it had medium body and the acidity was medium-high…it had good tartness. Apple, pear, peach, pineapple…lots going on. We enjoyed it with a traditional boiled dinner and it stood up to the fattiness of the meat and was light enough it didn’t overwhelm the vegetables. This would definitely be good alternative to Sauvignon Blanc if you’re looking for something with more pop and body with any light-medium seafood or chicken dish such as salmon, clams in white wine sauce, baked chicken, etc.

MobyGrape: Chardonnay – 92. No, that’s not a typo. We finally found a chardonnay that doesn’t taste like piss! Hallelujah! Found this puppy at a tasting recently, I was ready to make my chardonnay face as the guy started talking about the wine. But, miraculously, it was delicious! It was fruity, crisp, just tart enough to be interesting, and I can’t stress this enough, did not taste like the sour ass I normally associate with chardonnay. I think I’m digging on this aging in cement/steel barrel business. It’s edgy. I like it. Next thing I know I’ll have a ring of chardonnay grapes tattooed around my bicep.

2010 Domaine Galevan Chateauneuf du Pape Saint-Georges

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Chateauneuf du Pape translates to House of the Pope and with the election of Pope Francis we thought it would be appropriate to enjoy a CdP with dinner the other night. This is our second bottle from our most recent Wine Library order and it’s a 100% Grenache CdP from Domaine Galevan which is a small yet well known estate in southern Rhone. The 2009, 2010, and 2011 have all earned critical acclaim which has driven the price up to $80 a bottle however I was able to grab it for $60.

colonelgrape: 95. Definitely a younger wine…a little rough around the edges but the foundation is strong and this wine is going to round into shape in the next few years. Being 100% Grenache it has a slightly different taste than other CdP’s. Dark fruit, leather, and earth come through on the palate with a nice long finish. It’s very drinkable now but this is a wine worth cellaring as it’s only going to get better and better. Every 2010 CdP or CdR I’ve had so far has been excellent…if you see any 2010 from a good producer at a good price snatch up all you can, the price is only going to go up.

MobyGrape: 88. Habemus Papam! In honor of a new pope, it seemed only fitting to have a wine with a Pope hat on it. It was carefully selected in the basement after a series of secretive meetings and, once chosen, I set dinner on fire and smoke filled the kitchen. Maybe that’s not quite what happened but whatever, the wine was well-timed and tasty. It was young and not quite as smooth as some of the cdp’s we’ve had, but it was delicious nonetheless.

2009 Tenuta Olim Bauda Barbera d’Asti ‘Nizza’ Superiore

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colonelgrape: 96. This was an outstanding bottle. It had everything I look for in a great Barbera: a combination of red and black fruit, minerals, lots of acid, and low tannins. It had great structure as well, hitting all the right places on the palate at the right times. At $36 this is an expensive Barbera but I still say it’s a value bottle due to the quality. It’s hard to find any bottle of wine this good for $35…I’d highly recommend picking a few of these up. Top notch pairing for rustic Italian meals.

MobyGrape: 86. In my attempt to be more domestic I made some crazy Moroccan chicken skewer things (compliments of my more cooking-inclined friend at www.foodstorm.wordpress.com). The last time I tried to make something involving wooden skewers I was trying to impress the Colonel when we were dating and set the skewers on fire. I’m pretty sure that meal tasted like smoked shit, but he kindly ate it anyways and hey, he married me after all so let that be a beacon of hope for you ladies out there who aren’t exactly Suzy Homemaker. While my cooking skills have improved somewhat, there’s a reason I write on a wine blog, instead of a food blog. I didn’t think a white in our repertoire would stand up to the amount of stuff I put on that chicken so I boldly requested a red that was acidic, possibly a pinot noir or an italian that wasn’t a montepulciano. I could hear the Colonel laughing all the way to the basement but he still showed up with something I kind of asked for so I’m taking it as a win. This did pair well with the chicken, it had a tart kick to it but wasn’t too overbearing. Reminded me of cherries right off the bat. And after the meal the wine was still easy to drink, seemed to mellow out a bit. So try the skewers, and the wine. And maybe keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case.

February 2013 Recap

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It was a very light month for us it terms of wine ratings. Vacation and busy schedules have kept us from rating as many wines as we would have liked but with the exception of the Hugel Pinot Gris, all the wines we tasted were excellent.

The 2006 La Font d’Estevenas and 2000 Chateau Haut-Bages deserve special mention as they were spectacular and would have certainly earned 90+ ratings.

Grapestorm Highest Rated Wine of February 2013:

2009 Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon – 84

Wines Rated:

NV Jose Dhondt Blanc de Blancs Brut – 82

2008 Chateau Mont-Redon Cotes du Rhone – 80

2006 Les Vignes D’Alexandre Chateauneuf du Pape – 69

Other Wines Enjoyed:

2006 La Font d’Estevenas Domaine Alary Cote du Rhone Villages

2003 Le Benjamin de Beauregard Pomerol

2000 Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Paulliac

2006 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

2009 Tradition Valais

2010 Domaine des Pasquiers Gigondas

2009 Hugel Pinot Gris – Not good, don’t waste your money.

2008 Chateau Mont-Redon Cotes du Rhone

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2008 was a notoriously inconsistent year in the Rhone Valley. You’ll often fine this vintage at a much lower price than the famous 2007 or 2010 vintages. While the wines are inconsistent this gives the potential to find a great wine for a bargain price. The best bet is to stick with the more well known producers in these off vintages. Chateay Mont-Redon is one of our favorites in Rhone and I’m always willing to give them a try. While we were in Switzerland we had a 2008 Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf that was out of this world.

colonelgrape: 80. This wasn’t the super rare amazing 2008 we were looking for but it wasn’t bad. Considering the $12 price I was happy with the quality but I’ve had better Cotes du Rhone at this price point from the 2007, 2009, and 2010 vintages. We absolutely love the 2007 Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf du-Pape and next time I see their CdR from another vintage I’ll be sure to pounce on it. If you see a 2008 and you’re looking for a table wine for an every day dinner this wine works just fine. If you’re trying to impress someone, try the 07 or the 10.

MobyGrape: 80. I once again epically failed a blind wine taste test. But since whether I get it right or wrong never changes the outcome, (meaning I still get to drink it all), I’m not terribly broken up about it. It smelled a little like foot, and had a rustic, earthy quality to it. I hope it wasn’t expensive, I’d consider it a perfectly fine wine to crack out for a non-special occasion. It was such a non-special occasion I can’t even remember what we ate with it.