La Renjardiere - Cotes du Rhone

I went to BevMo last Wednesday to buy a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau but they were out! so since I was there I felt that I should try something different instead. I decide to get this Cotes du Rhone, Chateau La Renjardiere for $7.99, made by the Dupond Family who also bottles some Beaujolais also available from BevMo above $10. Anyway this was a good pick, very young, light, fresh and green this wine has the very typical taste of Cotes du Rhone reds. With pates and salami it pairs perfectly.

The Worse Red in 2006

Before I get into the long list of sweet beverages I enjoyed the last few days, I would like to send a Red Flag Warning to all wine consumers shopping at Trader Joe's for cheap bottles: earlier I blogged the acceptable Zarafa Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa so I tried the Red labelled Pinotage 2005 from the same producer and it was a big mistake :-( This is the worse wine I've ever drunk! I cannot describe the chemical taste of it but I can say it was not a bad bottle but their whole production since I got exact same comment from a friend who like me dumped it in the sink. I don't like when I have to do this so I wanted to share this experience so you won't have to do the same. Usually when a wine is not so good I can either use it for cooking or make vinegar...but not this one, no way! Fortunately I have more positive comments coming...

Wildhurst Merlot 2002

It was a long time since I had risked my health tasting a Californian red wine, barely recovering from bad experiences in this area ;-) Well there are some good points here to notice: first I still not fanatic a these wines described as "Black cherry flavors, the intriguing cedar and earthy notes, the touch of spice..." (where the black berry probably sun dried on a leather saddle), second I have to say that I can measure improvement in the last 10 years but still use of American Oak and excess of sun will be difficult to avoid. The price finally is correct at Trader Joe's and a little overpriced at the winery. I noticed that it is common on various wine blogs to recommend beverages for Thanksgiving; well myself I will be eating sandwiches in the wood looking for some mushrooms and I will probably take a bottle a Beaujolais Nouveau with me since I didn't taste it enough yet. Regarding this Merlot, it is definitely not for the turkey and the occasion unless to want to get drunk before the party starts. Anyway whatever you drink, don't forget to share so we can talk about it later. Have a good one!

Ruffino Chianti 2005

Pretty good wine for its price ($5.99 at Trader Joe's) and from Ruffino Estates who produces delicous Reserva Ducale. I've seen this 2005 Chianti at Cala food for $10.99 whic reminds me how big margins some stores are taking on wines. As a humorist was saying:"As long as the re will be idiots to buy, it's not going to end!".

Beaujolais Primeur 2006

This has been a big surprise and a big difference from previous years: this Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 is good! Not sure if this is only this producer, Domaine Ruet which I never had before, or the whole production but the bottle I drank was good as a "good wine" and not only a "good juice". Not this banana taste which usually characterize this wine but richer flavors balancing well with alcohol and nice red color (not much pink). I tasted it and bought the bottle at a wine bar/store in SF called Wine where I never been before but which seems to carry a good selection of wines. It was a little more expensive ($13) than usually what Beaujolais Nouveau cost (under $10) but it can be found a little bit cheaper at K&L wines.
Don't drink too much! it's really easy wine ;-)

Trevis 05 Sauvignon Blanc

I continue with white Californian wines and this 2005 Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino county made from organically grown grapes. Myself I prefer this one than the Bianco from Coppola and it definitely contributes to reconcile me with local wines. I like the region, the organic thing, the price (around $6 at Trader Joe's) and the taste of course, not oaky at all!
And don't forget today is the Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 release day! This is more of an opportunity to party than to enjoy exceptional wine but it's always fun to talk about this powerful laxative and hangover generator ;-)

Coppola Bianco

First sorry about the blurry label: Pathetic :-( I really need to upgrade my camera. I found a nice one along with well done comment which I didn't want to steal but which I can definitely recommand from Wine Waves wine blog. I didn't noticed any of the flavors listed in this post and I start to think that Pinot Gris don't have much flavor to offer compared to other white varietals. Anyway it is not possible to say that this wine is bad or has anything wrong, especially for $7 at Trader Joe's, but it has nothing special which could make me say it is "good".

Cotes du Rhone: Les Moirets

 Here is another red wine well designed for everyday consumption at a reasonable price ($5 at Trader Joe's). It is made by Cave des Papes, probably one of the largest wine maker in the Cotes du Rhone who seems to have designed some of his wines for the US market. As I was looking for more information on this one, I found this site about Les Moirets which mentioned that the wine has been aged in French and American Oak! I don't see any other reason why a French winemaker would import American oak to age its wine but to send it back to the US market. Anyway it is definitely not "oaky" (it only spet 6 to 8 months in oak) and goes well will any appropriate food (meat, salad, cheese, not fish...). not exceptional but not bad neither; it's a 12/20 

Sicilia Bianco

 After checking the winery Feudo Zirtari web site, I found out that this 2004 dry but fruity white wine from Sicilia was made with a blend of Grillo and Inzolia, local to Sicilia grape varieties (which I never heard before) and Chardonnay. For $4 at Trader Joe's it is definitely an interesting investment. I had the chance to taste many wines last week-end and probably won't have time to specificaly comment each of them. Just to mention the white ones here I had another italian one Grivo dry and easy to drink; also an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from California Frog Leap and finally a Gewurztraminer from Trader Joe's (the one around $8) which was not very sweet and acceptable for the price. 

Smoking Loon: the couple

 This was an emmergency buy at the Cala Food down the street to offer some wine with the dinner to our guests. A white SB and a red Merlot for $7 each. While I don't have anything special to say about the Sauvignon Blanc, the red was very typical Californian tastes: leather, redwood, skunk, crude oil... I'm sure it would make the day for many people but I'm not fan of it. I think that with all the chemicals added they should be able to offer a pretty stable wine and you should never be surprised by its content. May be wine drinkers are not aware that besides the "Contains Sulfite" mandatory warning, there are 50 chemicals allowed by winemakers in the US which don't need to be mentioned on the bottle. hmmm  

Red or White?

Well there may be several ways to answer the question but why not make them fight to give an answer?! Not any fight, nothing bloody or painful, no just a Google Fight!
It's not scientific but I had to share this link here ;-)
Share your fights!

Pomerol idol

 OK today I'm making a step away from the main idea of this blog to comment only "cheap" wines but I have to share and log this memorable experience I had 2 days ago with this Pomerol Chateau Moulinet 2001. This bottle seems to cost around $25 in the US but provide a satisfaction woth the price. I don't have the pro words to describe such wine but I can say that this wine is made essentially from Merlot and if I use Google translation to convert the French characteristic of the Pomerol into English I get:"Rounds and flexible, at the same time as vigorous, they are equipped with a powerful and cordial bouquet" If it makes sense to you and want to learn more about Bordeaux wines here is an interesting and complete book available online: La planète-vin / Bordeaux and you can use of course Google translation to translate the whole site in English! Now I'm gonna feel bad about the next $5 wine ;-) 

Burgundy 1er cru under $10!

 I had yesterday a rare sample on my table: a Burgundy Nuits St Georges 1er cru 1994 and besides the fact that 94 was not a good year it remains a good experience. I found the bottle, half bottle in fact, a while ago at the Grocery Outlet in Oakland for $6.99! It was not excellent but definitly better than everything else I have blogged here ;-) One of the big difference with regular cheap wines is the richness of the nectar which makes little amounts to satisfy your need. Usually a whole bottle of wine or so is needed for a dinner for 2; with this one we barely finish the half bottle (there was some solid at the bottom) so unless you're a pig you shouldn't need as much of a high quality (i.e. expensive) wine than you need of a cheap one. Not that I'm an alcoholic but I'm gonna stick to the cheap ones for now ;-)