Ray's Station Cabernet Sauvignon 2005: A-

I loved this wine. I really wish I had written down why last night while I was drinking it. I remember thinking, "this wine is great - i am going to give in an A- because i like it so much" but can't exactly recall why. i do remember that it was a bit fruitier than one expects cabs to be. i also remember how every time my glass neared empty, i got excited about pouring myself more. also, it is in the medium price range ($13-$17 depending where you get it)....like the rest of this annoyingly vague post, i don't remember where i bought this, but did i mention, i really like it :)

Ridge "Three Valleys" 2005: B-

The text on the bottle of this blend says that it is 74% Zin, 13% Petite Sirah, and 8% Carignane with the balance Grenache and Mataro. It was definitely a bit of a gearshift from the syrah, and there were all around more positive comments. josh felt that the three valleys was brighter, detected cranberry on the nose. I wouldn't have come up with cranberry myself, but wholeheartedly agree. there was a really smooth tang that for me characterized this wine in the nose and the mouth. despite its "brightness", this juice didn't lack body or structure. Becky said that it reminded here of the ridiculously priced whole foods yuppie elixir (AKA POM juice) that she had consumed earlier that evening. She also noted earth and butter - and when we all looked at her like she had three heads, she reminded us that there are no wrong answers on the wine blog. true dat becky, true dat. All agreed that maybe the lemon chicken wasn't the best pairing, but i think most of us might buy this again if given the opportunity. I should note, that i think this wine is slightly overpriced at $21 - i would by it again for $17. The price knocks it down a letter grade from a B to a B-.

Madroña Syrah 2006: C

Two nights ago the whole greatjuice gang gathered at chez wilson/hale for a pre-oscar wine and dine experience. paola and i were in charge of salad and the hosts whipped up a spectacular Moroccan lemon chicken with couscous. when we arrived beck and josh were already half way through this bottle of Madroña syrah that they had received through their wine club. so here's the thing about wine club wines - i feel like they often send you wines that they know most people will like. i would join a wine club, not because i expect to like every wine, but because i want my palate to be expanded and would even expect to receive some bottles that I downright hate. Unfortunately, in my experience this is not the case. It seems like lots of clubs say that they give you a wide variety, and by that they mean they send you all sorts of varietals, but if they all taste like something that i could get at my local grocery store, i am not sure what good that does me.

but i digress... so we hopped in on the drinking of the Madroña and really had very few complaints, but i don't think anyone was blown away either. Becky seemed to think that it tasted moldy and sharp, then realized that she had chased her sip with a chunk of blue cheese and recanted her characterization. she did detect a slightly floral nose. josh concurred and added that he liked the deep purply color (i agree) and thought that this was a rather well rounded and balanced wine.

as for me, i thought there was a subtle spice to this one that was rather pleasant and a bit of blueberry on the nose. In terms of tannins, both paola and i agreed that there was a minor bit of tannic cotton tackiness in the mouth, but it wasn't at the back of the mouth where we usually feel it, rather near the front. overall not an unpleasant experience, but i am not sure we will be ordering a case anytime in the near future.

as a last note/questions, josh notices that this wine, like a couple others he has tasted, induced in him a trance-like state. as weird as this sounds, i think i know what he is talking about. i would like to think that something in certain wines makes me stare off into space, or at the kitchen counter for unacceptably long periods of time, but I suspect it may have more to do with the amount of wine consumed as opposed to some magic ingredient that certain wines have. then again, i have heard something about sulfites giving people headaches and such. any thoughts?

Montes Alpha Syrah 2004: B+

Josh and I finally opened an 04 Montes Alpha that we'd been saving. Looks like grape juice - wicked purple. Also, this wine is endorsed by Andean Indians. What more could you want? Josh says "Core attribute is full-bodied flavor of dark berry and spice." He thinks it would stand up well, next to smoked meat or perhaps spicy Peruvian chicken...not the pesto pasta we're eating right now. Maybe I thought this bottle tasted even better because we've been saving it...my judgement might be off. 

A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants 2007: A+

Ok, so clearly this is not a bottle of wine, but a book. Not any book, but a book written by my friend Jaed Coffin. Jaed is a talented young Maine author, and this, his debut novel has received great reviews thus far. I am in the process of procuring a copy myself to read while I am home in maine in a couple of weeks. keep on rocking in the free world Jaed. If you want to learn more about the book, or jaed, go to jaedcoffin.com.

obama: wine vs. beer

I recently came across this snippet on an article from the Chicago Tribune by reporter John McCormick: "Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has had more success among "wine-track" voters -- characterized by "higher incomes and more education" -- than he has among "beer-track" voters". this whole categorizing voters according to their preferences in alcoholic beverages is a new political phenomenon to me, seems sort of ridiculouse, and frankly it leaves me wondering what i am. is there such thing as a "pepperoni pizza track" voter?

Quady Elysium Black Muscat 2006: C

I like wine. I like dessert. This should mean that I like dessert wine, right? mmmm....not always. I picked up this bottle (375ml) of black muscat at Trader Joes for 12.99, admittedly attracted by the fact that i had no idea that black muscat existed. Similar to my experience with the rosé from last week, I can tell that this is a well made wine. It has interesting structure and taste, but it just isn't for me. Unless I am drinking ports (Prager is among my current favorites - the make a white hazelnut port that is wicked rad), I have a strong preference for much lighter fresher and dryer desert wines that are less syrupy. The Elysium seems quite viscous but is pleasantly smooth. definitely lots of sweet floral flavors on the nose - wait, can one smell flavors? even though i know this sounds ridiculous, this muscat, for me, had really strong grape taste. but chris, you might say, maybe this is because wine is made from grapes. i know - just try it, i think you will see what i mean....not just like it tasted as thought it were made from grapes, rather it actually is characterized by a strong almost flat grape soda kind of a taste. I have come across a couple of suggestions to pour this wine over vanilla ice cream. that could definitely be tasty, but i don't know if I want to have to pour my wine over ice cream to get excited about it. If I am honest with myself, I will never buy this wine again. that said, take this rating with a grain of salt, as I am not a real dessert wine guy. C

Montes Cherub Rose of Syrah 2007: B

In celebration of the weird weather yesterday in Washington (72 degrees with apocalyptic skies in mid-February) Paola and I decided to crack open a bottle of chilean rosé of syrah. I claim no comparative ability given that i have never, in my recent memory, had rosé, but what Paola termed the "weather for being outside in a hammock or playing cards" it seemed like the right choice. Knowing little about rosé i did some quick research and the most succinct coherent blurb i found was on wine.com: "Rose is a wine that goes through the red winemaking process, but is stopped before extracting too many red wine characteristics. Almost always made from red varietals, the grapes are pressed and the juice sits with the skins for fermentation - but just for a little while - enough time to get a bit of color and a bit of the skin characteristics. Then fermentation continues as a white wine, most often in stainless steel."

our initial observations were that the color seemed to be a deeper ruby than the picture we had in our minds (see pic above). on the nose, the first thing that comes to my mind is champagne. on the tongue, there is an effervescence that i am not sure is characteristic of rosé or not. the taste to me is strongly similar to pino grigio actually, except that it finishes much larger than a white wine. i am only familiar pinot grigio with because it is my mom's vino of preference.

While I am having a hard time putting a grade on this one, I have the impression that as rosé's go, this one is pretty good. If I had to drink a Rosé again, i would definitely consider it and therefore give it a B.