This is one of those really good Pinots I was talking about – and true to the Oregon persona it is also corkless – you know I love that. But it doesn’t screw . . . it has a glass cap which pops right out of the bottle as smooth as silk. Very cool. Elegant and refined – you’ll like this wine. $35.00.
I’m a cab girl, I can’t help it. I love the color and the boldness. I used to be a pinot girl, but now I can only drink a pinot if it’s a really good pinot. I’ve loved Chappellet varieties for a while and I love the deep lasting impressions this cabernet brings, it is so rich you can smell it all the way across the room. Makes me want a glass right now. Priced around $45.00.
Everyone needs a prisoner, especially this one. This wine is a blend of Zinfandel (51%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%), Syrah (12%), Petite Sirah (6%), Charbono (6%) and Grenache (2%). It’s an eccentric wine that really defies the laws of blending, it should be crap, but when these grapes are combined it makes a decadent wine with great complexity. So far, I’m digging the Orin Swift wines. It’s not often a guy just decides to make wine one day and then makes really good wine. Life can be so unfair. $35.00. 92 points.
A classic and another one of my buttery favorites. Varietal composition: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc.
Brilliant. Deep. Ruby. Wonderful. If you order it in a restaurant it’s ridiculously priced around $120.00 or so, but you can get it online or at a nice liquor store for around $39.99. Have I mentioned how much I hate the triple mark up? Another good reason to move to Australia. Where the wine is always free. And people eat kangaroos.
Vacation report coming up soon, I promise.
It’s no secret that Michael and I love some good wine in this house, so much in fact that we built in a small wine closet cellar in one of the rooms. And as we were drinking a bottle of an Australian blend last night, it occurred to me that I haven’t been sharing with you the wines we love. So Internet, I think I’m going to start listing them more often, or just often since I haven’t done it at all yet. I’m so generous with the world, sometimes I amaze myself.
My all time favoritist wine ever – Rocket Science – 2005 Proprietary Red – Caldwell Vineyards – California – $40.00 – it’s plush, big, bold and makes me think naughty things. You’ll love it too.
I have to say; Australians are damn good at blending wine. I’ve been drinking Australian wines for a while now and this cheapy one took me by surprise – 2005 Elderton Tantalus – Shiraz Cabernet Malbec Merlot – Barossa Valley – only $14.99. Honestly, I was expecting crap, but it turned out to be a delicious everyday table wine.
You want to know the other thing I love that a lot of Australian vineyards are doing? Screw tops. BEST. IDEA. EVER.
