2005 Fess Parker Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, California

If you look closely at the label above you'll notice the raccoon skin cap above the name Fess Parker. You're asking why. Good question. Some of you may remember that Fess Parker was the actor who played Davy Crocket on the television show from the 1950's and 1960's, and Daniel Boone in the 1960's. I remember seeing reruns when I was young, but fortunately I am not old enough to remember the show being on tv.

Anyway, those who saw the show will remember that Davy Crocket, and Daniel Boone too, I think, work buckskin suits. They were rugged pioneer type guys after all. Well, story has it that Fess Parker was horribly allergic to leather, to the buckskin, and had to be slathered in salve in order to wear the buckskin outfit. There were times when he was in absolute agony. He suffered for us.

I think that Fess bought the land his winery would ultimately be built on back in the 1950's. It wasn't until the late 1980's, though, that Fess and his son Eli set out to make a world class winery. Eli studied with renowned winemakers to learn his craft, one of whom was Jed Steele. Now Eli is the winemaker at Fess Parker and it is a true family run operation.

We did not decant this wine, as when we tasted it right out of the bottle (not literally, we do use stemware...) it seemed good to go. The nose was interesting and had blackberry and cherry, some spice... like cinnamon and maybe even just a little cumin, and cola flavors... but not like a soda, like the candy that is flavored like the soda. The palate was a bit thin, but had decent fruit, a wet leather quality, restrained tannins and a short finish. It was easy to drink, a solid Pinot Noir, and a good value for the price. It was not over the top in any way, but it also did not leave a particularly strong impression on us. We love the story about Fess Parker's buckskin allergies, though. Good times.

cost - $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7.5

2004 Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

The Willamette Valley is a pretty special place, holding very high esteem in the hearts of Pinot Noir lovers. It is one of those unique areas where the weather, the soil, and the winemaking talent come together in just the right way to make amazing wine. Consistently. Domaine Drouhin, Adlesheim, Panther Creek, Ken Wright, St. Innocent, King Estate, and Domaine Serene. These are just the ones that came to mind now, there are several others, but these wineries have put the Willamette Valley on the Pinot Noir map and the wines being produced here, including also Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Melon are award winning.

Ken and Grace Evenstad, originally from Minnesota, purchased the Domane Serene winery in 1989 to pursue their passion for great wine. They released their first wine, the Evenstad Reserve, in 1990 and this marked the first wine in a long list of consistently excellent vintages. They brought to the winery the best talent and the best winemaking practices, focusing on low yield vineyards producing only the best and most concentrated fruit. Their relentless care and attention to detail is enhanced by their very hands-on approach to creating their wines. The grapes are picked by hand, sorted by hand, and matured in the best French oak. The winery prefers an estate single-vineyard approach to their wines, with the wine being reviewed here, the Yamhill Cuvee, being from estate grown fruit from Yamhill County, Oregon.

This wine saw 13 months in French oak and is unfined and unfiltered. We opened and decanted it and saw a little bit of sediment. We let it sit for about 20 minutes. When we tasted we found the nose full and rich, with cranberry and cherry, hints of smoke, and a nice lingering sweetness... almost like cotton candy, but only very subtly. The nose is really enticing, and very complex. The palate showed very even plum and raspberry, a little bit of oak, and wonderful earthiness. Supremely elegant, medium bodied, balanced and with a soft finish... we loved this wine. Delicious. After tasting for a bit we thought we were smelling basil in the nose in a way that can best be described as fragrant.

I'll be honest. I have never been disappointed with a wine from Domaine Serene. They have always been worth the price... which is typically a little more than I want to spend but always find worth it. Consistently excellent and of top quality is a great way to summarize the reputation of the wines they produce.

cost - $34.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9.5

2000 Merryvale Profile, Napa Valley, California

My brother's birthday was a few days ago. We don't normally exchange gifts as we are of that age where birthday gifts for your siblings is not top-of-mind, so to speak. Anyway, he sent me a pretty terrific surprise gift for my birthday earlier the same week (the DVD box set of ALL of the Pink Panther Movies... and yes, that's how I roll) and I needed to reciprocate. So I contacted a recommended wine shop in Brooklyn (Red, White, and Bubbly) , where he and his wonderful girlfriend live, and this beautiful bottle was hand delivered on behalf of winecommando as a birthday gift. I asked that they review the wine for us, as we have not tried it, and JL and mattisimo have obliged with what is the FIRST guest wine review on winecommando:

"Having friends and family who know wines is a great asset for novices like us. We've attended our share of tasting events and have wined and dined with those in the know, and through these experiences, we have discovered what flavors and qualities we like, yet we
are usually at the mercy of a good wine shop owner or somelier, or at least a wine list with good descriptions. So it was a wonderful surprise to receive a bottle of Merryvale 'Profile' Red Wine as a birthday gift from the experienced folks at winecommando.

Merryvale Vineyards is located in the lovely town of St. Helena, in Napa Valley. 'Profile' is one of their Prestige wines, "a proprietary red Bordeaux blend." This bottle, from 2000, is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Letting it rest for about half an hour resulted in a nice rich wine with a smooth finish. It tasted of dark berries, a little smokey, and just enough body to remind you of the complexity of the blend. This wine would pair well with heartier meats,like beef or pork, or perhaps rich poultry, like turkey or duck. It was a delicious foray into blended wines. This was also an introduction to a new (to us) California winery, and certainly one to seek out on our next trip to Napa. Merryvale was the first winery built in Napa Valley after the end of Prohibition. This family-owned winery is dedicated to the art of winemaking, and their wines have received much acclaim, both here and abroad. And from a couple of NY novices, the 2000 'Profile' wins our praise."

cost - a birthday gift from the folks at winecommando

(guest) winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

Making Sense of Rioja - An Underdog

Wine intimidates a lot of people. They think that they should have been born with a deep and resourceful knowledge of the wines of the world, and are surprised that they were not. Many feel inadequate if they don't know something about a wine. Everyone needs to let go of this and realize that wine, like everything else in the world, is about our personal experience with it. We learn from engaging, from exploring and we add to our knowledge of the world by doing so.

I am often asked how I came to know something about wine. I try to answer this really carefully. I learned about wine by immersing myself in it. I tasted frequently and benefited from the knowledge of those around me who had immense experience with wine... the making, the selling, and the collecting. I still only know a little bit about wine, despite all of these years, and am motivated to learn more. That is a big reason why I started winecommando. To share what I learn with anyone who cares to check it out. The goal here, really, isn't what I think a wine tasted like, as to me that is totally subjective. The goal is to impart some of what I learned about the wine, the winemaker, the winery and the region that it came from. As I said a few posts ago, it's the stories I'm after and if a wine tastes awesome in this pursuit than it is a bonus.

That was a long way of getting to Rioja, a wine producing area of Spain that both excites and confounds the wine drinkers of the world. There are several wine producing areas that confuse us. Learning to decipher a French, Italian or Spanish wine label is daunting at best. Add in the more esoteric wine varietals and it is a big reason that many imported wines collect dust on the shelves of your local wine shop. More than anything, it is tradition that has kept many European wines from being easily understood by those of us who did not grow up with it. Remind me to get into the wine governing body of France in another post. Good times... freaking bureaucrats.

The wines of Rioja suffer from the same challenges of those of Bordeaux, Provence and I would say almost all of the wines of Italy. It is really hard to tell, from looking at the label, what exactly it is that you hold in your hands. Probably, though, what you are holding in your hands is something wonderful. Let's get some history here.

Rioja is the name given to wine that is grown in the provinces of La Rioja (that's the provincial flag up there) in Spain. These provinces are just below the Basque region and the wine growing region is about 40x100 miles. It was officially declared a wine growing region by the Spanish wine governing body in 1926, but the area's history goes way, way, way back. Rioja has seen the ancient Phoenicians and Carthaginians, the Romans (of course), and the Moors all play a substantial part in its development as a region that produces amazing wine. The Romans, perhaps, had the biggest impact as they did wherever they absorbed territory into the Empire. There are Roman wineries still standing around La Rioja. The Moors, who occupied most of Spain after the Romans, saw to the dismantling of much of the wine producing in Spain... and everywhere. But it continued underground. When the Crusader El Cid liberated Spain from the Moors trade and commerce were reestablished and Rioja again flourished. Christian monks from Burgundy settled in the area to build monasteries and brought with them new vines that were predominantly white and added diversity to the wine culture. During the 14th century the English developed a proclivity for lighter style wines like those produced in La Rioja and rather quickly these wines found foreign markets. The wine of the times was actually a blend of red and white grapes called blancos paradillos, and this style of wine developed a following in the royal courts of England and France, massively increasing demand.

Fast forward to today, and the fortunes of La Rioja match those of much of Europe's other wine producing areas. Tastes change, economies falter, and the agendas of kings and presidents can intervene. Today, La Rioja is divided into three areas that are in increasing order of warmth. These are Rioja Alavessa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja. Rioja Alta is the highest of the three and many of the best Rioja wines come from here. Historically, wineries have blended grapes grown from all of the three different areas. The red varietals today are Tempranillo, the most recognized red grape of Spain, as well as Granacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano. The white varietals are Malvasia (producing really lovely summery white wines), Garnacha Blanca and Viura. There is a lot of debate going on now as to whether La Rioja should produce other, more mainstream varietals. I read that this has been decided and we will soon see Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc coming from Spain. The jury is still out on whether this is a good or bad thing.

As you look at the label of a wine from Rioja you can learn something by understanding its category. Red Riojas are broken down into one of four categories, the first being just "Rioja." This wine is typically the youngest and ready to drink having seen little or no oak in the maturation process. The next category up is "crianza" which denotes a wine that has been aged for at least a couple of years with one of these being aged in oak. Then there is "Reserva" which is aged for at least three years with at least one in oak. Reservas tend to offer some exceptional values in red Riojas and some begin to enter into the territory of Bordeaux in quality for a helluva lot less money. The top category from Rioja is "Gran Reserva" and these wines have been aged for at least two years in oak and at least three years in the bottle. There are also amazing values in Gran Reserva. If you tend towards nice Cabernet Sauvignon, and enjoy great Bordeaux, then you owe it to yourself to investigate the fine Rioja reds. They are exceptional food wines and deliver quality, typically, well beyond their price. Note that both Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are only produced in years when the winemakers feel the quality of the fruit is superior. I know that Riojas from 2001 and 2004 have received much praise and are well worth the experiment.

A friend of mine has always called Rioja the Bordeaux of Spain. He's not wrong, really, just maybe a little funny. The Gran Reservas are truly amazing wines, and worthy of so much more attention than they garner. There are tastings in which Riojas have outpaced Bordeaux in quality and certainly in value. It is difficult to really compare, though, as the Bordeaux blend is so different from that of Rioja. Suffice it to say, it is worth experimenting and substituting a nice Rioja the next time you are searing a beef tenderloin or grilling a ribeye. I will be trying some Rioja in the coming weeks and posting here.

2004 Montes Alpha Syrah Alpalta Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile

People tend to think that the Chilean wine industry is new and novel. This is a total misconception as more than 500 years ago missionaries traveling with the conquistadors brought vine cuttings all over South America, mostly to make their sacramental wine... or so they said. In what is now Chile they found both the climate and soil perfect for the beginnings of wine making. This was WAY before the wine industries of California and Australia were even a glimmer in the eye of some savvy pioneering immigrant.

Now, this isn't to say that the Chilean wine industry has been nurtured and prospered all of this time. In the early 1800's wines exported from this area were competing with the export wines of the Spanish monarchy. That was not a line to cross, and the Spanish crown ordered many vineyards burned and the vines pulled. This was a setback for several decades, but in the late 1800's a wave of French immigrants to Santiago brought their vines and cuttings and Chile saw the beginning a new age of wine making. The French brought cuttings from Bordeaux and the Rhone, and Cabernet Sauvignon in particular seemed to find a natural home on the slopes of the Andes mountains. Note also that around the late 1800's the vineyards of France, Italy and Spain became plagued with the Phylloxera louse and began fighting a losing battle against this vineyard destroyer. That is a pretty interesting story that I will tell another time, but back in Chile the vineyards were protected from the spread of this pest worldwide by the buffer to the east of the Andes and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Many of those original plantings, most notably from Bordeaux, still produce fruit. Phylloxera is still damaging the wine industry around the world, but Chile remains isolated and free from this scourge.

The Montes Alpha winery has become very highly recognized, especially in the last few years. The winery owner, Aurielo Montes, is a successful wine pioneer in the region staking out new and important vineyard territory and focusing on low production ultra-premium wines. This Syrah has been rated very highly and considered to be representative of the uniqueness of the Chilean wine industry. I was excited to try it. Cat and I opened it and tasted before decanting. It came out of the bottle TIGHT. Really tight. Sharp and tight. Freaking tight. This concerned us, but look back a few reviews ago and we had had a similar start to a wine only to see it open up beautifully an hour or two later. So, we decanted and let this wine sit for a bit. We came back to it while making dinner and found it really freaking tight. We let it rest in the decanter while we made dinner. We tasted again as we sat down to eat and it was still really tight, yielding very, very little. Hmmm...

We ate dinner, it was lovely but I can't remember what we had. Cleaned up, loaded the dishwasher, let the dog out, watched an episode of The Soprano's and then decided to taste it again. WOW! Pretty dramatic change, thankfully. We enjoyed a glass and discussed how frustrating it is when a wine requires upwards of three to four hours to open up. I did some digging and found that other reviewers had had interestingly similar experiences with this wine. The nose had become much softer and had moved from an almost acrid quality to one with dark cherries and plum balanced with almost a spiced wine like scent. The palate also was much softer and very elegant. There were hints of vanilla and plum with the dry sweetness of black berry. The finish was longish, but smooth with restrained tannins. I did not find this wine to be especially complex, and though it was good I did not really find it to be that memorable or differentiated from other Syrah's in a way that would make it unique. It was nice once it had finally opened, and we enjoyed it quite a bit. It just didn't make a strong impression on us. We will probably come back to this wine and this vintage in another year or two as I suspect it will begin to deepen and improve with a little more time.

cost - $21.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7

2005 Steele Carneros Pinot Noir, Sonoma, California

Another standout wine from Carneros. I must be beginning a Carneros kick to replace my focus on Syrah. I could do much worse. This wine is the result of efforts by Jed Steele. Jed is not only a terrific wine maker, he is a pretty cool person. This I know first hand. In my previous life I had the opportunity to cross paths and share wine with Jed on numerous occasions. Back then his wines were solid. This one is no exception, though I have had wines from Steele that have varied. The Pinot Noirs, though, seem to always be of top quality.

Jed started making wine in 1991. If I remember correctly, he was a transplant from Boston to California... but don't quote me on that. Anyway, he came to California and developed not only a passion for wine, but a passion for making wine. He started in 1991 using fruit purchased from grape growers and made his wine in a shared winery in which he rented space. He was a natural. By 1996 11 out of 18 wines that Jed made were rated outstanding, and it was in 1996 that he purchased a winery and began expanding his efforts.

This wine had really pronounced strawberry in the nose, very concentrated. There were also hints of cassis and a slight smokiness. The palate carried the strawberry fruit, balanced with a little chocolate. There was oak in the palate, but really subtle, and the finish was longish but not unpleasant. All in all a very solid Pinot Noir that paired perfectly with the salmon that I had for dinner.

It is appropriate that I had this wine now as at about this time every year Jed would throw a pre-Oscars party where people would dress up, drink his wines, eat great food and try to predict who would win what awards. It is now pre-Oscars time and I just had a Jed Steele wine. I do not have any Oscar predictions, though. For that, you must check my other blog...

Just kidding. I could care less about the Oscars.

cost - $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2005 Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves, Bordeaux, France

Yes, another white Graves. Yes, we love Sauvignon Blanc. Rarely do wines from Graves disappoint us. This one did. It just did not have the qualities of the wines from this region that we dig so much, and totally expect. Honestly, this wine was flat. It had little discernible fruit, and what was there was citrus at best. It lacked that lovely minerally quality... no wet rocks here. The nose was virtually non-existent. We should have had a bottle of water instead. I shouldn't be mean, but this wine was a let down.

We do like all of the whitespace on the label, though.

In all fairness, we have had Chateau Graville-Lacoste many times before from different vintages and do not ever remember being disappointed. Perhaps this is just the case with the 2005. Be warned.

cost - $16.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 4

2005 Copain Wines "L'hiver" Syrah, Mendocino County, California

We had very high expectations for this wine. It has received great ratings and there was a lot of enthusiasm for it at my local wine shop. When people are enthusiastic about a wine that is enough to get me to try it, but this one is also from an incredibly well respected winemaker, Wells Guthrie, who pursued his passion for wine all the way to Chapoutier in the Northern Rhone from San Francisco. There, he focused on learning the intricacies of the Rhone varietals and worked the winery and the vineyards at Chapoutier. He also began investigating biodynamics, something being talked about more and more amongst grape growers and winemakers.

Wells moved back to California and did a stint with Helen Turley of Turley Wines, whom I have a lot of respect for and whose wines have blown my mine. He departed Turley and started his own winery. He is dedicated to organic farming and seeks out partnerships with grape growers who share this dedication. He also subscribes to a winemaking style that could best be classified as "old world." I admire that a lot as it implies a light touch while making the wine and a minimum of winemaking technology. Factory production this is not. This is about craft and it is about being quite intimate with the wine through the entire making and maturation process.

This wine is like a Crozes-Hermitage from California. It is quite reminiscent of this Rhone wine with a style that pushes the fruit forward, in this case dark cherries, but balances it with an olive like quality. Almost "green olivy." Sounds off putting, but it works great and the wine is pretty wonderful. It is very balanced, velvety and smooth with a longish finish and tannins that are well in check. Excellent with food, especially duck or venison. Maybe pair it with bison tenderloin. Yum.

Anyway, this was a cool syrah to try and completely different in style than the Ridge and the De Lisio that I raved about last week. All three represent the versatility and range of the Syrah grape, which truly is amazing... and really fun to contrast.

cost - $17.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2000 Kent Rasmussen WInery Pinot Noir, Carneros, California

Kent Rasmussen started his winery in 1979 when he planted six acres of Pinot Noir vines. At that time Carneros was not thought of as optimal vineyard area and had relatively few thriving vineyards. Vineyards had once been planted throughout the area, dating back to the time that it was originally homesteaded in the 1830's, but the industry never caught on with any success. By the end of WWII, most of the vineyards had been pulled or were overgrown and forgotten.

It is an incredibly challenging area to grow grapes of any kind, but especially daunting to attempt to grow Pinot Noir there. Obviously, this did not stop Mr. Rasmussen and he persevered adding additional vineyard land in the process. By the time Carneros had caught on as a good area to grow Pinot Noir, Kent Rasmussen was already comfortably situated as the vanguard and the largest Pinot Noir vineyard owner.

He made his first wines from his plantings in 1986. Twenty years later his wines are respected and renowned throughout the world and Carneros is considered to be one of the best areas to grow Pinot Noir in California. Now that's vision.

We enjoyed this bottle. In the glass the wine offers great ruby color tinged with that reddish brown around the edges that is indicative of Pinot Noir. The nose was remarkably full, with hints of blackberry and Earl Grey tea. Cat picked up a little black licorice. The full nose gave way to a lighter palate with slightly brighter fruit, a little earthiness, and a lingering and slightly sharp finish. Cat noticed a slight metallic taste to the finish but I did not get that, but it did initially react with the back corners of my tongue. After the bottle had opened up for about 30 minutes we found it to be quite nice, very elegant, and much softer with almost a perfume like quality to the nose. Good wine.

cost - $24.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8

2005 Adelsheim Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon

The pinot gris grape has been grown in Europe, from an area in the north that includes Alsace, through Burgundy and all the way south to Northern Italy, for a very, very long time. It is a grape very well suited to this region and they produce some outstanding wines. Look for the Alsatian pinot gris by Lucien Albrecht, especially the reserve. Great wine.

Pinot gris was introduced to the United States in Oregon, and Adelsheim is one of the oldest producers of a pinot gris in the US, since 1984. It was a small production wine at the beginning, but the wine has grown in popularity through the efforts of many of the Oregonian producers who vint one. The area of the Willamette Valley is very well suited to grow great pinot gris, much as it is to grow exceptional pinot noir. I think that pinot gris is a great food wine, given its structure, and is an excellent alternative to chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. For Cat and I, it falls somewhere between the two.

This wine was very crisp and bright. We picked up nice round fruit in the nose, like ripe pear. It was enticing and very smooth on the palate with more pear fruit, very subtle lemony citrus, and a really nice creaminess. I tasted a little vanilla in the finish. It's hard to explain, but it is as crisp and refreshing as many great sauvignon blancs, but it offers a depth and complexity that sauvignon blanc just does not have. This pinot gris was delicious, and would pair very well with lighter fish dishes, vegetarian options and fowl. It would also be very nice as a before dinner wine with appetizers.

So let's explain the label. As long as I have been familiar with the wines from Adelsheim, the labels of their wines have had portraits of the women in the Adelsheim family. The portraits are drawn by Ginny Adelsheim, David Adelsheim's wife, and the woman on this label is Ginny's older sister. I think that is cool and truly makes the making of these wines a family affair, which so often it very much is.

cost - $17.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8

1990 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches, Burgundy (Part Three)

We did it. We opened the Clos des Mouches last evening and had it with dinner. It was a unique experience. We served it with pan seared and roasted beef tenderloin with a shiitake mushroom and parsnip ragout and a pinot noir reduction. The reduction was made from this wine, that's just how we roll. Dinner was great and the wine paired very, very well with the beef.

Before I tell you how the wine was, I want to drag this out a bit and explain why, perhaps, Clos des Mouches is considered to be so special. Burgundy is a small area, about two miles wide and thirty miles long. Only about 62 acres of Burgundy comprise Beaune Clos des Mouches, and this land is divided among twenty different winemakers. The largest single owner is Maison Joseph Drouhin, and they have the 32 best acres in the lot, land perfectly situated to make great pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. Joseph Drouhin acquired the beginnings of his Clos des Mouches holdings back in 1918 and has steadily added to them when possible and believes these vineyards to be their most precious holding. Maison Joseph Drouhin makes terrific wine, and they consider the wine made from Clos des Mouches to be their best of the best.

So, the vineyard is special. The winemaker is prestigious. But then add in the challenges of making great pinot noir (cue your internal clip of the movie "Sideways"). For those of you who have not seen this movie, I offer a brief explanation here. Pinot noir is challenged during each step of the transition from vine to bottle. The vines and fruit are fragile and susceptible to virtually every malady possible. Though favoring of cooler climates, the vines are easily damaged by spring frost. Every grape destroying pest finds a comfortable home in pinot noir vineyards as their fragility prevents resistance. A lack of particularly leafy vines exposes the grapes to much sunlight and makes them easily damaged by heat. Add in attacks by grape eating birds, and the very thin skin of the grapes and you have to wonder why people bother. They bother because when everything works, which is not often at all, the results can be absolutely staggering. When the weather works and harvest is timed well, pinot noir vineyards can produce incredible fruit. But then you have to make the wine.

Pinot noir is incredibly challenging to ferment, too, as it quite often "boils" out of its container. This is because the grapes have 18 amino acids that are naturally balanced, which can increase the rate of fermentation to the point that it is not controllable and can ruin large lots of the fruit. Making wine from this grape requires constant attention and focus. It is not a set-and-forget affair, and the pinot noir winemakers of the world must always be on their game. Making great pinot noir is something that can take a lifetime to get right.

Back in 1990 everything came together for Joseph Drouhin's heirs, and with his son Robert now running the winery (he took over from his father in 1957) they had a miracle vintage. Some of that wine made its way into my cellar. I've been able to sample bottles of the 1990 Beaune Clos de Mouches, and other great Burgundies from this vintage, over the years and remember many of them being excellent, some of them being tight and sharp, and others just not ready to drink. This bottle, though, has remained intact. Until last evening.

We opened the magnum and decanted about half of it to serve with dinner. We bottle poured a tasting and sampled the wine right after being opened. It was as we expected... tight, sour cherry smelling, thin in color and the nose hot with alcohol. It also had a pronounced wet leather smell to the nose and taste on the palate. This concerned me a little, as that musty and slightly stinky scent can indicate the wine is faulty. Ultimately though, there were no big surprises and we just wanted a baseline for when we tasted it again later. We poured glasses about an hour later after we decanted and tasted before we sat down to eat. It had changed dramatically. The nose was still a bit sharp with the same sour cherry scent, but the hot alcohol quality had dissipated and the wet leather scent had become very subtle. The palate was really beginning to open and was beginning to offer fruit that was much more rich. It was very balanced and had a terrific finish. The color, too, had developed and while the wine came out of the bottle with a very thin color ranging from light reds to reddish browns, it was deepening into more ruby reds. We were beginning to really enjoy it.

The kicker came with dinner though. Having the wine with food totally changed it. We ate over the next hour and the wine continued to unfold. It paired absolutely perfectly with our meal, and the ragout brought out more intense fruit in the wine. This was a good match. The wine had perfect structure to hold up to the beef, which is actually a lot to ask of an old pinot noir. Both Cat and I agreed that across the entire palate there were tremendous flavors, but they were all in balance. There was good rich cherry fruit. There was the leathery, earthy backbone. We even tasted a little asparagus... it had a subtle vegetal quality.

What a relief.

To be fair, this was not a wash-off-the-fireengine-we're-having-a-parade wine. But it was really, really good. I would have been happy with just really good, but the wine delivered a little extra for our efforts. Now, the 1990 vintage is going to be tough to come by, but both the 2002 and 2003's are excellent... and much more accessible price wise. I plan on getting a bottle each of the 2002 and 2003 to fill the hole in my basement where this wine sat so comfortably for so many years.

cost - $90 (in 1993)

served with - pan seared and oven roasted beef tenderloin with shiitake mushroom and parsnip ragout

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9

2002 Cline Los Carneros Syrah, Sonoma, California

There is no reality where it was fair to ask another syrah to follow our experience with the Ridge syrah from a couple of days ago. In fact, after the Ridge we should have just quit trying wine and deleted the blog. And yet, here we are.

This is a solid syrah, a nice value and very drinkable. It didn't really stand out in any way, though, and just tasted really neutral. Again, not fair given our minds being blown by two syrahs so recently. The nose of this wine is light, with just a little fruit and a baked cookies kind of scent. A lot of Californian syrahs have that baked cookies smell to me. Some people totally get that, some don't. Cat thinks she smelled that too, but she's not sure and mostly just humors me.

The flavors on the palate were ripe dark cherries, a little allspice or clove... I can't tell the difference, and that same baked cookie quality. It was medium bodied with little tannin and a longish finish. The finish did not seem balanced and was a bit cloying, like many other Californian syrahs.

Cline positions the Los Carneros syrah as one of their best, and the fruit is from a small 18 acre vineyard along a hillside in the center of Sonoma's cool climate area. That is ideal for producing rich, concentrated fruit and sets my expectations for what this wine would be like. it didn't really live up to a small vineyard production "best" syrah, but just to reiterate... it was a nice wine and enjoyable. Just not that memorable.

cost - $21.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 6

1990 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches, Burgundy (Part Two)

I had a scare yesterday. It was one of those moments where you quietly freak-out to yourself. I was doing a little digging into this wine in preparation for writing Part II and came across a review of it. The reviewer was looking at a number of Burgundies from 1990, both red and white. He exclaimed that he did not see what the big deal was surrounding Clos des Mouches. He found it thin, uninviting and not worthy of further investigation. Uh... say what? My first thought was how I would break this to all of you... I mean, I'm trying to build a little tension here.

Then I scrolled down to the bottom of the page and saw the post date. November of 1998. HA! That was 10 years ago. I did a little more research and discovered that this was when this wine was smack dab in the middle of the aforementioned "dumb" period. Dumb periods are like minefields to wine collectors. You have to be checking all of the time to make sure you get maximum enjoyment out of your investment. Or, you could just be like Cat and I and drink the freaking wine when it suits you (but after checking around, natch...).

But then I started this blog and now have to DELIVER. What if the wine blows? What if the whole thing was just one big waste of our collective time? Well, we'll just have to wait and see as I'm not cracking the magnum until tomorrow.

I did get confirmation that the wine is killer and that now is a good time to drink it. Maybe not the "best" time, but "best" is theoretical and we are all about practical action over here. Also, as a result of the confirmation I wanted to do a financial break down of this wine for you:

Purchased in 1993 for $90.00
Lot sold at auction in 1995 for average of $56/bottle or $120 for a magnum
Retail price in 2000 averaged about $60/bottle or $140 for a magnum
Last price review in 2006 had bottles around $150 and a magnum holding at $325 (updated!)
Restaurants are listing 1990 Clos des Mouches for between $300 and $500/bottle and around $700-$1000 for a magnum (updated... did more research and found a chart on proper valuation validated by Robert Parker)

Magnums tend to command a premium. I'm not exactly sure why, but my guess is that it is because they are more limited in availability and tend to age better due to the additional volume. I'll check this out and tell you what I learn.

Anyway, $90 to $1000 (updated!) - not bad for just sitting around and yes, I understand that $1000 is a restaurant price... just be patient. Auctions and restaurants are the only places to now buy this wine. My associate said that it will probably begin to appreciate quickly over the next two years as more reviewers are beginning to assign it a "drink now" designation.

Here's the deal, though. We don't collect wine. We drink it. We have great wine around so we can share it with friends and family and the investment quality is purely academic to us. And yet, it is still fun to see how wine appreciates in value.

Will tomorrow's tasting be worth $1000 for the experience? Probably not. Will each glass taste like $100? I sure hope so. I once had a $100 glass of 1900 Madeira (on New Year's in 1999!) and I have to say, it was pretty damned good. I'll let you know how we make out here tomorrow, once the deed is done.

2003 Ridge Lytton West Syrah, Dry Creek Valley, California

After having such a terrific experience with the De Lisio shiraz we were excited to keep the momentum going with non-French syrah. I found this one by Ridge and didn't hesitate picking it up. Though Ridge has produced a syrah since the mid-1990's, those were only for sale at the winery and this is the first vintage to be released outside of the winery. That's pretty cool. I have tried several of the zinfandels from Ridge over the years, and they consistently rock. We aren't drinking much zinfandel these days, but when we do the Ridge Geyserville, Pagani Ranch and Lytton Springs zins will be top of my list. But I digress.

We'd not tried the Ridge syrah, but figured that they would bring the same quality, intensity and attention to detail to this wine that they do to their zinfandels. We were correct in that assumption. This wine was absolutely fantastic and it stunned us. But first, a little history...

The Ridge vineyards date back to the 1880's, which in the American wine industry is a very, very long time ago. In 1885 Osea Perrone (viva Italia!) purchased about 200 acres of land along the Monte Bello ridge (monte bello is Italian for beautiful mountain). I'm seeing a connection between Italians and great syrah here... but that's just me. Osea terraced the land and planted the first vines himself. He built a small winery and set about making his first wines under the name of the Monte Bello Winery. Fast forward to today and the land has changed hands a couple of times, various parcels have been acquired or sold off and have had a variety of different vines planted across it. This original vineyard has also become a key vineyard property in what is now Ridge Wines. In terms of their techniques, Ridge has always been somewhat of a rebel and has made wines with approaches very different than their other Californian neighbors. Oddly, this has a lot to do with Prohibition, which cleaved Californian winemaking from its historical roots. Post Prohibition, many winemakers experimented by collaborating with the agricultural universities and worked to technologically change winemaking. Ridge did not subscribe to this approach, and during the sixties began focusing on a winemaking process that is natural and eschewed technology. This approach is really pretty simple and starts with creating the best fruit, fermenting in small lots with naturally occurring yeasts and nurturing the wines along throughout the winemaking process. It is an approach that is passionate, intense and laborious. Their wines consistently show the benefits of these efforts.

The Lytton West Syrah is no exception. It is intensely dark with a full, enticing nose. There is lots of fruit (strawberry... like strawberry preserves) in the nose, but all of it is balanced by an earthy quality. Both of us said "Wow!" out loud as we were smelling it and before we had even tasted it. Cat was wide eyed. We drink good wine, but this is really, really good wine and we both knew it. On the palate this syrah is rich and complex, though still medium bodied. A perfect and flexible food wine, I could see this with beef or pork tenderloin, Moroccan cuisine, or even a spirited salmon prep. The wine just kicks ass. The palate, while full, has a fantastic finish. Not cloying or over the top like many Californian syrahs, it finishes quietly with just lingering hints of the fruit and a little bit of spice. Interestingly, this wine is also made with 9% viognier - a white Rhone varietal. This may be what keeps this syrah from being over the top. For a wine that is such a powerhouse it finishes with subtleness and elegance. Delicious? Yes. Well-rounded? Yes. Memorable? Definitely. Both Cat and I loved this wine and highly recommend it. We also love the label design and find it to be classic, like it was designed by Pentagram.

cost - $36.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 10 (solidly!)

1990 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches, Burgundy (Part One)

This weekend we will be drinking this very, very special wine. It is a really big deal to me as not only is this an absolutely incredible bottle from a fantastic wine maker (Joseph Drouhin) it is also from one of the best Burgundy vintages in the last 150 years. 1990 is held by Burgundy lovers with a special reverence as it was one of those vintages when all of the challenging variables of making awesome pinot noir came together just right. This is also a special bottle as it is actually two bottles. It is a magnum (1.5 L as opposed to 750 ml). Double the fun. All of that, and this bottle has been in my "cellar" since around 1993 or so. That's nearly 15 years. This wine has seen me through many experiences and I have had it with me longer than I have had my dog. This bottle was in the basement when I got married. It was there when I had my daughter. It has seemingly always been down there, resting comfortably. Now it's time to share it.

As much as I love wine, it is the stories behind the wines that get me all excited. Every wine has a story... or at least it SHOULD have a story, as that makes the whole thing so much more interesting. As much as I seek out great wines, I seek out great stories. I may forget what a wine tasted like, but I always remember the interesting facts and legends around it. This bottle has many stories with it and, in anticipation of actually drinking it, I am going to savor the next couple days by telling them.

So, 1990 is a super-vintage (rated "Exceptional"). Joseph Drouhin is a top Burgundian wine house. That alone is a killer combination. But this bottle is from the vineyard Beaune Clos de Mouches, which is considered to be one of the best, if not THE best Premier Cru vineyard in all of Burgundy. The vineyard is located on a hill with direct southern exposure and is made up of stony soil with a very high chalk content. The vines love it, and when the weather works just right they produce incredibly intense fruit. The weather rarely works just right. The name Clos des Mouches is interesting. Mouches in French actually means flies - like the nuisance insect. But in this area of Burgundy mouches means honey bees. Dating back to the 1500's this vineyard was once the location of many bee-hives as its orientation made it ideal property to help keep bees. Hence, Clos des Mouches means "Enclosure of the Honey Bees." That explains the little bees on the wine's label (you'll see that in Part Two).

That's enough for the moment. Look for Part Two in the next day or so. I do have a call into an old associate who is this wine's original importer (this actual bottle, I bought it from him back in 1993). I need to speak with him before I open it. I have to know that I am doing the right thing as great Burgundies are notorious for going in and out of "dumb" periods. That, and I want an estimate on this bottle's value. It's got to be way up there.

2004 De Lisio Krystina Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia

Inky. Dark. Rich. Intense. That pretty much describes this wine. It knocked us over after spending months drinking mostly pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and Burgundian chardonnay. This wine came out swinging.

Shiraz in Australia is what the syrah grape is called in most of the rest of the world. The name Shiraz comes from the area of the Persian Empire where legend locates the origination of this grape. That whole area, what is northern Iran into southern Georgia, is considered by some to be the birthplace of the wine we drink today. I'm sure the Romans would like some credit as well, but they were just the messengers... right? Wrong. Genetic testing of cuttings from both areas have proven that the syrah vines of the Rhone Valley region in France were in fact native to that area and not transplanted "original" Shiraz vines. It still makes for a good story, though. Syrah cuttings from the Rhone Valley made their way to Australia during the 1830's, and became Shiraz through a number of labeling mistakes. Today, Shiraz makes up about 40% of the vineyards of Australia and in many ways has become an obsession with the Australian wine industry.

The winemaker, Tony De Lisio, is an Italian immigrant (il mio fratello!) to Australia and has been working with wine in McLaren Vale for over thirty years. He is a veteran, and a very well respected winemaker. He chooses only the best fruit for his wines, and labors over them intently.

Back to this particular wine. It is named after his wife, Krystina, and he points out that this is because of the incredible support required to be able to create such excellent wines (it says so right on the bottle). It is excellent, and quite potent. We decanted it and the color was so deep and intense that light hardly penetrated it at all. The nose was full and rich with blackberries and a notable sweetness. The palate was explosive with big berry flavors, really subtle tannin and terrific structure. I can't imagine what this wine will be like in five years or so, but it was wonderful to try it now. Normally, we do not favor wines that are so intense and often find them to be too over-the-top. Despite the intensity and massiveness, there was still a very balanced quality to this wine. It was a great surprise and a nice departure from our traditional choices. This would be a terrific wine with beef tenderloin or a rich bison preparation. I cannot wait to try more wines from Tony De Lisio. Buon lavoro!

cost - $41.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9

Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Non-Vintage Brut, Reims, France

Who doesn't love Champagne? That is a rhetorical question, so if you just answered out loud you may feel a bit foolish. Cat and I have always believed that people drink Champagne all too infrequently, and typically only on special occasions. We do what we can to change this and try to enjoy a half-bottle of champagne whenever the urge strikes us, which not-surprisingly is quite often. We're impulsive like that.

The Champagne house of Veuve Clicquot would be our favorite of the wines that we have been fortunate enough to sample from the Champagne region. It was my introduction to Champagne more than 16 years ago when I was in the restaurant business and it is the one that Cat and I enjoyed when we first met. Though we have tried several others it is the one we always go back to. We have enjoyed a couple vintage bottles from Veuve, as well as their brut rose and demi-sec. All are absolutely excellent. Our budget demands compromise, though, and for a more frequent Champagne we love the non-vintage brut pictured above and immediately recognizable by it's special Clicquot yellow label. The grapes used in champagne are chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. This non-vintage brut is distinct by the majority of it being pinot noir. About a third is chardonnay with a small percentage of pinot meunier. The dominance of pinot noir in this blend is what creates the very distinct structure of this wine.

There are two reasons, really, why we love this one. The first has to do with it's style. Veuve is traditionally a very dry and restrained style of champagne, with a yeasty quality to the nose and palate and strong, notable structure. These qualities make it an excellent apertif, but also a champagne that holds up well with lighter food (especially seafood). The flavors on the palate range from a little bit of spiced orange to subtle vanilla. Nothing lingers, though, and this wine finishes dry and clean. It always makes us happy and is a great way to introduce a little bit of luxury into the day.

The second reason we love this champagne is it's history. Though Veuve Clicquot was started by Phillipe Clicquot-Muiron in 1772, it was his son Francois who began to revolutionize the Champagne business and be among the first to export Champagne outside the confines of France. He died, though, leaving his work unfinished and his wife, the famed Madame Clicquot pictured above on top of the champagne cork, took over the business. She was the first woman to run a winery in France, and especially one of the significance and stature of Veuve Cliquot. This turned out to be a very good thing for the winery. Madame Cliquot took her champagne to new heights by building a strong brand around it - really the first French winery to do so with such notable success. Many of her marketing efforts on behalf of her wines are still best practices with luxury brands today. Among them was establishing Veuve Clicquot as THE champagne of the various royal houses of Europe. When Madame Clicquot passed away she left behind her a champagne powerhouse devoted to unique quality and to meeting the market needs beyond the frontiers of France. She did great work for growing the world's passion for great champagne. After her death, and in honor of her prestige, the image of Madame Clicquot herself came to represent the significance of the Veuve Clicquot brand, and her personal seal a symbol of its devotion to quality.


Veuve Clicquot on Wikipedia

cost - $26.99 (half bottle)

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8

2004 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne, Burgundy

Really a Burgundian table wine, this pinot noir is a great value. Truly classic in style and from a very well respected family house, the Bourgogne is a great entry-level Faiveley wine. The flavors are dark cherry, very rich and intense on the palate. The nose is restrained, mostly because the wine is still young, but it is ready to drink now... like most table wines. This would be a great staple wine for your cellar as it offers excellent value. I was always a fan of the wines of Joseph Drouhin and really did not have a lot of experience with those from Faiveley. When Cat and I moved a while back our local wine store focused heavily on the catalog of wines from Faiveley, so we checked them out. A lot of them. Often. We have been very happy with almost all of them.

cost - $12.39 on sale from $14.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7.5

2002 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

This was a wine that cleaved Cat and I. I really liked it. Cat, not so much. It definitely had some interesting qualities, and after pouring our glasses it really wasn't that great. I decanted it and let it sit for awhile. When I came back to it I was pretty happy. The flavors were full with lots of jammy berry type flavors (I hate the way that sounds, but that is what I tasted). The nose is definitely earthy, and almost a little bit smoky. The flavors lasted a long time on the tongue and were very elegant. Ultimately, this turned out to be a really nice wine... it just needed some time to reveal itself.

Here's the deal with this winery. It is a true "family vineyard and winery." Walter Hansel planted the original vines for the vineyard in the Russian River Valley back in 1978. This was a labor of love for Walter. Today, his son Stephen runs the winery and is the wine maker. This is a good thing as he has been very well steeped in how to make incredible pinot noir. I read somewhere that he studied with a great recognized wine maker, but I cannot remember who it was. Whoever it was, it was a good investment. This vineyard is focused on low yield, quality fruit. Everything is hand picked, and there is tremendous focus on the craft of making wine. This is no quantity operation, and it really shows in the quality of the wine. I read that the first wine that Stephen Hansel made was done in his garage. I love stories like that. Apple Computers started in a garage. Some really great music came out of garages. The garage may be my favorite room in a house.

I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle of wine and was sad that Cat didn't groove on it. The more for me, I guess. Look for the single vineyard pinot noirs from this winery, I am sure they are excellent. I'll be reviewing a couple in the coming weeks.

cost - $33.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9

2004 Chateau Magence, Graves, Bordeaux Blanc

Delicious, clean and crisp. That about sums this wine up. Then you figure in the price and, assuming you are a fan of white wine from Appellation Graves in Bordeaux, there is everything right with this picture. I revealed my penchant for sauvignon blanc, especially those from Sancerre, in a previous post. The white wines of Bordeaux are often Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes Semillon, and sometimes a blend of the two, but right up there with those from Sancerre. Whites from Graves are a blend, with the balance being Sauvignon Blanc.

We like them a lot.

This is because of the vineyards in Graves (pronounced "grahvs"). The name Graves comes from the soil that makes up the vineyards. You could have probably guessed this, but I am going to tell you anyway because this is my blog, the soil is quite gravelly. Some vineyards are actually made up entirely of small rocks from alluvial deposits cast off by a river that once ran through the area. These deposits are mostly rocks, gravel and sand. There is no dirt here, really. This imparts a really special quality to the wine, which in all honesty smells and tastes like rocks, gravel and sand... in a good way. I am not messing around, that's literally what the soil has created in the wines of this area (remember "terroir"?). The white wines of Graves are among the best whites coming out of Bordeaux, but often go over looked. This bottle is of especially good quality, being very crisp and with that gravelly character. It also has great citrus fruit to the palette and a cut grass smell to the nose. For a clean white wine, it is actually quite complex, and very elegant. Cat had a glass waiting for me when I got home from work later than usual this evening, and it was the perfect way to relax after a long day.

cost - $11.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9 (an excellent example of a Graves blanc!)

2002 Domain Thomas + Fils "La Crele" Sancerre, Loire

French sauvignon blanc gets me as geeked up as pinot noir. There's just something about really, really good ones that stop me in my tracks. Cat feels the same way. This wine was not one of those, but it was still quite good. There are really two main sauvignon blancs coming out of the Loire Valley in France, and they are very different in style. Sancerre being the more delicate of the two, the other is Pouilly Fume, which is made in the next village over from Sancerre. In Sancerre there are two types of vineyards... one is made up of more earth and the other of quite a bit of limestone. This one comes from the limestone vineyards, and you can taste it.

The nose is terrific. It smells like summer, which is probably why I love Sancerre so much. On the tongue there are green apple and lime-like flavors. The limestone quality is prevalent throughout. You can smell it and you can taste it. I really like this, but some do not. I enjoy being able to taste and smell the ground in which the vines are growing. Sounds crazy, but the French call this "terroir" and this approach of bringing out the soil qualities in wine is catching on big time in California. Most of the higher end wines from Napa and Sonoma are now embracing the unique qualities of their soil and touting these as desired flavors in their wines. I say rock on. This wine was crisp and refreshing, and would be a terrific apertif or afternoon cocktail wine with light appetizers or good lightly flavored cheese.

cost - $19.99 on sale from $24.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 6.5

2001 Sadler-Wells Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Sometimes I feel like I am becoming Paul Giamatti's character in the movie Sideways. There IS something about pinot noir and it makes me insane. I love Burgundy, I love the Willamette Valley, and I love Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. All of these areas can produce really excellent wines that are so totally different from each other... but distinctly pinot noir. Good times.

Anyway, scored this wine on sale and had never had it before. I had never heard of it before, either, so I was excited to try it. Both Cat and I thought the nose was really interesting. I picked up some subtle sulfur, in a good way, and you can read into that whatever the hell you want. Cat got kind of a soapy scent. The wine was restrained with little fruit. It was dry, and finished quickly but I thought it had a pretty cool cinnamon quality to the finish. You know how cinnamon makes the back and sides of your tongue react? This wine did the same thing. It is a great wine with food and we had it with one of my impromptu curry's this evening, and it held up quite well. I served the curry with beef knowingly breaking all Hindu tradition. We are not Hindu. The beef was from a farm owned by friends of the family and was organic and grass-fed. More on that later in a different post.

cost - $22.00 on sale from $29.99

served with - mixed vegetable chick pea curry with beef

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2005 Verget Macon-Charnay "Le Clos Saint-Pierre", Burgundy

Verget is a highly regarded Burgundian wine producer. As a result they are able to acquire their grapes from some of the top vineyards in Burgundy. Several of their wines are actually quite pricey, but this entry-level was not only quite affordable, but also very excellent. It is clean and very well made in a light style with excellent Chardonnay character and hardly any oak. It may have seen no oak at all. It is very fresh and bright tasting with hints of wet stones and anise in the nose. It has fruit as well as a very nice length to the flavors with melon balanced by slate and a mineral quality that we love. Cat noted that the flavors were great and they disappeared quickly leaving a dry and crisp finish to the wine. For the money, this wine kicks ass. It would be terrific with lighter food and most fish and seafood.

cost - $17.99 on sale from $24.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8

1998 Domaine Caillot Santenay, Burgundy

Ugh. What the hell were we thinking. Typically, we love white Burgundy and Santenay rarely disappoints. Was at the local wine shop and saw this 1998 from a producer we had not tried and despite the fact that it was on "close-out", and despite the distinct possibility that this wine was past its prime, damaged, and probably not drinkable... well, the price was too good to say no to and we brought it home.

Lesson no. 456 - Trust your instincts.

The wine was bad. It was badly damaged, probably by heat and/or improper storage. The color was more like a Sauterne than like a chardonnay (see photo). It tasted like a marathon runner's insoles. It has sat on our kitchen counter for the last week as we were planning on returning it. For some reason, though, it continues to sit there like some sort of "you're an idiot" signpost. Note that with French chardonnay in this price range it is best to check on the older vintages prior to purchasing. This is because, especially within the last few years and with the lower priced wines, they are being vinted to drink within a few years after release.

cost - $9.99 on sale from $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - not rated / bottle was damaged

2004 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne, Cotes-du-Rhone

This was a nice Cotes-du-Rhone. Made up of about 30% grenache, with syrah and mourvedre, it is classic in style. Wine had a nice nose with just hints of fruit. It was light on the tongue, with a nutty flavor... sort of like chestnuts, I think. We had this wine by itself, and not with a meal. Cat didn't remember this one, either, and has asked me to record her impressions while we are ACTUALLY tasting the freaking wine. I have promised to do so. We liked this bottle and think it would be a great house wine.

cost - $12.99 on sale from $14.99

wine commando rating (1-10) - 8

2003 Jean-Philipe Marchand Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos Prieur", Burgundy

This being the inaugural post on winecommando it seems fitting that it would be a Burgundian. This is for two reasons. The first is that the Burgundian style of pinot noir is a favorite for both Cat and I. The second is that we have been working our way through the wines of Burgundy for the last several weeks.

We decanted this wine and allowed to open for about an hour or so. It was still very restrained when we tasted it after this time. However, over the course of the next hour it opened up really well, and was good. Definitely an earthy pinot noir, light in body and with an apparent, but subtle, fruit. I tasted cherry and a little bit of licorice. It had a distinct, but really nice, vegetal quality as well. Cat can't remember what she tasted. Honestly, as a 2003 this wine is a tad young to be drinking. In all fairness, in about 4-6 more years this bottle would be very different and probably excellent.

cost - $34.99

served with - slow cooked chicken with roasted vegetables, marjoram, lentils and a vidalia onion sauce

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7 (will improve with age)