SYRAHTICA......my new fav

This past Wednesday, Jen and I were entertaining our gal pal Shannon for dinner and wine. I went to Aurora Provisions and while checking out their wine selection, noticed X Winery's 2006 "Syrahtica." Intrigued by the idea of an erotic syrah, I bought the $14.00 bottle. 

While we nibbled our aged cheddar, sesame crakers, and foccacia we enjoyed a $14 bottle of 2003 Greek agiorgitiko, made by Cambas (Nemea Reserva). 

We made a huge spinach salad with endive, carrots, apples, blood oranges, almonds, celery, grapes and shaved parmesan reggiano for our dinner. We opened the Syrahtica and loved every drop! THIS is what syrah should taste like! It tasted warm, spicy, earthy- you know, a little dirty- but really rich and velvety with hints of tannins at the finish. Mmmm... I'm going back to Aurora to buy what they have left in stock!

X Winery is located in Napa Valley, California. Here's their website: www.xwinery.com

Here's what Robert Parker, of The Wine Advocate, says about X Winery:

"The most obvious question with respect to X Winery and proprietor Reed Renaudin is how can these wines be this good at these prices? Everyone is looking for good values today, and here are some e(X)ceptional bargains."

Snowstorm Wines at The White Heart

On a dreadfully snowy Wednesday in early February, Jen and I geared up for the storm and walked downtown to see our favorite bartender, and friend, Mike at the White Heart. We suspected the place would be dead, and upon arrival saw Mike and the kitchen staff playing chess. Not until we left did a few more patrons cozy up for spirits. 

We decided to take the rare quiet night at our fav watering hole to spend some time re-acquainting ourselves with the wine list. We usually go with the tempranillo there, and wanted to try some of the others on their moderately prices list of about 7 reds.  Take our "ratings" with a grain of salt. It's on a 0-5 scale, and is more of a way for us to remember if we should try the wine again. (White Heart Wine List)

Here's what we tried:

Wishing Tree Shiraz 2004, Australia. $7/ glass $28/bottle

Jen's noted a distinctly skunky nose, with a grainy, tart fruit forward. A smooth finish with a "bit'o'dirt" lingering on Jen's tongue. Jen says "Nothing extraordinary about it. I give it a 3"

I, too, noticed the obvious skunked aroma but didn't find as much fruit as Jen. I like Shiraz's earthy, dirt-ridden qualities, but this one wasn't too special. 

I wrote that "I'd drink it if someone bought it for me- but I wouldn't order it from a menu. My rating is a weak 2"

Tempranillo Vacceos 2005, Spain. $10/glass $38/bottle

We both came up with a long list of similar qualities for the nose of this wine... nostalgia, apple juice, burnt sugar, brandy, flat grape soda, hints of soy sauce! 

There's an immediate flavor bomb tasting of very deep black grapes and some berry. The general taste is overly-sweet on this occasion, which I hadn't noticed before. It finishes a little earthy, tannic and bold. A taste you'll remember far after you take your last sip. We wrote "For a medium bodied wine, it's really fun! Uncharacteristically tempranillo. Should be enjoyed alone (w/o food) so the taste isn't mangled." "I really like temps, but this one makes me think of flat grape soda. It tastes purple!" Jen rates at 4.25, Dani at 3.75. 

McManis Pinot Noir 2007, California. $9/ glass $34/ bottle

This med-full red has a smoky, leather and spice aroma which is really inviting. Jen immediately noticed tannins, and found it to be a bit tart, but as 

she says "reliably pinot noir." 

I wrote that there was a flavor burst that was sweet and velvety. It's spice-infused with light fruit but deep texture without tannic dryness. Balanced; no alcohol-out-of-whack burning taste. Pinot Noir from California have become quite reputable... we're looking for the really interesting, inexpensive one. We'll let you know when we find the goods. Neither of us rated this wine... but I think we liked it! 

Merlot Viejo Feo, Chile. $8/ glass $30/ bottle

This wine has an herbal, spring-time nose that's really lovely and a bit sweet-smelling. That's pretty much the best part of this wine, though. It's dry, and pretty straightforward but I would suggest having it with a really flavorful meal that you don't want overpowered by a strong wine. This will settle onto your palate nicely with all the bold food you'll be enjoying. 

Jen wrote that "for a merlot, it's pretty tasty, but there's no lasting impression." We recalled one of my favorite parts of the wine movie, Sideways, when he cries out "I'm not drinking any f--ing merlot!!!!" But, you know this is a little more exciting than most inexpensive medium-bodied merlots. Maybe that's because its Chilean. We both rated this as a 2. 

Reviews!

February was a month of a lot of wine tasting- and note taking! 

We visited the White Heart during a snowstorm and created a mini tasting, tried some organic reds from Oregon at the Green Elephant, and dined with some luscious Pacific Northwest reds at the Merry Table. 

Coming up are my transcriptions from our scrawled notes on the backs of bar receipts, guest checks, and dinner napkins... 

Cheers,

Dani

Ambiance can make the taste!

I don't care how well-crafted, old, or expensive your wine is... sometimes its the atmosphere of where you are that delivers the real taste!

I'm currently in New Jersey for funeral services of a family member and there isn't much wine drinking happening. The first night we arrived, we took my parent's friends out to dinner. I was so exhausted from the 9 hour drive that I was really looking forward to a big glass of vino. They chose a small Italian restaurant in a strip mall (everything in NJ is in a strip mall). The place might have been OK had there not been "open mic"- the NJ classy way of saying karaoke- led by a wannabe extra of the Sopranos. Man, this guy (and the 2 other "singers") were terrible. So bad, in fact, that no one really enjoyed their meal. And, I really couldn't tell you much about the wine I drank. It tasted fine- an American cabernet, 2005- that our dinner guests brought with them for the dinner. (Many NJ eateries don't have liquor licenses so you bring your own, and they cork it for you)

Case in point Number 2- my sister's college roommate lives in the area and offered to take us out for a drink to get away from the family scene, and to catch up. Being where we were, our only choice was to find a bar using the GPS unit, and we landed at a Bar and Grille. We went into the place- half Applebee's type restaurant, half Sports Bar- complete with waitresses in matching tight black and yellow jerseys, a basketball game on tv, loud club music, and tons of Ocean County Community College students drinking beers. We found a table as far away as we could and noticed an actual wine list! I ordered a house pinot for my sister who likes whites, and I got a Robert Mondavi '06 Cabernet. Which, was a better choice than the Yellowtail Shiraz or other similar reds on the list. And like last time, while the wine seemed fine- my sense of taste was actually distracted by the environment we were in. I couldn't take part in the ritual of drinking wine- the choosing of the wine, opening the bottle, getting to know the wine in first sips, talking about it, and then relaxing with a glass or the bottle. This was a one- sided, drink-it-up-quick-so-we-can-go-soon wine. Uneventful. Disappointing, even. 

Makes me miss home that much more. 

1/3/09... Wine at Flatbread

Tonight while celebrating the staff holiday party for O'Naturals (Jen's employer) we ate delicious organic salads with goat cheese, and several different wood-fired pizzas. We love Flatbread for it's great food, pledge to organics, and the wait staff with whom many are friends of ours. Also- they have a fantastic wine list with many wines by the glass. 

Tonight, Jen drank her favorite on the wine list:

Big Red Monster, NV, Red Blend. California Table Wine

Jen likes this, as does our friend and Flatbread waitress Alex who says this is like "drinking dessert." I disagree- it's a big fruit blast at the front with a lot of mixing of tastes, but not a great finish. Jen would say that besides the label being fun with illustrated sexy ladies, the wine is everything she wants- not bland, not dry, and a punch in the front... then dwindles off in the back of your throat.  A great case in point about how palettes differ when describing the same wine qualities. $7/glass

I had the 2006 Perrin and Fils, Cotes du Rhone "Nature" (Organic); Rhone, France. $6.50/ glass

I like this organic red for its subtle dryness, easy drinkability, and flexibility with different food pairings. There's no sweet-fruity flavor that blasts through which is nice. One of my favorites as I work through the reds list at Flatbread. 

**Points for sustainability. This wine has a Salmon-Safe Certificate, which identifies wineries whose vineyards practices protect and restore salmon habitat by planting trees on streams, growing cover crops to control run-off, and apply natural methods to control weeds and pests.

Happy Drinking!

we like reds

Jen and I love wine. So much that we've decided to keep a blog about all the wines we drink and what we think of them. 

Stay tuned to read our reviews. 

- Dani

P.S. Since we are broke twentysomethings who have an expensive palette, we've decided to make a point of only buying bottles for home that are under $20.00. When we go out, we treat ourselves a little more. Keep reading for a future review of  the book I loved,  The Wine Trials... I still need to get my copy back from Andrea the bartender at the White Heart! 

Currently Drinking:

 a 2007 Mark West Pinot Noir... it's OK, but not as good as the same wine, but older vintage I had last week at the Royal River Grille in Yarmouth, Maine. This one is somewhat light for my taste, but is pretty balanced and not too dry. Went well with baked ziti leftovers...  (about $11)

In the House:

Red Truck (made by Cline) 2006 "Central Coast" Merlot; California. 

This was a gift from Jen's mom at Christmas. She knew we had visited the Cline Vineyards in California. We haven't tried this one before, and don't typically buy merlot so we're looking forward to this bottle. (A gift- but probably around $10)

Petraio 2007 Sangiovese; Puglia, Italy. 

We have not tried this yet. I tend not to buy Italian wines because I had so much of them while working at Ribollita in Portland. But when my friend Lisa saw me pick up the Mark West at Whole Foods, she recommended I go with this bottle instead. I got both. This one's up next!  (About $9.00)

Mesta 2007 Tempranillo; Castilla, Spain. 

I love tempranillo but this bottle was not great. I had half a glass, Jen has almost finished the bottle. I thought it was overpoweringly acidic and I couldn't taste any of the great tempranillo qualities that a good Spanish wine should have. Yuck, thanks for not letting the wine go to waste, Jen!  (About $9)