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.