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March 5, 2010
I am saving the corny, "don’t cry for me Argentina" line
and I'm going to stay the course. Last night was the ECWS’ foray into the world
of Argentinean wines. I am a Malbec fan and always felt they stand up well to
those cigars that invade late drunken nights. I pride myself on the off-beat
unique wines, but last night I fell into the trap. The wine I enjoyed the most
was crazy expensive and influenced by the California hand of Paul Hobbs. It
kind of defeated my purposes. But this wine stood head and shoulders above the
rest and I believe was voted best wine of the night by the crowd. Honestly, I
would not spend the $165.00 for that wine as much as I enjoyed it. I would
however spend the $39.95 for Bodegas Caro’s cabernet/malbec blend Caro. No, I
am not stuttering. (BTW- if you repeat your typing what is that called?) This
wine comes from the JV of Barones de Rothschild (Lafite) and Nicolas Catena.
What a wine snob, I like the most expensive California style and the one with
50% cabernet sauvignon from the left bank.
Having said that, these 10 wines come from around the
Mendoza region and were arranged in two flights.
-
2006 Punto Final Reserva
- second favorite of the flight
-
2005 Poesia
Clos des Andes
-
2002 Poesia
-
2003 Poesia
-
2006 Bodegas Caro Caro
- my wine of the flight
-
2005 Cuvelier los Andes Grand
Vin
-
2005 Terrazas de los Andes
Cheval des Andes - first pour was corked
-
2006 Achaval Ferrer Mirador
-
2005 Cantena Zapata Argentino
2004 Vina Cobos Cobos- not knowing this was $165.00, I
found this wine to be a vision of soft, voluptuous and proportioned quality
similar to Bo Derek in the movie 10, except for the beaded hair,
that wouldn’t have been good. I found the Clos des Andres to be the Dudley
Moore of the night, club-footed and clumsy.
Next month we venture into the world of 1989 Bordeaux. I
may have to drink them nude just to allow all my senses to envelop the
etherealness of the heady bouquet that will be wafting through the room.
March 4, 2010
So what does a fallow vineyard yield? First, I had to go
to the dictionary and research the definition of the word 'fallow'. Second, the
reason I had to was that I received in the mail a bottle of 2009 Trefethen
Fallow. Third, I didn’t get the joke at first. It has been awhile since a
box arrived for Wino Bob addressed to WinoStuff.com. I am not sure how I got on
Trefethen Family Vineyards radar or mailing list. Even after I glanced at the
sell card contained in the package, I still was at a loss: Alcohol 0.0%,
Composition 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon and trace elements. What finally
registered was the side label that reads:
This is pure Trefethen fallow,
bottled to capture the very essence of Napa Valley; light, delicate, and
ethereal. The perfect match with April Fool’s dinner.
First off, I do not have an April Fool’s dinner, we do
lunch. I don’t drink at lunch, much. Second, why do they keep using words I
need to look up in the dictionary? I looked up the word ethereal and it says-
extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.
Ergo Trefethen’s fallow is a light, delicate, extremely delicate and light
object. Either it’s crazy delicate or redundant. I guess I will find out when
I taste it.
Note to Trefethen, now that you have my address, feel free
to send a bottle of Halo, I will be happy to review it along with the Fallow.
fallow
1
|ˈfalō|
adjective
(of farmland) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to
restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus
production.
February 27, 2010
"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night will keep a
wino from his/her appointed rounds.” OK, its not the postman’s motto officially
either so I figure Mr. Franklin wouldn’t mind. Boy that guy was into
everything! He also said wine was good to cure the gout. Big
Bordeaux-head that Ben.
Lucky for me, the 8 hours of shoveling ended in time for me
to head up to the Tree Tavern. Fourteen other brave souls joined me and we were
treated to a variety of Indian cuisine. The down side of the bad weather was
that the belly-dancing instructor didn’t show up. Wino Rocker was so excited
about the possibility of belly dancing with an exotic woman of seven veils that
he shaved his back for the occasion. I understand Mrs. Wino Rocker now has a
nice throw rug for the TV room. We wanted to see what wines paired with the
fare so we picked three contenders. For opposites we served a 2007 Carl
Graff Riesling, for the complement we offered a 2007 Axis Zinfandel
and for wine lovers, a 2005 Stratton Lummis Cabernet Sauvignon.
I overloaded on the garlic naan with coriander chutney and
potato and pea samosas. I went right to the reds and delighted in the nose of
the Axis zinfandel. A winner of a wine for my taste. The wine showed a
blackberry and blueberry jamminess with a spicy-cedar and toffee finish. My
favorite was the 2005 Stratton Lummis cabernet. The wine had dark cherry, red
cherry and blackberry flavors with cassis, white pepper and floral notes. I
really liked this wine. Really, but than again, so did many others as this
wines was number 27 in the top 100 restaurant wines of 2008. I will have to pay
closer attention to the wine lists at some of the places I eat. I don’t recall
seeing this on many menus but across the nation, it is a winner.
The evening was topped off with Ras Malai for dessert and
the delight in knowing we didn’t have to look at Wino Rocker’s shaved back.
Don’t worry Wino Rocker, the back shaving was not wasted. Speedo season is
just around the corner.
Next month we will taste the treats of Middle eastern
food. Now where did I place my Macedonian wines?
February 23, 2010
Mike and I had the pleasure of drinking some of Tuck
Beckstoffer’s wines yesterday with their eastern regional manager, Estelle. The
2007 Victory Vineyards Parcel 31 zinfandel interested me not only for its
great value but for a zin, this wine is only 13.4 per cent alcohol. The heat
was off and the fruit comes out quickly. Light in the glass and with raspberry
and spice on the palate, this is an easy drink. I think we found a new everyday
drinking red.
The other wine we enjoyed was the 2007 The Sum.
This wine comes out of the Seventy-Five Wine Company’s portfolio and is a blend
of cabernet sauvignon, syrah, petite sirah and a host of supporting cast
grapes. Bold, black fruit and blueberry made this a lush wine in the glass. I
trust five years from now, this will be a wine that significantly increases in
price from this initial release. I’m buying some of this for my retirement
fund.
February 12, 2010
Hey, just a thought..., to the candidates that throw their
hats into the ring for President in 2012, it’s a hard job. Please don’t go into
it thinking that getting elected is the end of the process. And whining is
unbecoming. Did Roosevelt whine? Did FDR whine? Did Truman whine?
John F. Kennedy did not write Profiles in Whining.
Wino John and I had a bottle of Duckhorn’s Decoy last
night with dinner. We had to make some minor adjustments, which put us in a foul
mood. Yet we didn’t whine, we stood up to the challenge. It seems Penang
is doing some kind of work and they failed to call us and inform us not to stop
by. Fortunately, this is northern New Jersey and you could hit three other
restaurants from the doorstep of a restaurant. I figured their closure was due
to a broken pipe caused by the cold weather; Wino John clearly stated it was
George W. Bush’s fault that Penang was closed. Either way, we found the Indian
fare of Spice Grill just across the parking lot. I enjoyed a boatload of
naan and the lamb korman. At least I think it was lamb as this dish was offered
in the goat or lamb version. Both animals being tremendous resources for the
Indian culture, a source of clothing, a source of food and most important, a
source of romance when the wife is bitching. This was one time the food out did
the wine.
2007 Duckhorn Decoy Napa Valley Red Wine
$$ (25.99) 
This blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43%
Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot makes it a BOTY and for that it
received an additional half point in my rating. Sadly, Wino John and I actually
left one third of the bottle for the staff at the Spice Grill. We had several
glasses over dinner hoping the wine would change (improve). No such luck.
February 10, 2010
I had some bidness to attend to at the Tree Tavern last
night. Of course, what starts out as serious discussions and market planning
morphs into 'market research' which is another phrase for 'heavy drinking'.
Mike is always on the lookout for great finds and last night I got to taste the
second product of the Scott Family Estate wines. The pinot we tasted last
Friday is a steal at $18.55 and the chardonnay we enjoyed last night is
delicious. The chardonnay is fat but not planked in oak, flavors of green
apple, butterscotch and pear tumble in the glass. The winery is under the
holdings of the Rutherford Wine Company.
Ultra -premium Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay are produced from family farmed Dijon clonal selections in the
prestigious Arroyo Seco appellation in Monterey County. Low yields result in
limited production wines, which exemplify the ideal matching of terroir and
varietal fruit.
I doff my derby to Mike for bringing these two wines from
Scott into his inventory.
February 6, 2010
I had the opportunity to sit in on a distributor tasting at
the Tree Tavern. Mike is on a quest to find those offbeat great value wines.
Two of them were interesting and I am sure will be finding their way into his
inventory.
I am not a big Pinot Noir guy as well documented, but the
nose on the 2006 Scott Family Arroyo Seco Dijon Clone...
The clones from Arroyo Seco
vineyards tend towards a rich fruitiness - Clone 667 - blackberry,
boysenberry; Clone 777 black and red cherries, hints of almond, violets and
pepper; and Clone115 - floral aromatics and bright acidity. To preserve the
lush fruit aromas and flavors, 10% of the lot was fermented via carbonic
maceration. These characteristics combined with the unique soil and climate
of the region give us a layered and complex wine with intense aromas and
fruit flavors including wild strawberry, dried herbs and lush vanilla with
smooth tannins and a long finish.
The second wine that caught my attention was the 2005
Stratton Lummis Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. This wine comes from the
very heart of the Napa Valley. It is a blend of Oakville and Rutherford fruit.
In the glass you are treated to concentrated
perfume of cassis, violets and tobacco complimented by rich French oak. The
2005 artist series cabernet’s label is a piece by California artist Diane
Stevens.
Stay tuned for more on
these two wines.
February 5, 2010
Hey, what wine goes with groundhog stew? Might I suggest a
South African blend? OK, so I am bracing for the 8-12 inches of winter that
Punxsutawney Phil guaranteed after seeing his
shadow. Good thing I have enough wine in the basement to help me get through
the blizzard. Last night was….sorry, let me start again. I attended the Essex
County Wine Society’s tasting or murh..., merlomo..., mammalot…, merlot
tasting. Damn it, merlot! OK, merlot, merlot, merlot! To ensure I could get
through the tasting, I lubricated the pipes with a nice bottle of wine with a
dear friend at Fascino in Montclair. I enjoyed an appetizer of mushroom and
goat cheese stuffed ravioli in black truffle sauce and the grilled salmon.
Wowzer, my taste buds danced the happy dance. The wine was:
2002 Vergelegen
Vergelegen (no I’m not
stuttering). $$ (49.00)
 
This blend of 46% cabernet sauvignon,
29% merlot and 25% cabernet franc from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa
was nicely balanced with enough acidity to be food friendly, soft tannins for
the promise of it being able to drink well for awhile and the flush of
raspberry, dark cherry and plum with a hint of cassis. This one is above my
normal expenditure but the company and food deserved nothing less.
Then it was off to the
Montclair Woman’s Club building to meet the merlots. My arrival was just under
the wire and I missed the aperitif. That’s OK, I had my share of warm up wine
so I found a seat in the back and settled in for an education. The ten wines
were divided into three flights. The first four wines had three from Long
Island, NY and one from Bordeaux. Even to my novice palate, the Chateau
Gazin 2000 stood out because of the tannins and structure of the wine. The
Long Island wines were interesting but still not up to the quality of the
others. A side note, Chateau Gazin bumps up against the property of Chateau
Petrus. I had to say the Gazin had little in common with Petrus.
1. 2004 Paumonock
Merlot Grand Vintage
2. 2001 Lenz Merlot
Old Vines
3. 2000 Chateau
Gazin
- good but not worth the $88.00
4. 1993 Lenz Merlot
- the product was off
We then traveled to
Walla Walla Washington and tasted two from the great Northwest.
1. 2003 Northstar Merlot
2. 2005 Leonetti Cellars Merlot
- I found this to be nicely crafted, supple and
fruitful. It did contain 8% cabernet sauvignon and 7% petite verdot.
Onward and upward we
hit three California Merlots and an Australian. I found the Aussie wine quite
easily as it was sweeter, with fig and plum flavor. The hotter temperatures
and the red soil of Barossa Valley gave this one its distinctive flavor
profile. Or it was dumb luck; I chose the former. My tablemates just said I
was dumb.
1.
2005 Swithback Ridge Petersen Family Vineyards
Merlot
2.
2001 Haan Prestige Merlot
- my pick of the night though $55.00 is crazy.
3.
2004 Blankiet Estate Paradise Hill Merlot
4.
2005 Lewis Cellars Merlot - if the Aussie wine wasn’t in the
flight, I would have voted this my wine pick of the night.
So there you have it. I checked this morning and I still
have hair on my ass so I guess an occasional merlot won't make my boys turtle
into my abdomen.
January 30, 2010
Neither bluster nor dark of night shall keep a wino from a
wine event. Last night we held the inaugural Supper Series wine dinner at The
Tree Tavern. Thanks to the souls who braved the bitter night air to sit in the
warmth of a fire-lit dining room in Wanaque, New Jersey. The chill soon broke
as 21 strangers mingled over a selection of wine and cheese at the bar. As the
libations flowed, we moved to the tables and continued friendly conversation in
anticipation of the culinary offering from PartyConnictions chef, Julie. Our
hosts and proprietors of the Tree Tavern made the setting so comfortable that it
was more like having dinner at a friend’s house than being out at a restaurant.
The selected wines were reasonably priced and eclectically
offered. The warm up was a 2007 Alois Legeder Pinot Bianco. I must
confess, I have only had two Pinot Biancos prior to last night. The wine
offered a clean, crisp Granny Smith apple in the glass and finished brightly. I
guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. As for red wines, we switched
between the 2007 Yalumba Organic Merlot (yes I said merlot) and the
2005 Castello del Poggio Barbera d’Asti. Both being food friendly wines, I
enjoyed the bolder Barbera d’Asti with my dinner.
Julie pleased the palates of the crowd with a beautifully
prepared green salad with cranberries and walnuts. The main was chicken
Marabella, sided with wild rice pilaf and mixed vegetable. Dinner with topped
off with homemade crème brulee. I believe I cleared three of those by myself.
As the night wore down, and the group dwindled to the
stools at the bar, Big Bob entertained the crowd when he brought out an essence
kit. Ten of us stressed our olfactory senses with scents offered in the kit
that are contained in wines. Trust me, it ain’t easy; educational yes, but not
easy. As in most cases, it was Caroline’s immediate identification of the scent
of leather that stunned us. A vivid, long term memory experience made that a
very identifiable aroma to her. If only I stayed long enough to hear the story
behind that one.
We look forward to next month’s dinner. As the menu and
wine selection is developed, I will post it for the group. See you there.
January 24, 2010
I feel it creeping. Sorry, The Jersey Shore
characters have placed the words "creeper" and "creeping" into my head so now,
unless I use it, I can’t find different words. You know what I’m sayin'? I
have hit a saturation point in my French wine consumption that it has triggered
another French-pedantic affliction. I have officially started collecting art,
kind of. I will admit, I do not know much about art and artwork. I can see
something and know in my head that it interests me, but ask me why and I
couldn’t find a word to explain it. Maybe it just creeped me.
Recently I picked up a shipping tube at my PO box. In it
was an experimental first print of a Lyman Dally original oil painting. My
humble roots leaves me thinking a wine bottle Christmas tree and a signed Jackie
the Jokeman poster is art. Today I will be framing and hanging a signed, 1/1
experimental print of the painting below.

Eau d'vie,
Eau d'mort
When I saw this at the art show, I commented to Lyman that
I found this piece interesting, as wine is my elixir of life and probably the
liquid of my death. As I wish nothing but meteoric fame and fortune to Lyman,
this will one day be my first collector piece of artwork. Hey, which Forbes kid
is responsible for their collections? I’m thinking he and I are now peers. I
could also tell the Forbes guy that I have a bottle of 1996 Lafite with Thomas
Jefferson’s initials on it. Wow, one piece of artwork and I am rubbing elbows
with an entirely new stratum of people. The third floor room just got a bit
less dark and dank.
January 22, 2010
Sorry, I have to do some housekeeping. It’s not that I
haven’t had some wine lately. Mostly that I am still recovering. Recovering
from the shock of a Republican winning in Massachusetts. Keith Olbermann is in
complete meltdown. Air America officially shut their doors and the only
legislation that out-going New Jersey Governor John Corzine could pass on the
way out the door of Drumthwacket was to legalize medical marijuana. I think I
feel some glaucoma coming on.
As with global warming, the world is readjusting. By the
way, I am typing with fingerless gloves in my dark, damp and now cold third
floor room. The crazy thing is that the Democrats still have a 59-seat majority
but they are so disorganized that they can’t get their shit together to move
anything forward. But most shocking to me thus far is that pizza has gone the
way of the martini. I had my eyes opened last night when I went into Fortes and
looked over the pizza by the slice offerings. I guess it has been awhile since
I ordered a pizza. I was shocked that they make something called a 'chicken,
bacon and ranch pizza'. Is that pizza? Just as they are calling these
fruit-infused concoctions "martinis", pizza has now been bastardized in my
mind. I saw a cheese steak and a Caesar salad pie sitting there also.
Thank God we have the decency for the pedantic French view
of wine keeping most of the world’s offerings sane. Save NJ, with cranberry and
blueberry and any other produce-to-juice they think of, the rest is still,
simply wine. I guess I have to get out more. Dough, cheese and sauce seem to
be the minority in the world of pizza pie. Of course this shock sent me to
drinking, or rather finishing open bottles of wine that have been lingering on
my counter or in my refrigerator. Here are several I have enjoyed over the past
week or two.
2007 Notro Tinto de Montana - this Argentinean blend
of sangiovese and bonarda was cheap and drank so. I had higher hopes for this
wine but take my advice and pass on this one.
2005 Montevina Terra d’Oro Syrah - OK, but no
tingles up my leg on this one. It handles a Tuesday night in front of the TV,
but I would not bring this to dinner with friends. Enemies maybe, but not
friends.
2003 Callaghan Vineyards Syrah - A treat I brought
back from my last visit to Arizona, it was a pleasant surprise. Simple and not
too deep in complexity, it offers black fruits, spice and a hint of mocha. Give
the region 20 years and Arizona might be a place I will be drinking through.
2007 Tangley Oaks Rose Lot #3 - yes I said rose,
damn it. This rose is all Napa, at 14.1% alcohol. Sorry, not in my rose. Just
leave it on the skins and give it the color to make what I think you were going
for.
I must be getting old. That would have been four different
entries years ago. Now, like my prostate, things seem to dribble out from time
to time. Next month, back to basics.
January 21, 2010
Wow, is this month flying. Last night I stopped into the
Park Ave Club to check on a potential upcoming event I need to plan and ran into
the new Executive Director. He used to own my second home; Bacchus.
After asking for back rent for time spent in his wine cellar, we had a great
discussion about the exciting wines and events the club is planning. It turned
out that they have a tasting going on featuring some additions to their wine
menu. I crashed the party and was treated to the educational tasting notes of
Wendy Tate (sommelier) and Troy Titus (Beverage Director). The list follows:
-
NV Mirabelle Rose Sparkling
Wine - pleasant, bright red fruit
-
2005 Domaine Michel Caillot
Bourgogne “Les Herbeux”
-
2006 Hartford Court “Four
Heart” Chardonnay - wood prevails
-
2006 Joseph Drouhin
Chorey-Les-Beaunne - now maybe Big Bob will join me for dinner at
the club since they are pouring his wine.
-
2007 Byron Pinot Noir
-
2005 Silverado Merlot
- spicy and woody, it takes time to find the fruit
-
2003 Rust en Vrede Estate
- I love Stellenbosch but prefer the faithful Hound to this one.
-
2006 Stags Leap Wine Cellars “Artimis”
- the gem of the night, well crafted.
Hey, no grape of the year, what’s with that?
The club is growing in wine events and in their wine list.
It is nice to see new regions and a broader selection. Hey guys, I am available
for consult…. I can see it now, the club’s wine list being turned over to Wino
Bob. I accept the challenge. C'mon, Michael, if it wasn’t for my Bacchus
escapades you wouldn’t have that fat 401K. That’s my hard-earned cash.
January 9, 2010
I grabbed a glass of wine the other day with Bob. No,
not Big Bob, the other Bob. As this is the year of the blend, I picked a
2002 Origin Napa Valley Heritage Sites Red.
Well-played, Mr. Holmes, a somberly complex Bordeaux blend. This
merlot-heavy blend offers dark cherry, black currant and raspberries on the
first heady whiff. The more you swirl, the more that comes out, like eucalyptus
and herbs. The finish is soft tannins that give this one some more time to
bottle age. I really am liking the blends and it was a brilliant move on the
part of WinoStuff to name it this year’s grape of the year. For the record, the
winery does not belong to the Meritage association so it’s simply classified as
a "Bordeaux style blend". That is all right by me. The price came in at
$31.00, which is a bit more than I usually spend but hell, I’m worth it.
January 8, 2010
My 'entry number 9' problem was far different than Elliot
Spitzer’s 'client number 9' troubles but it still might put me in a heap of
trouble. Not salacious, sorry, I don’t have hooker money. My number 9 was a
hot, bold, seductive Aussie. Unfortunately, it was an outlier in a California
syrah tasting. OK, so during the Southern Rhone Chateauneuf du Pape tasting, I
select the California Rhone wine and in the California syrah tasting I pick the
Australian shiraz. This might be grounds for me turning in my gold plated
taste-vin to the society.
It turned out to be a fun night as we had a “professional
taster” at the table. I could tell by the way she concentrated on the bouquet
of each wine before tasting. Hell, I finished off all five of my first flight
wines before she tasted her first. Her note sheet was voluminous but the real
key was that she spit out the samples. Unlike the lush I am, knowing these
California syrahs offered from 13.9-16.3% alcohol, I was in it for the buzz.
Turns out we had a wine consultant/educator in our midst. Unfortunately, my
inane drunken comments had her looking for a different table mid tasting. She
tried to scoop up all ten glasses, the cheese plate and a water pitcher and
relocate, but the place was full.
Fully cocked, I forgot to take the final sheet but here is
what I do recall, to the best of my memory, so help me God.
Flight 1
Denner Vineyards 2006 Paso Robles
Neyers Old Lakeville Road 2007 Sonoma Coast
Ringer - it was a Northern Rhone but I didn’t
get the sheet
Copain “Tous Ensemble” 2007 Mendocino County -
my favorite of the flight
Ridge Lytton West 2005 Sonoma County - woody,
and minty.
Flight 2
Pride 2007 Napa County - well balanced and
ready.
La Sirena 2005 Napa Valley - The first
glass was corked, second pour had little nose and received zero votes -
unanimous. Surprising as this wine is overseen by Heidi Barrett, the first
lady of Napa wine (Screaming Eagle)
Ramey “Shanel Vineyards” 2006 Sonoma County -
nicely crafted
Mollydooker Blue-eyed Boy - my personal fav of
the night.
Alban Vineyards Reva 2005 San Luis Obispo County.
It turned out that the presenter for the night owns a
winery in Temecula, California, so I say to Lisa and Darcy, "there really are
only 2 degrees of separation." I look forward to an upcoming interview with the
winemaker at Monte de Oro Winery on 2degreesradio.
Next month, dare I say, we will be tasting merlot……I think
I feel a cold coming on.
January 2, 2010
It will take awhile to get the 2010 thing down. I hope you
had a happy, fun, safe celebration. I decided to spend the night with a bottle
of Meritage and the digitally remastered HD Three Stooges marathon. My
Cablinasian wine was the only way I see fit to ring in what I expect to be a
better year. If not, I will be bringing back the “Will Work for Wine” sign. So
I shot the last wad of 2009 on a beautiful bottle of the BOTY. I found $42.99 a
bit more than I normally spend but enjoyed the special treat. A 2006 Rodney
Strong Meritage Symmetry Alexander Valley.
Winemaker Notes - The 2006
Symmetry greets you with a generous bouquet of blackberries, ripe dark
plums, sweet spices, and a hint of chocolate. It opens boldly on the palate
with layers of blackberry, cassis, smoky dark chocolate and brown spice.
This mouth-filling wine is rich, silky in texture, expansive, and quite long
on the finish, and manages to be at once harmonious, powerful, and elegant.
Intended to be enjoyable on release, Symmetry is destined for years of
further evolution in the bottle. Savor it!
Stark at first, due to the 15.3% alcohol; then in a classy
move, this wine settles into a majestic display of chocolate and black fruits.
The finish was as interesting as the revealing of a satin garter and silk
stocking under a classy evening gown. Thank you, Rodney, for starting the year
with a solid entry into the pleasure of the grapes commingling in a Meritage
orgy. Happy FN ’10.
January 1, 2010
As I sit here this New Years Eve in my dark, dank third
floor hovel, I marvel at the fact that we are entering into the 10th
year of WinoStuff. I also marvel at the fact that ten years ago, my computer,
clock, microwave etc., didn’t blow up as double zeros in my computer’s brain
meant sure disaster. Ten years into the 21st century and my car
still doesn’t fly. Ten years into writing wine reviews and I am still banned in
most California wineries. Ten years of drinking wine for this site and my liver
still resides inside me. Could this be the year of the liver? Will David
Crosby take over for me? Will WinoStuff.com continue to blaze the trail for all
the other wine web sites on the internet?
As I do every year, I have thought long and hard about my
duty of naming the Grape of the Year. (Yes, I said duty and even while typing
it, I chuckle to myself). Besides, what else do I have to do sitting alone in a
third floor room as the frosty wind whistles through cracked window glazing?
Let’s say the year of the Petite Sirah went about as well as the first year of
the Obama administration. Hauntingly prophetic in that call. Yes, it has been
a long time since I have commented on the current affairs of this nation. How’s
that worked out? I think the White House would have benefited from our
criticism thus making their first year better and hence making our year better.
The year rode in on the promise of 'Hope and Change' when there will no longer
be red states and blue states but one purple country. As purple liquid is my
favorite color, I was optimistic. Unfortunately, polls show that we are more
divided as a nation now than a year ago. I only bring this up as background for
this year’s final decision.
I also was intrigued by Tiger Woods' disclosure this year.
A person that presented to the public a promise, an image, a barrier-breaker in
a sport where the ball was not the only white thing dominant at the Club. As we
end 2009, I can’t help but think about Tiger and Barrack. What could this mean
to 2010 and how could the GOTY be significant? So, I was thinking, Barrack and
Tiger both are products of a mixed racial genetic soup. Tiger had a penchant
for mixing with women of many ethnicities. Barrack transcended the politics of
a two party system making the left wing and right wing come together in a
harmonious voice of opposition. (OK, the last one is weak since he was more
polarizing than homogenizing but let’s be like the mass media and ignore the
facts and not dig too deeply when it comes to the President.) Then, in the
flash of genius synonymous with Hawking, Copernicus, and Carl Weinke (look him
up for yourself, I don’t have time to spoon feed you), there is only one
possible outcome for the 2010 Grape of The Year. Winos and Winettes, I proudly
declare 2010 the year of the:
BLEND
This year, we recognize the Cablinasian mix of grapes that
bring us delight from their harmonious compliments. At the recent Grape of the
Year Determination Luncheon, members of WinoStuff's Executive Subcommittee on
Grape Varietals and Viticulture presented numerous options for the actual blend
to be honored. We considered the blends of the Southern Rhone, the wines
that had me intrigued enough to cause me to study what wine is all about back as
a novice imbiber. We also considered the Super Tuscans and Australian GSMs but,
in the end, it was unanimous. We opted for the blend that has defined
premium wine for generations. This year's Blend of the Year is....
The Bordeaux-Style Blend
(aka Meritage)

The Bordeaux-Style blend or Meritage is typically a blend
of five different grape varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc,
Malbec and Petite Verdot. I offer the Bordeaux wines as the only thing
French, besides the kiss, that Wino John will open his mouth for. But most of
all, I call 2010’s GOTY, the BOTY for the beautifully crafted Meritage offerings
from the good ole USA. (Any of you homos call it "meritauge" or something else
French-sounding, I’ll kill you.) For the record, the word comes from 'merit'
and 'heritage'. As far as the country and the world, we all need a little more
mixing and blending instead of clashing and fragmenting. As the great orator
Rodney King once said to the vines, “Can’t we all just get along.”?
I have been a long time proponent of the blend. Each year
it offers consistency despite world climate change. Many times the sum is
greater than its parts. Hey, call Stephen Hawking; we may have just created
matter. Please hop on
www.meritage.org and see all the wineries that belong to the association.
We know that Bordeaux’s pedantic arcane rules define that entire region as a
blend.
Here is wishing that 2010 be a great year and that the
mixing of attitudes, ideologies, metaphors, races, sexual partners, and grapes
enhances your life in a way a segregated selection will not.
December 31, 2009
As I find myself this week with extra time on my hands, I
started reading a book. It seems I read the most when winter’s blistery breath
keeps me wrapped in sweaters in the dank third floor room. The
Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace looks into the fraud of
collectable wines, specifically the one that fetched the highest price in
history to date. As I find myself reading about wine, a Pavlovian response has
me salivating like an old dog. Ding, they just mentioned Chateau Lafite.
Ding,
they just said Cheval Blanc. Ding…. OK I need a drink. I didn’t want a drink; it
was just the solution to stop me from drooling on my sweater. Not being able to
fit the urge any longer, I went to the refrigerator and grabbed the chardonnay
we served a guest the night before. It was the 2008 Cameron Hughes The
Flying Winemaker Chardonnay. Amazing, not the wine, but the ability for me
to stop drooling while reading and concentrate on the story. Prior to the wine
washing over my palate, it was like the wine words were jumping off the page
hitting me in the face. I had cabernet stuck to my left cheek. I don’t want to
spoil the ending but I think there was a problem with the 1787 Lafite with
Thomas Jefferson’s initials. I’m just saying. I am hanging on the edge of my
seat wanting to know if Kip Forbes was the highest bidder. Well that’s a wrap
on 2009. Good riddens, don’t let the barn door hit you in the ass on the way
out. Hey will the snow keep the old man in a diaper out of Time Square
tonight? Look, his onions are already shriveled, the weather shouldn’t matter.
December 26, 2009
I hope that the baby Jesus’ birthday was celebrated like
mine, with good traditional ethnic food, a toast with potato distilled Polish
vodka, and a raucous gift exchange. My younger brother topped the night with
yet another generous, thoughtful gift of giving that kept us in stitches for
over three hours. We don’t know if this one will ever be topped, but we will
wait and see. I did manage two glasses of a South African chardonnay, Fleur
du Cap. As our Christmas Eve banquet is meatless, this chardonnay was
simple enough to work the fish and pierogis without intrusion. I was the only
drinker so I didn’t have to impress myself. I just wanted a basic wine that
worked well with food. At $9.99 this chardonnay is worth the price.
Christmas Day had something new. A guest brought a bottle
of wine and I served it. Since there was a pasta course, I opened this one to
counter the acidity in the tomato sauce. It was a 2005 Michele Chiarlo
Barbera d’Asti Superior Le Orme. It clocks in around $14.99. The wine’s
acidity paired nicely enough with the sauce. The main course of filet mignon
was met with my last bottle of the 2003 Zaca Mesa Syrah. I appreciate
this wine for its deep dark fruit flavors and soft finish at a price of $15.99.
The night ended with an unfinished bottle of Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz.
Don’t worry, it goes well with turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast. Yes, I’m
saying it adds robustness to the breakfast of champions. I’m thinking I
probably won’t have time to drink between now and New Years….. never mind. So
what was on your wine menu?
December 24, 2009
On this eve of the birth of the Baby Jesus, the staff at
WinoStuff.com want to take this time to wish you and your families a very Merry
Christmas. If you don’t celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus, enjoy the day
off. Look, I drink Pinot Noir, not because I want to. It’s part of the
fabric of this job. So Happy Pinot to those not celebrating Christmas. I head
to Southern NJ tonight for the traditions of a Polish Christmas Eve dinner.
Again my alcohol consumption will be limited to the iced Polish Vodka toast
(potato, not grain vodka) and a glass of wine. I will be obligated to attend
midnight mass where I will hit the Blood of Christ line twice to catch the
Midnight Mass Baby Jesus Buzz. Church is but a block away and the stagger home
in the crisp air brings the holiday spirit to life.
Keep me posted on your holiday drink and remember, the year
of the Petite Sirah is coming to a close. Let’s see what 2010 will have in
store.
December 19, 2009
Urgent - The afternoon session of the Global
Warming Summit has been cancelled due to a blizzard. President Obama, please
board Air Force One now before Washington DC airports are closed. Well that was
interesting. A large carbon footprint and a fat check to developing nations,
and no firm agreements. I wonder how the media would report that if it had been
President Bush? I’m doing my part by staying home and drinking.
Actually we had little to do with the decision. The heavy
snow caused our plans to change. It was the annual Victorian Christmas dinner
at the Park Avenue Club. We were good to go until the call at 4pm saying they
had a bunch of scared drivers not wanting to brave the bad weather. Dude, that
is why vehicles come in AWD. With guests in tow and cancelled plans, I
convinced the crowd to stay local. We grabbed dinner at the Cloverleaf. We
didn’t have any difficulty getting a table for five. I enjoyed a few
Boddingtons with my ribs and then we came home, lit the fireplace and sipped
cocktails as the wind and snow beat heavy on the house. I went with a simple
2007 Astica Malbec from Cuyo
Argentina. My fireplace sucks so that only lasted about an hour and then
I sank into a chair to watch the Dallas - Saints game. This week the Saints
decided to fold and keep Dallas in the hunt. Why, Santa, why? BTW- I’d pass on
this Malbec. Hey, the only way I could know it wasn’t worth it was to try a
bottle. You are welcome.
December 17, 2009
The dull bells ringing in my head are not Pacobells Cannon,
but rather the result of a five bottle four-person dinner. An informal
WinoStuff holiday festivus at Gourmet Café brought out the usual suspects, all
red. As Wino Odd Job, Big Bob and I awaited the arrival of Wino John, we sipped
on some 2007 Torres Salmos.
Folks, it’s a well-rated Priorat, and not a Pinot. What better way to get
into the holiday spirit. Finally, the way-too-busy powerful exec-o-geek, WJ
arrived and the Chef-Owner Matthew Pierone could rest easy that we were going to
order food. I had the special grilled polenta and sipped on
2005 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Reserva.
It’s worth buying this wine just for the label. Keep this one in eyesight of
your guests and they will think you have class. I brought a GOTY to end the
year of the petite sirah. A tightly bound tannic, jammy, black fruit load, the
2008 The Crusher needs to settle in the bottle a bit.
The conversation flowed through bottle three into four and politics from
the Kennedy grassy knoll conspiracy twist to the health care debate. Bottle
four was a 2001 Le Chiuse Brunello. I
complimented my tilapia smothered in lump crabmeat with several glasses of this
wine. The raucous conversation thinned the patrons so we invited chef-owner
Matt over for a glass of wine. It was the only way we were allowed to stay long
enough for Wino John to get his chocolate fix for dessert. I think the
owner-chef was actually coming to our table to ask us to leave but the sharing
of wine always turns things around. I am recommending that the senate drink in
a few cases of Barone Ricasoli and who knows what may come out of the healthcare
bill. Since we couldn’t leave as Wino John was making love to a double
chocolate mousse something or other, we cracked open a 2005 Page Proprietary
Red, a Bordeaux blend heavy on the cabernet franc and supported by merlot,
petite verdot, Malbec and cab sauv. As the wait staff milled around our table
trying to get us to leave, it was only the fifth empty bottle that did it. A
fun night and great way to end the crappiest of years. We toasted out '09 and
wished each other a better '10. The book closes on the first decade of the
century and I trust this next ten year period will bring better days, more
raucous nights and a great deal of exciting wine.
December 14, 2009
The economy has me looking at the bottom shelves of wine
stores. And what better way to drown the hurt and pain of a young receiving
corp that let Eli down last night. This $4.99 wine from Portugal matched the
disappointment of the game. The 2005
Bairrada Primavera Red was part of my journey around the wine regions of
Portugal and left me concluding that this was not a shinning star. Now I have a
dull headache. Though I am not sure if its from the cheap juice or the gloating
Eagles fan that edits and posts my drunken rambling. Hope is not lost, just
placed on the bottom shelf of the play off picture. What the hell is going on
with those getting paid big money to catch a ball?
(Editor's
note: Gloating Eagles fan? I think not... I simply
enjoyed a nice quiet Sunday evening with an old friend who stopped by, Mr. Dom
Perignon. We thought about cracking open a wine from a small producer in
California called Screaming Eagles, but I found my
cellar was completely depleted of this wine. I guess I really
dropped the ball on that one... Hehehe... )
December 4, 2009
Not much longer, people, and this God-forsaken year will be
over. This year has been so bad for business that I got a call from a
creditor. He informed me that my credit identity had been stolen. It seems my
credit is so bad that the thief wants to give it back to me. I said no backsies.
It’s your poor credit score now, tough guy. I think that means I have no
credit, which is a hell of a lot better than the crappy credit I had.
Fortunately, last night was our Essex County Wine Society
night. Putting the credit issues on the back burner, I went to sip champagne
with the social elites. I was like Chaplin’s Tramp at a black tie affair during
the depression. My shoes were stuffed with newspaper to keep the rain out of
the hole in the sole while sipping bubbly. Damn wealthy people know how to
live. I think I learned enough about champagne to sneak into the next White
House party.
My main take away from last night is that the process of
making champagne manipulates the juice to the point it is difficult to discern
100% chardonnay champagne from 100% pinot noir champagne. Forget trying to
identify the blends. We tasted through a flight of NV champagnes as a warm up
and then moved to a flight of the good stuff. Overall, I am not sure if I will
start collecting champagnes, but I am glad I got the chance to see some
different styles.
Flight 1
Pierre Peters Cuvee Reserve Blanc de Blanc
Duval-Leroy Champagne Brut
Jacques Chaput Champagne Brut Tradition
Cedric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Brut
“Inflorescence”
The Duval-Leroy left a major yeasty impression on the nose
and palate and from this flight was not in my top three. The Cedric Bouchard
had a petroleum hint on the early nose but settled in nicely and turned out to
be my favorite of the flight.
Flight 2
Marcel Moineaux Blanc de Blancs Brut 2002
Jose Dhondt Mes Vielles Vignes Blanc de Blancs 2004
Ulysse Collin Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2005
Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon 2000
Brut Champagne “2003 by Bollinger”
In this flight, the first two champagnes were ok, nothing
exciting but yet nothing off-putting. However, the Ulysse Collin, mother
McCrae, that carried the oddest of nose and flavors. Our table broke it down to
wet leaves, bananas, whiskey and citrus. Unlike any other, it carried odd
flavors also. After learning the still wine was kept in oak for at least 10
months, I’d say they were buying used barrels from Jack Daniels. Definitely
unique but not my style at all. The last two stood out and I found the handy
work from the old Benedictine monk refined and silky against the Bollinger. It
turned out to be my favorite of the night.
Next on the list, California syrah. Finally, they are
coming around……
November 27, 2009
I have an idea, let’s just skip the days of preparation and
overeating and simply declare the third Thursday in November, National Sit In
Front Of TV With Pants Unbuttoned Day. Face it, if your Thanksgiving is like
mine, there are four trips to the food store, two trips to the liquor store,
food for a small country and its all over in 40 minutes from the dinner bell.
The rest of the day is spent in front of crappy football with a bloated stomach
and pants that are cutting off blood flow to my upper organs, Yes my ankles
swell unless I undue the pants. The crowd is mostly non-drinkers so the wine is
more about me then anyone else. This year, for the first time in what memory I
have left, my younger brother shared a glass of wine with dinner.
Appalled with the prices of Beaujolais Nouveau, I went with
a simple rose from Provence as a starter. The 2008 Chateau Routas Rose
was $8.99 and is made from a blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 30% Cinsault.
Brilliant bright red fruit, clean, dry, crisp finish and a nice way to work into
the main red wine for dinner. Chilled, this wine is refreshing and supportive
of appetizers. I highly recommend this one for simple nights and hot summer
days when the weight of red is too much but you want the flavors of raspberry,
bing cherry and dark cherry.
When we sat down to dinner, I had my Grapevine Decanter
filled with the 2008 Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz. With a $20.55 price on
this wine, I love it. Facing the other side of the red wine spectrum, this wine
was jammy with blackberry, plum, blueberry and currant flavors and a mocha
finish. Pleasantly powerful but not hot or harsh. Maybe it wasn’t the best
wine to blend with marshmallow bourbon sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce, but it
delighted my palate. Let’s face it, that’s what its about anyway, my palate. I
was quite pleased with my wine choices though it wasn’t like I had a committee
to clear. Maybe I am getting the Obama administration. Please oneself first...
November 24, 2009
Here’s wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.
Honestly, the way business was, I am most thankful that 2009 is almost over. I
am looking forward to a robust 2010, though my hopes are not that high.
Hopefully your 2009 was better than most.
Grabbing a “business” lunch with Wino John, before the
start of this Thanksgiving break, I was searching for something I might want to
drink serve with dinner tomorrow. There was good news and bad news.
First the good, the 2004 Murphy Goode Snake Eyes Zinfandel Elaine Maria
Vineyard was delicious. The 2004 vintage is 100% Zinfandel from Elaine Maria
Vineyards in Alexander Valley, owned by Elaine Foppiano. Only 40 barrels were
selected for this bottling. Aged in French and American oak barrels, this is a
powerful Zin with the balance and structure to age. Classic flavors of black
cherry, currant and raspberry jam, the wine balances intense fruit with rich
tannins and a lingering finish. Best off, it boasts 15% alcohol without being
hot, and I don’t mean 'hot' in the CSI Miami Natalia 'hot', I mean in the
alcohol-choking flavor 'hot'. The bad news of the day was that this was the
last bottle on the shelf and I couldn’t buy another while at JR’s. The
redeeming feature for my dinner tomorrow was a shipment that was waiting for me
at the house when I got home from High Point Wines. In there was a bottle of
Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz that I will be consuming serving to
myself my guests.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
November 20, 2009
As the Panther game was pissing me off, I flipped through
the HBO selections last night. They have some great movies on right now. As
Flash of Genius, which obviously has relevance to me, was in
progress, I DVR’d that and watched The Changeling. The take away
from the movie; forget the long history of LA’s police force not getting the job
done. I saw it as a precursor to the OJ trial. My big take away was that Mira
Loma was called Wineville until the chicken coop murders. See, there is a
redeeming value to television. While I was watching, I was sipping. Since it
was a Thursday night, I had a bottle of Trentadue Old Patch Red 2005 from
Sonoma County. I also call that area Wineville. This blend of 70% Zinfandel,
20% Petite Sirah, 5.5% Carignane, 4.5% Syrah clocks in at 14.9% alcohol and
could be a nice warm up for the Thanksgiving Day feast. The wine comes out
jammy and peppery with black cherry, plum, an earthiness and herb nose and a
pleasant finish. I didn’t mind replacing the screw cap and popping it in the
fridge for finishing tonight. Nice weekday wine.
November 18, 2009
Wino John stocked up on a boatload of wine yesterday and he
needed someone to load his truck. Seeing my “will work for wine” sign hanging
around my neck, he dangled a powerful zinfandel in front of my nose. In a
flash, I was in. We headed up to High Point Wines and fire-brigaded cases and
cases and cases and cases of juice into the extended bed Explorer. Wow, that
was just for this week. Exhausted and wanting payment, we headed over to a Thai
place in Pompton Plains. Wino Odd Job joined with a great bottle of white from
Kelham Vineyards to start our feast of spicy dinners of fish and chicken and
duck, and I think cat. Look, with enough curry, cat and chicken are hard to
tell apart. I kid; I didn’t order the cat this time. I needed an excuse to go
back. I will have to see if red curry or green curry goes better with feline.
I am sure I can Google it.
The zin, which I did not get the label information, was
hot. Not in the Sarah Palin running shorts hot, rather in the high alcohol per
centage hot. The label, which at one point I did read, boasted a whopping 15.3%
alcohol. It’s almost a fruit killer at that point. Fortunately we kept
refilling our glasses and some of the alcohol blew off. We did find wine under
the hood. I brought a bottle of S.P Drummer red. It was only 14.2% alcohol and
blended from cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. The wine could have toned
down a bit of the woodiness from the oak aging. The black cheery and plum were
inviting but I found the finish less than exciting. Good thing the conversation
was lively and before we realized all three bottles were empty and the
proprietor was showing us to the door. (Editor's note:
The Zin was from Neyers Vineyards in Napa Valley. It was a Cellar
Selection from the private cellars of Wino Wally. Thanks, Wal !!!)
November 13, 2009
I was bored last night. I wasted time flipping through the
channels. Just before settling in on a movie on IFC, I grabbed a glass of
Fetzer Zinfandel and a plate of cheese and crackers. When it comes to
cheese, I like Swiss on my sandwich, cheddar on my eggs, and a host of others
for crackers. As I started munching away, a thought hit me; how do you know
when cheese is bad? I think I ate some cheese last night that was moldy, had
the stench of dead fish and was priced just short of a precious metal. I know
the difference between bad wine and wine I do not like. But when it comes to
cheese, I just can’t figure it out. When I have a chunk of cheddar and I see
mold, I toss it. But if I have Stilton or bleu cheese, the mold is the key to
its pleasure. Leaving milk out for three days is bad, putting sour cream on
your baked potato is delicious. I think I threw out a twenty-five dollar hunk
of a prized cheese, but I was so turned off to the smell I just couldn’t get it
into my mouth. Most times with wine, I like the nose and get disappointed with
the taste. Fortunately, I tough it up and drink the wine that offends me. I
just haven’t gotten to that point yet with cheese. Who the hell said wine and
cheese was a perfect match anyway? I bet it was those French. Son-of-a
bitch...
November 11, 2009
On this Veteran’s Day we go no farther than Fort Hood to
find fallen heroes. We honor those whose lives were cut short by an enemy from
within.

November 8, 2009
Recovery is just around the corner. My hands only shake
once an hour now so I think I can start drinking again. Just a small follow up
to the Turkeyfest. I was visited today by the good folks of the ASPCA and PETA
as someone in my neighborhood found five fowl carcasses in my trash can. They
wanted to know if we were holding some kind of cult ritual and sacrificing birds
as part of the ceremony. After an intense one-hour interview, the pictures of
the fest and the 11 empty wine bottles convinced them it was not a cult, just a
small gathering of winos. I told them I would be happy to appear in the nude
with Pamela Anderson for their next PETA promotion. They told me my Pinot
wasn’t big enough to hold an audience and went away muttering under their breath
about an Alcoholic Anonymous PSA they would recommend for me.
Mrs. Wino Bob is a saint but was glad the boys had their
fun. She doesn’t get the 'wake up and leave' thing and told me my hosting
skills suck because I wasn't up early offering breakfast to the crowd. That’s
just not how the fest thing works I informed her. She volunteered to make sure
next time….. Hey what the hell is Wino Rocker still doing walking around my
house in his bathrobe? Dude, the party is over, go home. And no, you can’t
stay here again tonight and head to work in the morning. Caution to the next
fest host; make sure someone else drives Wino Rocker to your house, otherwise
one never knows what day he might decide to leave.
Thanks to all who cooked, cleaned and participated in a fun
night.
November 7, 2009
In what I might describe as the mix of an episode of
Bill Nye the Science Guy and a hot air balloon launch, The Other Bob
marveled us last night with his culinary talent. Turkeyfest 09 saw
gallons of oil bubbling over blazing propane tanks and pounds of foul. Having
one time to get the most out of this, we added a duck, a chicken and two Cornish
hens in addition to the turkey. Hey, once the oil was hot we decided to
deep-fry anything not nailed down. We even threw in a few Nathan’s hot dogs.
TOB made his famous fried onions and I added some falafel just for kicks. As my
shaky, hung over fingers keep hitting the wrong key, it would take me a week to
write a thousand words. But this will do...

Wino Odd Job had a special request to deep fry the turkey
neck, see plastic bag lower right. The food was outstanding though not an easy
operation. The 13-pound turkey took about 45 minutes. The key being not to let
the oil run too hot or too cool. If I wore a hat, I would tip it, or better yet
I would say hats off to the yeoman’s job the chefmeister general did. The best
part is he brings all the special tools necessary for success. I stand
corrected; the best part of the night was the fact that my house wasn’t burned
down with two hot oil pots blazing away for hours. (Editor's
note: Our sincere thanks to Mrs. WinoBob for allowing us to make a
complete mess of her house while also making a huge racket into the wee hours of
the morning all while she remained peacefully withdrawn to the upstairs quarters
of the WinoBob estate. You're a saint...)
And what would a fest be without the true stars of the
night. Winos and Winettes, I present the line up. Another thousand words…


As the labels might be too hard to read, I
list for you the bottles that gave up their holdings for our enjoyment. In no
particular order; we drank through the following.
2006 Dancing Bull Zinfandel
2004 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Hartford Zinfandel
2003 Craneford Shiraz- one of my
offerings and the one I liked least.
1995 Castello di Brolio Casalferro
2001 Zlatan Plavac- Croatia born and
possibly the dad of zinfandel.
2004 Renato Ratti Marcejasco Barolo
2001 Capcanes Cabrida
2001 Vieilles Vignes Chateauneuf du Pape-
yes, I said Chateauneuf.
1999 Insignia- the perfect partner for the
double chocolate brownies.
There was a surprise from Wino John for the night, a white
Burgundy. That’s right folks, WJ is all about white Burgundy with his bird.
2004 Louis Latour Chassagme
Montrachet Chenevottes.
If you noticed, we fell short of out two bottles per person
requirement. I am saying we are getting old. That’s all for now as I need to
rest from the strain of typing with a hangover. Maybe more to follow when the
brain, hands and stomach are back in sync.
November 6, 2009
Let me open with a birthday shout out to my younger brother
who is developing a classic palate. It saves me money on a card.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing old friends. OK, I
consider them friends, they consider me H1N1. It was Drouhin night at the Essex
County Wine Society and you know my history with the Drouhins. Forget their
prominence in Burgundy, they hold the distinct honor of the only brother/sister
wine barons to choke me in public at two separate events. I know that there is
an entirely new crowd reading the page so I ask you to search out my entry of
February 11, 2003 when all of this was made possible by Big Bob inviting Wino
John and I to a Drouhin dinner at CK’s Steakhouse. As I am a bit hung over, I
was going to repost that entry but no, that would NOT be the quality
entertainment you come here for. For you too lazy to go into the archives, that
night was the first encounter of the WinoStuff crew and Veronique Drouhin. For
me, it was the launching pad of my renown wine writing career. (Or more
realistically it fueled me enough to writer better stuff). Also check out March
5, 2004, and Old Breaking news.

Last night we tasted wines from the 2006 vintage and worked
our way south to north. Laurent and the affable Nicole from Dreyfus Ashby
delivered stellar insight into the world of pinot. I’m still not a convert but
I drank very hard last night in an attempt to merge the educational input of
Laurent with my nose and palate. Admittedly, I am not elegant and I am OK with
that for now. I have been looking at blousy shirts and toying with lavender in
my wardrobe so there might be hope for me to understand those feminine, elegant,
Burgundies.
In a nutshell, I liked the more masculine and the bold
wines, but that is no surprise. I listened to the members at my table to try
and open up. Here is the line up from last night.
Drouhin
Chablis
Drouhin
Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er Cru
Drouhin
Beaune Greves 1er Cru
Drouhin
Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
Drouhin
Vosne Romanee
Drouhin
Chambolle Musigny
Drouhin
Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru
Drouhin
Gevrey Chambertin
Drouhin
Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
I am digging the terrior thing better as Laurent was
specific on the soil structures from each of their properties and the
differences in the wines we compared. As for the nuanced elegance, I am still
searching.
My personal favorites were the Vosne Romanee and the
Charmes Chambertin. I had the most trouble with the Clos des Mouches and the
Chambolle Musigny as thin and neutered came to mind. But hey, who am I?
Oh yeah, Wino Bob, the world renounced writer at WinoStuff.com.
November 2, 2009
Exciting day in the wine world yesterday for me. Fellow
ECWS member, Lyman Dally kicked off his art exhibit Imagination Uncorked.
It is running through early January at the Gaelan Gallery East in West Orange,
NJ. Hop on
http://www.oentourage.com to check out Lyman’s perspective of wine and
life. Personally, I like his Gothic Pour and Eau d’vie Eau d’mort. Move over
Thomas Arvid, there is a fresh, creative artist on the scene. I find my art in
the bottle; Lyman finds his inspired by the bottle. Best of luck in your new
career.
October 31, 2009
Is it wrong to offer kids wine when they come to the door?
Just asking... I don’t have any candy at the house. I bet a kid would
rather get wine than what we had to deal with. Our trick-or-treating held
rumors of apples with razor blades, candy bars with pins and the dreaded bag of
pennies from the old lady around the corner. Her house was creepy everyday of
the year. I understand there are sections of Newark were the concept of tricks
for treats has an entirely different meaning.
So I am sitting here in the dark, pretending I am not at
home and wishing away the time for this doorbell to stop ringing. It actually
affords me some research time as I have begun a personal endeavor to better
understand the wines of Portugal. NO, not port wines, I am talking about the
still wines that come from the 13 wine regions of the country.
I have enjoyed several wines from the Douro, and Alentejo
regions and recently purchased a bottle from Dao and Bairrada that I am
interested in opening. I have only had a few white wines from Vinho Verde,
which were simple, inexpensive wines with not much for me to be excited about.
The other night I had a bottle
of Quinta de Carmo Reserva from the Alentejo Region produced by Les
Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). The wine was made from
Aragon 50%, Cabernet
Sauvignon 20%, Syrah 20%, and Trincaderia 10%. It started tight and needed time
out in the fresh air. Reasonably priced it had nice fruit, the cabernet came
out up front while tobacco, coffee and eucalyptus washed through the back
palate.
The hunt is on for the next few months for me to locate those finds. I will let
you know as I progress. Send me suggestions and I will be glad to learn more.
October 24, 2009
I realize that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and
the time-worn discussion of what to service with dinner creeps into the wine
writers’ minds. If all goes well, we have a chance to Turkeyfest early. This
will give us a chance to find wines that will deliver at the table. I wanted to
start sampling a bit early and grabbed a zinfandel for fun. It was the 2007
Dancing Bull from Rancho Zabaco. Their story follows:
For
Zinfandel Lovers seeking a truly unique experience, Rancho Zabaco is
producing some of America’s hottest Zinfandels.
Our winemaker Eric Cinnamon, has created a range of
Zinfandel blends from some of California’s most respected growing regions
that appeal to a wide variety of wine drinkers.
Rancho Zabaco wines bear the name of one of Old
California’s earliest land grants – the Tzabaco Rancho. In those days, the
area was a colorful mixture of missions, haciendas, and ranches. Today it’s
an area known as the Dry Creek Valley "Zin Zone." Our Chiotti Vineyard,
actually sits on part of that historic property.
Aside from Rancho Zabaco’s specialty in Zinfandel, we also
produce exceptional Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah.
Aside from sounding like the next
cult commune to find an alternative route to heaven, I like the quality and
value of their wines. The inexpensive zin provides a very approachable wine
boasting flavors of blackberry, blueberry and a vanilla spicy finish. As their
low end, its not the main meal possibility but it is easy to drink, a bit less
in alcohol then their single vineyard stuff and can act as the perfect warm up
act for the serious stuff. I like this wine for what it is. Look, at $8.99
this wine is worth trying.
October 18, 2009
Flamboyant as a red polka dot dress? I guess the person
making the label had run out of terms worthy of a wine. At $6.99 this wine was
like a polka dot dress at a formal affair. This wine stood out, but not in a
good way. Even at sub ten dollars, I am saying this was a bust. The 2008
Tapena is 100% garnacha but gravely suffers from flamboyance and flavor. I
found no whispers of white pepper nor velvety finish. I give the writer for the
label a B for trying to put lipstick on a pig, but the disconnect between the
product and words was too large to be ignored. I think this wine could be used
for cooking a simmering puller pork. Not a good way to start a weekend of
drinking.
I came a bit closer on this bargain but at the end of the
weekend I was 0-2 sitting like the Angels at Yankee Stadium. This red from
Douro strung me out to extra innings but at the end broke from the correct
choice and errantly went awry. A 2006 Lavradores de Feitoria Douro Tinto
brought some plum and raspberry but in the end was thin and short. I spent a
whopping $10,00 on this wine. Not what I had hoped for from my Portuguese
friends. OK, I’m Jonesin' for some good stuff. The hope that gets me up in the
morning is the arrival of the Esprit de Beaucastel I ordered through High
Point Wines after our tasting at the ECWS. I should have that this week and I
am shaking like a newborn in anticipation of cracking my first bottle and
washing quality juice over my taste buds.
October 13, 2009
Oh no, my second NYC wine event in less than a week. Am I
becoming that which I make fun of? Have I entered into a level of chic
Manhattan socializing? OK, I was a guest both times and since "Wino Bob"
appears in the W section of everyone’s address book, the A-V crowd must have had
other plans. Saturday was the Food Network’s Grand Tasting at the Pier and had
I reserved a park bench to sleep on that night, I would have tasted my way
through the wines and spirits thrust upon me as I walked from stem to stern. It
was a beautiful early fall day with blue skies, a mild cool breeze and an
airplane-free Hudson River. I did find out that the 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah
is not as robust as the 2003 we enjoyed at the last wine tasting at The Tree
Tavern. In my spirit samplings, all the vodka I tried was grain-based. I’m
thinking there is a discrimination against the potato. Why? Because the
potato is starchy and white? My Polish roots take offense to that. Even the
Irish vodka was produced from grain and those people eat potatoes with
everything. What’s up with that?
Last night my younger, hipper, Manhattan-living brother
invited me to the Columbus Day Wine Down. I learned that the Wine Down is a
monthly event hosted by the President and Creative Director of the Liquid Assets
Consulting Group, Michael Green. Mr. Green, until recently, consulted and wrote
about wines and spirits for Gourmet magazine. I am wondering since WinoStuff is
still in publication and Gourmet Magazine is not, if Mr. Green would be
interested in ruining his reputation by writing a guest column for the not
defunct WinoStuff.com. We creators of content need to stick together.
The theme of the tasting was Wines of the USA in
celebration of Columbus Day. Though when I think of Columbus Day I think of the
West Indies, small pox and pillaging. It must have been the public school text
books I read. Secondly, I think of Spanish wines since Spain financed
Columbus. Thirdly, I think of Italy so Italian wines come to mind. The Wine
Down thought made in the USA. I guess my creativity drifts.
There were wines from Delaware, Virginia, Long Island,
Oregon and California. I tried most of the reds but sadly California captured
my attention with the Salvestrin Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the
Rockpile Zinfandel and the Belle Glos Pinot Noir. Yes, I said
Pinot. Judging by the crowd, I would say that the California table was most
popular. It also turned out that the person pouring at the table was well
versed in her knowledge of the wines she offered. Her pitch was smooth and
informative immediately enhancing and engaging my interests.
Though I probably won’t be a regular at the Wine Downs with
my commitments to ECWS and the NNJ Wine Meetups, I look forward to attending
from time to time. For those interested, the Wine Down’s next event is December
2nd at BLVD on the Lower East Side.
October 10, 2009
With a need for a meeting, the triumvirate met for dinner
at Penang, a favorite place to meet in East Hanover. It was a working
dinner so no time to sip and savor, we were on a mission. I brought a bottle of
Summers Charbono as a warm up. Wino John treated us to a wine he brought
back from his recent junket to France. The 2005 Chateau L’Escadre Major
was very approachable and turned in a new world style. We completed diner with
a Frog’s Leap Zinfandel. Clearly the topics of the meeting were blurred
by the third bottle and who remembers if we even discussed anything we were
supposed to? Let’s face it, we meet to drink; anything else is a gain. I think
its time for another meeting.
October 9, 2009
Last night, driving home from the fist tasting of the Essex
County Wine Society, I had a Chateauneuf du Pup Tent in my shorts. I was close
to a plane between euphoria and orgasmic. Maybe I am premature in my Chris
Matthews leg thrill as the 2007 CDPs are supposed to be better than the 06 we
tasted. This was a rather unique tasting, first because of the role I stepped
into at the last minute. I was the head cheese cutter. I had to arrive early
and cut the cheese for the event. It was only because the assigned cutter of
the cheese flew off to France for some R&R and he dubbed me the cheese cutter
stand in. I must say I filled the role of cutting the cheese brilliantly.
The ten Chateauneufs had a murder mystery theme with twists
and turns and a surprise ending. The presenter should write for CSI Miami.
The first three wines were presented as a mini vertical of Domaine du Vieux
Telegraphe La Crau. The 1998 was still full of life, the 2000 was OK and the
2006 was surprisingly approachable. I was amazed that the 98 still is tannic
and chewy and could bottle age for quite some time.
We then shifted to the following Chateauneuf de Papes, all
2006 vintage:
-
Domaine
de Ferrand - this was my loser of the night.
-
Le Vieux
Donjon
-
G.A.E.C.
Charvin - the nose on this one made me want to spread it on a piece
of toast, blackberry jam.
-
Clos des
Papes
-
Domaine
de Saint Prefert Auguste Favier
-
Chateau
de Beaucastel
-
Tablas
Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (Paso Robles) - Surprise, bottle shock,
winner, winner. This USA property of Beaucastel stole the night for me
and a wide variety of the crowd. Well played. With a retail price of
$37.99 I am saying this will be my new bath water.
As you can see the presenter placed a great deal of thought
to make this interesting and informative. Kudos to Gary. I look forward to
many more presentations by this member.
Next month, Laurent Drouhin graces the stage and treats us
to an inside baseball look at wines of the Drouhin properties. OK, it’s
Burgundy, but I look forward to seeing Laurent.
October 2, 2009
It has been awhile since the Northern Jersey wine meetup
group got together. Last night ended the dry spell. Held at the Tree Tavern in
Wanaque, guests sampled from 28 wines, snacked on a variety of cheeses and
mingled for more than three hours. I manned one of the tables and Big Bob
handled the other. I poured a host of white wines, a rose and several reds
while the popular table offered all reds. The crowd started with the whites to
warm up but fancied the reds. From the selection, the star of the white wines
was Sonoma Cutrer followed closely by the Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc. The rosé
was sparsely touched. As for the reds at my table, the Turnbull Old Bull was a
hit.
I understand that the Chateau Siaurac and the Mollydooker
Two Left Feet garnered great reviews. The night was capped by a sampling of
Gaja’s Promise Super Tuscan, Banfi’s Brunello di Montalcino and the Chalk Hill
Cabernet Sauvignon. I did dip into the Chalk Hill. Carrying a 2005 vintage, I
found it seductively mellow. Reasonabley priced at $55.55, I say this was
impressive. It was a pleasure meeting many of the new faces and it was a
delight to see several of the original crowd but it was the support of the
Winsters from the Wanaque Reserve that brought the troops. Kudos to Wino Barry
for rallying the gang.
Looking forward to the next meetup and bringing more new
faces to the group.
September 29, 2009
Next time you want a liquid dessert, try the 2008
Mollydooker The Boxer. It as a glass full of brownie topped with blueberry,
with a hint of vanilla and cedar. The Mollydooker brand has found it’s
following through catchy names, cartoonish labels and youtube. Welcome to the
twenty-first century for the oldest libation in recorded history. I think the
Mollydooker "shake" video is intriguing enough to bring it out of a crowded pack
of Australian offerings. (No kangaroos, lizards or koala bears helps!)
The breadth of their offering, from mid twenty dollars to the one hundred plus
Velvet Glove, covers a wide range of the economy. Most important of all
is good product, and that they have. Call me a follower of trend but the
Marquis combo delivers. OK, Sarah Marquis delivers in the "shake" video...
Need I say more? At $25.00 this wine will be enjoyed by your guests.
September 27, 2009
What a great day the weather provided yesterday. I was
able to do more yard work. Actually, my yard work the last few weeks has
consisted of cleaning all the broken branches and dried stalks. The key has
been my Madden-recommended Ace Hardware purchase of a portable fire pit. What
was once a hibachi now comes with a wire mesh cover and bam, instant fire pit.
Now I can uncork a bottle of wine and sit in my Adirondack chair feeding the
beast. Twig after twig and branch after branch, I cleaned a large patch of
debris and enjoyed a great bottle of wine. If all yard work can be accomplished
with a cigar and a big red wine, call me José.
To get in my frame of mind for the process, I grabbed a red from Chile. It
wasn’t just any red, it was a Migual Torres Conde de Superunder. This
blended red boasts 50% tempranillo supported by cabernet sauvignon, monastrell
and carmenere. The 2001 has bright red fruit deliciously suspended in a spicy
oak barrel. This wine really should be savored with food and not the smoky
accents of a fire pit. It brilliantly made the lawn work all the more
enjoyable. Take my advice, this is a wine to impress your friends with at your
next byob.
September 25,
2009
In the span of
two days, celebrations abound as The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, turned 60, my late
father would have been 75 and our own Wino John turned…let’s just say, old
bastard. And who was conspicuously missing from our celebration of his said
birthday? No, Bruce would have been there if he wasn’t busy with his upcoming
concerts in Giant Stadium. It seems that WJ found a better offer minutes
before I ordered an appetizer. Undaunted, The Other Bob and I continued and
hardly noticed WJ’s absence. We both brought California Cabs for the dinner, as
it would have been Wino J’s first choice. I went quirky, TOB went classy. I
found out last night that classy rules.
Enjoying the
fare of owner/chef Matt at Gourmet Café in Parsippany, I had the mussels
appetizer that was worth sobbing the sauce with good Italian bread. For the
main meal, I enjoyed the chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and spinach
over herb and tomato risotto. My quirk wine was B Side cabernet sauvignon
which showed bright promise in the nose and during its initial journey to the
palate. Unfortunately the wine seemed thin and lacked a robust finish bringing
disappointment and consternation to my high hopes. I was counting on this being
a find, but at the $34.99 pricing, I have to say I will not be buying this one
again.
There was one
positive note, a great bottle, the true star of the night, accented by a great
conversation with chef /owner Matt. THe star was the 1999 Simi cabernet
sauvignon that TOB brought. Allow me to borrow from Borat for the moment,
wa wa wee wow!!!! This wine was in its sweet spot and had a formal tails
finish. Elegant and classy with soft and silky tannins that allowed the wine to
last for what seemed like hours. We should have bailed on the B Side halfway
through and savored the Simi. We toasted to WJ and lamented him not being there
to enjoy the treat, then we spent the rest of the night polishing off the
bottle. Happy Birthday big guy and you too Wino John, you old bastard.
September 20, 2009
OK, here’s one for the books... a supper club in
Manhattan that has a shooting range in the basement of their building.
Guests, after enjoying a cocktail and a few bottles of wine, are invited
downstairs to shoot. OK, it’s a .22 rifle, but if not for the long history of
the club, I could not imagine going to NYC’s ABC with a license application to
combine a rifle range and a broad C permit. I guess I am saying bring back the
good old days. With a gin gimlet and two bottles of Ferrari Carano Siena under
my belt, I took aim at the..., wait for it..., the Osama target for my 5 rounds
at 20 yards. OK, maybe alcohol does alter one's capabilities to focus, use
fine motor skills and to see more than one of something. I will say I hit the
target 4 out of 5 five times, unfortunately it was the target belonging to the
guy next to me. Bully for the right to honor the second and twenty-first
amendments while enjoying porcini ravioli in truffle cream sauce and delicately
refined Chilean Sea Bass. I say we need more establishments that combine
alcohol and guns allowing you to hone your skills on a full belly. Lord knows
alcohol and guns lead to many accidents. I say the more training we can obtain
for the proper use of firearms and weaponry, the better. Not to worry, I have
not been asked to join, especially after this past Friday evening. Even if I
was, I couldn’t afford the bond let alone the monthly mandate. Most
importantly, I wouldn’t join as they did not have the first wine I selected for
the table and embarrassingly had to make another choice. I will join no club
that doesn’t cellar what it claims to have. I would like to be invited back to
shoot some more, but as far as a member, that would be preposterous.
September 16, 2009
Wino John has the server farm fixed and is back from the
NORAD-like bunker, I’ll drink to that. Actually, I was drinking before he fixed
the Uber-server. And what was I enjoying while he sweated and toiled day and
night? A had me a Chilean, a nicely made cabernet sauvignon from Colchagua
Valley. It was a 2088 Luis Felipe Edwards Reserva. This is a great TV
wine for a week night. (Oh, like you don’t drink on week nights.) OK,
call me a wino, thank you. This one cost me $10.99 and has rich fruit, slight
oakiness and a vanilla finish. Thanks for fixing the servers, Wino John, and
allowing me to do what I do best. Hey, pass me the cork screw, I’m working
here.
September 14, 2009
After a long summer, I am so glad the season has officially
started. All the preparations, all the hard work and the much-anticipated
kick-off dinner finally arrived. Yes, I said dinner. The 09-10 Essex
County Wine Society tasting season got off to a rousing start last night. I
think the wine tasted better since the Giants took their game over the Skins.
While Manning was testing out his receivers, we were testing out the culinary
expertise of Fascino in Montclair. Our first quarter started with
a Duval Leroy NV Champagne while snacking on Jonah Crab Cakes,
Pomegranate Chicken Skewers and Endive Spears with Red Beet Goat Cheese.
We then headed into the dining room to feast on the
decadent offerings of Chef/Partner Ryan DePersio.
Our first course was a 2005 Theirry et Pascale Matrot Meursault
which we balanced with a yellow fin tuna rollatini. The wine was delightfully
buttery but was dampened by the sesame vinaigrette washing the shaved fennel and
cucumber internal to the tuna.
The second course was a lovely 1999 Castello Banfi
Brunello di Montalcino suited to a ricotta gnocchi, sweet sausage Bolognese
and shaved pecorino romano. Say little; savor this match made in heaven.
The star of the night was a 2000 Ridge Monte Bello
sharing a huddle with tangerine honey-glazed rack of lamb, garlic-braised
broccoli rabe and potato fingerlings. You know I am a lamb head.
Unfortunately, the two chops I had on my plate served more fat than meat. The
little meat I had was tasty but sparing. The Monte Bello served up more to this
course than the food and that was fine with me.
We ended with a 2005 Domaine des Baumard Coteaux de
Layon Clos de Sainte Cathrine that would have been enough. We were treated
to a mela crocante, which turned out to simply mean hot apple crisp alamode, but
mela crocante carries more penache.
Great food and a fun table. That reminds me, if you are
looking for a way to start the holiday season, mark your calendar for November 1st.
The wine-related art works of my tablemate, Lyman Dally, will be on display at
the Gaelen Gallery East in West Orange. His show is titled Imagination Uncorked
and you can see his artwork at
http://www.oentourage.com.
October 8th is our first tasting of the season
at ECWS and we will be enjoying the works from Chateauneuf du Pape. Count
me in! Front row please.
September 11, 2009

Remembering Those
Who Died on 9/11/01
September 8, 2009
What happened? It was just September 1st
and now, a week later, everything changed. The weather has been cool and the
"drive safely" signs have been hung like Christmas ornaments on the telephone
poles and school buses are back clogging traffic. Yesterday, the Wino Rockers
came for the grilling of meats and a few last summertime sips of wine. The
coolness in the air allowed post dinnertime enjoyment of a very red wine and the
inaugural burning of the outside fire pit. Yes, in what I hope will be within a
month, every twig, dead branch or weed will find its way into keeping me
occupied while I drink. The mess that has been collecting for years is now
being returned to ashes and dust from whence they came. There is nothing more
enjoyable then seeing well-seasoned wood burning while sipping a nice red wine.
Save snow, I am thinking I might have enough crap on my lawn that will allow
this event to take place well into February.
Yesterday, as the hamburgers and Nathan’s dogs grilled for
the final summer bbq, Wino Rocker and I burned the brush and cleared new space
next to the shed. To fuel the action (ours, not the wood), we enjoyed a
well-polished 2005 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon. Not an everyday
wine for me at a $39.99 price tag. Yes, Wino Rocker, I said
FORTY DOLLARS. So it’s not the estate cab, but this wine had great
blackberry, currant, and spice with a classy finish. A nice way to close out
the summer. (I am talking about the wine, not the wino. He will be here
year round...)
In an unrelated note, what has become of the Jerry Lewis
telethon? I was settling down around 6:45 pm yesterday to sip the last droplets
from the Montelena bottle and I switched to My9. There was only a local metro
NY feed with local totals and no Jerry singing at the end. I know Ed couldn’t
be there but I missed any of the earlier stuff to see if Jerry was on a
different channel. At five till seven pm, Gary US Bonds was joined by Tony
Orlando to sing off the event. So with another $60 million, are we going to
have any major breakthroughs next Labor Day?
(Editor's note:
My apologies to WinoBob and all you Bobophiles. I haven't been
able to post any updates for the last few weeks due to technical
difficulties beyond our control. The massive server farm that is
at the epicenter of WinoStuff.com was crippled by a very troublesome bit
of malware. It would appear that one of my "little angels"
downloaded "some songs" that contained more than just music. This
particular infection shut down all our antivirus and spyware software,
took away administrative rights, blocked Internet Explorer from visiting
any PC Security-related websites and popped up threatening messages
every 2 minutes. It was bad. Teams of software engineers
worked night and day to clean the systems. Kudos to the
evil-minded technodweebs who came up with that infection.
And now, back to
Bob...)
September 6, 2009
Happy poor working man’s weekend. To all of us who wake
before the sun, toil hour upon hour just so the government can come and grab our
hard-earned dollars and give it to those who sleep till noon and work the
system, enjoy our day of recognition. The chill this morning hints of an early
fall. Last night, I enjoyed a bottle of 2002 Vigneti del Sol Montepulciano
d’Abruzzo. Refreshingly bright red fruit and nicely balanced acidity. Last
night was a great weather night for the Montepulciano but this morning I am
thinking a heavier red will help warm this cool start. Today is ripe for a
cigar and fire pit and bold red to sit outside and watch the leaves turn as we
enjoy the calendar end of summer.
Happy Labor Day


August 31, 2009
When you don’t like a wine, no problem, open a different bottle. That was what
redeemed my faith in Malbec. This Malbec,
2007
Doña Paula Los Cardos Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
was complex with depth and aromas of violet and blackberry and serious flavors
of mocha, blueberry, sweet licorice and red plum. Unfortunately, I was not able
to get a gnat test on this wine, but the Wino Bob test likes this one. I am
saying, cigar 1, Malbec 1 at this point. At $8.99
this does rank in the “will drink again” class.
August 30, 2009
With summer screaming to a close, I had a few hours today
to sit on the porch and enjoy the refreshing breeze, low humidity, a cigar and
what I hoped would be a stand up Malbec. The weather and the Opus X redeemed
the day. The Malbec left me disappointed. I am a big proponent of Malbec as a
cigar companion, but this one will not be on my recommendation list. I was
hoping it would be a sleeper but it would better serve as a base for salad
dressing. The wine was a 2006 El Malbec de Ricardo Santos
that I bought for $8.99. The color had me
excited, it was a deep rich red/purple. I should have known something was up
when the gnat died instantly when it flew into my glass. Usually a gnat will
swim for awhile if the wine is good. Hell I saw a fly backstroking in my silver
oak one night. If a wine doesn’t meet bug standards, I figuring it best be left
out of my cellar. At least the Opus X has flavor and richness and for a few
bucks more is worth the investment. Cigar 1 malbec 0.
To those of you headed
back to school, I am sure glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Be
safe, study hard and make something worthwhile with your opportunity lest you be
relegated to smoking cigars and drinking wine and trying to run a goofy web
site…
August 25, 2009
OK, I have been traveling and neglected to write in my wine
journal. I haven’t gone crazy with wine but I did enjoy a few glasses of
Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon at the hotel bar in Chicago. I got mad at
the sommelier at Stetson’s Chop House for charging 92 dollars a
bottle for The Prisoner. I told him I would have ordered a bottle with
dinner but it was a rip off. He didn’t come back to the table after he brought
the Justine Cabernet Sauvignon. I guess he shouldn’t have asked me if I
had any questions...
Last night I was in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and sipped a
glass or two of 2005 Climbing Shiraz while I enjoyed the Lake view. I
never thought there was anything 55 miles north west of Green Bay. I found out
differently. I laughed entering Egg Harbor, Wisconsin as the sign read
"Population 250". But the most surprising to me was the number of wineries in
that part of Wisconsin. Hell, I didn’t know there was any wine at all
there. I didn’t get a chance to drink any local grape. I hope it wasn’t all
cheese-flavored. The countryside was painted with dairy farms so I hope that
run-off doesn’t taint the wine. If I get a chance, I will be hunting down a
bottle or two from here. I am on the outlook for some Door Peninsula Winery
Leon Millot or Marchel Foch. Move over Jersey, French hybrids are on
the loose. Lake Michigan influence might just be the answer.
Gotta run. More later...
August 19, 2009
“I’m sorry Mr. Berra, but no autographs right
now, I’m eating dinner.” OK, that’s what I was saying in my head. Actually
that’s what I was pretending as me and the Yogster ate dinner two tables away
from each other at Bistro 18 last night.
I think I could take him if he got wise, but his table remained in control, no
roughhousing. We on the other hand were drinking some great stuff that I
neglected to write down. I do remember having my first white rioja which was a
blend of seven grapes, few indigenous to Spain. And a Tablas Creek
"Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge" Paso Robles. Tablas
Creek Vineyard has a
history
that is firmly rooted in France's Rhone region and a present and future that are
being fully expressed in the Central Coast of California.
The Perrins
of Chateau de Beaucastel and
Robert Haas
of Vineyard Brands have joined together to bring the vision of Tablas Creek
Vineyard to life. I am a big fan of the Beaucastel and this California Rhone
blend is very appealing. We also enjoyed a Quilceda Creek Columbia
Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This
Washington state cab was impressive but far too expensive for my change purse.
I will scramble to get the names of the others we enjoyed. I had a sea bass
special that was top shelf. This is my second time there and so far I am
impressed with the food. But, if you do see me eating there please, no
autographs. That even goes for you, Yogi…
August 15, 2009
Last night, the three Amigos met the three Musketeers somewhere between the Tree
Tavern and Yasgur’s Farm. As the fest consisted of only middle-aged white
guys, there weren’t any drugs. Except for the small incident Big Bob had with
the lamb, there wasn’t any other sex. But there was plenty of wine with our
rock and roll. As the spirit of the late sixties took control of the night, we
weren’t going to conform to the “man” and drink our wines from light to heavy.
No, these six wannabe hippies were drinking what we wanted when we wanted. It
was, dare I say, a free-spirited drunkfest. The usual suspects showed up, some
Bordeaux wines, some California Big Ass Cabs and some newbies. I happened to
see a Chateauneuf in the mix and a Chapoutier Cote Rotie Les Becasses.


The roasted lamb was an exciting addition, though Big Bob
might have gotten too excited at a point. I reserved my lamb for the plate and
the mint curry sauce, an outstanding combination. For me, the Rhône and
Californians outshined the Bordeaux. I brought a 1996 Calon Segur that seemed
pedestrian at best and disappointing at worst. WJ toted in a 1995 Chateau
Beychevelle that perked up after decanting but still left me longing for the
slap in the face of what turned out to be the wines I savored with my Fuentes
Opus X. The OB (other Bob) saved the day with some outstanding 1997 reds; a
Stag’s Leap petite sirah that honored the GOTY and a Grgich cabernet sauvignon
that had me singing with Sly and the Family Stone to his Woodstock rendition of
Take Me Higher.

The night was capped off by the viewing of Woodstock
on the 102 inch HD screen that had me believing after all this time that I was
actually sitting on the hillside of Max Yasgur’s property absorbing the vibe.
(Only to have a cold bucket of reality splashed about my face when I looked to
my left and saw Wino Rocker.) It made me guzzle the Trilogy to try to make him
disappear. It has been too long since the last fest and now that summer is
ending and the rigid routine of working life settles back in, I vote for another
fest in early October. Give me an F, give me an E, give me an S, give me a T,
what’s that spell………

The Other Bob bragging about his cork, I will leave the
jokes to you….
August 13, 2009
I'm looking forward to tomorrow’s cab/pinot/syrah/cigarfest.
You know how to cook a leg-o-lamb? I think I am throwing away our typical rules
of saving the best for last. Hell, at 11pm, I am too gone to enjoy the finest
of the vine. So tomorrow I will be cutting to the head of the line and dipping
into the ink well of life. It might get ugly but life is too short to stand in
line. Those interested in following the action, we will be twittering from @highpointwines,
join in the fun.
I thought I was Mr. New Jersey, not in the body builder
sense, or the pageantry crap, more in the pride of the Garden State sense. But
today I read an item that I was totally unaware of. Atlantic City’s gambling
enterprises have an official slogan. I am guessing the What Happens in
Vegas... got them jealous so the brain trust of the gambling commission
spent millions to come up with..., sit..., please sit down for this one... Are
you ready? Brace for it, here it comes… "Always Turned ON".
What the f&#% is that? What genius thought up that 1970’s east village
underground club phrase? Have you been to AC? Have you watched Hookers
from Atlantic City on HBO? Christ on a cracker, that just makes no
sense. How about something like this.
Atlantic City - The crabs are
free
Atlantic City - Your friend who
didn’t pay his vig is in the swamp
Atlantic City - All the hotel
rooms don’t smell like this, only the ones with the dead bodies under the
mattress (might be too long for a bumper sticker)
Atlantic City - It’s still better
than Camden.
Atlantic City - Is that a roll of
nickels in your pocket or are you just happy to see me gramps?
Atlantic City - I got your Mr.
Peanut right here.
I got more, but I want to hear from you….
Twenty five hours till festing begins……
August 12, 2009
Reliving my youth is like a hangover. Or maybe it is just
a hangover? Either way, it was fun while I was in the middle of it then woke up
tired and realizing I’m old. This weekend is the fortieth anniversary of the
iconic fest of sex, drugs and rock and roll at Yasgur’s Farm. So last night I
stuffed myself into the Wino Rocker’s family mobile for what my head tried to
convince me was 1969 and on stage was the legendary group, CSN. The sixty plus
year olds forming a voice of a generation gave a night full of entertainment
with two plus hours of hits and experiments and yes, cover songs. Ruby
Tuesday and Uncle John’s Cabin were a surprise;
Wooden Ships and Cathedral were mesmerizing while
Teach Your Children culminated the love-in. Stephen Stills, can still
rock the electric guitar and bring to life some old Buffalo Springfield. Graham
Nash is the glue trying to make the contentious relationship between Crosby and
Stills stay together long enough to hit the harmonies. The disjointedness was
palpable even through the lighting. Each was the center of attention for their
songs and the back up was simple background. No interaction, no fun graced the
performance. And David, new liver and all, looks like he just taped an episode
of Ice Road Truckers after an evening of carnal relations with a female walrus.
Setting time aside, they were together as much as could be expected and their
songs rang vocally better than I expected. David could still hold the ending of
Almost Cut My Hair. The boys did take a 15-minute break, I think
David needed to clean his blood, Stephen needed a drink and Graham needed a
power nap from the exhaustion of trying to get C and S to acknowledge each other
on stage. One more item off my bucket list. I just looked, with only 12 more
things on my list; I might be dead by this time next year. Hey is that guy next
to me hopped up on dope?
2008 Natura Carmenere COLCHAGUA
VALLEY Chile $ (8.99) 
A blending of Carmenère(87%), Syrah(4%), Petit Verdot(4%),
Tempranillo(4%), nice robust bright cherry and strawberry flavors from these
certified organically grown grapes. Not a lot to think about, just enjoy.
August 4, 2009
Veedha means life in
Portuguese and life means wine in WinoStuff World. I enjoyed a bottle of red
from Douro (doo roo) last night. I am thinking that the $11.99 price, and the
blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca Tinta Roriz grapes makes this right
in my wheelhouse. This blend that typically becomes the base for port deliver a
nice combination of deep dark fruit flavors, a floral nose and nicely balanced
tannins. I recommend that you give this one a try,
Sogevinus 2007 Veedha Douro.
Let me know what you think.
July 31, 2009
BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again. There is a
new tax hike on hard liquor and wine in the Wall Street Wonderkind’s new
budget. He’s brilliant in the way he handles the state.
Here's a look at the major tax increases that
we are facing in New Jersey:
-
Cigarettes: The state tax on
a pack of cigarettes rises today from $2.575 to $2.70, a hike of 12.5 cents.
The tax hike on packs of cigarettes is just the latest of many over the last
dozen years; it was just 80 cents in 1997. Expected to generate $26 million
for the state budget.
- Hard
alcohol: The tax on bottles
of alcohol will go up 25 percent on Aug. 1. The tax, levied by the gallon,
will go from $4.40 to $5.50. The increase equates to about $1.10 on the 750
ml standard-sized bottle.
- Wine:
The tax on a gallon of wine will also go up by 25 percent, from 70 cents to
87.5 cents, on Aug. 1. The tax hike equates to about 17 cents on a
standard-sized bottle. Wine and hard alcohol taxes expected to generate a
total of $26 million for the state.
-
Incomes: The state income
tax rates for those earning more than $400,000 will be higher for the tax
year that began on Jan. 1. Married couples and single filers will pay an 8
percent rate on income earned from $400,000 to $500,000 -- up from the 6.37
percent rate. The rate on income from $500,000 to $1 million will now be
10.25 percent, up from 8.97 percent. And income earned over the million
dollar mark will now be taxed at a 10.75 percent rate, second highest rate
in the nation, behind only Hawaii.
- In addition, those earning more than
$250,000 also get hit by the elimination of a property tax deduction next
year. The income tax changes expected to generate at least $1 billion for
the state budget.
-
Corporate business liabilities:
A 4 percent surcharge on corporate business tax liabilities that began in
2007 will be extended through 2010. Expected to generate $80 million.
It's time to throw the wine in the
harbor…wait, that’s not right. Can’t a brotha catch a break? New Jersey, you
know what you have to do in November.
July 24, 2009
Wow, sorry, I have been tied up with a project that has
left me little time to write and somewhat less time to drink. OK, maybe I did
have time to drink but the writing part of the project left me numb. I finished
that today and I am back to having time to update my peeps.
First, I want to give a big thanks to Lisa and Darcy of
Only2degrees radio. Not only were the radio wild women kind enough to sit and
grab a drink during their whirlwind tour of the east coast, they mentioned
WinoStuff on their interview on Lionel. OK, Lionel is on Air America and only
heard by a few thousand people. Still it was a nice thing for them to do. One
day, when they are huge nationally-syndicated radio hosts and won’t take my
obnoxious emails or continual texting, I could at least replay the interview I
did on their show to prove I once was part of their meteoric rise to stardom.
Sadly, no wine was consumed.
The excitement came this week when Mike and I met with
Michael Seltzer, the Director of Operations for ZenZen Wines USA. Michael was
nice enough to bring a sample to High Point Wines and show the offerings from
Peter Brum. I admit up front that I haven’t tried many German wines. There are
several we will be bringing into inventory. The one that caught my eye
immediately is the Peter Brum Goldsparkler. This sparkling wine made from 60%
trebbiano, 20% riesling, 10% rivaner and 10% airen (I really know nothing about
rivaner and airen) is crisp and clean, fizzy and best of all contains 24kt golf
leaf flakes. Yes, a sparkling wine snow globe. Perfect.

From now on I will be celebrating those special occasions
with liquid gold.
This will be a front-page feature at
http://www.highpointwines.com for the next few weeks at a special price.
Check it out.
July 10, 2009
One bottle does not make the lot but one bottle has me
thinking twice. During my Bordeaux book reading time, I purchased a few white
Bordeaux wines. Last night while watching the tribute to Billy Mays and trying
to blank out the poor jobs market, I opened a white Bordeaux. I just a thought,
with unemployment at a 26 year high and poised to hit 10%, has anyone analyzed
what the minimum wage hike has contributed to this mess? I know I am not an
economist, but that doesn’t seem important to this administration as copped to
by the Vice President this week. Could you imagine if a ranking member from
another administration stated clearly they didn’t know how bad the economy was
when the developed a recovery plan? Isn’t that their job? They have all
the intel... So, if you don’t know, then why develop something, push it
through as the only thing that can save the day? In this business climate, one
has to think before hiring a person even at minimum wage, which makes us so
uncompetitive on the global compensation charts. What concerns me now is that
our defense contractors are laying off workers. Our tax dollars are not flowing
to the new technologies necessary to stay one step ahead of this crazy world.
Hi, I’m Billy Mays for crappy white wine from France.
(Celebrity typing impersonated by Wino Bob). Bill and Ed got their starts
working fairs and boardwalks as pitchmen. Both made it big. Maybe I need a new
career. Hi, I’m Wino Bob for The Magical Red Wine Stain Removing Elixir.
Quick, call the Atlantic City boardwalk! I have time this weekend.
This 50% Semillon and 50% sauvignon blanc was flat, lacked
vibrancy or complexity. Disappointed in this one and I will not be buying it
again.
2007 Clos du Hez Graves - pass.
July 8, 2009
I figured out the July 4th wine dilemma. I went
with a good old California red from a winery originally founded by a British
actress back in 1888. She fancied herself the greatest claret maker in the
USA. Ms. Langtry sold the property in 1906 and the property went into
disarray. It was revitalized in the early sixties through monies from an
investment firm. In 1981 the Guenoc Valley was formally designated an AVA and
the winery regained its grandeur. This was once a great British property on
American soil. Britain got weakened and unseated. Americans came to the
rescue. How many times has that scene played out in history?
So my 'go to' wine to make this 4th of July
meaningful, in a wino way, was the 2006 Guenoc Victorian Claret North Coast.
At a price of $16.99, I think this one is
terrific. There is a cinnamon and raspberry nose but the wine drops dark
cherry, chocolate and sweet tobacco on the palate. The tannins are subtle but
present enough to make this a wine for the next two years. This one is worth
it.
July 6, 2009
Look, I am a gadget geek. This one baffles me. I guess
for the switch hitters out there, a company felt the need to invent the bi-wine
glass, or as they call it, a “universal” wine stem.

The bi-glass contains attributes of the classic red
Burgundy and a chardonnay bowl designs. By rotating into your taste zone, the
stem accepts both reds and whites to enhance the bouquet of the wine by being an
aerator or a concentrator. It’s two (click) two glasses in one. OK, the
obvious questions arise.
-
Are you
that cheap that you can’t afford a red and a white wine glass?
-
What
happens if I drink the red wine from the white side and visa versa?
-
Who is
Harald Grundl and why is he mixing my stemware?
-
Where do
you get off charging $94.00 for two of these things?
-
Do you
offer a bi-decanter?
-
Does it
have a Big Ass Cab taste zone?
-
How much
wine did Harald Grundl consume when he thought this was a brilliant idea?
Was it a red wine or a white wine?
-
When he
sobered up why did he still think this was a brilliant idea?
-
Did some
design patent attorney have to expend energy on this?
-
Are Riedel
design engineers laughing their asses off?
Lord knows I have a cigar box full of drunken brilliant
ideas. So here’s to you, Harald Grundl, best of luck with that bi-glass you got
there.
July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day America. We long for the brilliance
and forward thinking that our Founding Fathers exacted in forming this great
nation. Would the politicians of today be able craft such a country if we were
trying to become independent from Britain? I watched some of the HBO series
Adams again last night. It saddened me to see what we have turned our
elected officials into when contrasted to those who argued, debated, crafted and
fought to a new nation.
Due to my lack of wine review in my last posting, I opened
a wine before I watched Adams. I am mad it was not an American wine. Actually
I was mad it wasn’t a good wine and that it wasn’t an American produced wine.
(I think I just broke a writing rule by using the word wine 5 times so closely
together).
OK, I think I was madder that the wine sucked since
yesterday was only July 3rd. Today I will drink American and
appreciate the courage and dedication of those who declared the birth of a
nation. HAPPY 4th of JULY.
2007 Boekenhoutskloot Franschhoek The Wolftrap SA
$ (9.99)
I was excited about the blend of 68%
syrah, 30% mourvedre and 2% Viognier but the wine was harsh and immature.
July 3, 2009
OK, yell if you like, don’t read if you don’t want to
because I’m telling you right up front, no wine in this entry. In fact, we
drank beer all night and it wasn’t a flashy micro brew to qualify this as a beer
page entry either.
Yesterday, it was a deluge in the early afternoon. I was
driving on the Garden State Parkway and traffic was horrific, visibility was
diminished and I was stressing. Inching along, I picked my way to the right
hand lane and detoured to plan B. What I failed to see on the exit sign was I
got off at exit 1977. It turned out to be a great area. OK, there is no exit
1977 off the GSP. Actually, I met up with Wino Odd Job and we headed over to
the Stone Pony in Asbury Park for an historic evening of great music by Jersey’s
red-headed stepchild. It was a balmy 78 degrees as the moon rose over the
Atlantic and the now whiskey-voiced Southside Johnny led the Asbury Jukes and
the crowd on a winding road of great songs that never had the commercial success
of Springsteen or Bon Jovi. The 61-year-old John Lyon (Southside Johnny) gave
his heart and soul to the local crowd as he opened up the new concert season at
the Pony. He belts out lyrics with the energy and conviction of a warm up band
trying get noticed, never once considering to kick back during the two hour and
twenty minutes of stage time. Though I never got to see him on his way up, I
didn’t feel like I was seeing him on his way down. And as he was bringing down
the final encore, I realized, I didn’t want to go home. It was a great show as
the Jersey shore sounds filled the night air across from the boardwalk. Too bad
Wino Rocker is out at sea enjoying a cruise. It was a show he would have
embraced. Hope you are in rough seas and hanging over the rail offering your
last buffet to the ocean Gods.
Bob's
old Winings were
starting to get as bloated as Bob's liver, so they were subdivided
chronologically into Quarterly Reviews. If you dare, click on one of the
links below to go back in time and revisit Bob's musings. Be warned
however, too much Bob can be hazardous to your psyche!
Q2 2009
Q1 2009
Q42008
Q3 2008
Q2 2008
Q1 2008
Q4 2007 Q3 2007 Q2 2007 Q1 2007
Q4 2006
Q3 2006
Q2 2006
Q1 2006
Q4 2005
Q3 2005
Q2
2005
Q1
2005
Q4
2004 Q3 2004
Q2 2004 Q1
2004
Q4
2003 Q3
2003 Q2
2003 Q1
2003
Q4
2002 Q3
2002 Q2
2002 Q1
2002
Q4
2001 Q3
2001 Q2 2001
Q1 2001
Q4 2000 Q3
2000 Q2 2000
Q1 2000
Bob’s scale combining cost and
taste:
$- under 20
dollars
$$- 20-50 dollars
$$$-50-75 dollars
$$$$-75 to 100
dollars
$$$$$-100+ ( not
in the budget)
I will use an icon, ,
to rate my wines. The more icons, the better I liked it and would love
to share this bottle with some good food and my rat friends. WinoBob
Editor's Note: A while back, Bob went off on a
tangent and changed his icon to .
He does this just to make me crazy!!!.
WinoJohn
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