cortot20 wrote:Woot Cellars Blitzen, a good table wine and that's all I wanted out of it. Not blown away by the QPR but have had considerably worse table reds at this price point so I am happy.

Initial impression is a nose full of berries with a little granite (or is that pencil lead?) in the background.
Palate is fruit forward and the finish is short. It has good enough acid to go with a variety of foods but will leave you wanting a little more if you treat it as a sipper.

Just read this and was very confused. Was thinking "I just read this tasting note". You people and your user/CT name trickery.

Went a little bit rogue last night and tried some B. Nektar - Orange Blossom Mead. I occasionally grab a bottle of mead here and there in hopes that I will find one I enjoy as much as the stuff my dad used to home-brew (not sure what the main differences are, but his was almost like a nice late harvest white wine, sweet - with the wonderful taste of honey and still pretty strong, 15%).

This had a good flavor on the front of the palate, but pulled through with a very strange, almost hoppy/bitter aftertaste that was somewhat off-putting. The flavor profile reminded me a lot more of a lichi fruit sake that I have tried, than something made with honey. At $18 for the bottle, I was hoping for a little more, especially from a good honey producing area in Michigan (Ferndale). Guess I will just have to keep experimenting, or learn to make it myself.

2009 Andrew Will Annie Camarda Syrah.

Voting night= American wine!

Triacipidis and Scott Harvey mountain selection Syrah. Eagerly watching the returns. Mmmmm Syrah.....

2006 Miguel Torres Ribera del Duero Céleste

This had almost an overwhelming oakiness to it when I first tasted it a couple years ago. It seems to have settled down, now. Classic tempranillo profile with some bright cherry tones and a slightly "tinny" finish. Overall, not bad for $10.

cmaldoon wrote:Triacipidis and Scott Harvey mountain selection Syrah. Eagerly watching the returns. Mmmmm Syrah.....

Scott does wonderful things with Syrah, doesn't he? We had a bottle of '03 Syrah that he made for Astrale e Terra tonight. Still deciding whether to pop the cork on the IH Fairy Tale Cuvée.

I went with Woot's Pour, Pour Me Zin for election day. Regardless of who wins or loses, it seemed a strong wine was in order.

A few glasses of Vino Nocetto's 2009 Normale Sangiovese, with some cheese tortellini. Very nice wine, as was expected.

North316 wrote:Just read this and was very confused. Was thinking "I just read this tasting note". You people and your user/CT name trickery.

Yeah, some folks like to use the same user name across multiple accounts for a variety of sites. I am not one of these people.

DarkStar11 wrote:I went with Woot's Pour, Pour Me Zin for election day. Regardless of who wins or loses, it seemed a strong wine was in order.

Seemingly an apropos choice.

Never got around to drinking the Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvée last night, so we decided to have that with dinner tonight. Picked up a couple of swordfish steaks, and used my favorite sea bass prep: lime juice, ginger, shallots, soy sauce, olive oil. A terrific combo. Hester Browne is right.

SA Holiday Porter.
Pretty yummy, but i should go find something for dinner now.

2012 Red Zeppelin Verdejo Chateau d'Abalone

2004 Chase Haynes Vineyard Zinfandel. With broiled Salmon. The traditional California combination: Zin and Salmon (grilled or broiled).

Outstanding. Has aged very nicely and is drinking beautifully. A lovely combination of maturing fruit and bottle bouquet emerging. Drink now or for the next 5-10 years.

rpm wrote:2004 Chase Haynes Vineyard Zinfandel. With broiled Salmon. The traditional California combination: Zin and Salmon (grilled or broiled).

Outstanding. Has aged very nicely and is drinking beautifully. A lovely combination of maturing fruit and bottle bouquet emerging. Drink now or for the next 5-10 years.

I have one of the 2005s left. I've been holding it to experiment with aged zins based upon d-dog's penchant for aged zins.

2003 Twisted Oak Tempranillo, Calaveras County.

Happy Tempranillo Day!

rpm wrote:2004 Chase Haynes Vineyard Zinfandel. With broiled Salmon. The traditional California combination: Zin and Salmon (grilled or broiled).

Outstanding. Has aged very nicely and is drinking beautifully. A lovely combination of maturing fruit and bottle bouquet emerging. Drink now or for the next 5-10 years.

Interesting...I never even thought of pairing a Zin with Salmon, can't wait to try it now!

Felt white tonight. Went with a Mandolina Moscato. Its awfully darn good.

Pedroncelli Dry Rose of Zinfandel. Went very well with a baked pasta. Turns out when I got a 2007 from the wine room to bring up to the cooler, I found a 2011 (from this year's tour) already there, so swapped them. The 2011 was very nice, interested to see what the 2007 is like in comparison!

Went to a wine tasting tonight where only Gaja wines were showcased. WOW!

tytiger58 wrote:Interesting...I never even thought of pairing a Zin with Salmon, can't wait to try it now!

But that was a well aged Zin. Could be quite a difference from what most may have squirreled away. Good to hear from rpm off the Poli"tics" thread.

rjquillin wrote:But that was a well aged Zin. Could be quite a difference from what most may have squirreled away. Good to hear from rpm off the Poli"tics" thread.

he's retired from Politicks...

2005 Arcadian Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot

Really great bottle with chicken tacos.

I'm going to open something to celebrate the weekend, but not sure what. Probably a Turley Zin.

Right now, Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

No wine. Hot cider and Maker's. My new favorite night-cap.

tytiger58 wrote:2005 Arcadian Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot

Really great bottle with chicken tacos.

Looking forward to those now that it's getting cold!

2004 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée Laurence

spicy spicy spicy, but good good good. worth the $30 I paid for it, but not a penny more. I think this is coming really close to its expiration date.

joelsisk wrote:he's retired from Politicks...

Yes, gone perhaps from there, but good to see him elsewhere.

For Grandfather in laws birthday the family is doing a couple of prime ribs.
I am bringing the following;
09' Ty Caton Sonoma Cab.
07' Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge cab.

My Uncle in law usually provides wine for these events and I would like to take his job since he never brings anything interesting. Hopefully this will help chip away at his strangle hold on the vino.

edit: had 2nd thoughts about the TY. Swapped it with an 05' McClean estate syrah.

Friend brought a bottle of 2005 Carta Roja Gran Reserva Monastrell from Jumilla. That's Mourvedre to the rest of us. A bit more new world style than I prefer, but a tasty wine nonetheless.

Wellington 2007 Estate Syrah,
and some '09 Grenache for SWMBO as she didn't care for the Syrah.

Moving on to Used Auto Parts, something we both agree on.

Finish the Arcadian Pinot while cooking, and 2006 Ottimino Rancho Bello Vineyard Zinfandel with dinner. Grilled Salmon, baked potato's and grilled veggies.

2000 Corison Napa Cab paired with Filet with a brandy cream sauce. Great way to celebrate being home after four nights of travel.

cortot20 wrote:For Grandfather in laws birthday the family is doing a couple of prime ribs.
I am bringing the following;
09' Ty Caton Sonoma Cab.
07' Wellington Mohrhardt Ridge cab.

My Uncle in law usually provides wine for these events and I would like to take his job since he never brings anything interesting. Hopefully this will help chip away at his strangle hold on the vino.

edit: had 2nd thoughts about the TY. Swapped it with an 05' McClean estate syrah.

Good call on the switch. The Ty is probably still too young.

ddeuddeg wrote:Good call on the switch. The Ty is probably still too young.

that was my thought as well. Although I feel that if a winery is releasing the wine to the public then in their view it is good to open now.

In the end, I walked into the house saw that my uncle already had 5 bottles of Cabernet open and walked right back to the car and put the bottles back. They will live to ride another day. (yes, I am one of those guys)

2002 Uvaggio Il Gufo (Rose)
2007 Pellegrini Carignan
1999 Hawley Bradford Mountain Merlot

Awesome night!

Cava with Sunday night football and sushi

Dry Creek Vineyards '03 Petite Sirah with roast leg of lamb, seasoned with Java Gourmet spice rub. A match made in heaven.

2008 Broc Cellars Eaglepoint Ranch Mendocino Grenache

For all the servicemen and women past, present, and future HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

ddeuddeg wrote:Dry Creek Vineyards '03 Petite Sirah with roast leg of lamb, seasoned with Java Gourmet spice rub. A match made in heaven.

That sounds awesome! I just love PS and lamb. I'm also a fan of Dry Creek. We had one of their Zins when we were out to dinner the other night.