Seghesio Arneis

I bought this wine on a clearance rack at Twin Liquors. It was $5. It hid in the back of my wine collection as we moved to St. Louis. This evening I pulled it out randomly, shrugged, and chilled it. We were having lentil soup and the choice was this, champagne or Barolo.

I don't know much about Arneis except that it is an Italian varietal. But I do know this---Seghesio's Arneis is an excellent white wine. Crips, fresh and mouthwatering. Citrusy, minerally and food-friendly. Do you need any more adjectives? If  you find it, buy it.

PARTY WINES (red): Clayhouse Adobe Red & Charles Smith House Wine

Both are blends of Everything and the Kitchen Sink.

HOWEVER.

If going to a party with food? Bring the Clayhouse Adobe Red.

Why? Because it's fruity and smooth, but still has tannin & acid  to cut the fat of BBQ or grilling meats. Plus, it's definitely party-priced.

Now, if you're going to a party where you're mainly going to drink or just eat light appetizers then go with the Charles Smith House Wine.

Why? Because it's super-fruity and lush, without being sweet or cloying. Perfect for just sipping or enjoying with cheese, sandwiches and appetizers.

Both retail for about $10-13. 

Becker Tempranillo

Smells: Nothing...? I mean...wine? Sour?

Tastes: Erm...sour? Especially after awhile there was a definite sour milk taste and smell.

Retail: $13.99

Buy again?: Ugh, no.

I'm not even going to bother with a picture. This was just gross.

Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo 2011

Smells: Eucalyptus, woody herbs (lavender, thyme), cedar, spice, leather & Coolwater cologne.  After an hour a cooked cherry, cooked berry jam note came through. Also a jerky/smoked meat smell.

Tastes: Baking/Christmas spice, jerky, tamarind, black cherry. Medium-heavy body, beautiful tannins.

Thoughts: Yum! We drank this with raspberries, proscuitto, cheese, and Marcona almonds and it was all delicious. Though, what I really wanted to eat with it was a steak.

Retail: $19.99

Worth it?:  YES. Such a delicious wine, and it evolves so well in the glass. This could hold up to any of the Spanish Tempranillos I've tasted in the same price range. Even better, honestly.

Image courtesy of pedernalescellars.com

Kilka Malbec 2009

Smells: Black cherry, blackberry, spice, jam

Taste: Medium-heavy mouthfeel. Nice acid. Medium tannin. Good structure. Blackberry, black/cooked cherry, tobacco, herb. A bit of pepper.

Pairings: Steak, beef, fajitas.

Price: $12.00


Bottom line: A drinkable, food friendly wine.  Not particularly nuanced, but perfect for upcoming spring/summer BBQs

Image from palmbay.com

A to Z Riesling 2011

Smells: PETROL DIESEL. It was overwhelming..the night I drank it that smell never dissipated. I wouldn't have minded some of that aroma--that can be very typical of Rieslilngs--but this was completely overpowering.

Taste: Apple juice. Very one note.

Cost: $16.00

Buy again: No, despite the lovely bottle. It just wasn't good, and certainly not as good Charles Smith's Kung-Fu Girl, which is cheaper.

I wonder if I got a bad bottle? I see good reviews around the Internet, but both my husband and I just didn't care for this.

Image from A to Z Wineworks

Gruet Brut NV

Smells: Mmmm! Lemon. Yeastiness, pastry. Eventually pecan pie...seriously! Just yummy.

Tastes: Lovely medium mouthfeel, great bubbles. Almond. Lemon-cream. Still...that pecan-pie-ness. But a dry wine, not sweet.

Price: $13.00. Gruet is an absolute steal.

Pairing: Sweets, creamy cheeses, any kind of food that is savory/sweet/creamy.

Buy again? Yes. Over and over and over and over. This will be one of my go-to sparklers, along with Trevisiol and Ruffino Proseccos.

2008 Errazuriz Chardonnay Wild Ferment

Smells: At first, complete buttery oakiness. That blew off fast, and then lemon and pineapple. Sweet whipped cream and vanilla, as well.

Taste: The taste evolved over time. At first it was pretty tight and not integrated. After ten minutes in the bottle nice pineapple, yellow apple, lemon, melon and a bit of salt at the finish. There's a nuttiness as well. Great acidity. Full body. Gold-green color.

Pairing: Lamb meatballs, spinach artichoke dip and Parmesan pita chips. It was actually excellent with everything...a fantastic food wine for appetizers and creamy, vegetal fare.

Price: $5.00! It was a closeout wine. Yum, yum.

Joseph Drouhin-Vauon Chablis 2011

Smells: I took it from the fridge and the smells were hard to discern...apple, maybe herby?. When the wine warmed up a bit I smelled barely ripe pineapple.

Tastes: Mmm...not actually a lot on the flavor profile. When cold, a creamy mouth-feel, exuberant acid. When warmer it lost a lot of its structure and just devolved into TART!!!! <---I'm writing this juuuuust after drinking 2/3rds of the bottle. Hah.

Food pairings? Buttery shrimp, crabcakes, light cheeses and crackers.

Buy again? Erm...no. It was good, but not $23 good...too fickle. When cold, there wasn't any vibrant aroma, but it had good structure. When the appropriate temperature (or warmer) the aroma was there but the structure fell apart.

Quivira Dry Creek Zinfandel 2010

Smells: Cherry, blackberry, vanilla, caramel. A smidge of pepper.

Tastes: Earth/dirt. Pepper and spice. Good acid in the cheek. Nice mid-tongue tannin. The first glass I had, I got lots of berry & fruit. The second glass I had, hours later, it's mostly dirt, mineral, pepper and spice. Lighter in body than your typical Zin, also a beautiful ruby color instead of the more purple-red.  Really a lovely, elegant wine.

Food?: We drank it with a weeknight dinner of ground beef stroganoff, heavily seasoned with pepper and thyme. Perfect. Would also go well with stews, hearty lamb dishes, maybe grilled salmon with a heavy sauce? Mushrooms stuffed with cheese and sausage. I also ate it with dessert--crepes with dulce de leche and the caramel note complemented it well.

Price: $20.99.

Buy again?: Definitely! This is a fantastic wine. I'm not sure how it'll age, but it's drinking lovely now. Fully develops with some breathing time.

Image from snooth.com

Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Smells: Lemon, asparagus, a little floral? maybe? I had a plant once, Copper Canyon Daisy (tagetes lemmonii),  and there's a whiff of that anise/marigold in there.

Tastes: Light-medium body. Pleasant tongue acidity leading to a bone-dry finish. Lemon, mineral, chalk, asparagus/celery. Good balance.

Price: $12.99

Buy Again?: Yes.

Pairing: Lemon pasta, capers, goat cheese. Fresh sourdough bread and good butter.

In Comparison: I love how varietals produced in a different place can turn out so differently. Both Quivira and this wine are excellent for their price points, both are Sauvignon Blancs, and both are radically different. Whereas Quivira is lush, floral and fruity this one is citrusy, vegetal and bone-dry. Quivira is produced in the Dry Creek Valley, where the usual is warm days and cool maritime nights. My understanding is that Walker Bay, where the Southern Right vineyard is, is mostly a cool maritime climate, which would lead to less ripening of the fruit.

Quivira 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County)

Color: clear pale gold

Smells: Yummy! Lime, spritz, fresh. Something also a bit floral, maybe?

Tastes: Again, yum. White peach, honeydew melon, lime, herbs--I read oregano and that was TOTALLY it.  Light-medium body, beautiful & round mouthfeel. Well balanced acidity--just enough to make the mouth water and give a little tingle on the cheeks.  This wine drinks well on its own, but could absorb a lot of different food pairings.

Eat with: Herbed soft cheeses--especially goat cheese, hummus (all nice, oily and garlicky), proscuitto and melon, antipasti, buttery/lemony/herby grilled shrimp. I also think a bit more robust combinations could work--panko fried shrimp, sushi, fresh crab.

Buy again? Hell. Yes. It was $12.99 at our store. That's a steal for a well-done white wine as far as I'm concerned. 

From www.winecountry.com