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