Some great wines from the last few weeks

The dog days of summer have arrived here in Southern California and I've been drinking alot of good wines to cool off in the afternoon. Here are a few favorites from the last few weeks.

2007 Domain Alfred Chardonnay- $12.99 from Trader Joes. I finally found out why TJ's got all this excellent DA wine. It seems as if a Napa conglomerate has purchased the winery and plans to "reinvent" the label. As a result they have wholesaled all the old bottles to TJ's ofr a tremendous discount. DA makes top notch central coast Pinot Noir and a pretty solid Syrah as well. I reviewed their unaoked Chardonnay a few weeks back with mild disappointment, but this time I was very pleased. Wow. Pungent nose of toasted almond, oak and vanilla. Palate continues on that path with fruity nuances interspersed with notes of fresh ginger and coriander. Amazing value. 9/10

2005 Wurz and Weinmann Spatburgunder - $15ish from Garagiste. I always wanted to try a German Pinot and I was given an excellent opportunity to purchase several bottles earlier this spring. Light color. Floral and fruity nose which is reinforced on the palate. Very smooth in the mouth with little tannins. Time reveals notes of raspberry cola along with a lovely smattering of bacon fat. Another exceptional value, especialy for Pinot. 9/10

2007 Handley Sauvignon Blanc, Ferrington Vineyard- $12 from winery. One of the first California SB's that really made me say "Hmm". Ideal straw hue. Grassy vegetal nose alongside green apples and under ripe pears. Palate complements with citrus notes, smooth mouth feel and medium weight. Finishes with very pleasant acidic crispness that should not be missed. Exceptional varietal value. 9/10

Back to White Wine

I'm a vegetarian at least 5 days a week. In my humble opinion white wine is generally a better partner to the vegetarian fare I consume, especially in the summer when food is lighter in nature. As I've mentioned in previous posts I'm currently hunting for the ultimate summer white wine to enjoy out on the patio or in the park for a reasonable price. To date the best value wine I've tasted is the 2006 Le Chetau Vouvray which is an amazing wine for $5.99, go buy some now.

This week I'll be reviewing a 2006 Estate AV Chardonnay made by the good people up at Handely Cellars in Arnderson Valley, CA. I've been a member of the cellar club for a little over a year and I've always found their white wines to be incredible values when compared with some of their counterparst both in the Anderson Valley and in other regions to the south ( ie. Napa, Sonoma, Monterrey, SLO and Santa Barbara). Their alsatian varietals are always top notch and their Water Tower White is one the better value white blends I've ever tasted. On our last trip up their I picked up a bottle of the Estate Chardonnay on a whim and have been itching to try it.

In the glass the color is a perfect straw tone. The nose reveals deep notes of pears, raw almonds, vanilla and a touch of oak. The palate continues in that vein and reveals mild citrus and spice notes to complement the nose. Where this wine really shines is in it's depth of body and creamy mouthfeel. The malolactic fermentation is ideal providing excellent weight, but not overshadowing the fruit. It's finish lingers for a while and is a perfect wine to sit and ruminate on.

I like this wine a lot and would reccomment to most people. However at $18 I get a little less excited about it. Most of Handley's other wines are a better value at $8-$14. But that being said, good Chardonnay is always more expensive than other white varietals. 8/10.

Pretty Sally 2004 Estate Shiraz

I've been drinking almost exclusively white wine for the last six weeks or so and I have been getting a bit bored. So in order to spice things up a bit I decided to open this bottle of Shiraz that I bought from Garagiste a few months back. For those of you unfamiliar with this Seattle based online retailer, I highly recommend subscribing to their daily e-mail update list and purchasing a few bottles.

According to my email the Pretty Sally 2004 Estate Shiraz was:

Known for their cool-toned take on Victorian Shiraz, Pretty Sally has been featured here many times but this is the slimmest tariff (by far) we’ve ever offered on the Estate Shiraz. If it means anything, this is the highest rated Pretty Sally wine ever from Tanzer’s IWC and it represents a Victorian take on ripeness with a more regal approach. The 2004 Estate Shiraz is the grand vin from the estate (not a second wine) and it was never intended to trade for a bargain price (let alone $13.99).

If you read the review below, this sounds like one of the very best price/value examples we’ve offered in 2009:

Tanzer’s IWC (Josh Raynolds): “($25) Ruby-red. Smoky aromas of fresh blackberry, cassis and candied cherry lifted by sweet licorice and bright minerality. The flavors offer a compelling combination of power and focus; raspberry and blackberry notes build and sweeten through the finish but there's also juicy quality providing focus and vivacity. Finishes supple and sweet, with lingering flavors of dark fruit liqueur. A rather graceful style of shiraz, with impressive concentration. 91pts”

Unfortunately I was not quite as impressed. After opening the bottle I noticed it's beautiful color and big jammy nose of raspberry, boysenberry and dried cherries. There was also a tangy sour note which reminded me of a Jolly Rancher candy and was enjoyable. After 30 minutes in the decanter the wine opened up a bit further and nuances of cocoa and cloves emerged. However at this point the finish became a bit more sharp and lost the Jolly Rancher feel, which was kind of upsetting. While Tanzer compares this to dark fruit liquers, I would say it bore more resemblance to cherry cough syrup. We enjoyed this wine with a nice mushroom pasta with grilled green beans. The undecanted portion of the wine was sealed and left overnight in the fridge. Unfortunatley the wine deteriorated significantly overnight and lost most all of it's charming characteristics.

At $13.99 I expected a little bit more and I think that there are substantially better deals out their in the red wine universe, especially if you want to enjoy the wine of two nights. Worth a try if you are big fan of the varietal, otherwise I would recommend looking elsewhere. 7/10