Carmel Road Pinot Noir 2009, Monterey County, CA

This New Years, my guy, I, and some friends did our festivities at Cru Wine Bar at the Shops at Legacy in Plano, TX.  Great idea.  We had a small competition, my guy and I.  We would both order a wine for the table and see whose pick was the winner.  (We're not competitive at all, I promise.)  I should've gone for a Spanish red, but tipsy me decided that a Chianti would balance everyone's food the best.  I thought I had it, no questions.  My guy had a trick up his sleeve though- Carmel Road Pinot Noir.  Guy: 1, Rachel: 0.

So last night we were taking a walk that brought us past Cru Wine Bar.  You know where that went.  Carmel Road Part II went just as well as the first time.  The nose on this medium-bodied Pinot is really nice.  It's got a warm spice backed by pretty floral and red fruit notes.  It's much the same on the tongue. Very smooth too, verrry smooth.  This guy is complex, though at the same time completely accessible, making it a real crowd pleaser.

Varietal: 100%  Pinot Noir

Alcohol: 14% 

Origin: Monterey County, CA

Price: ~$20 at Sigel's or Goody Goody, ~$50 at Cru Wine Bar

Rachel's Grade: A-  If you ever find yourself in Sigel's looking for a $20ish dollar bottle to celebrate something (or just celebrate life), I'd suggest picking this Pinot up.  If you're buying wine for somebody whose tastes you don't know, I'd suggest picking this Pinot up.  If you're bored, I'd suggest picking this Pinot up.  The point being you should just pick it up sometime.  ;)

Veo Grande Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Colchagua Valley, Chile

Surprise, surprise- Mom comes home from a Sam's Club run with a bargain bottle of Chilean Cab.  She's learning quickly ;)  So, naturally, she bought it, and I can drink it IF I blog about it.  This is me doing just that.  (Cheers!)  

So I have high expectations of some varietals.  Argentinean Malbecs, New Zealand Sauv Blancs, Oregon Pinot Noirs, all Spanish reds, and (yes) Chilean Cabs, to name a few.  So let's give this guy a go and see how he handles.  The Veo Grande is initially very sweet on the nose.  It has a crazy fruity aroma going on, with lots of red berries and grapes.  My first sip caught me off guard; it's definitely not got the sugar I smelled.  Initially this guy is a bit bitter!  And not in a bad way.  So this thing has some tongue coating tannins that are pretty smooth, I must say.  There's an herb in here I can't quite pin down... a little sweet mint maybe?  It's pleasantly warming down the throat, with a sufficiently long finish.  The finish does get a bit dull at the end, though.  Overall not bad for the price of a matinee.

Varietal: 100%  Cabernet Sauvignon (I think)

Alcohol: 13.5% 

Origin: Colchagua Valley, Chile

Price: ~$7 at Sam's Club

Rachel's Grade: B   Definitely couldn't go any lower here.  It's a decent, albeit unexpected, Cab.  It takes a second or two out of the bottle to really develop the flavors.  I think it would be pretty awesome with some really sharp cheese.  There is definitely a killer pairing to be had with this guy.  Actually, next time I drink it, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Durigutti Malbec 2008, Mendoza, Argentina

So, on the same wine bar trip I mentioned in the previous post, I had more than one glass of wine.  (I had more than two, but that's irrelevant, hah.)  The second glass was this wonderful Argentinean Malbec, with a wonderfully silly-sounding name!  The name may be silly, but the flavors are anything but.

After polishing off one heck of a glass of Tempranillo, I asked our waitress what her favorite wine on the menu was.  "For the price?"  she said.  I responded with an, "Exactly.  So what you do you think?"  She said she had to go with the Malbec.  So did I, in that case.  The Durigutti came out kicking with a 

strong, juicy, almost floral smell.  The dark fruit just perfumes out of the glass.  In the mouth it was more mellow, but in a deep and pleasing way.  It has a rich fullness to it that gives it the gravity of a Malbec at it's best.  Two for two tonight!  Now just to get the stuff straight with the guy....  (fast forward to now, and done!)

Varietal: 100%  Malbec

Alcohol: 14% 

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina

Price: ~$13-14 at wine shops

Rachel's Grade: A-/B+  May just be my bias towards Spanish reds, but I think the Tempranillo just eeked out this guy in the taste test.  Ahh, I probably should rate it more towards the A- end, but I'm just being picky.  If you always give As nobody will believe you.  Or maybe they'll just think you're always picking out awesome wine.  I like to think the latter ;)

LAN Rioja Crianza 2006, Rioja, Spain

So my guy and I took a break for a bit.  (Don't fret, we are back on and strong!) But what do you really want to do when you're newly single and slightly sad?  Go to a wine bar!  Drown those sorrows and what-ifs in some awesome Spanish vino on half-price glass night.  Seems perfectly logical to me.  We do all know how I feel about Spanish wine though... and I was proven right yet again on this particular occasion!  

So, after sitting sadly for a second, I received the glass I'd asked for- the best Spanish stuff they had around.  The contents of the glass smelled divine.  This Rioja has a peppery, silky, and most enticing aroma.  Ahh.  And of course, it only gets better when you put it in your mouth!  This 2006 stunner was both velvety and spicy at the same time.  It went down the throat beautifully and the finish.... didn't.  Awesome.  The super pleasant tannins on my tongue lasted an incredible amount of time.  They filled my mouth.  Yay!  What better way to be depressed than with a stellar glass of wine?  Misery loves company, especially when that company comes with a buzz.

Varietal: 100%  Tempranillo

Alcohol: 13% 

Origin: Rioja, Spain

Price: ~$10-12 at wine shops and some grocery stores

Rachel's Grade: A-   Damn this dude is good.  For $10, I won't pass it up wherever I can find it.  Wine Spectator rated it one of the top 50 wines for 2010.  So it's stock is on the rise- buy buy buy!

Paringa Chardonnay 2007, South Australia

Whilst on the aforementioned wine run in my last post, (during which my mom and I picked up the killer Spanish red mentioned below) Mom got involved in a World Market wine tasting.  Usually, they have some pretty good samples, but sometimes they're just.... trying to sell you some wine they don't think they can sell otherwise, to be perfectly frank.  So I'm thinking the Paringa Chard falls into that latter category.  Mom immediately liked it when she tasted it.  I'd given her the flavor profile: "It's from Australia, Chardonnay in the South Australia region is usually big, bold, and sweet.  Very heavy on the fruit and butter."  The response of the snarky wine lady, "No, not at all. This wine has no taste of butter whatsoever."  Me (in my head): "Whatever lady.  When you have a wine blog read by thousands of people, let me know."

So, guess who was right?  If your money was on me, you made a good bet.  The nose on it was just like I thought it would be, big, bright, and fruity, almost to the point of smelling like a perfume.  Slight overkill.  The taste was a lot of the same.  It was acidic and superfruity with a cloying buttery sweetness that stuck on your tongue in an almost metallic sort of way.  Not really my style, but not awful.  Does pack a tipsy punch though, so that's a plus ;)

Varietal: 100%  Chardonnay

Alcohol: 14% 

Origin: South Australia (sort of vague hmm?)

Price: ~$8 at World Market

Rachel's Grade: B/B-  I think I'm biased here, because I'm not a huge fan of Austrlian Chards, but I'm trying to be fair. I think it's overdone, but for those ladies out there who like their wine as sweet as sweet can be, (and I know quite a few) pick up a bottle of this.  The price is nice, but the wine isn't as much.  Tradeoff.  I personally would put that $8 towards a Spanish red, but you all know how I feel about Spanish reds... :)

Vinos Sin-Ley M5 Monastrell 2009, Yecla, Spain

So Mom and I are going for a wine run at World Market, as we often do. We're trying to find our six picks, (because at World Market, six bottles = 10% off!) and I'm struggling.  I like trying new vino as often as possible.  One, to help write this thing, and two, because I just like adventure. Hah.  I've gotten a Monastrell from World Market before.  Jumila Monastrell, 2008.  Super good stuff.  But, of course, I can't ever find it again.  So I spot this green bottle with "Monastrell" prominently featured on the front.  Sweet.  I've never met a Monastrell I didn't like.

This guy didn't disappoint me.  The nose is assertive and slightly smoky with pretty black fruit. (Black fruit = think blueberries, blackberries... any dark-colored berry)  On the tongue it is quite smooth and balanced with some super pleasant tannins.  It's warming down the throat.  Super interesting wine for the price point.  I'm glad Mom and I bought two!

Technical Info:

Varietal: 100%  Monastrell (a lovely, little-known Spanish red varietal)

Alcohol: 14% 

Origin: Yecla, Spain

Price: ~$12 at World Market and other wine retailers

Rachel's Grade: A/A-   Way to go winemakers.  Very nice job on this one.  It's almost as much wine as you're ever going to get for the price (outside of vineyard-hopping in rural Italy).  Not sure if I'd call it a crowd pleaser, as it's a little too complex for new drinkers, but I'd definitely say it is a vino veteran hit.  Pour it in a decanter at a dinner party and pretend you paid a lot more than you did.  You can even throw out there that it's a Wine Advocate fave- 90+ points every vintage.  But if anybody asks, you heard of it here ;)