Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs 2008, Northern Coast, CA

I am going to (again) write about a topic near and dear to my heart - sparkling wine.  Today's sparkler is brought to you as a toast to my last day at CapLinked, and as a send-off into the new wine world of Club W!

Of course, when I do a toast of this nature (extra important and special), I want to go with a winner.  Times like these are not for guessing and checking.  Farewell toasts deserve some fantastic fizz.  Therefore, I turned to my longtime favorite, Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs.  "Blanc de Blancs" refers to the types of grapes used in this particular bottle, which is 100% Chardonnay.  The same winemaker also has a killer Blanc de Noirs, (white from black) made of 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are usually all combined to create traditional champagne, one white grape and two reds!  Bet you didn't know that yet.

So, although I'm familiar, this fresh and fruity nose never ceases to delight.  It's super vibrant and has pretty big bubbles, though they're soft and supple on the tongue.  There is just such a lovely baked pear/apple quality to this guy, too.  It's a little yeasty, super zesty.  Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs is nice and vibrant with just the right amount of acidic structure.  I'm a fan, what can I say?  

Alcohol: 13%

Origin: North Coast, CA, USA
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Price: ~$30 at Total Wine, Pavilions, Vons, and other grocery stores

Rachels Grade: A-   Every time I just want a phenomenal, semi-special-occasion bubbly, this is my go-to.  I'v loved Schramsberg since I first tasted it sort of unceremoniously during a happy hour at R+D Kitchen in Dallas, TX.  I've never been disappointed, and you won't be either!  Bring this to your boo's house for your next date night dinner.  If you were ever going to get to third base, this guy should seal the deal.

Excusez-Moi! Move aside, Champagne - 3 Sparklers to try.

It is official.  T-minus two weeks until Operation Become-A-Legit-Somm commences, as does my employment at Club W, and marks my true entrance into this real world of wine!  Can't believe it?  Neither can I.  This calls for a little celebration, I say!

What better to celebrate with than something sparkly?  Answer: nothing.  That said, let's do a little something new.  You have too many Veuve and Perrier bottles perched on your cabinets.  Let me introduce you to three other bubbly beauties that you may just have to break out next time someone has a baby, gets married, graduates, etc.  There is more that shimmers in this world than just champagne, I promise.

1) Prosecco

Most of you lovely individuals have already become acquainted with Prosecco at some time or another.  She is super-trendy at this moment, another Italian wine on the rise to the super-stardom.  Think: pear, peach, apricot - those beautiful, light fruits we like to make into cobblers.  Nice and relatively inexpensive for casual, easy drinking and an unmatched base for mimosas, in my humble opinion.

2) Cava

Yes, yes, I know you've probably heard of Cava as well.  We've just hop-skipped over to Spain and taken on her sparkler.  You can get this guy in various shades, and I'm kind of a sucker for a blushing Cava myself.  Again, we have a lower price point than you get from the French, though most Cava producers use the "méthode champenoise”.  In Spain, this is a traditional after-dinner beverage, but I enjoy it at all times of day!

3) Brachetto

What is Italian, red, sparkles, and is not Lambrusco?  Why Brachetto of course!  While she's not the fizziest of the fizzy, a nice "frizzante" Brachetto will still satiate your need for sparkles.  While less alcoholic than the bubblies above, Brachetto still packs a 7%-9% punch and comes silked in delicate sweetness.  I've converted some of my less adventurous friends into wine-drinkers with Brachetto, the "girly drink" of wine.

In conclusion, the next time you go out for a celebratory bottle, I double-dare you to go off the French/American reservation and pop open a bottle of one of the above.  Alright, let's just be real... I triple dog dare you.  There we go.  Stay 'tuned for more updates on the soon-to-be-real-life-Somm chronicles of Rachel!

Domaine St. Vincent, NV, New Mexico, USA

So this is it.  I'm putting fingers to keys again in search of the greatest, most cost-efficient wine that the world has ever known!  Most unfortunately, that is not the wine I'm reviewing today.  Not actually particularly close either.  I had sort of hoped to come back on a big, glorious note... alas I ended up unceremoniously deciding to review a bottle of bubbly at a little soiree at my apartment this weekend.  I will admit, we kind of cobbled together a cocktail menu that consisted of donated beer, wine, liquor, and assorted mixers from all kinds of different individuals.  The result was quite splendid and pleasant.

This wine, however, wasn't quite in the same spirit!  This Domaine St. Vincent sparkling wine turned out to be from none other than New Mexico, USA.  Yes, New Mexico.  While the Southwestern state boasts some phenomenal cuisine (and an incredible selection of peppers!), the wine often leaves something to be desired.  This bubbly boo was no exception!  

The nose was kind of bright, fizzy with some peach and rose notes... I could have been totally overanalyzing this guy though.  Frankly, I'm not sure how much of a nose this thing can really have.  The first taste revealed something interesting.  This wine has one speed only!  Not a super terrible one, I guess.  It has nice bubbles, very fine and in adequate amounts, but there is just one plain taste going on.  I sort of get a vanilla rose flavor, but there's a metallic backdrop to that flavor consisting of whatever steel drum this stuff was aged it.  If it was aged at all.

For around $12, buy a Cava or a Prosecco.  Really just buy one of those okay?

Alcohol: 12%

Origin: NM, USA

Price: ~$12 at Bristol Farms, Pavilions, Vons, and other grocery stores

Rachels Grade: B-   There is no getting around it, there are many better sparkly guys for this price.  I would take a Segura Viudas Brut over this thingum every time, and twice on Sundays (brunch, hello.).  Overall, we could all do better.  Go Italian or Spanish with your sparkling, and you'll beat this little janky American joint almost every time.

Well hello there... I'm back!

I hope this post finds all of your doing well!  It has been quite some time, hasn't it?

I just logged in to this blog for the first time in years.  It's quite a blast from the recent past, I must say.  One thing that did strike me, though, is that people are still reading.  Still.  This is four years later, and my posts are still some of the top references for certain wines I posted reviews on... to the tune of thousands and thousands of views.  It seems people like wine more than ever before, and there are others out there on the hunt for the golden bargain bottle!

So, this is me (in my mid-twenties and actually fully, legally allowed to do this) answering the call to action.  I am back again!  It's going to be my aim and New Year's resolution to post at least 3 reviews per week.  Look for a full review coming soon!

First thing is first though.  Here is an update on my winescapades:

Favorite bargain bottle I've had in the last 4 years:
Charamba (Any vintage), Douro Valley, Portugal ~$7 at Spec's or Central Market

Newest obsession in wine:
Sparkling everything!  Prosecco, Cava, Brachetto, Chenin Blanc.... it all sparkles for <$15.

Favorite varietal right now:
Monastrell/Mouvedre, always big and bold, and usually badass for <$15

Most inspiring wine pairing of the last 4 years:
Zinfandel and cheddar, I recommend Cabot Clothbound Cheddar.  ~$8/lb at most speciality cheese shops.

Favorite wine trend:
Bargain wine makers with an eye for quality grapes!  Check out 90+ and Wink.  ~$12-20/bottle.


Alright, so that was a quick tease... but I do have a bottle of sparkling rose in the fridge that is just begging to be popped open this evening.  Stay 'tuned!

Cheers,
Rachel

Apothic Red 2009, Modesto, CA

And here we are- I'm trying my hand at live-blogging right now.  Exciting.  So, my guy and I are rounding out our hectic Wednesday with a bottle of Apothic Red.  He swears by it, so we're about to see if I'm a convert.   


I'm swirling it around in the glass to really bring out all of the aromas.  (You also have to stick your nose reallllly far in the glass to get the full effect, try it sometime.)  Mmm wow, it's got a pretty nose on it.  Dark and sweet and jammy, just the way I like it.  It's got a sexy vanilla spice to it too.  One of the best noses of the year I dare say... strong words.  Now let's put this guy to the real test.


And, he passes.  This blend is really quite gorgeous for being the under $15 category.  It's super ripe and fruity initially, with a lovely vanilla berry finish that lasts.  Yum.  Sorry guys, live-blogger time is over.   I've got a glass of vino to enjoy!

Alcohol: 13.1% 

Varietal: ?% Merlot, ?% Syrah, ?% Zinfandel

Origin: Modesto, CA

Price: ~$10 at most well-stocked grocery stores

Rachel's Grade: A-  So worth it.  It's a big, fruity, sweet, and sensuous blend.  Those are never a bad thing, right?  I don't give out my A's easy, so take my word for it.  Apothic Red is sure to please right now, and probably even more so next year...

Hogue Merlot 2007, Columbia Valley, Washington

So here I am, at long last.  Hello readers!  Sorry I left you guys high and dry for the summer- I know it's ideal vino-sipping time.  (Although that's debatable in Dallas, TX... 105+ makes red practically a chore...) Anyhow, I've spent my days hanging out in Taos, NM.  I'm slightly sad to report, the wine here is absolutely nothing to write home about!  And you will never have the chance to drink it unless you make the long, dusty journey over here.  So we'll skip that part.


On to what I came here to write about: Hogue Merlot. 


I've had pretty good experiences with Hogue Wines thus far in my wine tasting tenure.  So although, as you may have noticed by my lack of writing on it, I am not a big fan of Merlot, (outside a blend, of course) when my (new) guy and I popped in to Taos Inn for a glass, I saw the Hogue label and beckoned the bartender.  


The stuff was a little on the warm side... (I'm telling you, New Mexicans don't really do vino.  Or at least don't do it well) but I still got enough of a taste to give you a verdict here.  The nose was unspectacular, not that I expected anything more.  It was light, with red berries and a little floral thing going on.  The sniff for me is foreplay.  This was PG for sure.  The following sip proved better than expected, with plenty of cherry and light, spicy vanilla cruising smoothly across the tongue.  Pleasant, but short-lived finish.  Not bad for the middle of the high desert...


Alcohol: 12.5% 

Varietal: 99% Merlot, 1% Syrah

Origin: Columbia Valley, WA

Price: ~$10 at most well-stocked grocery stores

Rachel's Grade: B   I'm just so impressed by foreign wines under $15 at this point... the Hogue just doesn't blow me away!  Easy drinking, but nothing that you want to savor by itself.  Pair it with some hearty pasta and it should do the trick.  I would go check out Spanish Tempranillos first though, every time.  But, the Hogue will satisfy most, and intoxicate all.

Yalumba Viognier 2009, South Australia

So fast forward 20 hours from my post the other day, and I'm back at it again.  Though my good friend and I have decided to buck the Friday night trend and just stay in, you can never just stay in without a good bottle for company.  She is a white-wine-only kind of a girl, (a sad situation which I am attempting to rectify) so I brought over a big guy- this Yalumba Viognier.  An alcoholic heavyweight, weighing in at 13.5%, this guy is not your mom's White Zinfandel.  This is serious stuff.  And my friend is a cheap drunk, so I figured it would kind of be a fun little experiment...


Annnnnyway, this wine is quite interesting on the nose.  For a white, especially an Australian white, it's super low in fruitiness on the nose.  I caught some pear and apricot maybe, but there was a buttery note I didn't expect from a Viognier that I really did like.  There was also an interesting grassy sort of minerality, if that makes any semblance of sense.  (If it doesn't, ignore that completely.)  Though the nose was kind of mellow and cool, the mouthfeel was where this wine won me over.  Very round and smooth in the mouth.  Really trippy fullness for a white - trippy in the nicest way possible.  There was a unique type of restraint in here too as far as fruit goes, a hint of butter in the middle, and a watery yet sexy finish.


Alcohol: 13.5% 

Varietal: 100% Viognier

Origin: South Australia

Price: ~$10 at World Market, Central Market, and other well-stocked grocery stores

Rachel's Grade: B+   I am just on it guys.  I haven't picked a loser in a while, and this guy is no exception.  Super interesting, if not too complex.  It will surprise and satisfy your guests.  Especially those "I only drink red." types.  This Viognier is big enough to hold down the fort... and I'm usually Aussie wines' biggest critic!  Good value gives it the big B+.