VinoForLess.com

This wine is one of my favorite Wednesday night wines.  Although it is in fact a Tuesday night, I just enjoyed this Chardonnay with a delicately spiced Spaghetti Squash dish and it was the perfect complement. 

2007 Cypress Vineyards Chardonnay, Central Coast 
J. Lohr Vineyard and Wines
Where to Buy: J. Lohr Tasting Room
Street Price: $10.00

This is a richly flavored Chardonnay with zesty citrus, orange blossom, and lime custard aromas. It has lively fruit flavors of lime, nectarine and pear, with hints of vanilla and butterscotch. The refreshing acidity and silky palate texture give this wine a clean finish that keeps you wanting more.  Enjoy!

Sami

There are entire blogs devoted to Trader Joe’s bargain wines, but we couldn’t resist writing about this exotic pickup from TJ’s.

Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc
Napa Valley
Robert Mondavi Winery
$10.99 at Trader Joe’s

This gem has scents of citrus and melon. We happened to be snacking on white peach, honeydew nectarine, soft Gouda and dark chocolate at the time of first opening, but on the following night found it to be a triumph with spicy Mexican food.

This is a great wine to take to dinner with friends this summer. What a find!
~r

OK, it’s 95 degrees outside and I needed something cool and refreshing.  Cinnabar came to my rescue!  You may recognize Cinnabar’s flagship wine, the red Bordeaux blend called Mercury Rising, but you may not have known that they have a white version named (very creatively I might add) Mercury Rising Blanc. 

2006 Mercury Rising Blanc
Cinnabar Vineyard & Winery
Where to Buy: Cinnabar Vineyard & Winery Tasting Room on Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Street Price: $14.00

This 2006 vintage is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Semillon, all grown in California.  The wine is rich in aromas of melon and honeysuckle with just a hint of grass (to remind you of that lawn you just finished mowing!)  The flavors are citrus and melon with a clean finish.  This wine would pair well with spicy summer fare and will keep you cool all summer long.  At $14 per bottle, don’t miss this wine to beat the heat!

Sami

A new tasting room favorite of mine is the Cinnabar Winery tasting room in Saratoga Village. Having tasted their Mercury Rising a number of times, it struck me that it’s not mentioned on VinoForLess. Here we have it.

2005 Mercury Rising
Cinnabar Vineyard & Winery
Where to Buy: Cinnabar Vineyard & Winery Tasting Room on Big Basin Way, Saratoga
Street Price: $19.50

A pleasantly consistent and always drinkable wine, Mercury Rising is a Bordeaux style red that has great berry notes and a subtle peppery aspect. Its varietal nature (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petite Verdot) make it appealing for both seasoned wine lovers and those just venturing into the world of nice red wines. This is definitely a wine to share with friends and one worth breaking open on weekends.

If you enjoy knowing a bit more about the making of your wines, check out the informative tasting notes at Cinnabar’s website. Even better, visit their tasting room. I promise, you’re in for several treats.

~r

Tonight, we were treated to a wonderful Zin from Picchetti Winery.

2004 Zinfandel
Bellicitti Vineyard, Saratoga
Where to Buy: Picchetti Winery, Cupertino CA
Price: $29.95 / Club members $25.46

We started with some $2.99 Trader Joe wine, and OMG we’ve stepped it up! To the nose this lovely Zin has notes of anise, tobacco and licorice. On the palate essence of black cherry. This Zin is so smooth, that it’s tough to put descriptors on. It’s simply elegant. My good friend Will says it’s great with Italian food, and we know it’s a great glass all on it’s own.

~r

My lovely wife picked up a couple of why-not’s from Trader Joe’s recently.

Vinas Chilenas Reserva Merlot 2006
Vinas Chilenas Reserva Cabernet Savignon 2006
Products of Chile
Price: $2.99
Where to Buy: Trader Joe’s

I must start by saying that the Cab was palatable on day three, having been vacuum pumped each day. The Trader Joe’s Holiday version of the Fearless Flyer offered up some great notes. I’ll give them the vanilla and blackberry jam, but not on day one! Please do try it out and let me know what you think.

We opened the Merlot just this evening–definitely needs to breath. The nose was soft but rather grape-juicy with a mild scent of white pepper. For $2.99, take this to a party where there are no real wine enthusiasts. I’ll check back in with comments on day-two or three.

They both certainly live up (or down) to their price tag. Way to go Joe.

~r

Saturday, wine tasting at J. Lohr lead my wife and I to Lemmon Percussion where a young drummer told us about a new wine store called Wine Affairs. Serendipity had it that Saturday was Grand Opening at Wine Affairs, complete with a sparkling tasting. Here’s the run down.

Canella Burt Rose NV - Italiano with really fine bubbles! This one rated highest on my palet (10.5). Cost - $20

Dom J Laurens, Speciale ‘04 - A nice blanc de blanc. I gave this one a 10. Cost - $20

Michel Dervin Champagne NV - Not too shabby. I tasted from the end of the bottle, probably a bit above recommended temp, but still–nice. Cost $29

Mont-Marcal Cava Burt Rose - Indigenous varietal of Spain. Also very nice. (Can you tell I love sparkling?) Cost $22

Roederer Estate Burt NV Anderson Valley - This domestic blend was the most expensive, but received my lowest score 8.0. (I wouldn’t kick it out of bed.) Cost $38

I left with a bottle of Canella Burt Rose (1/2 price for Grand Opening) to share with some good friends on Thanksgiving. They’re going to love it!

~r

I spent Saturday with friends in Sonoma, visiting three great wineries. Cline Cellars was one of these wineries, where my party arrived at 5:45. We knew we’d have a short 15 minutes or so to taste. Typically, tasting rooms are gracious enough to let you finish a tasting menu, even if it’s close to closing time, especially once you’ve started. I’m telling you, that the staff at Cline were clock watching the moment we walked in the door, announcing to everyone, at about 8 minutes to six o’clock that state law says that they cannot pour wine after 6:00. Really? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on this statement, but must say that one of my friend said it best. We’d never been bum-rushed out of a tasting room at quitting time quite like we were at Cline. My friend works at a tasting room, to lend a little creedence here.

By the way, most of Cline’s tasting menu were wines under $20, so they met our price point criteria. I was able to taste two wines before the bum-rush commenced. The whole incident left me with one word–forgettable.

~r

OMG, it’s been too long since my last post! I’ve been sitting on this one for weeks.

As a belated birthday gift, I received a subscription to Wine & Spirits magazine. (My friends know me too well.) As fate would have it, my first issue, June 2007 features 100 top values of the year–big finds under $15! I’m amazed at the number of wines, styles and regions reviewed. Even outside of this particular feature article, I found a number of other reviews that fall between $15 and $25. How excited am I! I’m sharing something great with you here, so visit your local bookstore or visit WineandSpiritsMagazine.com for this issue. Argentina, Spain, Italy, California, it’s all here. I can’t wait to test some of these great reviews.

~r

Sami and I just celebrated 13 years of marriage, and as part of a low-key celebration this year, we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Nevada City. Our adventures took us to an afternoon of wine tasting in downtown Grass Valley. Among our stops were Burch Hall Winery. If you ever find yourself in this area, Please visit Burch Hall for the jug-o-table wine.

Burch Hall Jug Red NV
Price: $12 ($10 refills)
Red Table Wine, California

For $10 you can refill this wonderful little jug with the Burch Hall seasonal blend. Burch Hall also offers a number of other wines that we recommend for a good price to quality ratio. Among them are a 2003 Syrah, 2004 Suncrest Syrah, 2004 Reserve Syrah, 2004 Zinfandel and 2004 Cabernet Franc. These wines range from $13 to $19. There are also selections for the white, blush and dessert wine enthusiats. If you’re lucky, you’ll also encounter a young and charming woman that works the tasting room. This winery is on our list of must visits!

For a list of other great wineries in the area, see this Nevada County site.