Nostrada Tempranillo

Name: Nostrada
Color: Red
Varietal: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Spain
Region: Tarragona
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

The Nostrada Tempranillo is a really nice value for the money. I thought it was very fruity, smooth, and easy to drink. I had a glass on Sunday night with our paella, although I mostly stuck with the Tres Ojos. I had another glass of the Nostrada last night. For my taste, I prefer the bigger, earthier tastes of the Tres Ojos Garnacha, but I would definitely drink the Nostrada Tempranillo again. The nose and taste were primarily red fruits, cherry, and plum. The finish wasn't particularly long, but for the price, it's tough to complain.

Tres Ojos Old Vine Garnacha Tinto

Name: Tres Ojos Old Vine Garnacha Tinto
Color: Red
Varietal: Garnacha
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Spain
Region: Calatayud
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


I really loved this wine. For the price, you can't do much better than a good Spanish wine. Spain is full of great values and this was one of my favorites. The Tres Ojos Garnacha (Grenache) is a ruby colored, medium/full-bodied wine. The nose was nice, but a bit lighter than the taste. It had blackberry, dark cherry, and plum flavors, with some earthiness. It was very smooth and well-balanced.

We drank this bottle last night with a big bowl of paella. It went really well with the meal and was easily finished later that night. I would highly recommend the Tres Ojos Garnacha and will look forward to drinking more in the future.

Lindeman's Shiraz

Name: Lindeman's Bin 50 Shiraz
Color: Red
Varietal: Shiraz
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Australia
Region: SE Australia
Price: $6
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was a very inexpensive wine that I picked up based on its reputation as being a quality, budget-friendly wine...It definitely didn't disappoint. It didn't blow me away, but it was really enjoyable on its own and with food. I drank this bottle myself over two days, once with dinner (pizza) and the next night after dinner. It was a simple but typical Australian Shiraz -- fruit forward, red berries and blackberries, juicy, smooth, and easy-drinking. For the price, you can't go wrong.

Talon Winery Sweet Evening Breeze

Name: Talon Winery Sweet Evening Breeze
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Vidal Blanc/Cayuga White)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Kentucky
Region: Lexington
Price: $13
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)



Tonight we opened one of the bottles we purchased this summer at the Talon Winery (http://www.talonwine.com/) in Lexington, KY. While we were there, we tasted about 8 wines and bought a red (their Cab) and a white (this Sweet Evening Breeze)...The Sweet Evening Breeze is a blend of Vidal Blanc and Cayuga White, two varieties we've never had before. It's really good, but definitely sweet. The name is not at all misleading. This was probably the sweetest non-dessert wine I've ever had. It was a nice change of pace for us, but Krista and I both generally prefer much drier wines. The nose and taste featured peaches and sweet apples...The winery describes it as An elegant Riesling style white wine, semi-sweet with tropical undertones.



Krista and I both highly recommend a visit to the Talon Winery. We had a great time exploring the vines, tasting the wines, and eating a picnic lunch in their pavillion. The boys had a blast running through the fields and enjoying a crisp, cool day at the vineyard (especially compared to the Florida heat that they are used to).

Backspacer!!

The new Pearl Jam album, Backspacer, was released today....The boys and I went to Target after church to get "our" copy. This album included the ability to download 2 recent concert bootlegs from a pre-selected choice of 11 shows...I already had most of the shows on the list, but I was able to use the opportunity to pick up the Hartford '08 show and East Rutherford '06 show.

After listening to Backspacer several times throughout the day, I'm really enjoying it. It's nice and tight (about 38 minutes total)...The songs are great mix of upbeat, pop and punk with some slower songs that remind me of Ed's great work on the Into the Wild soundtrack.

What a great weekend!! First UK beats the 'Ville, and now a new CD by the greatest American rock band!

White Hall Vineyards Viognier

Name: White Hall Vineyards
Color: White
Varietal: Viognier
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Virginia
Region: Monticello
Price: $17
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was the last of the wines we picked up when we were in Virginia earlier this summer. According to the White Hall Vineyards website, this wine is actually 80% Viognier, blended with some Petit Manseng, Muscat, and Gewurtztraminer. Whatever's in it, it was very good. (the picture to the left is from the 2006 vintage, but we had the 2008)

The color was very pale, nearly clear, which is to be expected from such a young wine. The nose and taste were similar -- apple, peaches, honey, and grapefruit. The body of the wine had a nice medium-full weight to it and was very well balanced. It paired nicely with honey-lime scallops and crab meat we had for dinner last night. We finished the bottle later that night after the kids were in bed.

Viognier is Virginia's signature white grape and this wine by White Hall was highly recommended by a Virginia wine store owner. Krista and I both really enjoyed it and would like to try some other Viogniers in the future.

D'Autrefois Reserve Pinot Noir

Name: D'Autrefois Reserve
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir

Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Vin de Pays
Price: $13
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

I picked up this wine at Total Wines based on the recommendation of one of the employees. The standard (non-reserve) bottling of D'Autrefois Pinot Noir is the best selling Pinot in the store. I really want to try that version to compare it to the Reserve, which is about $3-4 more than the regular bottling. We drank this last night with chicken and pasta. It was good, but not particularly memorable in any way that would make me want to rush out and buy more. It was light, a little fruity with some earthiness, and was easy to drink. I wish I had stuck with my original intention of picking up a bottle of the Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot that I have seen highly recommended as a great value Pinot Noir.

Happy Birthday, Owen!!!

Today was our youngest son's 4th birthday!! Happy birthday, little man!!! We spent the day with family down in Seminole, after having a birthday party with his friends at Chuck E. Cheese last week. Owen loved all of his presents, especially a Star Wars lego set and several new Bakugans (don't ask).

Happy birthday, Owen!! We love you so much.

Coppola Presents Rosso

Name: Coppola Presents Rosso
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Zinfandel/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $7
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We had this for the first time back in February and really liked it then. It was the 2006 vintage and was very smooth with a good body, nose, and taste. Last night we enjoyed the 2007 version, and it was fantastic. It was rich, juicy, and very smooth. The aroma and taste were similar -- cherries, raspberries, and plums.

According to the FFC Winery website, the 2007 Rosso was a blend of grapes grown in Lodi and Paso Robles. It is 44% Zin, 34% Syrah, and 22% Cab.

We drank a glass with dinner (pizza) and finished the bottle after dinner. The Rosso normally sells for around $10, but I found it at Publix for $7. For that price, this is an incredible wine. I wish I had bought more.