Eroica Riesling

Name: Eroica Riesling
Color: White
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Washington
Region: Various
Price: $16 (on sale)
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


The Eroica Riesling is the result of a collaboration between Washington's Chateau St. Michelle and Germany's Dr. Loosen and is apparently named for a Beethoven symphony. Grapes from all over Washington state were used in the 2006 blend.

I had read terrific things about this wine and had been meaning to try it for some time. When I saw it on sale at Leuken's, I picked up a bottle. I think it normally sells for just over $20, but I bought this one for about $16.

The wine was a light straw color in the glass, with a nose of melon, pineapple, and honey. It had a nice, medium body weight in the mouth and was really well balanced with good acidity. The taste was pretty fruit forward, tasting primarily of green apple, pineapple, and citrus. It had some slight sweetness to it, but was still bright and fresh. The finish was exceptionally long. The taste lingered quite nicely after each sip.

We drank this wine tonight with dinner (pork and pasta) and quickly finished the bottle after the kids were in bed. Krista and I both highly recommend the Eroica Riesling.

7 Deadly Zins

Name: 7 Deadly Zins
Color: Red
Varietal: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: California
Region: Lodi
Price: $15
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

This was the wine I picked out to go with our Thanksgiving meal. I decided to stick with a big American wine to go with the holiday. Krista made Sangria, and the rest of our family was content with their "wine" of choice - namely white zinfandel.

The 7 Deadly Zins has received many recommendations from many sources online, so I decided to give it shot. I'm glad I did. It was delicious. Raspberry, blackberry, and black cherry dominated the nose and the taste, but it was balanced out by some peppery spice and a little whiff of nuttiness. When I first opened it, the wine was a little oak-y, but that blew off after about 30 minutes of air. The wine was terrific on its own, but also went well with all of the turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, etc...It didn't overpower the food. It was really silky smooth and very tasty.

I highly recommend the 7 Deadly Zins and will definitely buy more in the future.

Renwood Viognier

Name: Renwood Winery
Color: White
Varietal: Viognier
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: California
Region: Lodi
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was one of the wines I tried at Ed's Fine Wines last Friday night. I bought a bottle that night and we drank it last night with mahi filets and noodles. The wine was delicious with the fish and on its own. Krista and I quickly finished the bottle before bed.

The Renwood Viognier was a crisp, medium-bodied wine, that was a pale gold color in the glass. The nose was grapefruit, apple, apricot, and citrus. The taste was primarily green apples with really nice acidity. It was very well-balanced and easy drinking. We will definitely keep this one on the list.

Coppola Black Label Claret

Name: Francis Ford Coppola Black Label Claret
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot/Merlot/Malbec/Cabernet Franc)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Napa Valley
Price: $12 (on sale)
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

The Coppola Claret was a nice red blend that we enjoyed with dinner last night. I grilled some steaks and mushrooms and the wine really complemented the steaks. It had nice fruit, mostly red and black fruits, with a little spice. Krista thought the mid-palate was a bit watery but still liked the wine. I thought it was pretty well-balanced. It was smooth and easy to drink.

For a few dollars less, I think we both prefer the Coppola Presents Rosso a little bit more. Even so, this was a nice wine at a good price.

Monte Antico Toscana

Name: Monte Antico
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

This was a very pleasant surprise. It's a terrific Italian blend of Sangiovese (85%) with some Cab and Merlot...I had read great reviews of this wine in the past, but this was my first bottle. I also noticed that it was recently named one of the Top 100 wines of the year by Wine Enthusiast.

I drank a couple of glasses with pizza on Friday night and finished the bottle tonight. It's medium bodied with great balance and good acidity. It drinks well with food and on its own. It's very tasty and really opens up as it gets some air. After about an hour of air, it was excellent. The nose isn't real strong but the taste is of juicy red berries, blackberries, with a hint of chocolate.

The Monte Antico is a great bargain that I'll be buying more of very soon.

Note: Krista tried a small glass, but couldn't get past the black licorice on the nose...She really didn't care for it at all. More for me!!

Wine Tasting Notes

I attended the weekly Friday night wine tasting at Ed's Fine Wines last night and was able to taste several new wines, including my first Torrontes. Here are a few brief notes:

• Conquista Torrontes - my first Torrontes and I really liked it. I will definitely add this one to my list...Very distinct taste, crisp and clean. White fruit and citrus. A little sweetness. Approx. $9.

• White Haven Sauvignon Blanc -I normally really like New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough, but this one just didn't do it for me. On the nose, I picked up bell pepper or some other vegetal aroma that I didn't care for. I couldn't get past it...It just wasn't my taste.

• Renwood Viognier -Really delicious. My favorite white of the tasting...I bought a bottle to enjoy at home.

• Renwood Zinfandel -Not bad for a $10 Zin...cherry, blueberry, blackberry...very smooth, medium bodied, easy drinking.

• Broke Ass Red -blend of Malbec and Syrah...OK, not much to get excited about...cheap

• MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir -Wow!! I really enjoyed this one and will add it to my list. Light and juicy with cherry, cranberry, and strawberry flavors, plus a little earth. I think it's about $15...Excellent quality for the price.

• Conquista Malbec -not bad for the price (about $10), dark color and dark berry flavors, medium bodied, kind of soft and easy drinking.

• Villa San Juliette Chorum Red -really nice blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, about $20, will add to my list to buy...pretty full-bodied but well balanced...rich, ripe dark fruit with a big, full mouthfeel...I really liked this one.

• Villa San Juliette Petite Sirah -not bad at all...fairly full-bodied and tasty, lush and rich with blueberry and other dark berry flavors...I was really impressed by the Villa San Juliette wines and will make a point to buy some soon.
  

Fish Eye Pinot Grigio

Name: Fish Eye
Color: White
Varietal: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


I'm still not really a fan of Pinot Grigrio, but this one was recommended in several places and the price made it worthwhile to take a shot. The Fish Eye Pinot Grigio was a clear, pale straw color in the glass. It was pretty tasty, with lemon and green apple flavors dominating. The wine was well-balanced and highly drinkable.

We drank this wine with a dinner of fish and crab meat with pasta. It paired very well and was also nice on its own after dinner.

Nostrada Garnacha

Name: Nostrada
Color: Red
Varietal: Garnacha
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Spain
Region: Campo de Borja
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

We drank this wine last night with dinner (lasagna) and finished it after the kids were in bed. We had a busy day -- the boys and I spent the day at my parents house lowering my old basketball hoop to 8 feet so that they could shoot some hoops. Jackson really had a blast, making several shots. Owen's still working on his form, but for a 4 year old, he did great! It's probably too early to count on getting a scholarship from Kentucky, but they are both on their way to great things. I think I'll wait a couple of years before trying to teach them the intricacies of the Dribble Drive Motion Offense....Speaking of the DDMO, Coach Cal and the Cats got their first win of the year on Friday night, holding off a better-than-you-think Morehead St. team. Eric Bledsoe went nuts and dropped 24 on Morehead, including a couple of amazing drives in the lane. I can't wait until John Wall joins the mix on Monday. On top of all the basketball excitement, UK's football team beat Vandy to become bowl-eligible for the 4th straight year.

The Nostrada Garnacha was a nice, easy drinking wine that went well with the lasagna and was great on its own. It was very smooth and mellow, a really versatile wine that most people would enjoy. The nose was kind of smoky, with juicy red fruits. The taste was primarily cherry, raspberry, maybe a little blueberry.

Spanish wines continue to really outperform their price points. This one is an excellent value that we would definitely recommend.

Safety Harbor Wine Festival

Last night, Krista and I got a babysitter for the boys and headed out to spend a couple of hours at the 8th Annual Safety Harbor Wine Festival, sponsored by our favorite local wine store, Ed's Fine Wines (http://www.edsfinewines.com/)...It was a beautiful, comfortable night in Safety Harbor. The temperature was in the low 70's with no humidity. We had a great time tasting wines and people-watching. We especially enjoyed the nuts who were bundled up in sweaters, jackets, and sweatshirts. Just because it's below 90 degrees, doesn't mean it's quite time to pull out the winter gear.

We started with the Ironstone Old Vine Zinfandel, which retails for about $10-12...We both really enjoyed this wine. It was medium-bodied and smooth, with really good balance. The flavors were mostly red fruits and blackberries. I think we had the 2005, but I'm not 100% sure. It was good enough to pick up a bottle in the near future. A very good start to the night!

We also tried a couple of Mark Davidson wines, the Mark Davidson Shiraz and the Mark Davidson Cabernet/Merlot blend. We've had the Shiraz before and really enjoyed it. The glass we had last night was also very good. The Cab/Merlot blend was also very enjoyable. We've been very impressed with all of the Mark Davidson wines we've tried. We especially enjoy his white blend, which I've posted on this site in the past. Most of the Mark Davidson wines retail in the $10 range.

The last wine I tried last night was the Dante Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a delicious fruit-forward cab, with red berries and blackberries on the nose and in the mouth. It wasn't a big, bold cab. It had a more easy-drinking style with good acidity and versatility. I really liked this one.

Krista really liked the Sangria that she tried...I think it was called Toro or El Toro...We'll have to remember to check with Ed's to get the right name.

Next year we need to remember to bring our own glasses like many of the more serious wine drinkers were carrying around. It's hard to get a true sense of the wine when you're drinking it out of small plastic cups.

Red Guitar

Name: Red Guitar
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Tempranillo/Garnacha)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Spain
Region: Navarra
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We've had this wine a few times and always enjoy it. This was our first bottle of the 2007 vintage, and while it was very good, I remember liking the 2006 a little bit more. The '07 Red Guitar is a blend of 55% Tempranillo and 45% Garnacha.

I had a couple of glasses tonight, one with pizza and one later on its own. The flavors are primarily cherry and raspberry, with a medium bodied feel in the mouth. It's a very smooth wine that may be able to be aged for 2-3 years. I might try to pick up a bottle and put it aside for a couple of years to find out how well it ages.

Cupcake Chardonnay

Name: Cupcake Vineyards
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Central Coast
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)



We enjoyed this wine last night with rotisserie chicken and salad. We had previously tasted it at a local wine tasting at Ed's Fine Wines in Safety Harbor. Krista really liked it then, so I picked up a bottle a couple of weeks ago when I was at Leuken's Liquors in Dunedin. The Cupcake Chardonnay was very nice...easy drinking, well balanced, with a medium body. It was crisp, clean, and refreshing, and tasted primarily of citrus and white fruit with some cream and vanilla imparted by the 9 months it was aged in American oak. The oak presence was not over-bearing; it was more in the background and didn't detract at all from the taste and drinkability.

This was one of the better Chardonnays we've had recently and we will definitely keep it on our list.