Crios Torrontes

Name: Crios Torrontes
Color: White
Varietal: Torrontes
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Salta
Price: $11
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


This wine is made by Susana Balbo, who is apparently one of the most well known winemakers in Argentina. The Crios line is her second label, which includes a handful of other varieties.

This was our first bottle of Torrontes (although I have tasted some other Torrontes at various wine tastings). It was really good. It's like a cross between a Viognier and a Sauvignon Blanc. The Crios Torrontes had the body and mouthfeel of a Viognier, with many of the tastes common to Viognier (peach, honey, apricot). It also had a pretty strong green apple flavor, especially on the finish. The level of acidity, however, is more like that found in Sauvignon Blanc. Overall, this wine was extremely well balanced. It was delicious and very easy to drink. It was very crisp and dry, but had a certain level of sweetness in the mouth from the white fruit.

We drank this wine last night with chicken chili...It went well with the dinner and was also great on its own. I would highly recommend it and will definitely be on the look out for more Torrontes from Argentina.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage

Name: Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Petit Verdot/Malbec/Cab Franc)Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)



We had this nice red blend last night with steak and orzo pasta. The blend is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (just over 70%), with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc all helping out. The nose was mostly dark berries, primarily blackberry and plum. The taste of this medium bodied red was blackberry, plum, a little bit of pepper, and some spice. We both really enjoyed it. The wine drank well on its own, as well as with the dinner. It was very smooth and well-balanced.

Bodega Norton Malbec

Name: Bodega Norton
Color: Red
Varietal: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Price: $7
Stars: 4 (out of 5)



We drank this Malbec from Argentina last night with BBQ pork spare ribs...The wine lived up to its billing as an excellent value. It's nothing fancy, but is very juicy and full of flavor. The nose and taste are similar - dark berries, mostly blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherry with a chocolate/mocha component. It's medium bodied and definitely fruit forward. It went very well with dinner and was terrific on its own.

Cister da Ribeira Douro Red

Name: Cister da Ribeira
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Portugal
Region: Douro
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


I bought this wine several weeks ago at Total Wine on the recommendation of one of the employees. It was our first wine from Portugal and our first wine containing any of the four grapes used in the blend. The producer of the Cister da Ribeira is Quinta de Ventozelo, which is one of the oldest quintas in Portugal (from what I've read). The bottle notes that this wine was not aged in oak, but I found that it still benefited from decanting for half an hour or so.

This wine was a bright ruby red in the glass, not very dark. The aroma was a little limited, but with some air, I was able to pick up on some cherry, blackberry, and plums. In the mouth, it had a medium to light body and tasted primarily of dark berries. The finish wasn't bad. Overall, this wine was pretty good and was definitely very easy drinking. I will certainly look to try other Portuguese wines in the future.

Castillo de Clavijo Crianza

Name: Castillo de Clavijo Crianza
Color: Red
Varietal: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2004
Country/State: Spain
Region: Rioja
Price: $8
Stars: 3 (out of 5)



This wine didn't really do it for us, which surprised me because we both generally enjoy Tempranillo wines (this Castillo de Clavijo was 90% Tempranillo, with 10% Garnacha). We drank it last night with homemade tacos and corn. I didn't really pick up much on the nose at first. Later that night, after dinner and after the kids were in bed, it finally began to open up a little...For an inexpensive bottle of wine, I just don't have the patience to wait 3 hours for it to be ready to drink. Once it did open up, I picked up on some light strawberry and cherry aromas and taste, as well as a little oak and spice.

Overall, the wine was just too light-bodied for our tastes. Krista went so far as to call it "watery". I'd probably pass on this wine in the future, but on the whole, we've had really good luck with Spanish wines, red and white.

Casillero del Diablo Carmenere

Name: Casillero del Diablo
Color: Red
Varietal: Carmenere
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Chile
Region: Rapel Valley
Price: $8
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

This Carmenere from Concha y Toro's Casillero del Diablo label is an outstanding bargain. For less than $10, it's a delicious, medium bodied everyday red. We enjoyed a couple of glasses last night with pizza.

The color is a deep, dark purple in the glass, almost like a Syrah. The nose is mostly dark fruit, with chocolate and a hint of tobacco. I tasted dark berries and chocolate, with some good earthy qualities. The finish was very pleasant and quite long. This Carmenere is very smooth, and I highly recommend it.

I can't wait to try the other Carmenere we have at the house -- the Tierra del Fuego, also from Chile.

Canyon Oaks Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Oaks
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $5
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This is one of our favorite inexpensive wines. It's a clean, crisp, refreshing Chardonnay from Canyon Oaks that sells for about $5. I think the 1.5 liter is around $8, perfect for parties or to stick in the fridge for a few days of drinking. Despite the word "Oaks" in the name of the winery, we like this Chardonnay because is decidedly un-oaky. The nose and taste are dominated by citrus fruit, mostly apples and pears.

We each drank a glass last night with Mahi filets, pesto pasta, and spinach salad. The dinner was excellent and the wine was just what we expected. We'll definitely polish it off tonight!



What a great day -- Kentucky knocked off Louisville, completing the football/basketball season sweep. It's amazing to see the complete disparity in talent levels between the Commonwealth's team and their little brother. Despite horrible free throw shooting, terrible 3 point shooting, and virtually no contribution from Darius Miller or Darnell Dodson, UK won rather convincingly. The 'Ville showed a little fight for a brief stretch in the 2nd half, but John Wall slapped them silly and put them to bed. It was quite clear after watching the game that Kentucky, on a normal day, is about 25-30 points better than the dirty birds. It's nice to see order returned to the state as UK has taken its rightful place as the dominant college basketball (and football) force in the state!!


I enjoyed a couple glasses of Maker's Mark during the game...

MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir

Name: MacMurray Ranch
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Sonoma
Price: $16
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


After a rainy day of watching college bowl games, we opened this earthy Pinot Noir from MacMurray Ranch. I remembered trying this wine and liking it at one of the Friday night wine tastings at Ed's Fine Wines. We drank this wine with dinner -- cheese tortellini with red sauce. It went well with the dinner, but really got better and better throughout the night as it opened up and some of the oak blew off. Next time, I will definitely decant this one for an hour or so.

The nose was dark red fruits and earth. The taste was mostly strawberry and cherry, with a nice long finish. It was very smooth and well balanced....This was our first Pinot Noir in quite a long time, and we really enjoyed it and would definitely buy it again.

St. Augustine Trip (12/27/09 - 12/29/09)

For our 13th wedding anniversary, Krista and I headed northeast to spend a few days at a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine. It was a trip of many firsts for us, as it was (1) our first trip to America's oldest city, (2) our first stay at a bed and breakfast, and (3) our first trip away from home without the kids....We had a great time and would definitely do it again!

We stayed at the Bayfront Westcott House, located directly on Matanzas Bay, near the historic part of the city. From our balcony, we could see the lighthouse out on Anastasia Island. We were able to walk from our room to the Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish fort completed in 1695. We both highly recommend the Bayfront Westcott. Our room (the Anastasia room) was perfect for us, with an electric fireplace and a huge whirlpool tub. The breakfasts were fantastic and we really enjoyed the nightly wine and cheese reception.


Bayfront Westcott House


We really loved the European look and feel of the city, especially the narrow alleyways and the historic Spanish architecture. We spent most of our time strolling through the many shops and sites downtown. Some of our favorites were Claude's Chocolates (we made a couple of stops here!), the Gifted Cork (where I bought a bottle of Carmenere), Flagler College, and the Lightner Museum.

We were really pleased with the restaurants we visited...The first night, we ate out on Anastasia Island at the Sunset Grille, which had a laid back, beach vibe. For lunch on the second day, we took the recommendation of our B&B host and ate at JP Henley's, where we each had some great beer and sandwiches. That night, we went to Cellar 6, a wine and sangria bar, for dinner. We had an excellent dinner...Krista really enjoyed her sangria, and I loved the wine recommended by the waiter, the 2007 Atteca Old Vines Garnacha (a Spanish red).


Cellar 6


We had a great time spending a few days in St. Augustine. We were really able to relax and enjoy our time away from home. But we really missed the kids and were glad to get home to our two knuckleheads....


The boys chillin in the Hummer limo we rented to look at Christmas lights, with their Snuggies and hamsters