Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet

Name: Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet
Color: White
Varietal: Picpoul
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: France
Region: Languedoc
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We had our second bottle of Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet tonight with shrimp scampi with pasta in a butter garlic sauce. It was still very good and we enjoyed it very much. We had the 2007 vintage in October, while the wine last night was from 2009.

This wine is an outstanding value and is fresh and delicious. It has a nose of lemon, lime, citrus, peach, and green apple. The taste is similar to the nose with a medium body, nice acidity, and a decent finish. It went very well with the shrimp and is also very easy to drink on its own....It's one of our favorite white wines.

McManis Viognier

Name: McManis Family Vineyards
Color: White
Varietal: Viognier
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Central Valley
Price: $11
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We enjoyed the McManis Viognier last night with tilapia stuffed with crab meat and some garlic cous cous with black beans. The wine was very good with the meal and on its own. It had a golden straw color and aromas of peaches and apricots. It had a nice medium bodied mouthfeel, with good acidity. The flavor was mostly apple, peach, pear, and citrus. Very clean, crisp, and refreshing.

We've had good success with several Viogniers recently, and the McManis Family Vineyards was no exception. Highly recommended.

We also have a bottle of their Petite Sirah that I can't wait to try.

Domaine Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras

Name: Domaine Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: France
Region: Vacqueyras
Price: $13
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


After having had great success with the Pierre Amadieu Vacqueyras back in August, I picked up a couple of other wines from this region in the Southern Rhone Valley on my last trip to Total Wine. We both really enjoyed this wine from Domaine Mas du Bouquet. It was full of fruit, but had some earthy spiciness to it. The body was medium, with a nose of blackberry and strawberry. It was very good, but I remember liking the Pierre Amadieu "La Grangeliere" Vacqueyras a little better.

We drank this wine last night with flank steak served over potatoes. Both the meal and the wine were terrific.

Antinori Santa Cristina Red

Name: Antinori Santa Cristina
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Sangiovese/Merlot)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $6 (on sale)
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

This is a wine that I frequently see recommended as a good pizza wine. That's exactly what we had with it last night. The color was ruby red, with some purple highlights. The nose was dominated by red fruit. It's pretty light bodied and easy drinking, with flavors of soft red berries. It is probably a bit lighter that we generally prefer, but it did go well with the flavors in the pizza.

The Santa Cristina is primarily Sangiovese, with 10% Merlot.

Kaiken Malbec

Name: Kaiken
Color: Red
Varietal: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Price: $11
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this Malbec from Argentina last night with a delicious chicken pasta
dish that Krista made for the first time.

The wine was excellent. Krista had it before at a restaurant and really liked it, so I added it to my list. I'm glad I did. It had a nice medium to full body and seemed a bit bigger and bolder than many of the Malbecs we've had in the past. It was juicy, with blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and it had a peppery spiciness that we both enjoyed very much. The wine went well with the meal and was also terrific on its own. At $11, it's a tremendous value.

I highly recommend the Kaiken Malbec...Kaiken also has a slightly higher priced (about $16) "Ultra" Malbec that I really want to try.

La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Luberon

Name: La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Luberon
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Grenache Blanc/Bourboulenc/Ugni Blanc/Roussanne)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: France
Region: Rhone Valley
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)



We had the white version of La Vieille Ferme tonight with pasta. We've had it before and always enjoy it. It's nothing fancy; just a good, solid, reliable, and affordable white blend from the Rhone Valley. It's a tremendous value, goes well with any number of dishes, and also drinks well on its own. The flavor is mostly apples, pears, and pineapples. It has a medium body and a decent finish.

d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie

Name: d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Shiraz/Viognier)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Australia
Region: McLaren Valley
Price: $25
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We had the Laughing Magpie by d'Arenberg last night with homemade "chicken Bryan", the Carrabba's dish that Krista had a recipe for. The chicken was terrific, grilled with goat cheese and a tasty white wine butter sauce.

The wine was excellent. My uncle bought this bottle for me for my birthday last year and we managed to hold on to it all year. So when my birthday rolled around this year, I decided to pop the cork. It's a blend of Shiraz (95%) and a dash of Viognier (5%). It consistently receives high scores from the Stephen Tanzers and Robert Parkers of the world, and the 2006 was no exception. It's a full-bodied wine with aromas of red and dark berries. The flavors are bursting with blackberries, blueberries, and a cherries, with a hint of chocolate at the long finish. It was delicious, and I can't wait to drink it again.

One note - this was the first wine we've drunk with the aid of my new Vinturi wine aerator, which I received as a birthday present from Krista and the boys. I didn't do a real side by side test, with and without the Vinturi, but I was impressed with the smoothness of the wine. The owner of my favorite local wine store highly recommended it (the aerator), and I'm happy to have one of my own!