2003
North Coast
Sonoma County, California
Mikey D. - I do like your Dynamite. We do have similar taste. This is a little drier than I normally go for, but the flavor is very good. It's woodsey, smokey and blackberry. It is my wedding anniversary tonight and we never have red meat. But The Guy loves steak, so I bought the good stuff - no antibiotics, no hormone-fed cattle. Top Round steak it was and the Dynamite accompanied it well. Nice pairing. The Guy felt it tasted more expensive than its price.
I have no photo available, but the label by Stephen Ward is of Lake County's "Diamonds" - an Indian Chieftain is illustrated grieving over volcanic stones. The story on the back of the label goes like this: "According to folklore, the Moon wept when she could not be with her love, a Pomo Indian Chieftan. Her tears fell to earth, forming glistening shards. These semi-precious volcanic stones, found nowhere else, remind us that our home is unique." (Personally, having always had a feverous preoccupation for Chief CrazyHorse, this Civil War buff can identify with the moon. I am a white woman thrown over the back of a stallion by one of Crazy Horse's tribesmen and brought back to camp - Crazy Horse comes out to find me, hands tied, by the fire. He scolds his tribesmen for being so rough, unties my hands and takes me to his teepee - OK, wrong blog, sorry.)
And so, I raise my glass to the shards.
8.0 out of 10
13.9% by volume
$17.99 / 750 ml bottle
http://www.dynamitevineyards.com/
The Guy: As we go through the list of wines that The Gal and I have so enthusiastically sampled, I find a few "good" wines that deserve being set on a "I'd Drink that again" list, (note to self, make a short list). The Dynamite was one of those.
Say what you will about being able to find good wines under $10, or even $15. If I had the money and I had to choose between the Dynamite compared to a South Australia Red like Yellowtail Shiraz or Little Penguin Merlot, I'd go for the Dynamite. Much like Red, or The TURK ( A personal favorite of mine), Dynamite tasted like a more expensive wine.
Before starting this blog, the Gal and I routinely spent over $20 on a bottle of wine without thinking twice. We believed that the more expensive the wine, the better it should be. While that is true in a number of cases, I'd be hard pressed to tell you some of the $40 bottles we've had with friends are that much better than the $15/$16/$17 we continue to discover.
The same night we had Dynamite, we had another bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zine ($10.99). A taste test comparison between the two wasn't even close. Yes, on it' s own, we liked Gnarly Head. But after sampling the Dynamite, the Gnarly just didn't measure up.
You'll find that experience to be common around the holidays as you spent time with friends and family sharing wines you bought, or they brought. It's part of the adventure. Just be sure to make Dynamite part of your adventure.
Thanksgiving Update: The following is my wine menu (Chardonnay to accompany appetizers of shrimp and "Bombay" cream cheese, curry, cranberry, coconut dip with stoned wheat crackers), Red Zin for the main meal and turkey (or Chardonnay for those guests who prefer white). I am hoping to also serve a Port with dessert (too many in my new favorite wine store - I was getting dizzy reading labels). Will keep you posted.
2005 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, NAPA
2006 Roux Pere & Fils Macon-Villages Chardonnay, France
2002 Turley Red Zin, Juvenile
2005 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin, LODI
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