High Note Malbec

2007
Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina

Thank you so much to The Bro (who thinks that is such a DORKY name! I know only too well, "Bro", as The Gal was hard for me to swallow too - The Guy is the only one who can wear the cool black shades) and to Marc for your posts. I know The Bro has been telling me about the Don David Malbec for a couple of weeks so I am on a quest to find it and review it. I was really happy to read Marc's opinion of the Monte Antico and glad he found it just as good a deal as myself. And thank you, Marc, for stating your enjoyment of my little blog here. I really appreciate feedback. :)

This was a fairly smooth, blackberry-flavored, decent wine. It was a beautiful dark velvet purple color when poured and smelled richly of blackberry and earth. It had a fairly long finish that was pretty good. It lost some of its flavor when food was introduced, but came back once the meal was over and I had a glass later. So I'd recommend having it alone or find a better food pairing. (I made fresh fettucine with roasted garlic tomato sauce, turkey meatballs, and sauteed spinach with olive oil and garlic - I think it was most likely the garlic that overpowered the wine - personally I find Merlots to be a great match with garlic dishes, but perhaps not a Malbec.)

I have to say, this was $12.99 and wasn't bad for the price, but I think the previous wine, the Tuscan rated below, was a much better buy. (Now that probably would have accompanied the fettucine menu nicely!)

Anyway, give it a try and let me know what YOU think.



Tonight's ramblings are a couple of verses from one of my favorite songs as a young naive girl picking the petals off flowers saying "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not". Grown up life is so very much different than what I'd ever imagined. (I'd imagined grown up life to be much wonderfully simpler). Every time I hear this song it makes me cry. I crank it up, belt it out at the top of my lungs (usually only in my car when I'm alone), and let the tears streak my face. I'm such a sap!

Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup.
Drink it up.
Love her and she'll bring you luck.
And if you find she helps your mind, better take her home.
Don't you live alone.
Try to earn what lovers own.

And even though we ain't got money,
I'm so in love with you, honey,
And everything will bring a chain of love.
And in the morning, when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright.

-Loggins & Messina / Danny's Song






7.75 out of 10
$12.99 / 750 ml.
13.7% alc. by vol.
www.highnotewine.com

(Posted by The Gal on The Guy's log-in)

Monte Antico Sangiovese Blend

2004
85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon,
5% Merlot
Tuscany, Italy


I will drink again.


I really enjoyed this wine for the price. It was awesome with a fresh garlic, black olive, ricotta, chicken and spinach pizza. I did not enjoy it as much on it's own - so I recommend it with food (pasta, cheese, or pizza). With flavors of oak and slight vanilla, this full-bodied wine tasted also of cherries. There was a slight finish, but it dissipated too quickly.


I have had a couple of decent Sangiovese wines now. I am looking forward to trying many more different Italian wines.

Am I still breathing;
Does my heart still beat?
I feel I'm suffocating
While everyone watches
Ah! There it is
My heart, pounding in my ears
My blood pulsates
My head pounds, with every beat
I've been reduced to deletion








8.0 out of 10
$10.99 / 750 bottle
12.5% alc. by vol.

Drouin-Marmet Reserve Champagne

Drouin-Marmet Reserve
Champagne
France (Mais Oui!)

Would drink again.

I'm not really a champagne fan except for in a breakfast Mimosa. But this was rather light and had no sweetness. Although there wasn't a whole lot of flavor, I enjoyed it very much as an accompaniment t0 strawberries and chocolate. And I didn't get a headache. :)


Remember gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne!
~ Winston Churchill, WWI

I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate…and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte


7.75 out of 10
12% alc. by vol.
(No further info could be found as far as price, etc.)

Night Harvest Merlot

2005
Woodbridge, California
RH Phillips

Will drink again.

I have passed this label by many a time. The Guy brought it home tonight and I wasn't going to have any but it smelled so good from across the room that I had to have a sip. That led to a glass. Then one more. Not bad at all for the price. Rasberry and lots of oak with a hint of earth. It even tasted pretty good with a Cesear Salad and Newman's Cesear Dressing.

When my bed get empty, make me feel awful mean and blue
My springs are gettin' rusty sleepin' single like I do

Besssie Smith, 1928, Empty Bed Blues

8.0 out of 10

$15 / 1.5 L (the BIGGER bottle)
13.5 alc.by vol.
http://www.nightharvestwines.com/

Marques De La Villa

2005
Toro
Red Wine
Spain

Might drink again.

I recommend drinking this wine alone. Although it did accompany lasagna well, I enjoyed it a bit more prior to eating. After salad it was "yuck". This is a dry red with a hint of rasberry and heat in the scent. It had an earthy "hot rock" initial taste that I liked very much. That flavor was enhanced for a bit with the lasagna, but then it totally disappeared forever following salad.

My religion makes no sense
and does not help me
therefore I pursue it.

When we see
how simple it would have been
we will thrash ourselves.

I had a vision
of all the people in the world
who are searching for God

massed in a room
on one side
of a partition

that looks
from the other side
(God's side)

transparent
but we are blind.
Our gestures are blind.

Our blind gestures continue
for some time until finally
from somewhere

on the other side of the partition there we are
looking back at them.
It is far too late.

We see how brokenly
how warily
how ill

our blind gestures
parodied
what God really wanted

Anne Carson - "My Religion"

7.75 out of 10
$7.99 / 750 ml bottle
14.5 alc.by vol.

Zonte's Footstep

2006
Shiraz Viogner
Langhorne Creek, Australia

Might drink again.

The Shiraz-Viogner combo is something I've thoroughly enjoyed in the past. Tonight's was slightly disappointing.

Berry scent with spice, not a lot of flavor on its own. Sort of a weak finish, except when served with food. I served it with grilled chicken and zucchini and roasted peppers and mushrooms and onions. The flavor accompanied the food very well. Somewhat weak on its own, it definitely tasted better with the food. Both my stepfather-in-law and my step-father enjoyed it, especially with their dinner.

They called me to theirs,
Who controlled me;
Yet every one
Wished to stay, and is gone,
How am I theirs
If they cannot hold me
But I hold them?
-Ralph Waldo Emerson / Earth-Song

7.5 out of 10
$14/750 ml.bottle
14.5% alc. by vol.
www.zontesfootstep.com.au

Redtree Petite Sirah

2005
Sonoma County
Cali-for-NYE-AYE

This medium-bodied red was dirt cheap. But I felt it tasted more expensive than it's price tag. With a heated granite and cherry scent, this wine was superb with takeout Roast Pork Lo Mein (it brought out the garlic) and my cold sesame noodles (it brought out the spice and sesame flavor) and, especially, with dark chocolate Devil's Food cake (but not the frosting!). It was nicely balanced. The finish was lighter than I like normally, but enjoyable, with slight pepper. Following just the cake part of the cake, it took on a perfume-like flowery flavor that I liked (because it was different). Interestingly enough, when the home-made chocolate frosting and fresh strawberries were added to the cake, the wine's flavor was completely drowned out. There was NO taste. Weird, but interesting.

There are things of which I may not speak;
There are dreams that cannot die;
There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak,
And bring a pallor into the cheek,
And a mist before the eye.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow / "My Lost Youth"

7.75 out of 10
$7.99 / 750 ml. bottle
12.5% alc. by vol

Truth

2005
Lindsey's Cuvee
California

Will definitely buy again.

I have to admit, it was the artwork on the label that made me stop and pick up the bottle for a closer look.

This wine was very good. On the drier side, but flavor packed of cherries, heat, slight spice, vanilla and herb. Nice combination. I will be purchasing more to have on hand as a stand alone wine.

Looking for the path,
each day and every night.
Throw open your doors Truth,
let me bask in the light.

8.25 out of 10
$17 / 750 ml. bottle

Rutherglen Tokay

Campbells
Non-vintage

Tonight's blog entry was contributed by PasaRoblesCab (Thank You :).


The non-vintage Tokay, a light amber color in a 375ml bottle was the perfect end to a wonderful dinner. To add to the flavor of roasted nuts, white raisins, prunes, figs, caramel, and marmalade, its full-bodied sweetness is balanced well by acidity. Sweet, spicy, generous range of flavors, offerings with hints of apricot, pear and vanilla notes. I loved the slightly musky scents, it reminded me of the maple syrup lollipops my grandmother would make. Of course they were in the shape of a maple leaf. (We are Canadian French.) This with a 1 lb. bar of Hershey's special Dark or Wine Lovers 61% Cocoa Dark was a definite match. (My pallet was opened with Sophenia Cabernet which was enjoyed with freshly grilled Tilapia and more garlic than one should consume in a single sitting.) I would certainly recommend this to someone on a budget. $19.99 for a bottle, which, although small, will last in the fridge opened for quite a while. This is great when you don't have any dinner parties planned and you want something sweet after dinner with your spouse or alone. Give it a try, you wont be sorry. My rating (which I never do) would be a solid Robert Parker 92.




$19.99 / 375 ml. bottle

Cline Zinfandel

2006
Red Zinfandel
California

Will drink again.

I have had Cline zins before. I had this after a glass of cabernet and noticed an immediate sweetness (compared to the cab). I liked it. Rasberry flavor with a bit of heat and a nice vanilla finish.

I shall wet thy lips, parched by the winds of deprivation...know me, for I am ZINFANDEL!

-Quoted from the bottle

8.0 out of 10
$12 / 750 ml. bottle
14% alc. by vol.
http://www.clinecellars.com/

Castello di Meleto Chianti

2006

"True Tuscan"

Tuscany, Italy


Would drink again if I could find it!

I had a glass of this wine last week at a wonderful little Greek-owned Italian restuarant. The food was awesome and I really enjoyed this wine. I am not usually fond of Chiantis (with the exception being Nipozzano Riserva Chianti I reviewed here on October 12, 2007 - first Chianti I've ever liked - see the archives on the left). But this is my second favorite Chianti behind the Nipozzano.

Although it was quite dry (which I don't normally like), the flavor was very good and it complimented garlic knots and baked ziti nicely. A deep dark garnet in color, it had black cherry aromas. The taste was warm, spicey cherry with slight vanilla and earth. It had a slightly long, warm finish.

Window rolled down

feeling the sun

Trying not to think

as the mind runs

Life running by

too much to do

Exhausted from the hunt

Finding relief with "The Who"

Cranking it all the way up to "Eminence Front"

8.0 out of 10

Approximately $16 / 750 ml. bottle

Greg Norman Pinot Noir

2006
Santa Barbara County
California

Would drink again.

Another celebrity line of wines. This Pinot Noir was actually pretty good. I am not a huge fan of Pinots, but I found this enjoyable on its own and with dinner - turkey and sweet potato. Mostly cherry in flavor, there was a hint of an earthy thyme that I took to. The finish was sadly short.

And the shadow of the day,
Will embrace the world in grey,
And the sun will set for you.

-Linkin' Park, Shadow of the Day

8.0 out of 10
$17.99 / 750 ml bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.
www.shark.com

Windsor Chardonnay

2005
Sonoma County
California

This was another wine we taste-tested out of four from Windsor Vineyards. I actually thought that I really liked this Chardonnay. It was medium bodied with a slight velvety feel. It also had a hint of mineral notes on the finish - which of course I am always in quest of. It was slightly buttery, with a little vanilla and oak. However, the more I drank it, the less I liked it. So it makes it hard for me to rate. If I had one glass only, I would be rating it 8.5. By the time I had almost three (and no more), the finish was tasting a bit "cheap" - a little metallic-like, yet the mineral tones were still there, keeping my interest nevertheless.

You make me feel like I wanna be a dumb blonde . . ."
-Paula Cole, Feelin' Love

8.0 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
Approx. $15 / 750 ml bottle
www.windsorvineyards.com