Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sassy Bitch Cabernet Sauvignon

2007
Central Valley
Chile


This medium cherry bomb with ever so slight vanilla and herbal flavors and a slight pepper heated finish was a birthday gift from me dah. Thanks Dah.


With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink.
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are comin' so you better run
Run fast for your mother; run fast for your father
Run for your children all your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind.
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

Florence and the Machine




7.75 out of 10
14% alc. by vol.
$10/750 ml. bottle

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Duck Walk Vineyards Rose

2009
The Hamptons, Long Island (must be said with a Thurston Howell, III-type voice Lovey)

This was part of the Thanksgiving Day lineup. I have made it a mission to find something that this accompanies well, though I did use it mostly in cooking. On Thanksgiving, our appetizers were shrimp cocktail, aged upstate NY Cheddar with rosemary crackers, curried cashews, and prosciutto and fontina pinwheels. The Riesling we had accompanied all very well. The Rose was weakened by the other powerhouse flavors. However, I added it to my turkey soup and it tasted good accompanying the soup as well as with risotto and ginger and garlic sauteed chicken breasts that I made for dinner tonight (I did add 1 cup to the risotto). I would have thought the ginger and garlic were too strong of flavors and would have drowned out the wine, but they tasted surprisingly good together.

I was pleasantly shocked by this wine's dryness. I expected it would be weak and sweet, but it had more flavor and punch than I thought it would. Made from Merlot grapes, it was better than I anticipated. It was somewhere between a sauvignon blanc and a light summer chardonnay. It had a light strawberry like flavor with a crisp, almost floral finish. As it states on the bottle, it is better served with "light fare".

Let the angels sing around us
Christmas time is here
Let our children's love surround us
Laughing and filled with cheer

Harry Connick, Jr.
When My Heart Finds Christmas



7.5 out of 10
12% alc. by vol.
$14 / 750 ml. bottle