Hey Merry Drinkers! Long time no blog, I know. There was a lot going on over the holidays then January was also kind of crazy. It's not that I was drinking (perish the thought!), I was just not often in a position to take notes about what I was having.
So, back to it. I like wine that has a good value, but I've found that a lot of wine that costs less than $10 is at best boring and at worst not at all to my taste. There are some exceptions, but finding the diamonds in the rough takes time, and I've found that I'm a lot likelier to enjoy a $20 bottle that is more or less randomly chosen. But sometimes I like to try something I usually wouldn't. I was at Costco the other day and saw this Kirkland Zinfandel for around $10. Sonoma County is well-known for its Zinfandel, and I haven't had a lot
of bad old vine Zinfandel, so I thought it was worth trying, and it was.
The nose has dark chocolate covered cherry and strawberry with some white pepper in the background. Very pleasant. It tastes deep and dark and is really enjoyable. I've had worse wine for $40. It really lights up the whole palate. I had some chocolates with cherry liqueur and they went wonderfully together.
I might have to go back to Costco and get a case of this stuff, just to use as an everyday table wine.
As far as the holidays go - I did have some really nice drinks. I recommend all of these:
- Ridge Three Valleys 2011 - Zin blend, pretty darn good
- Aver Family Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 - excellent
- Domaine de la Casenove 2009 - French Rhone blend, $15 at Costco
- Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA
- Dogfish Head American Beauty Pale Ale
- Sam Adams Old Fezziwig (I got one without buying the pack!)
There's a subtle nose at first but it opens upon the next swirl and sniff. A little earthy, like wet leaves and mowed grass, but then sweet and floral. The taste is earthy again, almost like mushrooms. Not a lot of big fruit, but there's some blueberry. It's a touch sour, but pleasantly so, like a sour beer (but not nearly that sour). I wouldn't quite call it elegant, but sort of roughly charming.
