2009 Bell Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, $14.99

OK. Confession time: I love red wine, cabernet especially, and I have a bottle of Bell cabernet in my wine cellar. Not the wine fridge, the wine cellar, which is basically a wine fridge in the basement where I keep all my wines that need aging or were just too expensive to be opened for anything other than a special occasion. The Bell cabernet falls into the latter, it was just too expensive to open up for any old reason. So when I saw this wine at a much more attractive price point, I jumped on it. Then I looked at the alcohol content & saw 12.5%. Well, gee, I guess that's what happens when the price falls 30 bucks.

Back to the wine, then. This wine smells no different than a New Zealand sauvignon blanc on the nose - Matua, Oyster Bay. The back of the bottle promises "citrus and mineral aromas and a subtle hint of fresh cut grass." I smell the mineral component & perhaps a very subtle hint of peach/apricot, but try as I might - and I try so hard I almost inhale some wine - I don't get that fresh-cut grass aroma. Bummer. The wine is very, very pale yellow with the thinnest, most delicate sheet down the side of the glass I have ever seen. In all actuality, I'm preparing for a delicate-tasting, subtle wine.

Boom! It's not a subtle wine, thank goodness, but I'm a little disappointed in it. On the palate, I taste some citrus along with the usual crisp, acidic taste of the sauvignon blanc grape. The flavor is strong on the palate but nearly nonexistent on the finish, leaving me wanting to drink more to reclaim some sort of taste. Sad. It's not a bad wine, exactly; in fact, it's a very pleasant, easy-drinking wine that would be perfect on a hot day.

My problem lies in the fact that when I want a drink, I want a drink. As much as I hate the word mouthfeel (AAARGH!), I want a wine that feels heavy in my mouth, a wine that leaves me with the impression that I'm drinking something other than water. I need a wine that's heavy-bodied & obvious, not subtle. I don't want to guess or tip-toe around a wine.

I will not be purchasing this wine again - for this price & taste, I'd rather buy a bottle of Matua - but it's not a bad wine. I've had much worse. If any of my readers are interested in a California sauvignon blanc with a great acidity, find out more at www.bellwine.com or call #707-944-1673.

Cheers!

Kate

2009 Louis Max Beaucharme Chardonnay, $10.99

OK. French wines aren't really my thing. But I'm always on the lookout for the next great chard, and at this price point, can you really blame me? Although I have to admit, it does worry me a little that this is last year's vintage crop. I'm trying to tell myself that Aqua de Piedra is last year's vintage too, and look how well that turned out (see the Chicks Review Cheap Wine blog), but I don't know. France is not known for its early-year vintages.

This bottle of wine doesn't promise anything. In fact, it says nothing on the back label other than the wine was imported from Bourgogne by Slocum & Sons in North Haven, CT. Uhhh...things are not looking so good for this wine.

This chardonnay is pale yellow in the glass, with aromas of oak, butter and a slight hint of apricot on the nose. A long-standing sheet hugs the side of the glass, almost like it wants to form legs but doesn't. It looks like a fairly solid, medium-bodied wine from the glass. But I have to admit, the wine does smell good. It smells like an exceptional chard, even if it does only contain 12.5% alcohol by volume.

Eh. Have I ever mentioned how I'm not a fan of French wines?

On the palate, this tastes like water. It has no taste. None. Except it doesn't go down like water, it sort of stings. There is a short aftertaste which consists primarily of oak & a tiny tease of butter. Underwhelming. Completely underwhelming.

If I may stand on my soapbox for a minute, I understand that France & Italy are the great-granddaddies of the world when it comes to wine. But lately, I'm finding that if you want a great bottle of wine from France that doesn't cost your arm & leg or your firstborn child, or that doesn't need to be cellared for 10+ years, you're screwed. This is so disappointing to me. Even Italy has jumped on the bandwagon & is producing some recent vintage wines at a good price point that don't need to be cellared. This is the best France can do? Louis Max is the best they can do? And this is the best Louis Max can put out for those of us who can't afford to blow a car payment on a bottle of wine? Yes, I understand that this is an eleven-dollar bottle of wine. But for this price, you can buy a bottle of American wine - from Washington Valley, New York State, or even one of the famed valleys in California - that's ten times as good. Or you can buy a bottle of wine from Chile, Argentina, Spain, Australia that's far more complex. And with a higher alcohol content.

So, friends & readers, I have to tell you to JUST SAY NO. Do not purchase this bottle under any circumstances. If you want a great bottle, buy anything other than this.

Cheers!

Kate

This wine is thin & watery in my mouth

Clos du Val 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $24.99

OK. If you know anything at all about the wines I drink, you would know that cabernet from Napa Valley takes the cake. It pushes all the right buttons for me. Now, this one here is not exactly pure cabernet. It's 85% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc, 5% merlot & 4% petit verdot. Ahhh, the PV. I'm in love just after reading the label.

This wine is so dark in the glass it's almost black. There's a purpley-red tinge around the perimeter, but all in all, it's dark. You couldn't see through this if you tried. That's the PV for you. God, I love PV.

It takes a while for the legs to form on the side of the glass, but when they do, they're slow and long. They creep down to the wine, never breaking up, never turning into a sheet. And there are a lot of them. This is no cheesy, two-legs-and-we're-done kind of wine. This is one heavy bad boy. On the nose, I smell two things: the alcohol content (13.5%) and the petit verdot. Man, that is one distinctive grape, and you either love it or hate it. You know I love it.

The back of the bottle proclaims that there are "flavors of dark fruit" on the palate. I wonder, what exactly constitutes dark fruit? Granted, I'm not tasting happy strawberries or raspberries on the palate - really, all I taste is petit verdot & these amazing tannins that are powerful but mellow at the same time. Does that make sense at all? Those tannins are there & they're totally not pushovers, but at the same time, it's almost like they're saying, "Yeah, we're here, and we used to be bitter, but we've mellowed out." Yummy. This is exactly the kind of wine I could drink my entire life & not get tired of.

The aftertaste is long on this wine. It's reminiscent of fake sweeteners, but not in the flavor sense. You know when you have artificial sweeteners & they leave a distinctive tang/burn down the back of your throat? This wine does the same thing. The aftertaste leaves this mellow chemical burn down the back of my throat that's at once comforting and perplexing. Again, that's the PV talking. It's so funny that just a small amount of PV can radically change the structure of an entire bottle of wine.

Love. I am in love, love, love with this wine. It's not the cheapest wine out there, but it's by far not the most expensive, either. I think, if I had to pick only one wine to drink for the rest of my life, this would be it. This is my wine. This wine defines everything about me & what I'm looking for in a wine...hell, even in my life. I dare you to try it once & see if you don't agree. www.closduval.com.

Cheers!

Kate

Jacob's Creek Non-Vintage Chardonnay - Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee, $16.99

OK. What's up with all these non-vintage wines lately? Well, like I've mentioned before, if the price is right & the taste is good, bring it.

I adore a good bubbly, even more so at a good price, and I have never seen this bottle before. Sure, I've seen Jacob's Creek, and I love them for putting out a decent wine at a decent price. Their other wines can be found everywhere. This one I found by accident at a little packey near Shady Glen in the Manchester Parkade. Actually, I was kinda surprised when I went in there, b/c they have a LOT of stuff I haven't seen before, even though they have a small selection.

A sparkling wine calls for a champagne flute. I love looking at all the bubbles in this glass. Actually, I love hearing them pop in the flute next to me, sort of like a Rice Krispies cereal pop.

On the nose, I smell a little bit of yeast, a little bit of apple. Green apple, sliced, crisp & crunchy. Mmm. But mostly, I smell joy. This sparkling wine is meant to be opened for happy occasions.

There's not much on the palate, the effervescence totally takes over & nullifies the taste till the back of my tongue. From there, I can taste a little more of that green sliced apple taste along with some French baguette, mixed with nut flavors - walnut, mostly, with some hazelnut & almond. There's a touch of oak in here, as well there should, since this is an 80 - 20 blend in favor of the chard.

Another thing I should mention: this sparkler glides down my throat. Despite the 12% alcohol content & the loud pop of those beautiful bubbles, this goes down clean & easy. I am in love.

SPEED, don't just drive, to the Manchester Parkade to find this beauty. It's that good, I promise. Learn more at www.jacobscreek.com.au.

Cheers!

Kate

Pacific Rim Non-Vintage Dry Riesling, $10.99

OK. So I can practically see you all thinking, What's the deal with all the Pacific Rim? Doesn't this b*tch drink anything other than Pacific Rim?

Well, of course I do. But I love Pacific Rim, for its taste & its price point. You know, sometimes you just want to open a bottle of wine where you don't have to fidget with the fancy wine opener (this has a screw top), you don't have to feel guilty about opening up a pricey bottle (I can buy five of these & spend less than I would on a bottle of Bommarito - more on that to come), and you can sip & enjoy. This wine in particular is very near & dear to my heart.

On June 2nd, 2004, I was introduced to this wine at my dear friend Carly's 25th birthday party at Legal Sea Foods in Copley Square, Boston. My date Kate Knowles, who's originally from Cali, introduced me to this wine & to the fish stew called cioppino. This was actually the 1st wine I'd ever tried & liked. I liked it a lot. Of course, it was from Bonny Doon Vineyards back in '04. Things have changed a little since then.

I also got drunk on this wine on the night of June 22nd, 2006. Less than 18 hours before my sister Missy & brother-in-law Justin got married, my boyfriend at the time dumped me. At 11:00 at night. What a loser. This wine was my comfort that night & the following day, when I was so upset about being the fat, just-dumped, older sister of the bride.

On the nose, this wine smells like any other dry riesling, crisp & acidic. It has a lower alcohol content (12.5% - figures it was the one to break me in) & forms a thin sheet on the glass.

On the palate, this wine is just as crisp as it ever was. I taste a faint hint of apricot on the mid-palate, which the back of the bottle promises. The bottle also promises tastes of lime, but I don't taste lime, I only get the acidity of the lime. The finish is short but pleasant. Mainly, the taste that sticks out is the acidity & the freshness. This is not a sweet wine.

As you've probably gathered, I adore this wine. This is my 1st love, so if you don't love it, don't tell me! www.pacificrimwinemakers.com.

Cheers!

Kate

P.S. You can get a really bangin' cioppino at Bobby Flay's "Bar Americain" at Mohegan Sun in CT, if you're interested. Also, I had another really great cioppino at "Scoma" in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Both are highly recommended.

P.P.S. This photo is of me & Kate Knowles at Carly's birthday party. God, I miss that girl every day. Dr. Knowles! If you stumble across this blog, holler back at me!

Pacific Rim Non-Vintage Chenin Blanc, $10.99

OK. Back to one of my favorite sweet winemakers.

I am obsessed with tracking down a bottle of Paumanok Vineyards chenin blanc. I read about it in Food & Wine magazine; apparently it's one of - if not the - best Chenin Blanc in the U.S. And made in New York State, no less! Heh heh, good luck trying to find it, though. Apparently, this wine is not one of the best-kept secrets in the States. Everybody knows about it.

So this is my runner-up coveted chenin blanc. First off, it's a non-vintage, but that doesn't matter so much to me if the wine tastes good & is well-priced. It's not much in the alcohol content department (12.5%). It's not much on the nose, either. This is one of the first wines I've actually smelled where I don't get much of a scent at all.

On the palate, the first thing that hits me is honey-covered honeydew melon. The back of the bottle says that there is "an eruption of floral notes and...pear, key lime and creme brulee." In all honesty, I don't taste any of those flavors, which is kind of a bummer b/c I'm a big fan of pear & key lime...and don't even get me started on creme brulee. The aftertaste is a little disappointing. Well, it's nonexistent, just like the scent on this wine.

So yes, chenin blanc is a little on the sweet side. Not sweet like Pacific Rim's sweet riesling, but sweet enough. And I love Pacific Rim, more so than most other vineyards in the U.S. So, until I can get my hands on a bottle from Paumanok, this one will have to do.

Cheers!

Kate