Monday, December 20, 2010

Cupcake Vineyards Prosecco, Non-Vintage, $11.99

OK. I am not the type of person who saves things for a special occasion. I wear my Agent Provocateur lingerie on a Wednesday night, for example. And I'll drink bubbly on a random night, if for no reason other than to celebrate the fact that I wasn't completely overloaded with patients on the Monday before Christmas.

That being said, tonight I am not in the mood to study my wine, I just want to drink & enjoy. So I poured a glass to do just that.

This wine is crisp on my palate. Bready, yeasty, with a little hint of green apples. The aftertaste is a little sour, with touches of crystallized sugar. The finish is long, and after 30 seconds, I can still taste the sweetness, like hints of honeydew melon.

For the price, I can't beat this wine. And I have to admit I am not a fan of Prosecco. I love bubbles, but I've never been an Italian wine type of girl. This sparkler is a very happy, celebratory wine at a price that doesn't need to have an occasion to open it for. It makes even a Monday night worth celebrating. Find out more at www.CupcakeVineyards.com.

Cheers!
Kate

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Channing Daughters 2008 Long Island Scuttlehole Chardonnay, $17.00

OK. This bottle was a gift to me from my dear friend Woman (don't ask why we call her Woman; we just started calling her that our freshman year of college & it stuck). She is probably the only person who tells me she reads my wine blog. Props to you, Woman!

I do love a good chardonnay. Oakey, non-oakey, it doesn't matter as long as it tastes good. Yes, I know that I tend to favor reds over whites, but I still like chard. It's my go-to white wine.

On the nose, this wine makes me fall in love a little. It's dripping with fruit & flowers: green apple, honeysuckle, peach, pear. It's light-bodied, moving slowly down the side of the glass in a single sheet. And the yellow color is so pale, it reminds me more of a sauvignon blanc.

On the palate, this wine is very, very light & clean. It almost tastes like nothing until it hits the back of my throat, then it opens up to reveal the clean taste of minerals and tropical fruits. Remember those Del Monte fruit cups? The plastic ones? It reminds me of a weaker version of their tropical fruit flavor, the papaya especially. Mmm, rocks & papaya. This actually excites me. I get it now, when Gary Vaynerchuk said that nails & spoiled papaya excited him. It's delicious.

The only drawback to this wine is its 12% alcohol content. But this wine is so pleasant & easy to drink, this shouldn't be a deterrent. While I checked out the website (www.channingdaughters.com) and learned that the 2008 vintage is no longer available, the 2009 vintage is ready to go. So please, check out a local vineyard & try something new. Cali's not the only one stirring the pot.

Cheers!
Kate

Friday, December 3, 2010

2008 Block 2 Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $19.99

OK. So I've had Block 2's syrah, which I absolutely adored. And since I like cab better than syrah, I can only imagine what this one's gonna taste like.

Technically, it's not a straight-up cab. It's 91% cab, 4% syrah, 4% merlot & 1% cab franc. It's also got a 14.2% alcohol content. This is a happy-sounding wine. It makes me happy just reading the back of the bottle. Pretty impressive from the state of Washington.

In the glass, this wine looks like a mix of purple grape juice & cranberry juice. I can't see through the glass, but I can sort of see through the top two millimeters. Dozens of chubby little legs spring up on the side of the glass, some moving faster than others, showing off how heavy-bodied this wine is. Excellent. I'm practically salivating already.

This wine is really tight on the nose, smelling at once like rubbing alcohol and jam - grape & strawberry, respectively. At the tail end of the sniff, there's a hint of milk chocolate. It smells delicious.

And if I thought it smelled delicious, the smell is nothing compared to how delicious this wine tastes. On the rugae (those rough little ridges behind your top teeth - FYI, you need those rugae to help make different sounds when you talk), this wine is harsh, harsh, harsh! Those tannins are tight & strong. But amazingly, the wine mellows as soon as it transitions to my mid-palate, tasting like milk & dark chocolate mixed together. And the finish lingers, filling my mouth with the taste of chocolate, almond & coconut - truly, a finish like an Almond Joy. And everyone who knows me knows I LOVE Almond Joys. Ask Julie.

In my mouth, this wine is smooth. And not as heavy-bodied as I imagined. It doesn't glide down like water, but that's OK. I'm still in love with this wine, and for the price, it's the best I've ever tasted. Go looking, people. That's my recommendation.

Cheers!
Kate