Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2023

 

Light golden hue with aromas of lemon-lime and pineapple, tropical fruit salad and powder.

Palate-Nice first impression with balanced acidity and *off dry structure and fruitiness that is luscious and mouth watering.

Charles Smith has been creating Washington State wine at a bargain level for decades and he does it better than anyone!  I obtain the wine at Trader Joe's for around $10 and it is better than most wines like this at twice the price. 2023 is one of the better vintages so raise a glass!

*Off dry is a description of white wines which people tend to say taste "sweet" and they don't like sweet wines so they have determined NOT to like the wine.  BUT--An "off-dry" wine is a wine like this which gives the impression of tasting sweet but is actually bone dry because the definition of a sweet wine is one which has residual sugar left behind that has not been fermented into alcohol. 

Sin Zin Zinfandel 2020 (Sonoma County)

Ruby/garnet hue with aromas of crushed dried savory herbs, bright cherry and red berry bouquet, with the slightest floral note at the edge of the rim which I cannot pin down.  Very nice!

Palate-Mouth watering acidity, on a supple frame with notes of ***"too much structure and too little fruit..." Finish is nearly non-existent.

I just read a review of this wine from 2 years ago by the renown James Suckling. I followed him when he was with the Wine Spectator and found him to be reliable and with similar tastes as mine. His score and description of this wine (again--2 years ago) is nothing like the wine I have in front of me. I can only surmise that in those 2 years of aging, either my bottle was stored/shipped poorly or I am losing my taster's edge. 

At any rate, I think I paid less than the market price of around $16-$18 and it is disappointing. 

Sutter Home Chardonnay [cooking sized bottle] (just for fun...)

 Light golden hue with aromas of lemon, vanilla, and gentle spice.

Palette--First impression is you can tell it is wine, not much in the area of flavors that were present in the bouquet. 

This is a 187ML bottle bought in a 3 pack at the supermarket which my wife buys for making soups and things.  I don't know what she pasy for these but they have ben sitting around at room temp for months.

There not much here but if I had been tasting this blind, I would have said something like, "get it good and cold, serve it at pool side or with friends who just want to let their hair down and have fun." 

Don't think of it as "Chardonnay" one of the premier wine grapes of the world, but as a pool-side sipper with light appetizers and good friends who really don't care about the pedigree of wine. Sutter Home was one of my earliest wines some 50 years ago so they are not exactly a flash in the pan kind of winery. 

 

Josh Reserve Zinfandel (bourbon barrel aged) 2021

Deep purple hue with a touch of ruby and aromas of rich fruit, spice, 

Palate--Nice first impression and even though just out of fridge, the body and flavors are rich delicious. Straight forward rich dark spicy berries and a hint of espresso. Not sure why, but I like this more than I did in my recent review of the same wine.

Trader Joe's received a limited shipment of this wine and were dumping it for $10 which is about half of what I believe it goes for. If they have more the next time I am near TJ's I will be grabbing more.  Raise a glass!

New Year's Eve: A time for bubbly!

New Year's means drinking; sadly TOO much for many, but let moderation rule and you can enjoy the celebratory contribution of bubbly to the New Year's party.

 Bubbly takes all kinds of shapes, styles, quality and price tags. Many tend to use the word "Champagne" when what they mean is a sparkling wine. ie., carbonated. 

Champagne is a type of "Bubbly" that is grown and produced out of the Champagne region of France! All Champagne is "bubbly" but not all bubbly is Champagne. Candidly--Champagne is the best of the best of all bubbly's but comes with a price tag as well. And since few have the palate to appreciate the extra cost--which can run into the hundreds of dollars per bottle--you are throwing money away.

Sparkling wines will run in the area of $10 and up but no where the price of Champagne. If you ha e a Trader Joe's near you, they sell several bubblies which are down right drinkable and you will pay under $15 per bottle. 

Mumm's Napa Brut Prestige is probably my favorite for the price. But even that has escalated to over $20 a bottle....  

Spanish sparklers tend to be a pretty nice bargain. Called "CAVA" they are ubiquitous, fun a tasty. Price point $12-$18 

Korbel is a California sparkler and for the price is OK.

A couple to avoid--Barefoot Bubbly... Cook's and Yellow Tail 

If you have read this far--Search this blog for key words New Years, or bubbly, etc.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon "Columbia Valley" 2022

Deep rich eggplant hue with brooding aromas above the rim of "bready" bowl of jammy dark berry compote.

Palate--Hmm...An unremarkable first impression with sily structure, tightly wound fruit, and a fleeting finish. (just opened and needs to warm up... ). After warming up some it is fuller and more varietal which is what you expect when a wine comes to temp which is why you let it "open up" if you store it at cellar temp. which is 55 degrees F.

At the $12-$15 price point it is a decent Cabernet so raise a glass!

 

Cockburn's "Special Reserve" Porto

 

Essentially black hue with deep aubergine hue at the rim with a bouquet of lush brooding dark prune fruit with a sweet spicy presence above the rim, and nearly floral rose petal notes.

Palate--Intense sweetness on a bed of bold structured foundation with silky tannins, and gargantuan prune and uber ripe plum on a luxuriant mattress of intense fruit flavor with a surprisingly quick finish.

I snagged this at a state liquor store for $18 and all you can say about port wine is that done right it is extra-terrestrial.  I am pairing this with a slice of Harry and David's dark chocolate "something" (foreground of pic)  and it is going to be otherworldly!  At $18 you MUST raise a glass!

Tortoise Creek Zinfandel 2022 (LODI)

Purple hue moving toward ruby toward garnet with aromas of spicy plum, blackberry, and sweet/savory spice.

Palate-- Supple presentation with robust Zinfandel fruit all over the place, balanced structure, a touch of wood mid-palate and a short finish.

This a really nice Zin from LODI (California) and I grabbed about 3 cases a couple years ago from a state liquor store which always has crazy great buys.  I found this Zin (2019) selling for $7.50 a bottle! I was sorry I didn't buy more before they ran out.  So on a trip down to Mass. we go to the NH Liquor store that has these great buys and NO sales tax. So I grabbed 1 case at the same ridiculous $7.50 a bottle.  All I can say is raise a case!!! 

Corvelia Zin 2023 ($10) against the above: Another bargain Zin with a classic Zin profile and bouquet. See previous review. I like the 2022 TC a touch better than the 2019 as it stands but both are SUPER values so raise a glass!

BA CA Home Base Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma) 2021

Purple with some depth and aromas of sweet plum and nuanced herbal notes.

Palate-- Mouth watering acidity with unctuous dark berry and raspberry, a strong herbal presence mid-palate but shallows out with a fleeting finish. 

A bit of a watery texture which is disappointing.  This wine was given 92 pts by the esteemed Wine Enthusiast. I am not tasting that... 

I paid $21 for this Zin with a reference price of $40. I would have been VERY disappointed at $40 and I am even disappointed at the $21 I paid. I regularly drink Zins for half that price and they are as good, maybe better. At the $21 price point I would give it a pass much less the $40 mark...

Monte Antico "Toscana" 2020

Ruby hue with aromas of crushed dried italian herbs, rustic cherry.

Palate--Acidic front with dried herbal fruit up front and mid palate, oregano, dry finish. Mouth watering acidity, and a bond dry presentation.

This Trader Joe's offering at $8 is always a winner and at 4 years old it is reaching its peak but will drink enjoyably for another 2-3 years.  Raise a glass!

Having a Lou Malnatti's Chicago style deep dish pizza I have shipped in routinely and at this time of Christmas cheer, reach out to someone you don't know and just say, "Merry Christmas!"