Wine Peeps

Last Friday was a beautiful, sunny day in Seattle, the perfect day to enjoy some crisp, cool white wines for summer. Our wine tasting dinner this month was a slight departure from our normal tasting format. This tasting featured six different white varietals instead of six different wines within the same varietal. Since the Wine Peeps generally gravitate toward our beloved New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc when it comes to white wines, we wanted to expand our horizons and see how some other varietals from other regions stacked up in a blind tasting.

In addition to asking each of our guests to give us their rankings of the wines at the end of the evening, we added another twist to make things even more interesting. Each person was given a sheet of paper with a list of the six varietals represented in the tasting and a brief description of common characteristics for that varietal and we each tried to identify which wine was which varietal before we took off the sacks and unveiled them. We had done this exercise a couple years ago with a red tasting and it is no easy task. I’m happy to report that this group did very well with the exercise. One person matched all six correctly and two others matched four.

While the 2007 Nobilo Marlborough Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was the consensus favorite, we did discover a fabulous Viognier from Nefarious Cellars in Chelan, Washington and once again thoroughly enjoyed the Poet’s Leap Riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington. These top three wines were all excellent and each garnered a 4 star rating. Though very different, all three paired well with Mom’s dinner of braised chicken breast topped with olive tapenade, steamed green beans with red onion and roasted red peppers, and wild rice.

In addition to enjoying good wines and Mom’s delicious food, the best part of the evening was spending time with wonderful family and friends.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2007 Nobilo Marlborough Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Beautiful nose of grapefruit, lime, tomato plant, and freshly cut grass. Distinct grapefruit flavors. Sharp, crisp acidity and a nice, long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: MadWine (Seattle), $10.99; Available elsewhere, $10 to $11

2007 Nefarious Cellars Defiance Vineyard Viognier (Lake Chelan Valley, Washington): Elegant floral aromas and flavors. Crisp and refreshing with a pleasant, smooth finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $18.99

2006 Poet’s Leap Riesling [Long Shadows] (Columbia Valley, Washington): Aromas of cantaloupe rind and pineapple lead to flavors of honeydew and peach. Off-dry and well-balanced with crisp acidity and a nice finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop (Seattle), $18.69; Available elsewhere, $16 to $24

2007 Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Interesting aroma profile of asparagus mixed with stale beer. Tastes better than it smells. Some acidity.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: QFC (Seattle), $9; Available elsewhere, $8 to $14 (different vintage)

2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay (New Zealand): Distinct dill notes on the nose. Fairly plain with a short, somewhat perplexing finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $15; Available elsewhere, $15 to $20

2007 Voga Italia Pinot Grigio (Delle Venezie, Italy): Old World minerality is present along with aromas of pizza crust. Weak finish. This wine comes in a very distinctive bottle that looks a bit like a huge cologne bottle.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: QFC (Seattle), $9; Available elsewhere, $10 to $28 (different vintage)

What is your favorite summer white wine?

Our hosts for the July edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere’s monthly virtual wine tasting event, are Erin and Michelle of the Canadian wine blog Grape Juice. They selected a very fun and original theme, Today’s Wine Brought To You By The Letter “S”, that takes us back to our childhood and days of watching Sesame Street. They intentionally left this theme vague and up to interpretation. The only requirement was that the word beginning with “S” must be directly related to the bottle(s) of wine selected (i.e. region, varietal, producer, winemaker, etc).

The Wine Peeps had a lot of fun with this theme. We set out to taste several super Sauvignon Blancs for summer. Obviously, our first “S” was the varietal, Sauvignon Blanc. Next, we chose four different Sauvignon Blancs from four different wine regions around the world with the common denominator being that the names of all four producers started with “S”.

We blind-tasted these four wines: the 2007 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand; the 2007 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley, California; the 2007 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc from Adelaide Hills, Australia; and the 2007 Snoqualmie Sauvignon Blanc from Columbia Valley, Washington. They all nicely complemented our light summer fare of grilled halibut, wild rice, and steamed broccoli. In fact, Sauvignon Blanc is our favorite summer white varietal whether we are enjoying it with dinner or just sipping it outside on the deck.

While I would not turn down a glass of any of these, the Seresin from New Zealand was the clear favorite of all four of us. In fact, this tasting was the rare occasion when we all ranked the wines exactly the same way.

In order of our favorite to least favorite:

2007 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Very fruity and sharp nose with aromas of grapefruit and hay. Grapefruit, green bell peppers, and jalapenos come through on the palate. Very spicy with ripping acidity. Crisp, refreshing, and smooth with a nice, long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $20; Available elsewhere, $15 to $24

2007 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley, California): Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, Granny Smith apples, and apricots. Good complexity and a nice finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $21; Available elsewhere, $18 to $23

2007 Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc (Adelaide Hills, Australia): Freshly cut grass and citrus fruits come through on both the nose and the palate. Good acidity but a short finish that just trails off.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $17; Available elsewhere, $15 to $23

2007 Snoqualmie Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pleasant floral and pear aromas, pear flavors, and some acidity. Decent but definitely the weakest of these four wines.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle), $7.50; Available elsewhere, $9 to $10

As we continued our cross-country road trip, we visited three Idaho wineries, one in Glenns Ferry and two in Caldwell, Idaho. They all produce their wines exclusively with Idaho grapes, and we found some pretty good wines at each stop. Our first stop was at Carmela Vineyards, in business since 1988. They produce about 10,000 cases a year, almost all sold in Idaho although they will ship out-of-state. Our favorite wine at Carmela was their 2004 Carmela Reserve Merlot.

Our next stop was at Ste. Chapelle Winery, Idaho’s oldest and largest winery, a part of the mammoth Constellation Group when we visited but was purchased last week by Ascentia Wine Estates. Out of the five wines we tasted at Ste. Chapelle, our favorites were the 2004 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Syrah and the 2004 Ste. Chapelle Ice Wine Sauvignon Blanc.

Our third stop was at Williamson Vineyards, where a fourth generation Williamson, Beverly, was our knowledgeable tasting room hostess. The Williamsons have been in the fruit growing business for generations and remain a large producer today but have only been growing grapes, mainly as a diversification measure, since the 1990’s. They are contract growers for some of Idaho’s best known wineries as well as produce an increasing amount of grapes for their own winery operation. We also had the opportunity to meet and visit with Beverly’s father, Roger, who is the winemaker for Williamson Vineyards. While we would not hesitate to recommend any of the five wines we tasted at Williamson, our favorites were the 2005 Williamson Syrah and the NV Williamson Doce Dessert Wine (Ruby style Port). I believe that Williamson is an up-and-coming winery that merits watching. I’d like to come back in five years and see the progress that they have made.

Note: A few days after these visits, we also visited another Idaho winery, Camas Prairie Winery in Moscow, Idaho, but we did not taste any wines. When we entered the tasting room, the owner was serving some other folks so we didn’t expect instantaneous service. But when he finished their tasting, he said he was going to pass them off to the checkout clerks, implying that he would then serve us. However, instead he went over to the checkout with them and continued to visit, totally ignoring us. But the straw that broke the camel’s back for us was when another employee came in, and instead of spelling him at the checkout desk or serving us, she waited on another customer who had come in after us. When that happened, we left. There are too many other wineries with good wine and good service to put up with that. I could not recommend Camas Prairie Winery to anyone.

Here’s a breakdown of the Idaho wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2004 Carmela Reserve Merlot, $25, QPR: 5
2004 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Syrah, $11, QPR: 5
2004 Ste. Chapelle Ice Wine Sauvignon Blanc, $20, QPR: 5
2005 Williamson Syrah, $18, QPR: 5
NV Williamson Doce Dessert Wine (Ruby style Port), $25, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Williamson Cabernet Sauvignon, $25, QPR: 5
2006 Williamson Late Harvest Viognier, $22, QPR: 5
2004 Carmela Red Meritage, $17, QPR: 4
2006 Williamson Viognier, $15, QPR: 3

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
NV Carmela Cabernet Merlot, $10, QPR: 5
2005 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Cabernet Sauvignon, $11, QPR: 5
2001-02 Carmela Merlot, $17, QPR: 4
2000 Carmela Cabernet Franc, $17, QPR: 4

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2003 Carmela Cabernet Sauvignon, $17, QPR: NR
2006 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Merlot, $11, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2003 Carmela Pinot Noir, $17, QPR: NR
2006 Carmela Semillon, $13, QPR: NR
2006 Ste. Chapelle Sauvignon Blanc, $9, QPR: NR

Have you ever had Idaho wine? If so, how did you like it? What was your favorite?

On Friday evening, we hosted our 60th wine tasting dinner. It was another fun evening of good wines, Mom’s excellent food, and the company of wonderful friends.

With the current state of the dollar and rising gas prices, most of us are looking to find some good deals. That’s the main reason why we selected Argentine Malbec for this month’s tasting. All six wines that we tasted come in under $20, and the winner rolls in under $10. Malbec is a varietal that is getting more and more attention and appeals to a wide variety of folks. It has a lot to offer. It is not as tannic as Cabernet Sauvignon but is spicier than Merlot and goes well with a number of different foods. It paired wonderfully with Mom’s dinner of flank steak with pico di gallo and corn salsa, Spanish rice, and sautéed vegetables.

Paul Gregutt, Wine Adviser for the Seattle Times, recently wrote a couple articles touting Argentine Malbec. All of the wines in this tasting were on his recommended list from April 9th.

For the most part, my rankings are generally close to the group consensus rankings. In this tasting, however, my personal favorite finished fourth. While the last two wines were disappointing, I don’t feel that you can go wrong with any of the top four.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2006 Altas Cumbres Malbec: Spicy and jammy. Smooth, not too bold.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $9.99, Available elsewhere, $7.99

2006 Punto Final Malbec: Lots of red fruits, especially cherries and strawberries come through on both the nose and the palate. A hint of peppermint is present on the mid-palate.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $11.99, Available elsewhere, $9 to $14

2007 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec: A bit spicy with flavors of beef jerky and cinnamon. A little rough now, should get better with age.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Pete’s Wine Shop – Eastside (Seattle area), $9.29, Available elsewhere, $8 to $13

2005 Melipal Malbec: My favorite of the evening. Very complex with lots of dried fruit and black olive flavors. Also has an attractive smoky component coming through on the nose.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $19.99, Available elsewhere, $14 to $20

2005 Tomero Malbec
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $14.99

2005 Andeluna Winemaker’s Selection Malbec
Quality: 1 star (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $12.99

We recently had another one of our double-blind private tastings. All we knew when we sat down for dinner was that these two wines were red, but we did not know their region of origin or varietal. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer back to my Private Tasting: Rioja post from February.

We enjoyed these two wines with Mom’s excellent chicken cacciatore dinner. All four of us Wine Peeps thought both wines were good and they both went well with the meal. When we pulled off the sacks after dinner to see what we had been drinking, we found two Cabernet Sauvignons, one from Washington and the other from Australia. In the head-to-head, we gave the nod to the 2004 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. We found it to be just a bit better overall than the 2006 Evil [R Wines] Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia. But I would gladly drink either of these wines again in the future. Please note that both are five-bangs-for-your-buck wines.

Once again, Columbia Crest comes through with an excellent wine. They continue to amaze me with the quality they are able to produce year in and year out. Their Reserve line is considered their top line with production of 20,000 cases per year.

If you are a regular reader, you know that we are big fans of Australian wines, especially Australian Shiraz. However, this Evil Cab just goes to show that there is more to Australian wine than just Shiraz. And like many other Australian wines, this one represents an outstanding value. In addition, the name and packaging are fun as well. While it’s not the most sophisticated bottle around and probably not one you would want to take to your boss, it could be a fitting gift for your quirky friend or maybe even your in-laws.

2004 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): Dark, inky purple with aromas of blackberries, blueberries, and spice. Black fruits and milk chocolate come through on the palate. Well-balanced with smooth tannins and a long finish. Very good from the first sip right on through the meal.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine.com (Washington), $28.99

2006 Evil [R Wines] Cabernet Sauvignon (South Eastern Australia): Dark, inky purple. Aromas and flavors of black fruits, chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon. Opens up the longer the bottle is open.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $9.99; K&L Wine Merchants (California), $8.99

This event, held last weekend at the Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus, brought together two of my favorite things, Huskies and wine. As a graduate of the University of Washington, I am a tried and true Husky fan. In fact one of my favorite pastimes is attending UW sporting events with my family. So an event that features wine and supports the Huskies is right up my alley. In its third year, Toast to the Northwest featured about 40 wineries or wine companies (distributors, importers, etc), food vendors, and even a few breweries that are all located in the Pacific Northwest. The proceeds from this event benefit the University of Washington’s Husky Marching Band. As you might expect, there was also fabulous live music.

As with any event like this, it is impossible to taste all of the wines offered. So Colby and I chose to visit the booths for wineries whose wines we had not previously tasted or had not tasted in a long time. We made a few discoveries and look forward to picking up some bottles and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites.

Our most exciting discovery of the day was Chandler Reach Vineyards. I had not previously tasted (nor even heard of) their wines. We tasted the two red wines they were offering, the 2005 Corella (72% Sangiovese, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah) and the 2005 Monte Regalo (63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah), and loved them both. Chandler Reach is located in Benton City, Washington, along the Yakima River. Inspired to start his own winery during a trip to Italy, owner Len Parris set his sights on “bringing Tuscany to Washington.” Founded in 1997, Chandler Reach’s winemaking focus is on Italian-style wines and their tasting room resembles a Tuscan villa.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 20 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chandler Reach Corella, Yakima Valley, $16.35, QPR: 5
2005 Chandler Reach Monte Regalo, Yakima Valley, $20, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Patit Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $29, QPR: 5
2005 Saint Laurent Estate Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $22, QPR: 4
2006 Alamos Seleccione Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, $14, QPR: 4

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Tilia Malbec-Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina, $9.50, QPR: 5
2003 Kiona Cabernet-Merlot, Washington State, $11.99, QPR: 5
2005 Sawtooth Viognier, Idaho, $8.49, QPR: 4
2005 Waterbrook Melange, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: 4
2005 Zerba Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2006 Maryhill Viognier, Columbia Valley, $14.99, QPR: 3
2005 Glen Fiona Walla Walla Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $19.99, QPR: 3
2002 Kiona Red Mountain Estate Cabernet, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: 3

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Sawtooth Syrah, Idaho, $12.99, QPR: NR
2006 Waterbrook Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: NR
2005 Zerba Columbia Valley Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: NR
2002 Glen Fiona Cabernet, Columbia Valley, $29.99, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Block 8 Syrah, Red Mountain, $40, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
NV Kestrel Lady in Red, Columbia Valley, $15, QPR: NR
2002 Terra Blanca Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: NR

Our Texas wine tour consisted of visits to a couple of wineries just south of Lubbock, Cap*Rock Winery and Llano Estacado Winery. Prior to this trip, my only experience with Texas wines were with Texas Hill Country wineries west of Austin and one winery near Bryan/College Station. Quite frankly, those wineries had not shown me much. Our experience this time was much better.

Based on our experiences during this road trip, I would say that Texas wines are the best of Southwest wines, better than the wines in either Arizona or New Mexico. And as I guess should be expected in Texas, the tasting room personnel were super-friendly. We had to be careful to evaluate only Texas wines produced from Texas grapes because both wineries had some wines that did not qualify as true Texas wine.

Our first visit was to Cap*Rock Winery, where we received the VIP treatment for almost two hours from their winemaker, Alberto Marchetto, without him being aware that we write a wine blog. Cap*Rock has annual production of about 13,000 cases with most distribution within the state of Texas.

While their best wine by far was a wine made with imported Italian grapes, the 2003 Il Pralongo Amarone della Valpolicella, they had a couple of decent Texas wines, the NV Cap*Rock Palo Duro Canyon Red (a Merlot-Cabernet blend) and the 2005 Cap*Rock Cabernet Sauvignon. Other Texas wines we tasted were the 2005 Cap*Rock Merlot and the 2005 Cap*Rock Chardonnay.

Next we visited Llano Estacado, one of the oldest and largest Texas wineries, with annual production of about 150,000 cases. Their wines are fairly widely distributed, especially within Texas, and are also available through their online store. At Llano Estacado, we tasted six Texas wines; the best was a 2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. We found a 2005 vintage of this wine, which might be even better, down the road at a beverage store for $16. We also thought very highly of their 2002 Llano Estacado 30th Anniversary Port which is only available at the tasting room.

The other Texas wines we tasted from their impressive lineup were the NV Llano Estacado Cellar Select Port, the 2005 Llano Estacado Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Chardonnay, and the 2006 Llano Estacado Sauvignon Blanc.

Here’s a recap of the wines we tasted in Texas, in our order of preference. All prices given are winery/tasting room prices.

2003 Il Pralongo Amarone della Valpolicella
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $49.50

2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

2005 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $16

2002 Llano Estacado 30th Anniversary Port (full bottle)
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $60

NV Llano Estacado Cellar Select Port (full bottle)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

2005 Llano Estacado Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $14

2006 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Chardonnay
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

NV Cap*Rock Palo Duro Canyon Red: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $13

2005 Cap*Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

2005 Cap*Rock Merlot
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $15

2005 Cap*Rock Chardonnay
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $15

2006 Llano Estacado Sauvignon Blanc
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $9

Have you ever tasted any true Texas wines? What was your impression? Were they from Hill Country or West Texas wineries?

We had so much fun exploring new wines in our first Wine Century Club Tasting that we decided to do it again. We headed over to K&L Wine Merchants to order another case of wine (actually a baker’s dozen this time), each bottle containing at least one grape variety that we had not previously tasted.

We followed the same format as last time for the tasting. All four of us Wine Peeps got together one afternoon, put all 13 bottles out on the table and tasted them one-by-one, discussing them as we went.

Eleven out of the thirteen bottles we tried this time were white wines. Unfortunately, this set of wines was not as solid as the wines in the last tasting, but we did find four new wines that we would like to try again sometime.

All in all, it was another fun tasting! After checking off the boxes on our Wine Century list, Dad (John) and I both have now had over 100 different grape varieties. It’s time to turn in our applications for membership in the Wine Century Club.

Just because we’ve officially met the requirements for our Wine Century lists doesn’t mean that we are done trying new grape varieties. We have learned so much, discovered new wines, and uncovered some great values. Therefore, we’ll remain on the lookout for new varieties to try.

The next time you’re buying wine (in your local wine shop, online, or in a restaurant), consider trying something new and then come back and tell us about your experience.

Here’s a rundown of the wines that we tasted (regions listed in parentheses).

Our favorites:

2007 Dominio del Plata “Crios de Susana Balbo” Torrontes (Salta, Argentina): Grape: Torrontes. Soft, golden straw color. Fragrant aromas of apricots and magnolia blossoms with a hint of sweetness. Apricots and orange peel come through on the palate. Similar to a cross between Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Well-balanced with medium plus body, refreshing acidity, and a smooth finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $12.99

2005 Bleasdale Verdelho (Langhorne Creek, Australia): Grape: Verdelho. Light gold with aromas of burnt toast and butter. Too much oak for me but a great value for a California Chardonnay fan.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $9.99

2006 La Posta del Viñatero Cocina Blend (Mendoza, Argentina): Grapes: 60% Malbec, 20% Bonarda, 20% Syrah. Deep, dark, inky purple like Welch’s grape juice. Aromas of cherry pie and oak. Ripe fruit flavors with some sweetness on the back end. A good sipper with subtle tannins and a short finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $13.99

2006 Pra Soave Classico Superiore (Veneto, Italy): Grape: Garganega. Deep, rich gold with fruit salad aromas. Citrus, almond, nutmeg, and spice on the palate. Crisp acidity and a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $13.99

The others:

NV Bortolomiol Prosecco Brut Prior (Veneto, Italy): Grape: Prosecco.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $14.95

2006 Val de Lainos Verdejo (Rueda, Spain): Grape: Verdejo.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $10.99

2005 Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Tuscany, Italy): Grape: Vernaccia.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $9.95

2006 Weingut Schmelz Grüner Veltliner “Pichl Point” Federspiel (Wachau, Austria): Grape: Grüner Veltliner.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $15.99

2006 Emiliana “Natura” Carmenere (Colchagua Valley, Chile): Grapes: 87% Carmenere, 4% Syrah, 4% Petite Verdot, 1% Malbec.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $8.99

2006 Mancini Vermentino di Gallura (Sardinia, Italy): Grape: Vermentino.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $11.99

2006 Domaine de la Pépière Classique Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie (Loire Valley, France): Grape: Melon de Bourgogne.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $11.99

2005 I Favati Fiano di Avellino (Campania, Italy): Grape: Fiano.
Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

2006 Ermacora Tocai Friulano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy): Grape: Tocai Friulano.
Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $15.99

What is the best “non-major” grape variety that you’ve ever tasted?

After attending the Unique Wines from Around the World program last month, Dad (John) and I became inspired to see just how many different grape varieties we have had through the years. We had heard about the Wine Century Club (if you’ve tasted at least 100 different grape varieties, you are qualified for membership) but had not really given it much thought until that evening. So when we returned home, we went on the Wine Century Club website and printed out a membership application which lists numerous different grape varieties. We began looking back through our tasting notes and marking off the ones that we had already had. At that point, both of our tallies were in the 70’s. Thirty more to go seemed very doable.

When we set our minds to something, we go for it and usually don’t waste much time (I’m sure this is not news to those who know us personally). And so it was with the Wine Century Club. We went online to K&L Wine Merchants and ordered a case of wine, each bottle containing at least one grape variety that we had not previously tasted. Then one evening all four of us Wine Peeps gathered for a Wine Century Club tasting. We put all 12 bottles out on the table and tasted them one-by-one, discussing them as we went, stopping to read the labels to learn more about some of them.

What a fun tasting! Not only did we try some new varieties and mark off some more boxes on our Wine Century list, but we found some wines we’d definitely like to have again and discovered some excellent values as well. Since many of these wines are relatively unknown, you are not paying for a “label.” If you are tired of drinking your stand-by Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot all the time, I encourage you to give one of these a shot (especially one of the top four listed below which are all 5 bangs-for-your buck).

Here’s a rundown of the wines that we tasted (regions listed in parentheses).

Our favorites:

2005 Pasetti Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy): Grape: Montepulciano. Deep purple with pleasant aromas of blackberry and spice. Exhibits flavors of ripe, black fruits. Very well-balanced and elegant. Lively acidity, bold tannins, and a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $12.99

2006 Donnafugata Sedara Nero d’Avola (Sicily, Italy): Grape: Nero d’Avola. A bit earthy with hints of buttered popcorn on the nose. Plums, pepper, and spice come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with smooth tannins, and a medium-plus finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $12.95

2005 Madiran Domaine Berthoumieu “Charles de Batz” (Southwest France, France): Grapes: 90% Tannat, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very dark and dense. Aromas of fresh cut grass leads to flavors of spice and black fruits (especially blackberries and blackcurrants). Big, bold puckery tannins with an extremely long finish. Should be even better in a few years as the tannins soften a bit.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

Blandy’s 5 year old Bual Madeira (Madeira, Portugal): Grape: Bual. Dark brown in color. Exhibits some maple syrup and alcohol on the nose. Well-balanced with flavors of caramel, toffee, and burnt wood. Good with dessert or as a dessert all on its own.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

Also good wines, just not quite as good as the first four:

2005 Vigne e Vini Schiaccianoci Negroamaro del Salento IGT (Puglia, Italy): Grapes: 85% Negroamaro, 15% Malvasia Nera.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $9.99

2005 De Conciliis Aglianico Donnaluna (Campania, Italy): Grape: Aglianico.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.98

2005 Scacciadiavoli Rosso di Montefalco (Umbria, Italy): Grapes: 60% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 15% Merlot, and other red grapes.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $18.99

2003 Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy): Grape: Teroldego.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $18.99

Blandy’s 5 year old Sercial Madeira (Madeira, Portugal): Grape: Sercial.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

The others:

2006 Valle dell’Acate “Il Frappato” (Sicily, Italy): Grape: Frappato.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $18.99

2005 Iby Zweigelt Classic (Burgenland, Austria): Grape: Zweigelt.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $11.99

2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Pineau d’Aunis l’Arpente (Loire Valley, France): Grape: Pineau d’Aunis.
Quality: 1 star (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $15.99

Our 59th wine tasting dinner on Friday evening was one of our best ever. We enjoyed the evening with wonderful friends, Mom’s (LaGayle) delicious meal, and a fabulous set of wines. Not only were all the wines good to excellent but they are all outstanding values. Never before have all six wines from one of our dinners received a QPR score of 5 bangs for your buck. If you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon blends, you can’t go wrong by picking up any one of these bottles.

Unlike many of our previous wine tasting dinners, this set of wines did not hail from any one particular country, state, or region. Three different countries (U.S., Australia, and France) and two states (Washington and California) were represented. The common factor is that all six wines contain some Cabernet Sauvignon. Although, as you will see below, the percentages of Cab and other varietals vary.

Remember, all of these wines are good, but here’s a rundown of the group consensus rankings from 1st to last (regions listed in parentheses):

2004 Sebastiani Secolo (Sonoma County, California): 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 7% Merlot, 1% Petite Sirah. Dense, deep purple with aromas of smoke, licorice, and green pepper. Dark fruits and pepper come through on the palate. Well-balanced with smooth tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winerz.com (California), $27.00

2002 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve (Columbia Valley, Washington): 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot. Blackberries and dill pickle on the nose. More black fruits revealed on the palate. Robust, lively acidity, medium to full-bodied, and a long, smooth finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $21.99

2000 Chateau Moulin Riche (Saint-Julien, Medoc, Bordeaux, France): 60-65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30-35% Merlot, and some Petit Verdot. A mix of barnyard and perfume aromas with a hint of nail polish. Tastes better than it smells. Flavors of mint and blackcurrant. Probably could benefit from decanting.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Our cost, $20.00; unfortunately, no longer available

2004 Peter Lehmann Clancy’s (Barossa Valley, Australia): 43% Shiraz, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot. Vegetal aromas and flavors, especially asparagus and green pepper. Some dark fruits emerge on the palate. Well-balanced.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: MadWine (Seattle), $13.99

2005 Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot-Cabernet (Columbia Valley, Washington): Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Much lighter and paler than the others. Aromas and flavors of cherry and caramel. A bit of funk on the finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: WinoWorld (Idaho), $7.38 [2004 is the currently available vintage]; probably can also be found at your local wine outlet

2006 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet (South Australia, Australia): 78% Shiraz, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark fruits dominate. Bold tannins. A little young; could benefit from some more bottle aging.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Wine Exchange (California), $7.99; probably can also be found at your local wine outlet