2006 St. Francis Cabernet

My parents came out for a visit on Sunday- having driven all the way across the country in my little sportscar. To celebrate their arrival and the cooler, overcast (glorious) weather, I threw a pot roast in the oven. I'd been sandbagging this cabernet for their arrival and couldn't wait to crack it open.

This is a more expensive wine, but as you surely expect by now, I bought it on sale. Anyway, I had high expectations for this one. The St. Francis winery is in Sonoma county, which sits next door to Napa. So close and yet so different, really. I've never been so amazed with soil as I am now really getting to see the difference it makes in the taste of wines. What's different over the hills in Sonoma from Napa? Not a stinkin' clue. I'll let you know if/when I find out.

So, this wine had that great velvety mouth feel that I tend to associate with more expensive ($20+) wines. I know, I am such a high roller. However, I must say I was a tad bit underwhelmed with it overall. I prejudged it to be a peer of favorites Robert Mondavi Cab and Franciscan Oakville Estate Cab -- both of which can usually be had for $25+ and are wonderful. It just didn't really do it for me. It tasted fine, don't get me wrong. It certainly wasn't bad. But for the money, I'm buying Mondavi or Franciscan.

If I knew more (that is, anything) I could speculate on whether this wine is just past its peak. It is an 06. I think the 08's are in their prime this year. At least for American wines. Am I wrong? Who knows. I am basing my guess here on reading about recently crowned winners...most of which are 08's. Must be their year to shine, right?

To sum up, won't buy this one again. At least not the same year. I might be willing to try a more recent year - especially if I see good reviews of it. Recommend you do the same!

Retails $20-$25. Bought locally on sale for $14.99.

Grayson Cellars Cabernet

On Monday of this week, I found myself celebrating the long awaited promotion of a friend and, now, co-worker. So, there are now 3 of us! We dined at Brio in Las Vegas. I had never been but really enjoyed it. We decided to try a bottle of Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

I confess I felt a little dirty ordering wine from Paso Robles now that I'm a Napa area girl. But, I got over it. I generally love cabs from Paso Robles, such as long time faves J. Lohr and Five Rivers, so I felt rather confident ordering this one.

Now, I tried to see across the table to the bottle at one point so I would know what year we were drinking. I can't say I know for sure, but I believe it was the '09. I went hunting down some reviews and apparently the 08 was the bomb and frankly, this wasn't the bomb. My novice taste buds felt like while the wine was good, it seemed young. I thought perhaps it needed to open a bit but it never quite got there for me.

Nevertheless, it was a pleasant accompaniment to my extremely yummy lasagne and wedge salad!

So, overall...I did like the wine. It was a nice cab but not a favorite because it tasted young and, oddly, a bit sweet. Sweet might not be the word to really describe it but I can't come up with something more accurate. Almost...too fruity? I'd really like to get my hands on the 08 - if the experts are right, it is the year to drink.

We got this bottle in the restaurant which means we paid way over retail for it. We scored it for $27. Looks like you can normally score it for around the $10 range.

One of my fellow wine drinkers that night may comment here and let you know what she thought....comment away!

2007 Ghost Pines Chardonnay

Most of the time, I drink relatively inexpensive wines. This is because I drink a lot of wine and because I don't have a lot of money. But sometimes, you just gotta get out there and drink the really good stuff. You can't limit yourself all the time. So, at a recent outting to check out the latest wine sales, Lance and I picked up this bottle of Ghost Pines Chardonnay. We noticed it right away because it was on sale,  it was on the top shelf and it has a cool label. Don't laugh. Why do you notice wine when yo are staring at rows and rows of it?

We didn't recognize the winery until we read the back of the label and saw it comes from the Louis M. Martini winery - which is already a favorite of mine. It's a local Napa winery. I haven't actually visited it yet but I've been a huge fan of their cabernet for years and a couple of years ago while getting my PMP certification, my boot camp instructor told us she was the project manager for the Martini winery 4th of July fireworks show. What else is there to say? Wine, fireworks. Amen.

This wine is wonderful. Truly wonderful. It has a darker color and you get a good amount of fruit from it- a plus in my book. Anyone keeping score? If so, Robert Parker gives it an 88. It does have some oak to it. Not a ton, but some. I used to hate oak but I'm digging it lately so this is also a plus.

Definitely a winner here, especially if you can find it on sale. I am really looking forward to another glass tonight! We enjoyed it with homemade rotisserie chicken and sauteed greens. It stood up well and complimented both. We also had a small cheese and water cracker tray for an appetizer while the rotisserie worked its magic and the wine was superb with that.

Retails around $20, bought on sale for $12.99.

A by Acacia 2007 Red Blend

Call me crazy, but I'm intrigued by wines that are vague like this. "Red blend" you say. "Get in my glass", I say. To make matters worse...or better, the back of the bottle says "if you like pinot noir, you'll love our red blend!" Does that mean it is pinot? I don't know. But, I have been known to like a pinot so I was determined to love their red blend.

I just enjoyed a nice steak dinner. It wasn't the best steak dinner ever or anything, but it was steak and it was cooked to my preference (medium) and therefore the evening calls for red. The kitchen was a bit warm so I stuck the wine in the fridge. For a bit too long. Now, the wine is too cold. The smart thing to do on occasions such as this, is to simply wait for the wine to warm up a bit. However, it is Friday night and I'm not feeling smart...so I'm drinking it cold.

I went to do some digging to find out just what is in this here red blend. Despite the label leading me to believe it might be pinot noir, apparently, the major grape is syrah. Huzzah. We all know I like syrahs. And I like pinots, which may or may not matter here. Seems likely this is a good one for me.

It is cold, which is throwing it off for me but it is a decent sized red. While I am waiting for it to come up in temperature, I'm checking out what the so called experts have to say about it...I'm seeing comments on cherries, plums...maybe a raspberry or two. I'm not down with the raspberries but I get the cherries and plums. Now that someone pointed it out, that is. Ok, ok, maybe my palate needs a bit of refinement.

Finally we're at the right temp. I do like this wine but to this non-pro, I would say that it is a bit harsh on the swallow. It's not going down like butter. More like...hmmm...what goes down rough? Ah, got it. Whiskey. It doesn't burn your lungs like whiskey but it has that rough edge to it. Seems like maybe many people wouldn't like this attribute. I don't mind it. But then again, I like whiskey.

Good grief, I'm long winded tonight. I'll blame it on the wine having to warm up. To sum up, this is a decent red. I wouldn't refuse a glass if it was offered, but I likely won't buy it again. There are simply too many others in the same price range that I like far better.

Retails $13.99. Bought locally for $7.77.

Larry, I think I love you

Another fabulous delight of my new neighborhood here in Northern CA is all the farmer's markets. My aunt (who lives a bit farther north) has been telling me for years that you can grow anything here. Now I see it with my own eyes!

While we were here for Lance's job interviews, I was busy reading Yelp, Chowhound and other sites that mentioned anything and everything to eat or drink in the area. Time and time again, I came to people raving about Larry's Produce in Suisun Valley. I said to myself, "Self- get thee to Larry's".

I'm not sure I can adequately describe all the things I love about this place. But I will sure try. First of all, on my very first trip, we were still "living" at the Homewood Suites while house shopping. In other words, I didn't need much. Heehee. As I drove up on a late Saturday afternoon I wasn't sure I'd find parking. In fact, I had to park on the street.

Now, this is a very rural area. Not much out that road except vineyards and farms. You either live there or you're going for the fruit of the earth. And by golly, there are a lot of hungry and thirsty people out here.

So, I pull up and I see a large stagecoach driving around giving rides. And by driving, I mean, horses are pulling it. That is just cute. Larry's main building is sort of an open air kind of barn, for lack of anything better. On either side, there are acres of crops. You can either shop in the barn, or you can walk into the field and pick things yourself. Who wants to pay for that? I don't know but for some reason, I find it delightful.

Next, I see all these people pushing around wheelbarrows. Yes, wheelbarrows. Full of produce.And I mean FULL. Thought #1: man, where did they get all these wheelbarrows? #2 how can a family consume a wheelbarrow full of produce in a week? #3 where can I get a wheelbarrow?

As if I'm not already having the best time, I see the prices. You MUST be kidding me. Packages of fresh picked berries for $1. HUGE cucumbers 3/$1. Swiss Chard for 79 cents???? A bag of cilantro the size of my torso for $1. Papaya like I've only ever seen in Fiji for 89 cents a pound. Tiny bananas like we grow in Roatan! Heaven!! Oodles of mushrooms...handfuls and handfuls of them and it only came out to $2. And then there is the wild section. Where I walk through oohing and ahhing and wondering, 'what the hell is this stuff?' I don't know, but I want it! Peaches, plums, pluots, grapes, nectarines...cheap, cheap, cheap. No longer do I have to eat what's on sale. This is better than on sale. It is dirt cheap and uber fresh. Kill me now!

So, move forward a couple of weeks and now I'm a Larry's regular. I don't buy produce in the stores unless it is an after hours emergency. You know what I'm saying. We are currently a one car family so I asked my husband to run to Larry's during lunch yesterday to pick up some things. I gave him a list. He forgot it. :) So, I emailed him the list. Here was said list.

1 lemon
2 onion
2 swiss chards (red or green)
Couple of handfuls of mushrooms
1 lettuce (red or green leaf, not a big bag of lettuce)
1 bag spinach
2 tomatoes
Cilantro

He came home with
 
1 lemon
2 onion
1 swiss chard
mushrooms
1 cabbage (which he adamantly tried to claim was lettuce. "It said lettuce!!!")
1 HUGE bag of lettuce (which he tried to claim was spinach "The sign said spinach. That is spinach!" me"Just because the sign says spinach, doesn't mean this is spinach. This is lettuce" him "Whatever")
box of tomatoes
HUGE bag of cilantro
 
But you know what? He delivers for free. And it was cheap. And so, sooooo tasty!
 

2008 Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc

Last night, I poured the final glass of the BV Sauv Blanc to drink while beginning to prepare dinner. However, it was not meant to be. The wine was no longer good. There was a time in my life, that I would have gone ahead and finished that glass. This is not that time. I've moved on into the life-is-too-short-to-drink-bad-wine era. In other words, you can state it like this -- I have enough money to buy more. Whew! Thank God.

So, I cracked open a fresh bottle of Kenwood 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. I sensed I'd like this very much because it is from my favorite area in Sonoma County (fave for sauv. blancs anyway) and it was another california state fair winner. I don't know who these people are at the state fair voting on these wines, but they are smart!

As it turns out, I "accidentally" grabbed the wrong year. I was just checking out the kenwood website and the 09 is the state fair silver winner from this year. Hmmm...I've seen this before and do not care for it -- the store stocks mismatched years all together under the one advertisement. Either you are a fool and don't realize that ALL years didn't win the award or you are deceptive. Either way, it makes me not want to shop with you so knock it off! That said, the 08 was delightful and cheap so really, why complain?

I liked this wine because it was dry; I could definitely taste some citrus and grassyiness (I know, I know...surely there is a better way of saying this but I'm just a girl not a pro!). Not sweet (not much of a fan of sweet wines anymore) - but totally delicious and I had it perfectly chilled. It was hearty enough to withstand a spicier dish. We whipped up a Mexican-ish meal of cage free organic ground turkey breast, noodles, and sauce -- all simmered down in a skillet for a really robust flavor.

All said, I'd recommend this one. I'd like to try the 09 as it is listed as their best year yet and if it is better than the 08 it is mighty tasty, I bet. For a few bucks more, you could score the Hanna, which still stands at the top but -- if you need to stay closer to $10, try this puppy out.

Retails $14. Bought locally for $9.

2005 Renwood Syrah

Last night, Lance (husband) decided to have wine and he almost exclusively drinks reds. So, he chose this lovely bottle of Syrah. When he first opened it, I said "let me sniff it!" He sniffed. I said -- "what does it smell like?" So then I sniffed. Then we said in unison..."it smells like it needs to open up". So, we set the bottle and glasses down and went about our business of making dinner. Now, sometimes we eat strange things. I get it. Don't be a hater. Last night, we dined on blue cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in smoked bacon and roasted for 30 minutes. Steamed cauliflower, drizzled with local olive oil and sprinkled with cracked pepper. Baked potatoes with fresh green onions, real butter, light sour cream, mild spattering of aged cheddar and salt and pepper. In other words, probably a night to drink a white. But whatever. Ain't no snootiness here.

By the time our little meal was ready, the wine had opened up (maybe 15 minutes in total). Now, perhaps you don't know what I mean by "opening up". I can't give you much more than this -- some wines, especially big reds, need some time to let the air mix with them in order to really settle into their true flavors. Not too much time, of course, or they will be bad - you can't leave a bottle sitting there open overnight, for example. Unless you like nasty wine. And who am I to judge? We haven't moved our decanter up from the other house, so we just let it sit in the bottle sans cork and in our glasses. Easy enough.

This wine was muy good. I really, really liked it. It was full bodied, hearty, warm and delicious. It made me desperately wish I was eating roast. Or steak. Or other red meat meals.  And yet, despite my meal of 2 white vegetables, it was still absolutely yummy. It was a bit overpowering for the cauliflower but I don't fault the wine. This was everything you want a syrah to be - creamy, rich, bold, spicy. Man. Just talking about it makes me want to have a glass with my morning muffin.

This winery is not in the Napa area. It sits north east a bit -- between Napa and Tahoe in the Sierra foothills. So says the bottle and their website. Apparently, they are most known for their zinfandels. You know what this means! Mama needs to get to the market and pick up a bottle of that - sho nuff!

To sum up, if you like a robust red in general, and a syrah in particular, this wine is a great choice. In addition to being a fabulous drink, I would love to try cooking with it. I make a mean red wine stew that this would work very well in.

Retails $11.50. Bought $8.99.