A-Mano Chianti 2006

I have always considered Chianti kind of a table wine (probably because it was described to my Dad and I as a table wine why we were in Italy one year). Myth or not, I like Chiantis but do not have high standards for the wine as a whole. This was a good wine. Not complex but still full-bodied flavor all the way through. Very typical for a good quality Chianti.


Inexpensive Wine Review: OK

Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

This Napa Cab is a great wine for the value. Avalon states on its website,

One-eighth the size of Bordeaux, this small little valley is responsible for some of the world's most expensive wines…

Ours, however, is not one of them. We've taken the ego out of the equation and bring you world class wine at a darn good value.

I would agree that Avalon has come up with a great inexpensive cab from an erea that produces a ton of great cabs that are, well, usually no cheap.

Inexpensive Wine Review: Great

IQUE Malbec 2007

This big bold Malbec is a fantastic wine for the money. I admit that I have not explored the world of Malbec all that well. I tend to find them good value wines, but fairly un-complex (read as not much to them). [Side Note, I’m looking for more Malbecs to review if anyone has suggestions]. Ique actually has a great full bodied flavor that paired great with a steak. For the money, this bottle seems like a steal.

Inexpensive wine review: Grab a couple cases

Sofia Riesling 2008

I'm becoming more and more of a Riesling fan. Yes, the wine is sweet...but I have found that good Rieslings don't have to taste like candy. For $20, this is not the cheapest wine to experiment with, but it is a great Riesling to try if your not convinced a Riesling can be a great wine.

This Riesling from Sofia is a pear-esc fruit froward wine fantastic for the summer time. Sofia could also make well with Sushi depending on the type of sushi you favor.

Inexpensive Wine Review: Great

Chateau l'Enclos 1982

Chateau l'Enclos is not a well know French Bordeaux (ok...not as well know as say Margaux), but is still a fantastic wine. The newer reviews usually has this Chateau as a pretty decent wine. According to my dad, it was the same back in the 80's. I have no idea what the wine tasted like back in the 80's (mainly becuase I wasn't allowed to drink yet), but the wine is pretty good now. It is on the tail end of it's prime. If you have it in a cellar somewhere, I suggest you start drinking up. It won't have very many more years in it...but it was well worth the wait. The tannins were all mellowed out leaving way for that great berry flavor. Good wine.

Aged Wine Review: Great

20 Gauge Chard 2007

Gauge wines makes 2 wines. The first was the 12 Gauge Cab and the other is the 20 Gauge Chard. Again, a very traditional California Chard. Not oaky with lots of very crisp clean flavors. For those who love west coast white, this is a great one to try. And like it's Cab brother, this is a "grab a couple cases" wine. Good stuff.

Inexpensive Wine Review: Grab a Couple Cases

12 Gauge Cab 2007

First in a series from Gauge Wines (Might be one of my new favorit wineries...which says a lot about the wine). This cab is a very traditional well ballanced cab. Pefrect with any meat or meal that, I quote, "hat's met its demise as a worthy adversary." At $15, this is a great buy. Grab a couple of cases...but only if you think you will be able to drink them in the next year or two. This is a great wine now, but it won't age well past a couple years.

Inexpensive Wine Review: Grab a Couple Cases

Hanna 2001 Cab

This Hanna has been mellowing out for a while down in Walt's Cellar. That's a good thing because I remember thinking this wine needed a few year. When I first tried it, I remember thinking that it was to rough of a wine. Well...that has changed. This wine has a great berry flavor that any wine lover would enjoy. Just the right blend of aged fruit and tannins. 2003 (I think that was when it was released) this wine would have been an easy "don't wast your money" wine (especially given this wine wasn't cheap either). Now, this actually is a great wine...almost hall of fame.

Aged Wine Review: Great

It was the Night before Christmas and The House was Definitely Stirring

Awe Christmas time. This is one of my favorite times of the year, mainly due to our family tradition. We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, which started back when my family was trying to make sure that both sets of Grandparents received some quality time over the holidays. Besides, I’m sure Santa doesn’t mind getting an early start.

Today, that tradition still carries on. Nice since instead of grandparents, I have in-laws (We need to spread the love…it’s only fair).

The tradition pretty much goes as follows. Laura and I drive in to Indy early on the 24th. About 2:00pm, our family picks a wine from Walt’s Cellar, takes great care in opening, and then let decant until dinner (pay attention to when we eat dinner & drink THIS wine). At that time, we follow up making sure we pick out at least a few extra bottles for dinner and desert (picked the last of the Chateau Voigny).

After a bottle of good but inexpensive wine, we head to church as a family (after all it is Christmas), come back and start the parade of wine and food. The menu starts out with some appetizers like cheese crackers. The main courses are spread out and contain crab legs (a yearly must) and some sort of meat (in this case a beef tenderloin).

The best part though is spending time with my family and tasting bottle after bottle of fantastic wine. It is not uncommon for us to go through 8 bottles in a single night (which gives my blog a ton of content). And as you can guess from my last side comment, I will be reviewing most of the bottles. The list looks a lot like (dates and links to follow):

• Moet & Chandon White Star
• Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay
• Meursault Chardonnay
• Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet
• Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillon Saint Julien 1982 (Wine of the Year in 1982)
• Folly Pinot Noir
  
• Layer Cake Argentina
• Chateau Voigny

Even though we start at 2:00 pm, the whole night still takes us until about midnight (some nights longer), which the tenderloin being served around 9:00pm (Ya, that means that the decanted wine was decanting for around 6 hours). You can see why it is one of my favorite times of the year. Great food and wine, and even better company….you can’t beat it.

Canon De Sol Merlot 2003

Canon De Sol was another fantastic wine I tried over the summer. According to the website, Canon De Sol was the first Hispanic owned winery in Organ. A lot of body to this true Merlot. It is Fruit forward, but it is far from being a fruit bomb. Great wine that will impress even the most discriminating of wine connoisseurs.

Inexpensive Wine Review: Hall of Fame