Okay so I managed to get my hands on a couple of bottles of the Seghesio 2006 Sonoma County Zinfandel (harder than you think!), which coincidentally was the only reasonably priced wine in the Wine Spectator top 10 and actually is number 10. They gave it 91 points and honestly this is one wine of all the Seghesio Zins that I never really cared for, but thought okay the critics are raving on this so I'll give it one last shot. Gotta say I don't agree with the hype on this one. I've had a number of other Zinfandels that blow this one out of the water including other Seghesio Zins. Perhaps it just needs some time to age and that's what I will do with the other bottle and try it in a few years and see if it gets any better. So I guess I'm saying on this one don't believe the hype!
So has anyone tried the Eisch breathable wine glasses yet? Just curious if all the hype is true. There was a story on the news about it the other night and read some reviews and they seem to be good so far so just curious if anyone has tried them.
So my Robert Biale first shipment from the wine club arrived! Very excited!
What arrived in my shipment:
2006 Gaudi Somerston Vineyard Napa Valley Barbera
2006 Royal Punishers Napa Valley Petite Sirah
2006 Aldo’s Vineyard Napa Valley, Oak Knoll Disctrict Zinfandel
2006 Monte Rosso Sonoma Valley Zinfandel
I already know they make a fabulous Zin so anxious to try their Petit Sirah and Barbera!
Considering ordering some Bella Vineyards Zins. Tried them in Healdsburg and dear god were they amazing and not like a typical Zin. Less on the spicey side and definitely more lush fruit, but not too sweet. The Biale, at least the Black Chicken, definitely has more of a spicey type aspect you expect from a Zin, but still seems a bit more refined than most Zins I've had.
I really need to have some people over and crack open some of the bottles of really good stuff I have been accumulating because I just can't drink it all myself since hubby is not a wine drinker. Good thing my mother doesn't live here LOL! I've started sending her some better wines than the jug Carlo Rossi stuff she usually drinks. Not to sound snotty at all, but I have no idea how people can drink that. I am quite certain that with growing up around that it's what turned me off of wine until I dated someone that actually drank "real" wine. It's only in the last few years I've gotten more serious about my appreciation for it. I really need to do some exploring of some Washington wineries since we have so many here. By exploring I mean go visit the tasting rooms! I would really love to head out to Walla Walla and visit L'Ecole and Woodward Canyon!
Just curious if anyone here has a vino temp? If so what brand and what do you think of it? Looking to invest in one about 50 bottle size that is free standing to put in our dining room. I want something quiet and it's to put reds in predominantly since that's what I drink mostly so it doesn't necessarily need to be a dual temp.
I joined my first wine club and my first shipment should come the first part of November! I became a member of the Black Chicken Society for Robert Biale wines! I did finally get to try the Black Chicken Zinfandel that I have been trying to track down on our recent trip to the Sonoma Valley. It was every bit as good as I imagined if not better! I also managed to finally track it down in Seattle. For the curious I found it at Esquin. I swear they really do have just about everything there unless the wineries just don't retail other than through the winery itself like a couple of them I went to in Sonoma. It was a little pricier than buying directly from Biale, but I figured after tax and shipping then I probably came out ahead with what I paid at Esquin for it.
Will post the low down on the trip tomorrow.
Okay so I am trying to hunt down a Robert Biale Zinfandel and just curious if anyone here has tried it.
I had a cooking class earlier this week and one of the guest chefs was from the Napa/Sonoma area and he said if I love Zinfandels that this is the one to try. Well he didn't tell me at the time, but after calling around a few places trying to get a bottle, come to find out it's a "cult" wine. Uuuuug so that means this sucker is gonna be that much more difficult to get my hands on to try a bottle. My fave restaurant has it by the bottle, but it's pretty pricey at the restaurant and unless we go with another couple sometime I will not have the chance to have it there. So the hunt is on to find a bottle to purchase retail.
So let me know if you've tried it and what you thought of it.
Robert Karl's 2005 Claret
The 2005 Columbia Valley Claret (red wine) is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec. The fruit was sourced from our estate vines at Gunselman Bench, Andrews Horse Heaven Ranch, McKinley Springs and Phinny Hill vineyards. It was aged in 70% French oak and 30% American oak for 23 months, 50% of the oak was new. The ideal consumption is 2 to 5 years from release date, but this wine will develop for another 5-7 years. The alcohol by volume is 14.0%. This wine was bottled August 7, 2007.
It had a wonderful bouquet, great legs, light on tannin, long on finish. Looks to retail about $20 for a bottle.
I had this paired with a lamb t-bone in a harissa marinade served with a sour cherry syrah veal jus, fingerling potatoes, and asparagus with goat cheese. It was pure heaven! Our waitress at Sip in Issaquah suggested it after I gave her a few of the various reds I had had there that I really enjoyed. We've pretty much become regulars there. We were able to name off two of the four cheeses on the cheese plate (they rotate out the cheeses regularly so we did really well considering!) The head chef came out to chat with us for a bit, which is always nice. He comes by on occasion when we are there to see how the food is and how we are doing. Sip is also going to be opening in Gig Harbor as well in probably October. Look forward to that since hubby has family down there that we go to dinner with and now maybe we can take them there!
Ah another wine and food pairing where I didn't want the meal to end!
Okay so hubby and I are wanting to plan a trip in September to San Francisco and Sonoma to do some wine touring. I'd love to try and locate a hotel and tour package if we could. I have absolutely no idea where the heck to start. Never been so no idea what's good or what to expect. Kinda wanted to be in the Healdsburg area since Seghesio is right there and I am truly in love with their Zinfandels. I am not totally committed to just there, but really would like to go to Seghesio if we can so am open to other places. Suggestions? Anyone gone to Sonoma that knows good places to stay or tours to take, anything?
The latest edition of Wine Spectator gave some impressive reviews of Washington wines at decent prices: Mercer Estates Cabernet Sauvignon from Horse Heaven Hills 2005 (90 pts, $24); Three Rivers Merlot from Columbia Valley 2005 (90 pts, $19); Desert Wind Merlot (89 pts, $15); Three Rivers River's Red from Columbia Valley (89 pts, $13); Columbia Crest Two Vines Vinyard 10 Red 2005 (88 pts, $8); and Snoqualmie Whistle Stop Red from Columbia Valley 2006 (87 pts, $10).
I haven't tried any of these, but if I do, I'll let you know what I think.
~J
