French Hill Confusion 2005 – California

This is a “meritage” red blend. Both of us liked this wine, but we described it totally differently. I guess Confusion is an apt name.
Francesca said the nose was of prunes and boysenberry. Ken thought it had violets, bing cherries, and weirdly maybe some roasted red chilies.
As for taste, Francesca noted spice, licorice, almonds, and anise. Ken found smoke, earth, and lots of California fruit. It’s almost like a big Zin in fruitiness, but balanced and mellow. There’s definitely some spice involved. Like a French red blend but with California fruitiness. The blend is Malbec, Tempranillo, and Petite Sirah. A House/Yes wine, and we’re generally not huge fans of “generic” red blends. Very well done.

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2006 – France

We know we’re biased against most Bordeaux wines – both red and white. We love French Burgundies (again, both red and white), but can’t seem to warm up to Bordeaux. This Mouton Cadet has been around for decades (and we hadn’t had a bottle in many years), and is known as an inexpensive, reliable entry to red Bordeaux blends (most often primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc – in that order). Reliable? – maybe; Inexpensive? – yes; Good? – not in our opinion. This seems like just another Weak Red Wine. Nose is pleasant, with some plum and hints of seriousness. But the tastes go downhill from there – watery, little fruit, no depth or even hints of elegance. Maybe it will go better with pizza tomorrow night. [It didn’t.] No. $9 on sale, $11 usually.

Bolla Valpolicella 2006 – Italy

We distinctly get some red bell pepper on the nose. This has smoky, beefy tastes that are rather dry and rough. Raisins and roasted chili peppers. Significant, but not harsh, tannins. Maybe. $8 on sale, normally about $10.

Bolla Bardolino 2005 – Italy

This is the Italian equivalent of a cheap Beaujolais, or of American box wine. As light and watery as an inexpensive Chianti – there’s not much of anything here. If you feel you just have to sample a little of everything, or if you love vapid light wines, then give this a try. It’s not undrinkable, we just wonder why anyone would bother. No. $8 on sale, usually $10.

B.R. Cohn Roadster Red Non-Vintage – California

Bruce Cohn is the long-time manager of the Doobie Brothers, and his winery tasting room is filled with musical memorabilia. His wines aren’t too bad, either. The tasting room was bright and lively, and the server knowledgeable. We generally shy away from inexpensive red blends, but enjoyed this a lot. It opens with a nose of blackberry, cherry, and spice. The tastes are smooth, with nice acidity and mild tannins. The primary flavors are roasted plum and dark blackberry. Cohn is into restoring old automobiles, thus the wine’s name. Yes. $15

Kestrel Lady In Red Non Vintage – Washington

Friends brought this over for dinner, having picked it up at Costco (which has been known to have some nice wines). To us, it’s just another red wine. Better than the “standard” of cheap reds (Trader Joe’s Two-Buck Chuck - aka “2 Buck Junk”), but still just a red wine nonetheless. This has been well-rated by Wine Spectator, but for us, it’s a Maybe at best. (We originally didn’t know what our friends paid, but having found out it’s $21 retail, we’d really not bother.)

This is a good time for a digression about personal tastes. We read the popular wine press, and often agree with many of the writers – especially Matt Kramer in Wine Spectator and John Brecher & Dorothy Gaiter of the Wall St. Journal. All writers have personal favorites, and despite trying to be impartial in their reviews, their own upbringing and taste preferences can (and do) color their recommendations. Remember that applies to us, too. Another Wine Spectator writer, James Suckling, seems to be on a mission to deify all Italian wines, while we seldom find anything beyond ordinary in almost all Italian wines, no matter the price. Our suggestion, of course, is to taste a lot of wines, and read a lot of wine writers and their reviews. Once you can say, as we did above, that you agree with a taster’s tastes, then you can begin to rely more on their recommendations.

Lost River Cedarosa 2005 – Washington

This Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend has a wonderful deep cherry nose. Rich character, earthy, with a “dark” taste. Spiciness and pepper on the finish. Very smooth and integrated. Yes. About $15.

Masciarelli Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo 2004 – Italy

This starts with a nose of deep, black cherry. The flavors aren’t very fruity, but rather of briar and bramble, almost “woody,” but not in an oaky sense. There’s also a hint of mint. Puckery tannins, and some nice acids. Yes for Ken, Maybe for Francesca. $11

Columbia Crest Merlot Cabernet 2002 – Washington

Black cherry, blackberries, plum. Smooth, nice, but not much character. To us, more Merlot-style than Cab (actually, it’s 52% Merlot, 28% Cab Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc). Maybe (and we’re not giant fans of Cabernet or Merlot). $6 on sale (usually about $8).

2005 Ridge Geyserville Redux

We gushed about the Ridge 2005 Geyserville on Christmas Eve. Apparently others think likewise. Here is the Connoisseurs' Guide (subscription) review of the wine.

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
Volume 32, Issue 3: January 2008

2005 Ridge Geyserville – 95 points
77% Zinfandel; 17% Carignane; 6% Petite Sirah

"Some years back Ridge removed the varietal identifier from its Geyserville red wine made substantially from Zinfandel but a field-blend in reality. But whatever they call it, it has been and continues to be a terrific Zinfandel by any standard. Its deep but still developing aromas of berries, brownies and sweet oak give way to more open and accessible ripe-berry flavors, and, contrary to the latter-day norm, the wine is free of excessive ripeness or evident heat. It has the depth to enjoy now, but given Geyserville's track record for longevity and the wine's nascent character, it is wise to cellar away a few bottles." 95 pts.

Lost River Community Red 2005 – Washington

The label doesn’t say what grapes are in this red blend, but it tastes to us sort of like the common Aussie blend (but less common in the U.S.) of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Another nicely made wine from Lost River, but it’s just another average, OK, “red” wine. Maybe. $12

Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone 2006 – France

As much as we like French wine styles, we really wanted to like this red. But... This Grenache/Syrah blend has a nose that’s almost alcohol-y, and tastes that have little fruit (a hint of dark plum), but lots of minerals, earth, acids, and tannins. Somewhat harsh (maybe young). A Maybe, at best. $13

GraEagle Red & Enchiladas

WINE
GraEagle “Red Wing” 2004 – Washington
The first taste is a quick blast of green pepper (not unpleasant). This wine then mellows out to just another red. Some nice solid acidity. Not bad, but just nothing special. A red blend of 49% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 39% cabernet franc. This was a gift, and we haven’t researched the price (wouldn’t that be unseemly?), so without that guidance, we’ll stick with a Maybe. (As we've said before, our "ratings" are value dependent -- a wine might be a "Yes" at $10 but a "Maybe" at $20.)

[Update: As previously mentioned, if we find a wine rated elsewhere, we will note those ratings – but only after we write our reviews. The 2005 vintage of this wine received a 91 from Wine Spectator.]

DINNER
Green chili & cheese Enchiladas, with creamed spinach topping.

Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 2005 & Christmas Eve Dinner

WINE
Ridge Geyserville (Zinfandel) 2005 – California
Rich, fruity (black cherry, blackberries, some spice), smooth, perfect balance of fruit and tannins. This, to us, is the perfect red wine – possibly our best Ridge yet, and we’re huge Ridge fans. 77% zinfandel, 17% carignane, 6% petite sirah. The label says it will “develop greater complexity over the next ten years.” We suggest buying a case and opening a bottle (or more) every year until then. Wow. House/Yes. $35

[Update: As previously mentioned, if we find a wine rated elsewhere, we will note those ratings – but only after we write our reviews. This received an 88 from Wine Spectator.]

DINNER
Mushroom Stroganoff, with fresh button mushrooms and wild dried (and rehydrated) Boletes. You wouldn’t know it was vegetarian.

Rosemount Estate Shiraz Grenache 2004 – Australia

When we first tried this wine years ago, it was Grenache/Shiraz, probably indicating that the blend was more Grenache than Shiraz. Now it’s 55% Shiraz, probably because of Shiraz’s ascendancy in popularity. It’s pretty close in taste to a pure Syrah (see our Columbia Crest review), and has almost a beefy nose. Plumy tastes, fresh and fruity. A House wine for all these years, and still so. About $10.