• If you try something based on my recommendation, and don't enjoy it, buy me another bottle and I will reconsider my position.
• The best way to get your favorite wine on my web page is to give me a bottle.

Below are two current months of reviews.  Click here for my Review Archives.

My big brother's newest baby had his Brit Milah today, and that meant a celebration.  There was lots of food, and several people, and of course there was Kosher wine on hand.  I've had mixed things to say about Fortant in the past.  They do a descent job.  This time around I thought the Chardonnay was nothing to talk about.  But the Merlot was not too bad.  It avoided the jammy plumb flavor that ruins many Merlots.  Pretty good as inexpensive Kosher wines go.

Yes, yes...  another Argentine wine.  Get used to it; like Argentinian restaurants, the wines are only going to get more and more prominent. 

Navarro Correas was an early entrant to the mainstream U.S. wine market.  I know that a wine should not be judged by its label, but they just have such classy packages!  All of Navarro Correas's wines feature regional art on the label.  And not Hallmark card paintings of sunsets and mountains, but really diverse and modern works.

The wines also tend to be good, especially at such a reasonable price.  This Malbec could use a bit more texture, but the flavor is right on.  Rich and lush, with spicy berry and chocolate.

I need to stop being so surprised when I find a good wine that isn't from the west coast.  This Chardonnay really hit the spot.  We fixed salmon fillets in an oriental marinade, and the pineapple note in Chateau Elan was a great match.  It was a new taste to me.  It had the distinct pineapple flavor common to California Chards, but it wasn't accompanied by the peachy-creamy texture that turns me off of so many Chardonnays.  Instead, the tangy fruit stood out on its own and balanced into a very crisp, pleasant drinking wine.  An online research vendor provided a case to my department at work for the holidays, and I just got around to opening it.  An excellent pick by their Atlanta office.

The return of an old favorite.  Julie's favorite, to be exact.  This wine is always at home with spicy and flavorful foods.  I keep trying my hand at homemade Indian food, and this was a great complement to curry rice and vegetables with gharam masala.  Citris and tangy fruit flavors, a little exotic, crisp and fruity.

Norma dropped a hint about two years ago that she would really like a bottle of good Bordeaux to have on hand for a special occasion.  We dutifully ran out and found this 3rd growth bottle from a very good Medoc year, and gave it to her for her birthday (or Xmas?)  Since that time, I've eyed this bottle every time Norma sent me to the pantry to pick the wine for dinner.  But I never said a word, or suggested opening it.

Well, the special occasion arrived.  Norma found the China cabinet of her dreams, and that was cause to celebrate.  I didn't argue with her logic.  Any reason to eat good food and drink great wine...  And it was great.  Delicate and intricate flavors.  The subtlety of Bordeaux, not the boldness of Napa.  Worth the wait.

Logan and Missy had us over for a great Shabbat feast of brisket and potatoes with sugar snap peas.  It was a real treat, especially with this smooth old Rioja.  Logan confessed that he wasn't familiar with Rioja, but had picked it up just to give a Spanish red a try.  That's good enough rational for me!  A Rioja is where most new comers to Spanish wine get started.  

There was cedar and tea in the flavor; a complexity that comes with age, but not one I would have associated with Rioja.  I was actually a little surprised that such an old bottle was still holding up.  Rioja is not known for long-lived wines.  But this one was at its peak, and in great condition.

Did I say I wouldn't be drinking this bottle for a couple of years? (see Nov. 8 review)  Woops!  I couldn't help myself.  It's SOOO, so, so so delicious.  I keep trying it, and it just keeps being my favorite Oregon Pinot.  Get a bottle however you can and enjoy this truly fab wine.

The second of two home made wines from local wine maker David Garvis (see Dec. 30 review).   I think this Syrah is a more serious wine than his Cabernet.  He's really found a grape he can work with, and has brought out all its wonderful character.  This Syrah is un-apologetically fruity, without being jammy.  There's a great balance of tannin, fruit and alcohol.  Everything falls into place nicely.  I have been cautioned by someone else who has tasted Garvis Reserve not to hold onto the bottles for too long (he also bought a house with the help of the wine-makers wife).  I can see how that would be true; this bottle was wonderful and vibrant, but could easily fall apart after a couple of years in the bottle.  Enjoy something this fun and special now, and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Norma brought this wine home from her recent trip to Southern California.  While there she sampled several bottles from the burgeoning local wine scene in-and-around Santa Barbara.  This is a great example of the "Cal-ital" style -- the making of hearty Italian-style reds such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Barbera, and Barolo in California.  Di Bruno is a powerful red, showing a little heat on the tongue from unbalanced alcohol, but also backed with dark tannin and rich taste.  This is not the Sangiovese you pour from a wicker basket wrapped bottle!  A bold statement in Sangiovese from the CA Central Coast, where wine makers jealous of their northern kin in Napa are always trying to prove something.  No, if Di Bruno has failed at all (and I don't think it has) it's from leaning too far in the other direction.  This is a wonderful wine, and yet it could still learn something about subtlety from it's Italian forbearers.  

The first bottle of the new year, and it's an old favorite.  I'd have to check, but this light, vibrant, slightly fizzy white may now be my most frequently mentioned wine.  Nothing fancy, just a crisp, clean drink that goes great with any spicy food.  Tonight we had some of Whole Foods' wonderful hand made chicken sausages, along with scalloped potatoes and sauerkraut.  The tartness of the wine was perfect with the tangy sausage and the sour cabbage.