Though I love wine, I am not nearly the expert nor the researcher or collector that my "cousins' husband" is - I affectionately referred to him as this once before and have not been able to live it down! I have shared many a good bottle of wine with him and he definitely goes to the "expensive" shelves when we are over so it is with pleasure that I introduce "Cabhunter" as a guest blogger for our "Celebrate National Drink Wine Day" posting. I have asked him to include easier to find wines in various price ranges for this occasion and I couldn't agree more with his selections as I have had just about all of them! I know you will enjoy them too so pick a bottle up on your way home and have a toast with us! Cheers- FoodieCabhunter:
When Foodie asked me to post a blog about wines for National Drink Wine Day, I said "sure, that sounds like a good idea, and something I would really enjoy". As the big day drew closer I started to wonder what I was going to write about with a whole world of wines to choose from. I finally decided to start by writing about the wines I really enjoy and that I think many of you will, and by providing choices of price points from $10 to $45.
White Wine (I tend to spend less on white wines and view them as appetizers to my red wine entrees!)
When I first got into wine drinking and collecting in 2000, the focus was California which was in the midst of two excellent Chardonnay vintages- 1996 and 1997. Everything we enjoyed back then was in the classic opulent Cali style. Over the years, our tastes gradually began to change, and we found ourselves enjoying the more restrained Chardonnays of White Burgundy. Our house white for the past several years comes from the Macon region, laying outside of the Chardonnay epicenters of Mersault and Puligny Montrachet and thus retailing at a MUCH lower price.
Subtle notes of green apple, nuts, oats, honey and lemon are the hallmarks of these dry, minerally wines. At a price point of $12-$15, these wines can't be beat for everyday drinking. 2004, 2005, and 2006 are all very good vintages in the region, and 2007 looks promising. Most of what you see on the shelves will be 2006 and 2007, and these wines should be enjoyed now.
Recommended-
Domaine Michel Barraud Macon Village 2006 - $12
If you are looking for a California Chardonnay in a similar style, try the Wyatt Chardonnay for $12. And if you can't pull yourself away from that full bodied Cali style, the 2007 Bogle should do the trick at $10.
Red Wine (my real wine obsession)
Similar story for my introduction to red wine as that of white wine - a string of excellent Cabernet vintages in Cali including 1996, 1997, and 1999 (but not 1998). Unfortunately prices for Cali Cabs have skyrocketed over the past 9 years, so value is hard to come by today. For that reason, as well as an expanding interest in the different varieties of red wine, I began to explore.
One of the best sources of red wine value in the world is the Southern Rhone valley in France. Made from primarily Grenache and Syrah (with some other varietals included as well), the Southern Rhone produces rich, structured, earthy wines with nice fruit and complexity. With a string of excellent vintages dating from 2007 back to 1998 (except 2002), you will easily find an abundance of selections from Chateauneuf du Pape, the flagship (and pricier) part of the region, right down to the delicious and affordable wines of Cotes du Rhone.
Recommended-
Jean-Louis Chave Selection Cotes du Rhone Mon Coeur 2006 - $23
If you feel like "going back to Cali", we can provide some excellent, widely available (and relatively reasonably priced) red wine choices from the Golden State as well:
2006 Ridge - Three Valleys, Geyserville, or Lytton Springs- Longtime top Cali producer of Zinfandel (usually blended with some Petite Syrah) ranging from $22 to $35.
2005 Buehler Cabernet Napa Valley - $27
2005 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Napa Valley - Long time Napa pioneer produces an EXCELLENT bottle of Napa Cabernet that can be found for $40 to $45, and which will really improve with a few years of cellar time.
Anything from T-Vine Cellars - a small (500 to 700 case production of each varietal) California producer and personal favorite, features Syrah, Petite Syrah, two Zinfandels, Grenache and a Merlot between $30 and $36, and a Cabernet based wine for $45. All of the wines are dark, full bodied and extremely tasty. If you want to keep the price in the low $30 range, try the Syrah and the Zinfandel. These wines are hard to find in the store but available on the website at www.tvinecellars.com
Last but not least, Wyatt also makes and enjoyable bottle of California Cabernet that retails for $12.
Hope you enjoy National Drink Wine Day and these selections!
For now,
Cabhunter
2 comments:
Thanks for the wine suggestions! I'll be on the lookout for those. My uncle just had open heart surgery performed by the same doctor that President Clinton used. Now my uncle has switched from beer to red wine so I'll have to find a few of your recommendations for him to sample. It's nice to know he can still have wine after a procedure like that.
My husband and I discovered a nice bottle of red while dinning at Nicolas in Red Bank. The 2006 Ramsay Pinot Noir was $40 in the restaurant and we found it for $15 at our local Shoprite. There are a few restaurants in the area with great wine lists and we often "take notes" and do our independent shopping later. Jim, the proprietor of Doris & Ed's is great with wine selections. The best white wine (all five of us at the table) ever had was a Chardonnay by Kistler Les Noisetiers. I can't remember the vintage but that bottle is only available for restaurant sales and Doris & Ed's still carry it. Most of the time we can find wines at our local liquor store that the restaurants carry which is nice and convenient.
Thanks again!
Jen
Freehold
Thanks for your comments Jen. One of my favorite Cabernet standbys is Twenty Bench. It is about $20. It is worth picking up a bottle if you see it.
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