One of the many great things about holiday season is drinking wine no matter the day or time. Weeknight, middle of the day — hey, it’s the holidays!
Alas, all good things must end and it’s back to the normal weekly routine. But Gabriele and I took full advantage of the season to make some new wine discoveries, good and not so good. Here’s a short list of the highs and lows.
Winners
Le Clos des Cazaux 2007 Vacqueyras — I was looking for a wine like the Vacqueyras we enjoyed at Tempo last month. This wine wasn’t like that one at all, but was very good anyway. The Cazaux was much more powerful and rich. It had a lot of big, blackberry fruit and equally big tannins that balance each other nicely.Fifty percent Grenache, fifty Syrah.
There was a minerally and earthy note on the finish, along with some smokiness. Overall a really interesting, enjoyable Rhone for $20 retail.
Avenel Cellars Napa Red – This is a Cabernet led Bordeaux blend that was a Total Wine recommendation. It’s a relatively light bodied, very flavorful wine that really pops on your palate. There’s a lot of cherry fruit, with tannins that give a bite without being overly tart.
You can taste some oak and the wine has a nice, lingering finish. It’s just a delicious, easy to drink wine for $22 at Total.
Ferraton Cotes du Rhone 2008 Samorens — Back to the Rhone for a really nice entry level wine. I had been meaning to try a Ferraton since Gabriele and I really liked the entry level Chapoutier from Carlyle Grand and Chapoutier owns Ferraton. This wine had a fresh, floral bouquet and was very light in color and body. It had a lot of strawberry fruit, and then it was gone is a flash, super quick off the palate.
Super easy drinking, the kind of wine to buy for someone who says they don’t like red, or French, or both. Plus it was only $12 retail.
Losers
Chateau Larose-Trintaudon 2005 – This wine brought us right back to the disappointing experiences we’ve had searching for affordable Bordeaux. The wine was tart to the point of being astringent, thin bodied and bone dry. It was drinkable but not enjoyable. And as the tee shirt says, life is too short to drink bad wine.
Cloudline Pinot Noir 2008 — A bad example of Oregon Pinot. The wine was thin and tart, followed by a sour aftertaste. Take Nancy Reagan’s lead here and Just Say No to this one.
If you discovered a new favorite wine while giving thanks this holiday season, let me know.