Bang for the Buck- Andrew Harris 1999 Shiraz, Mudgee, Australia $15: This one I loaded up on. Nice blueberry & soft vanilla-oak flavors, harmonious tannins. A really good value, and example of Australian Shiraz
Bang for the Buck II- Scramsberg "Mirabelle" NV Brut, North Coast, California $20: A good clean bottle of bubbly for an aperitif. Not too complex, but doesn't suffer from the "cheap champagne" syndrome, either. Toasty flavor, fizz, and clean finish.
The battling Zins: Milat 2000 Zinfandel, St Helena, Ca $24 and Rombauer 2001 Zinfandel El Dorado, St. Helena, CA $29: My wife, who normally can take or leave Zinfandel, really liked both of these (so did I). The Milat has the typical Zin-berry nose, with a little alcohol. Ripe, but not too boisterous on the palate. But the Rombauer edges it out with a smoother, more harmonious structure. A "finesses" glass of Zin.
A Tale of Two Cabs:
Merryvale 2000 Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California $31: A "european" style Cabernet: Good fruit, but integrated and non-abusive oak, smooth and refined with the typical Cabernet currant-flavors. A good wine for a good meal.
Elyse 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Morisoli Vineyard, Napa, California $59: What can you say, sometimes price does tell the story. The most expensive wine we tasted, and the best. Intense, extracted, very full bodied, but with supple tannins. This is a wine for drinking by itself. We tasted straight from the bottle, but with decanting, this wine would really open up. Currant, mocha, oak. Long finish. Enough said.
Schramsberg NV Blanc de Blancs, Calistoga, California $39: I've had a hard time finding a California sparkler that would compete even with modestly priced French Champagne - say a Bollinger or Veuve Clicquot in the $40-50 range. Well, no more. I tasted this one just after the Brut above. The difference in quality was not subtle. Light, creamy, crisp - the kind of sparkling wine that encourages you to drink the whole bottle.
Other notes: The Lang & Reed 2000 Cabernet Franc ($25) had a distinctly earthy note that I finally likened to truffle. The Santa Alicia 1999 Merlot Reserve ($10) from Chile was also a good bargain; simple, but typical Merlot flavors.
Until Next Time!
Michael
"Well, a satirical piece in the Times is one thing, but bricks and baseball bats really gets right to the point. "