Morsels - Traverse City, MI - 7/3/09

Here's their site - located right downtown in Traverse City.

They look like schmancified Hostess Mini Muffins, but brother, they ain't Hostess Mini Muffins.



Among others, featured here are: Tall on Taste (raspberry shortbread), Redhead (carrot cake), Devil's in the Details (devil's food cake with chocolate cream), Something to Wine About (flourless chocolate cake), Brownie Excite-Mint (chocolate/mint - my personal favorite).

A dozen go for around nine bucks and though they are small, they're dense (yet, paradoxically light) enough that you'll probably be set, for a while at least, with four or five. Let's pretend you have a seven hour drive in front of you, you'll probably want to stock up on a few dozen. We didn't. We should've.

This is yet another place we stumbled upon on our first visit and knew we had to return. These two bite pastries pack a lot of punch.

The Cook's House - Traverse City, MI - 7/2/09

The site for this tiny restaurant can be found here. They might take walk-ins, but I think I counted 18 seats - don't risk it, get a reservation.

Hypothetically, I would've brought an L. Mawby Blanc de Noir and a Two Lads Cab Franc to go with this tasting menu. Hypothetically, if I did, they would've gone great. Hypothetically.

You can pick from appetizers/entrees like a typical restaurant or you can do a five course tasting menu for $45 or a seven course tasting menu for $55.

I am a fan of the tasting menu. I think the tasting menu is the best way to eat - if a restaurant has one, I do it. If I can't afford it, I wait until I can. It is the way to go.

I've done many tasting menus in Chicago plus a couple in other Midwest cities and this is the cheapest - $55 - for what was served. In terms of the dollar/deliciousness ratio, this one wins.

I admit, I like my molecular gastronomy and I like my foams which this has neither of. This is classic preparations with high quality ingredients. To compare to Chicago establishments, The Cook's House can most closely be compared to the food of Charlie Trotter's with the atmosphere of Schwa - only the chef's don't seem to hate you and getting a reservation is easy.

Our seat was right against a cooler which divided the kitchen from the dining room - the back and front panels were glass so we got to watch the chef work, but didn't get a chance to chat.

Seven courses....here we go

White Bean and Red Wine Soup (not pictured)
Unless you have a really goofy looking bowl or you do some creative garnish, soup can't be plated interestingly, so I didn't take a photo...I should've, but I hadn't planned on taking photos until course #2. This was one of those soups where it seemed there couldn't be more than a handful of ingredients but they were clearly better quality than most places and prepared perfectly.


Risotto with Racelette Cheese, Fennel and Reduced Sherry Wine

I admit, I don't care much for risottos, but this one worked nicely. Subtlety abound - the only risotto I ever went nuts over was explosive, so this is probably a more traditional preparation. Fran dug it a lot.



Sautéed Gnocchi with Asparagus, Warm Arugula, and Wild Shiitake Mushrooms

I've never had gnocchi like this. Light, soft little pillows - I've had good gnocchi and perhaps I've had gnocchi I liked more than this, but this really took the pillowy airy softness to a new level.



Rabbit Braised in Late Harvest Wine, Dried Plums, and Sauerkraut


Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. When rabbit is on a menu, one of us orders it, among the best preparations we've had.


Salad of argula, rose petals, walnuts

I love rose water and rose essence in Indian desserts and that sorta thing, but I've never actually had rose petals - they did not disappoint. This was, I suppose, more of a palate cleanser than anything else, but it was tasty.


Cheese plate (not pictured)
I don't know why I didn't take a picture of this...weird. Four cheeses with a honeycomb and some fruit. If memory serves there was a cheddar, a brie, a chevre, and I don't know - I dig cheese, but my knowledge is limited.


Strawberry Shortbread

Just how it looks. Nice presentation, good ingredients - a dessert that could go horribly wrong if they used crappy products, but it all worked out.


We haven't eaten everywhere in Traverse City, but we've been to a good chunk of the "nice" places - this was easily the best meal we've had. At $55 a head, it was also the best bargain. As much as I like Stella or think some other places have potential, if you're going to TC and you want a special meal, look no further.

Don's Drive In - Traverse City, MI - 7/2/09

It seems silly to take photos of a burger, but hey - this is a wine and food blog. No website for this place, but here's the address: 2030 N US Highway 31 N, Traverse City, MI 49686

The burger was alright....I mean, it's better than any fast food, but it basically just struck me a diner burger.



The cherry shake, on the other hand, is the reason I took photos:



I suppose anything related to cherries (except wine, no offense folks) in this area is going to be solid, but I was a big fan of this shake.

This is an indoor sit down place and they offer car service as well. I will never understand the allure of car service, but maybe if I drove a 65 Chevy (primered flames I'd trade it for powdered goods).

We arrived at 11 am and were the first ones in, by the time we left about twenty minutes later there was a line - crazy. For a cheap meal of the burger persuasion, this certainly works.

Trattoria Stella - Traverse City, MI - 7/1/09

Check out Stella's website here - if you want to eat here, I'm gonna recommend calling ahead and getting a reservation.

We had planned on dining elsewhere, but we had little choice after I found myself tearing off my shirt yelling STELLA!!!!!


Here's a seafood special appetizer feature mussels, clams, and shrimp in a tomato cream sauce.

So, look, I like Stella...but I don't care much for seafood. I try to get it as an appetizer from time to time to try things out, but I learned an important lesson from this dish - I hate mussels.




The schmancy pulled pork sandwiches were the opposite of undelicious.




Fran's beef tenderloin rocked the house.




My veal kicked my face in, but honestly the pasta did little for me.




Stella is definitely one our favorite spots in Traverse City. It's not cheap - four courses without drinks or tip hit $91, but I'd say it's worth it, and easily on par with some of the three star Italian places in Chicago.

Bad Dog Deli - Traverse City, MI - 7/1/09

Check 'em out at here. The Bad Dog Deli is located out on route 37 on the road to many wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula.



How can one get excited about a sandwich, you ask? How can a deli be among the first places in the area about which I said "we need to go back there"?

It's quite simple.

Sourdough, roast beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, cole slaw, cream mustard, horseradish.


Just thinking about this - a simple sandwich but with good quality ingredients - is making me hungry.

Big Boy - South Haven, MI - 7/1/09

Yep, a chain, but one we don't have in Illinois. The dirt can be found here.



I hate eggs. Can't stand them. If eggs are an ingredient for binding, but not flavor, I'm fine, but even a slight taste of eggs makes me want to vomit. Big Boy is, as far as I know, the only restaurant that has a savory breakfast that's not egg based - the stuffed potato pancake. I would open a Big Boy in this area if I had the business sense, just so I could get one of these without having to drive two hours.

Anyway, here we are - the stuffed potato pancake with chopped onions and filled with sausage and bacon. Groingrabbingly good.

2006 Histoire Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon

The guy at the shop described this one as being awesome. We'll see. The pricetag is around eleven big ones.

A bit of candy apple with a bit of mint on the nose.

An interesting combo here - candy apple and mint show themselves as do clove, cigar, bright red strawberry - almost in a Twizzler kind of way - all with some green olive.

On the second night we consumed this bottle, the nose disappeared and the fruit on the palate blew off, but what's left are some very nice cigar, cedar, and spice notes.

A slightly mentholly finish with a vaguely bacon-like thing going on back on the finish.

There's nothing to bip about here at all. For the price, this is well worth a shot especially for those perhaps used to fruitier Cabs who want to expand a bit. While I wouldn't call it awesome, it's a reasonable bottle and worth snagging.

Wine: 7
Value: Yep

2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This is another one of those "top shelf" wines from the Jewels that "retails" at around $25, but you'd be foolish to pay more than $16 since it's always on sale. BV make a few lines including a cheaper line, then this, and then pricey stuff you probably haven't come across unless you shop at bigger wine shops. Let's dig in.

Nice cigar box on the nose.

A bit of tart cherry, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, and some blueberry as well. This is nice and tasty, but for a Cab, I'm finding it, just a bit too light in body - it's tasty, but in terms of body, this almost has a Pinot Noir thing going on. I'm not knocking it, but I just want a tad more oomph.

Lingering acid with some tart cherry and earthy notes on the finish.

A solid offering on par with - though perhaps slightly below - the Mondavi Napa Cab we had a while back. For fifteen bucks or so, this is damn good - not as complex and some pricier options, but for the price this is a great value.

Wine: 8
Value: Yeppers

2005 Fox Valley Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

In my visit review of this winery I declared this as one of the two best red wines made in Illinois (that we've had). I am consuming this from a three liter box that runs at just about $40.

The nose and palate on this one is strange at first pour, but it blows off after a bit of time and doesn't seem to be present in the following glasses (some lingering gas I assume).

Cherry and vanilla on the nose. After letting a glass sit for a while, cinnamon and brown spice show up.

A very nice balance of cherry, vanilla, and cedar. Very nice tannic structure that would suggest if you just grab a regular bottle it would cellar fairly well. A fair amount of spice comes through as well - clove, cinnamon - making everything really blend together well.

The finish has more cherry and vanilla.

I avoided posting this until we worked through a good chunk of the box because I feared I may be being a bit too generous since it's an Illinois wine, but after giving it a lot of thought and consuming it over a few days, I think I'm being more than fair. In fact, if you go by the box pricing, this is among the best valued Cabs out there, from anywhere.

There is a slight issue with boxed red wine in general during the summer months - I don't know about you, but I don't keep our home at cellar temperature. I think the best way to handle this is keep the box in the fridge and pour a carafe or decanter an hour or two before you're going to drink it. Mildly inconvenient, but basically worth the hassle.

A word of warning though - many estimates on how long box wine keep after opening range from four to six weeks. Right around four weeks, I found all the fruit has blown off this one and has left it basically a spicy and oaky mess, perhaps okay for cooking, but not beyond that. By all means, buy it - but drink it within three weeks.

Wine: 8
Value: Absolutely

2007 Two Lads Chardonnay

Alright, we are fans of Two Lads, but how will they do with a grape we do not like? This is not currently available from the winery, but can probably be found in an array of restaurants or shops. I assume later this year or perhaps early next, it will be back in a new vintage for around $20 a pop.

The nose here just reminds me of pineapple and butter.

The palate here isn't half bad, mainly because it's a bit lighter than one normally sees in an oaked Chard. Pineapple, vanilla, some slightly unripe melon of the musk variety all with a bit of the peachy/fuzzy navel thing. Oak, white wine, and our palates don't mix, but this isn't a bad offering - mainly because the oak is fairly light (it was aged in large 630 gallon oak vats, not smaller 60 gallon oak barrels). Still...I can't help but think "man, I'd rather be drinking something else."

The finish brings out some of the oak with some of the typically Chardonnay qualities coming to the front, including that butter and cream.

A respectable wine, more than respectable in fact, but not enough to win us over....if you dig whites, you cannot go wrong with this winery's PG and Riesling. If you're a Chardonnay nut, I can't see this not being up there, but for us? This one gets a pass.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Pass

2006 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir

This is $16 normally, but there was an 'end of bin' sale going on and I snagged it for $8.50.

Dirt and raspberry on the nose.

A strange mix of old and new world - lots of earthy, dirty, funky notes - but then almost a Twizzler like quality...ultra ripe raspberry and dark red, borderline candied, cherries. I like both styles (the former more than the latter), but the mix is throwing me off.

Some earthy, funky, and bell pepper things are coming through on the finish.

I understand and respect this wine as I feel it's very well made, especially at this pricepoint. It just does not work for me, though.

Wine: 6
Value: Nah

2007 Red Bicyclette French Rose

Eight bones, grocery store, what the heck?

Very light strawberry and a slight bit of grape on the nose.

I'm going to be blunt – I had low expectations on this one. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. It has a very slight touch of sugar, but by no means sweet. A bit of tart strawberry and slight raspberry with a mild bit of tannin and acid to balance it out.

If you want a rose and are in a bind, this is the way to go. I'll probably be snagging more for things like Ravinia.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yep

2005 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This is about $20 and has a reputation for being a solid bottle. I've been sitting on this for a while and decided to pop it open.

The nose is big, but it's mostly just cigar box.

A well balanced wine, with a number of things working together nicely - great tannic structure, with oak, cedar, cherry, with brown and dried green spice. Some mint seems to come through, I want to say I'm getting some eucalyptus as well, maybe some sage. This is the sort of wine that one can tell is good now, but would probably be better two years from now. I hope to find a few more bottles to put away.

Cedar notes on the finish.

My notes are short here, but that's not a bad thing. This is a fine offering, loads going on, flat out delicious, and an outstanding value. This is a great bottle to snag for yourself and sit on for a while, or to give as a gift. It tastes like something a bit pricier than a twenty dollar bottle.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Yep

2008 Two Lads Rose

We really liked the 2007 of this, so why not snag a 2008? I forget the exact price, but it's in the late teens or $20 flat.

I'm getting a bit of peach blossom on the nose.

Beautiful. Rather large in body – with the dominate fruit being cranberry along with some great peachy notes with a dash of strawberry. Something here is reminding me of hibiscus tea. With the punch of acid, dash of sugar, slight bit of tea, and outstanding fruit, this is among the best we've had.

More of that hibiscus quality on the finish plus more cranberry – if there's a cranberry hisbiscus tea on the market, I need to try it as I'd bet it's somewhat like this.

I can't recommend this highly enough as a great summer wine. I suppose there are two "types" of roses that we dig, the pure and traditional, bone dry ones you often see from France, and these somewhat more fruitforward and more - dare I say - complex wines. The sort of wine you can bring to a picnic but it almost seems like a shame unless you're bringing decent stemware.

Wine: 9
Value: Yes

2007 Oroya Sushi Wine

So this wine was apparently developed to be paired with sushi. The power of suggestion is strong with me, so I grabbed a bottle and a pack of sushi at the local Japanese mall. This is a blend of airen,

A slightly floral nose.

Somewhat like a Sauvignon Blanc - somewhat grassy, a bit of grapefruit, orange blossom, all with just a very small bit of sweetness that gives it a nice balance.

An orange herbal tea sorta thing on the finish.

I acknowledge this is a bit of a gimmick and there are plenty of fine white wines for sushi - from Rieslings to Pinot Grigios to Sauv Blancs and so on - but this worked very well with my sampler pack of raw fish and for $13, there's nothing to argue with.

Wine: 7
Value: Sure

N/V Lavender Crest Miche Sepi

We visited this winery about six months ago and I figured it was time to crack this bottle open, which runs around fifteen bones. This is a red blend that includes an interesting hybrid varietal marechal foch.

A bit of fruit, but mostly green, earthy sort of notes – forest floor, if you will

This is actually far better than I remember it being. Raspberry, cherry, really nice tannic structure, with great acid – dare I say this is unique, but not necessarily like many Illinois wines.

Some dried – green and brown – spices linger on the finish.

Since this is not a blind taste test and mental bias is a factor, I admit I may be going slightly easy on this one. For a $15 red wine from Illinois, however, this is one of the better ones we've had and I'll definitely give it a go.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yep

2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet

Perhaps the most polarizing wines on the planet - at least in the under $30 range - the Mollydooker offerings are gigantic, explosive, some may say stupid, fruit bombs from down under. They generally get good marks from Parker, but it's not uncommon for others to rate them in the 70s.

A powerful nose with super ripe plums and less heat than I expected.

Plum - perhaps more prune - blackberry, ultra ripe blueberry, a bit of maple syrup even, all with vanilla extract - almost like some sort of vanilla liqueur, and eve n some of those farmer's market strawberries that are just on the edge of going bad, they're a tad dark, a bit squishy, and you're not sure whether or not you should eat them, but they weren't cheap and you don't feel like you're going to throw up after eating a couple, so you keep eating them.



It's a style for a certain palate. We own a fair amount of Mollydooker and to be honest, if I'm not in the mood for this style, I feel a tad nauseous even thinking about it. Every few months we'll pop open a bottle, dig it, but finish the bottle more than happy to not open another bottle until six months have passed.

That being said, when I am in the mood, and drinking this with something like ribs, steak with some sort of huge sauce, perhaps even a pasta dish with six types of cheese and three types of sausage, it holds it own and doesn't really overpower.

Wine: 8.5
Value: I think so, but proceed with caution

2007 Alma de Blanco Godello

This is around six bones at Trader Joe's.

Floral notes on the nose.

A bit fuzzy, sorta like an oaked Sauvignon Blanc – floral, lavender like notes on the palate. I'm getting some spiced unripe apricot, a little bit of vanilla, honey, lemon rind, and some orange blossom.

The orange blossom comes through firmly on the finish

Another one where the style does not work for me, but I think it's a well crafted wine that's a fine bargain if it's your sort of thing.

Wine: 6
Value: Qualified yes

Fox Valley Winery - Oswego, IL - May 23, 2009

We were more or less in the area and popped in to try some wine. We have not been to this winery for about three years now it seemed like it was time for a revisit. Oswego is a bit south of Aurora, which is a western suburb of Chicago. Here's their site.

When we arrived it was pretty dead, but by the time we left it was hopping. The woman working - sadly I didn't get her name - was extremely friendly and helpful. This is a family run winery and I feel it shows (whether she's in the family or not, I don't know, but she clearly cares about the place).

The deal is they let you try three wines for free. If you want more than three, each pour is fifty cents after that. They also have a few different options for flights, which we did, and tasted a total of twelve wines.


Here's the notes:

2005 Traminette - Dry with nice minerality and notes of unripe stone fruit. There's a touch of honey which is interesting since it's a dry sort of honey. A better description defies me.

Riesling - Light peachy nose. If you dig Auselese style German Rieslings this may work for you. Fran felt it was a bit lacking in acid, I think it was fine. Notes of citrus and stone fruit.

2005 Vignoles - the dominant fruit in this one was cantaloupe but I also got some honeydew and muskmelon and just a pinch of pear. If you dig melon, this would be a good one to try.

Niagara - Niagara, in wine anyway, is basically the white Concord grape. This one, I have to say, really elevates the varietal. Yes, it's sweet and basically simple, but there's a crisp backbone, some nice acidic fuzz that makes the only Niagra (that I can recall) ever being worthy of a recommendation.

Deux Blanc - Not much going on here other than some floral and even petrol notes on the palate. It's a very light wine that could probably work with food that you don't want your wine to interfere too much with, but it's not doing much for me.

White Sangria - I'm sure it's good since it seems to sell well, but it's not my style.

George's Red - Basically a decent (native) Midwestern red wine. Funky, a punch of acid, earth, carob, and raspberry. If you've never had a Midwestern red, this may not be a bad one to try as it's easily on par with a lot of reds that other IL wineries sell for double the price.

2005 Heritage Collection - I'd just call this one a bit thin. Blackberry and cherry notes, but nothing struck me as remarkable.

2004 Chambourcin - Many, dare I say most, Chambourcin have a harsh and funky thing going on that make them quite unpleasant. This one seems a bit lighter on the acid that makes it more palatable. Raspberry, earth, mint, carob - all the trademarks, but in a nicer form. I will say both on the nose and mid palate there's a very peculiar bacon component that is kind of intriguing.

2004 R.A. Faltz Vintner Reserve - This is a tough wine to discuss. It tastes like a very well made wine of hybrid varietals - meaning it's better than many of its peers but it's still just not to my palate. It's smooth, nicely balanced, and raspberries dominate.

2004 Petite Sirah - An almost motor oil quality comes through on the nose. The palate is quite big with black pepper and black fruit.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - Cedar/cigar on the nose. More formal notes coming soon.


I'm going to make a bold declaration here which I'm making only after I've consulted my notes from other winery visits and from other local wines and cracking open the box of Cab and pondering through a glass.

The Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon are easily the two best red wines made in Illinois that we have had. The grapes are imported from California, so purists may not count it, but Fox Valley is by no means the only winery in the Midwest to get grapes brought in, and we've tried many of them. Both wines go for $20 and both earn unqualified recommendations. The Cab is available in a box - yes, a three liter box - for $39 (and yes, I bought one).

In terms of their wines that are made from locally grown grapes, not one of those nine (the sangria doesn't count) were bad. The whites were uniformly solid and the reds all were worthy of what I call asterisked praise (*good for Midwestern hybrid grapes).

If you're near Chicago, this place is definitely worth the drive on a day off of work.

Fox Valley Winery
5600 Route 34
Oswego, Illinois 60543

2005 Guenoc Claret

You know, I know nothing about this wine. It's been on the rack for a long time now, but I have no clue where I bought it or why. I see one shop has the 2006 for nine bucks, so let's pretend this was the same.

A bit of earth and some dark raspberry on the nose with something I haven't hit on in a while - asphalt. Well played.

Plum mostly, cherry, a bit of eucalyptus, some sweet oak, and a nice dash of tobacco.

A slight bit of menthol, mint, and residual plum on the finish.

For under ten bucks, there's absolutely nothing to complain about. There's a nice amount of structure and balance here.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yep

2005 Chateau Saint Paul Bordeaux

I don't recall the price, but all the 2005 Bordeauxs I snagged were under $12. We'll pretend this was at the high end.

A very nice nose with mostly smooth cedar and tobacco - like smelling a cigar box. It's not complex, but it's just "right."

A fair amount of tobacco and leather, nicely balanced tannins, good acid, a bit of cherry, all with some nice spicy notes - clove, dried Italian spices. It's not a terribly deep wine, but it's very easy drinking.

More leather on the finish - like biting a shoe - with those brown spices coming through as it fades and lingers for some time.

The word I keep thinking when I drink this is "nice." That can come off as condescending, but it's not my intent. There's a lot to like here, everything is just right - if I find more of this I'll be buying several bottles. It's the type of wine that you can pop open and sit on the patio on a cool evening. Well played.

Wine: 7
Values: Yes indeed.

1995 Charles Heidsieck Millesime Brut

This was a stupidly priced bottle we bought to celebrate five years of marriage.

Some green apple as well as some interesting raspberry notes on the nose.

Apples dominate but there's plenty going on below the surface. Tangerine, orange zest, and a bit of toast. The thing about vintage Champagne, and remember this, is it should not be consumed as cold as cheaper stuff. The first few sips of this, when it was too cold, struck me as dull and uninteresting. After letting it warm up a bit, to more of a "cool" temperature, a lot of interesting things come through - gooseberry, blueberry, rye toast (so, caraway), and even a bit of mint.

Mostly berry and toast on the finish - rye toast with blueberry jam?

It's good, great in fact, but I'm not floored by it. If you can afford such things on a daily basis, then whatever, but for a special occasion? I'm looking for a 10.

Wine: 9
Value: Irrelevant

2007 KungFu Girl Riesling

I snagged this for around ten bucks because the label amused me, but now I'm wondering if I'm racist.

I can't say I get much of anything on the nose.

I'm thinking this is mostly white grapefruit - I'm detecting some red apple and maybe some pear, but the citrus thing is dominating. Sweet, but balanced reasonably well. I don't mind simple Rieslings, though simple with this profile doesn't work for me.

Some more orangey notes come through as well as an interesting sort of blueberry component on the finish.

The finish wins an extra half point with me since it's interesting, but I still can't say I'd recommend this unless you know Riesling and this sort of thing is your style.

Wine: 6.5
Value: No for me, but based on what you like perhaps...

2007 Two Lads Cabernet Franc

Here we have the debut red from Two Lads – Cab Franc, their inaugural red. The first sniff and sip of this was very tight, so I gave this one - that goes for $25 - three hours in the decanter.

As it opens I get cherry, oak, menthol, and cinnamon on the nose.

Chocolate and cherry with some distinct strawberry notes coming through on the back palate. Great acid with a blend of spices coming to dominate – clove, cinnamon, dried basil and oregano, with a dash of eucalyptus. Dare I say, this is Old World in its sensibility – a solid balance of fruit and earth with a good punch of acid.

A whole lot of earth on the finish, with just a little bit of brineyness, in an olive sort of way.

Cab Franc is a tough grape to hit the wow factor - in fact, it may very well be impossible to hit, but this is pretty close. I look forward to trying out another bottle after a few months (or years) and sampling their Reserve to see how this develops. For now, I say give it a go, but maybe sit on it for a while.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yes

2004 Juvé y Camps Cava Brut Nature Grand Reserva

I just did the ol' stab n' grab with this – I wanted a sparkler at around $15 and pulled this one.

Quite dry and fairly toasty – one of the first sparklers where I'm definitely getting a distinct oak quality. There's a turpentine thing going on on the back palate into the finish. I can't say there's all that much fruit here – some unripe apple or pear. There is some perfumey and floral qualities, maybe lavender or even a slightly turned bad chamomile quality.

Nothing by dryness on the finish.

It ain't bad, but it also ain't worth fifteen bucks.

Wine: 6
Value: No

N/V Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne

We had this one around two and half a years ago and dug it – a lot of wine snobs go out of their way to talk trash this bottle, so I was curious to see how our palates changed. I snagged a bottle when I saw it on sale for $35 which is a pretty good price for this particular label.

Orange and honey on the nose.

Some nice toasty notes, orange marmalade, a bit of yeast, and quite a bit of a peachy things going on. While this is sweeter than I care for (and I have no clue how this qualifies as Brut), there's something to be said about the balance – lots of acid brings it together.

Some toasty notes come through on the finish.

This is pretty damn good, but is it $35 (or $50 as some places charge) good? There's great balance and nice toasty qualities that you really only see in real Champagnes, but overall somewhat simple. It's not bad – not in the least – but I can't recommend it for more than, I don't know - $25.

Wine: 7.5
Value: No

2007 La Ferme Julien Cotes du Luberon

The quest for the wine century continues with this blend of Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, and Roussane – not bad. Another Trader Joe's acquisition that ran around six bones.

Pineapple on the nose.

At first I got vanilla and pineapple, but as it opens lemon seems to dominate....I'm guessing this has spent some time in oak.

Lemons linger on the finish as well as some generic tropical notes as well as a bit of white pepper.

Not my style at all, but for this sort of white my palate is somewhat limited. The price is certainly right for experimentation.

Wine: 5
Value: Nah

2007 Montoya Monterey Pinot Noir

Hallo! My name in Pinot Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. This was sampled to me at a wine shop and while it's not my favorite style of Pinot, it was still a reasonable offering at $15.

A slight bit of chocolate and cherry on the nose.

Fruit forward – mostly cherry and berry with just a bit of earth, not much in terms of tannin and fairly mild on the acid.

Raspberry sorta notes linger a bit on the finish.

This is an extremely easy drinking wine, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. There's not a whole lot of complexity, but it's an enjoyable bottle. If you dig the fruit forward PN then this may be alright, but I can't say it's grabbing me. In fact, I liked it a hell of a lot more in the store - perhaps the bottle was open for most of the day.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Pass

N/V Verdi Spumante

This is around five bucks or so.

Giant bubbles and almost as light as a glass of water. A mild nose of orange blossoms.

Sugar water to an extreme, perhaps with a dash of peach nectar.

You know, the start of the finish is blah but then this really unpleasant sweet and sour thing happens.

This may be alright but that finish destroys it. Down the drain. I was hoping to sing Libiamo ne'lieti calici, instead I wish I was dying of consumption.

Wine: 2
Value: No

2008 Two Lads Riesling

We are big fans of Two Lads. I feel that sounds strange, as before visiting their tasting room, I can't say we were "fans" of any wine producer. There are other producers we like, but significant issues are present which present us from geeking out. Two Lads (and L. Mawby) is (are) [a] winery ([two] wineries) that I can, without hesitation, say we're fans of - enough for me to break out bizarre, and most likely, horrifyingly improper grammar. We dig many, if not most, of their products and their pricepoints are right without qualification (as in, not "good for a Midwestern wine").

When the new releases were announced, hesitation was not an option and I made sure we got a few bottles of each varietal. This is their first Riesling offering - $20 a pop – and so limited that if you want it, it very well may be too late. The tasting notes state that this is the best Riesling that Cornel (one of the Lads) has ever made. Some may be persuaded to go into this wine assuming it will be awesome. Me? The cynic? We'll see....

A powerful nose – pink grapefruit, orange zest, with a bit of strawberry and even some lychee.

Sweet merciful crap! A nice punch of pineapple, pink grapefruit, grapefruit zest, a bit of orange, a dash of those irritatingly vague 'tropical' notes I speak of. As close to an ideal blend of sugar and acid that I've had all with great depth – loads of interesting subtle things going on that you don't see much – the slightest touch of vanilla, a hint of strawberry, all with just a touch of peach. It's been a while, but there's something here that's calling out “Crystal Pepsi” - a soda I miss to this day. The people who remember that pop as not being awesome never gave it a chance. I digress.

Fantastic length – the strawberry notes stick around along with a bunch of that grapefruit and fades away with some nectarine qualities.

I don't want to get nuts here and say "this is the best Riesling I've ever had" - I'm going to hold off for the next bottle before I make some bold declaration like that. For now? It just may be.

Wine: 10
Value: Yes

N/V Warner Vineyards Veritas

Our alma mater's motto was 'veritas,' so what better wine to drink? This was apparently nineteen dollars (at least that what it is now) and doesn't appear to have a vintage, plus I have no clue about what varietals are in this....a little mystery is a good thing, right Peggy Noonan?

A garbagey, funky, Midwesterny sorta nose.

So, my reaction to the first sip was to cringe violently at the tartness. After a while in the glass, things mellowed considerably. A bit Italian in style but a bit of that strange Midwestern feel. Lots of acid - not quite harsh but quite close - tart raspberries, and a bit of a carob thing going on. The acid fades a bit with air, and really it winds up being a quite reasonable, vaguely Italian, vaguely American, offering. Some blueberry and even some plum qualities come through as the bottle opens.

The carob notes linger as well as more tart raspberry.

You know, if this were ten bucks I'd recommend it as a curiosity, but this close to twenty bucks, you can get an excellent bottle from Italy

Wine: 6
Value: Sorry....pass.

2006 Robert Biale Zinfandel Napa Ranches

Alright, so we've had a fair amount of wine over the years and on occasion splurge on fancy ($30+) bottles of various things, today I figured we should try a Zin since we really haven't had any expensive Zins. The retail on this is $40, but you best believe the only reason why I bought it was that it was half off on a end of bin sale. Nice.

A big nose – loads of blackberry and black pepper.

Interesting....very interesting. Alcoholic burn, black pepper, and red fruit – sort of a peach/plum hybrid thing with some cranberry and a whole lot of gooseberry, even pomegranate gets in the mix. I don't even know how to describe this, it's sort of light in mouthfeel but big in body – that's contradictory, I know. It's thin, easy drinking, but if you keep it on the palate you get all sorts of stuff – fruit, spice, loads of cinnamon – almost like a Red Hot candy – and a punch of black pepper. Served blind, I would've never guessed this was a Zin.

The finish has some interesting notes of cola, bell pepper, and a bit of chocolate.

My gut reaction was “this is a joke at $40” but the more it opened, the more I thought about it, and the more I really gave it a chance – I have to say, this is a damn good Zin, probably the best we've had of the varietal (that admittedly is saying very little), and has perhaps given me a nice kick in the pants to explore a grape we've largely ignored.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Pass (it's good, very good in fact, but I can't say it's a value).

2005 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

This is one of the “top shelf” wines at the local grocery store, with them saying the retail is something like $23, yet it's always on sale in the $15-17 range.

A bold nose – chocolate, toffee, coffee, black cherry, and a bit of anise.

The palate is simpler than I'd expect based on the nose. Mild tannins, good acidic balance, black raspberry – a tad sweet – and more toffee notes. A bit of time in the glass bring some nice eucalyptus and mint notes.

I can't say there's much of a finish beyond some dark berry qualities.

So, here's the problem with this one – in this area, this is a grocery store sort of wine. Meaning the Jewels will have it, but the “serious” wine shop will not. You can do better for the price if you head over to your local wine shop, but it's one of the better wines out there if you only but your wine where you buy your potatoes.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Meh

2005 Bodegas Atteca Old Vines

I WANNA DRINK THIS WINE SO BAD I CAN TASTE IT – HUH? – ATTECA! ATTECA! ATTECA! ATTECA! REMEMBER ATTECA?

I know, I know, too easy.

Right around fourteen bucks this one is – it's been sitting in the wine fridge for quite a while, so I popped it open.

This review may be somewhat biased seeing as the last five bottles of wine we've consumed have been Yellow Tail, because right off the bat this just smells amazing. A really nice blend of light cherry, mint, and herbs. There is a garbage like component that I usually dig, but haven't hit on lately, so it's weirding me out a bit.

With a bit of airtime, this presents as a smooth cherry and cassis filled wine with quite a bit of earthy and herbal notes – sassafras, eucalyptus – and even a hint of cola. With a bit more time I get a distinct raspberry quality- almost like it was spiked with a shot of a raspberry dessert wine. I opened this without paying much attention to it and was drinking this under the impression it was a California Zin – the Old Vines thing - but it's a Spanish Garnacha. Quite interesting.

Earth and dirt on the finish with more raspberry notes.

So what do we have here? A wine that's clearly well made, certainly a good value, and overall quite tasty – that being said, if you're looking for a classic Spanish Garnacha this is probably not for you.

Wine: 7
Values: Yep

Yellow Tail Round Up

The economy sucks, the wine fridge is getting empty, and when the local grocery store had a sale – Yellow Tail, $4.15 each when you buy six bottles of booze – I couldn't pass it up buying five and a bottle of bourbon (you can mix and match). I also realized that we really haven't gone over much Yellow Tail on here – some aren't terrible (Riesling), some are atrocious (Sparklng), and some are damn good (Reserve Shiraz) – so I enjoy the opportunity to go through the five red wines I've seen in this market for just over $20.

-


2008 Merlot

A jammy and somewhat funky nose.

Cherry, blueberry, a nice amount of acid, dare I say some tannins are present, as well as a bit of oak. Some nice vanilla is coming through, even some spice, and what the hell – a bit of coffee? I expected fruit bomb jammy nonsense – instead I got something that certainly qualifies as fruity, but is by no means at a W level of stupidity.

The finish drops off almost immediately.

It's Wednesday night, you're feeling cheap and eating pizza or chicken tetrazzini or burgers (though that's more of a weekend thing, Ray) or whatever sort of stew you may be eating, this isn't half bad.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes

-


2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

I'm not convinced this has a nose.

This is an oddball. If you just drink it, you'd think it's totally blah – almost watery. Keep it on the palate, as nerds like me do, and you get some life – vanilla and cherry...all sorts of cherry. Not much tannin, but enough acid to work it out to an acceptable level.

A nice finish – short – but acid and fruit balance nicely.

Two for two so far – this ain't bad at all, and for the price it's groin grabbingly fine.

Wine: 6
Value: Sure

-


2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz

The flagship of the Yellow Tail brand. Let's see how this holds up for four bones.

Some plummy notes on the nose.

Hmmm. Blackberry and peach, reasonably acidic, but no tannins to speak of.

The finish here is amusing. I'd actually say this wine – or this bottle at least – is perfect for describing a finish. Swallow a glass, for five seconds there's something – maybe some pepper, maybe some blackberry – and at the four second mark you literally feel it disappear, like water going down a drain.

It's official – I won't turn my nose up at it, but I won't be buying it again.

Wine: 5
Value: Pass

-

2007 Shiraz Grenache

Basically, I get chocolate on the nose.

Probably the worst of the batch. A distinct cough medicine taste – somewhere along the lines of blue raspberry. I can't say I'm getting much else, this is simply not good.

Plenty of menthol on the finish.

No sir – big time pass. I'll have a glass with my frozen pizza dinner, but the rest is going down the drain.

Wine: 3
Value: Nope

-

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon- Merlot blend
A weak nose that I can only describe as somewhat earthy.

I don't know about this one. An almost prune – but not in a good Port of way – quality comes through with some mint. As the bottle opens all I really get it cherry cough syrup with a bit of acid and added sugar.

I guess Yellow Tail doesn't do well with blends. Considering the stand alone Cab and stand alone Merlot are the best of the label, this one is probably the biggest disappointment.

Wine – 3.5
Value – No

N/V Cooper's Hawk Blanc de Blanc

Cooper's Hawk is, I suppose, a chain of wineries/restaurants in Illinois. There aren't many, so I hate to say "chain" but whatever. They're sorta like a brewpub, though they make wine instead of beer. Since they make it, most bottles are open and you can pretty much get a taste of everything at the winebar or by the glass in the restaurant.

This smells sweet with pear and tangerine notes.

This is a very strange one. I have no clue what to make of this, actually. When you first sip it, it almost doesn't taste like anything with the exception of some sweet orangey notes...after you let it sit on the palate, some more comes out - tropical notes, mostly papaya and even some of that fuzzy thing pineapples sometimes give off with a bit of fake green apple.

More of that tropical thing going on on the finish, leaving a trail of pineapple - and not pineapple notes, like you just ate a pineapple and your tongue hurts - that sorta thing. Way back on the finish, like when you think it's over, you get a punch - and linger of a good minute - of green apple Jolly Rancher.

This is sweet enough that I wouldn't buy it again (too sweet for regular drinking, not enough for dessert), and I'd only suggest it for those who don't really care for most sparklers...and even then it's strange enough that they may not dig it. That being said, it's not to my taste, but it's certainly done well and for fourteen bucks, this Illinois wine is nothing to bip about all things considered.

Wine: 6
Value: Try a sample.