2005 Cafaro Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This goes for $39 through the winery. I know nothing about this winery other than the bottle curiously does not have a barcode and I don't think I've ever seen it in a shop. I acquired this through a silent auction at a charity event.

Plum and blackberry on the nose, but cigar box dominates.

Smooth and nicely balanced - this is just a nice drinking wine. It's fairly big, but also elegant, you won't confuse it with something Old World, but it has none of the downfalls that plague many New World wines. A gentle giant, if you will - the Pete Steele of wine. Cherry and ripe blackberry come through with cedar, mint, and (very mild) anise. Mid palate, oak and/or cedar come through considerably as do some more spicy qualities including a bit of brown spice.

An almost Grand Marnier quality comes through right at the start of the finish, as that fades a cherry, currant, and a vague mint quality linger for some time.

Forty bucks is a tad more than I'd prefer to spend on a bottle of wine, but there's absolutely nothing to complain about here. Nicely done.

Score: 91+

2007 Seven Deadly Zins Lodi Zinfandel

Seven deadly Zins, seven ways to win, seven holy paths to hell and your trip begins. This is a fifteen dollar bottle, though you can often find it on sale for less. I've wanted to try for some time now.

A very thick nose - black cherry, almost cough syrupy.

Smooth - a bit of smoke, a bit of cherry, a bit of plum, a bit of vanilla, a bit of red licorice, even a tad bit of black licorice. A bit jammy, but not overly so. A bit sweet, but by no means sickeningly so (though enough to knock off a few points). I'd gladly serve this at a BBQ with burgers and I can absolutely see this with ribs.

Vanilla, cedar, and cherry on the finish.

A big wine, tasty, and not terribly simple. I'm digging this. If I found it on sale I could see grabbing another bottle. If you (or someone you love) is a fan of Yellow Tail or that sort of thing, this is a tremendous next step. It's big and slightly sweet, but it's a clear step up in quality.

And now for some Maiden....



Score: 86

2007 Shady Lane Cellars Pinot Noir

Aerate aerate aerate. My initial thoughts - and dare I say even my thoughts after 90 minutes - of this wine were negative. It hit me as rather harsh and overwhelmingly tart. What happens on day two, a full 24 hours, after opening? This bottle was comped and sells for $22 through the winery. We tasted it as part of the Tweet and Taste, but these notes are based on the next day where things were a bit more sedate and settled.

Day one brought brown spice. Day two brings out a clear raspberry leaf with a touch of mint - almost a raspberry tea.

At first, this was harsh. Now? Rather smooth. At first, overwhelming acid and tartness. Now? Well integrated acid with fruit and earth coming through. Raspberry dominates with a bit of carob. When I say raspberry, I am talking part fruit, part leaf, part root...it's an earthy, funky, dirty raspberry. As in, don't pick the raspberry, pick the entire plant out of the ground and blend it - that's this. I'm not getting a whole lot in terms of tannin, but acid and earth are more than present. Some people on the Tweet and Taste were discussing an "artificial" quality, which I could see at the time, but as it opens, I think it's really more "essence" and "herbal." Have you ever had those Vitamin Waters that have no calories, no fake sugars, and only "essence"? I haven't seen them around lately, but I do recall them fondly - this reminds me of that.

More of that funky/earthy/dirty raspberry on the finish.

Sit on it for a while or give it 4+ hours in the decanter. When it comes together, you may or may not dig it, but you will respect it. $22? I'm not sure, but it is a Pinot Noir...Michigan has a distinct style of Pinot - it's light, funky, acidic, and spicy. I think this is an excellent representation - not for all palates, but for those who dig it, I couldn't imagine not being a fan.

Let me just say something here - Shady Lane's Pinot Noir and Riesling really came together after multiple hours of air. Some wines completely fall apart after three hours of air, these start getting good at that point - it's a testament to the quality. I'm giving this 87, but I have a feeling in 2012 or so, this wine is going to annihilate. It's a shame the Mayans are going to kill us all by then. Speaking of Mayans, have you seen Apocalypto? Holy crap - what a good movie.

Score: 87* *not blind

2008 Shady Lane Cellars Blue Franc (Blaufrankish)

This wine goes for $22 through the winery. We tried this comped bottle as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets! During the Tweet and Taste I was not on my A game due to an array of reasons, so by all means check that out, but you may be better off ignoring the comments from @thewineauxs.

On first pour I got barnyard, but now I think it's more the precursor to barnyard, which is of course, bacon. Bacon, mint, basil, all quite mellow.

Very smooth. Black cherry, blueberry, soft tannins, soft acid, soft everything really. I can see this working with a bit of a chill on it, but it's going nicely at cellar temp. I hate to even suggest bastardizing a good bottle, but this would be perfect for warming up and mulling some spices...don't do it, but I think it would work, but really, don't do it. The balance is almost too good on this...everything falls right into place. The sort of wine I describe as dangerous because it's so easy drinking and so seemingly "simple" that you don't even think about what a pain in the ass it must be to get a wine so perfectly integrated.

Cola hits me right away on the finish. As do cherries. Cherry cola? I suppose so.

Recently I was asked for a good red wine that's not sweet, but not too big or harsh. This is it. This is probably the finest red wine of that style I can think of. Exceptionally drinkable, quite mellow, with some nice subtleties.

Though this review was not done blind and the bottle was comped, my opinion has not been consciously swayed.

Score: 90* *not blind

2008 Shady Lane Cellars Dry Riesling

This wine retails for $16.50 through the winery. We tried this comped bottle as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets! During the Tweet and Taste I was not on my A game for an array of reasons we'll avoid here, so by all means check that out, but you may be better off ignoring the comments from @thewineauxs.

Spicy apricot hits me immediately on the nose, with some slightly unripe golden apple, maybe even apple blossom. Apple flavored herbal tea comes to mind.

So, when I read "Dry Riesling" I admit the occasional eyeroll, but I'll be damned, this s.o.b. is dry. Lots of acid, fruit and floral notes, but very little - if any - sugar. The fruit is slightly unripe with pear, apple, maybe even green grape. There's a definite petrol quality - the sort of thing you'd expect in a much pricier Riesling, and a funky kind of asparagus thing. The mouthfeel is slightly viscous, but the acid creates a good pucker that makes it barely noticeable. Everything here comes together nicely.

Lengthy finish - unripe stone fruit, peaches mostly. You know, it's kind of like if you take a peach, squeeze out all the juice and somehow remove the sugar - the way back end of the finish has this pungent dry peach thing that, lame as it sounds, is somewhat exciting.

I am digging this one a lot. My advice - and the consensus of many people on the Twitter feed - is let this one warm up a bit before drinking. This bottle has been out of the fridge for a full two hours and can be be described as "cool" and I think it's at its finest point. I originally gave this one an 88, but after it warmed up it completely elevated to a new level.

Though this review was not done blind and the bottle was comped, my opinion has not been consciously swayed. That being said, I'm not afraid to say a crappy wine is just that - this is solid.

Score: 91* *not blind

Tweet and Taste - APRIL 13, 2010 - 7 pm!

Tuesday, April 12 - 7 pm CST, go onto Twitter, search #ttmi and follow along!

A bunch of people are going to be tasting some wine and talking about it on Twitter. Here's what's on the agenda:

2008 Dry Riesling
2007 Pinot Noir
2008 Blue Franc (Blaufrankish)

If you can't follow along on Twitter, come back around 9 pm and I'll put full notes on each of the wines up.

2004 The Furst Vin d'Alsace Riesling

So I was at a performance of a local theater company which had a silent auction going. They had a few different lots of wine which I bid on, and won. This is one of the wines in question. At a retail cost of $12, this is almost certainly too old to drink.

A slight petrol thing, some floral notes, with an array of unripe tropical fruit - pineapple and papaya.

Not a hint of sugar on this one - dry to the bone. A dried unripe fruit quality - take an unripe pineapple and dehydrate it, it probably tastes like this. Maybe some peach or nectarine, even melon of the cantaloupe variety, even a bit of green grape - once again, all unripe. Some floral qualities too, this may be the first wine (in quite a while, if not ever) that I've gotten very distinct rosewater from. Don't drink this one any colder than "cool," it is far better closer to room temp.

The dry, unripe, dried fruit thing continues on the finish.

Certainly well made, but not quite to my palate. If you have one of these in the cellar, it's probably time to pop it open.

Score: 85

N/V Albero Cava Brut

This is seven to eight bucks depending on where you live and it is a Trader Joe's exclusive.

A bit of white bread - not yeast, more clearly Wonder Bread - on the nose.

Light body, dry and crisp - just a hint of green apple with lemon dominating, if you swish wine around in tasting a slightly unpleasant lemon dust spray thing comes out.

The finish brings lemon, but to be clear it's not sour, almost lemonade, maybe just maybe a bit of an Arnold Palmer thing? I think so.

At seven bucks this isn't bad and is comparable to other cheap cava on the market, but by no means is it any sort or bargain. No flaws, but nothing great either.

Score: 80

2007 Argyle Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The local wine shop has this $25, but I know it can be found for considerably less if you shop around.

A bit of raspberry on the nose.

Light, very light, for a red wine. Almost a dark pink - I've seen (albeit, unusual) roses darker than this. Cherry and raspberry is it with a bit of green pepper. Great acid, rather tart, and not a hint of sugar.

More cherry and a bit of grape stem on the finish.

This is a nice light bodied wine, thin, tart, but great for food. I liked this one, but it just hit me as being a tad too simple - if found at the $13 range I'd say it's worth a shot, but at $20ish all I can do is say pass.

Score: 85

Tweet and Taste #2! April 13, 2010

The second TWEET AND TASTE is coming up sooner than you'd expect.

Here's the Facebook fan page.

Here's the webpage run by Michigan By the Bottle.

Tuesday, April 13 - 7 pm central (8 pm EST) - log into Twitter, search #ttmi and you'll be in for some interesting discussion. The last Tweet and Taste was an outstanding success and I'm sure this one will be just as good.

For those unable to make it, a transcript will likely be up at Michigan By the Bottle and I'll be putting up formal notes on the bottles here.


The best part of this is the shipping deal:

Pick up the wines we are tasting at your local wine shop or online. Shady Lane Cellars is offering $.01 shipping on all wines through April 13th with no restrictions. They can ship directly to Michigan, Florida, and Minnesota. To qualify for the discounted shipping, email your order to info@shadylanecellars.com with "ttmi" in the subject line. All orders must be accompanied by a faxed (231.947.7616) or scanned copy of your drivers license. For orders outside these three states, call the Tasting Room (231.947.8865) to discuss options.



Nice? I know.

Here's what we're tasting:

2008 Dry Riesling
2007 Pinot Noir
2008 Blue Franc (Blaufrankish)


I'm stoked.

2007 Domaine Charvin Vin de Pays de la Principauté d'Orange à côté

It really does need to be repeated - put your young red wines in some sort of decanter for at least an hour before drinking. This wine was extremely tight for the first ninety minutes or so and really didn't come together until hour three. Eleven bucks at Binny's - many places online have it for fifteen - I snagged a bottle on a whim thanks to a Parker 90 point rave.

The nose has something kind of strange, almost a buffalo wing sauce quality comes through on the nose - spice as in hot pepper spice. There's also a cherry candy - red Starburst - thing.

Cherry and strawberry candy, generic sort of red fruit, with a dash of black pepper, menthol, and a bit of cigar, all with a slightly medicinal back palate. This is fairly light in body - when I think of medicinal wine, I think heavy and viscous, not so much here, which makes what can be perceived as a flaw into an interesting quirky quality.

More of that medicinal, menthol, minty, and cherry thing linger on the finish.

This was apparently aged for eighteen months in concrete - I'm not sure I've encountered a wine not aged in either steel or oak. Concrete...fascinating... Personally, I'd sit on this wine for another year or so before opening. I'm less thrilled than Parker, but considering the eleven dollar price tag, I also can't bash it.

Score: 85

N/V L Mawby Cremant Classic Cuvee 142

This $22 bottle is available through the winery. It is 100% Vignoles - an unusual 'hybrid' grape that you often find in less common wine regions - Missouri and Illinois make plenty, but it's also found in Michigan, and New York.

Just a bit of pink apple on the nose.

Pink and golden apples dominate. A bit of sugar, but tons of acid give it a nice crisp balance. As the wine warms a bit - and I recommend you give this a good hour out of the fridge before drinking - some interesting things happen. Blueberry and caraway qualities start to come out among other oddball things.

A bit of candied apple - maybe it's because of a recent comment on this site but I'll be damned if I don't get some orange Starburst lingering.

I recall drinking this in the tasting room and it pissing me off because it was so elusive. That's about right, I'm hesitant to score this without another bottle handy, but after trying it again I'm sure I'll feel the same. This wine is like The Stooges Fun House - it's good, but it can be frustrating. I am a fan.

Score: 90+

2007 45 North Pinot Noir

We visited 45 North over the summer and snagged a bottle because I found it to be well crafted and interesting – let's find out how it held up when tasted blind.

I normally don't mention color because I don't particularly see the relevance, but this is a very light Pinot Noir – it's perhaps only a shade or two darker than the some of the darker roses of the world.

A rather Burgundian nose – dirt, cola, even a tad of barnyard.

Light body, potent acid, raspberry dominates for fruit, though some cherry creeps in, all with a bit of cola and some herbal qualities. There's something here that I can't place, everything is light but there's this strange heaviness, something with the oak I'd guess, that gives it a unique dimension.

A herbal quality lingers on the finish – I'm going to call it at basil.

This review seems short, but only because this is one of those wines I got the notes down quickly and just enjoyed the rest of the bottle. $24 is nothing to sneeze at, but neither is a wine of this caliber. Here lies the bottle of a classy Pinot Noir from Michigan, my sole complaint is that I only bought one.

Score - 91

N/V Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut

This is another one of them bottles where the winery sells it - and declares the retail value - for $40, but many wine shops sell it for under $30. Let's just say it's a thirty dollar bottle. We loved the Etoile Rose, so let's give the Brut a whirl. I'll remind you this one was tasted blind.

Orange and honey on the nose - mild.

Orange - almost like an orange Starburst, not quite artificial, but definitely candy like - I also get a rather tart raspberry quality. Ever so slightly thick in mouthfeel. I do get some yeasty qualities - I think I get some toast, but the more I ponder it, the more I'm thinking it's caraway rye dough - more spicy, or even nutty, rather than toasty.

A nice bit of toast with marmalade comes out on the finish - quite nice - some lime and citron qualities come out way on the back finish as well.

At $30, this is a tad too steep for my wallet - the rose struck me as a better bottle all around. Not bad though...no sir. Not awesome either. But not bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Considering what some Michigan sparklers we've drinking lately hav been doing for 1/3 the price, this doesn't hold up.

Score: 84

Post #666

Welcome to the most "metal" post possible: #666.




I am using this post to present a new feature at The Wineauxs. MERCHANDISING!

T-shirts available now! Lunchboxes may be next. Coming soon: The Wineauxs Flamethrower. I expect to have an array of crap available on there soon.

Check out The Wineauxs Store and buy yourself, your significant other, your friends, and your kids some swag. I just got my shirt and I, a fairly picky fellow, am very happy with the quality.


To further celebrate - The Wineauxs have an official theme song/jingle. Check it out at the top of this, or any, page. The only requirement is you set your speakers to 11 - don't make 10 louder, play it at 11. Big thanks to Michael Rice from OperaNow! "the" opera podcast for putting it together.

N/V M Lawrence Detroit

This review very well may be a world premiere. This wine is not out yet - it will be released in the coming weeks but was made available as part of L Mawby's February mailing list shipment. It's part of the M Lawrence line and while I don't have my tasting sheet handy to be sure, the retail is something like $13. This was tasted blind, so do what you will.

Peach, kind of a peach Jolly Rancher sort of thing that I find most enjoyable.

More of that peach Jolly Rancher. Apricot comes through, nectarine, maybe some tangerine, but mostly stone fruit with a bit of spice - I'm not sure what is in this but if you're into Muscats with fizz, this will, be right up your alley. Sweet enough that I'd prefer to drink this as a dessert wine, but I am less tolerant of sugar than many. That being said, it's probably not sweet enough to be considered over the top - I can absolutely see this working for many people with a picnic or maybe spicy food. Sweet though it may be, I get some very nice acidic backbone, a very nice, almost lemony, tartness. For me, this would go perfect with some sort of fruit tart, fruit soup, sorbet, pie, or (non-chocolate) cake. On a hot summer day this would absolutely hit the spot.

The finish brings more of the same - peach candy with a bit of spice and acid.

A tremendous bargain. We'll be hitting the Traverse City area in a few months and at this point I don't even want to visit L Mawby because they'll eat up our entire budget.

Score: 90

2007 Black Star Farms Arcturos Pinot Noir

This bottle retails for $25 through the winery. We tried this as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets!

Mostly cherry here on the nose with some very distinct earthy qualities - mud, rather than dirt.

Michigan Pinot Noirs are interesting, in a good way. I'd compare them somewhat to part New Zealand, part Pacific Northwest with a big dash of Burgundy thrown in. Definitely light in body, clear notes of strawberry with emphasis on the seeds, leaves, and even some stems - almost like an earthy strawberry tea. Maybe a light herbal or white tea with a bit of dirty strawberry jam mixed in. I do get a bit of sassafras, a hint of cocoa, and a dash of dirt, all with great acid and the slightest pinch of sugar. A good deal of funk but I'd definitely call this a mostly fruit driven wine.

More of that strawberry thing, but I'm also getting some raspberry notes.

$25 isn't cheap, so it depends on your budget, but compared to many Pinots we've had at this pricepoint, this is on par in quality.

This wine was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped. These facts do not intentionally cloud my description or rating, but full disclosure is a must.

Score: 87*

2007 Black Star Farms Arcturos Barrel Aged Chardonnay

This bottle retails for $14 through the winery. Fans of this blog know The Wineauxs do not like Chardonnay as a grape or oaked whites in general. This can go one of several ways, but for whatever it's worth, we don't pull punches. We tried this as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets!

A little vanilla on the nose.

Relatively light on oak, a bit of vanilla, some lemon, definitely a fatter mouthfeel than I prefer, but compared to many Chards this probably a lighter style, which is good for my palate. This has, and I apologize for saying this, a quality that reminds me of snot. Wine fans know comparisons to disgusting things are often compliments and I do mean it as that.

More lemon and, yes, more snot on the finish.

I had a feeling just by the light color of this wine that we'd be alright with it, and sure enough we are. It's definitely a Chardonnay but the lighter style is welcome. Part of me expected to sample this and ditch the bottle, but now I'm thinking about getting some sort of fish, tuna steaks maybe, and polishing the rest off tomorrow.

This wine was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped. These facts do not intentionally cloud my description or rating, but full disclosure is a must.

Score: 85*

2008 Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling

This bottle retails for $16.50 through the winery. We tried this as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets!

Grapefruit, I'm going to say mostly white grapefruit, on the nose.

Mostly grapefruit again, tart citrus, kind of a pomelo thing. After a bit of air, some very nice spicy pear qualities come through. I want to say this wine has a bit of sugar but the more I swirl it around and think about it, I do think this is one of these very fruity wines that gives more of an illusion of sugar than is actually present. Sugar or not, this has tons of acid - it leaves the mouth watering big time and begs for food. With a bit of air (and allowing it to warm up) I get some green apple candy - Green Apple Now and Later specifically - as well.

Yet again grapefruit on the finish, along with spice, and tons of acid - crisp indeed.

The downside of visiting the various wineries in the Traverse City area is that they all do Rieslings and they all do them fairly well, so there's an urge to try them everywhere you go - this leads to overkill and a painful tongue. That being said, this is one to check out. A solid offering, excellent balance, and a wine I'll be buying in the future.

This wine was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped. These facts do not intentionally cloud my description or rating, but full disclosure is a must.

Score: 90

Tweet and Taste - Monday, March 8!

The Tweet and Taste is happening in just a few hours... Monday, March 8, 7 pm CST/8 pm EST. 5 pm Specific Time. In that it starts, specifically, at 5 pm on the west coast.

I encourage you all to get on Twitter at that time, you don't actually need to sign up, just search #ttmi and Twitter will keep you updated. If you sign up, you can participate at least.

If you are unable to make it, Twitter does archive everything, so you can read what people had to say after the fact.

The three wines being discussed are:

• 2008 Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling
• 2007 Black Star Farms Arcturos Pinot Noir
• 2007 Black Star Farms Arcturos Barrel Aged Chardonnay

If Twitter really isn't your thing and you want nothing to do with it, I will have formal notes for each bottle up late in the evening on March 8. That, however, will be far less fun than the tweet-tastic fun that will happen.

Immense, colossal, gigantic kudos go out to Shannon from Michigan by the Bottle and Corynn from Black Star for making this come together. Follow them both on Twitter at @MichBytheBottle and @BStar2009. Also, anytime you tell someone about Michigan by the Bottle you must sing it to the tune of Message in a Bottle.