2007 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

A somewhat grassy nose – we don't drink much Sauvignon Blanc so this is a thinker to be sure. I feel like there's some coconut and pineapple going on in there as well.

I'm getting more fresh grass on the palate and more tropical fruit – grapefruit, pineapple – and a little bit of green pepper (the vegetable) all with a dash of white pepper (the spice). There's a slight touch of sweetness and a reasonable balance of acid.

The finish is somewhat vegetal – green and yellow bell pepper and even a bit of asparagus. Strange.

I'm probably being generous with my wine rating because I have less experience with SB, but this is certainly an interesting wine.

Wine: 7
Value: Definitely

2005 Mark West Pinot Noir

This was a gift from a neighbor, but I recognize it from stores at selling for more or less ten bucks.

A big nose loaded with black fruit.

On the palate, plum and cassis with some sort of miscellaneous dark berry, like boysen. Fairly one dimensional – flabby, virtually no acid, and very mild tannic structure.

Blue – or some other miscellaneous dark – berry on the finish.

Big, fruity, sweet – nothing varietally correct or terribly interesting here. For a Pinot Noir, this is lousy – for a wine, it's tolerable.

Wine: 4.5
Value: No

N/V Albero Organic Spanish Sparkling Wine

Those who read this blog with some degree of frequency know we're on a perpetual hunt for decent, cheap sparkling wine. This was five bucks at Trader Joe's and difficult to pass up.

A little bit of lime and slate on the nose.

Rather sweet – if you're not a fan of sparklers because they're too dry, but don't quite want a dessert wine, this may work for you. If you know sparklers and like them dry but want a mildly sweet wine to pair with dessert, this wouldn't be bad either. It's mostly oranges, some orange blossom, and just a bit of pear.

Alright – it's sweet and one dimensional, but there's also nothing “bad” here, nothing funky or unpleasant, which for a $5 sparkler is a gigantic success. It's an easy quaff – perfect for a picnic, with spicy faire, or with a simple dessert

Wine: 5.5
Value: This depends on your perception of my review, if a bit of sugar in a sparkler peeks your interest, I'd say go for it.

2006 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz

To celebrate post #500, I thought long and hard about what to open – settling on this one. We are fans of Mollydooker's Boxer Shiraz, this one is the “mid-range” offering which goes for around $50, and finally there is a more expensive one (Carnival of Love, I think) which we probably won't be trying anytime soon since I can't imagine dropping $80 on an Australian Shiraz (especially on this economy).

Black cherry on the nose. After a few hours, some spices really start presenting – cinnamon mostly – as well as plenty of earth.

Fairly similar to The Boxer, but less heat overall. Black cherry, blueberry, and vanilla. There's some very solid structure here as well – nice tannic backbone and some mild oak flavors as well. As this opens, some very candylike aspects come through – it almost makes your teeth hurt. Dare I say I get a bit of Dr. Pepper on the back palate and finish? After a few hours in the decanter, some new things pop up: chocolate, toffee, and coffee, with some new earthy and spicy notes.

Blueberry ice cream on the finish with some anise, tobacco, and mocha...just when you think it's gone, a bit of black pepper creeps in.

Thinking back to the 2006 Boxer (which was a disappointment compared to the 2005 and 2007), this is obviously better. Compared to the 2007 Boxer? I'm not convinced. If the quality of the Boxer gives a hint to the quality of this, then I'd be very curious to try the 2007 – but for $50, I certainly can't justify this.

Wine: 8.5
Value: No

Post #499

The next post is #500 – which I find to be pretty insane.

We've had hits from all fifty states plus DC.

We've received hits from, at last count, 53 countries, including some interesting ones: Macau, Samoa, Lebanon, Oman, Singapore, among others. I hope our Singapore visitor didn't get caned.

We've received some nice comments, some pissed off people calling us snobs, some pissed off snobs calling us idiots, some pleasant (and not so pleasant) comments from winemakers, and some excellent recommendations from people about places to visit or bottles to try.

The future will bring more of the same, so I invite you to keep reading. We'll be taking an array of local trips in the coming months to try some wineries throughout the Midwest (suggestions welcome, so please drop a line) and hope to work our way to California at some point.

N/V Lynfred Winery Vin de City

This is ten bones at the winery and we dug it at a recent tasting, so I snagged a bottle.

Strong raspberry on the nose with some earthy notes as it opens.

Decent acidic backbone, no really tannins, tons of fruit. Black cherry and blackberry with a little bit of chocolate.

Raspberry sticks around for a while.

For what is – a simple, non-vintage pizza wine – this is fine.

Wine: 6
QPR: Yep

2006 Gabbiano Chianti Classico.

I believe this was $11 at Costco, which is tough to argue with.

Earth and chocolate on the nose.

Smooth drinking – cherry mostly with a bit of blackberry. Not much in terms of tannin but reasonably acidic background. In the 2006 regular Chianti I got some cola notes, and I'm getting them here too with a bit of root beer.

A short finish of earth with a tad of garbage.

While this is fine, I'm not convinced this is worth the extra $4 over the Chianti.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Pass

2007 Tabor Hill Kerner

You don't see Kerner much – it's a grape from Germany that a couple wineries in Michigan grow - sorta like a Riesling. This winery is in southwest Michigan and one of the few in that area that we felt strongly about.

A pretty bold limey nose.

I'm not sure you'd find this to be much different from most Rieslings – good acidic backbone, a touch of sugar, and mostly stone fruit, mostly peaches though I'm getting some interesting bits of pear.

Lingering peach on the finish with a bit of vanilla.

This may not be the most complex wine on the planet, but it's an extremely enjoyable wine – very easy drinking and

Wine: 7
Value: Absolutely

2007 Bolla Chianti

We had the option of seven dollars for a bottle or eleven for a double – eh, why not?

Chocolate and some spices on the nose.

On the lighter side of medium bodied, darker than I normally expect – chocolate, ripe cherries and blackberries. Good acidic backbone and reasonable tannins.

At eleven bones for a magnum, you can't really argue with this. To my palate, cheap Italian wine are consistently solid for the price – they're typically reasonably well balanced with solid acid and funk to balance out the fruit. This one is no exception. If you want to buy a larger bottle to drink over a few days, this is certainly a decent option.

Wine: 6
Value: Yep

2006 Moselland Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Erzeugerabfüllung Riesling Qualitatswein

Ah yes, the beloved cat bottle. This was $11 at World Market. What's interesting is that this appears to be a different wine than our previous cat wine. German bottles are known as being somewhat confusing, but this has no mention of Zeller as there was last time.

A fairly simple nose – some grapefruit notes for the most part.

More white grapefruit on the palate – quite acidic and a bit of sweetness makes this a fairly balanced though somewhat one-dimensional wine.

The finish is more of the same – grapefruit and lingering acid which makes the mouth water.

While not bad, at $11 for a 500ml bottle, it's hardly a good buy. There's nothing here to dislike – it's fine, but you're absolutely buying the bottle more than the wine.

Wine: 6
Value: No – unless you have a use for the bottle or are buying it as a gift for a cat lover.

2006 Chateau Chantal Proprietor's Reserve Trio

We visited this winery a few months ago and loved the grounds, but found the wine to be just alright. I remember liking this bottle which ran $20.

A bold nose with earth, mint, and eucalyptus notes and dare I say a splash of Cherry Pepsi?

Damn – this is solid. Obviously all the Michigan wines we've reviewed are positive because we went to the tasting rooms and bought what we liked, but I don't remember digging this one so much. Cola, sassafras, earth, cherry, and menthol. Excellent acidic structure makes this beg for food, but then you almost don't want to eat anything as it'll ruin everything going on.

More of that cherry cola on the finish.

See, when I taste cola in a wine it automatically works its way up my scale – but even without it, this would still be an excellent one. I assumed this would be good when I opened it, but I have to say I'm pretty much shocked how much this rocks.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Yes

N/V Asotria Lounge Prosecco

We haven't had luck with Proseccco - including several that are highly rated and respected, which leads me to believe that, like most Chardonnay, it's just not our style. So, why are we drinking this? Well, it's been about a year, our palates have changed, and I got swanky new Champagne glasses so I'm hoping for a surprise with this eight dollar bottle.

The nose has some bubble gum notes. There's some Japanese gum you can get at most Asian groceries – it's a collection of seven flavors – orange, grape, melon, strawberry, peach, green apple, and a seventh that has a frog on it, but no assigned “flavor” (that I can tell). This smells like that mystery gum flavor.

Light bodied, crisp, pineapple, just a tad bit sweet, but nothing cloying.

A slightly bitter finish with some lingering tropical notes.

I'm still not a fan of Prosecco, and I don't see buying another one anytime soon, but this isn't all that bad. It's fine, if you are into this sort of thing, then it's certainly worth your while. Personally, I recommend you hunt down that Japanese gum before grabbing a bottle of this.

Wine: 6
Value: Pass

2006 Reserve Perrin Cotes du Rhone

This was eight bucks at Costco – a Cotes du Rhone with a screwcap? Hmmm. Why not?

Plum on the nose.

Tobacco, cedar, cherry – a bit short on acid – but overall not bad at all. As it opens, more strawberry comes through as well as some plum.

More strawberries on the nose and that's really about it.

Simple, but not at all bad and a nice value.

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

2005 Les Caves Joseph Bordeaux Rouge

I bought a bunch of cheap 2005 Bordeaux a while back and have been slowly hitting them. This one was seven bucks.

The big thing on the nose here is cinnamon.

Earthy, spicy, dirty, funky – some cherries as well, but this is a dirty, filthy wine with good acid and nice, velveting tannins. The fruit comes through as the bottle opens, but so does a strong, freshly tanned leather quality. I feel like I'm chewing on a leather jacket.

Dried spices linger on the finish – from the dark brown cinnamon and clove to the green oregano and basil.

Well - I'm in a phase where something be a bit too earthy is more forgivable than something too fruity. This certainly isn't great but for seven bucks who can complain?

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

N/V Lynfred Winery American Sparkling Wine

This was twenty-five big ones, which is a fair amount, but it's important to support local business. Unfortunately...

Some interesting melon notes on the nose.

More melon notes on the finish, but the whole thing just tastes artificial, walking very close to the line of unpleasant, but not quite making it. There's that fake sugar – aspartame – quality not to mention an unpleasant oiliness.

Some tropical notes, almost some kiwi flavors, come through on the finish.

Part of me feels bad even writing this, but this winery is established enough to take it – if they keep up the work and start refining their sparkling wine products, there's potential. Lynfred makes some good products – we'll be reviewing a shockingly good ten dollar bottle from them in the coming weeks – but this is a giant miss.

Wine: 3.5
Value: No

2007 Mollydooker The Scooter Merlot

Alrighty, Mollydooker's Merlot offering. It's freezing out, so a gigantic, alcohol fueled wine seemed like it would fit the bill – the going rate for this one is about $25.

A big fat nose – almost like a blueberry infused brandy. Giant alcohol, black fruit, and licorice.

A big fat palate – blackberry, big fuzzy tannins, almost a cough syrup like quality – just gigantic and somewhat dumb, there is a fortified sort of quality, just a big alcoholic burn. Unpleasant on a warm day, but sitting in a drafty apartment when it's literally ten below zero – it does hit the spot nicely. This is the sort of bottle you'll want to let open for several hours – some nice oak and vanilla notes come through after a few hours,

A big fat finish – cinnamon, clove, and an array of miscellaneous dried green spices all with loads of Twizzlers.

I liked The Boxer a lot – I don't mind over the top wines, but there's a fine line between huge and ridiculous. I can't say this one works for me.

Wine: 6
Value: No

2007 Two Lads Winery Off Dry Pinot Grigio

I've been sitting on this one for a while. We visited this winery over the summer and loved it – so much so that we'll most likely be heading back to the area with the intent of visiting these guys, L. Mawby, and the Bad Dog Deli – anything else we hit will be nothing more than gravy.

A mildly peachy nose with nectarines and a bit of green apple.

Fantastic – this is definitely off dry, the sweetness is present throughout but there's enough acid to balance it out. Loads of peach, red apple, a bit of spice – serve this to me blind, I'd probably guess this to be a Gewürztraminer.

Spicy peach pie filling on the finish.

The depth, my friends, the depth. I wrote not long ago that another Michigan Pinot Grigio made by Left Foot Charley was my favorite PG ever – this is a close second. Pinot Grigio from Michigan - who would've known?

Wine: 9
Value: Hell yes

2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay

You can snag this one for about $15 at most places, but I saw it at $13 at our local Costco.

Pineapple on the nose.

Thick, actually rather sweet, not much acid, a bit buttery with a bit of vanilla hanging out. It's not bad – this is one of those things, for a "white wine" I don't really care for it, but as a "Chardonnay" is awesome. It's big and one-dimensional but it's tasty enough.

Pineapple ice cream on the finish.

I respect this wine, but I can't say I care for it. It's a bit too rich, too buttery, too sweet, and too flabby for me to really dig it.

Wine: 5.5
Value: Not our style, but it's well made and at the very least worth a “Pass.”

N/V(?) Free Run Cellars Union

This wine intrigued me at the tasting room and thus I felt compelled to grab a bottle for about eighteen bones.

Funky garbage and carob on the nose.

Very Italian like on the palate – very much like a Chianti. Less intriguing than I remember, though by no means bad – in fact, this is pretty damn good if you're into Tuscan style wines. Tart, slightly sweet strawberry, loads of acid, and some earthy, chocolatey notes.

Chocolate, cigar box, tobacco, and cherry on the finish.

I remember this being far more unique in the tasting room – perhaps it was a different batch or the bottle had been open a while. For eighteen dollars, this definitely isn't a strong value, but it's still a perfectly good wine that I'd give the go ahead to someone who enjoys Tuscan style wines but wants something a bit different.

Wine: 7
Value: Pass

N/V Patratki Greek Rose

So....we've never reviewed a Greek wine, and we recently enjoyed a dinner at a Greek restaurant where we had a nice rose. I decided to snag a bottle of this for kicks for eight bones.

Man, I struggled with this one's nose, but I finally got it. Grapes – like the skins of red seedless grapes you get at the Jewels.

Simple and quaffable – honestly....this wine is a decent thing to just drink but now that I sit and really think about it, I can't place anything....it's definitely wine. There's some alcohol and there's some mild tannins, but I can't say there's anything else. Maybe strawberry? I'm reaching.

A bit of citrus acid lingers on the finish – it doesn't taste like anything in particular, just a vaguely citric quality.

Well, there's nothing wrong here but there's nothing really here. This would be fine with something extremely spicy to wash down, mainly because a good quality rose would almost be wasted. I don't know – consume this like water isn't a ringing endorsement, but what can I tell you?

Wine: 6
Value: Pass