Tuesday, January 29, 2008

the wine collection has been unpacked

I have completed my move from Washington to California. I have been super busy at work and at the apartment unpacking, but I finally have all the wine out of boxes and back in the fridge or on shelves. Which means I can start tasting and posting again. We had the 2003 Worthy Sophie's Cuvee the other night, and it was awesome. However, three weeks of no drinking have left me quite the light-weight.

Despite this, I'm scheduled to go to Napa this weekend, so stay tuned.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

1997 laurent-perrier champagne

I do not know much about Champagne. Usually I ask for Veuve Clicquot and everyone nods approvingly. I am also aware, thanks to popular culture, of Dom Perignon and Cristal. But I have never had either one.

So on New Years Day Sara's father popped the 1997 Laurent-Perrier Champagne and I drank it. It was good. I do not have the adjectives to describe it. Here is a picture though:



It was crisp. Not too sweet, not too dry. Not buttery, not white-grape juice tasting either. It was just a nice, well made, drinkable wine. Tiny bubbles.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

2003 DeLoach Zinfandel

The 2003 DeLoach Zinfandel is an $18 wine that you feel just fine paying $36 for at a restaurant (as we did last night). Here is another wonderful, low-light, cell phone photo:



The wine was good value California Zinfandel. It was spicy with hints of the sort of fruit you get with red Zin, berries and grapes, and a little nutty but not blatantly so. After having the main course, which was a butternut squash lasagna with nut paste and assorted vegan ingredients, the wine became much more subdued, almost falling flat in the finish. Wine pairing is an art that still eludes me.

I have not done a lot of exploring of the Russian River Valley, but I keep finding great tasting wines coming from that region, and I think it is deserving of further investigation. My previous try was a white wine.

another milestone

Today my wine blog turns one year old. Fittingly, Dec 31st was the most-viewed day of the entire last year, breaking 100 page views for the first time in a single day (with 102 total page views). Thanks for reading.