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Hi All. So an interesting week for sure. I thought the following wine was an appropriate selection given the behavior of people including Presidential candidates and many Americans in general. I decided to review the 2014 Conundrum White Wine. This is their 25th anniversary production of this wine. This blend gets quite a few of the Popular votes in the United States. (I know it’s corny, but that’s just funny) The Wagner Family of Wines produces it along with other brands such as Caymus, Mer Soleil and Emmolo. Conundrum is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscat Canelli and Viognier. The website touts a hint of oak, pear, honeysuckle, and some citrus but I didn’t taste the oak at all. I did taste pear, apple and peach with a floral essence. It is sweet (unlike some folks I’ve seen on Facebook this week), but not to the level of some Rieslings I’ve had. While I’m not a sweet wine fan, this was a good combination with cheese and nuts. You used to get a bottle for around $15-$17, but they are proud of their 25th Anniversary Edition at $22.99 per bottle at Total Wines and other grocery stores such as Tom Thumb and Market Street. Enjoy it by sitting outside on a patio with friends and family while you let things cool down on Facebook and the internet (after you read this blog of course). Have a good weekend!

Hi All. I hope you have had a great weekend. My Oklahoma Sooners played my Texas Tech Red Raiders and that was just great, crazy football to watch. Leave it to these two teams to break an NCAA record for 1,708 total combined offensive yards. I’m going to continue on with the theme of crazy…I’m going to provide a review of a Scotch. I’m not really a Scotch drinker, but I’d gone to Total Wines to buy..well…wine. Macallan (technically “The” Macallan) was offering a sampling, so I thought I’d try it. I have had four-course meals by sampling food items at Costco, so I’m a big fan of sampling. I first tried The Macallan 12 year-old single malt scotch. I was only given a mouthwash cup of it and tried to just sip it. However, I found myself coughing and sputtering like a cat in an unwanted bath. The elegant Scotch lady said that I might like The Macallan Double Cask 12 year-old Scotch better. I wanted to end my Scotch tasting on a good note, so accepted that offer. They age Double Cask Scotch in casks made of American oak and then “harmoniously unite them” (their words not mine) with Scotch aged in casks made of European oak. I took a sip of that Scotch and found it to be smoother, slightly smoky, sort of sweet, and not bad at all. The Macallan 12 year-old Scotch is $49.99 and The Macallan Double Cask 12 year-old Scotch is $59.99 at Total Wines. I’m not a Sommelier, but I’m really not a Scotch connoisseur, so take this review with a grain of salt. Enjoy the week ahead!

Hi All. I hope you all had an excellent weekend with family and friends. I enjoyed a really nice dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s house Saturday night with a really good friend and my boyfriend. My sister, the quintessential host, grilled some really good steaks. Quintessential is a complex word that makes me look smarter to cover up the simple grammatical errors. Hey Wikileaks – it’s all in the open here. I brought a great wine to complement the dinner. Silver Oak, you see, produces a great wine most any year. We enjoyed a 2012 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I opened it and let it breathe a bit before we poured it and that really brought it out well. It has a true oak flavor with essences of slight berry and coffee and/or chocolate. It is a bold Cabernet, but doesn’t linger too long on the tongue, so folks who are not used to a Cabernet would still enjoy it. This is a significantly-priced wine at around $74 per bottle, but well worth it for good family and friends..or just…you. Silver Oak only makes Cabernet Sauvignon, either the Napa or Alexander Valley blends. You’ll find them on many restaurant wine lists, in many grocery stores, and wine stores. The Napa blends are usually more expensive at over $150 per bottle. Silver Oak is a pretty consistent wine, so you can’t go wrong if you want to treat yourself and others with a more expensive wine. You just need to weigh that purchase against a new pair of shoes. After a couple of glasses of Silver Oak, the shoes you need don’t seem as important, so… On that note, have a great week!

https://www.silveroak.com/visit-us/alexander-valley/

Hi All. I hope your weekend was great and that you were able to spend quality time with good friends and family. It was a beautiful weekend here in the Dallas area with highs in the 80s where an appropriate wine for those temperatures might be a lighter white. I decided to venture out because that’s how I roll in the ‘burbs. I went with a varietal that I normally do not choose, but I also picked a varietal from a far-away land. I chose the 2015 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. I would have gone as far as Antarctica, but their wine options are limited. This wine is slightly dry, but mild. It has an essence of grapefruit when you smell it and initially taste it. However, it ends in a slightly celery or even grassy, leafy taste. I actually felt healthier when I was drinking it. You could pair it with lighter cheeses, bread, salad, or lighter fruits. While this varietal isn’t my favorite, I would recommend this wine if you were looking for a Sauvignon Blanc. It is moderately priced at $16 per bottle at Kroger. Enjoy the week.

Hi All. I lost a wonderful friend this past week and I’m sad. So…I decided to open a great red wine in her honor. I’ll decide later if that was a healthy action or should dictate a visit to a therapist. My friend Lisa was a red-head, so a red wine was fitting. I opened a 2011 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot.  Lisa was a blend of a little fire, a lot of compassion, and overall warmth so, again, fitting of a good blend. The Cinq Cepages starts pretty spicy, but then, after a few seconds, tapers off into a slightly cocoa, slightly berry smooth blend of goodness. This wine is fermented in oak barrels so you get that good oaky essence. I would definitely recommend this wine, although not sure the 2011 is widely available. However, Chateau St. Jean produces the Cinq Cepages blend every year and I do not believe it will disappoint. You can find it at Total Wines and some grocery stores, significantly priced, for $50+ per bottle. Whatever you do this week, make sure that you take time for your family and friends. God Bless you, Lisa.

Hi All. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I tried a 2014 Chloe Pinot Grigio last night. It had tastes of peach and melon. I enjoyed it as a lighter wine. It would be a great afternoon-on-the-patio wine with friends. You could pair it with a salad or lighter foods. You can find it at Kroger, Market Street or Total Wines for around $14 per bottle. Highs in the 80s this week, so grab a bottle and sit on the back porch and enjoy!!

Part II of 2014 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay – I didn’t like it much better this evening after more chillin’..by it and me. It mellowed a little, but was still sharp on the tongue. I went to their website and found this description: “The 2014 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay from Sonoma County has superior lots of wine from our vineyards in Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Carneros. This full-bodied yet refreshing Chardonnay boasts aromas of lemon, pear, green apple, orange blossom, lychee and peach perfectly balanced by flavors of Meyer lemon, vanilla and graham with a floral finish.” It’s a woman! It is trying to be and do too much. No wonder it’s sharp on the tongue. You can find it for $21.99 at Target, but let it get some rest first.

Hi All. I hope everyone had a great weekend…and Monday. I’m going to present a Chardonnay tonight as an alternative to the recent reds. I tried a 2014 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay, Sonoma County. I have had that brand of Chardonnay in the past and enjoyed it, but I hadn’t tried this particular year. I hadn’t chilled it very much when I poured it. When I first tasted it, I got a strong taste of pepper of all things. I hadn’t ever had a Chardonnay with a peppery taste. I thought my palette was off, so had my mom try it as well without telling her my thoughts (I’m very scientific, but without a solid knowledge of anything really scientific). She stated that it had a peppery taste too. It had an essence of slight fruit, but that’s it. I didn’t taste a lot of oak even though it was fermented in oak barrels. I tried it with bread and it was still pretty sharp. I then had a piece of Swiss cheese and it mellowed it a bit. “Open the bottle with an open mind when it comes to all wine” as I say…just now when I said it. So, here’s the plan…. I am going to let it chill a bit more and then will present a Part Two posting to this tomorrow night. Stay tuned.

Happy Monday! Yesterday was a somber day, but I hope everyone had a great weekend with friends, family and football. Those times are what really count in this world. I’m going to review the 2012 Murphy-Goode Single Deck Cabernet Sauvignon, California. I had it at dinner Friday night and really enjoyed it. It isn’t a bold Cabernet (which I typically like a lot), but has a smooth oak essence. It is also not too fruity. I had it with salmon and thought it complimented it well. Yes, that’s right..I drank a red wine with fish..which is acceptable. It’s all about the pairing, not about the judgment and staring. I recommend it. It is conservatively priced between $11 to $15 and you can find it in Kroger or Tom Thumb. I’ll let you in on a little secret…I start with the lower-end price range on a restaurant wine menu and typically don’t have to work my way that far up to find a great wine. I’m wine-rich, yet cash poor. Have a great week!

 

Hello Everyone!  I joined some friends Friday night for pizza and wine. Always a good time. I tried a 2012 Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a medium-bodied wine with a combination of blackberry and maybe some cherry tones to it. It wasn’t a very high tannin Cabernet. Overall a good Cabernet if you like a slightly fruity undertone. You can find it at Total Wines for about $16 per bottle. Have a great week!