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Hi All. I hope you had a great weekend. I, once again, reached beyond my wine boundaries to France, and chose a Bordeaux. A Bordeaux is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Wine growers in that region produce the more common reds, but also sweet white, dry white, rose, and sparkling wines. I chose a red Bordeaux. I selected the 2012 Chateau Briot Reserve – Grand Vin de Bordeaux. It touts that it is “pure and lingering” and it was, but not in a good way. It is pure in that it tastes just like a grape right off the vine. I’m not a purist in that I like fermentation of the grapes before I drink them. It noted hints of vanilla on the description, but I didn’t taste that at all. Perhaps my palette is not as refined as it should be or perhaps I should more careful in selecting wines with a screw cap. Note that there are some good wines with a screw cap though. The screw cap is just another type of hat that my good friend, wine, tips in my direction. I did not enjoy this conservatively-priced wine at $13 per bottle though. I don’t want to end this on a sour grape note though, so have a great week ahead!

 

Hi All. It has been a while, so have been looking forward to getting back into the blog. I decided that I’d explore a varietal with which I don’t have as much familiarity – Prosecco. It is an Italian sparkling wine that is primarily made from the prosecco or glera grape, which is native to the Veneto region of Italy. I tried Lamarca Prosecco. It is light, but slightly dry. It has a hint of cut grass and a slight citrus taste and doesn’t linger. I tried it with Parmesan cheese and found that was a good pairing. It was the only cheese I had in the fridge that was a healthy color, so…
I then got creative and tried dropping a couple of peach slices in it and left it for a few minutes. Yeah – don’t do that. Go to the Lamarca website as they have a few recipes that look delicious.  While Prosecco isn’t my favorite type of wine, I could see drinking it in an afternoon soiree and enjoying it given its light nature. You can find Lamarca Prosecco at most grocery stores, conservatively priced, for around $11 to $14 per bottle.

I would love to hear from some Prosecco fans on your thoughts on good brands and how best to enjoy it. Have a great week!

http://www.lamarcaprosecco.com/prosecco

 

Hi All. I hope you’ve had a great weekend. It is a typical hot Texas summer, so thought I’d share a nice cool wine with you. The 2015 Courtney Benham Chardonnay is a light Chardonnay. It isn’t very oaky. It has hints of peach and a slight vanilla essence to it. I’d say this is a good summer-afternoon-drinking-wine-with-friends wine. It might not stand up to a rich meal, but stands up to rich friendship. I found this conservatively priced at Total Wines for $14.99 per bottle. You might be able to find it elsewhere, but this is often my “Go To” for fermented grape happiness.

Hi All! Tonight’s wine review will be on the 2013 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon. I’ve learned patience, so just let it breathe first. This is a relatively mild cab that tasted slightly smoky and oaky (I didn’t plan that rhyme, but it kinda works, right?). It has a medium finish and would be a good choice for people who don’t want that heavy or lingering cab. I, myself, prefer the smokier/oakiers, but that’s just me. This is a conservatively priced bottle of wine at $13.29 (again with the rhyme) at Total Wines or at some of the grocery stores.

For anyone who has also enjoyed any of the Souverain wines, let us know your opinions on them!

Hi All. Tonight’s review will be on Irony Pinot Noir – 2013. I had this stored in a wine refrigerator for a few weeks, so opened it and took a sip. It was really sharp at first and had a tobacco and blackberry taste which were fine, but strong. I did let this one breathe for about 20 minutes and found that was definitely what it needed. A fine wine, like me, doesn’t like too much change all at once. (Ironic that I was drinking it, right?) It mellowed and the slight peppery taste with slight hint of berry came through and reminded me of other good Pinot’s I’ve had. I would recommend this wine, but, again, let it breathe first. You can buy it at Tom Thumb for $14 if you have their card.

 

Hi All – I’m going to review a Chardonnay this evening. It is the Harken 2014 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. I’d describe it as having a slightly fruit undertone that comes out at first, but you definitely get an oaky, buttery taste to it as well. I’d say it is a medium oak, but given my palette, it might be considered heavy oak to some. I drank it alone (well..ok..not as in I was alone and drinking , but it was by itself) and could taste the slight fruit and then the oak and butter. I then had some with a salmon and it complimented it well. If you like a buttery, oaky Chardonnay, I’d recommend it.

This is my first blog on the World Wide Web, so we’ll see how it goes. The overall purpose of this blog is to talk about wine. The most controversial topic on this website should be no more than Cabernet versus Merlot versus Pinot. This isn’t politics, this isn’t religion, or any other topic that turns people into snorting, whining, overly dramatic, and just plain nasty humans. This is happiness, people! Let’s debate what makes us happier – Prosecco or Champagne.

NOTE: I’m not a Sommelier and I don’t have a Vintner’s degree. I just enjoy it. Take that with a grain of Napa dirt.