Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2008 (Baron Philippe de Rothchild)

I always look for a good value and this wine is just that.  Bordeaux is usually synonymous with astronomical wine prices and big bold reds. Well this one is a little different, at $10 a bottle it makes a stand that balanced, palatable wine does not have to cost an arm and a leg.  This wine is a red blend (Merlot 65% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% and Cabernet Franc 15%) of very traditional grape varietals of the Bordeaux region.  It's a very well balanced wine with notes of cherries and hint of smoke.  I  made a Rib Eye steak on the grill to go with this wine.  Any sort of red meat would do with this wine, but don't over season the steak.  Let the meat and the wine talk to each other and enjoy the conversation.    You should be able to find this wine at your local BevMo, which makes it a very accessible wine.

As always if you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to contact me at:

anoseforwineblog@gmail.com 

Wine Dinner Review - McKinley's Grille Table to Farm Dinner

(My apologies on the photos.  I don't have a lot of practice taking good pictures with my iPhone yet.)

Introduction.
In my constant search for great wine adventures close to where I live, I stumbled upon an interesting wine dinner.  At first glance it looked like a very normal six course meal with pairings with the food sounding wonderful and the wines looking very good. Then I went to make a reservation and was informed that we would be meeting by the restaurant and shuttle to their farm. A Farm? In the heart of Pomona?  Well now I was intrigued and very excited.

So the day had come and we made our way to the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel the site of McKinley's Grille, and sure enough there was a check in at the lobby, some free bubbly, and  a wait to board the shuttle to the farm. (The "we" being my wife and I)  When a few more guests attending the dinner had arrived we climbed into a van and were heading out to a farm.  I was prepared for a long journey into the hills and countryside of the San Gabriel Valley, but it ended up being a short ride through the gates of the Fairplex and right up to a small area right on the Fairgrounds.  Now being one who annualy makes a pilgramage to the L.A. County Fair I thought I had seen every nook and crany of the grounds, yet this plot of land had eluded me these many years.  It was a small garden-esque farm bursting with fresh fruit and veg, a pleasant sight to counter the urban sprawl.  We grabbed a refill  of the Korbel and were of to explore.

We wandered the grounds for a bit taking in the beauty and the freshness of all the plants. (In doing this I kicked one of the mason jars containing a candle onto my wife's foot, getting wax all over her good shoes.) At the end of trail was an opening where the table set up and food prep area was.  The two long tables set up nicely and accross from that was the beef being cooked over an open fire.  The cookout gave off a smell that reminded me of the food vendors from the Fair which here was very appropriate.

After most of the guest had arrived we jockeyed for possition at the table not wanting to be left to sit at opposite ends of the table.  We were fortunate to pick seats close to John Solomon General Manager at Liquorama Fine Wines & Spirits . He introduced the wines and was a wealth of wine information.  The dinner then commenced course by course and it was a wonderful experience.

Wild Albecore Sashimi, green farm tomato wasabi - Marquis De La Tour, Brut, N.V.

This was a nice, light and fresh start to the meal.  Melt in your mouth tuna sashimi and the fresh green tomatoes made this a perfect starter.  It was just enough to get the dinner started.  This dish was coupled with the Marquis De La Tour, a sparkling wine from the Loire Valley in France. The wine contained 50% Chenin Blanc, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Chardonnay.  It was nice to have had the Korbel first, because it gave me a chance to notice the clean crisp taste of the Marquis De La Tour.  It matched up well with the light, freshness of the starting dish.

Maryland Soft Shell Crab Spring Roll, cucumber mint yogurt - Attitude, Rosé, Loire, France 2009

The second course was a spring roll with crab and  greens fresh from the farm.  An issue I had with this dish was that the star was not the crab, but the greens.  They were fragrant and pretty much overpowered the crab.  Conversely the wine pairing was absolutely spot on.  It was coupled with Attitude Rosé once again from the Loire Valley in France.  The wine had many floral hints and brought out the natural flavors of the greens.

Local White Sea Bass, roasted beets, sorrel - Laetitia Estate, Arroyo Grande Valley, Chardonnay 2008

I love Sea Bass.  Its a great rich fish that is absolutely wonderful and every time I have a chance to try some, I do.  This Sea Bass was served with some roasted beets and sorrel (once again grown from the farm).  This dish was served with a Laeditia Estate Chardonnay which is oak aged.  The taste had notes of melon and tropical fruit with the distinct richness of an oaked Chardonnay.  So I taste the dish, then the wine, then back to the dish, and back and forth many times I came upon a surprising conclusion; the pairing didn't work. I think that the sea bass on its own would have gone up well with the rich wine, but when matched up with the sweetness of the beets it seemed to fall apart.  What i may have done is still used a Chardonnay, but one of the un-oaked variety a little lighter and able to handle the beets.  This dish also signaled the first of the family style "take some and pass it down" dishes that we would be having for the rest of our dinner.

Organic Rabbit Confit, heirloom carrots, un-ripe muscat grape chutney - Sonoma Cutrer, Pinot Noir, Russian River, 2007

Yes, that is correct, rabbit served with carrots.  I don't think you could get a more naturaly well matched dish.  Think about it; if Elmer Fudd actually caught Bugs Bunny he would be serving him with carrots. In all seriousness this was a wonderful plate rich rabbit confit, fresh roasted heirloom carrots, and the surprisingly well placed tartness of the un-ripe muscat grape chutney.  This all came with the light, fruity taste of Pinot Noir.  This Pinot was made by Sonoma-Crutrer with grapes from the Russia River.  This was a good pairing  the flavors working well with each other.

Prime Beef Hanging Tender, oxtail fig stew - Trefethen, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley 2006

Now to the meat that was just being cooked on the open fire, and boy was it good.  Tender with a nice flavorful char on it gave in that backyard cook out feel.  The oxtail stew was made with figs which gave some sweetness to the protien heavy course we were having.  Of course what would one pair this beefy dish? The meat lovers favorite wine.  This is a very safe pairing which no one would disagree worked well.  I would have liked to have seen an outside the box pairing maybe with something from Italy, Spain, or Argentina.

Mini Local Cherry Tart Tatin, vanilla bean ice cream, cherry bourbon syrup - Inniskillin, Ice Wine (Risling), Niagara Peninsula, Canada, 2007

We have come to the sweet end of our culinary experience. This was a great dessert which married the flavors of sweet.  It also showed off two textures of the cherry's;  soft in the tart tatin, crisp and fresh in the syrup.  The ice wine was a great touch with its syrupy sweetness and aromas of rasins along with other dried fruit.

I think this was a wonderful experience and a great dinner.  The wine pairings for the most part might have been a little safe, but except for the sea bass they worked very well.  I will be looking forward to attending another of this Table to Wine Dinners.  It is wonderful to have wine adventures like this just around the corner.

Cheers

Best of the Wine Web - Rosé reviews.

I have recently come to the realization that I don't have the resources (yet) to try all the wines that I would like to try. So I have come up with a solution, I will occasionally give out a list of links to other reviews or articles about wines related to the wines I am writing about currently. This month I have decided to feature Rosé.  So here are some things I have found.  If you have others please leave a comment and post the links.

Dr. Vino - http://www.drvino.com/2011/05/31/memorial-day-summer-drinking-season/

San Francisco Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/27/FD2G1JKR37.DTL&type=wine

Formaggio Kitchen's Cheese Blog - http://blog.formaggiokitchen.com/2011/06/02/brose-defining-rose-wine-in-2011/

Snooth - http://www.snooth.com/articles/commentary/rose-reviewer-round-up/?utm_campaign=3453&utm_medium=email&utm_source=all&utm_content=7488

I'm sure there is more and I can and will update the list.  Let me know your favorite summer Rosé

Cheers

Sumertime is here - Rosé reviews.

So we have closed in on summer time here in Southern California, and whats more perfect than sitting  outside at the end of the day with a glass of wine.  The question always is what wine is great for the hotter climates.  One choice is a nice Rosé.  Usually pink in color with a more subtle flavor than a full red, tends to be easy to drink for most palates.

I was able to pick out two Rosés to try and was quite impressed:

The first was Simi 2007 Roseto Sonoma County. 97% Syrah 3% Viongnier.  Had  a lot of depth for a lighter wine and was still refreshing. Has a very fruity bouquet and a nice deep pink color.  This wine would be great for a summer night and some turkey burgers and a side of  cilantro potato salad.


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The second wine we tried  was Chateau de Campuget Costieres de Nimes Tradition Rose 2009. 70% Syrah 30% Grenache Noir  This wine had a lighter pink color and was a bit more acidic than the Simi. Still a nice refreshing Rosé, with a floral bouquet and hints of red fruit in its taste.  Perfect for some nice grilled salmon and fresh mixed baby greens.



What is nice is that these wines come through in the $10-$15 range which is very affordable and great value for money.

Let me know if there is a wine you think i should check out.

Return, Semler 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Saddle Rock-Malibu

So I make my return to the blogging world, because of a wine from a winery that is just a few hours away from my house.  Malibu.

Now I know many are thinking beaches, piers, and overpriced housing.  Yet tucked away in the hills is a wonderful place called Malibu Family Wines.  We discovered this winery by complete chance when we stumbled upon a Groupon offer to visit the winery for tasting flights and a free bottle.  So my wife and I made the venture taking along my cousin and his wife for a taste of these wines.  The flights were wonderful and the I truly enjoyed the quality of the wines.  The wine that i finally chose as the bottle I would take home was the 2005 Cab.  At the time I was enamored by the complexity and  boldness of the wine. So if this happened a few months ago, why didn't I write about it then?  Mostly because life had taken over for a bit.

I'm sure the next question that will be asked is why now are you writing about this wine?  Well last Friday we took to a night out to our favorite local wine bar The Parlour and on their Cab flight, there it was the 2005 Semler.  Well I took that first sip and remembered exactly why I picked that one to take home with me.  The aroma took me back to Malibu and  the taste took me back to that very first sip from the tasting flight.

If you are looking for great local Cabernet Sauvignon look no further than Semler. 2005 being on of the best of the vintages but all of the years have a lot of character.

Where have you been Mr. Wine?

It has been a good while since my last post, and my apologies go out to my loyal and casual readers.  I just want everyone to know I have not given up.  I plan to come up with some good finds and some good content coming up in the future.  So this will only be a short hiatus and there will be a new, wine related post coming soon.

Thank you to all

Cheers

Napa Rose.

There are very few restaurants in life that have the ability to absolutely impress time and time again.  With a seasonally changing menu and an ever changing Prix fixe menu called the "The Vintners Table", the Napa Rose shows that impressive style of fresh and elegant cuisine that makes one say: "What will the come up with next?" Truly a classic in Souther California, I suggest that everyone make it a point to go at least once.

Just imagine 4 star quality service and at the Disney touch and one gets probably the most unforgeable dinning experience.  The knowledge of the staff is unquestionably superb and the the food is masterpiece of cuisine.  Of course, staying with the theme of this blog, they have a wine list that would make a novice wine lover fall off their chair.  Everything from $2,500  Bordeaux's to $30 bottles of great California wines populate this seemingly endless wine list.

The one great adventure of this resturant is "The Vintners Table", a  4 course prix fixe menu with the offer of wine pairings for each course.  This experience comes at a price, but be assured that it is well worth every penny.  The menu changes constantly so what we had a few nights ago might not be there again.  We have made the pilgrimage about a hadfull of times, and each new experience left us with the feeling of wanting to get back there ass soon as possible.

I hope everyone will go and share their experience with my on what i think is one of the finest restaurants in the Southern California area

The First Bordeaux. Château Lanessan 2005

Flying in blind is a difficult thing when it comes to wine.  I could do all the reading about appellations, the AOC, and other strange conventions and it still wouldn't bring me closer to understanding a Bordeaux.  So how does one pick a wine when on is still in a state of confusion over the whole concept.  Well one could walk into the wine store pick a region that sounds nice,  see a good price, and notice that the wine has a 90+ rating from a respected wine publication. So what does one come up with; the Château Lanessan 2005 Haut- Medoc.

I will be honest about this wine, it is everything it advertised.  A beautiful mellow red with some good complexity.  Very bold flavors and smooth tannins.  It shows what a little age does to a quality wine makes it a very pleasant experience.

I did wish that I could have also pick up the Bordeaux glasses from Reidel but couldn't quite aford them yet.  So keep watching for my experiment. Does a Bordeaux truly taste better in the Bordeaux glass? (Yes i know its been done before, but i just want to see for myself).

Wine Journey: Introduction.

From the humble beginnings of my blog, I have noticed my posts have lacked a focus that was it's original intent.  I am an armature in the wine world, only having tasted a few wines.  How am I to understand an rate wines if I haven't had the experience than many others have had?  How can I presume my opinion on wine is accurate with out trying a little wine from everywhere in the world? How do I go about trying wines from all around the world?  The answer is simple: Have a Focus.

My future posts will be a chronicle of my journey around the world.  Of course monetary constraints prohibit me from doing a lot of actual travel, I will make it mostly a virtual trip through the glory of wine.  It is said that good wines bring one the flavors and ideas of the regions that they are produced.  I hope to taste the essence of these wines and share what I discover.  It will be a long journey, but it will hopefully enlighten me on what is out there in wine. Maybe I will find some new favorites, maybe I will have the opportunity to try some of the finest wines every created, maybe I will only be able to afford the table wine genre from each region.  One fact that is certain, I will be drinking wine. 

I have decided to start the journey in a country that is synonymous with wine.  A country were the idea of fine wine became an undying legacy.  France.  I will be exploring the country by regions starting with one of the most famous; Bordeaux. 

Wine world here I come.  

Tuesday Night/Meatloaf Night ft. 2009 Lunacy Merlot

Continuing with a journey through some staff favorites from Barclay's Wine.  Even though the movie Sideways destroyed Merlot for many I decided not to blindly follow the ravings of an indie movie and try the Merlot.

This is a good, non assuming wine, that goes well with meat.  Rich fruit flavors dominate with a hint of spice.  Smooth, mild tannins and a fair finish.  This is excatcly what it says it is a good Merlot, and at less than $16 its a good value. 82pts

Best of the Wine Web: A "Cool" Tasting

I realize I can't fit the entire wine world into this little blog, so every now and again I will be bringing you the best of wine on the web.  This ongoing series will feture winery websites, articles, and videos from around the world of wine.

Now this first one is just plain fun. Check out this video of a wine tasting in Helsinki. (WARNING: There is some strong language.) : A "Cool" Tasting

Black Rock White Blend 2008

The First Wine of the New Year


So here we are again. Myself at home relaxing after a long day, and i decided to have the first wine of the new year.  I peered into our slowly dissipating wine closet, and found a wine from South Africa.  In my adventurous spirit I decided to give it a try.  The wine is a blend 55% Chenin Blanc 33% Chardonnay 11% Clairette Blanche 1% Viognier.  Most of the taste seems to be dominated by mineral flavor, which in small doses can be pleasant in wine but maybe to overpowering in this wine without making it undrinkable.  Not a bad wine, but might work better as part of a meal (for me fish with a cream sauce).

The Perils of Blind Ordering Wine


A lot of the wine that I have been trying recently has come from an order of a mixed case of 12 wines.  These were listed as staff favorites.  The wines themselves have not been bad, but the one thing i notice is that this set is totally random.  The wines are not tailored to my tastes or my interests.  Its a great starting point to learning about wines and regions I may not know about, but somethings might be better learned at local wine shop tastings.

My goal now is to partake of many of these tastings over the next year, and bring all my discoveries here to this blog.

A Brand New Year

The rush of the holiday's is finally over and I can now rededicate myself to this blog.  I want to wish my readers a Happy New Year.  I have made some blog resolutions, the main one being I will write about every single wine I taste this year, keep a more updated log of the wines I like, I will add a link to other wine blogs i read and hopefully a lot more.

I hope that everyone will stick with me this year as I take my first true years journey through the world of wine.

Chardonnay, A Story.

As reported in some length, I had dinner one night at The Parlour.  I'd like to zoom in on a descusion with Ryan, our waiter and wine host, upon the arrival of our salomn.  The dish was pared with an Unoaked Chardonnay, perfect and light with the fish, and none of that heavy oak flavor.  At that point I turned and said "But I do love a nice oaky, buttery Chardonnay."

Ryan looks at me and says. "Well you must have had a Rombauer."

I looked back with a twinge of embarrassment and said "No I have not."

Well needless to say I left with a bottle of Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay 2009.  I bought this bottle just upon the recomandation of a man who h.eard me say a few words, and ultimately new excatly what I wanted.

Tonight I opened that bottle, and that promise of a big buttery Chardonnay was fulfilled.  It is very hard for me to try to stay impartial with this wine, so I won't.  There are some things that just taste so amazing to one individual that objectivity is completely thrown out the window.  When I uncorked the bottle, I had to hide my Connoisseur in Training workbook.  No amount of swirling, smelling, or swishing was going to take away the shear enjoyment I got from this wine.  This wine was my heaven.

As I looked out the window and toasted the passing clouds signaling the end to the Great Storm of 2010, I realized one thing, wine is to drink.  Let the "so called" professionals scrutinize the wine.  Let them put arbitrary points on wine. I just want to try and enjoy every single wine I can.  There is a story in every bottle and a soul in every sip. It is us that will discover these stories and in sharing these wines with people we know, maybe even create some stories of our own.

Tuesday Night is Meatloaf Night. featuring Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec 2008

I always look forward to Tuesday night, grandma picks up the kids and takes them to dance class and brings them back along with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and some sort of veg plate.  Tonight was no different . . . well except the kids didn't have dance class, and tonight i decided to pull a wine out of our growing wine closet.

For tonight I chose Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec 2008 from Argentina. As I have read the Argentine have perfected the Malbec, especially in the region of Mendoza.  Well for my introduction to Malbec I think this was a good place to start.  It wasn't as deep and heavy as i thought it would be, it had a surprising delicateness and refinement that made the experience very pleasurable.   It went very well with the quality store bought meatloaf.  

I think I would like to try some more Malbecs, and maybe throw in some great empanadas or and nice fillet mignon. Hmm do i see an Argentine night in the future?

The Parlour Wine Bar & Bistro

In the corner of a building in downtown Glendora there is a hidden gem, The Parlour Wine Bar & Bistro.  From the out side all one can see is a door, yet inside one feels that they have been trasported to a big city wine bar.  One that wouldn't be out of place in New York or even Chicago.  It is a simple and elegant corner of the San Gabriel Valley.

It was date night for my wife and I  and we were looking for something local and unique.   What we found was a great little place for wine and fine food.  Our dining  experience was nothing short of amazing, from the knowledgable front room staff to the delicate dishes created by a very capable chef.  We had done a bit of homework and already decided that their prix fixe menu would be a perfect way to get a taste of what the Parlour could do.  The prix fixe was five courses each paired with a wine.  We had decided on the boring route of choosing the same style of wine, the whites.  There was also a red wine flight, that was pared with the same small plates but a different entrée.   When we had arrived the place was pretty much full. save for the table I'd like to the think that the saved just for us.  It took a little longer to get the first course underway (something I attribute to the amount of guests).  The staff could see we were waiting a for a bit, and came over to offer us a taste of the Zonin Prosecco, a delightful Italian sparkling wine.   The wait for food did not last much longer and we started out with a three beet & goat cheese salad.  It was a very nice pared with the Baron Fini Pinot Grigio.  Light flavors from the salad and acidity from the wine, the first course was a hit.  Next on the agenda, Bacon Wrapped Prawns. Now i think most would agree, everything is better wrapped in bacon.  The wine to match was a Pine Ridge Chennin Voignier which quickly became my wifes favorite. We even bought a bottle to take home.  The last of the small plates was the Parcini Risotto Aranchini, a beautiful little savory dish pared extremely well with the Conundrum White Blend. So far the beginnings had done their job, and had us looking forward to our entrée, the Maple Hazelnut Crusted Salmon.  This salmon was perfect and as wonderful as it sounds on the menu.  It was pared up with an unoaked Chardonnay (it was not the one on the menu which they had run out of, but they made and expert substitution) that i have forgotten the name of, being 4 glasses into dinner. The lightness that Chardonnay propelled the dish even higher.  At stellar end to the savory dishes.

Then there was dessert.  On the menu the prix fixe menu said the dessert was going to be Poached Pear Sabayon, which sounded like a great end to a meal.  Then I overheard the waiter talking up the dessert specials, and I heard some magic words, Sticky Toffee Pudding.  That is a favorite of mine and I decided to talk it up as well to those other guests, and delight in thinking about what this Sticky Toffee Pudding would be like. Then Ryan, the wonderful gentleman that had been taking care of us that evening, made an offer to me that he substitute the pear dish with  . . .  the Sticky Toffee Pudding.  Well   I was thrilled with that suggestion and he made it happen.  Not only did we get the sticky toffee, we also got a wine that was pared to that dish and not the one in the menu, a 2004 Port.  Lets just say that if had to chose a last meal, this dessert would be included in that order.  The best Stick Toffee Pudding I have ever tasted, and the Port perfect and amazing.

I think the ultimate testament to this great establishment is that the staff is very knowledgeable and there is a great passion in the food and in the wines served with those foods.  The room has a great bistro feel with and ambiance well suited for the lover of wine.  I know that I will be returning to try some of their weekly wine flights, and the specials on Fridays and Saturdays.

If you are looking for the small bistro feel with quality food and wine, look no farther than The Parlour Wine Bar & Bisto

Found Wine - Blackstone Sonoma Reserve 2007 Rubric

I thought I had account of all the wine in my house.  Little did I know a long forgotten gift from some holiday past was living in my liquor cabinet.  So brought the bottle out of its inadequate cellar location.  Realizing I broke two cardinal rules of wine storage. never store a bottle upright  and keep it in a cool dry place (I don't know how cool it could be above the oven) ,  I quickly removed it from its hiding space and brought it down to cellar temperature.

After a quick meal of sweet potato fries (from a frozen package of course, nothing fancy around here), turkey chili, and  cheese.  I made a break for it and decided to open the bottle of Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Rubric 2007.  For those who have not heard of the Rubric grape, its not a surprise, it doesn't exist. This wine is a blend of grapes. To be exact its 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec,
8% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petite Verdot, 7% Tannat, 5% Merlot, 3% Petite Sirah.  Did everyone catch all that? Good.  So to the wino's in the know, this is very much a red wine.  A pretty big one as i was to find out.

I pulled the cork on this surprise wine, and poured.  The aroma was very deep indeed, and one could understand the dominance of the Cabernet Sauvignon.  It sat in my glass for a minute, and then I took a smell. There were heavy wood notes and even pencil lead. The taste was of very dark fruits, lots of plum.

Very much the touch of a Sonoma red, this is an enjoyable, deep, hefty wine.  This is defiantly a red meat wine. If you like a big red this is something worth trying. 88pts

 How am i to know that the storage did any damage to the taste of the wine, I don't.  The fact that this wine tasted, pretty much how i expected makes me think I got away with my storage faux pas unscathed.

Writing in Anticipation

Waiting is a very difficult thing,  especially when one is waiting for wine.  We made our order of 12 wines from a wine company that will send out mixed cases.  I am hoping that this will be a good way to introduce myself to wines that I would not normally have taken off of a wine shop shelf.  At the very least it will occupy this blog with at least 12 more posts, a rare feet for myself as my last attempet at a blog many years ago capped out a half a post (I hit the publish button about half way through a paragraph).

So in anticipation I will share a review of a wine my wife and I had at a dinner this passed week.  Dr. L 2009 Riesling was a delightful wine with very crisp fruit flavors like green apple and pear. Its slight sweetness and fruity character made it a very refreshing wine.  Rieslings from the Mosel region in Germany are very good at being approachable for those new to wine and eases one into bigger, grander wines. Score: 87 pts.

A Note on Scores:
I have decided to use the 100 point wine scoring system to give my overall opinions about wines that i try. The scoring system is designed to have scores between 50-100 (think of the scores like grades in school; 100-90 =A 89-80 = B etc, and the varying degrees within each range).   I debated very highly with using scores but figured it would be and easy way to compare wines that I have had.  Please remember that these points reflect my tasting of the wine and I will try to be as objective as possible.

As always if you have a question, a wine you want me to try and review or a feature you would like to see then please e-mail me at anoseforwineblog@gmail.com

Cheers

Coastline - Chardonnay 2009 Chardonnay California Monterey - VinCellar, powered by Vinfolio

VinCellar - Coastline - Chardonnay 2009 Chardonnay California Monterey - VinCellar, powered by Vinfolio

My short report on one of the wines recently bought at Total Wine

Total Wine Shopping

In and earlier comment Sasaki Food Time suggested I go to Total Wine.  Well I did and I was impressed.

I walked in through the sliding entrance door after discovering that the "Do Not Enter" door would not open up no matter how long i stood in front of it. I study the landscape in front of me.  Once again the dreaded aisles and aisles of wine. This time,though, there were hanging signs from the ceiling letting me know what wine i would find in that isle. I picked and aisle to stand in for a bit, it happened to be the Malbec aisle and studied the organization. The wines were placed in alphabetical order, which i thought was genius, cause as long as one new the name of the producer they would be able to find the wine.  As I studied the organization, i noticed taking up space on one of the shelves was literature. I picked one up it was a guide to wine, spirits and beer. A rather hefty one indeed (almost 500 pages) and in front was a sign indicating it was free and should take it. I took a cursory glance at the book and thought this can't be something with this much information and in full-color.  So I looked around for a basket, place the full color "this can't be free" guide in the bottom, place the flimsier newsprint buying guide on top (like it was going to hide some great find) and of to wine shopping i went.

The reason I went to the Malbec section was to (believe it or not) find a Malbec to try.  I had never had one and knowing that Argentina is the leading producer of Malbec made me want to try at least one.  My mother is from Argentina and i have a great love for that country. Well no sooner was I looking through the Malbec's when I got the dreaded "Can I help you with something?" 

Caught of guard I responded "Nope, I am just checking things out".  Great words of a crack journalist and bloger.

The employee then said, "Ok. If there is anything you need let me know," and then we parted ways by her pointing out what she called a good Malbec. She pointed to the Cruz Alta Reserve 2008. I, of course. thanked her and let her move on. Then grabbed a bottle of what she had recommended.  We'll see how that one shapes up in a future episode.

Then i went of to and aisle of my favorite varietal, the Chardonnay. I looked long and hard over many names some of which are known to me and others i had no clue. My eyes then feel on an  2009 Chadonnay from Coastline. At 10 bucks i thought it was worth a go. So put that wine in the basket, grabbed the wine tasting sheet for December (yeah they got wine tasting one weekends too) and was of to the check out.  I was amazed to find that the didn't charge me for it and through it into my bag.

In summary Total Wine is a very clean friendly establishment well suited for the beginner and advanced wine buyer.  Next time I go i will attempt to pick their brains even more, and do some wine tasting as well. If you want to know more about total wine or want to find one near you check out http://www.totalwine.com/.

Cheers.