Because Monday’s book review was about “the Mennonite in the Little Black Dress,” it seemed like the appropriate week to drink the Little Black Dress (2008) Chardonnay.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I would have to give this Chardonnay a 3. It is the perfect wine for a night of wine with the girls. Especially because it isn’t that pricey, and can be found almost anywhere. It is fruity and not to heavy. My last glass I poured through my aerator and it really eliminated the bitter taste that is always present in every Chardonnay I’ve ever had. To me this doesn’t really stand out from any other Chardonnay.

Little Black Dress is also available in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and several other varieties. I’ve had the Cab and the Merlot and thought the Cab was pretty good. The price point on these wines doesn’t hurt either.

After finishing the Chardonnay, I had a glass of Beth’s Gewürztraminer from Messina Hof. I hope Beth doesn’t kill me, but this wasn’t my favorite. I figured I wouldn’t really like it because it would be really sweet and overly sugary, but instead the reason I am not a fan is I felt like I was drinking a bouquet of flowers. It didn’t just smell like flowers but it tasted like flowers. I suppose for some people this wouldn’t be bad but it just wasn’t for me.

Tomorrow, September 2, is National Cabernet day, what will you be drinking?

Tweet This Post

Technorati Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Little Black Dress, Merlot

The player will show in this paragraph

I actually did wine o. tuesday last week because I got together with some friends for dinner and then sadly had a really busy week last week. . .which is why I am just getting this blog up. . .August is going to be a busy month so I’m might be a bit of a slacker and will go ahead and appologize for that now!

I stumbled upon the 2008 McWilliams Cabernet Sauvignon. A few years a go a friend of mine gave me the 2006 Cab and I loved it! I am happy to report. . .the 2008 is JUST as good! The only change I could see was an updated label; it went from yellow to a crisp, clean white label.

This is a must try Cabernet that isn’t too pricey, it’s always under $15.00. Let me know what you think when you try it!

Cheers!

Tweet This Post

The player will show in this paragraph

Sorry to be a blog slacker. . .it’s been a crazy week!

I went in search of the Prisoner by Orin Swift and found it, for $38.00. I almost bought it but the clerk said it wasn’t that great especially for the price; despite really wanting to toast to Lindsay Lohan’s incarceration . . .I just couldn’t do it.

Instead I picked up a Cabernet Sauvignon by R Wines. I’ve seen this bottle a couple times and liked the label design (I know such a great way to choose a wine). For some reason I was thinking this wine was made by the same people that make Bitch wine but I was wrong.

This really isn’t a bad wine but there was nothing unique about it to me either. When you first drink it I would describe it as light but it has quite a kick in the end. The price isn’t too bad, it was around $9.00. I would definitely drink this wine again.

It is a screw cap though, so just a warning if you have any hesitancy about them; no cork to remove.

Have you had this wine? What’d you think?

Cheers!

Tweet This Post

Technorati Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, Lindsay Lohan

The player will show in this paragraph

I met the girls at Patrizzios for dinner last night (gawh, I know it wasn’t Wednesday), but during the month of July they have $1 bellinis. This would be awesome if I were a bellini fan;, but I’m not. I was the last one to arrive, which really is not all that unusual, and was told that two bellinis had been ordered for me.

“Are you serious?” My immediate reaction.
My friend with a nervous look on her face, “Yes?”
“I really wanted a glass of wine,” I say deflated.
Friend with a smile, “I’ll drink fast and help you out, don’t worry.”

Luckily our waitress took pity on me and still let me order a glass of wine despite having two bellinis on the table in front of me. (Talk about looking like a lush, I should have taken a picture!)

Despite it actually being cooler in Texas right now then the Northeast, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still freakin’ hot here! And, just like last summer my goal is to introduce myself to more white wines; since as you’ve probably realized I am red girl.

The hardest white for me to try is going to be Pinot Grigio, I have NEVER found one that I like. I think it is just too tart for me. . .I am not much of a grapefruit fan and that’s what Pinot Grigios remind me of.

On my last trip to Sonoma (dang almost 2 years ago now), I realized that I liked Savingon Blancs. I just haven’t tried very many of them. But, that is what I settled on to have with dinner last night and I only had two options that were available by the glass. I went with the Joel Gott, because I have actually heard of that winery and enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvingon. I can’t tell you what year or what vineyard (if they have more than one), but I can tell you that I really enjoyed it and found it refreshing.

The only downfall. . .my 1 glass of wine was $1 less than the 9 bellinis enjoyed by the 3 other girls at dinner. . .oh well, what can a bellini hater do?

Feel free to send me your wine suggestions, especially white wine suggestions.

Cheers!

Tweet This Post

Technorati Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, Joel Gott, Pinot Grigio

The player will show in this paragraph

While in New York and Boston we tried many new wines but my favorite was the wine we had at a place called The Butcher Shop on Sunday night. They had a very unique wine list and our waitress recommended a Chinon. It was a 2006 and from France.

Sorry the picture isn’t the best, but I took it with my cell phone.

We told the waitress that we were all fans of Cabernet Sauvignon and this is what she recommended. All three of us enjoyed it. I look forward to trying another Chinon very soon!

Tweet This Post

The player will show in this paragraph

Last Wednesday we decided to start a tradition of eating dinner at Babe’s the night before Thanksgiving. It was kind of crazy idea because it is a TON of fried chicken and all you can eat vegetables. Nonetheless, our friend Matt wanted to go to a BYOB restaurant and enjoy some nice wines to kick off the holidays.

There were 8 of us and we had 6 bottles of tasty wine that didn’t survive the meal!

I took the 2004 Geyser Peak, Alexander Valley Meritage. Dad gave me this for my birthday last year and I had been holding on to it saving it for a fun occasion. It was very tasty and I was a bit hesitant to share it with everyone else, but I figured that was only fair if I wanted to try their wines. This Meritage was a very full bodied wine that would go with almost anything, including fried chicken.

Matt brought the 2005 D Cubed Zinfandel and it was one of the best Zinfandel’s I’ve ever had. It was unusually smooth but with a hint of spice. Though I think Matt’s description was the best, “It tastes like candy!”

Bill brought the 2007 Santa Carolina Carmenere. I had never heard of a Carmenere before but I really enjoyed the spiciness of this wine. It is from Chile and very similar to a Malbec in taste.

Meredith brought the Ghost Pines Merlot. When we went to Napa last summer we saw the Ghost Pines at Louis Martini. I have bought and tried the Ghost Pines Cabernet Sauvignon but I didn’t realize they also produced a Merlot. I am not typically a Merlot fan but I actually liked this better than the Ghost Pines Cab. I’ll have to be on the lookout for this one because they are typically pretty well priced.

Beth brought the 2006 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon. This is great wine to keep around the house because it has great flavors, goes with everything and it is under $10.

Paige brought the Mirassou Chardonnay. I am not the biggest Chardonnay fan these days and in all honesty this was the last wine I tasted that night. But with that being said this Chardonnay wasn’t too bad.

As you can see we had some great wine, but more importantly we had a great time with good friends and good food!

Tweet This Post

Technorati Tags: Babe's Chicken, Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Chardonnay, D Cubed, Geyser Peak, Ghost Pines, Meritage, Merlot, Zinfandel

The player will show in this paragraph

So much for the fall like weather, it has been downright hot here, which can only mean a chilled white wine was what I needed.

Back in 2005 on my first trip out to Napa I visited Artesa with my friends. I thought the winery was absolutely beautiful covered with fountains and providing a beautiful view of the Napa Valley.

Here are a few shots from that trip:

When I visited Artesa, I was strictly a white wine fan and hadn’t yet learned to appreciate red wines. I actually fell in love with their Riesling and actually bought a bottle to bring home. But other than that I don’t really remember too much about their wines.

This week’s wine is the Artesa Chardonnay. I really liked this wine; it was a refreshing mix of sour and sweet. I shared this bottle with Meredith over the weekend and we had absolutely no problem finishing it off just the two of us. On a hot summer day this wine definitely hit the spot!

There is this really great gas station/wine store not too far from my house that always seems to have a great selection of wines at a great price. The Artesa Chardonnay is normally about $22.99 but I was able to pick it up for $14.99.

Tweet This Post

Technorati Tags: Artesa, Chardonnay, Napa, Napa Valley, Riesling

The player will show in this paragraph