OOT Wine Thread

[Clarkmeister]

To keep track of wines I try, I'm starting an OOT wine thread. This will hopefully become a living thread that people can add wines they like and comment on wines mentioned. I'll be adding wines that I try and my thoughts on them after I have them. My reviews won't be very sophisticated, but I do know what I like, so take it for what it's worth. Please everyone feel free to add your own reviews or thoughts.

This is inspired by a post by ElaineMonster in the mod playground forum. I'll repost my and her initial posts after this post, including numerous wine reviews by each of us.

To start with, here are the wines I currently have at my house. Many of them I haven't tried yet, though one of my favorite wines, Rombauer Merlot, is listed here. Some of these wines were gifts, some were referrals, and some were based on winespectator reviews.

Ehlers Estate Merlot 2002
Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 2002
Beaucanon Estate Cabernet 2000
Rombauer Cabernet 2000
Rombauer Merlot 2000
Rombauer Merlot 2002
Savannah Chanelle Pinot Noir 2002
Savannah Chanelle Zinfandel 2002
Savannah Chanelle Cabernet Franc 2002
St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel 2001
Ironstone Cabernet Franc 2001
Ironstone Cabernet Franc 2002
Vinum Cellar Chenin Blanc 2001

I look forward to trying them all and will post comments when I do. Two of them I know I like already, the Rombauer Merlot and the Ironstone Cabernet Franc.

[Clarkmeister]

Elaine's original post:

[ QUOTE ]
A few weeks ago Ed, the Clarkmeister, his girlfriend Jo, and I went to UNLVino, a charity wine tasting event at the Paris. It is a huge event with about 150 booths of wine vendors each sampling 3-8 batches of wine. The money goes to scholarships for UNLV students.

We tasted a few wines and then the boys felt a little overwhelmed and wanted to make the most of their experience. So they went back to the directory and charted out their plan of action, hitting the best wines first and saving the crap for last. They even got J.A.Sucker's wine advice.

Meanwhile, Jo and I kept tasting. By the end of the evening I didn't know my name.

Oh, also, Clark met a guy named Phatsimo.

Anyway, they gave us these Wine Lover's Guide books for us to write down comments of each wine as we tasted. Ed's comments are check marks. His system was one check for tasted, two or three checks for liked or loved. I wrote little more than Ed, making paltry notes like "yum," and "junk." We did, however, identify some winners and I think you'll agree.

Here are my notes:
Quereto Chianti Classico - "solid, typical, bland in a good way"
Meridian Shiraz - "yum"
Ironstone Obsession - strong muscat flavor, citrus"
Ironstone Cabernet Franc - "very good"
Mendocino Big Yellow Cab (Cabernet Sauvignon) - "mellow, smooth and light"
Mendocino Zig Zag Zinfandel - "excellent" (how can you not like a wine that uses the same style label as rolling papers?)
Martin & Weyrich Sangiovese II Palio - "great, smooth, Ed and I agree" (because we often don't)
Justin Sauvignon Blanc - "tart"
VOGA Pinot Grigio - "very light, nice, and cool" (this bottle is awesome!)
Mandolina Estate Grown Pinot Grigio - "golden, light and refreshing"
Olive Hill Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - "dry"
Oculus Meritage - "strong and bold"
Mission Hills Select Lot Collection Syrah - "honey flavor, smooth, too sweet"

[/ QUOTE ]

[Clarkmeister]

My original response and ratings from UNLVino.

[ QUOTE ]
Here are my notes. Not as detailed as Elaine's, but they worked in a pinch. No clue what years in most cases, so keep that in mind.

Mosaic Meritage 2002: Light with a clean ending, good
Mosaic Merlot: Unexceptional
Takara Sake: Not bad
Black Opal Cab/Merlot: Decent
Norman Shiraz: Poor
Meridian Vineyard Paso Robles Shiraz: Very good
Bethany Shiraz: Excellent
Bethany Shiraz/Cab: OK
Weingut Schuberth Grenache: Decent
Palacio de Villa TR2 Tinta de Toro: Excellent
Sonoma Creek Pino Noir: Very good.
Ironstone Cabernet Franc: Excellent (and only $8!)
Vineyard 29 Cab: Good!
Parducci Cab: Very good
Mendocino Zig Zag Zinfandel: Good
Mendocino Zingaro Zinfandel: Yes!
Marble Crest Merlot: Very Clean, light
Chateau de Maligny Chablis: Great
Bianco Pino Grigio: Light, nice
Coppola Rosso Shiraz: Pretty good
Coppola Diamond Merlot: Average
Justin Vineyards Cal-Ital: OK
Justin Vineyards Cab: OK
Martin & Weyrich Pino Grigio: Pretty dang good
Le Pousseur Syrah: Wierd Smell
Cardinal Zin Old Vines: ok
Esterlina Estate Pinot Noir: Awful
Esterlina Vineyards Riesling: Boone's Farm
Brown Estate Cab: ok
Brown Estate Merlot: good
Brouquel Malbec: ok, wierd finish
Oculus Meritage: ok

I can't wait for next year.

[/ QUOTE ]

[The DaveR]

I used to be much more into wine than I am now. When I was, I prefered Steven Tanzer's tasting notes to Wine Spectator.

I shared two half bottles of 1997 Ridge Monte Bello a couple weeks ago for a bargain price off a restaurant wine list. One bottle was noticably fresher than the other, but both were very good.

[ClassicBob]

"I like talking about my wine, but I'd rather drink it."

- Carlo Rossi

[Hack]

Couple of wine bottles that I have:

1988 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Bordeaux
1987 Marilyn Merlot

Each of these bottles is easily worth over 250 dollars. The Marilyn is probably close to 600

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
I used to be much more into wine than I am now.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't remember the bottle names 10 minutes after they are opened anymore so I generally stick with Napa vineyards so the names are easier to remember.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[MCS]

[ QUOTE ]
Each of these bottles is easily worth over 250 dollars. The Marilyn is probably close to 600

[/ QUOTE ]


Whatever, I live in a solid gold house.

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
Beaucanon Estate Cabernet 2000
Rombauer Cabernet 2000

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't tried either of those, but I would highly recommend the 2000 Per Sempre Napa Valley Cabernet. Normally, it sells for over $40 per bottle, but I got it for $19.99 at Lee's Discount Liquor. It goes really well with a nice grilled steak.

[MrMon]

[ QUOTE ]
The Marilyn is probably close to 600

[/ QUOTE ]

Sell! It's clearly not due to what's in the bottle. Once the novelty wears off, you couldn't get $2 from your local wino for it.