Happy “Lost” finale night!

Pre “Lost” finale celebrating. We got it from our Mumm Napa wine club. I thought there was a bit of apple on the nose, but alas my nose may have been off. Tastes of lemon straight away, then moves into an oaky/toasted vanilla thang.

It’s good… But for $30 ($24 through wine club discount), not sure if I would buy this myself…

That’s me.

I went from working 14+ hour days, working the entire month of April to this: A week long binge in Vegas.  Binge meaning laying by the pool, going in the hot tub, and taking a kettleball class from Joseph at the Aria gym.  (note - I can’t walk this morning…walking isn’t important when I’m laying by the pool all day, right?)

Despite the working and playing, I’ve still been drinking wine.  Lots of it. And some interesting and good ones at that.  And I CANNOT wait to update.

And the big news - 1 short month from today, I’ll be in South Africa.  Not just enjoying the World Cup, but some South African wines.  We got a preview last week in LA at a South African Wine Tasting, which I cant wait to tell everyone.  When I’m not laying by the pool of course…

‘til then…I’m off to get some sun!

So tax on wine would go from 4 cents to $5.11. Seriously?

People have brought up - it would be up to a 12,000% tax hike.  Why don’t we start with 100% or 500% first…

Summary of tonight’s episode of Lost:  

-Better than I thought it would or could be, considering it was focused on Jin and Sun.
-The plot started moving. Not sure if it was forward, but I felt motion.
-I laughed out loud at parts, specfically at Sawyer telling “Locke” (paraphrasing) Aren’t you the smoke monster? Why do you need a boat to get to the other island?
-At points, I did say “OMG” and “WTF”…  

Summary of tonight’s wine: 2006 Chateau de Terrefort-Quancard Bordeaux

Considering I’m about as familiar with Bordeaux overall as I am with quantum physics, here are my brief thoughts:

-I expected more.  After a heavy sip of tannins, flavor, and depth, the taste dropped into nothingness.  At which point I exclaimed OMG! What happened to what I just drank?
-Is it me, or do I sense a tart taste at the end of the sip?  WTF? Has my bottle gone sour?

To answer my OMG! and WTF? statements, I have these thoughts:

-This particular wine is made to pair with a meal.  A meal that can bring out and compliments its flavor, and help it linger a little more.  Like a good steak, or a nice pasta sauce.
-The wine has a natural tart taste at the end.  Its a little bite that lightens from a tart OMG to a nice “okay, i get it now”….although it is quite odd. 

Lucky for me, I have another bottle of this wine on my shelf to try.  We’ll see if it demonstrates the same OMG! and WTF? characteristics, or if its a WOW! THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER! sorta bottle. 

HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY TO ME AND THE MR!

That’s our wedding cake, tasting yummy after a year in the freezer. Its not a myth. Wedding cake can last a year.

Thats also a bottle of Spanish Cava. Ironically named German Gilabert, thanks to the wine shop here in LA - domaine547 (THANK YOU!)

So the last couple weeks have been busy with work. My schedule has been as follows: Wake, Work, Sleep. Coffee.  No wine.  Boring - at least for blogging that is.

But guess what else I got for my anniversary (also thanks to domaine547)

Wine smelling kit.  Not sure what the official name (in English) is, but it will help train my nose to smell and recognize the noses and aromas in wine.  How cool is this?

I have lots of homework to do…

Its the BevMo 5 cent sale!

Over the past few years, I have participated in bi-annual BevMo 5 Cent Sale. The “5 Cent Sale” is this:  BevMo selects a number of wines (online they offer 224) and prices them as buy 1 at regular price, but the second of the same bottle for 5 cents.  Its a great deal if you like a particular wine or winery.

When I first started buying in the 5 cent sale, in my opinion, the majority of wines offered were $9.99 or less.  Now I feel like the average price is $14.99+  If you are on a budget, do you want to spend $15.04 on two bottles of wine you may not like, or go with 1 bottle of something you positively enjoy for $9.99?

So I went, I bought, and I compromised.

Along with 2 single bottles of favorites not on the 5 cent sale, I bought two of each of the following wines:

A Bordeaux: 2006 Chateau de Terrefort-Quancard ($19.99+5 cents = $20.04 for 2)
and
A Carmenere: 2008 Montgras Reserva from Colchagua Valley in Chile ($16.99+5 cents = $17.04 for 2)

These two wines are a bit outside my wino comfort zone, especially the Bordeaux.  To learn more about wine, you need to taste more wine.  At least that is my theory.

Since I have two bottles of each, its the perfect opportunity to try one sooner, and cellar one for later.  The soonest I plan on drinking either of these would be a couple weeks, but we’ll see what happens between now  and then!

Happy valentine’s day out there! It’s the perfect day for some yummy sparkling wine. This is a 2001 DVX by Mumm Napa. Easiest description: a gourmet sweet tart. If you are into ratings, Wine Spectator gave it 92 pts and Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 pts.

It’s one of my favorites - after my beloved Veuve of course.

We are pairing this with some, um, comfort food. Bruchetta, pizza, and French macaroons.

What are you drinking this weekend?

…nor have I read any of the Harry Potter Books.

And until the other week, I couldn’t remember the last time I had Merlot.

No reason comes to mind for my boycott of Merlot. (It’s NOT due to the movie “Sideways”. Actually, I may be the only wine fan who doesn’t like the movie.) I think I have been focusing so much on Pinot Noirs, Cabernets, and other varietals and bottles, Merlot just fell to the wayside as a “eh, if there is nothing else to drink…”

Let me tell you, I have some catching up to do.

My most recent glass of Merlot was at BLT steakhouse here in LA.  It was from Strata Vineyards in Napa. What made this glass in particular so great was it boldness, richness, and depth, like a zinfandel, but without the extra alcohol and taste I usually take from a Zin.

The Merlots I have been tasting have been a great alternative to ordering Cabernet out at a restaurant.

So I ask - what is your favorite Merlot? To be more specific, lets say over $10  (Back in the day, I know I have had quite a few under $10, even under $5 bottles.)  Is there a Merlot out there that sets the standard for all the others?