By the Bottle

From the amateur wine pallets of myself and UnderComplicated, welcome to “By the Bottle,” a review page of wines we’ve tried and thought worthy of sharing (for whatever reason). Organized by type, with overall impressions and–if we remember–what we paired it with if we did so. We will not be including Trader Joe’s Two-Buck-Chucks, but we do still drink those, and encourage you to, as well. These are wines we purchase, receive as gifts, or get via a wine club at discounts. Prices are what you’ll pay in our area for these.

Enjoy, and feel free to comment. (Note: This is just getting started, and it’s been a bit since we’ve had some of these first additions. The goal is to try to update shortly after drinking from now on. Bad wines, unless they’re gifts, will be listed).

Syrahs:

-Rockblock, NoSo Syrah. 2004. $35.00 Recommended by “The Frenchman’s Corner” sommelier Jeff, who said it was the wine he opened when he didn’t have to share. This was excellent! We paired it with dark and rich chocolates, and the richness of the wine was a fantastic complement. Clean finish. More to come on this when we get another bottle.

Pinot Noirs:

-Paul Cluver, Elgin. Estate Wine. 2003. $21.99. Amazing wine. Current favorite of this genre. Both worked well. I’ll have to come back to this later, as it’s been a bit since we’ve had it and the specifics are eluding me.

Cabernet Sauvignons:

-Joel Gott, California. Blend 815. 2005. $19.99 An excellent conversational wine, we paired this with pizza.

-3 Blind Moose. California. 2005. No price available. Thanks Lee!!! Meaty flavor, with undertones of plum. Medium clean finish. Paired with pumpkin sauce over spicy pork loin and roasted root vegetables. UC loves this wine. I didn’t get a chance to taste it, but am really looking forward to doing so.

Gramona:

Gessami. 2006. $17.99. We paired this with pork and apples, and the next night with salmon. Very light, but held up to both. Excellent finish.

Local Reds:

an Samhradh, from Old House Vineyards. (price undertermined, gift from UC).  This deep, rich, smoky wine is spectacular. One taste made it an instant favorite, and I can’t wait to go back and get more. If you’ve never been to Old House, you should go. Soon. Possibly now. Pat, the owner, is informative and passionate about wines, and it shows in everything we’ve tasted thus far. He’s got a sparkling wine from champagne grapes due out any time now, and we’re virtually giddy with excitement. We have M & D to thank for introducing us to this fabulous vintner.