Wine Skeptic

Chablis grand cru 2005

At around 20 a bottle, most people won’t even think of buying wine with the word ‘chablis’ on the label. Not sure why this region has been maligned with jug wine marketing. In this case, a grand cru usually means pricy, but what was unexpected was the overall quality of this effort. Its basically lemon and stone, but balanced, proportioned, and with a good seawater bit of finish. Just plain classy, and good.

Heissenberg gewürztraminer 2004

Wow, this is just extraordinary. Total gold, nose of petrol, lychee, and booze, it smells quite hot, which worries me sometimes. However the taste is incredibly rich, but not from sugar, it’s spicy and nicely bitter. I think this really puts me on a kick to try more Gverz’s – there’s something about the flavor profile that is quite delicious. Beware though, I’ve gone through a few bottles, and some get ‘funked’ because they are using only organic, non-filtered techniques. Paid 20 bucks a bottle, which is a bummer, but cheap german/alsace wines seem to be rare. Once got it on close out, so again, keep your eyes open.

Saumur 2005

Yipes, the Loire Valley comes through in a crazy way. Got this for 10 bucks on a lark, and its the shizzit. Plums, pencil lead on the nose and just the most gorgeous mouthfeel. Yipes, am I the first to realize the French can really make some crazy good wines? I’m going to stockpile this baby.

Chateau Haut Rian 2006

Ok, this is what I really enjoy in a more ‘friendly’ white, meaning not sweet wine (for some reason we like desserts sweet but any hint of sugar on a white wine is disgusting – Mind you sweetness on red “fruit bomb” is ok). But I digress, this smells like fresh daisies in the meadow, strike that, fresh melon? A fresh unripe melon, honeydew? Well, its a tough one to nail, but I’ll say it smells delicious, so tasting it’s very rich, not bitingly acidic until the final moment when there’s a tiny bite to keep things honest. Refreshing, still that same sort of limeish flavor, but not. Boy, hard to pin down, better try another bottle.

Chateau D Epire

Wow, not my expectation at all, what a hugely hyped wine from sams, on the pricey side 17 bucks, and it just seemed – disjointed. The flavors were all there, lots of rocks and chard like fruit, but didn’t come together in some meaningful way.

Krems Gruner Vetliner

Got a great closeout deal at 3 bucks a bottle. I think the general fear of German wines can be exploited at closeout costs for great, easy to like whites. Of course some can even be profound, this one, not so much. But good lemonade, bone dry, and that sort of funky asian fruit flavor rocks.

La Posta Malbec

Took it over for “Lost” night and since I had a cold, I suppose I found it kinda ok, everyone else seemed more impressed, I would say fruit forward, a middle ground tannic tea taste. I remember it as a bit harsh, but I’m on malbec kick lately, seems well worth exploring further.