Speaking of Rioja: 2004 Viña Tondonia
Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 Posted in but not outrageous, Expensive, Grenache, Spain, Tempranillo | No Comments »I paid $36.98 for this 2004 Rioja about three weeks ago. Given that "a good Rioja" should be cellared a decade or so, it is nice to find one that is ready to drink after have been bottle-aged before purchase. ...
“What’s the best/most expensive wine you have ever had?”
Monday, February 6th, 2017 Posted in Cellar Treasures, Cheap and Red, Expensive, On Somebody Else's Tab, Spain, Tempranillo | 3 Comments »I used to like beer. I used to drink it a lot. But then the whole IPA thing started happening about a decade ago and quite frankly, got completely out of hand. Every craft brewer was trying to out-hop the ...
Lowball Bordeaux Grand Cru: 2004 Chateau Lusseau Saint-Emilion
Friday, February 3rd, 2017 Posted in Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cheap and Red, France, Merlot | No Comments »Like most folks, my buying habits have changed over the past decade. I can't recall the last time I bought a bottle of wine in a store. I do most of my buying online these days. Most of my household ...
Two dramatically different Carmeneres: Canepa 2014 & Arenal 2012
Wednesday, January 4th, 2017 Posted in Carmenère, Cheap and Red, Chile, The Spit Bucket | No Comments »The Bad: Canepa Reserva Famiglia 2014 Carmenere No idea what this costs, as it was given to Testa Rossa as a gift. Some online research points to around $8.00 a bottle. I'm glad we didn't pay anything for this because it ...
Snowed in with a (not yet so) Super Tuscan
Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Cheap and Red, Italy, Merlot, Odds, Ends & Blends, Sangiovese | No Comments »I live in the mountains. I can't imagine living anywhere else to be honest. Beaches are not my thing. Neither are cities (though I visit them often and see their charm, especially when it comes to finding good eats.) One ...
Some practical advice for holiday bubbly: Simonnet-Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rose
Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 Posted in Burgundy, France, Not Red, Odds, Ends & Blends, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Wine | No Comments »I drink more bubbly than I should. For me there is no better reason to pop a cork off a sparkling wine than "hey, what a nice afternoon!" *pop!* So why wait until the holidays? I guess I'm unusual since ...
Surprisingly Separate Syrah: 2014 Pedal To The Metal, Santa Ynez Valley Syrah
Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 Posted in but not outrageous, California, Central Coast, Expensive, Syrah | No Comments »This wine is outside the economic scope of this site, being a $75/bottle expense, but I thought I'd share because it caught me by surprise with how enjoyable it was to drink. I'm not a huge fan of the Syrah ...
Some Lunchtime Drinking: Cameron Hughes Lot 527 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Wednesday, December 7th, 2016 Posted in Alexander Valley, California, Cheap and Red, Pinot Noir | No Comments »I've had a lot of life changes over the past few years. Many of them were the cause of my lack of wine-blogging, some of them were the cause of me wine-blogging again. A move from one state to another. ...
Cellar Treasure: Walter Clore Private Reserve Columbia Crest 2003 Red
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2016 Posted in Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cellar Treasures, Cheap and Red, Merlot, Odds, Ends & Blends, Petite Verdot, Washington State | No Comments »This bottle has been laying about my family's cellars for well over a decade. First in my father's basement, and eventually mine, as my folks sold the family home earlier this year and the goods were distributed among the kids ...
Smart Bombs and Cellar Treasures: Cameron Hughes Lots 444 & 469
Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Cellar Treasures, Cheap and Red, Merlot, Napa, Unknown! | 1 Comment »Twenty-some years ago we all watched astounded on CNN as a war halfway around the world displayed some shocking technology: The Smart Bomb. Our grandfathers dropped dumb bombs on each other, and it resulted in entire cities being destroyed when ...
