Sunday, January 03, 2010

Wine Roundup

During the period between Thanksgiving and New Years we had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of nice wines from diverse sources.

From the Owen Roe Winery. The blend is as follows – 22% Sangiovese; 20% Zinfandel; 20% Merlot; 15% Cab Franc; 7% Grenache; 6% Syrah; 3% Cinsault; 3% Petit Syrah; 3% Malbec; 1% Pinot Noir. Purchased at Bella Vino Southshore. A lovely wine. The $30 price tag is a bit steep for regular consumption, but worth considering every so often. Apparently, every year The Abbot's Table features a different blend.


We splurged on this bottle from Silver Oak Cellars at Fleming's. They were offering their email subscribers this particular bottle for half price. It was a Christmas present to ourselves. It was composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Even at half price, it was most likely a once in a life time indulgence.

We purchased this ice cider when we were in Canada a few years ago and enjoyed it with slices of apple pie. Produced by La Face Cachee de la Pomme. A very nice treat during the holidays.



Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz 2007 from Glaetzer Wines. Purchased at Kroger for ~$25. Very hearty and delicious for a cold winter evening.


It had been a while since we had imbibed wines from Rabbit Ridge. This one was a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre. My hubby found it at Kroger for under $10. Not too shabby and affordable for every day enjoyment.

We picked this up at Vino Market upon Dave's enthusiastic recommendation. It did not disappoint. Orin Swift Cellars produces the red blend. The 2008 consists of 46% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, 2% Charbono, 1% Grenache. At $35 a bottle, it's not cheap, but probably my favorite of the listing here and something I would consider buying again.

We enjoyed this Milbrandt Vineyards Cabernet from Washington State when we took my mom to Cafe Caturra (on Grove) for dinner when she was in town. It is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 1% Malbec. We were able to taste several reds before deciding and this red won, hands down.

2 comments:

Debra Morgan said...

I think it is interesting that most every wine you tried over the holidays was a blend. Often, Americans shy away from non-traditional,(traditional, ie chianti, cotes du rhone) blends, esp. if they are over $30, but blending can accentuate the best of all the grapes.

The ice cider sounds fabulous.
Here's to more, this Happy New Year,
genevelyn

J.M. Reed said...

Hello!

I was at first stunned to see the 30$ price tag on the Abbot's Table until I saw it was the '07 vintage, which is long sold out. Likely the retailer you purchased from was reflecting the market for the '07 since, well, there is no more of it!

Current vintage is '08 and as usual it reflects a roughly (depending on geography, taxes, etc.) a 20-24$ price point.

Thanks for spending time with the wine; we hope you enjoyed it! Happy New Year!

jill@owenroe.com