D&D Wine Review

Back to an under $10 bottle of wine, the Oakley Five Reds is a blend of Merlot, Alicante Bouschet, Zinfandel, Mourvedre, and Sangiovese grapes.  It is a tasty, full-bodied red with berry flavors and a touch of spice.  It was a great match for grilled steaks and was priced well.  I picked up this bottle at Total Wine for $8.49.  As the vineyard suggests: “Round up your posse and enjoy” we think this is a great wine to keep on hand for a casual evening in with good food and good friends.  Cheers!

Vinyard: Cline Cellars

Region: Oakley California

Price: $8.49-$11.99

Rating:

Over the 4th of July, we were lucky enough to drink a couple of delicious celebratory wines with my brother and his family.  These are wines above the normal price range we blog about, but I wanted to share.

The first was Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay, I believe it was the 2005 Napa Valley - though unfortunately I can’t confirm or deny that a couple weeks later.  The white wine was very crisp.  Unlike many Chardonnay’s, it did not have too much ‘oak’ flavor, which is the way I like it.  The tasting notes mention pear and honey, and I think that’s a great way to describe this wine.   Crisp and fruity.  I highly recommend it, although the price point of $40 is a little high for an every day Chardonnay.

Winery: Grgich Hills Estate

Region: Napa Valley, CA

Varietal: Chardonnay

Time in Oak/Aged: 10 months

Price: ~$40

Rating:

After the Chardonnay, we moved on to a red wine, the 2005 ZD Cabernet.  ZD makes two levels of Cab - this one was not the reserve, which meant it was the lower price point - however, that still puts it in the $50 price range.  This was my favorite of the two wines, although I do like red more than white anyway so that might not be surprising.   My favorite reds tend to be Zinfandels because I find them spicy, fruity and complex.  I thought this Cabernet delivered along those same lines - it was very full of flavor with definite hints of fruit.  While it definitely has been aged in oak, that does not overwhelm all the other flavors but instead just compliments them.  If you want to splurge on a higher-priced Cabernet while not going too crazy, this would be a good one to try.

Winery: ZD

Varietal: Cabernet

Region: Napa Valley, CA

Price: ~$50

Aged: 24 months in Oak

Rating:

If you have a chance to try these out, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Enjoy!

Kelly

Sorry for the delay in postings. We have recently arrived home from a wonderful 26 day “holiday” to New Zealand and Austraila. And we enjoyed wonderful wines on all of those 26 days! Many of the wines we tried are not exported, so I will try to focus on wines that are readily available here in the States. New Zealand is most well known for their Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough Region. Very crisp, fruity and great for summertime drinking. This region is also making a name for itself with delicious Pinot noir. 106 wineries call Marlborough home with some of the more popular vineyards along the wine trail including; Matau, Cloudy Bay, Montana and Saint Clair. Our top rated pick from Marlborough was a 2005 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir, which was available at our local Harris Teeter for $19.99. Another favorite was a young Pinot from the Matua Vineyard, a Shingle Peak 2007 Pinot Noir. This particular vintage is not available yet, however, we were told they hope to begin more exporting. A third favorite Pinot was the Montana, also 2007. I highly recommend checking your local wine stores for New Zealand Pinot….you will not be disappointed!
Cheers!

We purchased this bottle from last year’s Summerfest - an annual event in the Virgina Highlands where our favorite wine store & restaurant, Murphy’s, holds a wine tasting and sale. Last year we couldn’t actually make the tasting, so I trusted Nick to put together a case of delicious wines with lots of variety. This year we did make it, and I can’t wait to pick up my wine later this week (lots of affordable and tasty summer whites) - I’ll blog about that soon.

This wine did not disappoint - it was delicious. Rich and smooth, it had the heaviness of a Cabernet without being overwhelmed by oak (even though it is aged for 18 months in oak). You can taste hints of fruit (the tasting notes mention black cherry and blackberry), and other rich flavors like coffee and chocolate. Some Cabernets I find overbearing, but this one was not - I enjoyed it and wish I had more in the cellar. It is a higher price point than we normally write about but it was a good bottle of wine and I wanted to share.

Vineyard: Provenance Rutherford

Varietal: 97% Cabernet, 3% Petit Verdot

Year: 2005

Price: $30 - $40

Rating:

For my first night away from my almost 10-month old daughter, I joined some girlfriends for a night on the town in Atlanta. We dined at Shout, and moved up to their patio for an evening of sangria and people watching. It was a lot of fun and I’m glad we had our girls night out.

During the dinner portion, our waiter recommended their ‘house’ wines, from Trinchero. We decided on the Pinot Noir, a favorite normally for us. I have to say, it was just okay. And considering they had a huge markup on it … it wasn’t worth it - or at least it won’t be bought again. From the scent, I thought we were in for a light fruity wine, very typical of Pinots - instead it seemed heavy and you couldn’t really taste the fruit that you could smell. It was fine - it was okay - it wasn’t something I was excited about. We decided afterwards to stick with Sangria….

Also, I have to say how disappointed I was by the markup at Shout on wine. One example - we dined at probably one of the best restaurants in Atlanta - Kevin Rathbun Steak (reviewed previously on this site), and had the Ridge Three Valleys Zin - priced around $46 and found in wine shops for around $23 - so a reasonable doubling of price, as I expect at a restaurant. Shout listed the wine at $70. Yes, $70… That’s insane! I don’t think I’ll be going back to Shout - that just turned me off too much. The sushi was very good - the other food was good but not remarkable by any means. So… sorry - not a great review for the wine or the restaurant.

Winery: Trinchero (the Family line I believe)

Price on website: $12 - Price at Shout: $48 (yeah 4x - that’s just not right)

Varietal: Pinot Noir, aged 4 months in oak

Year: 2006, I believe

Rating:

I rated this below my drink again threshold of a 3 - however, I think a lot of my experience has to do with the price and the restaurant - I’ll probably get a bottle for the more affordable $12 and try again and then maybe update the rating according. Per the tasting notes below, it should be a wine I like - this is normally the kind of tasting notes I look for….

Tasting Notes from the website: Expect ripe, open flavors on the palate with strawberries, sandalwood, cola and earth. The nose is focused and bright, the texture is soft and generous and the finish is long and complete. This luscious Pinot Noir balances generous ripe black cherry and mocha aromas with cedar, spice and vanilla. Sleek and supple on the palate, the wine is brimming with bright bing cherry and spice with a hint of mint.

I didn’t really get all of that - but I’d like to try again for the $12 pricetag and in my own home.

Sidenote: The second D of D&D - the Duttons - are off on a month-long excursion to Australia and New Zealand - so all the updates will be coming from the Dyars until they get back… hopefully they get to hit the wine regions out there and post all about it.

Kelly

We opened the Marega Pinot Grigio to try out another white wine for the upcoming summer season - it came recommended from our friends at Murphy’s in Virginia Highlands.  It was typical of Pinot Grigio - slightly sweet, pale color, light fruit, no woodiness (Pinot Grigio’s are rarely aged in wood) - a nice in-between that isn’t a Chardonnay and isn’t a Reisling.  I liked this white colder - I’d recommend definitely letting it get to temperature before drinking.  However, it was an enjoyable white wine for summer. 

Winery: Marega

Grapes: Pinot Gris

Country: Italy

Price: $13 - $15 range

Rating:

Just in case there is any confusion about our ratings - anything rated a 3 or better is definitely something we’ll drink again - especially if it has a good price point.  The Marega will be one of the summer wines we enjoy this year. 

For Brent’s graduation dinner from GT with his MBA - we let him pick any bottle from the wine cellar to enjoy. Thankfully he picked one under $30 - just kidding. We were having seafood and he decided on a Pinot Noir from Oregon - it was a great choice.

I unfortunately didn’t write down my tasting notes, but I remember it being very fruity, smooth and delicious. Heavier than some of the more typical Pinots out there, which I liked. And its price, in the mid-$20s, was very reasonable for the quality of wine - so I highly recommend this wine. I’m also excited that we have a few more bottles in the cellar to enjoy. (Tasting notes I’ve found said to enjoy through 2016, so its a good wine to have in a cellar)

Vineyard: White Rose, Oregon

Year: 2004

Wine: Nekaia Pinot Noir

Price: $25 - $28

Rating:

A friend brought over a bottle of Riesling during a recent get together, and one night when I was in the mood for white wine, we opened it up.  Normally Rieslings are very sweet, almost dessert-like, so that was what I expected.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to find that while the wine was sweet - it wasn’t over the top but instead was refreshing and I really enjoyed the light fruitiness of the wine.  Another great summer white wine to enjoy while sitting on the deck.  The reviews suggest it would be a great accompaniment to spicy food, and I think that would be a good pairing.

Wine: Clos du Bois

Year: 2006

Varietal: Riesling

Price Range: $10 - $15

Rating:

It was the weekend of Spanish wines for us, because Saturday night we enjoyed this Mauro wine, also recommended by Murphy’s.  We were eating it along with some great crusty french bread and a tangy cheese recommended by the cheese guy at Whole Foods, as one that would stand up to a strong wine.  It definitely fit the bill - this wine was rich in everything - taste, color, smell.  I picked up the scent of tobacco and maybe black cherry, and could taste that in the wine.  My first thought when I took a sniff, was that the wine would be almost too strong - it seemed almost harsh in its strong sent.  But then we tasted it - and it was very good.  While it had lots of depth, it was also very balanced and smooth to drink.  This is a wine for drinkers who like a really bold red, not something simple, but it was suprisingly pleasant.  It did carry a hefty price tag with it, at just under $50/bottle, but we enjoyed the bottle from beginning to end.

If you are looking for a bold, Spanish red - I’d probably say go for the more affordable  Cova Dels Vins Terros I also reviewd - however, this was also a great wine.

Wine: Maura Vendimia Seleccionada

Producer: Bodegas Mauro

Varietal: Tempranillo

Region: Spain - Castilla y Leon

Price: ~$50

Rating:

I bought a half-case of this Spanish red based on a recommendation from one of my favorite wine stores & restaurants, Murphy’s.   They know my preferences - I generally prefer bold reds (Zins are my favorite), and I have really enjoyed many of their recommendations of Spanish wines in the past.  This wine was definitely worth the purchase, especially at the reasonable price of $28/bottle.  I’ve seen it listed as a $32 bottle, but you can often find it on sale or get case discounts.

This wine is definitely bold - yet its very smooth.  I found it had flavors of fruit - to my tastes I would say it has berries - and it was very rich.  It had a very dark, blackberry color to it as well.  We were drinking it with a spicy salmon dish, and it held up well together with the pairing.  I also think it’d go great with a beef.

If you see this wine around, I’d definitely recommend picking some up.  Its gotten a 92 rating from The Wine Advocate, and I’ve seen that its recommended drink date actually is 2009 - 2019.  So a great wine to have around and save in your cellar.

Wine: Cova Del Vins Terros

Vintage: 2004

Region: Spain

Grapes: 50% Garnacha from 96-year-old vines, 25% Carinena from 75-year-old vines, and 25% Syrah from 20-year-old vines

Aged: 14 months in barrel

Rating: