2001 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle 45
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We had a very nice Red Blend tasting tonight. The following, (in my order of preference) were on hand:
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Very well balanced… a touch of cinnamon on the nose with mild blackberry and currant on the palate. Soft black pepper (with not much heat) and a touch of smoke on the finish. Light tannins make this a great choice at around $18. Alcohol is 14.3%

2000 B&G Cotes du Rhone Tradition

A nice light bodied color. (I’ll admit it is a deeper purple color than most French Grenache-based wines that I’ve tasted. but it is very light compared to an Australian Grenache.)

Raspberry aroma.

There is nothing special in the taste. There is a touch of pepper, which is nice, but the finish is a bit tart and hangs on too long. I would say that the balance is off on this wine. I was expecting to really taste the classic Rhone terroir.

1999 Boschendal Grande Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc $13

What can I say – I held on to this one too long. It’s my fault. It was over the top when I opened it.

I do remember that I had tasted it before buying it, and it had an almost smoky undertone in the flavor. I was looking for that this time.

Oh well, spilt milk and all – let’s move on.

2002 Koehler Santa Barbera County Cabernet Sauvignon $13

This was really awesome too!

Intense but well-balanced with aromas of black cherry and coffee followed with just a touch of earthyness. Flavors of black cherry and a touch of dark chocolate with a nice finish.

1998 Chateau Souverain Alexander Valley Winemaker’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

This was awesome!
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So last Friday night, we had a Merlot tasting.

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Okay, so I messed up and didn’t grab the list, so I’m doing this from memory. And as the guy pouring the wines mentioned, “The mind is the first thing to go…” And I don’t remember what the other things were.
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Last evening’s wine tasting event was the wines of William Hill. On hand for this event were five wines. Overall, there were none that stood out as being stellar, and none that were horrible. All seemed to be decent, but only one made the trip home with me because it was it was a decent wine for the sale price. So here we go in the order presented…
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I opened my only bottle of 2000 Renwood Sierra Series Zinfandel. I remember with fondness, the 1999 version of this wine. I don’t know why, but Renwood changed the style of this wine with the 2000 release.
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2001 Hendry Block 7 Napa Valley Zinfandel (I think the price was less than $30. I’ll correct that when I locate the receipt.) I’m starting to realize that if it is a Zinfandel from some hillside vineyard in Napa Valley, I generally like it. I’m not fond of the “jammy” Zinfandel that the mass market seems to prefer these days. I like mine peppery and earthy, with no hint of prunes or heavy raisins. This one is very nice. It is well-balanced, not too sweet, not over fruity. If the price is less than the $30 that I stated above, I’ll buy this one again.

Okay, so you weren’t buying the story on the D’cubed 2001 Black Sears Vineyard Howell Mountain Zinfandel, let’s see if you believe me when I tell you the truth about the D’cubed 2001 Howell Mountain Zinfandel.

I really like this one. It may be the best Zinfandel that I’ve ever tasted. It is very well balanced. It has nice pepper but that does not overpower the fact that this wine has an elegant taste curve.

Don’t take my word for it, you should try this one.

Oh by the way, in case you didn’t get the joke, you should also buy the D’cubed 2001 Black Sears Vineyard Howell Mountain Zinfandel if you can find it. But good luck with trying to find it at your local wine store.