Wine Number 15 or "The first French wine?!"

2005 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone:

In an interesting trio of wines from the Garden State Wine Club that included a limited release Cabernet from Columbia Crest and a South African Bourdeaux-style blend, comes this Cotes du Rhone from Michel Chapoutier. The blend itself is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.

The wine I felt was very fruit forward and somewhat simple. Red fruits on the nose and palate with hints of pepper.

I could have done better with my first wine from France but I've got better ones on hand and will get to them eventually.

Wine Count: 15; Country Count: 8; Grape Count: 14

Wines 13 & 14:

2003 Bodegas la Purisima Iglesia Vieja Reserva Yecla:

That's a lot of Spanish-sounding words in this interesting wine from Spain. I thought I had a new grape in Monastrelle... and still thought I had a new grape when I found out we call it Mataro [in Portugal and the "New World"], but was disappointed when I discovered it's AKA Mouvedre, which I've partaken of already in the form of Wolftrap.

This Denominación de Origen region [a Spanish classification meaning the wines are mainstream and well-known] in the east of Spain, is supposedly akin to the Rhone. I don't know about that, but the wine was okay, really not all that memorable. Somewhat of a closed and simple nose, simple berry flavors.

The wine itself is a blend which is 68% Monastrelle, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Tempranillo.

Wine Count: 13; Country Count: 7

2005 Bodegas Y Vinedos del Tupun Finca Dubois Bonarda

Many more Spanish-sounding names... this time hailing from the Mendoza region of Argentina.

I saw Gary Vaynerchuck taste some Bonarda on his WLTV show [link at right] and was interested because I'd never heard of the grape. Not only that, but he enjoyed it and suggested we try it. I was very happy to see that 4 Seasons Wine was including a Bonarda in my Spring allocation so I was excited to try it, and was not disappointed.

This was much better than the Yecla above, which I likened to more of a table wine, nothing really happening... good with family and food, though.

The Bonarda was much more interesting... obvious vanilla notes pleasantly mixing with the fruit. First I've gotten vanilla so I've been sniffing quite a bit. The flavor actually isn't as pleasing as the nose is, your basic cherries and wood overtones. Good though, and glad I have more bottles.

Wine Count: 14; Grape Count; 13

Wine Number 12:

2006 Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio Venezie IGT

This will be a short entry. I don't get into whites too often and as far as the mass-marketed Pinot Grigio goes, you need to really impress to get a great review. The Villa Masetti from 4 Seasons wine was serviceable and definitely comparable to major market PGs. Apples and pears on the nose, a little awkward on the palate. Decent value, it is what it is.

Wine Count: 12; Grape Count: 12.

Wine Number 11:

2005 Vital Vineyards Pinot Noir:

Ah yes, Pinot Noir. This grape's inclusion in the movie Sideways altered its fate and the fate of merlot for a long long time. Instantly merlot becomes a subpar grape not fit for consumption. The filmmaker's joke? The wine that Paul Giamatti's character has been saving and finally pops and enjoys in the diner is a wine that has merlot in it.

Mr. Giamatti had one part correct, though... Pinot Noir is a tough grape to grow. You only really notice this because everyone tries to grow it... and then they bottle subpar wines because they sell like hotcakes. The loser? Wine drinkers like myself, who are trying to expand their palates and try different things. The expensive rock-your-world stuff isn't available to me... especially when I'm not even sure whether or not I'll even like the thing. My expensive purchases are reserved to Italians or Ports I'm familiar with and know are worth the gamble

Anyway, the Vital Pinot is definitely interesting, and better than many other Pinots I've tried. At first I thought it had strong vegetal characteristics, and it reminded me of asparagus, different, but not at all unpleasant. The color was light, which according to Gary Vaynerchuck is a good thing in Pinot Noirs and I agree. [No blends for massive flavor and color.] This wine was different and not a flavorful explosion. Oregon Pinots are expensive and at $20 this was certainly no steal. On the second day there is much more fruit... so this will probably do well with some time in a cellar.

Overall, for people who routinely buy wines for dinner at $20 I think it's worth the shot. As far as my quest goes... I got another state and grape in one shot.

Wine Count: 11; State Count: 4; Grape Count: 11.

Wine Number 10:

2006 San Pedro "35 Degrees South" Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve:

Banging out another country, I could have done it with a Chilean Carmenere but wanted to write about this wine. Received this from the Garden State Wine Club, a distributor's wine club whose mostly decent review you can read about below. The 35 Degrees refers to the latitude of the winery in South America.

When I poured this wine, I literally said, "Whoa!" The color is outrageous, it was a ruby sort of a color that looked almost fake, the wine matched up with that pretty much. Lots of oak and tons of fruit. Reminded me of an Australian Shiraz. It was decent, but only if you like oak and a ton of fruit. The back of the bottles says "Are you ready for this full-bodied wine, bursting with red berry and blackcurrant flavours? You'll love it!" This holds true if you're okay with the bursting part.

Wine Count: 10; Country Count: 6