- Dec 31, 2018
- 14,951
- 28,300
Had several new wines over the last 10 days or so and most were worth recommending (tho a few were quite forgettable).
The first was a white from the Salice Salentino region from way down the boot of Italy. It’s much more known for reds than whites, but I discovered a white worth recommending. The label did not list a grape variety, but my best guess is it’s Chardonnay. This one was very smooth and did not exhibit signs of being overoaked as opposed to American ones, which tend to be often be. (For those unfamiliar, aging Chardonnay in oak casks gives it vanilla flavors; the newer the oak and the longer the aging = more vanilla. My personal theory is vanilla is catnip for humans, but much as I love vanilla ice cream, I hate too much vanilla flavor in wine.) In any event, it was a nice white too accompany pasta in any kind of white sauce or with anti-pasto. I bought it at Total Wine, so it should be easy to find. Here’s the label:
Next up is a Rhône blend from the Costieres de Nimes in SE France. Very smooth and good value. A good wine for any dish you’d pair with a red wine. My best guess is mostly Syrah and Grenache. Probably not a good match for pasta, but any grilled meats for sure.
Another great cab from Chile, this one is also a great value and might be worth laying down few bottles. It’s pretty smooth now, but I could see it improving with a few years of cellaring. This was another find at Total Wine, so should be widely available.
This one might be the best of South American wines I’ve had lately, but was also more tannic and in need of a few years. I found it in a small wine shop in Atlanta, so no telling if it’s widely available. Both of this one and the one above remind me of California cabs one used to be able to find once upon that were good and fairly priced- a hard thing to find any more. Here’s the label:
The last recommendation is a long time go to Zin from Sonoma. The producer, Seghesio, makes a bunch of single vineyard Zins that go $25 and up, but their standard Sonoma bottling is excellent and can be often found for under $20. This wine is very consistent from vintage to vintage. The single vineyard Zins, like those from Seghesio and Ridge, and, at the higher price point, those from Turley and Martinelli, are better for sure, but for the price this one is excellent and very versatile. Was great with grilled steaks.
The first was a white from the Salice Salentino region from way down the boot of Italy. It’s much more known for reds than whites, but I discovered a white worth recommending. The label did not list a grape variety, but my best guess is it’s Chardonnay. This one was very smooth and did not exhibit signs of being overoaked as opposed to American ones, which tend to be often be. (For those unfamiliar, aging Chardonnay in oak casks gives it vanilla flavors; the newer the oak and the longer the aging = more vanilla. My personal theory is vanilla is catnip for humans, but much as I love vanilla ice cream, I hate too much vanilla flavor in wine.) In any event, it was a nice white too accompany pasta in any kind of white sauce or with anti-pasto. I bought it at Total Wine, so it should be easy to find. Here’s the label:
Next up is a Rhône blend from the Costieres de Nimes in SE France. Very smooth and good value. A good wine for any dish you’d pair with a red wine. My best guess is mostly Syrah and Grenache. Probably not a good match for pasta, but any grilled meats for sure.
Another great cab from Chile, this one is also a great value and might be worth laying down few bottles. It’s pretty smooth now, but I could see it improving with a few years of cellaring. This was another find at Total Wine, so should be widely available.
This one might be the best of South American wines I’ve had lately, but was also more tannic and in need of a few years. I found it in a small wine shop in Atlanta, so no telling if it’s widely available. Both of this one and the one above remind me of California cabs one used to be able to find once upon that were good and fairly priced- a hard thing to find any more. Here’s the label:
The last recommendation is a long time go to Zin from Sonoma. The producer, Seghesio, makes a bunch of single vineyard Zins that go $25 and up, but their standard Sonoma bottling is excellent and can be often found for under $20. This wine is very consistent from vintage to vintage. The single vineyard Zins, like those from Seghesio and Ridge, and, at the higher price point, those from Turley and Martinelli, are better for sure, but for the price this one is excellent and very versatile. Was great with grilled steaks.