Wines

[mothoc]

As part of my 101 goals in 1001, I am doing some things that require listing out. Rather than make the original 101 in 1001 list entry enormously long, I will be dividing those goals into their own entries. This one concerns goal number 42. Try 50 different types of wines.

1. 21Aug06 - Chataeu St. Michelle Riesling (2005) - Good. Sweet. Fruity.
2. 23Aug06 - Toasted Head Chardonney (2004) - Good. Peppery.
3. 31Aug06 - Sutter Home Chardonney (2004) - Good. Peach tones. Crisp.
4. 14Sept06 - Sinplicity White (2005) - quite a nice white. A bit of berry scent to it.
5. 26Sept06 - Casillero del Diablo merlot (2004) - It was described as a smokey wine to me. I'm not 100% sure I caught that, but once it had a chance to breathe, it was quite good.
6. 08Nov06 - Casillero del Diablo pinot blanc (year unknown, sadly) - I had a glass of this at a restaurant to accompany a spicy chicken dish. It's a little sweet, but not overly so, like a riesling. Over all, it was a very good wine and accompanied the spicy food well.
7. 06Dec06 - Dr. Pauly-Berweiler (2005) - Very smooth and fruity. A bit dry. Not as sweet as other riesling's I've had. Sadly, I can't remember the name right now.
8. 12Jan06 - Alice White Lexia (2005) - Sharp white with a little bite. Some berry hints.
9. 04Feb07 - Cellar No. 8 Zinfandel (2004) - Light on the pallet without the acidity I associate with most reds. a very slight chocolate taste to it under it all, too. Neat.
10. 11Mar07 - Red Bicyclette Chardonnay (2004) - When first opened, this was a delightful little wine. Crisp and clean and little bit of a pear flavor. As it got more air, however, it became a bit bitter and a touch more acidic than I prefer. I'll likely not be purchasing another bottle.
11. 22Mar07 - Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürzinger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett (2003) - Easily the longest named wine I've tried so far on my list, and also one of the best. it's not as sweet as most rieslings tend to be. It was almost chardonney-like, but not quite. Very, very good on the palate. Goes *excellently* with chicken alfredo, by the way. :)
12. 06Apr07 - Schmitt Sohne Riesling Kabinett (2005) - After trying the previous riesling kabinett and liking it so much, I decided to try another. This one wasn't quite as good, I think, but still very, very tasty. The reason it wasn't as good, to me, was that it was a little sweeter.
13. 05May07 - Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon (year unknown) - I tried this one at a friend's graduation party and was, sadly, concentrating more on socializing than thinking about the wine. I did enjoy it quite a bit, however, and I shall be revisiting it at some point to make more complete notes.
14. 24May07 - Barefoot Shiraz - I've figured out that Shiraz need more time to breath than other reds. It started off a bit acidic on the finish and tart at the start, but the more air it got, the smoother it became.
15. 17Jul97 - Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon - Rich flavor. Very good. Letting it breathe a while before drinking it made a big difference.
16. 09Aug07 - Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc - Very fruity, slightly tart in a good way. Rather light. Similar, in my mind, to a Riesling, but without the sweetness or the aftertaste.
17. 05Sept07 - Barefoot Zinfandel - Sadly, it's been a week since I had this, and most of the notes I thought of while drinking it have slipped my mind. It was good, though.
18. 14Sept07 - Von Othegraven Maria v.O. Saar Riesling (2005) - Very light, very fruity, very, very good. This, along with the Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürzinger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett are among the best white wines (let alone rieslings) I've tried. This one was recommended to me by the sommelier at Southern Season based on my enjoyment of the Joh. Jos., so it stands to reason I'd enjoy it as well.
19. 29Sept07 - Barefoot Pinot Grigio - The taste of this one had a lot of peach in it. When I first sipped it, I got the impression that the flavor wanted to reside near the roof of my mouth toward my nose, rather than against the tongue or throat. A very light wine. Quite good.
20. 08Oct07 - Weinguter Wegler Riesling (2004) - This is a Mosel-Saar-Ruwer riesling that's very fruity and light in the mouth. A little sweet, but certainly not the sweetest riesling I've had. Very tasty wine.
21. 09Oct07 - Weingut Geil Gewurztraminer Kabinett (2004) - This was a warm wine. Aromatic, but not overly fruity. Low acidity, so it was easy on the tongue. This was another wine I liked a lot.
An observation at this point, now that I'm nearly halfway through with this particular goal: I've liked most of the wines I've tried. My palate is developing pretty well, and I'm starting to recognize wine varieties I like. Cabernet Sauvignon reds and Riesling whites (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region specifically), for example. Thus far, there's only been one wine I've tried that's been undrinkable to me, so I take that as a good sign.

22. 21Oct07 - Finca El Retiro Tempranillo (2004) - I purchased this on a recommendation by one of the wine guys at my local liquor emporium. It was purchased primarily to be used as a flavoring fluid in a batch of chili, but we all know the rule of thumb when cooking with wines: Don't cook with something you won't drink. The chili turned out wonderfully, and the wine itself (I had a glass later) was exactly as I wanted for that dish: Hearty and peppery.
23. 31Oct07 - La Craie Vouvrey - One of three wines I tried as part of a flight at a local wine and tapas restaurant. none of the three had their vintages on the tasting cards, sadly. This one was good, but nothing jumped out at me. It had a rather woody feel on the tongue. Nothing else jumped out at me.
24. 31Oct07 - Paul Zinck Portrait Riesling - Strong aromas of honey and fruit. Very light on the tongue.
25. 31Oct07 - Selbach Riesling - Of the three, this one seemed the most complex to me. It also had strong honey overtones, but also quite a bit of apricot or peach. It was very crisp and had a very smooth, clean feel in the mouth. A little sweet, but not overpowering for me, though possibly it would be for others.
26. 03Novc07 - Berengario (1999) - A 60/40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this was a very nice red. I kept getting a chocolate aroma in my nose after drinking this wine which was not unpleasant, just surprising. It also lacked quite a bit of the bite I associate with many reds. Very nice.
27. Nov07 - Robert Hall Cabernet Sauvignon (2005) - It was alright. A bit acidic for my taste, though.
28. Nov07 - Marques de Caceras (2004) - A nice, spicy red. I liked it very much.
29. Dec07 - Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon (2004) - This is the first wine from Washington State I've tried. I wasn't overly impressed.
30. Jan08 - Tait - The Ball Buster (2006) - Very nice red. Smokey and deep. I really like it.
31. Jan08 - Tait - The Bal Buster (2005) - I wanted to try different vintages of the same wine. The 05 was a bit more acidic than the 06. It still had the same smokey flavor, but there was a bite to it that I found distracting.
32. 13Feb08 - Houghton - Cabernet Shiraz Merlot (2004) - It's smooth and tasty, but I'll be honest: I wasn't paying attention. I was drinking it when I got some bad news, and all tasting notes just emptied from my head. It's worth drinking again.
33. 25Feb08 - Domine des Blagours Syrah (2004) - very nice. Smooth. comforting, even. I really, really liked it.

NOTE: Barefoot wines are un-vintaged. I inquired with the Barefoot winery about how to tell what vintage their wines are, and I received this response:

Michael,

Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate your interest in Barefoot Cellars.

Barefoot wines are non-vintage to allow our winemaker, Jennifer Wall to produce soft, consistent and easy drinking wines.

We hope this information is helpful and appreciate you giving us this opportunity to answer your question. It is our further hope you will continue to enjoy our fine products for many more years to come.

Thanks for getting Barefoot and have a great time!

Sincerely,

Barefoot Cellars
Consumer Information Center