jlk -

I don't think I can call myself an expert, though I could probably pass basic sommelier testing...knowing what varietal one is tasting, where in the world it probably came from...what kind of imperfections exist...what kind of aromas and tastes you perceive.

With a little training, most wine drinkers could probably pass this. What makes it easy is knowing which regions produce what flavors/scents. A chardonnay from cooler regions is more likely to have hints of lemon, herbs wheres the same clone of grape grown in southern AZ will be a pineapple / heavy fruit bomb...all because the heat. The best climates have a large variance in temperature during harvesting -- heat helps to produce the sugar, coolness allows the acidity to remain...producing a more well-balanced wine.

Eventually I'll buy up some land and get a vineyard going, but I move from one obsession to the other...so my web businesses have to be firing on all cylinders first...and their still in the very early stages.

Cygnus

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Tonight we opened a bottle after my wife got back from her Master's capstone class...

Jacob's Creek 2002 Reserve Chardonnay
On the nose: Very citrusy, waft of some sort of mellon
Palate: It is a rather light chardonnay...more characteristic of a fume blanc really (which is a good thing in my opinion) -- tart apple and grapefruit upfront, with with a smidge of oak on the finish.

I liked it and for $7 I'll be buying it again. What did Wine Enthusiast have to say about it?

88 -- A refreshing, lighter-style Chard, with just a hint of buttercream from the 35% that goes through malolactic. Flavors are largely of white peach, with a swipe of oak on the back end. Best Buy.

Cygnus

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I don't if this has been mentioned, but I suggest trying Wolf Blass Black Label. It's an australian wine and I always keep a bottle of it at home. If your looking for a chardonnay I suggest checking out Oyster Bay. I do not know a lot about wine myself. I just know what I like. However my dad is big into wines and has a large collection that he actually does not have to show off. He has it to enjoy. He just tells me to try different stuff. Stuff he's found good. Some I can't afford, some I can. The two I've mentioned before are usually more expensive as they usually go for about 20 bucks a bottle, but i know he has stuff that is around 300. Next time he mentions something that is about 5 bucks which he does do quite often. When he started recommending Oyster Bay, it was only 6 bucks a bottle. Last time I bought one it was 22 dollars though.

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I've tasted some Wolf Blass before...it is similar to a wine I cut my teeth on, Black Opal. From there I kept experimenting on different varietals and blends; I crave the complexity, but it usually comes with a hefty price tag associated with it.

My $ range really depends on the quality I'm getting -- if I find something that has been rated in the 90s on Wine Enthusiast / Wine Spectator, then I'll spend in the 20-30 range, though usually I can find the high 80s and low 90s in the 10-15 range.

Tonight I opened up a bottle that a buddy brought back from Argentina for me...
2002 Don David Cabernet Sauvignon

I couldn't find any tasting notes after giving it a go, but then I asked for him to bring me something I couldn't find in the states. Here's what I thought...

On the nose: a bit hot (alcoholic), though it showed some underlying fruits and spice after letting it breathe for an hour
Palate: a good mouthfeel, strong tannins (which I like), and a decent finish of dusty spices [probably a touch of Malbec in there].

I saved some to try again tomorrow -- it is a young wine, so hopefully it'll open up a bit more.

In all, if I had another bottle, I'd put it in the ol' wine cabinet for a few years...I don't have much of a selection to show off, because I'm a bit impatient.

Cygnus

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My wife and I planned a little road trip down to Elgin, AZ, a place I believe will be a wine hotspot in 10-15 years. Think the Columbia Valley Washington region, only with more cacti.

Anyhow, the main attraction in this humble town is Callaghan Vineyards, which is producing some fantastic wines. This year the 2003 Ann's Cuvee (34% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Gris, 33% Malvasia) and 2003 Syrah (European style) really stood out to us.

Okay...so we bought a mix-n'-match case to put in the already overstuffed wine fridges, but it was hard to resist. Half of it will probably be gifted to clients and the other half happily consumed.

Sadly, it can be hard to find these wines outside of Arizona, and in some cases, in Arizona. If you can locate a few from this vintage, it will be well worth your effort.

Cygnus

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So do you like Petite Sirah Cygnus? I just came across this thread and have a bottle of 2001 Rutherford Grove Petite Sirah here in front of me. If you are not familiar with the winery, they are located in the Rutherford sub apellation of Napa Valley and they do about 6,500 cases a year (total production). They produce only varietal wines (Sauvignon Blan, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, Merlot and Cab. Sauvignon). I was hooked on Petite Sirah a couple of years ago when I had Rutherford Grove's 1999 Petite Sirah. Wow, what a bottle that was. Big jammy nose, velvety palate and a long finish. Since that night (Bistro Ralph on the square in Healdsburg), I have searched for more Petite Sirahs. Of course, I stopped for a few Syrahs, cabs and blends along the way.

I usually take a few quick notes on my wine blog from the day after. I need to start taking notes while I am drinking because...sometimes one bottle leads to two. For now it is just keeping track of some of the bottles we drink.

Two bottles I can recommend right now from Sonoma are from Roshambo. Their 2001 Syrah (about $13 for club members...worth joining for) and the 2002 "The Reverend" Zinfandel are both outstanding buys. Not sure if you are familiar with Roshambo, but you mentioned annual trips to Sonoma. Both are about $13 for club members and I picked up a couple cases of each the week after I received my club shipment.

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Ah yes, I do like a good Petite Sirah, especially when it is not a 100% -- for whatever reason, the field blend Petite Sirah / Syrah always strike a good note with me.

Rutherford does make some good wines...I'm going back to Sonoma late this July [concentrated on Dry Creek Valley and greater Russian River], but will probably have to make a stop in Napa to visit a few of my favorites. Check out Luna (unbelievable pinot grisio); their head winemaster was formally at Far Niente. I haven't had Roshambo, for whatever reason, so I'll make a note to stop in there; thanks for the tip.

I understand the issue with the wine notes; I usually only post notes here when I have a bottle at home. This last weekend we had a 1996 Christopher Creek Sryah (was a bit past its prime) and 1998 Christopher Creek Zinfandel (extremely good, especially if you like the big jammy noses), and then finished it off with a 2003 Callaghan Fortified Zin dessert wine (wow...this baby could have been served on top of ice-cream it was so succulent).

Cygnus

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Ooh, one other to try. Costco recently had a Chateau Ste Michelle Reserve Reisling Icewine for $25; rated 95 by WS. As much as I like the local wine shops (AZ Wines & Cave Creek Wines), it is often hard to beat the selection and price at Costco. The Scottsdale, AZ area wine-buyer is very good...some of us are trying to encourage him to do his own private tastings of Costco wines...so much good stuff.

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Sure, I am very familiar with Luna, my fiance's family is good friends with a couple of people there. I am not much for the Pinot Grigio, we drink a ton of Sauvignon Blanc from NZ (Marlborough). Costco here in SF, just started to carry one of my favorites, which unfortunately has been getting a lot of good press in the wine rags, Kim Crawford. If you like Sauvignon Blanc you will HAVE TO make a trip to Rochioli if you come to Sonoma (Westside Rd. just outside of Headlsburg)...they are the masters.

There is also a winery you should put on your list for the Dry Creek Valley trip, Bella. They are at the top of DCV Road and we just did some barrel tasting there a couple of weeks ago. Oh, my is all I can say. They produce about 3-4 Zins a year, plus 2 Syrahs this year which were off the hook and sold out within 2 weeks...to bad. I tasted what will be the 2004 Lily Hill Zin (75% Zin 25%Petite Sirah) and it was unbelievable. Unfortunately, we had missed the futures buying by a week, but I should be able to get a fair amount. A. Rafanelli is another DC favorite, but you will need resy's there and they work on a very strict timetable. You get 15 minutes in there, kinda lame that way, but they make some great zins. There is one more that we visited that I can't remember that you should check out. Two CIA (Culinary Institute of America) grads that decided they wanted to make wine. They are in the RRV apellation and they put out some zins and a dirty, dark Syrah that I loved. Plus, the misses sells some amazing Zin sauce and we had some swedish meatballs with her zin sauce while we were there. Did I mention I like wine?

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Yes, the Kim Crawford is a steal; who knew a screwtop could be so good? And though I'm not much of a chard fan, DeLoatch was only $5 at Costco for a short while...so sad, all gone.

I'll look into Bella...

The Rafanelli Syrah you describe sounds a lot like Limmerick Lane's, so I'll have to make my way there as well.

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