2008 R Wines Southern Belle Shiraz

Whiskey with a splash of water, is just fine, whiskey and Shiraz?, well that’s a bit different. So, therefore, the Southern Belle Shiraz is different from every other wine reviewed on this site, first of all the Shiraz was partially aged for 18 months in American oak barrels that were previously used to age Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Bourbon and secondly the alcohol content is 17.6% (that’s 35.2 proof for you whiskey folks). The wines importer, Dan Phillips, says “that it’s his sincerest hope that this wine offends every sommelier and Frenchman in the world.” The winemaker, Chris Ringland, makes fantastic wines and brings as much skill to the valued priced wines as he does to his more expensive efforts. Fruit forward, tasty wines, that have excellent balance and polish, if anyone can tame the over the top Bourbon barrels and the 17.6% alcohol, it’s Ringland.

The color is a beautiful almost black red with a blood red outer halo. Nice fresh black and blueberries at first and then the nose gets real interesting, leather, molasses, orange peel, petroleum jelly and vanilla. Wow, this is not your usual fruit bomb shiraz, dark fruit upfront and then coffee, toffee, black cherry cough drops, brown sugar, orange zest and oak spice. There are almost as many whiskey flavors as there is wine flavors. This is a rich, nuanced wine, even with the huge alcohol level and the bold whiskey barrel oak, there is a balance to the Southern Belle Shiraz, it feels more expensive than it actually is.

A very unique, must try wine. It may not be your go-to everyday wine, but this Southern Belle is an experience. It would really pair well with a full slab of ribs from your towns best BBQ pit.

2007 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis Bricco delle Ciliegie

Fall’s coming in Chicago, & it’s time for red wine, so this will most likely be my last summer white – the 2007 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis Bricco delle Ciliegie. Whoa – long name! But it’s an Italian white, so there’s a lot of info there – let’s break it down:

Giovanni Almondo is the winery (& its owner) in the Roero region of Piedmont Italy, right across the Tanaro river from Barbaresco.

Arneis is the white grape from which this baby is made. It means “Little Rascal” and gives up gobs of apricots and pears.

Bricco delle Ciliegie, or “hill of cherries” is the wine’s name, coming from the fact that the vineyard is planted on an old cherry orchard.

A well-chilled glass of this will refresh your butt right up after sitting in the late Summer heat watching your kid’s football practice or maybe watching the cheerleader tryouts. All from a grape you’ve never heard of, from a region you’ve never heard of.

In the glass, it’s greenish gold and immediately reminded me of something famous Chicago PIMP Bishop Don “Magic” Juan always says, “Green is for the money, and gold is for the honey”!

First sip is POW -  the neighborhood fruit stand just got backed into by Bishop’s honey wagon. Then a nice mellow crisp mineral finish like you’re drinking it on the rocks – cold stream rocks. Just like one of Bishop’s lovely ladies, this wine is refreshing, sexy, tasty and of the utmost quality for the price. Drink it with grilled shrimp or down a few Circus Peanuts with it.

Marietta Old Vines Red Lot Number 52

A non vintage red blend sourced from Sonoma and Mendonco Counties in California. The main grape in the blend is Zinfandel, but three times a year a new version of the blend is released, Lot Number 52 is the summer blend. Marietta Cellars is a family owned Winery located in Geyserville in Sonoma. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

The color is dark, inky, black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, cherry and a touch of vanilla. A nice lush mouthfeel, very silky. Good ripe fruit upfront, plum, blueberry, raspberry and then a sharp hit if spice, with each sip, the spice smoothes out. A big strong blueberry finish.

Oh wow,this is the comfort food equivalent in wine. Simple yummy goodness in spades. Luscious ripe fruit, it actually feels good in your mouth. I want to try this with Mom’s Pot Roast. The Marietta Old Vines Red is the kind of wine you want to give to friends, there is no higher praise than that.

Here is a link to the distributors, if you need to see where you can purchase this wine in your area: http://www.mariettacellars.com/distributors/

2005 Cantina Novelli Montefalco Sagrantino

Sagrantino is a grape indigenous to the area around the town of Montefalco in Umbria, Italy. There are only about 250 acres of  Sagrantino planted and only a handful of growers producing this wine. Sagrantino makes a full bodied, very tannic wine. The Novelli Montefalco Sagrantino is aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels. The alcohol content is 14%.

The color is inky black in the center with strawberry red around the edges. A touch of mushroom along with blackberry and blueberry, creme brulee and a whiff of alcohol. Nicely balanced, dark berry fruit, a bit of creamy milk chocolate, cherry cola and plum. The tannins are definitely there, but integrated into flavors, a very nice balancing act. A long cola and berry finish.

This is a big boy, with all the tannins and the 16 months of new French oak, you can probably lay this wine down for 15 years. The Novelli Montefalco Sagrantino cries out for an aged steak at one of those old school Steakhouses.

2009 Otto’s Constant Dream Sauvignon Blanc – $14

I was lucky enough to sample this fantastic little summer wine at an up and coming wine bar. First sip and I couldn’t help but think:  “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”. It hits you mid-tongue, tart,  like the girl who can pull it off but elongates to the back of your throat. She still feels the need to suck in her tummy when she notices you watching.

Catch the dermatologist-banned rays of high-noon-yellow-gold and go with it. Now she’s among friends, exhales and the wine expands. You suddenly remember you’re on a beach. Shake out your beach blanket bingo and start doing the twist because this one’s got sand, surf and 60′s written all over it.

NV Seven Daughters White Blend

Non Vintage White Blend sourced from vineyards all over California. The blend is 26% Chardonnay, 25% French Colombard (a Bordeaux grape), 19% Symphony ( a new grape developed in California in the 40’s), 12% Orange Muscat (usually in dessert wines), 8% Riesling, 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Gewurztraminer. Non Vintage means the grapes did not all come from one single vintage year, such as there could be grapes from 2009 and 2008 in the mix. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

The color is a light golden yellow. The nose is all citrus and flowers, grapefruit, orange and magnolia trees in full bloom.  A nice silky mouth feel. Tangerines and peaches, a touch of minerality and enough acidity to work well as a food wine. A lengthy tart lemony finish.

Very light bodied, crisp, refreshing and tasty. Perfect for sitting out on the balcony and watching the sun go down or pair with grilled shrimp and pasta.

2009 Urban Uco Malbec

100% Estate grown Malbec from the  Uco Valley in the Mendoza Region of Argentina. The wine is aged three months in French oak barrels. Argentina is known for it’s Torrontes white wine and Malbec red wine. Malbec is a French grape mainly grow in the Cahors region of France, but Argentina has become very competitive in terms of quality and price. Alcohol content is 14.5%.

A dark opaque ruby red, in France Malbec is known as “the black wine” and the Urban Uco Malbec lives up to that name. The nose is not fruit based, it’s spicy and rich exotic spices, a flowering Magnolia tree, with the scent of a newly mowed lawn. Medium bodied, dark red fruit, at first, then blueberry followed by a touch of spice. Malbec’s used to be big hairy tannic wines, but the tannins here are soft and slightly sweet. A good, reasonably long berry finish.

A very balanced, well made wine.  Would be very versatile with food,  you could pair it with burgers or pizza, but it’s quality would also enhance upscale menus. I have seen the Urban Uco Malbec on several wine lists, it’s quality to price ratio would make it an excellent pick

2007 Temptation Zinfandel

Sourced from the Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, along with a bit from Solano (east of Napa), California. 91% Zinfandel, 8% Sangiovese and 1% Syrah. Aged for 12 months in American oak, 25% new oak. Alcohol content is 14.2%.

A deep dark, but see-thru red. Black and blueberry, stewed prune and a light curry spice on the nose. Tart black cherry upfront, then some softer flavors such as plum and blueberry. Altoids spice with vanilla kick in the mid-palate. The finish is blackberry and spice, but fades quickly.

The label has a skeleton offering wine to some 15th century plaque victim and any wine with skeletons on the label automatically get extra points. It tastes real good, so that adds points, it does not cost much, so that adds points, the Temptation Zin would pair very well with BBQ, so that adds points. Doing math when you are drinking wine is not recommended, so we will never know how many points the Temptation Zinfandel gets. But, to sum things up, it tastes great, is reasonably priced and has skeletons, two thumbs up.

2008 Peirano Estate Vineyards “The Other” Red Blend

Ok, I picked this wine because of the label. If I have to pick between a wine with a plain label or a wine with a naked lady on the label, I’m going with the naked lady every time. Actually, a beautiful or clever label is pretty good reason to choose a wine, the best winemakers tend to be very creative people, so it stands to reason the label on their bottle should be creative (or naked).

The Other is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Syrah all sourced from Peirano Estate Vineyards in Lodi, California. The 3 grapes were fermented and aged separately and then blended at the very end of the process. The alcohol content is 13.8%.  Peirano Vineyard Estates has been making wine for 4 generations.

The color is back cherry jello. The nose is blackberries, blueberries, cedar and a touch of vanilla. Soft smooth fruit upfront, raspberry, black cherry jam on buttered toast, strawberry dipped in dark chocolate and light oak spice. A long blueberry vanilla finish.

A very easy wine to drink, an excellent every day wine. Would pair well with burgers or pizza, or skip the food and enjoy a glass or two.

2007 Cameron Hughes Lot 139 Alexander Valley Meritage

In France, a Negociant is someone who purchases excess wine from local vineyards and sells the excess under their own label. Sometimes they bottled the wine exactly as it came from the barrel, other times they blend grapes from different vineyards to create their own unique wine blend. But where exactly and from whom they purchased the wine is kept in strict confidence. Cameron Hughes is the American version of the French Negociant. By carefully choosing his sources, he can bring wines of outstanding quality to the market at exceptional prices. Of course, he can not disclose exactly who made the wine, only general information, in this case the wine was produced in Alexander Valley in Sonoma, California and the wine came pre-blended and ready for bottling. There is a bottle of wine on some store shelf right now with a different label, but the exact same wine inside and a price tag at least three times more expensive than the Cameron Hughes Lot 139 Meritage.

Fun Fact: In California to be designated a Meritage wine, the blend most consist of a least two Bordeaux grapes. For a red wine blend the Bordeaux grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Carmenere, Gros Verdot and St, Macaire.

The color is strawberry red with black cherry highlights. The nose is plums, a touch of vanilla, light menthol along with black and blueberries. An interesting flavor, chocolate covered cherries, Frango Mints, I am using candy as descriptors, but this is not sweet, the  Lot 139 has the lush, rich candy taste, minus the sugary sweetness, now to make things confusing the oak and the tannins do add a touch of sweetness. The finish is soft red berry, it is light in taste, but it lingers for a reasonably long time.

A medium bodied, tasty red wine blend. Drinks very well, when pairing with food, you will want to stay away from dishes with heavy sauces or strong flavors. But when pairing wine with food, delicious always goes with delicious.

Cameron Hughes Wines can be found at Whole Foods, Costco, Sam’s Club and www.chwine.com

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