Novice Wine Blog

2007 William Harrison Rutherford Red

Name:	William Harrison Rutherford Red
Rating:	5 Stars
Winery:	William Harrison Winery
Vintage:	2007
Varietal:	Rutherford Red
Country:	United States
Region:	California: North coast
Retail Price:	80.00 USD
Alcohol:	14.5%

Name:	Toasted Head Merlot
Rating:	3 Stars
Winery:	R. H. Phillips
Vintage:	2005
Varietal:	Merlot
Country:	United States
Region:	California: North coast
Retail Price:	13.99 USD
Alcohol:	13.5%

Name:	Cigarzin Zinfandel
Rating:	4 Stars
Winery:	Consentino
Vintage:	2005
Varietal:	Zinfandel
Country:	USA
Region:	California - Napa Valley
Retail Price:	30.00 USD
Alcohol:	14%

Lucinda and I had a date. Not an appointment, but an actual no kids, Lucinda shaved her legs, I made reservations and we got dressed up and went out to eat kind of date. When we get an opportunity to do this, our restaurant choices are limited here in Madisonville, KY. That is why we decided to go to our favorite local Italian restaurant Difabios. Difabios is owned by Pete and Laura Difabio and they make some of the best Italian dishes I have ever eaten that we did not cook ourselves at home. Remember, this is a date, someone else had to cook :)

We sat at our table and the waitress was quick to present the wine list. Typically, every wine I have seen on any kind of list at a restaurant is priced at close to twice what you can buy it for retail. Keeping that in mind, I perused the list and we decided on a red zinfadel. It came highly reccommended by the waitress (as is her job) but it also got a thumbs up from Pete Difabio himself.

The Cigarzin was a reddish/brownish color with a nice subtle boquet. The flavor, though, was a real slap in the face, and a good slap at that. I didn't expect that much flavor from such a subtle smell. I cant begin to list pommegranites or red cherries like the manufacturer states, I just know it tasted great.

As we were finishing off dinner and still sipping our wine, Laura difabio approached our table with a few slivers of semi sweet dark chocolate. She told us that she and Pete had tried this wine at a tasting in Chicago and letting some chocolate slowly melt in our mouths while sipping the wine would take it to another level.

We tried it and just let me say Lucinda didn't need to shave her legs because that was orgasmic alone, We both had a winegasm.

This is a very respectable every day wine. If you have not tried this one, I would suggest going out and getting a bottle and some semi sweet dark chocolate, and a babysitter.

Name:	Greg Norman Shiraz
Rating:	2 Stars
Winery:	Greg Norman Estates
Vintage:	2005
Varietal:	Shiraz
Country:	Australia
Region:	Limestone Coast
Retail Price:	14.99 USD
Alcohol:	13.5%

Well, it's a good thing that Greg Norman can golf. I have searched the Internet for a similiar view of this wine, and everyone seems to love it. I had a hard time finishing this bottle. It is a reasonably priced wine (around $15.00) and it can be found easily enough.

The bottle and just about every other wine site talks about subtle tannins, and I found the wine to be bitter. The aroma was nice, the alcohol content was respectable, and the color was very nice. I just wasn't won over by the taste. I found it to lack the spicy/peppery tones of other shiraz wines that I have come to enjoy.

I give this wine a 2 out of 5 and recommend that for the price, you try it if you want. You may be dissapointed, but you won't be out a lot of money.

Name:	Fat Bastard Merlot
Rating:	3 Stars
Winery:	The Fat Bastard Wine Company
Vintage:	2005
Varietal:	Merlot
Country:	France
Region:	Languedoc
Retail Price:	10.00 USD
Alcohol:	13%

Last night Lucinda and I prepared sliced steak and mushrooms with warm potato salad. It was a good dinner, and we washed it down with a bottle of 2005 Fat Bastard Merlot.

The wine is extremely full bodied. It is also how it obtained its name Fat Bastard.

The next day after sleeping in past noon due to the late night before, Thierry thought he would have Guy try an experimental wine he had in a few barrels in the back of the cellar. “Dis is a experiment wine we left it on de lees. We try it no?” “Sure Thierry, you know how hard it is to get me to try a new wine.” Both friends had no idea that leaving the wine in barrel on the lees (yeast cells) would result is such a dramatic difference from the wine they tried the day before. It had a wonderful color and rich, round palate. Both men stood and stared at each other for what seemed like five minutes until Thierry exclaimed “now zat iz what you call eh phet bast-ard” Guy laughed with a belly laugh you could clearly hear in the neighboring town. He had used the expression Fat bastard often to describe things that were great but hearing it in a French accent made it so much funnier.

The wine had a great bouquet and taste, but I found it to be a bit tannic for my taste. I believe the 2005 will be much better in about a year or two.

We paid around $15 for the wine (not a lot of options for competitive shopping here in Madisonville KY). Lucinda really liked the wine and I just found it to be ok. It is inexpensive, has a good flavor, great color, good bouquet, but should probably age just a little bit more.

Lucinda gives it a 3.5 and I would have to hover closer to 3 and since I am the one writing this review, we will go with 3.

Name:	Clos du Bois Merlot
Rating:	4 Stars
Winery:	Clos du Bois
Vintage:	2004
Varietal:	90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% other
Country:	United States
Region:	California: Sonoma County
Retail Price:	15.99 USD
Alcohol:	13.5%

I was sitting on the front porch of my houseboat this past Friday evening and Lucinda and I opened a bottle of Clos du Bois Merlot. It had been a particularly frustrating day and we were ready to see it come to an end. We opened this bottle and poured our first glass. The first thing we noticed was the color of the wine. It was a deep ruby red and it even "looked" silky as we poured it into our glasses. The bouquet of the wine was rather inviting and seemed to beckon to us to drink it. I cant say that I detected any currants or vanilla or black cherries, but it just smelled good.The look of the wine was not deceiving. It tasted as silky as it poured.The wine had a strong finish, or should I say a long finish as the flavor sat on the back of my throat and tongue. With each sip I could feel the stress of the day washing away. We did not drink this wine with any meal, yet I would recommend it as a great pairing with just about anything, even a great big juicy grilled burger. Now, for the rating part. I would have to definitely give this a 4 Star rating.