The Complete Jane Austen

... this season on PBS.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/?campaign=pbshomefeatures_1_masterpiecetheatrebrthecompletejaneausten_2008-01-27

Champagne Showdown!

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to try the following wines in a tasting. Here is a list of what was poured at Hi-Time, along with my sparing notes.

Taitinger, "Comtes de Champagne" 1998 ($129) - Lovely!!!

Dom Ruinart Brut, 1996 ($150) - Watery, light

Veuve Clicquot, "La Grand Dame" 1998 ($119) - Nice upfront fruit, some bitterness on the back end.

Philipponnat "Clos des Goisses" Brut 1999 ($149) - Pretty! Lemony.

Salon "Mesnil" Brut 1996 ($239) - Pretty, different, some minerality, complex.

Pol Roger "Winston Churchill" Brut 1996 ($189) - Pretty, Elegant, Fruity, Beautiful.

Cristal Brut 2000 ($219) - Very nice! Viscious.

Vilmart "Coeur de Cuvee" Brut 1999 ($94) AWESOME!!!!!!! Fresh, fruity, some sandalwood in there somehow.

Ployez-Jacquemart "L.d'Harbonville" Brut 1996 ($125) - Alright. Citrusy.

Krug Brut 1995 ($219) - Incredible.

Alain Robert "Blanc de Blancs" Brut 1990 ($139) - Yeasty.


And the winner is...
Vilmart "Coeur de Cuvee" Brut 1999, with Krug coming in at a close second. The REAL winner was me getting the chance to try all of those wines! Lovely, lovely.

Bad Bad Boys...

ever had that song you couldn't get out of your head?

This is mine...

Van Halen

They rocked the Anaheim Pond on Tuesday, December 18th. It was incredible. I screamed the whole time through.

Merry Christmas

My Christmas present to myself... to be opened at a later date.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!! Peace and love to you all. :)

Pepper bomb (ugh!)

Casa Silva 2005 Carmenere from the Colchagua Valley.
I bought this from one of our competitors for $12 since we were out of Carmenere at our store (and I like Carmenere). We recently began to carry this (same price), so I thought I would give it a try.

On the nose... Black pepper and green bell peppers. If you haven't tried it before... Carmenere tastes similar to Cabernet Sauvignon (except not as tannic) and Merlot. Carmenere was one of the six grapes used in making Bordeaux by the French until the 1860s when phylloxera became rampant and affected the Carmenere vines quite badly. After that, Carmenere was cast out of France (many thought it to be extinct) and was exiled to Chile (where it was thought to be Merlot for over a century, until 1994 when DNA evidence proved otherwise). But just like Donna Summer sang, "I Will Survive!"... the grape is back and better than ever.

When it's done right...it's great.. you get focused cherry flavor, some smoke, and tons of mocha. When Carmenere is picked too early, you get the vegetal aspects... such as bell pepper. I tasted tons of black pepper, too, which just overwhelmed all the other fruit. Sad.

Oh well!


To make up for it, I tasted the 2005 Hiedler Gruner Veltliner "Thal" a lovely aromatic white from Austria with great body resembling gewurztraminer and riesling. Pineapple and peaches on the nose. Good stuff! :)

Best Pizza Wine, Ever.

Tried the Finca Villacreces 2003, Ribera del Duero, Spain (Tempranillo blend: 86% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot. ) 14% alcohol... paired with... Pizza Hut pizza... (yeah, I know), but it was Thin Crust, and the toppings were: Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Jalapeno.

Could the Villacreces stand up to it?... Hell yeah!

Blueberries on the nose...

In fact, it was like little men with leather gloves were stuffing blueberries up my nose. LOTS and lots of blueberries. $29.99 was the damage. Small price to pay.

BEST PIZZA WINE, EVER!!!!!!! Hands down.... Is all I can say.

Powerful, yet SMOOTH.

Mouthfeel: This dark-purple concoction was all about the berry, and enchanting my mouth. It is delicious. What a discovery!
I love this wine, and plan on getting more of it.

Pedigree: Finca Villacreces is on great real estate. Right next door to Vega Sicilia. Not too shabby. If you are into Parker, the 2004 Villacreces got a 95. The year 2003 was not rated, but I think it's the bomb.