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WINE TASTING: Santa Barbara

Wonderwood hits the road in search of booze, the all important tip, and the picturesque.

WINE TASTING: The Prisoner

This one is one of my favorites. We tasted the 2004 vintage, and I scribbled a bunch of stuff down on a nearby envelope. Here's what I wrote : 'sweet orange blossom' 'caramel' 'tight entry smooth out' 'tobacco' 'big deep berry' 'smoky berry' 'caramel-berry' 'fermented [illegible]' 'thick jammy' 'basalmic' thick' '[illegible].

WINE TASTING: Willamette Pinot

First things first - what's that brown dribble on the label? Judging from the shrunken and stained state of the cork, I'd say it's probably some wine that leaked out of the bottle at some point. Which is a good indication that this baby is corked - that's when the cork dries up and lets air into the bottle, which, combined with dampness of the wine, rots the cork. For this reason you should always store wine on it's side - this keeps the cork damp and plump. It's easy to tell when a wine is corked - it smells like a bouquet of dirty gym socks, dank cellar, and wet dog. But here, I was pleasantly greeted by a nose of juniper and cherries. To celebrate, let's keep drinking. Hmm, I'm getting a hint of butterscotch, and a slightly bitter finish. Willamette pinots are reputed to be styled closest to real French Burgundy. They have basically the same climate and soil type, and the absence of fruity and oaky overtones makes for a very convincing counterfeit. My only beef with Oregon pinots is that they are overpriced. I've never seen a bottle for under $30 - and the low end seems to be not spectacular. This Boadley is a hell of a wine though. With all the rage for flashy, dramatic pinots, it's a nice reminder of what the grape is all about - subtlety and earthiness. Great pinots have to added bonus of the cajones to stand up to just about any cuisine you pair with it. Cheers.

Rose Pairing

I've got another rose for you - Domaine Sorin 'Terra Amata' 2006. This one is a baragin - $9 at the Beverage Warehouse! If you are wondering what to snack on while swilling glass after glass of the pink stuff, try this: get some figs, split them in half and stuff a little nugget of goat cheese in there. Yes, I know you may be over the goat cheese, but just try it. Place your stuffed figs on a cookie sheet and broil them for ten minutes or until the cheese browns slightly. Garnish with a leaf of some kind and consume outside in the evening hours for maximum enjoyment. Ahhh, Summer.

Wine Tasting: Rose Time

These are the longest of summer and you may be wondering, what should I be drinking? The answer, mon frere, is rose. I'm not much of a white wine fan, but often I want something cold yet tuff enough to stand up to my grilled summer grub. Try this one, if you can find it: Domaine De Fontsainte gris de gris 2006. Slate just published a nice piece about the conventions of wine descriptors, which inspired me to try and pinpoint exactly what I was tasting here. My first impression was of melons and citrus fruit, but like most French roses, this wine isn't sweet - at first, it's very dry. This makes it an excellent food wine - the acidic wash is a nice foil to just about anything, especially cheese. The aftertaste is slightly bitter and a little sweet, all in all a well-balanced wine. Roses are also fairly cheap - this one was $11.99, but you can score a good bottle for $8 if you are lucky. CAUTIONARY NOTE: avoid Trader Joe's roses, I've never had any luck with them.

WINE TASTING: Lascombes v Cline

In this corner (below), Cline Zinfandel 2005, Sonoma. In that corner Chateu Lascombes Margaux 2005. Let's taste these bad boys , CLICK HERE.

Terroir, and a Warning

Terroir is generally a word I can do without. I appreciate the Austrailian winemaking attitude - blend together the best grapes, and terroir be damned. Yet, apart form every wine store write up I've read, terroir exists. I bought this bottle from a rotund gent by the name of Don St John. Don Juan to the ladies of Healdsburg. It had a freakishly distinct taste - kind of cheesy, but not in a bad way, with the funky cellar nose I like. I held onto it for a few years, as it was an '02 and sure to get better. Or so I thought. When I drank it a few weeks ago, the flavors I rememberd had vanished. Or maybe I had imagined them in my drunken state - Don Juan cracked open six bottles for us in his storeroom that day. Anyway, the moral of the story - drink that wine you have tasted and know is good right now. Why risk it?