The Gourmez

Yellowtail Shiraz Grenache 2010 Southeastern Australia Blueberry flavors come first with this wine, but they melt away into something that reminds me of the fig butter I just picked up from Trader Joe’s. But this wine is bitterer than the fig butter and pretty dry. There’s a heat to it, and I’d call it medium [...]

Lost Vineyards Tempranillo Calatayud, Spain   This medium-bodied and medium dry tempranillo is all you can ask for at $3.99. It smells like dark chocolate and light leather. Cherry comes to mind first when sipping, but that dark chocolate has a stronger presence overall. It’s bitter in a way that ties in nicely to the [...]

La Quercia Aglianico 2010 Puglia, Italy I purchased this wine based on its super appealing nose at a wine tasting at Hope Valley Bottle Shop recently. It smells like brown sugar with white pepper and leather notes. I haven’t had many leathery wines lately, so that may be what appealed to me most. Drinking it [...]

Central Coast Banshee Red Wine 2007 This is a rich wine with a depth to it that makes me happy to drink it despite the fact that it’s not really that great. It’s dark brown in color. Milk chocolate is the dominant taste, which is its main drawback for me. There are healthy doses of [...]

Chariot Gypsy 2010 Napa Valley, CA   I reviewed a sister of this wine a while back, and I remembered a commenter saying I really ought to try out this version instead. It’s a lovely blend with blackberry and plum flavors dominating. After that swirls nicely around your mouth, a bit of clove comes through [...]

Dearly Beloved Forever Red 2009 Mendocino County, CA No shame here—I bought this wine because of that freaking awesome label. Seriously, it has texture! And the name of the wine is in the skull’s teeth! I love it. Forever Red contains lots of tart, but luscious, berry. Think thick, juicy boysenberries. Cedar is on the [...]

Martine Galhoune Moulin 2010 Pinot Noir France Nectarine. The nose of this wine is full of nectarine. It’s thin-bodied, fun to drink, and a welcome shift from the overly dry wines I’ve had lately. I’d call this one medium dry. It has vanilla, spice, nectarine, chocolate, and cherry all balanced well together. The MGM 2010 [...]

Bogle Merlot 2009 Graton, CA   This wine strikes me as smooth right away. It’s full of bright fruit, but not tart fruit like so many bottle I drank over the past two months. The main notes are strawberry and a juicy, juicy plum with subtle spice and vanilla.   I enjoy how unobtrusive and [...]

Gaetano D’Aquino Chianti 2010 Italy Normally, I’m a big fan of chianti because it’s mellow in a way that it makes mellow seem like an art form. This one’s not there. It smells sharply herbal with a tart berry undercurrent of currant or cranberry. It’s tart on drinking, too. There’s almost a fizz to it, [...]

Castelmaure Corbières Col des Vents 2008 Languedoc, South France   This red wine’s nose is full of jammy blackberry-fruit-leather notes. It smells warm, with a smidge of potpourri essence to it. Aeration is important for appreciating this wine—-it tastes far too tight and tart without it, like cranberry and eucalyptus. Given some airing, the tartness [...]