Carabella, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Wood, melon (cantaloupe), alcohol
Taste: Raspberry, currant, cherry, grapefruit. Very good, but not great for the price.
Finish: Currant, spice--peppery. Very smooth. A 2% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
Guest Critic: Blake Wehling
Blake Wehling: Blake is an Account Manager at the Trailblazers--basically, he sells tickets and takes care of people. Blake enjoys golfing, eating at Voodoo Donuts and watching football, but basketball takes up most of his time. Currently, Blake's bank account is recovering from microfracture knee surgery. If you ever want to buy Blazer tickets from Blake, you can contact him at: 503.963.3964.
Dinner
- garden salad
- green beans
- caramelized onion pizza
- pasta with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese
- cheese
- vegan chocolate cake
- sliced pears and grapes
- Perrin, Nature, Cotes du Rhone, 2004
Posted by Denise on September 22, 2007 9:00:00 PM PDT
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Perrin, 'Nature', Cotes du Rhone, 2004
Smell: Earthy, mossy, rocky--minerally.
Taste: Great! A little fruity (citrus) and dull blackberry. The dullness has a smokey burnt taste. Damn good. A great cheap bottle (we've been buying the wrong $12 bottles).
Finish: Smooth--doesn't make you cough.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Rheingau, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Chemically, artificial fruit. Bad jelly--the smell of Smuckers jam.
Taste: Artificial strawberry flavoring. Sweet, syrupy taste although the wine was very thin. It was like drinking Hubba-Bubba or Bubble Yum. This is the kind of wine you give to your enemy because you can feel the bad hang-over coming. It is the kind of wine that is used in wine coolers.
Finish: Artificial strawberry with a bit of apricot or peach. A wretched sickly after-taste. It is one of those wines that made you gag when you finish swallowing it.
Cost:
Rating:
1.5
Guest Critic: Marcia and Frank
Marcia: Marcia is a former interior decorator. She loves to golf, sew, cook and work on craft projects.
Frank: Frank is retired and loving it! His hobbies include fishing, walking, traveling and investing.
Dinner:
- olives and marinated feta cheese
- eggplant and parmesan crostini
- garden salad
- cauliflower gratin with tomatoes and feta cheese
- pasta with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese
- parmesan encrusted halibut
- chocolate Chantilly cake from A Piece of Cake
- cheese
- black, red and green grapes
Wine:
- St Innocent, 'Freedom Hill', Pinot Blanc, 2006
- Willakenzie, 'Aliette', Pinot Noir, 2003
- Chateau Loupiac Gaudiet, Loupiac, 2003
Posted by Jason on September 15, 2007 9:16:00 PM PDT
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Willakenzie, 'Aliette', Pinot Noir, 2003
Smell: Vanilla and nutmeg. A chemical, medicinal, alcohol smell--almost like an alcohol burn from witch hazel.
Taste: Vanilla, a little bit of black cherry. Very subtle--the flavors were difficult to discern. The wine changed over the course of the meal. It really opened up and the tannins mellowed out. It was great with chocolate cake!
Finish: Very smooth, but not the velvet hammer that we were expecting (which was disappointing, but nonetheless the bottle was very enjoyable).
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Guest Critics: Amber and Albee
Amber Kara: Amber, a former whale biologist, is the Director of Programs/Program Facilitator at the EnCompass Institute, an educational nonprofit serving families from diverse backgrounds. Amber is co-author of Win-Win Games for All Ages, a book of cooperative games and activities for groups of all ages. Amber holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from The Evergreen State College.
Albee Kara: Albee has worked at the EnCompass Institute for 12 years as a program co-designer and facilitator, leading groups of families, children, and professionals through experiential learning programming. Albee holds a B.A. in Music from University of California Santa Cruz and is also a co-author of Win-Win Games for All Ages, a book of cooperative games and activities.
Dinner: This dinner was served in Amber and Albee's cozy home. Surrounded by Amber's gorgeous, colorful quilts, folk artwork and warm light, we had a magnificent time revelling in friendship and laughter.
- garden salad
- cauliflower gratin
- spinach and tomato seafood fettuccine
- olives and cheese
- chocolate, butterscotch and mint ice creams
Wine:
- St. Innocent, Freedom Hill, Pinot Blanc, 2005
- J. Christopher, Dundee Hills Cuvee, Pinot Noir, 2005
- Chateau Loupiac Gaudiet, Loupiac, 2003
Posted by Jason on September 14, 2007 9:14:00 PM PDT
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Chateau Loupiac Gaudiet, Loupiac, 2003
Smell: Not super fragrant--like the inside of a grape.
Taste: Intense flavors of apricot, pear and honey. Very sweet, but not sickly sweet. It has this golden raisin and hot mediterranean sun feel to it. A North African, Moroccan taste--like lamb smothered in apricots. Delicious! A wonderful dessert wine (essentially, though not technically, a Sauternes)
Finish: Apricot and honey, but not syrupy.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
J. Christopher, Dundee Hills Cuvee, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Oak. A fall breeze smell, like decomposing leaves.
Taste: Raisin, oakey, fruity. Not quite balanced, a bit heavy on the tannins. This would be a great winter wine.
Finish: Metallic--almost rusty.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
St. Innocent, Freedom Hill, Pinot Blanc, 2005
Smell: Band-aid, gauze, spicy.
Taste: Bubbly--dances on your tongue. Pineapple, pink grapefruit, lime, hint of caramel. Reminds us of a pinot. Looks very pretty. For people allergic to tannins, you'll have no problem drinking this wine. Absolutely delicious!
Finish: Grapefruit, alcohol, a bit sour.
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
O'Reilly's, Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Soy sauce, alcohol, rose, geranium, blackberry.
Taste: Blackberry, hint of chocolate, nutty, walnut. A bit sweet.
Finish: Walnut, sweet blackberry, hint of chocolate. 2% milk consistency/weight.
Cost:
Rating:
5.0
Panther Creek, 'Bednarik Vineyard', Pinot Noir, 2001
Smell: Sharp, even after being open for hours. Melon, slight citrus. Very subtle floral notes.
Taste: Wood, a little spice. Currant, boysenberry. Flavors are subdued -- Burgundian style.
Finish: Boysenberry, acidic. Essense of toast (slight burnt). 1% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
Guest Critics: Patrick & Signe and Caleb & Cheryl
Patrick: Patrick is a Contract Manager in Education & Training. His hobbies include gardening, martial arts and ultimate fighting. Patrick participated in the infamous Gulf War protest of '91 in which students took over the House floor in the state capital of Olympia, WA, making national news. Oh yeah, he's also an anarchist.
Signe: A native of Dennmark, Signe has lived on and off in the United States for 10 years. Signe is an HR manager and mother to a kitten. She enjoys gardening, fixing up her new house, reading and kayaking (although it's been a while).
Caleb: Caleb works for Metro. An environmentalist, Caleb cuts his grass with a push mower. He loves everything French, kitsch and chocolate. Caleb is very easy to shop for.
Cheryl: Cheryl is a professional photographer who works for Stewart Harvey Photography. She's a Yooper (originally from the upper peninsula of Michigan) and very proud of it! When Cheryl isn't photographing events for her friends, she enjoys reading, gardening and fine dining.
Dinner:
- pear slices with gorgonzola cheese
- garden salad
- Patrick and Signe's caprese salad with tomatoes from their garden
- sunburst squash and mushroom soup
- pan-fried shrimp and corncakes with mango tequila sauce
- cheese
- strawberry and blueberry shortcake with whipped cream
- extra dark chocolate
Favorite quotes heard around the dinner table:
- "Pepper??? No, I think it's ass--between earthy and sulfur." --Patrick, commenting on one of our lame bottles of wine
- "I challenge you! You have never smelled bat ass!!!" --Caleb, throwing down the gauntlet at our group of diners with irreverent wine descriptions
- "We really need to cross our O's and dot our A's, guys." --Patrick, talking to his Danish wife about dotting i's and crossing t's
Wines:
- Pierre Ponnelle, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Pinot Noir, 2005
- Domaine Huber-Verdereau, Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 2005
- Beaulieu Vineyard, Merlot, 2004
- Carter Vineyard, 'Hillblock', Pinot Noir, 2005
- Ognissole, Primitivo di Manduria, 2004
Posted by Denise on September 2, 2007 9:30:00 PM PDT
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Ognissole, Primitivo di Manduria, 2004
Smell: Sulfur, raisin, peat, fertilizer, bat guano.
Taste: Peat, raisin ass, bat ass, dried fruit. Like deep-fried Mars bars--sweet. Very earthy. Our description of this wine sounds terrible, but it was a very good bottle.
Finish: Very smooth, raisin.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Carter Vineyard, 'Hillblock', Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Apple cider, vanilla--oakey.
Taste: Lemon, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, black currant. A big bowl of ass. Very cloudy wine--not filtered, needs to settle. Would be much better in five years, but we were impatient. Very disappointing.
Finish: Smooth. Medium-bodied.
Cost:
Rating:
5.0
Beaulieu Vineyard, Merlot, 2004
Smell: Pepperoni, peppered salami, starfruit, butterscotch, vanilla.
Taste: Sweet, mellow, Chinese watermelon, a bit of butterscotch, band-aid (in a good way). This is better than the first two we drank, but not great.
Finish: Smooth, vanilla.
Cost:
Rating:
4.5
Domaine Huber-Verdereau, Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Anise, fig, alcohol.
Taste: Anise, blackberry, earthy, yogurt. Yucky wine.
Finish: Apple, strawberry.
Cost:
Rating:
3.0
Pierre Ponnelle, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smell: Apple, vinegar, band-aid, mold.
Taste: Honey, little bit of blueberry. Thin on flavor. Raspy.
Finish: Dry--raspy at the end. The blue cheese cut the bitterness of this wine, but it's still awful.
Cost:
Rating:
2.0
