http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/ Decanterberry Tales - The Vulgar Wine Blog ... wine, pinot noir, etc http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/06/1223352498954.html <img src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/t_17789.jpg" alt="" /><br /> <br /> I'll describe this as a &quot;Justin Timberlake wine&quot;; yeah, it's bubble-gum pop, but you have to admit that sometimes it sounds good (no, I don't own any Justin albums just for the record). It's just that this is a wine likely to be a hit at parties (oak is pretty popular, or vinters wouldn't use it), even if the critics might not like it ...<p><a href="http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/06/1223352498954.html">Read more...</a></p> http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/04/1223139887092.html So I had a bunch of bottles open that I'd reviewed recently -- along with a piece of pumpkin pie (thanks Elizabeth!). And I took the opportunity to taste a bunch of them side by side. This is neat because it really makes clear the differences between the wines. Up to bat are the following:<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/t_17787.jpg" /><img src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/t_17784.jpg" alt="" /><img alt="" src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/t_17782.jpg" /><img src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/t_17738.jpg" alt="" /><p><a href="http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/04/1223139887092.html">Read more...</a></p> http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/03/1223095524061.html <img src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/t_17792.jpg" alt="" /><br /> <br /> Here's yet another Cotes du Rhone. I think we may be slowing down on these as we've had a lot of southern French wine these last few weeks. This was a &quot;Wine Stewart Selection&quot; at Fred Meyer's.<p><a href="http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/03/1223095524061.html">Read more...</a></p> http://decanterberrytales.com/blog/2008/10/02/1222993965202.html <img width="188" height="250" src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/p_17787.jpg" alt="" /><img width="250" height="188" src="http://dnj.netx.net/view/0177/p_17788.jpg" alt="" /><br /> <br /> As we've been writing about, Denise and I have been on a Southern France wine kick lately. Oregon Pinots are leading us to insolvency, and these Cotes du Rhone (and wines to the east and west) are good and reasonably priced (even with the weak US dollar). However, this one is very different from the others.<br /> <br /> The nose was strawberry and blueberry, and wood and vanilla. Later, there was also sweet spice, moss, leather, and musty stuff: river rock and wet saw dust. That vanilla and wood returned in the taste. Yeah, it was slightly sweet -- a jammy cherry! And that's what was unusual about this. It was French, but it tasted more like a New World wine: most oaked up and jammy. Weird. Anyway, the finish was pepper, red cherry, currant, and that apple dryness at the very end.<br /> <br /> The body was medium, and it was very fruity for a CdR. As I said, it was just slightly sweet. While I say it tasted a bit &quot;New World&quot;, it'll be interesting if I can hold on to a bottle of this for a few years. Perhaps all the fruit and wood will mellow out. Time will tell (if I an resist drinking it early). Yeah, good stuff.<br /> <br /> <strong>Cost:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img align="absmiddle" src="/images/2dollars.png" alt="" /><br /> <br /> Rating: <img align="absmiddle" src="/images/75stars.png" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp; 7.5</strong><br /> <br /> <em>(50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 5% Mourv&egrave;dre, 5% Carignan)</em>