white christmas

cono sur, chile 2008
viognier, a white wine
13.5%

a white wine with a thick, viscous body, finally! it's got a hit of tannins buffered with a layer of peach nectar. according to the lable it goes well with shellfish and asian style food, i believe it. as it was, i was tossing the wine around with bites of liver pate and foil-wrapped triangle cheeses, not a great match. the pate fought with the heavy meloniness, and the cheese brought out the acidity like a 35 year old man in a cheap pizza shop. this wine is lovely as a snack on it's own, and sipping it looks classy to a set of teetotalling parents. a bottle of friday night in your purse!

$9.99
three and a half stars

Soleus

Morande Reserva

Well, the one I drank had a different label and wasn't a 'pianero rosa' or something.  It had a nice ink blotch/squiggle that sort of looked like a tree and it was a cab sav.  I have had my eye on it for a while but I'm slightly nervous about chileans because they're not argentinians (although the Palo Alto at b33phd1p & wango's the other night has me thawing a bit).  

It's dry and spanking new like a tennis ball, but doesn't smell like one thankfully.  It is well balanced with a reserva tannin, but a little fine for me, I tend to like a body that begs to be wrestled.  I would like to see what it could do to a hot dog with mustard and relish. 

Rating: pending.

-J. Floorburn

it's done now

yellow tail from australlia, 2008
60% shiraz and 40%cabernet
13.5%

tasty like a piece of dark chocolate covered marzipan. not much attack. more reminiscent of an easter bunnies candy eye. i crave a stronger tannin and leather flavour from my wine, but if you'd like a wine that's sweet and easy then try this guy out. happened to go nicely with a tomato and mystery meat sauce.

L'Orangerie !!

what does that say ?! oh yes !

behold....

Chateau de Pennautier 

L' ORANGERIE DE PENNAUTIER 

Vin de Pays Cite de Carcassonne - 2006

purchased and recommended from Liberty Wines on Robsonstrausse when inquiring about heavy french wines.  when i saw the name i had to stop everything, talking and all, and just buy this and get out of there.  it felt too good to be true.

it turns out, above the ultimate curb appeal in the name alone, this wine was so excellent.  unfortunately it's a rarity there now.  if you can find it buy it.  here's the technical stats :

style: Soft & Supple Reds

grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Grenache

description: full-bodied, fruity, and full of the taste of rural France, but with an elegant finish ! Vivid ruby-red colour showing a nose dominated by red fruits (raspberry, redcurrant) with hints of blackcurrant leaves and cherry-stone, (cherry-stone ?) oh well.

country: France

region: Languedoc-Roussillon

producer: Chateau de Pennautier (Vignobles Lorgeril)

it was like, 25 bucks.

The Old Farm

I have been sampling la vielle ferme for a couple of years now. I heard that this wine comes from a family of organics but it doesn't say so on the label. No matter, it is a very agreeable, affordable, french red. Don't overthink it, you know? It's got shickens on the label. Goodnight, pictured here with homemade palak paneer by wendeep.

-Floorburn

Mystery Meat Bolognaise

Monsieur Orange and Mr. M. Jackson trade secrets.

A modest little dinner party just sort of happened last weekend involving these two, sarge, wendeep, myself, brie, a bocconcini basil salad, a block of meat we figure was lamb, gluten free spaghetti, and four bottles of wine, surprise, surprise.

M. Jackson brought the french: Domaine la Combe, vin de pays d'Herault, '06, 13%. He reported it to be "peppery".

Monsieur Orange offered up his current fancy: chianti. He says, "No body, easy... you drink it and you don't feel drunk, then you are... perfect!" "My new girl." This one happened to be Melini Chianti, 12.5%, '07.

I purchased Benjamin Nieto Senetiner Red Wine, Argentinian malbec, '08, and that seems to be all I have written in my notebook on the subject, I'm sure it was fine.

Mattress was in town this weekend and indulged us with two lovely performances and he brought a bottle up from the states which I traded him for a sample of Doi Chaang coffee. It turned out to be Yellow Tail shiraz-cab. Sheesh. When I was a kid I used to like cream soda, now I like wine. I honestly wonder if it is real. Surely they add an artifical vanilla flavouring. It was so gross, sip after sip just as bad as before, it tasted like melted candy-apple shells.

Good night.

-J. Floorburn

South Africa

I have the internet. Now i have little time to devote to the little things like story, feelings. Regretably, standards have fallen in the realm of adult entertainment. "How's the smut business, Jacky?"-- That's what a guy in my dream asked me the other night.

Okay, I been trying the South African wine. Excelsior 2006 Cab Sav $15.99, 14.5%.

Purple shit. Dark cinnamon spicy-like. Smells and attacks like an Argentinian malbec but finishes like the French. There is some sort of abject flatness not unpleasant like cooked kidney beans.

Alright, I been tryin' another. Excelsior purebred red, 14.5%, $15.99.

Here's a blend. Uglier than his brother, but does the job as well. Drinkable without snacular-type nibbliar-like food items.

Ratings: Cuban cigars of wine.

-J. Floorburn