Next Wine

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, I haven't had wine in a while. I'm studying for my comprehensive exams, Angela is out of town, and I'm broke. All three of these factors have combined to create a perfect storm of winelessness. But I am posting here in a desire to get feedback on which wine I should make next. I am leaning towards a Malbec or a Petite Syrah, however, Zinfandel is not out of the question. Any suggestions?

2009 Italo Cescon Chardonnay

Apparently I can't find a good picture of the bottle, so I'll describe it. It is a tall dark bottle with an old style looking label, and a yellow string holding a piece of grape vine in it (apparently this is called a "tralcetto"). This is an Italian whine, and obviously a white wine (being a chardonnay), and a very delicious one at that.

Angela and I went down to Wine Squared last night, as she had a rough day and I had spent 3:30 hours studying. We decided it was a white wine day, as it was warm out and we wanted to sit outside. The owner/sommelier Brook Ray suggested we try the Italo Cescon Chardonnay, and we are very thankful for this.

Angela said she tasted lemon in the wine. I don't have a palate as good as her's, but it was certainly a wine with fruity flavors. There was no oak flavors, which in my opinion is good (I hate white wine with heavy oak flavors. White wine is supposed to be light, a lot of oak overpowers everything. If I want to taste oak, I'll eat a tree). This was a refreshing wine that we both enjoyed thoroughly. I think it would've been good with any light food such as grilled vegetables, salad, maybe even cheese. In sum, this was a fantastic white wine and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good chardonnay.

This wine receives 4 grapes out of 5.

2007 Martin Codax Ergo Tempranillo

This wine is red wine from the Rioja region of Spain. I must confess this is not the first time Angela and I have had this particular wine, and it is quite good. We purchased this bottle for $9.99 at the local Kroger here in Denton. Angela originally wanted white wine with dinner, but when she saw that they had this wine she insisted that we get it. We originally bought it because it has a lute on the label and lutes are awesome.

Yesterday was an interesting day. It was my day off from studying so we went out to Lake Ray Roberts for a few hours and floated around (it was 93 degrees but overcast, I used SPF 50 and still got pink, gotta love Texas). We then went directly from the lake to pick up a few things for dinner. I left my ID in the car because Angela was buying. The little 18 year old power hungry, snot nosed Kroger attendant insisted that I also get my ID, so I had to leave the store, walk to the far end of the parking lot (everyone who's ever been to that Kroger knows that you want to avoid the parking lot at all costs), get my ID, bring it in and show it to this kid, because I look like I'm under 21 (I also might add we were buying jalapenos, Advil and a few other necessities. Yeah all those kids looking to get drunk on a Friday night are buying wine and jalapenos, come on).

Well, we got home and Angela began cooking dinner. We had sweet potatos, asparagus in balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper shrimp with jalapenos and shallots. It was delicious and not too spicy and the wine complimented it greatly. This tempranillo was not a thick or full-bodied wine like a malbec or syrah (pettite or otherwise). It was light and full of flavor. It was not overwhelmingly sweet or oakey, I would call it balanced. It was a little juicy. It didn't overwhelm the food (not that anything could have, dinner was delicious and full of flavor). But if I were eating a light meal that wasn't overly flavorful, this wine would be at the top of my list. All in all, I would highly recommend this wine to anyone who wants a good medium-bodied red.

This wine receives 3.85 grapes out of 5.

Expert Wine Expert's Review

This post is again for my own vanity. I took the Tell Tale Stubborn Red down to Wine Squared (on the square in Denton, TX) to be tasted by the owner/sommelier, Brook. I had told her I wasn't able to get all of the carbonation out of the wine, and her response was "that's okay, most beaujolais has some carbonation." We popped the cork and she said, it sounds good. She and one of her employees Nick tasted the wine. Brook's first response was "that is the best beaujolais I've ever had not from France. It could even be confused with beaujolais from France." It appears that The 2009 Tell Tale Stubborn Red is a good wine. Again this post does not really concern the readers as the wine is not for sale, but rather is more for my own self-esteem. Excuse me while I toot my own horn.

2008 Tres Picos Boraso Garnacha

Angela and I decided that we hadn't been to Wine Squared (the wine bar on the square in Denton, TX) recently, and we didn't want to go home, so we stopped in for a drink. First of all, if you live in Denton and haven't been to this place, you need to go. It's a cool, laid back place with really good wine and really good staff that know what they're doing.

We walked in and got a bottle of 2008 Tres Pico Borsao Garnacha from Campo de Borja (Garnacha is spanish for Grenache). I hadn't had a Grenache until a few months ago, and this is one of the most delicious varietals out there; I highly recommend it. It smelled smokey and delicious. I took my first gulp and immeadiately knew this wine was fantastic. It was one of the smoothest wines I've ever had. I couldn't identify any specific flavors in it, but it was a thick wine if that makes sense. It is the type of wine that you feel like you had a meal after drinking. It was delicious without any food, but Angela and I both agreed it would've been better with food. In fact, I thought it would have been fantastic with ribs, brisket or another type of bbq (it appears there is a running theme in these posts about bbq; just as a note, I like wine, but I LOVE ribs). I would recommend this wine as perfect for a relaxing night, or if I were having people over I would not hesitate to serve this wine. All in all, it was just a very good wine.

This wine receive 4.25 grapes out of 5.

There you go Paul, a red that got a good review.

2007 Platform 9 Merlot

As per the request of one Paul Hensel I decided to drink a red last night. Angela and I went over to Kroger, we had to buy some necessities anyway, I don't want Paul to think we did this all because he wanted a red review. I said, let's try a merlot and after a trying decision process finally picked up this 2007 Platform 9 Merlot from California. The wine cost $9.99, but was on sale; it normally retailed for $17.

Angela was not very excited about it, saying that merlot is never great. I opened the bottle and noticed that the cork was synthetic and blue. This was snazzy, but it certainly doesn't mean the wine is going to be good, just look good. I poured two glasses of it, one for me, and one for Angela. Upon first tasting this wine Angela's words of wisdom were confirmed.

This wine was certainly not great. It wasn't even good, however, it wasn't bad. It was wholly unremarkable. My first taste was without food. I didn't taste oak, I didn't taste sweet, I didn't taste sour, I didn't taste much of anything. I then had some with dinner which was chipotle bean burgers, corn on the cob and taboulli salad. The burgers were a little spicy, and the wine did not handle that well at all. It tasted acrid with spicy food. With the corn on the cob and the taboulli salad it again had little flavor.

This wine I think would be good for someone who doesn't really like wine. It isn't offensive in anyway, but it doesn't really wow you. For the price, it is a terrible buy. I was disappointed at $10 for the bottle, I can't imagine paying $17 for a bottle of it. I would not suggest anybody purchase this wine, unless they are looking for something that is really mild.

This wine receive 2 grapes out of 5.