spice, wine, winter, witches brew
In Food & Wine on January 12, 2010 at 1:04 pm
The cold winter months make for some interesting wine choices. This weekend, I sampled witches brew for the first time. Fortunately, this vintage didn’t include a bat wing or hair off a frog’s wart!
I was mesmorized by the clouds that formed over the wine as it heated on the stove. Now I see where it earned its name.
There isn’t a plethora of wines of this sort, nor is it the type of wine you would drink with frequency. But I’d recommend trying a bottle if you want to spice things up this winter.
http://www.leelanaucellars.com/
2009, budget, Chardonnay, Cork & Bottle, Napa, New Year's Eve, Sonoma, value wines, wine
In Food & Wine on January 6, 2010 at 1:37 pm
OK, so maybe I spoke too soon. I decided to take a friend up on a wine recommendation. Being the spontaneous type, I popped (not pun intended) by Cork & Bottle on New Year’s Eve. I was in luck. They had one remaining bottle of Rombauer’s 2008 Chardonnay.
http://www.rombauer.com/index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showList&productcategoryid=fee9aaf0-f2b5-e75f-eaaf-8b9c74d4d936
As such, I’ll need to adjust my Wine of 2009.
This wine reminded me of the fine chardonnays my wife & I sampled when we visited Napa & Sonoma wineries. It had a full bouquet & displayed an overwhelming buttery character. My wife believes it’s the best Chardonnay she has ever had. That makes two of us.
This raises an interesting question about price points. Do more expensive wines truly taste better? I believe so in the majority (50%+) of cases. You may not be able to tell a difference between a $10 & $20 bottle of wine (except for zinfandels). But increase the price point to $30, and I believe you will see a huge difference. Especially when comparing chardonnays & merlots.
Unfortunately, most budgets (especially mine) don’t allow for enjoying this caliber of wine with frequency. Thus, I’ll remain dedicated to finding the best tasting value wines.
2009, Chardonnay, Fortisseur, kendall jackson, new year, wine, wine advocate, wine enthusiast, wine of the year
In Food & Wine on December 30, 2009 at 1:33 pm
As we close out the year (and decade, for that matter), I thought it fitting to designate a “Wine of the Year”. My wife & I sampled a number of wines throughout 2009, many of which were enjoyed prior to the creation of The Fortisseur’s Blog.
So which wine came out on top? The annual award goes to:
2006 Grand Reserve Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson (price point: ~ $20)
Kendall Jackson is renowned for its award-winning Chardonnay & this one fits the bill. It also received strong reviews (90 points+) from both Wine Enthusiast & Wine Advocate magazines.
http://www.kj.com/wines/grand-reserve/chardonnay.aspx
Happy New Year, everyone!
