Chateau De Nages

Roses abound. This post is actually from 5/3/13 but we never published it.... I can't imagine why...

Appearance: pink with very slow slight legs

Smell: grapefruit, gardenia, berries maybe raspberries and blueberries

Taste: mouthfeel is wooly and scratchy with a smoother finish, short taste, we don't taste much berry at all, there is a citrisy note, ginger, semi dry, blueberry/raspberry combo taste.

Pairings: The Swartzwelders had spaghetti with meat sauce.  Brit had overbaked cod.  The Hogans had pasta primavera.  Stay away from chocolate while drinking this wine.  Food definitely brings out the taste of this wine.  Cheese improves this wine without a doubt.  It doesn't really matter what kind of cheese: Gouda, Brie, cheddar, English, etc it all brings out the berry taste and makes the wine have a slightly smoother texture.

Brit Scale Ratings

Melissa: 2
Brit: 2
Robin: 2
Gerry: 1
Erin: 2
Sherry: 2

Fratelli Bellini

Tonight we tasted Vino Bianco's Fratelli Bellini from Rufina Italy.  It was a 10.99 white wine in a SHARK BOTTLE!  Yes, I Erin Swartzwelder picked this wine.  It's a shark bottle.  Do I really need to explain my choice?  The entire Smeal clan was together for this one: Sherry, Brit, Robin, Jim, and most of the children and spouses attended as well.  :) 



None of us paired the wine with anything since we didn't end up tasting until 9:15ish. 

Appearance: The wine had legs, tiny bubbles, and was a ginger ale color.

Nose: We smelled citrus, honeysuckle, and it smelled DRY.  Robin pointed out that since it is 12% alcohol it will probably taste dry as well.  (GEE thanks).

Taste: We agreed that it was a light tasting wine.  It is citrus-y and it tastes just like it smells. DRY

Rating on the 4 point Brit Scale: (we needed a refresher on the Brit Scale and if you would like to know more about our rating scale click here.)

Brit 2
Robin 2
Sherry 2
Erin 3
Melissa  2

I must say that the coolness of the shark bottle MAY have influenced my rating.....

Brit's Corner April 2014

Brit's Corner April 2014 (not to be confused with Kiner's Korner, the popular post-game show of the New York Mets which was hosted by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner through the early years of Mets TV broadcasts).  What?  No, his show was about baseball not wine.  But having dated some the biggest Hollywood names during his playing years he probably learned a thing or two about wine along the way.  Yes, that was my odd little way of paying tribute as Ralph passed on earlier this year. 

But I digress (already)... while we're on baseball news, I've recently acquired two bottles of fine cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley's Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver.  Yes, THE Tom Seaver he of multiple Cy Young Awards and one  NYMets World Championship ring turning the lovable losers into World Series Champions in 1969, The Miracle Mets.  After retirement he returned home to California to grow grapes hoping to make fine zinfandel.  He looked long and hard for bargains on Diamond Mountain until he found the parcel he needed and the rest is history, as they say. Except that the land was ripe for cabernet sauvignon, not zinfandel.  Tom groused but followed his wine maker's advice and planted cabernet.  Within a few short years he was making 94/97 rated wines only in small batches sold directly to the consumers-no outlet stores. So I got on the mailing list for the 2011 and sure enough in February I received an offer to buy two bottles, one each of GTS and NLS bottles. The price was a little steep for me but hey, this is Tom  Seaver and I'd heard great reviews so I signed up and in a couple weeks they arrived in sunny Corpus Christi Texas much to my delight!

Back on track - my new quest is to find drinkable wines, even pleasant wines, for $10. or less.  Yes, tough one there, how is this possible?  Well, I think it is thanks to the modern explosion of the wine making business.  There are just so many possibilities you never know what you will find.  Today I'm reviewing a Clos Du Bois Merlot 2011 from Geyserville, CA. The wine was dark red, full legs, aroma of dark fruits and spice.  The taste confirmed the dark, musky fruits with spice or pepper notes but a pretty well integrated and balance taste.  I think "mission accomplished" on this one, good value wine, probably score a 2+  but nice.

Let me share one more under-$10. bottle: The Immortal Zin from Peirano Estate Vineyards, 2012  Sells for $11.  The wine was purple, full bodied, fruity and spicy. The taste was full and bold and very tasty! I recommend it.  Gave it three stars on the Brit scale.

Next time a review of six wines from a Wall Street Journal holiday special offer.  Were they naughty or nice?  Find out next time.....

Brit Smeal