Pillar Box Red 2005

Shawn introduced this one about a year ago and it has caught on big, selling briskly around Birmingham.

From Henry's Drive Winery in Padathaway, Australia, it's a blend of Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot. Good. $10

Under $20 American Chardonnay not good?

I make a point of reading the Wall Street Journal wine column by John Brecher & Dorothy Gaiter that is reprinted in the "City Scene" section of the Bham News. They write very intelligently about wine - giving suggestions and noting trends. A few months ago they talked about some Zinfandel producers who are making strange wines (e.g. too much alcohol, strange flavors). This week's article deals with their tasting of nearly 70 chards under $20.

They note that vintners are now making it on the cheap and chard has become "a caricature of itself, with obvious tastes of oak, vanilla, alcohol and sugar replacing anything true". As a group they say has the single most notable smell and flavor is pineapple with syrupy sweetness ... nail polisher remover ... acid mixture". Wow. I hope the vintners are listening.

Read the article

Their top six:
Calera Wine Co. 2004 (Central Coast) / $15 / good-vg
Clos du Bois 'Reserve' 2004 (Russian River Valley, Sonoma County) / $14 / good-vg
St. Clement Vineyards 2004 (Carneros, Napa Valley) / $17 good-vg
Bonterra Vineyards 2005 (Mendocino County) / $11.50 / good
Merryvale Vineyards 'Starmont' 2005 (Napa Valley) / $18 / good
Wyatt Wine Cellars 2004 (California) / $8.50 / good

Shooting Star Aligoté 2005

Aligoté is a white grape that is widely cultivated in and around BURGUNDY. It's considered less important and distinguished than the CHARDONNAY grape, and, in most cases, wines developed from the Aligoté are not as rich or long-lived as those from Chardonnay.

From the Steele site: "Our Aligoté is barrel fermented, but we use older oak barrels rather than the 30% new oak that we typically use for Chardonnay. The wine is crisp and clean, a wine with a nice balance of fruit and acidity. Flinty, mineral elements mix with a light floral hint on the nose, followed with the suggestion of tart/sweet apple on the palette, making it a wonderful, versatile food wine."

Mary and I tried this with Shawn's grouper en papillote. It was a good pairing, and comes across as softer and sweeter than a chardonnay. I think it would make a good hot weather sipping white too. About $10 from Overton & Vine.

Borsao Campo de Borja 2005

This is another Spanish red (75% Garnacha, 25% Tempranillo) from the same D.O. as the Campo de Borja / Vina Borgia 2005 posted earlier this month. (It is 100% Garnacha). I couldn't find more of the latter at Western and since we had it in prior years I thought I'd give it a try instead. It's a very decent red for the price but we prefer the taste of the Vina Borgia.

$7.99 at World Market

Menage a Trois 2005

Menage a Trois is a Napa Valley red table wine. I bought it at the Village Wine for aproximately $12.00. It combines Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is silky & soft with berry tones. I like it.

Campo de Borja / Vina Borgia 2005

Five bucks! Smooth balance and nice fruit. Suggests berries with a mild peppery spice. The wine is from Spain and is %100 Grenache grapes (Garnacha in Spanish). You may have enjoyed this in previous years (Mary and I enjoyed lots of the 2003) but the label has changed for 2005. Available at Western.

Compare this to the 2005 Tikalo Alba Liza (65% Tempranillo and 35% Garnacha). It was served at a party I attended in December and I enjoyed it enough to seek it out for another taste. The Alba Liza has a more earthy taste and is better with food than standing alone. $8.29 at Classic Wine Company.

La Legua 2004

Love This Wine!!! I bought it on the recommendation from Village Wine with the gift certificate I got from Vic. It was my cheap wine, $9.99. They told me it wouldn't be around for long and I can see why. Very smooth from the first sip. I was shocked to find that this was the cheapest wine I bought on that trip. For a full writeup visit this link.

Twenty Bench Cabernet 2004

This was another red served at our book club meeting last month. The grapes are from various locations in Napa and the wine is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc.

From the winery's site: "The 2004 Twenty Bench is one of our more pronounced vintages to date. Aromas of black currants, plums and chocolate accompany the wines dense, inky color, while the palate shows great structure, richness and depth that comes with the first ever addition of Cabernet Franc to the blend. This wine drinks well now and will age gracefully over the next 7-8 years."

As with the Twenty Rows it's available at Western. Around $20.

Twenty Rows 2004 The Grappler

This was one of two reds served by our friend Laura at book club this month. I don't have any specific notes but recall it as excellent. It is an unusual blend of 58% zinfandel, 30% syrah, 12% cabernet. The winery site's description:

"The Grappler is crafted from carefully selected vineyards to yield an intense, deeply colored wine with concentrated aromas and flavors. We named this wine after our sons who dedicated a lot of time and effort to the sport of wrestling hence, The Grappler. Seamless integration of flavors from start to finish. The wine starts out powerful yet smooth with ripe, spicy, cherry and tobacco flavors on the mid-palate. The finish is accented with cedar and black pepper." - About $20, available at Western and Village Wine Shoppe.

Note: label shows the Cab but the Grappler label looks the same.

Syrah Turchi 2004 Santa Barbara

Another wine from the Bottega by the glass menu. It was very flavorful and I enjoyed all three glasses. Leigh could smell chocolate. Even though it was bold I had monkfish with it and it was very good. The label presented may not be the correct one.

Cavalchina Bianco di Custoza 2005

Leigh had this at Bottega the other night. It was sold by the glass and the waiter recommended it saying it went with most of their food very well. It was very good. Not too light (Sauvignon Blanc) and not too heavy (Chardonnay) but just right. A website had this to say: Mouth-gripping experience from this tank fermented and aged blend of Trebbiano, Garganega, and Fernada. Very lively - almost frizzante; green melon, ripe lemon spice, green pears. Bright and lasting finish. Since this was not purchased by the bottle I am not sure this is the correct picture.

Parallel 45 Cabernet 2004

This is the great Cab we had in Park City, UT on the 2006 ski trip. Scotty just sent me this showing their 95 point score:

Parallel Napa Valley has been fortunate to receive a wonderful review from a well respected writer and publisher of www.winereviewonline.com , Robert Whitley.

Parallel, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($48): It is difficult for me to imagine a more attractive young Cabernet. The question, of course, is whether or not a Cab that tastes this good in its youth has the capacity to improve with age. I believe it does, thus it creeps into the scoring range I reserve for cellar-worthy wines. The beauty of this wine lies in its many dimensions, the layers, the textures, the sweetness of the fruit, the spice notes, the sweet, supple tannins and the exquisite length in the mouth. For all of its ripe, opulent fruit this second vintage of Parallel is beautifully balanced and in some sense restrained if you believe, as I do, that it is early in its evolution and hasn't yet fully blossomed. Grapes for this exceptional Napa Cab were sourced from several vineyards located on the east side of the Napa Valley, above the Silverado Trail. Only 980 cases were produced. 95 Robert Whitley

He has also has written a nice article about our winemaker, Philippe Melka and our project together. Please click through www.winereviewonline.com to read. It is titled, “Star Napa Winemaker Relishes 'Humble' Project”.

We reflect back on a successful year and would like to thank the people responsible for our success – You, the fan of Parallel. Please accept our heartfelt wishes for a festive Holiday and wonderful New Year!

The Parallel Wine Team

www.parallelwines.com

Liberty School Syrah Central Coast 2004

I had great hopes for this one from Paso Robles, CA - locale of some great reds - but the alchohol is a bit strong. At 13.5% I think it overpowers the fruit. But if you look hard enough you will find dark berry flavors and a spicy finish. I may have to try it again. $10-12.

Daniel Chotard Sancerre 2004

Sancerre is a French appelation from the Loire Valley made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. I'm not sure where Mary got this but it's good - not much oak, dry, crisp, suggestive of green fruit. We had it with our smoked turkey for Thanksgiving. My price search says you should find it for $16-$21.

Ridge California Sonoma County "Three Valleys" 2004

"Three Valleys" is the Ridge proprietary name for its only wine blended from multiple vineyard sites. To make it, Ridge selected softer, more accessible lots from single vineyards, combining them to create the character that is most immediately appealing. Younger vines on the Lytton Springs Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley provided roughly half the fruit; a third came from Geyserville, Mazzoni, and Stone Ranch Vineyards in Alexander Valley; the balance is from Pagani Ranch in the cool Sonoma Valley.

Yeah, I didn't write that but it is some good info. Rob originally posted this below as part of the Man Trip wines. I brought this on the suggestion of the wine guy at Piggly Wiggly in Homewood. I have got to get this guys name one day. I told him we needed something good to go with our steak. He strongly recommended this wine. I was very impressed with this wine. It runs in the low $20s. Notice the picture says 2002. We had the 2004.

Colterenzio Lagrein Grieser 2005

It has been a while since I have posted. The whites of summer did nothing for me and I haven't been in the mood for reds. Until now. I went to my favorite wine shop, Village Wines in English Village and purchased a very expensive bottle of wine for a friend. While there I asked for a cheap bottle of red for myself. Something to drink and not think much about. I was told that this wine was very popular and I believe it only cost $12.99. I wish I had more of a wine imagination so I could describe the scent but all I can settle on is "very good!" Trust me, it is a great bottle and you should try it.

Man Trip 2006 Wines

Website to visit

Each day, USA TODAY's Jerry Shriver recommends a a wine that costs $15 or less in his Cheers! blog at http://cheers.usatoday.com.

Sounds like a good source for us Bham Winos.

A recent suggestion:

2004 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Zinfandel, Sonoma County, about $15. For more than 30 years this Sonoma County producer has turned out some of California's most reliable zinfandels (along with some of its very best Sauvignon Blancs), and this bottling upholds that tradition. It's packed with juicy blackberry flavors and spice notes, and the alcohol comes in at a very manageable 13.5%. This isn't a trophy wine, just a well-made, classic California Zin, and I wish more wineries would stick to this style. Try it with either a hunk of sourdough bread and some hard cheese or with barbecued ribs.

Chalone Vineyard 2003 Merlot

Officially it's the Monterey County Merlot.
I'm on a mission to save Merlot. It has gone out of favor because of the rantings of some bald guy in a weird movie. So who do you want to believe, him - or your taste buds? Seriously, Merlot is good stuff and don't forget it.

This one was very good. I have had good success with both reds and whites from the Monterey region and that was one thing that caught my eye on the label. It has rich cherry flavors and aromas and some hints of oak vanilla. Try it. $18 at Western.

Orleans Hill Viognier 2005

This white uses organically grown grapes. From the website: "Most California wineries make a Viognier like they style chardonnay-- big, oaky, clumsy, and non-distinctive.

Our Viognier is more along the styling of an Italian Pinot Grigio, crisp, dry and non-oaked with a kiss of CO2 left over from primary fermentation. This keeps the alluring melon and floral aromas in the forefront and makes a wine which is great summer quaffing or with light fare."

Online tasting notes: Clear light gold. Peach nectar and vanilla aromas, ripe and full. Luscious texture and a hint of sweetness on the first taste segues to a finish that's more dry and tart, with medium body and a hint of alcohol (it's listed at 13.5%).

Our opinion - pretty good. Served with salmon poached in a rich sauce of tahini and tomatillo salsa. About $11.