In Pursuit of the Juiciest Wine: Day 113 – Jade Mountain La Provencale 1999

I’ve been saving this bottle of Jade Mountain La Provençale 1999 for quite some time and for a good occassion. Since today I finished grading all the portfolios for Introduction to Creative Writing, the last class I will teach until fall 2013, I decided to drink it. In addition, I decided to drink over teh next couple of months what few wines I have been saving and aging.

This wine is blend of Mouvedre, Syrah, and Grenache. I think this wine is trying to capture the spirit of Rhone wine.

So I dusted it off and decanted for well over an hour.

The bottle is a very light green that’s almost wholly transparent. I would expect this type of bottle for a white wine and not a red wine. But wuteffer.

Here we go.

When I poured the wine from the bottle to the decanter it was dark in color and odor. The cork had an old, deep purple stainon its bottom, as well.

When I smell the wine from the glass, I pick up mushrooms and assorted vegetables. On a deeper smell, I pick up some wood and raspberries, and deep in there is some very dark chocolate.

The body is cool, thick, and dark. I also pick up raspberries and white pepper. There’s also this juicy plum feel to it. I think I get cantaloupe, too. Or at least the shape of the chopped up cantaloupe that you’d get at a breakfast buffet table.

On the finish, there’s a slight sourness and a light, chalky residue on the tongue. There’s also the feel of Steak Montreal cooked medium-rare.

I like this, but I did hope and expect it to be much better. I’ll say 89 points.

This would be good with something that has basil in it or with spicy, garlic shrimp from a Chinese restaurant. It would probably be good with pizza or Italian food, too. Hm. How about cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese tossed in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and basil. Mmmm. That would be a good match, I bet.//

In Pursuit of the Juiciest Wine: Day 112 – Bogle Phantom 2008

For this St. Patrick’s Day, I’m demanding real rock. The shamrock just isn’t as good.

This St. Patrick’s Day I’m drinking Bogle Phantom 2008, but with a name like that, you’d think it would best be served on Halloween.

The Bogle Phantom 2008 is blend of 51% old vine Zinfandel, 47% Petite Sirah, and 2% old vine Mouvèdre.

The back of the bottle has a fun story:

In the dark recesses of the cellar you sense a presence, hear footsteps. Why is it these things only happen when you are alone? In the shadows, a glimpse of muddy boots and old blue jeans . . . the lurking legacies of hard work and determination left by those who have come before you.

We are proud to carry on this tradition of our founders with this unique red wine: a deep ruby apparition that personifies the true spirit of the Phantom.

There should be a Muwahhaahaha at the end, too.

To the Phantom.

The label says the color is “a deep ruby apparition.” I wouldn’t say “deep.” ”Ruby,” yes. It’s not very deep, and it’s like 80% opaque. I’d expect deeper and darker with a Zinfandel and Petite Syrah blend.

On the antesniff, I thought of a wine for a child. (Yes, I jut invented a word. The “antesniff” is the odor that enters your nose before you consiously sniff. It’s the “before” sniff.)

Now to the sniff sniff. It’s flowery and light with some berries. But a dark fruit and smoke dominate the odor.

It tastes much different than it looks or smells. It tastes like scary. Dark and morbid. There’s a pepper finish, too. In fact, I keep thinking of a dark cellar with a dirt floor and hanging lightbulb with a pull string.

I taste dark berries and cinnamon.

This wine definitely needs some food to bring out the flavor, like a mild sausage. In fact, now that I taste it again, I pick up a dry, mild sausage.

I can also taste the Mouvèdre on the finish.

I’m not sure what I think of this wine. It’s enjoyable. Without food, it’s an 88. With food, I imagine it’s an 89, but it might reach 90. I think provolone cheese would also be a good complement.

You can read the Bogle fact sheet by clicking Bogle Phantom 2008 Fact Sheet. Interesting note: according to the fact sheet “Bogle” means “A goblin; a specter; a phantom; a bogy, boggart, or bugbear.”//

In Pursuit of the Juiciest Wine: Day 111 – Baron Philippe De Rothschild Escudo Rojo 2008 Maipo, Chile

Today I started reading Richard Swigg’s Quick, Said the Bird: Williams, Eliot, Moore, and the Spoken Word (University of Iowa Press, 2012). The book is about the sounds in the poems of William Carlos Williams, T. S. Eliot, and Marianne Moore, and so far it’s not about spoken-word poetry. So far it’s damn terrific. I mean, “Wow, someone devoted a whole book to discussing the sounds in poems!” You’d think there’d be more since poetry is sound. It’s meanings mostly arise from its melodies, harmonies, rhythms, intonations, and breathings, yet few write about this things other than an essays. So here’s a whole book, and I happy for it.

Tonight’s wine is Baron Philippe De Rothschild Escudo Rojo 2008 Maipo, Chile, and when I uncorked it, it gave a tremendous pop, which is very fitting considering the book I’m reading. And as I poured it into the decanter, I got a very wonderful smell of juicy fruits and berries.

For now, I’m going to let it decant a bit longer while I add some more thoughts to my review of Quick, Said the Bird, which should appear here in a day or so.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

While you wait, here’s a little story about this bottle. I picked up in Hannaford Farms in Rutland, VT, about two-an-a-half months ago on our way to Dixfield, ME, to visit my girlfirend’s father and step-mother for Christmas. I’ve been saving it ever since. Well, I’ve been wanting to drink it, but I had to save it for an occassion when I could write about it since I don’t know where else to get it. Mahan’s doesn’t have it Boo.

Anyway. From the back of the bottle:

[. . .] the Rothschild name comes from the German phrase “Das Rote Schild,” a reference to the red shield which originally served as the Family sign. “Escudo Rojo” is the literal Spanish translation.

“The Red Shield” of wine. Hmm. Well, I’ve been shielding you enough from a description. So in the words of the French, allons-y le bouclier rouge.

The back of the bottle also says this wine is blend of “four traditional grape varieties,” though it doesn’t say which ones, and I can’t find any sources on the internet. Based just on the waft I got from pouring I’m going to guess one of them is a Cabernet Sauvignon, and I’m positive about that, and I’m going to guess Syrah and Merlot.

Now, that I’ve smelled it with integrity, I’m sticking with my guess. I’m also adding that I love this nose with cherries, peppers, and a hints of cantaloupe and earthiness. It smells juicy. It smells like there’s a Washington Merlot in there, which may be why I’m getting juicy green apples. Oh, and vanilla. And some cola. My gosh, I’m drooling over the possibilities.

The color is dark, royal purple that is 85% opaque.

The finish is tart as you might get from a green apple. Why do I always pick up the finish first?

It’s also a bit bitter on the finish.

The nose is way better than the taste. The nose is all hope and warm fuzzies of goodness. The taste is kind of ordinary, or maybe my expectations were set to high from the nose.

You know what. I’m changing my Merlot from above to Carmenere. That’s what is hurting this wine. To me Carmenere smells like Merlot, but it doesn’t taste like. It’s like Merlot is The Beatles and the Carmenere is the Dollar Store version of The Beatles, or The Monkees. (I thank Harvey for that Beatles-Monkees analogy.) Carmenere’s DNA is very similar to Merlot, too. Actually, the more I sip it, the more I pick up some luscious cherries and pepper. It’s getting better with each sip. The bitterness and tartness are fading. It’s juicy and dry at the same time. It’s juicy on the palate and dry on the gums. It’s lip smacking. There’s some smoke, too.

Anyway, I’m liking this more and more. I think it will go good with a spinach salad that has crumbled bacon. It should also complement smoked gouda cheese.

I’ll say 88 points, or a B+.

I don’t remember what I paid for it, but I wouldn’t pay more than $12 or $13.

Oh so I did some more research. This wine is:

• Cabernet Sauvignon 40%
• Carmenere 37%
• Syrah 18%
• Cabernet Franc 5%

Okay. I taste that Cabernet Franc, now, but it’s good. I usually despise the Cabernet Franc, but it’s hiding itself inside the Carmenere. It’s wearing Carmenere camouflage.

To read the tasting notes I found, which also includes the blending notes, click Baron Philippe De Rothschild Escudo Rojo 2008 Tasting Notes. It even has a map so you can locate Maipo Valley, Chile.

Their tasting notes say it’s “round, fruity.” I say it’s ”cubical and dark berry.”//

In Pursuit of the Juiciest Wine: Day 110 – Domaine Les Grands Bois Cuvée Philippine 2010

Today, my girlfriend and I were accepted into the PhD Creative Writing program at The University of Southern Mississippi. It’s a three-year program, which is awesome, and it has good writers there. We are happy to both be accepted into one school that is the same for both of us. It relieves a lot of pressure. We still have six other schools to hear from, but Southern Miss is a great choice.

Now for some crazy, random stuff. I currently teach once class of Introduction to Creative Writing at SUNY Brockport, where I received an MA in English a long time ago and where my girlfriend is finishing up her Masters. The team name for SUNY Brockport is the Golden Eagles. The team name for Southern Miss is the Golden Eagles, too. Wait. There’s more. The people who lived in our magnificent apartment before us, also got accepted into Southern Miss. That’s crazy. They went for a Masters in Dance, but still it is crazy.

So to celebrate, we will be drinking Domaine Les Grands Bois Cuvée Philippine 2010 from Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. A cuvée is a blend, but I’m not sure what a Cuvée Philippine is. (Literally, “cuvée” translates into “vat.”) I hope it’s good, especially since it has been decanting for three hours.

But first, what makes up this cuvée? It is 55% Grenache, 35% Syrah, and 10% Carignan, and the grapes come from vines that are 10-70 years old. I hope most of them come from the 70-year-old vines. And since it is mostly Grenache, I’ll assume it is from the southern Rhone region.

To the tasting! Allons-y.

This wine has the color of a black cherry and is 90% opaque.

The nose is smoky and earthy. I mean real earthy. I can smell the dirt from where the vines grew. There are also black cherries, strawberries, and lavender.

Oh my goodness. What a texture. So soft. So round. So solid. There are no holes in this. The taste is steady. It’s not compartmentalized.

I pick up darkness on the taste. It tastes like midnight in the Garden of Eden the night before the fall. This is the wine they would to need to drink after they were expelled. It even has a little bitterness to the finish. The finish is also dark and with a little pepper.

"Expulsion from the Garden of Eden". Thomas Cole. 1828.

In less metaphorical terms, it has dark berries, especially tart black berries.

This wine is $13 at Mahan’s in Brockport. It’s well worth the price. I imagine this would go good with some woody mushrooms, like Shitake mushrooms. It will also go good with hamburgers, especially if the outside of the hamburger is slightly charred. I think it will also go well with kielbasa.

The finish really dominates this taste. It lingers and it needs food to make it end.

I can see why Robert Parker gave this 90 points. This is a typical dark wine that he would like. If you like, dark, earthy wines, you will love this, especially at $13. It is a little too dark for me, as wines Robert Parker likes often are. But I can see how he gave it 90 points. But based on what I like, I gave it 89 points, but I respect what it does.//