in pursuit of the juiciest wine: day thirty-eight

I’ve been away for nine days. My mouse feels very odd and my chair unfamiliar. But anything feels better after 11 hours on the road from Dixfield, ME, (“The only one”) to Brockport, NY. Next year I will plan better because there was quite the side-walk festivities in Woodstock, VT, a wonderful town that everyone should visit, and arts-and-crafts festivities a half-hour away in Rutland, VT. My girlfriend and I wanted to go to both, but, alas, we wanted to get home more. So, next year we will plan an extra day of travel so we can attend one or both of those events.

So, after 11 hours of driving, and now entering my last real day of vacation, I will be drinking Ryan Vineyards Calera Pinot Noir 2005 Thirtieth Anniversary Vintage. Normally a $50 bottle of wine, but I got it on sale for $25 at Mahan’s about six or 12 months ago. Yay Mahan’s!

My mouth is dry, but here it goes. Allons-y.

A beautiful full nose of cherries and RC Cola. Some plums and maybe some green apples. It smells like it has a full body – a full body of hugs. The body is bigger than I expect from a Pinot Noir, it’s almost like a Merlot body, and I love it. (My girlfriend gets cooked potatoes on the nose, and I agree, and she also gets vegetable soup, and I kind of agree, at least if it’s a red broth vegetable soup.)

Anyway, this Pinot Noir is  juicy with berries, black cherries, and plums. I can just swirl my tongue around in this happiness.

There’s also a bit of tartness lingering around on the front and middle of the tongue, and this tartness is enjoyable.

Then there’s the spicy finish that vanishes quickly. Oh, so lovely. So delicious. I need to quote William Carlos Williams:

This Is Just To Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

That’s how I feel about this wine.

And now, after six hours of sleep, 11 hours of driving, a half-hour of typing this, and a glass of wine, I feel buzzed or very tired or both. But I’m gonna have another glass [*big smiles*].//

in pursuit of the juiciest wine: day thirty-five

I’m going to try a Bulgarian wine tonight. Tcherga 2006. It’s 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Mavrud. Mavrud is unique to the Thrace region in Bulgaria (so says Wikipedia), and this wine is from the Thracian Valley Region in Bulgaria. Tcherga, by the way, is pronounced ch er ga (so says the back label). The back label also says, “Tcherga . . . waiting to be discovered.” Well, that’s what I’m going to do now.

The color seems ordinary to me. I can see through it. It’s like a dark Pinot Noir but not as pretty.

I like the nose quite a bit. It has white pepper and dark berries. I feel distracted and can’t get into its nose anymore. Hopefully, I can concentrate on the taste. But then again, this lack of sleep is getting to me.

It’s thick and earthy but not too earthy because the cherries are saving it. I think there might be some green apples in the background, too. It tastes bigger than it looks or smells. (My girlfirend picks up chocolate covered cherries, and once again, she is correct!)

It has a slightly spicy finish on the front of the tongue.

This will probably go well with steak and red sauce pasta or pizza and, dare I say it, chicken wings and blue cheese. Oh chicken wings. I haven’t had your love in about two years.

Anyway, this wine is $7 at Mahan’s in Brockport. It’s worth the price.

I imagine wine critics would give it 86 or 87 points.//

in pursuit of the juiciest wine: day thirty-three

Today was a good day, though expensive with car repairs. To celebrate I will drink a $40 bottle of wine. If you are going to spend a lot of money in one day, you might as well spend a Lot of money and enjoy it. (Pssst. Don’t tell anyone. It was on sale for $30. Virtual high-five. Whap! Thanks Mahan’s. You rule.)

What is the expensive wine? Hall Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 from Napa Valley. This Hall is Craig and Kathryn Hall and not Robert Hall.

It’s got a whole bunch of things going on in the nose. Dark berries, caramel, vanilla, melon, leather. My girlfriend gets a bloody steak or steak tartar.

It’s juicy and dry at the same time. Yes, juicy up front and dry after the finish. The flavors harmonize well in the mouth, which to me means it is hard to discern what is going on. However, it is delicious.

I think there is some coffee in there. Like a Guatemalan coffee. Guatemalan Huehuetenango? Maybe.

I also get plums. I love plums especially in wine.

Slightly peppery finish, too.

It is dry on the gums after the swallow. Some cheese is necessary, but, man, this is an awesome wine. I love it!

Okay, that was true for half an hour. About 45 minutes later, it’s a clean finish. It’s beautiful.

I did a little research. Wine Spectator gave this wine 94 points.

Whatever. It’s damn delicious wine, and it gets better the longer it is open. I’m falling in love, but it will only be a one-night stand. (Pssst. Don’t tell my girlfriend.)//

in pursuit of the juiciest wine: day one

Tres Picos Borsao Garnacha 2004. One of the juiciest

I often go on my own imaginary week-long wine tours. For instance, one week I drank nothing but Washington state Merlots, because I think Washington makes the best Merlots. Another time I drank nothing but California wines. I had a hypothesis that all wines from California taste exactly as they should. For example, if you get a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, it will taste exactly as a Cab should. My test proved that hypothesis to be sometimes correct.

Over the course of this week, I will try to find the juiciest wine.

I went to Marketview Liquors today because I also wanted to try wines I have not had. My favorite place to get wines in Monroe Country, NY, is at Mahan’s Liquors in Brockport. It’s has a great wine selection and a wonderful staff. I love it there. However, I have had every bottle of wine there that’s under $20, and often twice and some of them hundreds of time, like Red Diamond Merlot – my favorite everyday wine. Mmmm.

To start my tour this time, I also got a new corkscrew. It was time. The best corkscrews are the double-hinged corkscrews, sometimes referred to as a waiter’s corkscrew. They just work great. The one I got this time was the “Rabbit Barware 2-Step Waiters’ Corkscrew.” I haven’t used it yet, but I like the feel of the handle.

My tour will begin, most likely, on Saturday. Allons-y.//