Vino Keeno, The Grapevine for the Recreational Wino

2004 Pepperwood Grove Merlot
$8.99

WebWino says:
Straight from the bottle, this wine was HARSH! I had a strong bite and was quite unpleasant. After decanting, the flavor did improve and softened quite a bit. Thing is, it still tasted like an inexpensive Merlot. Even with the flavor fully opened up, the consensus was… just not that great.

I shared this wine with a college buddy of mine who runs catered events. She had served this wine at a dinner (admittedly because of the low price point) and was told by an oenophile in attendance that she should consult with him before picking wines for the events, especially because of his stance that there are no good Merlots. While I disagree with the no good Merlot statement, we both agreed with him about the Pepperwood Grove. Blech.

Pepperwood Grove Merlot is 94% Merlot, 6% Syrah and has a zippy label design which you know is how it ended up in my wine rack in the first place.

Jest Red California Red Table Wine
$11.00

Wine label said:
Giddy pleasure, leaping grace… This red wine, blended from seven noble grape varietals, was crushed by the bare feet of 69 beautiful women in the wee light of dawn one misty October day. The nose is deeply perfumed with wild dewberries, Himalayan breeding musk and whorehound candy, while the flavors, so titillating that they may only be disclosed in the Ecstatic Singing Mantra, will remain cloaked in silence until the bottle is uncorked. Sip delicately, sing with abandon.

Rabbi Tuchman says:
Nice fruity wine but with a big base. This is a tart berried wine but don’t assume that it is light in flavor. It has a big finish for so much berry. We would describe it as a Zinfandel without pepper. For $11 at Trader Joe’s, it’s a nice bottle of wine. We enjoyed this wine on its own after a meal of steak and corn on the cob.

WebWino says:
If you enjoy the lighter side of winemaking, I suggest spending some time at the Jest Red website. It’s quite refreshing!

Goats do Roam 2003 Red
3 Blind Moose 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
$11.99 – Goats do Roam
$7.99 – 3 Blind Moose

Wine labels said:
Amusing little anecdotes about their respective antlered animals, goats and moose. Meece? Mooses? Moose. Awww… moose wearing shades. Awww… punny play on Cotes du Rhone. Hooray, moving right along.

WebWino says:
I’m totally slacking on these two reviews. Can you tell? These two wines were consumed and no notes were taken. Although quite different, they left me with the same impression. Both wines are decent, inexpensive filler. They don’t suck… they just shouldn’t be the first bottle you open. Save them for your second (or third) bottle so they’ll benefit from your pre-soaked palate.

Duval-Leroy Brut
$32

Vineyard66 says:
This is a very nice small-bubbled champagne. On the 2005 Wine Spectator Wines of the Year list, this was 59 out 100. It is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, and is smooth, toasty and a joy to drink. Even if you don’t give much credence to wine ratings, this is a delightful bubbly and well worth the price.

WebWino says:
Thanks to their 40th wedding anniversary, Vineyard66 had reason to celebrate! We appreciate them taking time from the festivities to submit this review as a part of Wine Blogging Wednesday #25, CHAMPAGNE, Hic!.

2002 Saint-Hilaire Blanc de Blanc Sparkling White
$17

Wine Doc defends:
Alright, I know the rules said no sparkling white. But read what the label said, and you’ll see the reason for this review.

Wine label said:
Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux, France’s oldest sparkling wine. Created by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire over 450 years ago. More than 100 years before the first Champagne was created.

Wine Doc justifies:
See? It was sparkling wine before Champagne was Champagne. Pretty cool, huh? Go here to read more about bubbly brewing history of this particular region of France.

Wine Doc reviews:
This is a sparkling wine made of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac grapes. It is dry and crisp and really enjoyable. This will mix well with any food. Frankly, it is quite a winner for the price. I like what a commenter said about this wine on another site… This wine beats the taste of true Champagnes that have half its history and four times its price!

Thanks to Wine Doc for submitting this review history lesson for Wine Blogging Wednesday #25, CHAMPAGNE, Hic!.

Hugh MacLeod has a brilliant blog at gapingvoid.com. It is primarily made up of cartoons he has drawn on the back of business cards. They are fantastic.

The reason why I bring them up on this wine blog, however, is because he is a marketing and blogging consultant for Stormhoek, a small South African vineyard, whose “hacker” approach to wine making is currently getting a lot of attention in the wine trade. He has a page of his cartoons designed to be Stormhoek wine labels and you have got to check them out. I’m sold… as soon as I see this in a shop, I’m buying it.

My favorite: “By the second bottle we had solved ALL the world’s problems. We rock.”

2004 The Hess Collection Chardonnay
$19.99

Wine label said:
Hess Collection chardonnay is aged for 11 months in French oak. Nine hand chosen clones from the marine climate of Napa Valley make the complexity of this wine.

Wine Doc says:
I recieved an email from a wine seller recommending this wine and touting its “93″ points in Wine Spectator. No, I did not buy from him but found a local seller. This is a great Chardonnay to try. It has a smooth toasty vanilla flavor and is a great price.

P.S. The rating is not released yet, so get it before the price goes up!

WebWino says:
Was that a typo from the wine label? I had no idea that one could use clones to make wine. Cloned what? Sheep? Clone-troopers? Angry Grape mascots?

Click here to buy The Hess Collection and other wines online.