WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘4-Star’

If someone were to ask you, “What’s the best red wine under $20 that you’ve tasted so far this year?” – could you easily come up with a hands-down favorite without giving a second thought?  In my quest to uncover one of (my) life’s little mysteries, I asked myself this very same question…

While looking in the rearview mirror, I sure have tasted a hell of a lot of wine in the under $20 category during 2011 – most of which have been fairly good.  But if I had to pick only one extraordinary bottle of wine that without question has left a lasting impression on me and my taste buds since the very first sip, that wine would have to be the 2009 Domaine Saint-Amant Grangeneuve.

The 2009 Domaine Saint-Amant Grangeneuve (>$20 US) is a beautifully crafted blend of 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Viognier.  It’s suitable for everyday drinking, yet has the moxie to grace a white linen-covered table at the finest restaurants. 

The winemaker says, “the Grenache will release in your mouth silky, velvety plum and cocoa flavors.”  There’s really nothing to add to this description except the fact that this red wine from France’s Beaumes-de-Venise AOC (wine region) just flat out kicks serious ass at this price point!

A big THANK YOU to John Ryan at Ryan’s Wines & Spirits for sharing this magnificent discovery with me!

4 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 Domaine Saint-Amant Grangeneuve (>$20 US).  This wine is a winner:  scoop it up by the pallet until it runs out!

Summer Dream:  relaxing on the beach under an umbrella, while listening to the pounding waves with a cold drink in my hand.

Produced and bottled by Vavasour Wines, in Marlborough, New Zealand, the 2010 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from two different locations within the renowned Marlborough region.  This 100% Sauvignon Blanc (61% Awatere Valley, 39% Wairau Valley) explodes with a blend of tropical fruits and a mouthwatering racy acidity.  In your glass you’ll taste a massive avalanche of grapefruit, lemon, lime, and pineapple flavors.  It’s even better than that fruity, frozen concoction that you might otherwise be sipping on under your umbrella!

4 Stars out 4 for the 2010 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc. If you’re looking for summer in a glass, look no further!

(Sample, MSRP: $10.99)

There’s an old urban saying – Keep it 100!

Keep it 100 means to stay real and true to yourself, and to be honest…no matter what anyone else thinks.  I’m going to Keep it 100 when I tell you that it’s been one mighty tough year for red wines in the under $20 category.  If I’m keeping it real, true and 100% honest – many that I’ve tried so far in 2011 just haven’t been worth the time it took to pull the cork; let alone worth jotting down painstaking notes to tell the whole wine drinking world, “Hey people, this wine is the shiz…you really have to try this!”

The sad truth is that so many offerings, although drinkable, have just been rather boring and character free for me; and even fewer have been DELICIOUS like the 2008 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Estate Bottled Petite Sirah or even the 2009 Château La Clotte-Fontane ‘Mathierou’.

After powering through cases of mediocre red wine over the past few months, my friend Steve at Teller Wines in Lewes, DE came to my rescue.  On a recent visit, I asked Steve if he had anything that would rock my world for less than 20 bucks.  He proceeded to take me over to a spot where a totally inconspicuous bottle of red wine from Sicily was lying. Steve repeatedly told me, “You’ve got to try this wine.   It’s not a knock you over the head blockbuster, but it has a lot of finesse and outstanding fruit inside that bottle – it’s 100% pure goodness.”  He also mentioned that this 100% Nero d’Avola, made from organically-grown grapes, has been high on the list of his customers who are prone to red wine headaches:  they’ve had no problems drinking it and had no bad effects the next morning. 

I gave the 2009 Lamura Rosso di Sicilia IGT ($11 US) a shot this past Fancy Dinner Friday.  Rather than our usual Friday night fare of spaghetti and meatballs, I decided to go a bit more stripped down:  making a simple creation of sautéed minced garlic in olive oil, mixed with chopped up prosciutto and a can of crushed tomatoes on a bed of thin spaghetti, topped with fresh Basil from my herb garden.

Two words that best describe this wine and food pairing:  Bellissimo and Yummy!!

The 2009 Lamura Rosso di Sicilia IGT was packed with 100% fresh crushed, organically grown Nero d’Avola.   Bursting with pure, unadulterated, big red-berry fruit flavors and a soft flinty herbaceous component on the finish, this very approachable red has tons of juicy character!  It was awesome all by itself and delicious with a clean and simple pasta dish like we had that night.

4 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 Lamura Rosso di Sicilia IGT.  You can tell when something’s real:  THIS is the real deal at this price level!

If it’s gloomy…ok.  If it’s gloomy and stormy…alright.  If it’s gloomy, stormy and unusually bitter cold for a mid-April spring day…well that’s just turrible!  I am so ready for spring weather to finally arrive!  But, where is it?!  If you’re taking in some beautiful weather right about now – I’m just plain old jealous!!  The overall Spring weather conditions in my neck of the woods have been cold and gloomy with a 99.9% chance of ice-cold stinging rain.

Befitting this year’s version of Spring, it was certainly cold, dark, windy and rainy this past Saturday.  I felt Mother Nature’s pain at opening day little league baseball, then again at opening day soccer, and once more for an early-evening kiddie birthday party.  By the time that Pump It Up kid’s party was through, I wanted nothing more than to be lying on the beach of a warm deserted island, drinking piña coladas and listening to Bob Marley.  When I finally got home, I was greeted by the delicious aromas of finely chopped onions, minced garlic, ginger, coriander and fresh cilantro floating in the air.  My wife was preparing a special meal just for the two of us:  Shrimp in Coconut Milk over basmati rice.

I decided to partner this Thai-inspired meal with the 2009 Leth Reserve Hofweingarten Roter Veltliner from Austria (Sample, MSRP: $19 US).  Leth is a family winery located in Fels, directly on the terraces of the Wagram River.  This Austrian white exudes confidence and finesse much like a fine white Burgundy.

The 2009 Leth Reserve Hofweingarten Roter Veltliner dazzled our taste buds with its flashy-sweet apple and pear flavors that brilliantly intermingled with subtle spices to produce a long, refreshing and elegant finish. 

4 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 Leth Reserve Hofweingarten Roter Veltliner.  This Roter Veltliner was spectacular all by itself, but with this special dish, my dining room was transformed into a three-star Michelin restaurant. 

Since we were enjoying this Austrian wine and food pairing so much, we decided to hit up Austria for one last visit.  We ended the evening with the 2009 IBY Horitschon Blaufränkisch Classic (Sample, MSRP: $20 US).  Blaufränkisch is a red varietal commonly associated with Austria, though it is also grown with much success throughout Eastern Europe and in parts of the Pacific Northwest in the US.

The 2009 IBY Horitschon Blaufränkisch Classic lulled us into submission with its soft, yet energetic, juicy raspberry flavor, and delighted us with its very approachable velvety-smooth tannins.  If you’re a fan of Old-World Pinot Noir and have never tried an Austrian Blaufränkisch before, this ‘Classic’ should sing a sweet tune for you!

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 IBY Horitschon Blaufränkisch Classic.  The back label suggests decanting this wine for 0-3 hours.  We drank less than half the bottle on the first night and put a piece of Saran wrap and aluminum foil over the decanter opening.  On day #2, it was even better!

To learn more about these and many other delicious Austrian wines be sure to check out http://www.austrianwineusa.com/.