Joana and I occasionally get invited to and make it out for free wine tastings in the area. You won’t find wine featured very often on this site, not because I don’t love and appreciate good wines, but because I’m just having too much damned fun seeking and mucking about with new cocktail ingredients to devote as much time to wine as I used to. In full disclosure I’ll freely admit that it’s rare that I find a white wine that meets my tastes. Usually I find them insipid and tiring and quickly find myself thinking of how nice it would be to have a nice full-bodied, tannin-rich, and on the dry to dry-as-the-mojave side. I’ve heard rumor that there exists a world of oaky full-bodied Chardonnays that will take reds to task any day of the week, but I’ve yet to find one that proves it. Not that I look that hard anymore, a boy can only get his heart broken so many times. So, now that we have an understanding, let’s look at the four wines we were offered and my, very, biased impressions.

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Ken Forrester, Chenin Blanc – South Africa, 2006:

I didn’t expect much from a chenin blanc and was very pleasantly surprised. This came very bright at the front; heavy on the citrus and some tropical notes. However, it handles all of these flavors within a medium body that’s pleasing and clean at the same time. It would pair very well with something light but strongly flavored such as a caesar chicken or shrimp salad. Its finish is fairly long and the flavors don’t collapse into a muddle at the end as I find so many below-$15 whites do. A very good bargain at its $10 price point and I can recommend this if you enjoy white wines or are a red wine fan looking for something lighter and crisp without it being a weak disappointment.

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Rolling, Sauvignon Bland-Semillon – New South Wales, 2005

I really kind of despise this wine. It’s everything I hate about white wine, weak, tacky, and lacking character – like that friend your brother-in-law brought to your New Year’s party because he didn’t have anywhere else to go and he immediately started messing with your iPod playlist you spent 2 weeks preparing just for this party and generally killing the good buzz everyone was experiencing until they arrived (Did I personalize that too much, perhaps? – my brother-in-law is still apologizing for it 3 years later). Well, that’s how this felt. This wine, basically 50/50 sauvignon blanc and semillon, hits the palate with a weak hint of acidity and fruit and then goes nowhere except downhill into a brackish mire. The finish is unmercifully long and you finish your glass much more quickly than you should if only to keep that brackish finish out of your mouth. I couldn’t stop drinking this one fast enough.

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M.Chapoutier, Cotes-du-Rhone Belleruche – France, 2005

This Cotes-du-Rhone was fairly unremarkable. I say that because I really don’t remember it very well. I do remember thinking that it reminded me of a Pinot Noir in terms of body, but its flavor profile was more in the cherry and light berry range. This wine is a 50/50 grenache/syrah blend and I assume my impression was that the flavor profile was more grenache, light and fruit-laden, and the body and tannic structure more syrah. It’s not a wine I would look to buy but it would pair well with a heavier lamb or pork dish. I would turn to a heavier red if I was working with a red meat dish.

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Hall, Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley, 2004

This is going in my regular rotation; it’s a wonderful wine. It’s on the high-end pricewise for me ($30+) but it’s just that good. There were strong blackberry notes and a back end of toffee flavor that Joana caught, and loved, immediately. The tannins are velvety smooth and the body is full without being cloying. It has a very clean and long finish with a oaky and vanilla tones. Seriously, if you can find it and get the chance, try this. This would match perfectly well with grilled meats. I think I managed to get at least two more pours in and finish off the wife’s as they began serving the tawny port because, wow, just fantastic.

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