'G'ee! We found some 'G'ood European Reds!

Monday, December 26, 2011

‘G’ Night

 We had to postpone ‘G’ night because Karen was under the weather…Unfortunately that meant that Meghan had to miss out. Note: We had MANY guest tasters tonight hailing from New Zealand, South Africa and Florida. We had 8 different wines tonight due to the number of tasters (15 different tasters in all!). Nice!

1. Chateau les Grands Maréchaux 2009 Red Bourdeaux France $??
   Bob 5, Karen 6, Mike 6, Becky 6, Jess 5.5, Sean 3, Kara 2, Lauren 3, Stephen 3, Claire 4, Carissa 1, Miranda 5, Papi 6, Caroline 5
   Bob: “Sophia smells fresh.”
   Claire: “Tastes better than it smells.”
   Lauren: “I agree. It stinks.”
   Bob: “Smelled fresh, but finished stale.”
   Papi: “Nice lines. Not a bad taste.”
   Carissa: “Disgusting.” (blogger note: Carissa is not known for her wine drinking)
   Sean: “I’ve had better.”
   Karen: “Alcohol-y”
   Lauren: “If you don’t like it you need to take a big gulp.”
2. Red Guitar – Old Vine – 2008 Spain $9.99
   Bob 6, Karen 4, Mike 6, Becky 6, Jess 6, Sean 3, Kara 5.5, Lauren 6, Stephen 5.5, Claire 5, Carissa 3, Miranda 6.5, Papi 5, Caroline 6
   Karen: “Oh, no. This is a Micheal one.”
   Papi: “No lines. Just a ridge.”
   Becky: “More fruity.”
   Lauren: “This is a lot better than the 1^st one.”
   Papi: “I liked the first one better.”
   Carissa: “Better than the 1^st one.”
   Karen: “Not a lot of flavor.”
3. Chateau Guillon Nardou 2009 Bordeaux – Montagne St Emilion. France $??
   Bob 6.5, Karen 6.5, Mike 7, Becky 5.5, Jess 6, Sean 6, Kara 6.5, Caroline 7, Lauren 5.5, Stephen 6.5, Claire 6, Carissa 3, Miranda 4, Papi 7
   Karen: “It has a nice dark color. Mike, do you like this one? It’s dry.”
   Mike: “My taste buds are coming around.”
   Papi: “Nicer lines. I love the smell.”
   Bob: “Crispy.”
   Mike: “Cleaner taste.”
   Bob: “Oxi clean.”
   Kara: “I like this one the best so far.”
   Karen: “I like this one a lot.”
   Stephen: “Cleaner tasting.”
4. Grou 2005 Cabeçāo, Portugal $25.99
   Bob 6.5, Karen 7, Mike 7, Becky 7.5, Jess 6, Sean 4, Kara 6, Lauren 4.5, Stephen 5.5, Claire 5, Carissa 4, Miranda 2, Papi 3.5, Caroline 3
   Becky: “Look at it!”
   Miranda: “I’m not sure. It’s weird. It makes my tongue feel funny.”
   Karen: “Oh, oh, What is that smell?”
   Papi: “It’s peppery. Smells like horse sh*t.”
   Bob: “Blue cheese. Dusty tongue.” (said in a dusty way)
   Kara: “A lot of sediment. Smells disgusting.”
   Carissa: “A lot of bits in it.” (a New Zealand phrase)
   Mike: “I’ll go with Carissa on that one. It’s getting hot in here.”
   Papi: “It IS getting warm.” (and that means a lot said by a Floridian in December)
   Mike: “A New Zealand wine from Europe.”
   Papi: “It has pepper in it.”
   Bob: “Even Miranda is stripping down now.” (just her sweater…) AND Karen took her sweatshirt off! She is never hot.
   Becky: “It’s dry.”
   Karen: “It’s very dry.”
   Becky: “I don’t think it smells that bad.”
   Lauren: “It’s not dry, it’s sour.”
   Bob: “Turf tongue.”
   Caroline: “It numbers my lips.”
   Miranda poured hers into Jess’s glass.  Becky made Miranda eat an m&m, then taste it again. Miranda said it tasted better that way, so upped her score to ‘2’.
   Karen: “My fave so far. Really clean.”
   Becky: “More flavor.”
5. Juan Gil 2009 Spain $15.99
   Bob 3, Karen 6, Mike 5, Becky 8, Jess 7, Sean 3, Kara 6, Lauren 8, Stephen 4.5, Claire 2, Carissa 1, Miranda 7.5, Papi 8, Caroline 8
   Papi: “I like the smell. I like the taste. It doesn’t burn the back of my throat.”
   Karen: “Vanilla.”
   Becky: “Definitely smooth.”
   Lauren: “It actually tastes like wine.”
   Claire: “Spicy.”
   Bryan: “She’s wrong apparently”
   Sean is sleeping
   Miranda: “Sean went like this…’shudder’…”
   Becky: “Red velvet cake.”
   Karen: “Soft.”
   Stephen: “Attacks the taste buds with an axe.”
   Kara: “It has pepper in it. I like it though.”
   Papi: “I tried it with a meatball. Good with food.”
   Jess: “A really good drinking wine.”
   Miranda: “I would buy this one.”
   Caroline: “I hope it has a really cute name. I like this one.”
6. Gérard Bertrand 2009 Corbières, France $13.59
   Bob 8, Karen 7, Mike 5, Becky 4.5, Jess 5, Bryan 5, Kara 6, Lauren 6, Stephen 6, Claire 5.5, Carissa 4, Miranda 6.5, Papi 3.5, Caroline 4
   Papi: “Sour. Makes your tongue shrivel.”
   Karen: “It doesn’t have many legs. Thin tasting. Not a lot of body/taste. Very dry.”
   Stephen: “Team player. Not an All-Star.”
   Carissa: “Better than the other one.”
   Becky: “It has an iron after taste.”
   Kara: “Dad has lost his taste!”
7. Juan Gil – THIS IS A REPEAT!!!! We didn’t aerate this one….check out the different scores!
   Bob 5, Karen 2, Mike 5, Becky 2, Jess 5, Bryan 2, Kara 3.5, Lauren 4, Stephen 4, Claire 4, Carissa 1, Miranda 1.5, Papi 2, Caroline 2
   Karen: “Miranda’s face is all smooshed.”
   Miranda: “Tastes like dirty socks.”
   Karen: “This is the smell I don’t like. I can’t describe it. Musty or something.”
   Mike: “Bob’s being a tart again.”
   Bob: “I’m a tart.”
   Caroline: “Don’t eat with it.”
   Karen: “Mike, this is the one I’m always going to give to you” she said as she pours hers into his glass.
   Bob: “This isn’t bad.”
   Karen: “Musty.”
   Bob: “Mothballs.”
   Karen: “No”
   Bryan: “I drank it all because I wanted to get rid of it.”
   Becky: “Oh! It is tart! Ewww!”
   Papi: “I don’t like it.”
   Caroline: “This is bad.”
8. Chateau Petit Bois La Garelle 2007 Bourdeux France $35.99
   ZERO RANKING ALL AROUND!!
   Becky: “Smells like a chlorine pool.”
   Karen: “An attic. No, a damp musty basement!”
   Miranda: “It’s bad.”
   Jess: “Smooth when it goes down. A good wine when you have a cold.”
   Miranda (while looking at Becky): “She’s Popeye the Sailor Man.”
   Mike (as he holds his nose): “No taste when you plug your nose.”
   Karen: “I think it’s a bad bottle.”

'F' is for Fine wines from France, Portugal and Spain

Thursday December 15, 2011
‘F’ at Bob and Karen’s
We had 3 guest tasters this evening: Kara from St. Francis, Claire from South Africa, and Carissa from New Zealand. Carissa gave up after the first 2 wines. She is still developing her palate.

1. A Fuga – Ribeira Sacra Denominacion de Orixe Spain $15.99
   Karen: “Doesn’t smell bad. Fruity.”
   Claire: “I like it. It’s not dry. Delicious.”
   Bob: “Sparkly.”
   Mike: “A Christmas sparkle.”
   Becky: “Like a fruit punch.”
   Karen: “It’s almost fizzy. Not what I was expecting.”
   Kara: “Fruity. I don’t like the smell. Not dry.”
   Bob 6, Karen 5, Mike 7, Becky 6, Kara 2, Claire 7
   
   



2. Chateau de Flaugergues 2007 France $21.99
   Claire: “This one is darker.”
   Karen: “Not a lot of smell.”
   Bob: “Mild smell.”
   Claire: “It smells like something I’m not going to like.”
   Bob: “Nice!”
   Mike: “Drier.”
   Claire: “Yeah. That’s the problem.”
   Mike: “Karen will rank this one higher.”
   Becky: “This tastes more like wine, not ‘punchy’ like the lst one”
   Bob 7, Karen 6.5, Mike 6.5, Becky 6, Kara 7, Claire 4.5, Carissa 1
   
   ****Christmas Music was playing in the background…Kara held a note for LONG time…much to everyone’s distress******
   



3. Herdade Fonte Paredes – Cabernet Sauvignon Aragoñes 2005 Portugal $17.99 Bob: “Lively”
   Karen: “Smells bad”
   Mike: “Mellow”
   Kara: “What is that smell? Garbage?”
   Claire: “It burns your nose if you inhale a lot. And, it tastes like it smells!”
   Mike: “It tastes BETTER than it smells.”
   Bob: It has a good flavor, though.”
   Kara: “I don’t like the smell, but I like the taste.
   Bob 6.5, Karen 7, Mike 6.5, Becky 6.5, Kara 6, Claire 4
   



4. Chateau La Fleur Haut Carras 20098 Red Bourdeaux France $35.99
   Mike: “A Karen wine”
   Karen: “This is AWESOME!”
   Claire: “I think if I had had this one first I wouldn’t like it. But I Like it!”
   Kara: “It’s like bread in the oven.”
   Karen: “Oh my gosh, this is SO much mine!”
   Claire: “This isn’t dry is it? I like it!” Note: Claire does not typically like dry wines
   Bob to Claire: “Do you have any idea what your taste buds are?!?”
   Bob 7, Karen 8, Mike 7, Becky 7, Kara 8, Claire 6.5

'E' is for some Excellent Spanish wines!

Thursday December 8, 2011
‘E’ with Becky and Mike
Note: While at BigY Becky ran into Cindy, who gave her a delicious Kielbasa recipe to serve. Thanks Cindy!

1. Erudito 2009 Rioja Spain $9.99
   Karen: “Peppery.”
   Becky: “The way I like it.”
   Bob: “I like this one.”
   Jess: “The kick comes at the end.”
   Mike couldn’t taste much because of his prior night work event.
   Bob 8, Karen 7.5, Mike 8, Becky 8, Jess 7.5
   


2. Ergo – Tempranillo. Rioja 2009 Spain $11.99
   Karen: “Smells better than the first one. Oooh. The first taste was a surprise.”
   Bob: “Damn. I forgot to taste the wine after the pepperjack cheese…the cheese mellowed the taste of the wine.”
   Becky: “Good after wheat thins and pretzels.”
   Bob: “Good God man! Mike what were you thinking, drinking the night before. You need to prepare.”
   Karen: “I like it best after the pretzel. The wheat things had a sweet taste.”
   Karen: “This is drier. That’s why I like it.”
   Bob 7, Karen 8, Mike 7, Becky 7, Jess 7
   


3. Evodia 2010 Altovinum Spain $11.99
   Bob: “Not the best smell.”
   Becky: “What is that smell? Like a cleaner.”
   Bob: “Windex.”
   Mike: “Ewww.”
   Jess: “I think it’s not what dad says.”
   Bob: “Not so much.”
   Jess: “I don’t think it’s so bad.”
   Karen: “I’m not drinking it. I don’t want it.” (poured hers into Bob’s glass)
   Jess: “It’s worse after pretzels.”
   Becky: “I don’t like it.” (poured hers into Bob’s glass)
   NOTE: This wine was highly recommended at the Wine Store
   Bob 3, Karen 1, Mike 3, Becky 2, Jess 4.5

'D' Night - Spain and France this week!

Thursday December 1, 2011
‘D’ hosted by Karen and Bob
Note: Beef stew was on the menu. Yum!

1. Dehesa La Granja – Alejandro Fernandez 2004 Spain $19.99
   Bob: “Fresh smell. Fruity.”
   Mike: “It is a fruit.”
   Karen: “It’s like raspberries.”
   Mike: “Something along that line. Not raspberry.”
   Becky: “There’s a little tartness to it.”
   Karen: “It gets better with every sip.”
   Bob 6, Karen 7, Mike 6*, Becky 6 *may change
   
   



2. Chateau D’Avensan Haut-Médoc 2005 France $12.99
   Karen: “This one doesn’t have much smell.”
   Mike: “Mellow. Easy to drink.”
   Becky: “An iron aftertaste.”
   Bob 7, Karen 7, Mike 7, Becky 5.5
   
   



3. Georges Deboeuf. Mogon – Red Burgundy Wine – France 2009 $15.99
   Bob: “Ewww.”
   Mike: “Balsamic Vinagrette.”
   Bob: “I agree with Mike. Make it a double. Dusty. Dry. Tastes awful. This isn’t a good face – Do you see it?”
   Becky almost spit her wine out looking at Bob’s face.
   Becky: “Very dry. A Karen wine.”
   Bob 6, Karen 6, Mike 7, Becky 5.5
   
   



4. Ribera del Duero 2004 Viña Mayor Reserva Product of Spain $23.99
   Bob: “Hmm. Mild.”
   Mike: “Milder than the last one.”
   Bob 6, Karen 6, Mike 6, Becky 6

'C' if you Recognize any of these European Wines!

Thursday November 17, 2011
‘C’ at Mike & Becky’s

1. Carchelo Spain 12.99
   Bob: “Fresh smell. Whoah! People are going to like it and hate it.”
   Mike: “Yeast smell.”
   Jess: “Dry.”
   Bob: “Feels like sake. More alcohol-y, more booze. Karen will say…oooh, then follow up with yum.”
   Karen: “I don’t smell yeast. Faint. Not real strong. Sweet. I don’t like it. Too sweet.”
   Becky: “It doesn’t taste sweet to me.”
   Karen: “Tastes better with cheese. Was sweet with carrots.”
   Bob 5, Karen 5, Mike 5, Becky 6, Jess 6
   
   


2. Domaine di Courteillac 2008 $14.99
   Bob: “A faint smell. It’s there.”
   Jess: “Subtle.”
   Karen: “It’s drier than the first one.”
   Becky: “It has a metal taste.”
   Mike: “Oh, that’s dry!”
   Karen: “I wish it had more aroma. It has a nice color.”
   Bob 5.5, Karen 6.5, Mike 6, Becky 5, Jess 6.5
   



3. Les Chien-Chiens Chinon Domaine de la Noblaie 2006 France $17.49
   Becky: “I can smell this one.”
   Karen: “Yes. It has a good smell.”
   Becky: “I think this is the driest so far.”
   Karen: “I agree. And, it has a really nice aroma.”
   Bob 6, Karen 7.5, Mike 7, Becky 6.5, Jess 6.5
   



4. Cortijo 2009 Rioja Product of Spain $9.49
   Karen: “Smells like fish.”
   Becky: “I don’t like this one.”
   Bob: “Das boot. Das is enough.”
   Bob 4.5, Karen 4, Mike 4.5, Becky 4, Jess 5.5

European Wines - "B" letter night!

Thursday November 10, 2011
‘B’ Hosted by Bob & Karen

1. Bernoia Rioja – Product of Spain Gran Reserva 2001 $29.99
   Bob: “Smells fresh. Smells better than it tastes.”
   Karen: “Smells good”
   Mike: It’s not bitey.”
   Karen: “It is later.”
   Becky: “More flavor after swiss”
   Mike: “Does not go with sausage.”
   Karen: “Fills your mouth full after Swiss.”
   Becky: “A little spicy.”
   Bob 6, Karen 7, Mike 7, Becky 6


2. Chateau Rollan de By – Cru Bourgeois Médoc 2008 $29.99
   Becky: “Tastes like iron. Blood.”
   Karen: “I don’t like the smell. Dry.”
   Mike: “The smell is not that good.”
   Bob: “Not a good smell, but tastes okay.”
   Karen: “Smells like blood.”
   Bob 6, Karen 7, Mike 7, Becky 6


3. Domaine Jean Bousquet Malbec Reserva 2008 Tupungato Valley $17.99
   Mike: “Very dark. Lines aren’t as good. Strong.”
   Karen: “Doesn’t smell as bad as the last one.”
   Bob: “Smells like cleaner. Comet. I have debris in my glass!”
   Becky: “It has an odd taste.”
   Karen: “Licorice. Different than any wine we’ve ever had.”
   Mike: “A fruit taste at the end.”Bob: “Bitter. No. My ears don’t hurt. Oh, that’s sour. It is bitter.”
   Karen: “Has that velvety feel.”
   Becky: “It’s a bit dry.”
   Mike: “It’s not that dry. I like it.”
   Karen: “I’m sorry. I really like it.”
   Bob: “Don’t apologize for your crappy taste.”
   Becky: “It’s growing on me. Velvet. Vanilla.”
   Bob 6, Karen 7, Mike 6, Becky 6.5

"A" new beginning - European wines

ABC wines continued!!
We had so much fun finding and tasting Cabernet Sauvignon wines alphabetically that we decided to continue with our “ABC” search. The new “rules” are: The wine has to be a red from Europe, but NOT from Italy. The name of the wine has to start with the “letter of the week”.

Wednesday November 2, 2011
“A” Hosted by Mike and Becky
This was the week of the BIG snowstorm that hit Connecticut. No heat. No electricity. We drank by candlelight and sat by the fireplace to stay warm.

1. Viña Alarba – Spain $11.99
   Bob 8, Karen 8.5, Mike 8, Becky 8, Jess 8.5, Sean 6
   Karen: “Smells good. Not berry, not fruity. Woodsy. No bite. A little bit dry. Just how I like it.”
   Becky: “It smells woodsy because you’re sitting next to the fire.”
   Bob: “It has a dark color.”
   Becky “It’s hard to see in the dark.”
   Bob “It’s a little cold”
   Becky: “It’s room temperature!! (47 degrees)


2. Alejandro Fernandez Dehesa – Spain –$25.99
   Bob 6, Karen 4, Mike 6, Becky 4.5, Jess 6, Sean 3
   Karen: “Smells like dirty socks.”
   Sean: “I was going to say dirty feet.”
   Becky: “It tastes better than it smells.”
   Karen: “It tastes a lot better than it smells but it’s not as good as the first one.”
   Bob: “It wasn’t refreshing.”Jess: “Lots of sediment.”
   Karen: “It has a bite.”
   Mike: “I was going to say sour, but a bite.”Bob: “It’s drinkable - Grapes.”
   Karen: “That’s what it smells like – Immature grapes!”


3. Alto Moncay - Spain $29.99
   Bob 6, Karen 8.5, Mike 7.5, Becky 8.5, Jess 8, Wayne 7.5
   Becky: “This smells a lot better than that stanky one.”
   Bob: “Bitey”
   No!! everyone piped in
   Karen: “Berry. Butterscotch. Finish tastes like a Werther’s Original.”
   Becky: “A lot of nuances.”
   Karen: “First, Second & Third taste.”
   Wayne: “It’s on the spicy side. My guess is this would be a Spanish wine. Bold in our mouth. Big tannin finish.”
   Note: Karen changed her ranking because it’s so interesting
   Note #2: Wayne was a surprise taster…he came by to drop off his generator for Karen and Bob. What a nice friend! Why don’t Becky and Mike have a friend like that?!?