VINEgeek

I enjoyed doing the Unoaked Chardonnay series last week so I decided to do another series. And after a week of nothing but white wine (which is very unusual for me), I decided to go to my sweet spot: Old Vines Zin. I kept it in the everyday price range ($10-15 for me) and picked [...]

This is part 3 of my Unoaked Chardonnay series. Previous entries:
Part 1 – Clos LaChance Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 Monterey County
Part 2 – Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay Francine’s Selection 2007 Mendocino County
Four Vines Naked Chardonnay 2008 Santa Barbara County
I originally intended this to be a 2 bottle series — just pick up two readily available unoaked Chardonnay’s [...]

A post over on Wannabe Wino just brought to my attention the Wine Book Club, which has been run by Good Wine Under $20. Apparently participation has been light and this month is going to be the last. That’s a shame. Coincidentally, during my vacation last week, I finished the book they’re reading this month: [...]

This is Part 2 of my Unoaked Chardonnay face-off: Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 Francine’s Selection (Part 1 was the Clos LaChance Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 Monterey County.)
I didn’t know this before I starting researching this post, but Toad Hollow is one of the pioneers of unoaked Chardonnay in the US, their first vintage being 1993. [...]

This is Part 1 of a series of posts on Unoaked Chardonnay.  (Part 2 — the Toad Hollow 2007 Mendocino County — is here)
Unoaked is the way the cool kids are drinking Chardonnay these days.  I decided I’d pick up two widely available bottles this week and compare and contrast them. The first one [...]

Megan over at Wannabe Wino has rounded up all the posts for last week’s Wine Blogging Wednesday #60 – I Have Zinned.
You should check it out. I discovered lots of great wines to seek out (I never knew Washington was producing serious Zin) and blogs to revisit.
Thanks again to Megan for a great topic (and for [...]

I’ve been drinking a lot of the “new-fangled” Spanish wines lately, but it’s been a little while since I’ve had a Rioja.  Let’s see what this one’s got under the hood.
Producer: Marques de la Concordia
Grapes: 100% Tempranillo (I haven’t been able to find total confirmation of this, but several references to it for other vintages, [...]

In honor of Wine Blogging Wednesday #60 – I Have Zinned, I’m digging up a post on Zinfandel and BBQ from last month.  Enjoy!
Cline Bridgehead Zinfandel 2006 Contra Costa County

I’ve opened several bottles from Cline recently and I was in the mood  for this Mourvèdre.  Cline is one of the few Cali producers that focuses on this grape and they’ve got some historic old vines to work with.
Producer: Cline Cellars
Grapes: Mourvèdre (100%, I think … but it’s not stated on the label or tech [...]

After recently enjoying a rosé, the Bonny Doon Vin Gris de  Cigare 2007, and asking myself why I don’t drink pink more often, I picked up another — this time from France.
Producer: Chateau Routas
Grapes: 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 30% Cinsault
Appellation: Coteaux Varois en Provence (AOC, France).
Vinification/Aging: [from the producer's website] The grapes are cooled and kept [...]