Mouton Cadet 2010

Bottle of Mouton Cadet 2010

Mouton Cadet

Bordeaux 2010

Blend: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle

Bordeaux, France

10.00 USD

Created in the 1970's by my father, the legendary Baron Philippe, winegrower and poet, Mouton Cadet Blanc combines the Bordeaux winemaking traditions with the values of authenticity and exacting standards that have always been the pride of our family.  It unites several fine Bordeaux appellations renowned for their white grape varieties. (bottle label)

On the nose this wine had a very floral nose on it.  It was semi sweet but also very perfumey...I thought of honeysuckle and lavender.  There were some almost rustic notes and a nice earthiness, it also had a strange fuller creamy richness.  It felt a bit more buttery in a way.  On the palate it was fairly dry, high

 acid and a little heat.  It was counterbalanced by a nice creamy

 buttery richness that helped to cut through the acid.  It wasn't

 overly fruity but it certainly had some notes of apple.  There were

 other earthy notes as well, stony almost.  

Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel 2009

Bottle of Plungerhead
Old Vine Zinfandel 2009

Plungerhead

Old Vine Zinfandel 2009

Varietal:  Zinfandel

California, USA

13.95 USD

Dark ruby in color with flecks of orange, our 2009 zinfandel might be the best yet.  The old vine zinfandel vineyards ripened evenly in the Lodi heat of 2009.  This allowed the old vine character to explode in this blend with aromas of jammy raspberry, hints of orange rind, clove and rich caramel oak.  In the mouth, this zinfandel has flavors of dried strawberry, dark raspberry, plum sauce, cedar and pomegranate, with hints of white pepper and cherry liquor.  The finish is sweet fruit, toasty oak, and lingering warm spices.  (Vintage Cellar)

This wine had a ton of plum fruitiness on the nose that I picked up.  There were other scents that I couldn't call to mind then but plum really stood out to me.  It was a thick full bodied wine that really seemed to coat your mouth by smell alone.  On the palate I got some of what I thought was sweet strawberry and cherry.  It had a bit of a bite to it but overall was fairly smooth with a heat kick right at the end that wasn't to terrible.  It was definitely one of the better wines in my opinion that I tried this weekend

Bogle, Petite Sirah 2009

Bottle of Bogle
Petite Sirah 2009

Bogle
Petite Sirah 2009
Varietal:  Petite Sirah
California, USA
12.95 USD

Voluptuous and full-bodied on the entry, the heady aromas of black currants and plums awaken the senses. Lusciously jammy and inky in appearance, the concentrated fruit wraps itself around tones of pipe tobacco, leather and cocoa, to mesmerize the palate. Juniper and spice seduce the supple tannins, as this wine finishes long and lingering, but not before a final touch of acidity charms the balanced mouthfeel yet again. (Wine makers notes)

I would have loved to get out of it all of what the description above points out about this wine but I simply did not.  I am certainly not trained well enough to pick out all of these and I admit that there were some very interesting thing going on in this wine both on the nose and the palate but it all to me seemed to jumble together into one big lump.  I'd like to give this one another go some time when I have the time to really sit down with it and not be rushed by some frat guy standing behind me.  With that said here is what I did get.  On the nose it was very earthy to me-lots of dirt and even some kind of stone like characteristics.  It was smokey and had some tobacco on it as well.  On the palate I really wasn't able to pick up much.  It was a dry wine and one that coated the mouth well and hung on for a while after the finish.  It was fairly tannic to me which I think distracted me a little from the rest of the components but what I did get was a very strong sense of vegetation.  Again, I'd like to give this one another go some time. 

Hey Mambo!

Bottle of Hey Mambo
Sultry Red

Hey Mambo
Sultry Red (no date listed)
Blend:  Barbera, Syrah, Petit Sirah, Carignane + Alicante Bouchet
California, USA
11.95 USD


From Wine Enthusiast: "In calling this southern Rhône-style blend Bistro Style, the winery means to suggest friends gathered in a nice restaurant, having fun and not being fussy about what’s in the bottle. That perfectly describes this dry, soft red wine, with its flavors of blackberries, cherries and cocoa." (8/1/2008) Put on your dancing shoes before you pop this Zork (yes, I said Zork-the peel and pop synthetic closure). The 2006 Hey Mambo is a fun blend of barbera, syrah, petit sirah, carignane and alicante bouchet that gets you moving with aromas of sweet leather, chocolate ganache, raspberries and spicy clove. The palate is filled with sweet fruit redolent of blackberry cobbler highlighted by espresso, dark chocolate and dried herbs. This is no "serious" wine, but a satiny, sipper perfect for a bistro meal. (KLWines.com)


This had a pretty powerful nose on it.  It was big and bold with lots of sweet dark berry jammy notes, tobacco, and oak.  When I first smelled it I just thought "red".  It was dry and full bodied and it coated your mouth just from the sniff.  The dryness carried through on the palate.  It was sweet and had a bit of an acidic bite to it and those I think kept it from being to tannic in my opinion.  It had lots of cherry and blueberry hints to me as well as tobacco.

La Lejania Chardonnay Reserve

Bottle of La Lejania
Chardonnay 

La Lejania

Chardonnay Reserve 2009

Varietal: Chardonnay

Chili

11.95 USD

Medium bodied chardonnay exhibits a creamy texture and good definition of fruit from the first sip.  A terrific option for chardonnay drinkers looking for good value. (Vintage Cellar)

This was full of light fruit scents on the nose.  I was thinking some melon and apple perhaps.  It was clean and crisp; very light bodied.  I also think there was some oaky creaminess coming through as well but I can't really be certain.  On the palate it was crisp but surprisingly smooth from beginning to end and there was no detection of heat.  The fruit flavors were down played a lot and unfortunately nothing really came to the for front.  It was fairly flat in my opinion

Clara Benegas 2009

Bottle of Clara Benegas
2009

Clara Benegas 2009

Blend:  Chardonnay 70% + Sauvignon Blanc 30%

Mendoza, Argentina

10.95 USD

Elaborated with grapes from vineyards located in the province of Mendoza.  This delicious, natural, young and fresh wine is a result of the careful control of the vineyard and the morning harvest of the over ripened chardonnay grapes (Vintage Cellar)

With a strange floral base that I could not pinpoint it had an interesting vegetal undertone.  There were some fruits hidden in the back ground but nothing popped out.  It was very underwhelming nose wise.  It was crisp and interestingly citrusy on the palate that was off set by the almost buttery creaminess of some California

chardonnays.  It didn't have much of any heat on it except at the tail end and the

aftertaste reminded me of olives.

The White Knight Viognier 2008

Bottle of The White Knight
Viognier 2008

The White Knight

Viognier 2008

Varietal: Viognier

California, USA

10.00 USD

This exciting and affordable golden colored Viognier is aromatic and forward with white nectarine and key lime zest. I’m not kidding, it jumps right out of the glass and kisses you. The palate is minerally with wet stone and waxy honeycomb, which then streams into lemon citrus and white pepper flavors. The finish is juicy, but refined, not like many California Viogniers in the sense that they can be perfumed with fruit, but lack little else and fall short on the finish. This is more old world or Condrieu styled with earth, spice, and mineral qualities. (togwines.com)

Inspired by the Rockbridge Vignoles Marie, Derek and I had tried previously, I was in the mood to try out another one.  This time we were directed to The White Knight at the Vintage Cellar.  It had its fruity acidic components to it but at the same time there was a creamy full bodied skunky funk to it as well.  I wasn't sure if it was turned off by it or if I liked it and I'm still not sure.  It was an interesting component but not one I was expecting or in the mood for.  It was sweet enough with some acidic apple and some other flavor.  I pondered that flavor for a while and finally decided on strawberry cheese cake but Marie and Derek just kinda looked at me and started laughing.  I guess it was the honey that the description above mentions that I was tasting.  There was also a chemically or metal tinge to the taste as well....again mineral like the description above says would be a better description.  However, for 10.00 USD it was definitely a wine to try.