I’m opening up week 23 a couple days early just in case our next sommelier has a selection we can enjoy over Thanksgiving. If you haven’t had a chance to enjoy week 22 yet, by all means feel free to enjoy those as well (quite lovely they were)
Dear Plynck, please give us a pick for which to be Thankful.
Our spreadsheet with past picks is here (Can someone please update?)
I’ll offer my pick; whether or not it pairs with your Thanksgiving dinner is between you and your palate.
Okay, it’s time to rack up a few frequent flyer miles. After our trip to Australia a few weeks ago, and then jetting off to Chile, I have decided that the Southern Hemisphere is the place to be this time of year. Therefore, we return to Oz. We’re off to see the Shiraz…
My pick: Peter Lehmann’s Barossa Shiraz
There is a story (perhaps it is apocryphal) that during the white-wine scare of the ‘80s the Australian government wanted vineyards to rip out old growth red grapes and replace them with white. Lehmann convinced many of the vineyards to keep their vines, and so we have him to thank for Australian Shiraz. For that alone I would probably buy his wine, but thankfully there are other reasons.
In my opinion, this sets the standard for everything I want in a shiraz. It certainly isn’t the best shiraz out there; it isn’t even the best that I have had. But it is a very good wine, an everyday quaff that I would consider a “good all around wine”. I’ll drink it myself at home, and I have no problem bringing it with me when invited for dinner. I also noticed once at a get-together that it was a wine that inspired a bit of greediness. Conversation was getting animated, and people were almost grabbing the bottle from each other to pour another glass. Maybe it was just one of those parties, though…
I like the look in the glass, deep and dark. The bouquet is fruity (okay, I don’t have a great sense of smell). The tannins don’t overpower, and the aftertaste is distinctly shiraz (which is a very good thing to my mind).
My only problem here: I buy this for about $13 or $14 locally, and even cheaper if it is on sale (which isn’t very often). I know that a lot of you buy through Bevmo, and they list it for $20. As much as I like this wine, I’d think twice about paying that sort of money. If you can get it for $15 or under, I would recommend this wine. If not, I offer:
My alternate pick: Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz
While I don’t favor this as much as the Lehmann, I do think that it fits its price very well. I wish that I could say that I discovered this all by myself, but I had a bit of help. Wine Spectator had the 2003 vintage in their Top 100 Exciting Wines of 2006; it clocked in at #64.
From the little I know, it isn’t that this is a better wine than the following 35 wines on the list. Penfolds RWT came in after this pick, for example. I think that it has more to do with the QPR (Quality/Price Ratio) which made this one a bargain at the list price of $13. And I can usually find it for $10 or less (which is where Bevmo has it), which just makes things better. I don’t think that this has quite the quality of the Lehmann, but it’s a darn good wine for the price.
Jacob’s Creek is one of the labels that seems to make a lot of good wine for a good price, with one stipulation: Look for the word “Reserve” on the label. It only tacks a few dollars to the price, but the non-Reserve wines are ordinary at best. They make a nice Cabernet, Chardonnay and Riesling (the dry steely type) at a reasonable price, but again: Look for Reserve on the label.
A note about vintages, both for the Lehmann and for the Jacob’s Creek: The Wine Spectator listed the 2003 Jacob’s Creek vintage in their list. Having had both the 2003 and the 2004 of that wine, I can say that I preferred the 2003. I had them both within a few weeks of each other, so it might have just been the extra year in the bottle. I found the same with the Peter Lehmann. It isn’t all that likely that you’ll find any 2003 of either wine on the shelf, but if you do I’d recommend going for that one. And now I see that the websites are listing the 2005 although I haven’t seen it on the shelf yet.
And as an alternate alternate pick: Jim Barry “The Lodge Hill” Shiraz
The first two wines were from the Barossa Valley, and I think that they had a lot in common. This one is from Clare Valley, and to me it has a different character. However, a lot of variables changed other than region, not the least of which is that I could only find a 2005 vintage. I wish that I had been turned on to this one early enough to compare with the same vintage as the first two. I find this a tad lighter, and a bit more acidic. If the others are a bit too heavy for you, this might be what you are looking for in a Shiraz. My thought is that this might be a bit more compatible with your Thanksgiving bird than the first two, but it can be difficult to find.
Cheers.
And now that I’ve made a Australian toast, someone is going to want to spread Vegemite on it…
Sorry, I kinda got bored with the spreadsheet.
Since it’s up on Google Docs, anyone with a Google account can edit, I just need to invite them.
So, anyone with a Google account, PM me with your gmail address. There is no limit to how many people can edit a doc. Have at it.
Good job Plynck!
Local Spec’s has the Lehmann’s listed at $14.91. I’ll be paying them a call tomorrow 
This may well be washing down my turkey & fixin’s on Thursday.
Of course I’ll work on the alternates as well 
Shiraz it is. I’ll definitely try the Jacob’s Creek, and see if I can find the Lehmann’s somewhere for a decent price. Maybe The Wine Club has for less than BevMo. Is this a possible Turkey wine…? Shiraz seems a bit too intense for poultry, but I’ve not drunk a whole of that the stuff.
My plan was pull out Kestrel Rose (WA State) to have with dinner, but this may be perfect for something with a little more punch to enjoy later in the evening.
I think it might be too intense. The Jim Barry is a little less intense, but still a Shiraz. I had worked out my picks prior to realizing that this would be Thanksgiving week, so absolutely no offense taken if people choose a different wine for dinner. I would think that a Rose or a Pinot Noir (as stated above) would be a better pairing, but I don’t always have the best sense of this sort of thing. Flickster, I have had the Kestrel Viognier and thought it was terrific.
The Jacob’s Creek and Lehmann’s websites say that these wines go well with poultry, but I have a feeling that their “poultry” has four legs, bleats, and can be sheared for wool.
JC’s web site says “duck-game” for the Shriaz, which is not quite the same as “poultry”.
While a bit late for your Thanksgiving shopping (and not at all related to this week’s pick), I found these suggestions in my email in-box from a local wine shop:
Irony, Chardonnay, Napa: Full body, rich and creamy, subtle oak flavors. Our best selling wine actually! $11.99
Helfirch Grand Cru Gewurztraminer: Spicy, lychee fruit flavors on a medium body. Can go with dessert too! $19.99
Kurt Hain Riesling Auslese: Tartly sweet with green apple notes on a medium body. Slightly sweet. $25.99
George Dubeouef Beaujolais Nouveau: Light and fruity Gamay grape with subtle earth notes. $12.99
Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel: Spicy fruit on a full body, and a luscious mouth feel. $11.99
Domaine Moillard Pinot Noir: Earth meets fruit on this medium bodied Pinot with great structure and ease. $9.99
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
I’ve heard of beer and a bump - so let’s try wine and a bump…
Completely unrelated to this week’s pick, although wine related:
John, you may not remember this earlier conversation. I hadn’t had good luck with Pinot Noirs, and in fact had been somewhat disappointed with a highly recommended Au Bon Climat which I found to be a bit sour. This weekend (somewhat apprehensively) I opened an also highly recommended bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir (Sonoma) that I had in the cellar to go with my leftover turkey casserole, and I was absolutely delighted. It was a real temptation to finish the bottle in one go. The nice thing too is that the Sonoma is their lesser priced Pinot Noir; the price (and presumably quality) goes up from there if I feel adventurous. I’m looking forward to drinking this one again. And I’m glad that there is a forum here to talk about wines.
Glad you like it! I usually can get it a nice price, too. Seems like ever since “Sideways”, the price of Pinot has skyrocketed. I also like the Wildhorse, but it’s a little pricier. La Crema is one of the “mellower” Pinots, and I often like to get into the earthier ones. I think that’s an acquired taste, though. Sometimes it seems like you not only taste the “earth”, but the “fertilizer”, too (if you know what I mean). 
My local paper’s wine reporter did a Thanksgiving wine suggestion a few weeks ago, and Pinot was at the top of the list. Here are her recommendations, for anyone interested:
Under $15: 2006 Meridian, 2006 DeLoach, and 2006 Cartlidge & Brown
$15 - 35: 2005 Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast, 2005 Gloria Ferrer, 2005 Truchard, and 2005 Irony
Top End: 2004 Calera Selleck, 2004 Calera Mills, 2005 Willowbrook Morelli Lane, and 2004 Argyle “Nuthouse” Reserve
I’ve never tried any of those, but her recommendations are usually good ones. Meridian should be pretty easy to pick up, and I may try that one the next time I see it on the shelf.
Sorry I haven’t been around - Suffering throuhg a PC crash at home 
My local Spec’s didn’t have the Lehmann’s and I couldn’t remember the other alternates (and couldn’t get access to check) so I picked up three different bottles of Barossa Shiraz that were in the same price range.
3 Rings
Torbeck
Yalumba
Hope to start sampling tonight and will report back as soon as I have internet access again.
I haven’t tried those, and I’d be interested to hear your reviews.
I just picked up a Layer Cake Shiraz after Thanksgiving, but haven’t tried it yet. Evidently they are in short supply (a la Mollydookers) and go fast. An Aussie fruit bomb, so I’m trying to think of a good food to go with it. Probably barbecue.
I also picked up a bottle of “The Cover Drive” Cabernet by Jim Barry (who makes the Lodge Hill Shiraz), but haven’t tried that either. Too many wines, too little time.
I picked these up at a wine shop near home. They have interesting selections which is why I shop there, but they sure seem to mark up the price. I’m looking on line at both of the ones I mention, and I think I paid 3 or 4 dollars more a bottle than what I am seeing. And they carry my alternate pick (the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz), and gave it a glowing review, but they have it at $6 more than I found it at Kappy’s Liquors just a few minutes down the road.
I had a few glasses of the Jacob’s Creek last night, and it didn’t sit too well with me. It was pretty astringent. I had been drinking Pinot with dinner earlier, though, and I was a little buzzed. I probably shouldn’t have opened it.
Anyway, I sealed it up good (with a vacuum sealer) and will try it again, fresh, tonight. Do you normally have to let this breathe for quite a while to mellow it out? I drink quite a bit of Penfolds’ various Shirazes and Shiraz blends, and they’re generally good to go without much oxygenation.
I have noted this a bit with the Jacob’s Creek regular Shiraz (hence my dismissal of that line), but not particularly with the Reserve. I did find that the Reserve mellowed a bit over the evening, but I was not unhappy with the first glass.
It sounds like you don’t have a problem with Shiraz. While this is not comparable to a higher priced Penfolds, or even to the Lehmann’s Shiraz, to my taste it should be at least in the same range as the Thomas Hyland we had a few weeks ago. I remember reading somewhere people have noted some inconsistency from bottle to bottle due to large production. I wouldn’t dismiss this after one bottle, but as I said: So many wines, so little time.
I finished off the bottle last night, and it was noticeably “mellower”. As for not having a problem with Shiraz, well, I usually say “the kind with alcohol in it” when people ask me what kind of wine I like. I mean, the taste is wonderful and all, but let’s be honest-- we wouldn’t be wine lovers if it didn’t have that key ingredient.
I’ll pick up a bottle of the Lehmann’s the next time I’m at BevMo. I’ve spent $20 on some pretty mediocre stuff, and you seem to know what you’re talking about with wine. I doubt I’ll be disappointed, and I always like to try new stuff, especially from outside CA. Too many of my friends are stuck on CA wines, not realizing there’s a whole wide world out there making the stuff.
:dubious: Cite? 
Actually not false modesty here; with Italian wines (for example) I am completely out of my depth. For years I was fairly casual about wine research or investigation, mostly just taking suggestions and drinking what everyone else was drinking. It’s only in the past few years that I’ve been more active in my research; this Wine Club has been terrific for me. If I sound comfortable with shiraz, it’s only because I noticed that I liked them a lot, so that’s where I’ve been trying to put most of my focus.
Well, me too. I only started drinking wine seriously a few years ago. But when I get into something, I often REALLY get into it. I read, I do, I experiment, I ask questions… With wine, that has been a very pleasurable experience, I must say!
I’m getting pretty good with CA, South American and Australian wines, and the NZ whites. Give me a French wine, and I wouldn’t know hardly anything about it.
Okay, I seem to be a bit of a Chatty Cathy here today, but thought that I’d let folks know - Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Exciting Wines of 2007 is now available.
Looking through the list, I can see that they are expanding on something that they did last year by including some very reasonably priced wines. And interestingly, there are some fairly well known labels, ones that you might expect to find in a grocery store. Labels like Chateau St. Jean, Rosemount, Columbia Crest and Yellowtail.
I’ve had some of them: #71 (Columbia Crest Merlot), #90 (Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Tres Picos which seems to be a favorite for a lot of folks), and #91 (Seghesio Zinfandel). I also bought one from last year’s list but haven’t tried it yet - the Perrin & Fils Vacqueyras Les Christins which is again represented on this list at #97. It might be worth printing this out and trying out some of their suggestions.
If you do see something here that interests you but is somewhat limited in production, I’d suggest picking it up soon. Last year I tried to get some of the Chateau Gigault from the 2006 list, but the stores sold out very quickly.
I’ve also had the Columbia Crest, which I liked, as well as the Yellowtail Shiraz, which was not one of my favorites. I appreciate that they included some wines in my price range.