John, thanks for taking over the driver’s seat for Jodi, who I sincerely hope will still be able to sample a wine with us when her schedule allows.
Speaking of wine, opened the Estancia Pinto Grigio tonight to enjoy with our Grilled Chicken Caesar. Very nice - slightly chilled. Bright, but not overly so. Hints of apple and pear. Almost completely clear. I’ll drink this again 
I found the Montes Alpha Cab to be very satisfying
Actually, if you want to rotate, that would be good. You take the odd weeks, and I’ll take the even. Care to do that?
Glad you liked the Estancia. I make sure to keep a few bottles around all the time. I have not ventured into their other wines, but I think I’ll give them a try.
Not sure I follow the even/odd but switching off every other time would fine with me. We can always coordinate any schedule conflicts to make sure we’re not sitting high and dry.
This is Week 22 (even). Next round will be Week 23 (odd). Etc.
It’s easy to keep straight from the Sommelier List.
:smack: I didn’t even think of the list my brain was stuck on a calendar mode instead.
I had half the Montes Alpha Cabernet last Sunday, and the rest on Monday. Sorry to be late in posting, but at least this will float this thread higher in the thermocline.
I liked it very much. It seemed to have a very nice balance. It paired very well with a rib-roast on Sunday. And by Monday it seemed to have softened a bit, and I think I might have even liked it better.
My only quibble: I think that I would have liked to see this one a little less pricey. A lot of very nice Cabernets start to appear in the $15 to $20 range, and so this one has some serious competition. My preference is for more powerful Cabernets, and at this price there are others that I would buy. However, I remember the Parker/Robinson disagreement over Chateau Pavie a few years ago. Parker preferred a ripe and concentrated character in a Bordeaux, where Robinson was looking for refinement, and something more suitable for serving at dinner. I find myself falling into the Parker camp, perhaps focusing more on the wine rather than whether it is a suitable accompaniment. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that this wine went wonderfully with dinner.
I may try the lower priced Montes Cab to see how it compares. Similarly with another Chilean wine, I’ve had the Los Vascos Cabernet (both Reserva and non) and find that I like the non-Reserva almost as much. And with the cost difference I will usually go for the non-Reserva.
I hope to get to the Estancia soon.
No doubt. It’s really hard to pick one wine for people to try. I went with the Montes Alpha not because it’s my favorite, but because I thought it was something other people might not have heard of. I can get some really good Napa Cabs for < $20 if I shop around a bit. Safeway right now is selling Franciscan for about $19.
I had another bottle last night.
I cooked up so Ma Po Tofu*, and it goes really well with that.
*Tofu and ground pork in a spicy chile sauce. I use 50/50 pork/turkey, though, to make it a bit healthier. Just add rice and stir-fried vegetables, and you have a great home-made Chinese meal.
Sorry I haven’t checked in. Didn’t even read this week’s picks 'til today and it’s almost time for next week.
I’m headed to the Fresh Market tonight…see what I find there.
Meanwhile, we’re thinking about having a nice Pinot Noir with our Turkey. Hubby says he always prefers red wine with poultry. I’ll have to let you know how that turns out.
Not to rush the closure on week 22, but I think we should start week 23 in case Plynck’s upcoming selection is something we would like to enjoy over Thanksgiving.
Sounds good to me. As this weeks MC, do you want to start things off? I should have my picks ready to post shortly.
Oops. Looks like you’ve already done that. Very well, please walk this way…
If I could walk that way, I wouldn’t need a breathalyzer…
Seems like Pinot is the wine most “experts” recommend for turkey. What are you serving? I love Pinots*, and have a few favorites, but I always like to get new recommendations.
*of course, there’s hardly any type of wine I don’t like!