Hello, wine affecianados! This week we welcome three new members (“new” in the sense of “I haven’t noticed them posting before and can’t be arsed to review every old wine thread and check”). They are: :: drum roll ::
Christopher, Flickster, and Swallowed My Cellphone!
:: appropriately tepid, tasteful wine-snooty round of applause ::
Welcome. Wine bar to the left, humidor room to the right, vineyards through the French doors at the back, past the fireplace and the baby grand piano.
This week’s sommelier is . . . longhair75. For those unfamiliar with the drill, longhair will choose and post a wine before next Thursday, and we will all purchase it. Next Thursday or anytime in the week thereafter, we will taste and post our comments. Also welcome are general comments and questions on wine, wine tasting, and discussions of other wines we have loved, hated, or want to hear more about. New posters/tasters are always welcome.
Each week’s thread links to the previous one. Last week’s thread is here.
Awww, thank you. I’ve been here, but on account of my having not found a store to purchase all of the required wines I’ve been absent for a while. In fact, I think the only one I participated in was the Rancho Zabaco, and that has since become my favorite non-local wine.
I have enjoyed trying all of the wines selected so far, I hope my selection pleases you all. I am very fond of Spanish reds, and my favorite is a Crianza from the Marques de Caceres. The particular vintage I have on the table beside me is a 2002. I have tried various years though, and they are pretty consistant.
I am pretty sure that friend Silenus will like this wine, and also sure that friend OpalCat will not. It is a rather bold red.
I bought six bottles of this wine tonight at World Market for $12.99 (us) each. I am pretty sure it is widely available. I can even find it at most grocery stores in my area.
Are the Crianza and the Rioja similar/same? I’m looking at Spec’s inventory online and they list the MARQUES DE CACERES RIOJA RED 2004 but not a Crianza.
Other in stock options include:
MARQUES DE CACERES BLANCO
MARQUES DE CACERES GRAN RESERVA
MARQUES DE CACERES RESERVA
I’m looking forward to this one. I was on a big Rioja kick a few years back. I got a little burned out on it though, and haven’t had any in quite some time. This will be a nice refresher.
There are three basic categories of Rioja, in ascending order of “quality”…crianza, reserva and gran reserva. There are a couple other designations, vinos joven and sin crianza, but these tend to be lower quality wines and are usually not exported. Also, since I have the wine book open, the two main grapes in Rioja are Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache).
Picked up a bottle of the 2003 vintage this afternoon ($9.83) and Judy & I shared it with dinner. I’m sorry to say I’m down to the last glass. My first venture with Rioja will not be my last. Smooth with an earthy tone and a hint of berries. At this price and easy availability, this will become another of our daily alternatives (at this rate I’ll need to expand my rack space )
Another good sign - the Mrs just asked if I only picked up one bottle Never fear, I think one of my Tempranillo bottles will blend well
The following statement does not reflect poorly on the Rioja…
LOL - the Mrs brought up her open a 2nd bottle request this morning and asked me not to let her talk me into that again
But ALL her friends and our kids enjoyed the phone conversations Saturday night
Is that a woody taste I get? Maybe that’s what you guys mean by earthy. It’s a good wine. Not as acid as the last. Still on the dry side. There’s some flavor towards the back of my throat i can’t put my finger on.
Along with dicussing our selections, should we also give a heads up when we sample something that we feel is less than desirable?
YMMV
Vampire Pinot Noir from Romania - Bottle caught my eye while browsing
If the same should happen to you, I would recommend fighting off the urge by making a different selection. It wasn’t “find the nearest sink” bad - just wasn’t anything there to ever get me to consider purchasing another bottle.
again, YMMV
I would have much rather had another bottle of the Rioja
Just opened a bottle of the 2002 to have with dinner (spaghetti and meatballs). Ah, yes. It’s just like I remembered. Berries and spice and dry and yummy. This is a wonderful wine to have with food, especially ones with tomatoes in them. I’ve had this wine several times over the last few years, and it has been very consistant. Definitely one to have in the rack.
Generally you get a week’s notice of the wine chosen, then a week to taste and post. New wines every 2 weeks, in other words. But you can always go back to a previous thread if you have just found that particular wine.
)
Never fear, I think one of my Tempranillo bottles will blend well