Chalk Hill & More

Went to a meeting yesterday that involved trying lots of new wines. Among other things, we tried the following:

Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc

Nice and soft and surprisingly spritzy. A little too sweet for a sauvignon blanc and a little too simple for whatever they want to charge for it (somehow Rodney Strong has been ridiculously overpriced in my state for the last few months...maybe a shift in house will help the situation). Anyway, light and nice.

Also had the Rodney Strong Sonoma Zinfandel but I really didn't think it was all that special. At least it wasn't that great compared to the Rosemount and Ridge zins.

New Age White

"Think of it like a Moscato D'Asti for people who can't afford it." That's how they described this one to us. But it costs about the same as Luccio Moscato D'Asti, so I don't really see that happening. But the description is about right. The package is catchy. The wine is sparkly and sweet with a sort of funky bitterness that could very well have been the soap in my wine glass. It was the first I tried, I guess.

Pinot Evil
Pinot evil is not that great. The fruit is simply varietal and everything is subdued by a combination of French earth, old-word style and the fact that it's cheap wine. But the cute label combined with the low price will sell this guy. And it's not offensive wine.

Some Random New Zealand Marlbourough Sauvignon Blanc
I can't remember what this was called, but I liked it. A frosted bottle with flat shoulders a'la X-Rated or Van Gogh or Effen Vodka. It's grassy with citruis fruits. It's nice and fairly complex and a little on the sweet side. Good step up for pinot grigio drinkers afraid to try new things.

Rosenblum San Francisco Bay Zinfandel

Oh hells yes. Rosenblum really knows zin. This zinfandel is so extracted it almost has port flavors. Deep cherry and dark berry. The taste lasts. Not too sweet, though. I don't know what else to say about it, it's good.

Ridge 3 Valleys Blend, Which is Mostly Zin with some Petite Syrah
Cool idea, and the good stuff shines through on this wine. I like the other grapes blended in to fill out the flavor. Adds richness. Don't ask me to describe it. It was good, really good, but not as good as that Rosenblum.

Beringer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Talk about a total disappointment. I mean, this wine is good, but by no means lives up to the $120+ price tag. Or the name, for that matter. The complexity was weak. The finish was short. Really, really short. And the lack of strong tannins is shocking considering the 2001 should still be too much to take. Lame, Beringer. Lame.

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Then some people left and we tried wines from the Chaulk Hill Winery. They all kicked serious ass. I'm not breaking it down, but I'll list what we had. I even liked the chardonnays. The pinot gris freaking blew my mind. And the Adele's Vineyeard Merlot was one of the best wines I've ever had. Way better than the Beringer Private Reserve. And cheaper, too.

2002 Sauvignon Blanc
2002 Chardonnay
2002 Founder's Block Chardonnay
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Merlot (including other meritage blending grapes)
2002 Pinot Gris (in the Alsacean style)
1999 Adele's Vineyard Merlot

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Bogle Petite Syrah
Good stuff. I opened a bottle of this when I got home. So extracted! So much flavor! But alas, I find myself in desperate need of a decanter. This morning, the other half of the bottle was still there on the counter. Outstanding! It opened up, revealing all of the little red fruits in there. This isn't really a food wine. In fact, petite syrah seems sort of like one of those specialty wines that gather a small cult following but never really explode. That's fine, I'll keep the secret if you will, too. Very, very nice at a good value.