Picket Fence Chardonnay '05

Country: USA
Region: California (Sonoma)
Thoughts: The wine bar we visited for lunch had a special: all glasses of wine for $5 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. So what the heck, why not try a wine that normally ran for $10.50? I wasn't disappointed, either. The wine welcomed me with a nose that was like a bouquet of flowers. It was a little spicy (though, like the other day, the Tuscan-Special sandwich may have had something to do with that). Yet it seemed to strike an interesting balance between dry and sweet; at times it was one, at times it was the other - sometimes during the same sip. Very nicely done, though not quite on par with yesterday's French chardonnay.
Do-over? Yes
Final Grade: A-

Lolonis Fume Blanc '05

Country: USA
Region: California (Mendocino)
Thoughts: I've had precious little experience with fume blanc, though I suppose I could say that about any wine, really. With that, I found this wine to be dry though not terribly overbearing, though the dryness grew a bit with each sip. It felt mellow, it seemed welcoming; I figured this would be a good wine to end a hard day of work. Back before I started this grand experiment, this is what I thought wines would taste like - for better and for worse.
Do-over? Yes
Final Grade: B

Joseph Drouhin Laforet Bourgogne Chardonnay '06

Country: France

Thoughts: My wife's uncle (that's my wife in the pic) described this chardonnay as unoaked, i.e. no aging in oak barrels. He said he believed California chardonnay had been too far changed from the original recipe, first by the continual use of oak barrels to age and later by the addition of butter. This, thankfully, featured none of that. And if this is what chardonnay is supposed to be, than I'm a bigger fan than I thought. The nose was wonderfully sweet, the taste was low-key yet complex. Very smooth, understated and excellent. Among the best wines I've ever tasted.

Do-over? Yes

Final Grade: A

A to Z Pinot Gris '06

Country: USA

Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.

Thoughts: This one came highly recommended from my in-laws and it didn't disappoint. The nose was sweet, an inviting fragrance. Each sip was smooth with no aftertaste, very mellow and very well done. I certainly hope I can get this back home.

Do-over? Yes

Final Grade: B

Big Fire Pinot Gris '06

Country: USA

Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.

Winemaker: R. Stuart & Co. Winery
Thoughts: Simply put, this wine is why I've started writing this blog. My wife and I had it for my birthday dinner a few years ago and it was this that sparked my curiosity in wine; its inclusion appears for posterity, since I'd made up my mind long ago about its quality. It has a very sweet, complex nose - like a strum, I wrote, with several components coming together in one harmonious whole. The first sip is sweet and smooth with more than a hint of oakiness (which later morphed into a bit of a honey taste). It jumped on the tip of my tongue, almost like it was carbonated. Thanks to the efforts of several, the wine did not last long; were it in my stead alone, it would have incurred the same fate.
Do-over? Absolutely
Final Grade: A-

Francois Cazin Cheverny '06

Country: France

Winemaker: Louis/Dressner Selections

Thoughts: I had never heard of cheverny before sitting down at the wine bar. But our hostess recommended it, so my wife and I split a glass (she also had half a glass of the Trinity). The nose was earthy but fragrant, but the taste was quite different: the earthiness remained, but it was far sweeter than I would have guessed it would be. Sadly, the sweetness didn't linger; the earthiness seemed to become more prevalent with each passing sip. Finally, by the fifth try, the word flashed into my mind: obnoxious. There was no reason to let it linger on the tongue. When my wife wasn't looking, I took back the pinot gris.
Ingredients: 70 percent sauvignon blanc, 30 percent chardonnay

Do-over? No

Final Grade: C-
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EDITED to include ingredients and change the label from Cheverny to blended; hey, I'm still getting used to French appellations.

Trinity Pinot Gris '05

Country: USA
Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.
Thoughts: Granted, this is only Wine No. 6, but this had the best nose of any of the six (and, really, among the best of any I can remember). It seemed quite spicy, though that simply could have been a leftover taste from the fine Super-Tuscan sandwich I had moments before. My sister-in-law, Maya, promised that we'd be left with a taste of honey after each sip - and she was right. But each sip was a delight too, something for every corner of the tongue. Or maybe it was just all some giant reaction from the sandwich.
Do-over? Yes
Final Grade: B+

Cantina del Taburno Falanghina '06

Country: Italy
Thoughts: I suppose there's something to be said for a wine that knows what it is. This falanghina was dry from the start. There wasn't much subtlety to it. If dryness was the goal, it achieved it spectacularly with an even taste that remained smooth. But there's something to be said for the journey, too. Since I've started taking notes, I've noticed that I might find something new with each sip; this wine was not like that. It stayed consistent from the first sip to the last - and I guess that can be a positive, too - but I can't help but feel a bit let down.
Do-over? No
Final Grade: C

Parducci Bianco Vintage White Table Wine '05

Country: USA
Region: California (Mendocino)
Winemaker: Mendocino Wine Co.
Thoughts: I have expectations for each of the white varietals that I try. What, then, to make of something that's simply table wine? (After looking at their Web site, I see bianco is the varietal. Though I suppose if bianco was noteworthy enough, they wouldn't need to tell us it's a vintage white table wine.) The smell was unusual, like something had soured. But the taste was fine; dryness reigned but I got the sense it was a very focused dryness. All of the flavors I encountered each added subtly to the dryness in one way or another. Likewise, this left me with a bit of a pucker as well. While I appreciate what the wine seemed to try to do, I'm afraid it's not for me.
Ingredients: 51.5 percent sauvignon blanc; 42.4 percent chardonnay; 4.6 percent muscat canelli; 1.5 percent viognier (for the 2006 vintage; couldn't find '05)
Do-over? Probably not
Final Grade: B-

Redwood Creek Chardonnay '05

Country: USA
Region: California (Modesto)
Winemaker: Frei Bros. Vineyards
Thoughts: Traditionally (or as much tradition as I can have), I'm not much of a chardonnay guy. The hallmark dryness is often a bit much for me; this was no different, but this wasn't bad. The nose wasn't anything great - granted, I'm on vacation, so my mind isn't much engaged with words these days - and the only word I could come up with was "grapey." Someone hand me a thesaurus, please? Anyway, there were a mishmash of flavors that didn't add a whole lot. After the final sip, my mouth was pretty puckery.
Do-over? If, for some reason, I find myself longing for chardonnay
Final Grade: C

More reviews soon

And, likely, a lot of reviews.

We're headed to wine country - Oregon - for a week-long Christmas adventure with the in-laws. (And before you ask, yes, I am looking forward to it.)

I am certain I'll have plenty of new stuff to try and write about. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you'll take the trip with me...

Beringer Pinot Grigio '06

Country: USA
Region: Napa (St. Helena)
Thoughts: "It's not a very good wine," my wife warned as cracked open the Beringer mega-bottle (that's the standard-sized Kim Crawford in the background). "It's not good," I told her, "but it's good enough." OK, so this isn't something you'd present as a gift. But as a drink after a long day, it comes through just fine. The nose is virtually non-existent. It tastes spicy - those taste buds are a-tinglin' - and lots of flavors that all just seem to be jumbled together. Nothing stands out. After a few sips, the spiciness decreases and the drink gets a bit smoother. After all, that's what you want after a long day, right?
Do-over? At the right price (which it usually is)
Final Grade: C+

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc '07

Country: New Zealand
Thoughts: I've not had much experience with sauvignon blanc, so it's hard for me to say whether this was any good. There seemed to be a heavy presence of grapefruit, both in the nose and in the taste. Some other notes were present as well, but definitely secondary to the grapefruitiness. Overall, the taste was dry and smooth, but there wasn't much complexity to it. It had something for each of the four regions of the tongue, but it didn't feel like there were many layers to it. And even after several sips, the grapefruitiness never diminished. If anything, it got stronger.
Do-Over? Maybe at the right price
Final Grade: C

Why we're here

I told my wife last night I was going to suggest a stocking stuffer: a journal that I could use for wine tasting.

But that seemed too labor-intensive; my hand craps out after a page of furious scribbling.

My job requires that I be a more adept typist. So here I am.

My goal here is to log wine tastings, primarily whites, for future reference. Simply, I want a place I can go back to and find what I liked when I'm in need of a glass.

I should state that, in the interest of full disclosure, I know very little about wine. I know what I like and have a vague idea of why I like it; I'm guessing I'll be better able to describe what I don't like.

Everyone's welcome to join the adventure, but I am simply catalogging for my own sake.

With that, let the trials begin! I hope to find a sample this afternoon (or be real bad-ass and try it at 9:32 a.m.) and have it posted tonight, at which time I'll fancy up the place a little more.

Again, welcome, and thanks for stopping by!