St-Francis 1998 Reserve Merlot

I'm really not a Merlot fan at all. It's typically too dry for me and I've never really been a fan of the taste. This bottle was probably the exception. It is plum in color and has a dry fruity taste. It would seem to compliment Italian food quite well. I prefer my red wines slightly chilled and I drank this one chilled. I am not sure if I would think as highly of it if the bottle was served at room temperature. Really good bottle of wine, not sure what the price point was. If someone offered me a glass of it, I wouldn't turn it down.

Bay Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Most likely bottled yesterday)

While bargain shopping at Kroger, I made the mistake of wandering into the wine section for the purposes of showing Jessica a sign about becoming a wine steward at Kroger. Of course the sign wasn't there and Jessica immediately walked over to the Arrow Creek to see if it was on sale. I noticed that it was, but I immediately bee lined out of the section to avoid running up the grocery tab. Unfortunately/Fortunately I didn't make it out of the store without some wine. Next to the freezer section there was an end display of "Bay Bridge Wine". 3 bottles for $10. They had a cab, merlot and chard so I figured hey, why not and grabbed one of each.

I was actually very pleasantly surprised by this wine. It was both light in flavor and color. Frankly, compared to most other Cabernet's, it probably wouldn't rate high at all. The color and flavor struck me as a kind of wine I would find behind a generic "Red Wine" label. And compared to those, it rates quite highly (taking into account it goes for $3 a bottle). This is probably a wine that I will keep a case of in my cellar (fancy word for Magic Chef mini Fridge). Pour it in a decanter when you have company over and I would be suprised if anyone complained. They will know that it isn't $20 a bottle wine (even an amateur like me would know that), but I'd be suprised if you had anyone throw it out.

Chateau Marouine 1998 French Red Wine

Ok, for starters I have absolutely no clue how this bottle of wine ended up in my hands. I am guessing by the look of the bottle that it wasn’t meant to lay down for the better part of 10 years. The cellophane at the top of the bottle should have been a sign of things to come. I popped open this bottle and decided to take a quick sniff, as I didn’t know what to expect. The smell wasn’t exactly the highlight of my day. I decided to pour a small amount in my glass and I took another whiff. It smelled like an Indian man’s feet (Dots, not feathers). I drank a small amount and much to my surprise, it did not taste like an Indian man’s feet. It tasted like a Chinaman’s ass. As I type this, I find myself incredibly pissed off at the French. The joke’s on me. The French are the only people that can piss in a bottle, call it wine and actually convince someone to drink it. I fell for it. Assholes.

Arrow Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

This is a California wine that I came across in Kroger. It was listed as a $15 wine but somehow it was on sale for $7.99. It had one of those “This won a bronze medal in some unheard of contest” labels next to it so I figured I would snag a bottle. Of course after reading the fine print, the 2007 won the award and all they had was the 2005. Since I’m a guy who likes to party and since 2005 was a good year for me (Much to the surprise of my parents, I graduated from college and much to the regret of single women everywhere I got engaged) I followed through with the purchase.

Jessica and I had this bottle with a filet and baked potato and it was a very solid wine. Crisp and clean (whatever that means) and not too overpowering (unlike the petite syrah I am drinking right about now that I’m fixing to throw away). I’m not entirely convinced that I would fork over the $15 a bottle because, well, it really wasn’t better than the 14 Hands Cabernet that you can buy for $9 a bottle. But I do plan on running back to Kroger and buying several more bottles at $7.99 because this is probably the best under $8 bottle I’ve had. I can tell you this. If this was regularly under $10 a bottle there is not a doubt in my mind that this would be my “everyday wine”.

14 Hands Cabernet

Todd first recommended this wine to me at Double Nickel Steakhouse in Lubbock, Texas USA. Dollar for Dollar this is my favorite Cabernet (under $10 a bottle). Very smooth, not too heavy and certainly not too light. Everything that a cabernet should be. Great with a steak, great with a burrito and it even makes burned Hamburger Helper tolerable.

The wine itself made the trek to my mouth from Washington State. The story goes that it originally was only served at restaurants (which usually means it’s a crappy, overpriced wine that would be on a shelf next to Little Boomey if it were sold in grocery store). 14 Hands, on the other hand (no pun intended) is quite the opposite. This wine could easily go for $14-$15 a bottle and still be worth every penny.

Chateau De Montfort Vouvray 2005 and 2006

My cousin Mark introduced this wine to me at McCormick and Shmicks seafood restaurant in Houston. It is a sweet, white wine. I learned that a Vouvray is a French Bridle wine, which I am not sure what that has to do with anything. It is similar in “sweetness” to a Riesling, though not quite as crisp. I recall it being a little flatter, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is a great wine to have with seafood or also by itself. I have also enjoyed it with pork. Not that anyone cares. I could also see it being a great wine to complement a light dessert, as it isn’t too overpowering.

Jewel Zinfandel 2001

Not really sure how I came across this bottle, but I found it in my cellar. I am fortunate enough to be friends with Todd who tosses random bottles my way from time to time. He has passed along everything from Duckhorn to Little Boomey (If you’ve given up on life, odds are you just had a glass of this). But back to the Jewel – I really haven’t tried too many Zinfandels. Truthfully, when I hear “Zinfandel” I can’t help but think of a beautiful bottle of Beringer White Zinfandel sitting on a rack at 7-11. I really did not know what to think about this wine, but I was incredibly surprised. I am not sure how it relates to other Zinfandels, but it was smooth, light and very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to friends and family without hesitation.

With that said, I have no clue how much this bottle costs. I am guessing the fact that it has been laying down for the better part of eight years helped.