Posts tagged with 'Chardonnay'

Open That Bottle Night 2010

  • Posted on February 28, 2010 at 11:22 pm
We are enjoying a 2007 Maryhill Columbia Valley Chardonnay while sitting on folding chairs and using a step stool as a table!

We are enjoying a 2007 Maryhill Columbia Valley Chardonnay while sitting on folding chairs and using a step stool as a table!

Open That Bottle Night 2010 came and went without much fanfare, last night, just as last year did.  This year, however, we were back at home in North Idaho instead of Ogden, Utah. 

As you may, or may not, know, Open That Bottle Night, or OTBN, is the night you force yourself to open that “once in a lifetime” bottle of wine because if you didn’t, it may never get opened.  We save that special bottle for that special time and for some reason that special time never seems to be quite special enough.  So the bottle sits.  And sits.  And sits. 

“How ’bout THIS anniversary, honey?” 

“Ummmm, no.  Not quite important enough.”

And sits.  And sits.

“How ’bout the birth of our 14th child, baby?”

“Ummmmmm, nope.  Close, but STILL not quite important enough to open THAT bottle!”

And sits.  Until, it has sat too long.  Way too long!

That is why John Brecher and Dorothy (Dottie) Gaitor coined this once a year event, in their Wall Street Journal’s ”Tastings” column, that falls on the last Saturday of each February so that we could at least open a very special bottle before it had a chance to get over the hill, so to speak.  And this was the eleventh year of the event and it has gone viral globally!  It was all a-twitter on Twitter last night with the question, “What are YOU opening for OTBN tonight?”

Two years ago we had a little soiree at our place with a small group of friends and opened some very special wines.  One of them was a 1981 Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon.  It wasn’t very good.  It was either over the hill or just not kept correctly over the years as it was just bad.

But the experience was good.  That was the year we unvailed our cork catcher as I had just finished it a couple of days prior.  Last year we were on our own in Utah where we opened a Sancerre. 

So, what did WE open for that OTBN last night?  Good question.

This year we started out the evening with a 2007 Maryhill Chardonnay.  AND, it marked the first night of the year we enjoyed a glass of wine outside while throwing the ball to the dogs.  Last year we had snow in the back yard until April but this year it’s almost gone.  The sun was out so it made for a beautiful setting but once the sun set it got chilly really fast.  We even fed the fish in our pond for the first time this year on this eventful evening.  I drug out a couple of folding chairs because all of the patio chairs are inside for the winter, and we used a step stool as a table (see photo).

Maryhill has continually impressed me with their quality juice.  A couple of weeks ago we had a Maryhill  Sangiovese and it was very good.  We’re not really Sangiovese fans but this one was something we enjoyed.  We always enjoy their vitners blend.  But last night we opened a 2007 Columbia Valley Chardonnay, from Maryhill Winery.  It had a light toasty finish that continued to linger.  Very nice.  It wasn’t at all over oaked. 

Then, with dinner, we had a choice to make between a Cotes du Ventoux or a 2005 dArry’s Original Shiraz/Grenache from d’Arenberg in Australia and we chose the latter.

Shelley has a fondness for McLaren Vale Shiraz so we chose this one because of that.  We had T-Bone steaks (we usually have rib eye steaks) and they were scrumptious.  The only problem was that I THOUGHT it was a 100% Shiraz we were drinking (because I inadvertently FORGOT to look at the entire label!) but instead was a 50/50 Shirza/Grenache.  My bad.

Well, it started out rather tight but opened up in due time to a VERY berry nose and a chewy, jammy taste!  It paired very well with the steaks and by the end of the night my stomache was full and my heart was happy.

If you happened to enjoy your OWN Open That Bottle Night will you please comment here so that I know what YOU had to drink?  Thank you for reading and, as always, bottoms up!

Taste Washington-Spokane 2009!

  • Posted on October 6, 2009 at 6:57 pm

This is our third year volunteering at Taste Washington-Spokane, where over one hundred Washington wineries get together with many restaurants and have a big ol’ tasting.  It was held on June 21st at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington.  They have an event in Seattle, as well, usually a couple of months before the Spokane event and that one brings so many people, I’ve heard complaints about how you can’t even get around.

Now, I understand that this post won’t be highly relevant but it’s important for me to document this event as it was even better than the previous years that we’ve volunteered.  One reason is that we have more knowledge about wine than we did a few years back.  With that comes confidence which cannot be overstated.

I HAVE been trying to write about this for about three months.  There are so many things to say I start getting overwhelmed and then just “put it off” for another day.  Well, as the song goes, “that day has come” (if it’s not a song, it should be).

Like last year, we worked the White Out Bar, which boasts about 20-25 white wines that go very well with seafood and shell fish.  The Taste Washington organizers placed the White Out Bar right next to an oyster bar ran by Anthony’s At Spokane Falls, a top of the line Seafood Restaurant, one of the finest in the state.  Making it to the oyster bar is high on the list of most of the people who go to Taste Washington so we are naturally the next stop for them, giving us many opportunities to meet people.

I can’t mention ALL of the wines we tasted, as it was well over 20 for me and about 10-15 for Shelley.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this but I don’t often spit when tasting wine.  Shelley will at times but not me.  I just can’t bring myself to do it. 

We noticed none of the Sauvignon Blancs that were poured at the White Out Bar had grassy notes like you find in the Australian and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.  That was interesting.  Ahead are some highlights of the wine that ambled past my lips and down my throat at Taste Washington Spokane.

I found a 2007 Chardonnay from Saint Laurent Estate Winery that was very good.  It had subtle oak notes on the nose and a caramel finish on the back of the tongue.  Very tasty.  My Taste Washington program states you can get this Chardonnay for about $15 which is a great value, in my opinion.

Our old friend from San Juan Vineyards made our acquaintance once again, Madeleine Angevine.  As we try to be objective while pouring at the White Out Bar unless asked of our opinion, I still found myself pushing this somewhat unknown white wine.  Virutually everyone that tried it enjoyed it.  After doing some research on that varietal I found that it is from the Loire Valley in France and is found in Germany, the United Kingdom and (how ironic) Washington State, where it is developing a cult following. 

I also tasted a Merlot from San Juan Vineyards that was delicious with chocolate cake on the nose and a boatload of personality.  (I’m writing this in the afternoon but I find that I really would like a glass of that San Juan Vineyards Merlot right now!)  The Madeleine Angevine runs about 17 bucks a bottle and you can expect to pay around $23 for the Merlot.

Another one that stood out was a 2005 Matthews Estate Red Wine from the Columbia Valley, which was a Bordeaux Blend.  It went perfect with the chocolate fondue I was pairing with it.  Another red that caught my attention, also from the Columbia Valley, was from William Church Winery, their 2006 Bishops Blend.  At $19, a true bargain!  Barrister Winery poured a 2007 Cabernet Franc, ALSO from the Columbia Valley, that was delicious.  It had a wonderuful nose, quite peppery, and their were certainly some tannins as well.

I could go on about wines that I tasted from Dunham Cellars, Coyote Canyon, Barnard Griffin, DiSteffano Winery, Basel Cellars Estate Winery, Vin Du Lac, Whitman Cellars and so on but it would be much of the same thing:  Great, great, great! 

Suffice it to say, this is something we hope to do every year in June as it is absolutely one of the highlights to our year.  We don’t pay the $75.00 admission fee, work for 2-3 hours pouring wines that pair well with seafood and then get to talk to aLOT of people who make wine, love wine and are wine.  It’s so much fun.  Oh yeah, we help break down for an hour or so afterwards.

So, if you are around the Spokane area June 6th or the Seattle area March 27th and 28th of this year, make a point of dropping the cash and see for yourself the quality of wine being made in Washington State. 

Until next time, bottoms up and thanks for reading!

A Lovely Taste of Townshend

  • Posted on May 6, 2009 at 6:28 pm

Right off the bat I want to thank all those new General Wine Thoughts subscribers.  If you’re one of them, and you know who you are, I hope you will enjoy the casual talk of wine.  My goal is to teach people from the ground up, from square one, from the beginning about wine.  People often are intimidated when discussing wine and, although there is certainly a lot to learn about wine, you can still have a broad understanding of the different varietals and what to look for.  I will be covering this as well as other opinions and, well, thoughts, during the coming months but I WILL go slow.  Hey, I have my whole life to explain this stuff!

Now, about White Table Wine, Syrah and Viognier!

One of the many incredibly fun things about enjoying wine is meeting so many great people that share the same passion for wine.  As I found myself around the Green Bluff area just North of Spokane, Washington, I felt compelled to stop by the tasting room of an old friend, Townshend Cellar.  It seems like where ever I see Townshend Cellar set up (Taste Washington, Food Services of America events, etc…) I see Jill Rider.  Her Business card says she is the Director of Sales and Marketing for the winery but she is also the General Manager and manages the tasting room and winery events and she does a stellar job, from what I can see.  Really, what DOESN’T she do?  The last time we were there it was myself, Shelley, her dad, Lloyd, and our newest pup, Izzie (see the last post for pictures of all!).

In fact, while visiting with Jill during this “out of the blue” stop, the winemaker, Don Townshend, called her to let her know he had just returned from his trip to Italy.  Undoubtedly, a wine driven trip to be sure.  The story of Townshend is refreshing.  Don debated for years on whether or not he should make wine.  Having never made wine he took the leap of faith after attempting a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in 1995, bottling them in 1998 and realizing they tasted as good or better than some of the best California and Washington wines.

Now, Townshend Cellar makes about 10,ooo cases of wine a year and offers around 20 different wines for their customers to choose from.  Their most popular wine is probably their T3 which is a non-vintage Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  I see this wine on many restaurants’ wine lists and we have a bottle of that in our cellar, as well as their Vortex, 2002 Late Harvest Merlot and 2005 Syrah (which I just purchased when I was there). 

The other night we opened their White Table Wine which consists of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay.  For a price of under $11 you can’t really go wrong.  It was very crisp from the first sip.  Shelley tasted the Viognier right away and thought there may be too much of it.  She thought it was syrupy and slightly metallic.  I noticed there was a tartness to it right at the back of the tongue.  We also noticed hints of apples and apricots on the nose and I also tasted the apricots.  I was captured by the legs on this wine–the wine just seemed to cling onto my glass!  (Check out my next post when I will explain all about the “legs” of wine.)

All in all, we enjoyed this White Table Wine.  They also make a Red Table Wine.  In the never ending quest of coming up with labels that will catch the eye of the consumer the labels on these wines simply have a white table and red table, respectively.  Simple, to the point and catchy.

As for their Syrah–I bought the recently released 2005 while I was there but we already owned a bottle of the 2004 from our last trip to Townshend and we chose to open that.  We drank this with barbequed ribs which was quite tasty.  Since we had a half bottle left over we had that with steak the following night and it was even better!  It is almost entirely Syrah with only 4% Merlot and it’s from Washingtons Columbia Valley.  Very rich.

Shelly exclaimed, “It’s SO PURPLE!” as I poured her a glass.  True, it is very dark.  Right away there was alcohol on the nose but as it opened up the alcohol went away and was replaced with raspberries and pepper.  I thought it was very soft with good mouthfeel.  It paired well with the ribs but was outstanding with the steak.

The following night we completed the Townshend trifecta with their 2007 Viognier.  I remember tasting this at the tasting room and thinking it was quite sweet.  When we opened the bottle it wasn’t AS sweet but SO much fruit on the nose.  This is a wine that would be wonderful on a hot summers day or with some oysters. 

Townshend has made a name for itself with its quality juice and have only ten years making wine.  Just think what another ten years will do for them.  Why don’t you pick up a bottle of something from Townshend Cellar and try it for yourself.

Tonight, we’re having a Cabernet Franc with a pot roast–yUm!  So look forward to reading about that AND don’t forget, next column we’ll be talking about legs.  I DO love talking about legs, ya know?  Doesn’t everbody????

Until then, bottoms up and ENJOY!

CMS? Complete Meaning Surfaced

  • Posted on March 25, 2009 at 9:00 pm

As we come to the end of the Ultimate Blog Party 2009 I have to say how impressed I am with the success of it.  Up until March 20th I had had NO comments on this General Wine Thoughts site.  Since then I’ve had over ten comments and they’re still coming in and they’re all SO positive!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by and for your wonderful comments and I have myself visited some great blogs from other people.

 

Today I am going to write about a couple of other wines from one winery that are reasonably priced (no, not under $3.00!) and worth a try.  You may have already tried them.  I’m talking about the CMS wines of Hedges Family Estate. 

 

With the popularity of wine on the steep climb upwards, the competition can become very fierce for the consumer dollar.  Winery’s try to come up with clever ways of marketing their wine so that it catches the eye of the consumer:  Animals on the labels, play on words—all sorts of things.  They also come up with catchy names and that is what Hedges Family Estates has done with their CMS. 

 

The white CMS is 35% Chardonnay, 3% Marsanne and 62% Sauvignon Blanc and it’s pretty good.  Smooth and creamy, this white wine is about 13 bucks in the store.  It’s an interesting combination of grape varietals that seem to work, though I remember this wine tasting better the first go around than it did this go around, which is the 2007 version.  There is some mango on the mid tongue that is nice but an awkward finish.  The down side is that there is virtually no nose on this wine, which I miss because I REALLY like a wine with a great nose.  All in all, however, it’s a wine to try, to be sure.

 

Then I opened their red CMS and, well, this is a GREAT deal!  While watching American Idol I enjoyed the 2007 CMS which is 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 51% Merlot and 7% Syrah and it really is a great value at about ten bucks a bottle.  The nose has a hint of smoky-ness to it but you get some alcohol as well.  The taste is the result of a really nice combination of the grape varietals Hedges has chosen with some blueberry, bing and black cherry.  I actually tasted the Cabernet Sauvignon more than the other varietals.  Friends of mine, Lin and Marci Cooper, served this at their Christmas party about three years ago and I was very impressed then and it hasn’t depreciated now.

 

If you had to choose between the two I would go with the red CMS because it’s less money and, in my opinion, better tasting.  But both are worthy.

 

On the last post I promised to tell you about the toast Shelley and I do on EACH and EVERY bottle of wine we open.  You’ve read about the Tastings column found in the Wall Street Journal that I read on Friday’s from Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher and how they have come up with Open That Bottle Night which is designed to get people to open that one bottle of wine that never seems to get opened because the situation doesn’t seem to be big enough (See my post about Open That Bottle Night).  We first learned of these two from their book, “Love By The Glass:  Tasting Notes From A Marriage”.  If you asked me to recommend just one book I would say READ THIS ONE!  This book is absolutely awesome!  Romance and wine rolled into one!

 

Anyway, John and Dottie toast every bottle that they open with the same toast.  Read the book to find out what THAT is but OUR toast is our own.  I look into Shelley’s eyes and say, “To your giggles” and she looks right at me, and says, “To your kisses.  (Hey, I can’t help it that I kiss well.)  THAT is the toast we make with each and every bottle of wine we open whether we’ve had it before or not.  We even have it etched in the base of our glasses.  Hers says TYK and mine says TYG.  Dumb?  Maybe, but it works for us because we are in love and we enjoy each other and our wine.  And we know that what ever we go through in life we will always have each other and our wine.  And everyone should know that feeling. 

 

Until next time, bottoms up.

Ultimate Blog Party 2009 and Affordable (Decent) Wine

  • Posted on March 20, 2009 at 11:28 am

OK, well, I’ve been thrown for a loop…TWICE!  Pull up a chair and get comfortable–this is a long one.

Loop Throwing #1:

I was just making the finishing touches on this post when it was brought to my attention a HUGE one week BASH of a party!  From two twin sisters who started the site Five Minutes For Mom, comes the Ultimate Blog Party 2009 which is about building online friendships and relationships and it starts TODAY and runs until the 27th.

It’s very simple to join the fun (if I could do it ANYbody can!) and there are lots of ways you can get involved–from simply reading their post, to publishing your own party post on your blog (which is what I’m doing right NOW and you’re a part of it!) and signing one of the Mr. Linky link lists near the end of their post.  There are even prizes!  I LOVE prizes!  There are so many cool prizes to be won at this years Ultimate Blog Party 2009 but my top three are:

#70  One case of Cinnamon Churros (yum) provided by Rudolph Foods; #89  $100 Gift Card to HomeGoods provided by HG Openhouse; #119  2 Life Journals (one for me and one for a friend) to guide Bible reading and study provided by Mom’s Toolbox.

And if these top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following:  19, 21, 22, 26 and 91 or anything related to young women as my daughters are 16 and 19.

There will be so many new relationships built after this week of blogging frenzy.  I’ve put a cute little Ultimate Blog Party 2009 button on the left just above my blog roll.

Now I know this site and this party is basically for Mom’s but they make it very clear that Dad’s, and anybody else, for that matter, can join.  So, for my party post, I’m sticking with what this site is dedicated to doing and that is teaching people about wine from the ground up.  As I’ve stated before, I, Phil Anderson, am certainly no wine expert but I do love wine and am enjoying learning as much as possible about it.  As the subject of wine can seem very intimidating to people, my goal is to teach about wine in very simple terms.

I know Mom’s (as well as Dad’s) around the globe work very hard in raising children so that they’ll become an integral part of society.  I myself am a father and I’m very proud of my daughters.  I know at the end of the day a little peace and solitude (sometimes VERY little) is sought and when that time comes it can really help to have it include a nice glass of wine.

So today’s post is about a wine that I feel can be a great everyday wine.  As we read and hear about seemingly every hour of every day, household budgets have taken a hit so people have had to find ways of trimming their  costs.  So how do you trim your wine cost without effecting quality?

That brings me to my–

Loop Throwing #2:

You know when you buy a very inexpensive bottle of wine just so that you can enjoy something at some point of the evening?  You don’t need to break the bank and you can’t just coninue to drop 10-20 bucks for a bottle of wine every night.  It’s not financially prudent.  So you go for something under ten bucks…ok, sometimes even under FIVE bucks.

Everyone (well, most people who drink wine, anyway) has heard of Two Buck Chuck, Charles Shaw Winery’s low end, “everyday” wine.  We tried that and weren’ t very impressed.  The Chardonnay was flat and the Merlot sweet.

So, while shopping at Walmart (I know, I know, but don’t get politically correct on me, now), Shelley saw an Oak Leaf Vineyards Chardonnay and Merlot for, get this, $2.97 each.  Suffice it to say, we weren’t expecting ANYTHING, let alone, nothing much.

We opened the bottle of Chardonnay, poured, toasted (stay tuned for what our tratitional daily toast is and how it came to be in the next General Wine Thoughts post) and tasted.  What came next was, well surprising, to say the least.  It tasted pretty good!

The Chardonnay had very little, if any, oak and it was crisp and clean.  Most inexpensive Chardonnay’s have an off smell followed by an off taste which leads to an off opinion.  This had a hint of on off smell, just at the finish, but was rather pleasant.

The Merlot was not quite as good, but still, not bad at all.  Not much of anything on the nose.  You expect some rich berries when you smell a Merlot.  The taste was also pleasant.

The label didn’t give much information about Oak Leaf Vineyards except that they’re located in Ripon and Livermore (two cities?), California.  I did find out that they brought home the Gold at the 2008 Florida State Fair.  Both of these wines were non-vintage so they can use grapes from many vintages.  That also means the wine will likely be very consistent.

To end this post, I would like to encourage you to pick up a botttle of one of these Oak Leaf Vineyards wines at your local Walmart and give it a go.  I think you’ll be surprised.  And if nothing else, it will give you a little “me” time after giving so much of “your” time, although deserving, to your kids.

Four Wines in Three Nights

  • Posted on January 31, 2009 at 12:20 pm
2004 Pieropan Soave Classico

2004 Pieropan Soave Classico

Happy Saturday! Welcome to another posting of my “General Wine Thoughts”. Fun stuff, huh?
We’ve had some interesting wine the past couple of nights. Last night we had a wonderful roast for dinner and opened a 2005 Winemaker’s Blend from Maryhill Winery. Maryhill is located in the, as they state, “world renowned”, scenic Columbia River Gorge in South Central Washington State. We’ve enjoyed this particular wine quite a bit because we had the honor of being able to take home a couple of bottles after we helped with Taste Washington last June in Spokane, Washington. We’ve come to understand the benefits of helping to break down the event afterwards.

This red wine is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc and went quite well with the roast beef. This particular blend always seems to have quite a few tannins but it has a rich, full nose and a lovely taste.

We opened the evening with a 2004 Pieropan Soave Classico from Italy (pictured). I couldn’t find out what was used in this particular vintage white table wine but the 2005 had 90% Garganega and 10% Trebbiano. I understand that this winery uses Garganega for their Soave Classico. It reminded me of Chardonnay in its look and taste. It was quite smooth and had a subtle flowery nose.

The night before that we had broiled steaks, a staple in our house. We had a 2006 Stephen’s Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. I thought this wine was rather weak, to tell you the truth. I was really needing a big Cab to go with this steak and it really didn’t live up to that expectation. Hey, you win some and you lose some, yes? Anyway, Stephens Ridge is located in Santa Rosa, California and this is the first time we tried this winery.

Tonight we just finished a 2007 Chardonnay from Snoqualmie Vineyards, also, from the Columbia Valley in Washington. Actually we didn’t expect a lot from this wine as it was quite inexpensive but it was rather surprising. Usually the nose on a cheap white wine is of a dirty laundry hamper but this had nothing of the like. Light, fresh and surprisingly, not too much oak, which I’ve found is another consistent trait of cheap wine.

Since the next posting will likely be after the Super Bowl here is my prediction that you all have likely been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear. It will be a close game and I think the Arizona Cardinals will put a bow on their Cinderella story by upsetting the Steelers 23-17.

There you have it. Another post in the books and THIS one with an actual picture! Keep a lookout for the next one as I’m going to show you the Cork Catcher I made to catch all the corks from the wine we drink. It’s very unique and an eye catcher.

Till then, bottoms up!

A Couple Simple Wines on a Simple Night Out

  • Posted on January 24, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Hello, fellow wine drinkers. Oh, I’m just so excited! I’m writing this just as the Washington Huskies beat #11 UCLA by nine in a Pac 10 basketball showdown. Now they sit on top of the Pac 10.

So on to what this is supposed to be. Today’s post will include some thoughts about two different wines we drank last night while at dinner at a cute little place near Coeur d’Alene called Kynrede Café. Shelley likened it to a restaurant she absolutely loves in Orange County called The Hobbit.

Shelley ordered a glass of La Palma Sauvignon Blanc from the Cachapoal Valley of Chile. It was a 2007 vintage and estate grown. It was everything a good Sauvignon Blanc should be. Shelley thought it was a somewhat effervescent. I thought it had a very grassy nose and it was very light.

I ordered a 2004 Cambria Chardonnay from their Katherine’s Vineyard. This estate bottle Chardonnay is from the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Surprisingly, it had virtually no nose. However, it tasted much better than the nose with light oak, somewhat toasty, very smooth and mellow. Shelley thought had a slightly perfumy nose and had a light butter and oak taste to it. Just a perfect amount of oak in this Chardonnay.

We have visited this winery before and the people there are very nice. Katherine’s Vineyard is named for the owner’s eldest daughter. I remember sneaking out to where all the oak casks were when we visited. We even bought our most very favorite wine opener at the Cambria winery but it recently broke and we’re in the process of finding another one just like it. This opener is flat and has a nifty little foil cutter on one end that opens up when you need to use it and the cork screw on the other end. It’s very small, light, simple and easy to use. But, since it’s made of plastic, it can break when trying to pry a cork out of an older bottle of wine and that’s just what happened.

Shelley ordered Chicken Marcella and realized the Sauvignon Blanc probably wouldn’t pair too well with it. I ordered the Coconut Prawns and I faced a similar dilemma with my Chardonnay. What WOULD we do?
Well, we did just that and pulled the old switcheroo. Her chicken paired very well with the Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc was delicious with my prawns. Of course, we both got to taste the other dish as well. All in all it was a very enjoyable meal, especially when you look at the per glass prices of the wine, $4.25 for the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and $5.75 for the Chardonnay.

As always, thank you for reading, and now go drink up!

2009 Inauguration Day tasting notes

  • Posted on January 20, 2009 at 3:58 pm
What a day! President Obama was sworn into office and the whole nation, including ourselves, were fixated on the events as they unfolded. As I looked at their luncheon menu I noticed they chose all California wines to pair with their meal. A 2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc with the first coarse, a 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir to go with the second coarse and a Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvee” sparkling wine (they errantly called it a California Champagne) for the third, and last, course. Go to White House Menu to see what food they paired these wines with or try Duckhorn Gift Set to buy the first two wines in a wooden gift box and enjoy what all the dignitaries at the luncheon enjoyed.

A side note, Shelley’s all-time favorite Merlot is made by Duckhorn. We have a couple bottles that we laid down some years back, one of them a 25th anniversary bottle. Perhaps we should think about bringing one of those up soon to enjoy, yes?

Tonight we celebrated this historic day by finishing off that wonderful lasagna from Sunday night and we opted to try a blend with it—an unusual blend from Oxford Landing from South Australia called GSM, which stands for Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre. I told you it was unusual. Oxford Landing has been around since 1958 and this 2006 GSM was a blend of 47% Grenache, 43% Shiraz and 10% Mourvedre.

Shelley thought she noticed pomegranate in the nose but changed that to, get this, concord grapes. How often do you get anything grape from a wine? Everything BUT grapes, right? I tasted cherries and Shelley added that they were sour cherries, at that. I couldn’t argue. A very smooth, well rounded red wine with virtually no tannins and didn’t taste as young as it should have.

We opened our evening by opening a bottle of Robert Mondavi Chardonnay from 2007. OK, nothing mind blowing here. We both thought the same thing after looking, smelling and tasting: Oak. There was so much oak in this Chardonnay that you couldn’t really taste that it was Chardonnay. That might explain why we each only had a glass and the rest sits in the bottle in the fridge. Perhaps we’ll try and finish it another night. It used to be that you could count on anything from Mondavi to be, at least, good, but not anymore. How sad.

And that’s what I have for you tonight. Until next time, drink up and enjoy!

Top