2002 Gotim Bru - Castel Del Remei (Spain)

In my humble opinion, this might be the best $10 bottle of wine on the market. It’s a dense, medium bodied wine with chocolate and coffee aromas and an abundance of black cherry. It’s a little earthy and not too complex but the fruit makes it a generous wine.

I’ve seen this wine in many a wine store in NYC, including Garnet Wine (www.garnetwine.com) on 68th and Lexington for $9.99. PJ Wine (www.pjwine.com)up on 207th and Broadway also has the 2001 which is slightly drier and in my opinion, more complex and slightly more refined for $10.99. Another steal in my opinion.

This wine will go well with any “red wine food” just short of steak in my opinion although feel free to disagree as I’m still learning about food and wine pairings.

2002 Cristom - Mt. Jefferson Pinot Noir (Oregon)

This wine if fantastic! It has an earthy/underbrush nose that recedes some after the wine has been allowed to breathe some. After some time, it reveals cloves along with hints of cedar, blackberry, black currant, raspberry, and maybe even some plum. It’s dry on the tongue with a nice long clean finish. There’s a real delicacy and elegance to this complex wine. It might even be one of my favorite Pinot Noirs.

This wine was originally bought at Union Square Wine for $25 although they don't currently carry the 2002 and have moved on to more recent vintages. However, a search of Wine Zap reveals that you can find it for about the same price at various other places across the country and order it via the internet. It might be worth it to do so if you love Pinot Noir.

Chateau Lagrange - Bordeaux

These pictures of from our trip to Bordeaux and specifically, our visit with Marcel Ducase, the winemaker of Chatuear Lagrange in the St. Julian region. We were treated to a tour of the entire operation and then dinner at the chateau! Truely an experience of a lifetime. Below are just a few pictures from that evening.

The vats of Chateau Lagrange

The vineyards of Chateau Lagrange

The tasting room at Chateau Lagrange

2002 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County)

This is one of my favorite “great value” wines. I think it’s a solid cabernet sauvignon from California at a very reasonable price. First off, Rodney Strong is a Sonoma, California based winery and maybe the price is reasonable because it’s not Napa. Just a guess. Still, the 2002 is a nice medium bodied with noticeable tannins and a dark ruby color. It could still stand a year or two of bottle age if you are inclined to hold on to it. Rather than tasting of oak, the wood is more like cedar with a rich blackberry cocoa flavor. After sitting for a little bit, more of the black cherry and vanilla emerge.

If you find the 2000 in the store, buy it. It’s awesome and very refined for the price. The 2001, not so much. The 2002, right in the middle in my opinion.

I bought my bottle at Garnet Wine on 68th and Lex. This wine is cheaper here than anywhere else I’ve seen it but I have seen it in other wine stores around the city.

My Favorite Place on Earth - Bordeaux

I am an unabashed fan of Bordeaux wines. Even more specifically, my preference is for the wines of St. Julien and Pauillac. Because of that, our visit to Bordeaux in May of 2005 felt like I had found heaven on earth. Below are just a small sample of the pictures I took.

Leaving St. Julien and entering Pauillac with vineyards of Leoville Las Cases in the forground and Chateaux Pichon-Lalande (right) and Pichon-Baron (left).



The famous arch of Leoville Las Cases

The enterence of Pauillac's Lynch Bages

The vineyards of Chateau Leoville Poyferre

The fairytale like Chateau of Pichon-Lalande