Wino Club Tasting Winners

Last night our Wino Club met and we tasted Meritage. It was an odd pick for a 90+ degree day but we went with it. Our Hostess LV Vinton picked it so who were we to complain?

Our club members brought 11 wines and we tasted a total of 9 wines because of duplicates. This was one of our smallest club gatherings ever and yet oddly enough we drank nearly all of the wine. There were definitely empties as proof that it was a well liked wine. Either that or I forgot my pour spout so the tastings got a little larger than usual (oops!).

The winner of the evening was tough to determine and we had to (emphasis on HAD to) re-taste the top two to make the final determination.

First Place, Double Gold Medal goes to Estancia 2004 Meritage out of Paso Robles. This wine was brought by Jan Duran, picked up at BevMo for just under $30.00. Why did she pick this one in particular? She's a big fan of the wines coming out of Paso plain and simple. This blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot. The nose, as with all of the Meritage we tasted, was very dense and took us a long time to draw out. What we did get was dark fruit of black cherry and plum, tobacco and cedar. What we tasted was a perfectly balanced and well rounded wine that we worth the re-taste for sure.

Now the wine we brought was not a Meritage (rebels) and we did not win (although we were in the top 3). It was Chateau des Annereaux 2003 Bordeaux from Lalande-de-Pomerol (Girande). We picked it up for our Meritage tasting as an example of what the Meritage Association was basing it's blend on. However we also couldn't pass it up at Cost Plus for $22 especially when we read the blend. Uniquely different for a traditional Bordeaux, the mix was 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The mix of the Cab Franc in there made a huge impact on the flavor and color of the wine. Even with the 70% Merlot this wine had a meatiness that I wasn't expecting. It was a great wine for the price point but I need to go on record that it did not have the flavors typical to a Bordeaux.

We were all very happy with our winner - thanks goes out to LV for hosting our wine tasting party this month and we're looking forward our next Wino Winner!

Sincerely,
Stacy & Darcy
The Original Winos!

Wine Club Tasting Winner

Thank you to Kim Kelliher of the Grapeline for this winning submission from her Wino Club. We love hearing about the winning wines from all the clubs out there so please submit them to info@thewinoclub.com.

As a side note, Kim and her husband own 'The Grapeline', a tour company specializing in wine tasting tours of the Temecula Valley Wine Region. Their luxury vans have taken many a wino from winery to winery and we were fortunate enough to take a field trip with them last summer and they took great care of us. To get more information on their services, please refer to the link at the end of her write up. Thanks again Kim for your write up!

Zin Alert! We tasted 22 Zinfandels during our most recent Wino Gals get together in the Temecula area. The resounding winner? Tobin James Cellars 2004 Zinfandel “Dusi Vineyard.” With rich fruit and berry aromas, and an intense ruby color, this Zin is bound to impress! Cherries, berries, jam: it has it all! And then it really gets your attention with a nutmeg & peppery finish. The bad news is that Tobin James of Paso Robles has sold out of the 2004 vintage. Good news is the 2005 is just about to be released! Meanwhile, you almost can’t go wrong with Zinfandels from Paso Robles. Also scoring well among the Wino Gals were Zins from Bianchi Winery and Peachy Canyon – both of Paso Robles. Then, there’s my personal favorite: Opolo. The winery produces usually three or four different Zins at a time, from various vineyards, and I’ve never tasted one I didn’t like. Cheers to Paso!

Cheers!
Kim Kelliher
The Grapeline, Inc.
ph: (951) 693-5755
fx: (951) 693-0274
email: kkelliher@gogrape.com
website: www.gogrape.com