Wine-O Party

A friend had a bit of a wine tasting party over the weekend after a recent trip to Sonoma, and wanted to geek out over wines and share his excitement. I of course wont pass up an opportunity for some good free wine... even if it is over an hour drive away! ;-) I thought it was a fantastic idea... I will definitely be stealing it when Dave and I get into our new house! From left to right is Dave, me, and Bill in the photo above

These were the wines we had our fun with Saturday night:

Name: Columbia Crest Grand Estates
Vintage: 2003
Region: Columbia Valley
Grape: Chardonnay

Name: Five Rivers
Vintage: 2003
Region: Paso Robles
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Ravenswood Vintners Blend
Vintage: 2003
Region: Sonoma, Lodi, Mendocino
Grape: 76% Zinfandel, 9% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah, 7% Mixed Blacks

Name: Montes Alpha
Vintage: 2003
Region: Colchagua Valley
Grape: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot

Name: Boudale Rouge (Domaine Brusset)
Vintage: 2003
Region: Cotes du Ventoux
Grape: 60% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Clairette

The winner for me was the Boudale Rouge. My palate is still rediculously undeveloped, so when I recognize an aroma or flavor now, I get pretty excited. It is something I have only just recently begun to notice... like when I had a pint of my favorite British brew Boddingtons, and for the first time tasted and smelled honey, no wonder there is a flippin bee on their logo!! But anyway... yea... I took one whiff of the Boudale Rouge... having not heard of a single grape on its label.. unsure of what I was in for, and there it was... raspberry. Very distinct, I looked all excited at Dave and said, "I smell raspberry!!", I tasted it and there it was too. I read the little print out Bill left by all the bottles describing aromas and flavors and there it said, "...flavors of raspberry..." I was so proud of myself. My little tastebuds are growing up.