Jul

1

pewsey-vale.jpgWe figured we’d follow up last week’s review of Australian Pinot Noir – a seemingly unusual red varietal for a region typically characterized by warm weather – by selecting for today’s Weekday Wine a bottling of an unusual white varietal from the same place: Riesling.  

Much to our liking, the 2007 Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling was light, crisp (though mostly toward the back end of the mid-palate) and completely dry, with a nose of peach, slate mineral, and soft floral scents.  Lime and mineral dominated on the finish.

At $14 and with a screwtop, no less, this wine, much like last week’s Pinot Noir, was yet another steal for the price.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at K&L Wines in San Francisco.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Jun

26

coldstream-hills-yarra-valley-pinot-noir-2006.jpgThis is the kind of Pinot Noir that we love, with its gorgeous, light intensity, ruby color that masks a hefty body and bright, earthy aromatics.  The nose reminded us a lot of Beaujolais Nouveaux, with its unmistakable wet forest and berry scents, but that likeness ended when we sipped and felt the impressive, full-sized texture and palate-cleansing burst of acidity in our mouths.

Frankly, we couldn’t decide what we liked most about the Coldstream Hills 2006 Pinot Noir: the low price relative to Pinots of this quality; the attractive appearance in our glasses; the solid structure; the somewhat unexpected origin (from cool, southern Australia); or the screwtop!

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com. 

Jun

24

simon-hackett-grenache-2005.jpgOn Sunday, we visited a winery in the Stag’s Leap district of Napa whose Cabernets were out of this world — we’re talking layers and layers of interesting scents, including coffee, tobacco, chocolate, caramel, smoke, and molasses.  The catch was, of course, a hugely steep price tag, which meant that we would return home empty-handed. 

On the bright side of things, later that night we popped open our bottle of Simon Hackett’s 2005 Old Vine Grenache from Australia’s Mclaren Vale region, and, happily, it reminded us that excellent wine need not always cost a Benjamin (or even close to it…)  

At $12, the Simon Hackett is a tip top value – we found aromas of coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, and dark cherry, and in the mouth, the coffee and cherry paved the way for a slightly tingly, cinnamon-and-spice finish.  As for texture, it was light (but not too much so) on tannin and acid, which translated to a slightly silky, but soothing, mouthfeel not unlike that of last week’s Weekend Wine.

Add to the above a screw top and the exotic appeal of a Grenache from Down Under, and we were ready to start buying this stuff in bulk.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Mill Valley Market.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com. 

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