Muerte a la Tierra!

I am thoroughly surprised I even entertained the thought of trying this bottle, given my complete and utter disdain for this filth ridden, space travelling lint ball we call home.  Organic wine?  Happy hippy juice.  What am I to expect? Jammy? As in guitars noodling for countless hours culminating in an annoying unstructured and a less than satisfying long finish?  A spicy conglomerate of long hair, free love and a strong disbelief in soap?  There is a reason I don't recycle. How can I perpetuate this nonsense?  With every empty bottle that I chuck at a woodpecker, I feel a sense of great justice.  My mantra, Muerte a la Tierra!  With that being said...... A completely unbiased opinion.


What we have is a cabernet sauvignon from Bonterra, vintage 2009.  90% Mendocino County, 10% Lake County.  Due to the 'organic' nature of this wine, I didn't even bother to note the ullage.  Uncork and pour. A little swirl and sniff reveal raisin, jam (damn it) and black cherry, specifically prunas cerasus or sour cherry of the species found in asia.  On the palette, generous amounts of pepper, plum and clove with an overall bitterness. The finish leaves with pleasant, leathery tannins.  From the start I was ready to dismiss this wine.  But as the bottom of the bottle began to reveal itself, I softened.   But as much as I like this wine, there isn't enough of it to keep me from choosing plastic over paper and recycling my styrofoam take out containers directly to the dump.  Hey, every bit counts.

Bawdy!

It's the word  I would use to describe this red blend from Chile. Yes, bawdy. It reminds me of how I like my women. Bold and aggressive,  will slap you in the face then open up. Best of all they can be had for only eight bucks a pop.  The bottle I am speaking of is a 2009 vintage Winemaker's Lot from producer Concha Y Toro of the Maule Valley, Chile.  It is a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% carmenere, Chile's representative grape and 10% syrah. Prior to uncorking, a quick measuring of the ullage revealed a spacious three quarters of an inch.  Initial impressions on the tongue are sharp, acidic with a lot of alcohol present. Soon this gives way to big round dark berry and jam with hints toward leather, pepper and black currant. As with the aforementioned ladies, the finish is exiting and a bit hairy about the edges with soft, supple tannins. So, pull out your corkscrews, pop cork and enjoy a bawdy night of cheap thrills.

Ullage!

Use this word around your wine drinking friends and they are sure to be dumbstruck by your impeccable viticulture knowledge. Ullage is the space in a wine bottle containing no wine, the distance between the bottom of the cork and the wine. Furthermore you can watch their heads cave in when you let them know the word comes from the latin oculus, meaning eye. Even more the Romans used it figuratively for the bung of a barrel. Now watch your friends eyes glaze over as they contemplate your bad ass snobbery. Pat yoursef on the back,  you truly are an indispensable source of haughtiness.

Now for a review.


A few years ago, I for the first time tried a malbec. It was bought on a whim from the local grocer, was very affordable, I was impressed and have tried many since. The malbec grape hails from the Bordeaux region of France and is used as blending grape for the wines of the region. More recently it is a prized varietal in Argentina. The bottle up for review is Colores Del Sol vintage 2009 from Mendoza, Argentina and can be had for $9.99 a bottle.


Soon after peeling away the wrapper, I of course noticed the ullage.  Three eighths of an inch by estimation. Pour, swirl, sniff, inhale. Spice and black berry immediately jump out.  Sip, swish, savor. Black berry and pepper are the first flavors I notice followed by jam and plum with the slightest note of cola.  Earthy tannins and a long not so clean finish make for a rustic yet pleasant wine.  This offering has enough body to stand up to summer BBQ or even spicy Mexican foods. Overall I am still impressed with this wine and at $9.99 you can't go wrong.

Wine Finery?

That's right, mind blowing wine finery! What exactly is wine finery you may ask yourself. Wine finery is many things. To name a few it is the art of classy boozing, unique musings, brazenly biased criticism and devilish quackery. But mainly it's about the best thing ever hatched from the scientifically mad egg known as the human brain. As any owner of a well educated palette knows, the world's finest wines reside on middle to lower shelves in dust free bottles and generally command seven to twenty two dollars a bottle. Rarely have I allowed a wine outside this exclusive category pass my lips and allow their dastardly tannins to pillage my expertly calibrated tongue. With that being said....... I will be educating the swill drinking masses through confounding snobbery and astounding arrogance.

stay tuned

Stay tuned for mind blowing wine finery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!