EAST COAST PALATE

This is a wine that smells like nectar from honeysuckle blossoms poured over candied apples.  It smells like marmelaide zested with lemon peel.  It smells sweet and sticky, yet it isn't full of flabby, syrupy mediocrity like so many Rieslings that have a fair amount of residual sugar left in them.  There is a pop of acidity that balances the body of this wine, and even some effervescence that tingles your tongue and releases pear, apricot, and green apple flavors. 
If you are the type of wine drinker that avoids Riesling on account of sweetness, do not give up on this wine before you try it.  If you like Gewurtztraminer or Moscato, then go find a bottle of this harvest-select treat right away.  I give this bottle a B+ and recommend it highly as its price tag will be just over $10 in most stores.
Pairing this wine might lead your ideas toward desert, which would be delicous (I'm thinking peach cobbler, apple tart, vanilla ice cream, whatever...), but try this wine with a salad:  baby spinach or mesclun greens, slices of ripe pear or apple (or both), toasted almonds and crumbles of salty gorgonzola... finish it all with a honey vinagrette and this duo will be an experience you'll never forget.

So I was eeny-meeny-ing through the bottles at home, and decided to open a bottle of Bodegas Castaño Hécula.  This is a wine comprised 100% of Monastrell, a.k.a. Mourvèdre grapes.  The region that it comes from -Yecla - is in Murcia, in the southeast of Spain, with two stellar winemaking D.O.s as its neighbors: Jumilla and Almansa.  These vines dig deep through limestone and gravel, and their efforts produce very concentrated flavors in the grapes at harvest time.  The 2005 vintage in this area wasn't exceptional but this wine is excellent.  
Its color is a deep reddish purple.  The raisin, dark cherry, and blackberry aromas on the nose yield to deeper layers of cedar, resin, and stone.  The mere act of smelling this wine brought up memories of putting resin on a violin bow as a kid, of walking into a woodshop, of eating fruit rollups. 
Even though this wine doesn't have much of a finish, it has substance and elegance.  The tannins are soft, yet pronounced.  There is a hint of spice.  The stony soil in which the vines grow even imparts a cool mineral feel to the taste and body of this wine.
This is a great bottle of wine...90-91 points and only $12 to $14.
The more I try the wines from Murcia, the more I feel compelled to go visit.  If you could visit one winemaking region in the world, where would you go...and why?

This is the kind of Merlot that might incite some scoffing from Merlot-haters.  It has the fruit bomb characteristics, the lack of body or depth, the finish that is measured in milliseconds... but at the end of the day it tastes good, candy good.
There are cherry and blueberry notes mixed with vanilla and cedar.  It smells like a typical new-world style wine: lush and fruity.  While there isn't anything complex about the wine, it did remind me of the scent of blueberry muffins baking in the oven, which is a very good aroma.  Overall it's a low B wine, but not bad.  I have had a lot better Merlot from Washington state... Five Star, Tamarack, Pedestal, Revelry... there are so many; it is definitely a region where this varietal thrives. 
If you don't like the fruit dominating your wine, then steer clear of this one.  But if you like inexpensive yummy beverages with 13.5% alcohol content, then give this wine a shot.

Recently, Dawn - the publisher of City Living magazine - recommended that I stop in and visit a brand new store down in the Adams Morgan area.  A.M. Wine Shoppe has a beautiful display of wine lining an entire wall.  When I walked in there were a few bottle open, waiting to be tried.  They had cheese and salami samples as well.  There wasn't a huge amount of different wine (while there, I heard someone come in and ask for Virginia wine, and there is none there), but what they lack in extensive selection, they make up for with their service.
Okay, the wine: 
2008 Mader Pinot Blanc... The nose on this Alsatian white wine is fresh, loaded with citrus and a sweet honeydew aroma.  I picked up a slight nasal burn from the alcohol, and there's a floral component layered into the fruity aromas.
If you like sorbet, or Starburst, or just good crisp wine that wakes up your tongue, this is a wine for you.  It is light, but full of flavor, with the lemonpeel leading the way.  The tartness stretches out the finish so that if you take a sip and walk away from your glass, you will honestly carry the flavor in your mouth for a few minutes.
This is a B+ wine for $14 (I've seen it at Rodman's, as well).  It would balance out a strong cheese or cream sauce, or work as a perfect compliment to a fruit salad.
2007 JK Estates Cabernet Sauvignon... Krishna, thank you for this wine.  No, I'm not converting to any religion, Krishna is the guy who gave me this California Cab to try out.  It is a $15 bottle, hailing from an Estate winery in Lodi.  The aromas are what made this wine stand out so much for me, while the body is rather light weight.
This bouquet is full of the beautiful weirdness that gets me excited about wine: pickled okra?  check.  capers?  check.  Imagine you have a dish of blackberry preserves, and then somebody reaching over drops a bit of green pepper, cippolini onions, and pickle juice into the mix.  Sound delicious?  The greenness of this overall aromatic blend may be a turnoff for some, but the onion and green pepper are known to make cameos when it comes to Cabernet.
Despite the olfactary circus going on, the wine is light in tannin, feels fresh and smooth in the mouth, and for me gets a solid 85. 

Every Saturday there are tastings at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits from two to five.  This is the the easiest way to learn about new wines and put your palate to practice...
From right to left (light to bigger) in the picture here are four wines that offer different styles, smells, and flavors:


2008 Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc:  This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, full of zestiness, with key flavors like lemon and grapefruit.  About 1/3 of the wine was put into barrels to age, to soften some of the acidic sharpness, then blended back with the rest that stayed in stainless tanks.  The end result is a fresh Sauvignon Blanc that still has good acidity, yet comes at the palate in a more mellow way.  This normally costs $17, but was on sale for just under $13.

2006 Merryvale Starmont Chardonnay:   Chardonnay is a grape that can be vinified in a number of ways, a fact which splits Chardonnay drinkers into two schools: those that dig oak, and those that don't.
This bottle delivers a blend of half barrel-fermented and half stainless-steel-ferments grapes, resulting in a wine that still has nice body and a beautiful golden color, but is smells more of fresh fruit than it does of butter and barrels.  There are some lovely citrus, pear, apple, and even pineapple aromas here.  For someone like me (I tend to steer clear of California Chardonnay) this is a nice medium between the two ends of the Chardonnay spectrum. 

2007 Erath Pinot Noir:  For those that haven't tried Oregon Pinot Noir, you are missing out.  This wine shows just a glimpse of the whole world of Pinot that is growing continually in Oregon's Willamette Valley. 
This wine is light in body, and color.  It has earthy, leathery smells that meld well with a soft cherry aroma.  The wine is silky smooth in your mouth and, though its finish isn't big, it leaves a spicy aftertaste.  For pairing wine with Thai food or salmon, this would be perfect.

2007 Planeta Segreta:  A Sicilian blend consisting of mainly Nero d'Avola, this wine has body, lush fruit aromas, crisp acidity, and great overall balance.  There is Syrah, Merlot, and a touch of Cab. Franc in the blend.  The pruney, blackberry aromas are strong on the nose, with undertones of cranberry and rocks.  The minerality makes a huge play once the wine coats your mouth; it has substance, an almost chalky viscosity that makes you take this wine seriously.  This bottle could compliment so many types of food, from cheese to chicken, pizza to prime rib. 

Question for today:  Do you go out to shop where you know you can taste wines?  If not, you're neglecting your palate-maintenance.  If so, where do you go, and why?

This blend of Marsanne and Roussane has a color and an aroma rarely found in most white wines.  Its hue is a dark gold with a tinge of orange.  The smells coming off the nose are slightly oxidized (like a Sherry smells), with other odors like sawdust, flowers, and perfume joining the unique bouquet.
There is a nice acidic kick to this wine, and a woodsy, almost burnt taste that creates a slightly bitter, floral finish.  This wine isn't for everyone, but I think that for those of you looking to try new things, this bottle from the Robert Katcher selection will surely deliver some novel flavors and aromas.  I'd rate this wine a solid B, and it is a decent value for the $11  I spent at the Montgomery County liquor store.

This is a Riesing with no perceived sweetness, except maybe aromatically.  For $13, this bottle offers a wine that is crystal clear, even pretty to look at.  It has a zesty lemon scent, a bit of pear, some fresh flowers, and a touch of that alcoholic sting on the nose.  And once past the lips it delivers a lush onset, followed by a crescendo-like acidic lift.  The amount of body surprised me here.  This is a wine that can go solo or with some rich cream-sauce-smothered seafood.  I like this wine a lot and give it an A- in that 90-9 point range. 
Question of Riesling preference:  Which does it for you more the sweet or the dry?  What are some of your favorite Rieslings?

So my dad now is a member of the WSJWine Discovery Club, which has great deals on wines and provides some interesting, educational literature about wine and everything that comes with the territory.  The best part about this club is the price for a case.  The one my dad just ordered cost $70, which, sans shipping, comes to just under six bucks a bottle.  Fantastic value that provides quality wines and a lot of info to back them up.  Check this out further at www.wsjwine.com.

This 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Esk Valley is herbacious and delicious.  There are aromas ranging from lemon peel and starfruit to grassy fields and green peas.  The nose is fresh and vibrant, then that first sip goes down clean like water for a second before the tart zest emerges, bringing a nice structure to this wine.  I enjoy the unique, but not overly vegetative smell, as well.  This is a crisp, refreshing B+ bottle.  I'm wondering if there are other places around D.C. and MD to find it.  Google, here I come.
For all those that take time to enjoy white wines, what are your thoughts on wines that smell slightly like canned green peas?  Is that something immediately off-putting, or does the stink intrigue you like it does me?  Share your thoughts.

Here's another wine from Mendoza Argentina.  The Uco Valley is about an hour's drive southwest of the city of Mendoza, and it's gaining more and more recognition for their Malbec, Torrontes, Merlot, and even Pinot Noir.
This 50/50 blend caught my eye down at Adega Cellar in Silver Spring mainly because the winery where I used to work - SYZYGY - makes a wine that is a blend of Malbec, Tempranillo, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  While Syzygy's Saros blend is work of enological art, this blend by Urban was unimpressive. 
There aromatic components are masked by the high alcohol %.  There's a cotton candy smell mixed with flowers, strawberry and even some stinky poo aromas, but they don't mesh well for me. 
In the mouth it starts smooth, then heats up with a bit of spice that I'd attribute mostly to the 14.5% booze level.  The oak tannins on the back end were a bit overbearing, completely drying my gums after each sip. 
It seemed like all the puzzle pieces for a quality wine were there, but nobody bothered to put the thing together.  This bottle retails for about $12, but I don't think I'll ever have it again; it was just too dissappointing for a wine made from two varietals that I enjoy so much.

Last night I went down to YES! on Georgia Avenue to open a couple bottles of good wine out of Argentina's Mendoza region.  I always have fun doing this kind of thing because I can talk to a lot of people about wine, and often I'm able to try something new. 

The 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes:  this grape varietal is indiginous to Argentina, and can produce a wine that often has tropical fruit, citrus, or floral aromas.  This particular bottle fit exactly that profile for me.  Smelling it, there's an orange blossom component that jumps out.  There's also some heat on the nose coming from the 13.5% alcohol content.  The wine has a zing to it, a bite that is slightly bitter, as if I were biting into a flower petal.  Simultaneously there is a lush feel that it creates in the mouth and the finish allows the flavors to linger quite a while.  This wine gets 87 points from me, and it costs $9... I will be drinking more of this wine in the future.
The 2008 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec ($10) has a very floral aroma, as if there were a bouquet of lilies near me while my nose was in the glass.  The wine has a beautiful deep purple color, and with the flowery smells, there are prune and cherry notes that lend to this wine's alomst sangria-like fruity aroma.  The body of the wine is light.  It's not very tannic, and the fruit and berry flavors come through immediately, leading into a floral finish.  I'd prefer a Malbec with more structure, a little more "umph" to it, but for ten bucks it's not a bad bottle to pick up to take to a party.  I'll rate this wine an 84.  It's tasty, but I think people who prefer bigger bolder wine will be bore by this one.