Chalone Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir

The Winery: Chalone Vineyard
The Wine: 2006 Pinot Noir
The Price: $17.99

Thus far, I have been primarily focusing on wines from the Pacific Northwest. There are two main reasons for this. First, I live in Seattle, so the local regional wines are very available and well-priced here. And second, this is a very good region for growing grapes and the wine industry here is flourishing. Tonight I decided that I should expand beyond the region, so I specifically roamed the wine section looking for something interesting from another region. I had two criteria for tonight's wine: 1 - it had to be from beyond the Pacific Northwest, 2 - it had to be moderately priced ($15-30 range).

This is a very harsh wine. It has an extremely astringent taste to it. There are not any well-defined flavors to the wine at all, other than an overpowering alcohol flavor. Since this wine tastes so bad, I thought I'd try to see if my perception would improve based on the smell of the wine. Nope. It smells like plastic and isopropyl alcohol. I am trying to be open minded, and keep going back for additional tastes. For the love of god, this stuff is awful! Thankfully, I only purchased one bottle. With any luck it won't dissolve my pipes as I pour it down the drain. Yuck!

Elk Cove 2006 Pinot Noir Rosé

The Winery: Elk Cove Vineyards
The Wine: 2006 Pinot Noir Rosé
The Price: $14.99

I know what you're thinking. "Rosé? Seriously?" My first and, until recently, only exposure to Rosé is likely what many people experience. The stuff my mom used to buy by the box. If that's your only exposure to Rosé, then you probably view them in the same light that I used to. As a Sokol Blosser Cellar Club member, I got a bottle of their Rosé of Pinot Noir earlier this year. It was surprisingly good (if I ever get my hands on another bottle, I'll give it a proper review).

First, a bit on Rosé. There are two ways to make a Rosé. The first is to blend finished red wine with finished white wine, which usually results in a poor quality Rosé (remember the stuff my mom bought by the box?). This is how the massed produced Rosés are often made. The other method is to use red wine grapes and follow the process for white wine making (there is more too it than that, but for the sake of simplicity, this is really what you need to know).

This wine is a crisp, dry wine. The color is slightly more towards the red end of the spectrum than I have observed with other Rosés. The wine has a fruity, berry flavor. It is very drinkable, and would go well with just about any meal. It's flavor is not so overwhelming as to drown out a light fish meal, but it has enough character to be able to stand up against a steak dinner. I think it would be particularly nice on a hot summer evening.

Sokol Blosser 2006 White Riesling Dessert Wine

The Winery: Sokol Blosser
The Wine: 2006 White Riesling Dessert Wine
The Price: $40.00

Wow! Sokol Blosser really outdid themselves with this wine. I am absolutely in love with it. To call it "Nectar of the Gods" doesn't do the wine justice. This is my all-time favorite wine. It is a very crisp wine, with a thick and creamy feeling to it. The wine has vanilla, apple and honey flavors. My only complaint is the cost, but even at $40, I find it to be worth every penny. Besides, if it were any less expensive I would drink it more often and would take it's special qualities for granted.

Do yourself a favor and buy a few bottles before they are all gone.