2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon

My sister and I ventured up to Portland City Grill a few nights ago. I haven't been there in months. The view was nice to see again, and we managed to score a giant booth just inside the door. We munched on fries and had conversations about the usual things.

2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)
I really tried to get a sense of this wine. I noticed it was a bit alcoholic on the nose which made me question the flavor before I'd even tried it. I found this cab to be smooth and dry at the same time with a hint of cherry. My sister said she could tell it was barreled in Oak but I have difficulties sensing woodiness sometimes. There were very minimal tannins with only a very minor alcoholic hint at the end of the swallow at the nose. What I found most intriguing was the faint aftertaste of grape skins. Usually, I find it difficult to discern a particular flavor.

After wondering for a while whether my assessment was correct, I asked to see the bottle. It described the wine as tasting of black fruits, so I was on with the cherry. It also did mention Oak barreling so my sister was also correct. At $8.50 a glass I would recommend it, though after a quick web search found the price for a bottle varies from $13.50 to $25.

2006 Chateau La Rame Bordeaux

Tonight I accompanied friends to the birthday dinner of an acquaintance. We went to Silk, the Ultra-Americanized Thai restaurant in the Pearl District. I ate crazy noodles, which are basically spicy noodles fried up with chicken and bok choy.

2006 Chateau La Rame Bordeaux (grand vin de Bordeaux)
I haven't had Bordeaux before, and this was the most expensive by-the-glass option. I had no idea what to expect and was a bit unsure. Knowing nothing about Bordeaux (or wine in general, still) I was afraid that it wouldn't go well with not-so-traditional Thai fare. For starters, I could not make a good assessment of the color because of the lighting in the place, but it had an alcoholic nose. Pleasantly surprised, I found the Bordeaux to be dry but smooth, with only a little sour bite on the sides of the tongue when very oxygenated (swishing around in the mouth). The flavor was darker than most wines I've reviewed. By that I mean, that it was less spicy and seemed to have more integrated flavors, as in, less distinguishable individual flavors. This could also be attributed to consuming it with Thai food.

Overall, I would recommend this wine to anyone who likes red varietals.

2005 Campus Oak Old Vine Zinfandel

I find it an odd thing when I am Googling something and it has no website. Especially so when I am Googling a delightful, award-winning wine---one would think its winery would have a website you could easily find with Google. But, tonight I had dinner at the Press Club (which also has no website...) where I was able to taste a very nice wine.

2005 Campus Oak Old Vine Zinfandel (Lodi)
Just looking at the name made me think I could be making a mistake. The bottle and label are fine to look at but I was concerned by the name "Campus." I had already had a taste of the house wine, which was a Sangiovese, so once I tasted the Zin I instantly recognized its sweetness in comparison. Actually, I was so surprised by it that I likened it more to some Merlot's I've had than the red Zin's I've tasted before. I'm going to admit right now that I didn't give this wine the consideration I've given the other's I've reviewed (this is because I was busy with my friend in conversation). I failed to make a clear assessment of its nose, and so feel like I am 1) barely qualified to review it and 2) will not do it justice.

The taste of this wine was sweet. It was like jam on my tongue. There was no bitterness. Having paired it with a savory crepe, I instantly regretted sipping it during my meal because it was not nearly the right wine for the food. So while I finished my crepe I left the Zin to the side. After I finished I began with the wine again. It was pleasant to drink alone but I also ordered a dessert crepe and it went well with that too. I would definitely order this wine again. While it has won several awards however, I do think it a bit pricey at $9 a glass when you can purchase the bottle for less than $15 at somewhere other than the restaurant.

2005 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon

I didn't really feel like having any wine tonight but since starting this blog, I feel compelled to try it if the bottle is open.

2005 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua, Chile)
Like the Argentinean Malbec, this wine has an alcoholic nose. It smells a bit of jam, and recalls the memory of my mom making jam at home out of huckleberries. Having now tried two South American wines I can sense a subtle spicy flavor that other wines don't usually have. This Cab seems to have a shifted flavor from others due to said spice. Also like the Malbec, this wine is dryer than the others I've reviewed. At the back of the tongue it finishes spicy and then alcoholic. The tannins are present but not overt enough to detract from the wine. Overall, it most simply tastes like a Cabernet, went well with steak and is equally enjoyable as an after dinner drink.

2002 Heath Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

World Market is a great place to pick up imported wines at fair prices. I recommend that if you want to get inexpensive wine, go there to select something that would be a bit more unique.

2002 Heath Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (South Australia)
I didn't really expect anything from this wine. It wasn't expensive and I haven't tried this winery before so I didn't formulate any notions about it. I was pretty surprised for a few reasons. First, the wine is very palatable. After only a few sips it became quite smooth and produced little bitterness on the tongue. Second, it has a dark aroma whose cherry scent I can actually recognize and is not overtly alcoholic. Third, I thought I tasted some strawberry. Wrong though I may be, having seen the description on their site, I still pride myself on finally having been able to distinguish one flavor from the mixture even if I wrongly identified it.

This wine is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. I think it is a nice combination because sometimes Cabs can be too spicy whereas Merlots can be much too sweet for my liking. I definitely recommend this bottle and I think it would go well with a variety of dishes because it becomes lighter as you drink it.

2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir

I have almost no experience with Pinot Noir. I can say without hesitation that I've only tasted it two or three times. For this reason, I was open, if not eager, to try some tonight.

2005 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir (Central Coast)
For some reason I expected the color to be darker than it was. It wasn't fully saturated up to the edge of the liquid where it meets the glass. When I smelled it I was almost surprised by its alcoholic aroma, because I'd sort of romanticized what was said about Pinot grapes in Sideways. I then swirled the wine in the glass and took a deep breath of the flavor---it released a much different scent. It was pungent and, I hesitate to say, had a slight moldy odor. When I did a bit of research, I found that common characteristics of Pinot Noir scent are "mushroom, earth, barnyard, truffle, leather, meat." Odd when thinking about wine but luckily it didn't taste like that. Instead it had a subtle fruity flavor---my undeveloped palate cannot distinguish these however.

This wine is worth a try, inexpensive, and probably would go decent with most meals, but it is also enjoyable on its own.

2005 Gouguenheim Malbec

Tonight we went and had dinner at Oba. It was busier than I've seen it the other two times I've been there---perhaps because it is Friday. For those of you who don't know, Oba is sort of a latin/South American inspired place where you can order tapas or single person entres. Along with the food, we ordered an inexpensive bottle of wine.

2005 Gouguenheim Malbec (Argentina, Valle Escondido)
Unfortunately, their website isn't very extensive so I found very little information about this wine online. This is what I gathered from it just by trying it: The scent was a bit harsh on the nose. The primary scent is actually alcohol, which made me a bit wary about it. However, when tasted, the alcohol isn't as principle in the flavor. I had a hard time distinguishing the fruit within the design. To me, it tasted almost cherry, but in one review I found it was described as black raspberry and currant. I suppose if I knew what currant tasted like off the top of my head I could validate or dismiss that claim. This wine also had more tannins and acidic qualities than the other two I've reviewed thus far---it finished sort of dry (I kept wanting to sip water along with it) and I noticed that the very tip of my tongue sort of tingled almost as if it were a sparkling beverage. I didn't care for this wine in combination with what I ate for dinner, but I think it would be enjoyable with some kind of beef dish.