Bonterra Vineyard’s Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery: Bonterra Vineyards

Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Location: Mendocino County, California

Purchased: Schnucks

Price: $ 18.85

 

I recently joined an online group to discuss and review wines. Once a month a category is selected for tasting such as variety, year or wines under a certain price point. For our first review, value wines under $20 was selected. I chose the Bonterra Vineyard’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and I found it at our local grocery store.

 

Book Club: Red, White and Drunk All Over

The second book selected for our wine book club was Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass by Natalie MacLean. She wrote this book as a series of essays on various topics from the mystique and mysteries surrounding Champagne to examining the influence of wine critics and the power of the pen. MacLean captures readers with her personal style of writing and obvious obsession with wine. She puts readers at ease, explaining she’s had many of the same thoughts, questions and reactions as the occasional wine drinker.

 

I’m just beginning and made it through the first four chapters or essays. I’ve found the fourth chapter, Purple Prose with a Bite, very intriguing. Purple Prose with a Bite examines the public response to two famous wine writers and critics. I’ve recently been considering the effects of wine ratings and reviews on my personal buying habits. Jonathan and I attend regular wine tastings, and often purchase wine we enjoyed at a tasting. We’re more daring and will try less expensive bottles without a taste or review. However, when it comes to putting down serious money for a bottle of wine I want to know it will be worth it. For me, this is when I refer to wine ratings and reviews.

 

While reading a critics review or score of a wine is helpful, it’s important to remember wine continually changes and evolves. Each individual smells and tastes something different. It’s part of wine’s beauty and complexity.

A Day in St. Emilion

 

Day two of our wine tour took us to the appellation of St. Emilion. Here we visited Château Figeac, Château Franc Mayne and Château Petit Village. We also stopped at ETS Martin, a wine store in St. Emilion, to purchase and ship wine to the states. Our “quick” stop turned into a 1.5 hour tasting and talk of wine. We selected a mixed case of wine to ship back home, including a special bottle from the store’s cave!

 

A few things I read on Decanter.com

Here are a few stories I read on Decanter.com this morning that made me raise an eyebrow. Enjoy.

This story made me giggle, but I couldn’t help but share….

Now’s your chance to purchase Bordeaux wine….

St. Emilion’s 2006 Classification ditched….

Château Haut-Marbuzet and Château Lynch-Bages

To wrap up day one of our Bordeaux wine tour, we popped in for a surprise visit at Château Haut-Marbuzet. Our driver mentioned this wine to us as one of his affordable favorites. He is also friends with the owner. We had some extra time in the afternoon, and he took us over for a quick taste. We tasted the 2006 vintage and the yet to be bottled 2007 vintage. It was our first time tasting wine directly from a barrel! Both of these wines were very young, but showed outstanding promise. Château Haut-Marbuzet is classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels. The Cru Bourgeois classification is given to about 200 vineyards in the Médoc not in the 1855 classification. These wines are well-regarded, but cost about a fifth of the price of a classified wine. They are meant for casual drinking.