Our Wine Journey: Top 3
wine tasting on a regular basis with a very dear and wine-loving friend, Malbeca Tango (mentioned in our first blog post). Ms. K knew zilch about wine except that she could finally, after many years of imbibing gin, stomach what she had once spit back into her aunt’s crystal at Christmas dinner. Plus, who doesn’t love some free alcohol on a Saturday afternoon (while looking rather cultured)? Ms. K started out just throwing back at the tastings, amused by Malbeca’s rapid-fire questions to the reps. Ms. Tango wanted knowledge; Ms. K just wanted to hang out, talk, get a buzz going…
But, suddenly, Ms. K started remembering things, recalling wines, flavors, regions. She realized she could identify oak each and every time she tasted it. Then, there was the day when Malbeca and Ms. K were in rare form, and the rep got confused about Pinot Gris then ran out of wine. Needless to say, they were appalled. Ms K thought, “Am I — dare I say it — becoming a wine snob?” Indeed. She certainly was.
Of course, Ms. K began enticing Kretch to join her in the snobbery fun. And so it began. Below is the list of our top 3:
But first, a bonus note on a varietal Ms. K has been enjoying recently:
ANYTHING SPICY: 2013 three Zinfandel & 2011 Writer’s Block Zinfandel
With wine, Ms. K always goes for ANYTHING SPICY. That is her cup o’ wine. For those of you who enjoy wine that is always surprising, then you need to prioritize the zinfandel varietal. It never disappoints in commanding your attention, which seems to be our new criteria for wine; our “high drinkability” phase is over (wine naturally gives a person over to a cycle of phases — wine is the ultimate hipster-izer).
Back in our early days of inclination towards wine-snobbery, we steered clear of zinfandel because we associated it with white zin, and we knew enough about wine to say that both of us were well past THAT. Our sorority/fraternity days were over, thank you very much. Drinking moscato and giant bottles of white zin was no longer tolerated by our cab-and-pinot-only phase. Then, finally, zinfandel came into our awareness as something red and wonderful.
It seems Ms. K truly loves the beverages that rhyme with gin.
Note: The 2013 Three Zin has the highest alcohol content we’ve ever seen in a wine. BUZZ POINTS.
#3 FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION: 2010 Krupp Brothers Synchrony Napa Valley Red Blend | $$$
Overall, any of the Krupp Brothers wines are a good choice, if you’re willing to put up the cash. (We weren’t — $100+/bottle for Synchrony). We tasted this wine at one of the free local wine tastings mentioned above — all high-end wines. This tasting was our first — and only — venture into more expensive wines. Good wine is available for all budgets so we have not felt the need to engage in that realm of wine snobbery. Hoever, price aside (we actually didn’t see the price before we tasted), this was the chosen favorite among us (including Malbeca) at the tasting. A complex wine with something about it (perhaps its classy price) that made it very sophisticated. Can’t go wrong with Napa Valley.
Blend: 66% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, 3% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot.
#2: BEST WHITE: 2012 Orin Swift Mannequin California White Blend | $$
At first, we didn’t pay much attention to blends; we were operating under the familiar names — Cab, Sauv Blanc, Pinots, etc. — as expected when one begins a wine journey, and blends just didn’t compute. However, depending on the details in chemistry, blends can be instant favorites — as shown in this list.
Mannequin’s blend, in particular, would have looked intimidating at first. What are all those varietals? Too much French! Alas, there is no such thing as too much French. This wine has a lot of complex flavor; no need to even pair it. In fact, don’t, if you can help it. Just drink it. Wonderful.
Also, we give points for an artsy label (and without being obnoxious). Always many kudos for tasteful, yet provocative art. AND Buzz Points for a high alcohol content. Stay classy, Orin Swift, good-o.
Blend: 48% Chardonnay, 14% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Grenache Blanc, 12% Viognier, 8% Marsanne, 4% Roussanne, 2% Muscat.
#1: BEST RED: 2010 Alysian Russian River Valley Pinot Noir | $$
Wondering which wine Ms. K used to entice Kretch to join her in wine snobbery? Look no further than the glorious 2010 Alysian Pinot Noir. If you’re looking at Oregon wines, you can’t go wrong with anything from the Russian River Valley.
This is, without a doubt, the single best wine we’ve ever consumed. Last year, Malbeca and Ms. K went on a major pinot-noir-only binge, and this wine remains on a pedestal in our memories, first tasted in May 2014. Though it was somewhat out of the budget, Ms. K bought it, and Malbeca has been forever jealous for not doing the same, regularly lamenting, “THE ALYSIAN!” We held onto it all summer due to the fact that we tend to go more white in the warmer months, but finally opened it up in early August.
Sometimes, after a tasting, you wonder if you’ll still love months later what you loved that day. The Alysian was just as perfect the second time as the first. One year and thousands of sips later, it remains at the top of our list.
Our favorite part of wine tasting, drinking, and buying? The never-ending hunt for the next Alysian moment…
