TCLiquors Wine Blog

It’s finally hot out. I cant wait to get into me skivies and bask like a rock lobster on a cliff in my yard. The sun, as you can easily calculate will spend yonder the horizon by the time mein korper outs this joint.

Here’s about the wines:

Tonight we are checking out a drinkable, if not somewhat shaley, chardonnay from Camelot - from Santa Rosa California. It is inexpensive such that you will enjoy the oral experience enough to justify purchasing a case for some hot fun in the summer. This wine would actually go really great with a crustaceous sort of scampi style dish - or anything white and fatty (see yesterday’s disclaimer). I know this, I am vegan.

Next we dive our nose into a Napa Valley 2005 Pinot Noir from Cartlidge and Brown has a rich nose of cherry and plum fruit roll ups with a little bit of minerality. It has a smoothish chocolatey mouth feel and while not a particlarly fruity wine, save some dark cherries, it has some nutty country overtones and its medium body and smooth tannins will make a great compliment to an seared tempeh with ginger, tamari, scallions, red pepper, chillies, garlic, plum, rice wine vinegar etc and, as implied, sear the hell out of it. Serve with edamame with caramelized onions.

Cartelidge and Bone’s 2004 Merlot has a super jammy nose- total cherry and raspberry. Great wood and smoke accompanies a very fruity but dry mouthful of tannins, cherries, coffee, chocolate, with hints of tobacco and reef… (oops).

Tonight;s selection are three wines from Sterling Vineyards- Central Coast California (Sonoma County).

I’ve always been somewhat impressed with Sterling’s products in the mid price category. They are all great quality and easy drinking.

The Pinot Grigio is dry, crisp, light, and full of pineapply citrus notes. Certainly a clean refreshing treat for the lady in you (disclaimer - I have a tendancy to froth at the mouth and one should not read anything into comments that I make on this blog that may seem in any way offensive. If you have any doubts please come in and confront me in person and I shall dispell and doubts you may have about my worldy disposition).

SV’s 2003 Merlot is a fruity delight. Medium tannins and a med to full body splendidly compliment the full on cherries jubilee with a whiff of raspberry charlotte rousse (remember those).

The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, in the great California tradition of Calicabs, has some rich tarry brambly nose flavour, with lots of dark berry in the mouth along with some murky tar laden (not bin laden) mouthfeel. A most enjoyable wine if you like full on fruity California Cabs (as opposed to their French counterparts which are typically much stauncher (I just wanted to say that word).

OK, you can go now.

Last weeks blog got trashed in cyberspace. I would like to apologize but it is not necessary.

Tonight we are checking out a drinkable white from Sebatiani and Sons Pepperwood label. This 2004 chardonnay has a lot of buttery citrus goat in the nose and is slaps the mouth like budda- seriously. For an inexpensive wine it sure has a great mouthfeel. It could be the addition of extraneous mouthfeel agents. Flavourwise it still yeilds some goaty attitude including hay, wood sorrel, clover, and woodchuck (don’t ask).

It’s 5:19 PM now and people are starting to file in. Like clockwork, the world would stop if people did not come to Town and Country liquors on Friday to stock up for the weekend alcholympics. You can set your timepiece to a lot of the people that patronize us. You can tell the time of day from the empty bottle pattern on the shelves.

We are tasting two Monterey County (Ca) wines from Chalone Vineyards: a 2004 Pinot Noir and a 2003 Merlot.

The Pinot Noir has an excellent nose full of strawberries and marshmellows. I call it Frankenberry. A delicious medium body, easy DRINKING wine with seriously strawberry enhanced flavour molecules and some subtle earthy tones reminiscent of a car ride I took through the black forest in Germany on my way to Freiberg to cop a vizit with my future X-wife.

The Merlot is excellent. A dry velvety lush mouthful of dark cherries, smoke, mineral and metal accompanies the noseful of cherries, caramel, cinamon and vanilla.

Hi Mom. Happy mothers day. It’s your other son. Remember, the one you gave birth to. I don’t remember it at all, but here I am so it must have happened.

Anyway, don’t guilt me for not being with you now. Instead - and you should be proud of me - I am educating the public about alcohol.

Our special Mother’s day selection was chosen precisely to celebrate this day for you, which, as it stands, the creation of Mother’s Day is attributed to Julia Ward Howe, who was calling for women to band together and address crititcal issues of war and peace back in the late 1800’s.

All reality aside, this blog is about wine so let’s get started. We are focussing our tongues and livers on rose wines tonight. In order of increasing dryness, save the dessert wine, we in with:

1. A red muscadelle from South Afrika. Van Loveren’s Pink Lady has a fascinating yellow pink color that flouresces. Light flower essences in the nose and a tiny touch of sweetness to the lips backed up by mild fruits flowers. It tastes like a mother’s day gift basket. The red muscadelle is typically associated with Australian Tokajs. It’s a nice wine for the price at ten bucks just for the mother.

2. From Alison Vineyards across the majestic Hudson we have a 2002 Rose blend of god knows what. This wine has a very interesting nose. Its kind of like a cherry twizzer. Don’t be misled by the sweet stream up the ol’ factories, this wine has a dense mouthfeel and is pretty dry and full as if it were a rose of cab franc- Alisons other prime wine. Only the vintner knows whats in it. Don’t waste your time trying to figure it out.

3. Flying right along we land in Provence, France, to tackle the Fleur de Mer, a light pink, light palette, dry rose giving off some tart apple cherry pie in the nose is a voluptuous mouthfeelfull of almost no flavor. It might most closely resmble a homeopathic dose of rosewater infused with 13% alcohol. If you like light refreshing substances packed in a sexy bottle shaped like a german woman this is the wine for you - weighing in a nein dollars fur eine flasche.

Lastly we embark into the deranged land of dessert wine, sinking our teeth into the sweet delight of our other Brachetto d’ Acqui - basically a red Asti Spumante. An absolutely delicious brachetto/black muscat blend that is sweet like dark berries and flowery like Lavendar and Rose. Yes, of course, it is a sparkling wine (ie spumante). Oh, I should mention the name of the substance- Rosa Regale - a Banfi ™ product.

Thats it for the evenin folks…..see ya tomorrow.

A very impressive selection this evening. Starting with Domaine LaFage Vin De Pays Des Cotes Catalanes, a white blend from Languedoc Roussillon. Based on region and style I am guessing this to be a of chardonnay, semillon, and vionier (with a couple others perhaps).

You aint gonna believe me, so you’re gonna have to waft it yourself, but this white has a nose of ripe peaches and cream. It is a crisp, yet soft, and refreshing wine. Loaded with nectary fruits and some swift citrus this wine is perfect by itself in a botanical garden or preserve reading Walt Whitman, John Burroughs, or some Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson.

At $10 a bottle, this is the steal of the century. Trust me, I am completely clueless.

This evening reds are two from Paso Robles California.

In front of my right hand is the 2oo3 “Petite Rousse”, a 100% Syrah, weighing in at 14.5% alcohol. After breathing a little the nose is developing some nice nutty coffee overtones on top of this otherwise redberrry fruit filled wine. Mellow tannins provide a smooth mouthful of opulent fruit with some nice subtle cardomam and other aromatics. Everyone seems to love this wine, so if you are not everyone, this wine is not for you.

Lastly we indulge in the 2003 Tablas Creek Vineyards - estate grown and bottled - southern Rhone blend: 60% Grenache, 24% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, and 4% Counoise. This Wine received a 91 points from Robert Parker and is well deserving of such a rating. The nose on this wine is incredible. It is loaded with dark fruits and a very distinct floral essence of purple flowering raspberry. If you are not familiar with the smell of the ripe flower of the purple flowering raspberry might I suggest ye get the to a cliff laden arena situated along a stream- an ideal spot for the purple flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus).

In your mouth this wine, at 15.2% alcohol, is about as dry a wine your gonna find. Still, however, is is full of dark raspberries and cherries with some plum and violet notes. This is a real heavy hitter, definitely a food wine- perfect for smoked foods and rich sauces.

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Stay tuned for the update to our tasting list for the month of May- sorry for the delay.

On behalf of myself, Bacchus, and our loyal patrons, I bid thee all a most splendiferous week until we meet again next friday.

HOwdy people. Apologies for not blogging the last couple of wine tastings. I resume today with my usual unusual perspective- let’s call it lay notes for the lay.

Starting with tonights white:
AN inexpensive Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc Riserve from Maison Nicolas Ferrande. Definitely a great buy at $5 a bottle (normaly $6 - only $4 if you buy it by the case). This is an excellent crisp, dry, yet refreshing wine with some nice citrus and floral nose and a pinappley honey dew palette. 3 thumbs up. No doubt this white will be a hit tonight.

Moving along we hit Trentadue Vineyards Old Patch Red 2003. A splendid variety of 55.5% Zinfandel, 21.501% Petite Syrah, 7% Carignane, 4% Sangioveses and 1% Syrah. The nose on this is packed with fruit with a portlike quality almost sweet. Beautiful dark purple with a small amount of brown around the edges. Velvety smooth in the mouth with a good tanic balance, and lots of jammy fruits. If you like full on fruit with a velvety lush mouthfeel this is a wine for you.

Lastly we land on a a uniquely special 2003 Shiraz from Paarl South Africa: Landskroon Vineyards. This wine in brimming with roasted coffee flavours and dark berry fruits. Hits the palette in much the same way. WHIle it is not particularly tannic and has a med - full body, it is certanly a hard hitter. This is my personal favourite for the day. Weighing in at a reasonable $15 a bottle this wine is the steal deal for those of you seeking something unique and different.

C U tomorrow!