I'M BACK!!!!! MUST BE THE WEATHER!!

WOW! How the time has passed. I feel a little ashamed that is has been so long since my last post. Fear not; I have been enjoying wine the entire time. Summer flies by faster than your childhood. Generally, I talk about wine and something going on in life; however, tonight is going to be just wine discussion time.

With the weather getting cooler and my grilled meat being primarily red, I have been on a Cabernet and Malbec bender. However, I was cleaning out my garage, enjoying the lovely weather when out of nowhere I was bit by the buttery Napa bug! I rushed inside and ran to the medicine cabinet aka wine cellar; I searched through my entire Chardonnay section, and there it was........ WILLIAM HILL NAPA CHARDONNAY 2008!!! Yeah! My taste buds screamed and mouth tingled. I believed that must have been a sign. 

LET'S GET READY TO GUZZLE!!!!!

Label: This is very classic and clean. White with gold lettering and trim is a great way to go for a higher end Chardonnay.

Color: Great golden straw like hue. This wine definitely went through some sur lie aging. I dont want to say it is foggy, but you can tell that it is going to have a great mouth feel. I cant wait to taste it!!

Nose: The caramel from the oak aging is intense and salivating. For being a Napa Chardonnay, I really don't get much "butter". I did just open this; therefore, I think it is a little tight. It's going to be fun to see how it changes as the wine opens up.

Taste: Damn!!! That creamy mouth feel could go on for days! A perfect amount of butter (from malolactic fermentation), great caramel and subtle wood notes. BALANCED... that sums up the flavor. Wow!

1/2 way through the bottle.......................

Ok, 1 glass left!

Honestly, this wine is great. It would go great with: Havarti cheese, grilled chicken, popcorn etc. I am truly in love with this wine. I talked about KJ awhile ago. However, that does not even come close to this wine. Really, it should not. William Hill is twice the price of KJ. The thing is; life can be really stressful and you never know what is going to happen tomorrow. If you have the time and the money to really sit down, relax, space out, and enjoy a great Chardonnay for around $25.00, Please Do!!!! The 2008 William Hill Chardonnay (and a little Neil Young) is taking me to a place filled with happiness and promise. Don't we all deserve that!!??

1st Bottle Battle!

THE RISE OF A CLASSIC AND THE FALL OF MY DREAM!

David & Goliath, Rocky & Ivan, Gilmore & Shooter; the list can go on for hours. The idea of the underdog winning has warmed many a hearts. However, this battle does not end with the same heat. I, for one, was rooting for the the underdog, but I wanted to do this "Bottle Battle" with my fiance, Marsha, to show that I will not be biased on wines; even when I do not sell them. After reading the first blog, I felt this was necessary. 

So, without further ado!

THE BATTLE!!

                                               VS.

Kendal Jackson                    :Brand:                           Le Faux Frog

Chardonnay                          :Grape:                           Chardonnay

2009                                    :Vintage:                         2009 

California                              :Origin:                           France
11.99                                      :Price:                             11.99


Kendal Jackson:

Marsha and I completely agreed on these two wines. The KJ was what we thought it was! The icon of Californian Chardonnays. However, there were somethings not quite as impressive. The color after the first pour was dingy yellow without much glow. The smell of fried vanilla ice cream slapped me across the face as I set the glass back down. A thick, creamy mouth feel was finished by a light oak and dark tropical fruit taste. The light oak was shocking knowing that the prior vintages were filled with an abundance of it. For this reason, I was a little turned off by it at first. However, as I started the second glass accompanied by shrimp and artichoke dip, the wine turned into gold! The hue was glowing like a candle, and the taste and smell were exploding oh so pleasantly to all of my senses.

Le Faux Frog:

Hello lunch time Chardonnay! No alcohol or toasted wood on the initial sip made me worried. But, the fresh pineapple and smooth finish reminded me of spring. Anytime I can drink a wine in the middle of February, and am reminded of spring; I am happy! This wine was fun and social; no food was need for enjoyment. We were both very excited after the first glass. However, Mr. Shrimp and his buddy Artichoke dip decided to kidnap the first glass and leave us with diet Chardonnay. That's right! This old world French Chardonnay lost all of its luster when any other flavor was thrown in the mix. It was almost as if the wine was scared of the food. It was a let down to say the least.

AND THE WINNER IS.....................

Unfortunately, as our dinner time came upon us, we decided to finish the KJ and not the Le Faux Frog! I know that many may say that the butter and oak are for those less educated in the wine world. Sorry, I must disagree! I was having this conversation with a friend of mine. Chardonnay is the "butch lesbian of whites". It is not sure why it is a white wine, but it just is. Marsha & I love Chardonnay from all over the world. In fact, one of our favorites comes from Argentina; another, from Wisconsin! Kendal Jackson, as much as I hate to say it, was by far the better of the two Chardonnays. We both were moved by the pleasant simplicity of Le Faux Frog. Maybe it was too cold outside and our pallets were not in the mood for Chardonnay Light; however, Kendal Jackson is Chardonnay. It is what they do. Like Maryland; crab cakes and football. The classic and Iconic "K J" is known by all wine drinkers, and should be. In the world of Chardonnay, there are so many glowing goblets; I would suggest you try them all. However, that can be hard to do. I hope this battle and it's information is useful or at least entertaining.

Points: (out of 100)

Kendal Jackson: 88
Le Faux Frog: 80

LOOKS LIKE CALIFORNIA WON AGAIN!!

Im Cabby about your perception of Gallo!!

I will be drinking a bottle of Louis Martini Napa Valley Cabernet 2007 & and discussing the uneducated view of Gallo's products.


Ok! Here we go! This will be the first of many blogs. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do the wine!

Those educated in wine world would want me to talk about the tobacco bouquet and the hint of leather on the finish. However, this is my blog, and I am going to make things more understandable. This is the benefit I have of being a wine salesmen. I make it easy so everyone can love it! I would also like to let everyone know that I am not an English major. I graduated with a finance degree. So, any comments on my grammar is pointless! Louis M. Martini Napa Cabernet 2007 received a 91 from Robert Parker and the Wine Advocate. Those of you who don't know, the Wine Advocate is one of the 3 leading periodicals of wine. What Robert Parker says can make or break a wine! At first the wine, 14.6 alcohol, has great legs! However, it is so dark that is shows the youth of this wine. When a wine is very inky and purple, it is very young. When it is brick colored, it is older. Lesson one in the books. This Napa Cab retails for around 24 bucks at most stores here in the mid-west. The wine has a great dark fruit nose; this follows suit with a dark cherry flavor that is dry but velvety smooth.

Side Note: The ideas of Gallo being shoulder jugs and box wine is so old fashioned and incorrect it is sickening to hear people say things like that. Yes, I have a bias, because I sell Gallo. However, this also gives me the insight and knowledge that most of you do not have! Gallo is one of the few wine families that made it through prohibition. E & J (Ernest & Julio) made it through that difficult time by selling wines to the church. Gallo is currently the largest family owned winery in the world! That alone should show something. Most people don't realize that Gallo owns many wineries without their name on the bottle. Why do they do this? Well, most people have the idea that Gallo just makes cheap and poor quality wine. HA!!! That is so far from the truth; it is silly! Gallo has so many wines that rate in the 90s and higher from the three top periodicals it would make that negative nancy cry! For instance, the wine I am drinking right now, Louis Martini Napa Cab 2007, is a Gallo product. This Cab is delicious and is getting better as I type! For a 14.6% wine, the alcohol is not over powering but complimentary to any steak or hard cheddar. The wine has a great mouth feel or thickness to it. It makes me want to keep drinking to reveal the next layer of flavor! Louis M. Martini vineyards was at a breaking point. This winery was going to go under do to finances. However, Gallo stepped in! They pumped in money and brought this winery back to the Cabernet powerhouse it is today!! This is something that Gallo does a lot. They don't want to mess with success, but they invest in it! What they buy or invest in makes wine buyers happy!

Next Thought:
I just poured my last glass of this awesome juice. I am unhappy to know this explosion of flavor will soon end. I can consider myself lucky; though, the finish should last for 20 mins after the glass is empty. This Napa Cab is really opening up as I am coming to a close on this blog. For those of you that love wine and food, you must pair this cab with a great piece of red meat. I know the price tag of $20+ seems steep; however, you have few things in life that you can just enjoy without any backlash! Wine is one of them! Spend the money and enjoy yourself. The grilling season is upon us and this should be a drink of choice!

Closing Thoughts:
This was my first blog; so, it may suck! I don't care. I am learning. Please leave any comments that may help. As far as the wine and thoughT goes, I hope you now understand that Gallo deserves 100x the credit they currently get. Without them, you would have a much smaller selection of great and affordable wines. Yes they may be as big as Walmart, but they don't skimp on the quality like Walmart. Enjoy your wine and your cash stack at the same time with Gallo wines! Have a great day/evening/morning! DRINK MORE WINE! ITS GOOD FOR YOU AND FUN!!