2005 L'Oca Ciuca Toscana "The Drunken Goose"

I'll have to rely on someone who knows more Italian than "Grazie" and "Bongiorno" to tell me if L'Oca Ciuca actually means "The Drunken Goose," but either way it was good enough to get me to buy this bottle of Italian red. Not that I generally require that much persuasion. This is one of the so-called "Supertuscans" who operate outside the Italian wine laws by adding such grapes as cabernet sauvignon and merlot to their sangiovese. The horror! This particular blend is of sangiovese, merlot, and syrah.

It's an opaque garnet in the glass, with just a hint of browning towards the rim. The aromas are dense with dark fruits - blueberries and plums, mostly - and some palpable cocoa as well. The deliciousness extends to the palate. It's not at all sweet, but the fruits are juicy, the acid in perfect balance with the fine tannins and alcohol. Despite it's modest price, I suspect this wine could actually age a few more years and still evolve. The finish is a little sour, but overall the wine is very pleasant. I can see why the goose got drunk.

Vintage: 2005
Grape: Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah
Region: Tuscany
Price: $12

2006 Jean-Baptiste Adam Riesling Alsace Réserve

Mmmmm....smell that mold.... Contrary to what you might expect, this is not actually a criticism of the wine. Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that, under certain conditions, can make some very luscious (and extremely expensive) white wines. Chateau d'Yquem, for example. The fungus bores tiny holes in the grape skin, letting the water evaporate and concentrating the sugars and acids in the grape; thus, many botrytized wines are very sweet - Sauternes, Tokaji, etc. But not all.  Grapes that are affected by botrytis only moderately can retain enough water and be fermented dry, so you get a white table wine with the exotic floral, honey, and pineapple notes characteristic of a sweet botrytis wine.

This Alsatian riesling has all of these aromas, plus some delicous lime and orange blossom. It's a dark yellow-gold in the glass, due partly to it's age, I'm sure, but also to botrytis' influence. Honestly, I have no idea if it's going to be sweet or not on the palate. I do suspect the grapes were harvested late, which allowed the sugar levels to increase, so the wine could be sweet. Or it could have really high alcohol. Let's see, shall we?

It's half and half!  It's a touch sweet, but by no means a sweet wine. Definitely some botrytis characters, some alcohol-related heat, and disappointingly low acid. This may be a result of the late harvest, since as sugar levels rise, acid levels decrease. It may also just be that the wine is a little past it's prime. While the actual levels of acid in wine don't really decrease with age, the molecules can enter into complexes with esters in alcohol, thus lowering one's perception of the acid. Once this process passes a certain point, the acid levels can seem too low and the wine feels flabby.

The wine is pretty tasty, though. I'd be happy to sit down to a glass of this, with or without food. It would have been even better 2 or 3 years ago.

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Riesling
Region: Alsace, France
Price: $12

2009 Domaine du Rin du Bois Touraine Sauvignon

I went to the website of the producers of this wine because I was intrigued by the words "vigneron independant" (or something like that - the bottle is in the fridge and the dog is on my lap and I'm not getting up to look). I thoroughly enjoyed browsing around the site, not only because of the amusing infelicities of translation ("the vineyard" became "the wineyard." I think I would like to have a wineyard.) I was also very impressed by the level of detail it gives regarding the viticulture and vinification of the wine. Everything from the training system of the vines to the bottling date of the finished wine. Based on their use of free run juice (the first juice to come out of the grape upon being lightly pressed), I expect this to be a tasty sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley.

The wine is a medium-pale lemon yellow with a hint of green; not unusual for a sauvignon blanc. I can't get much aroma out of it (possibly because I sort of scorched some panko-crusted tilapia while making dinner and my apartment smells like a bad fish and chip shop). What I do get is green apple, but no cat pee, I'm pleased to report. In the mouth, it's pretty much a classic French sauvignon blanc, which is not at all a bad thing, though it's not something "special." The acid and alcohol in the wine are perfectly in balance, and the wine is pleasantly weighty, making it not a bad white wine to enjoy in winter. My biggest qualm would be a fairly high bitterness quotient. I think that's what got in the way of this wine's pairing with my dinner (once I scraped off the burned part). The tilapia was served with fennel tzatziki, and I think the bitterness of the wine and the bitterness of the yogurt in the sauce really clashed. But all in all, this is a very acceptable wine that I wouldn't hesitate to buy again, or to recommend with dinner, as long as you're not having yogurt....

Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Touraine, Loire Valley
Price: $12
My rating: 87/100

2008 Hahn Pinot Noir Monterey

I'm back from a sales meeting (also known as the company drunk-fest), followed by a week of abstinence/liver repair. That said, there was some excellent wine during the meeting, along with some excellent food. There was also karaoke. But we won't go there.

Given this wine in a blind tasting, I might not peg it as a pinot noir. It's darker in color than I'd expect, though a vibrant garnet with just a hint of orange towards the rim.  The nose is robust, full of baked blueberry, cinnamon, and smoky tobacco. The tobacco also comes through on the palette, along with some delicious sour red fruits. The wine is absolutely delicious, with just a hint of tannins, well-balanced acidity, and a pleasant, round texture. My only complaint would be that the alcohol seems a little high. 14.5 is too much for a wine a delicate as pinot noir, and it's kind of making my tongue hurt.  But the tastiness of the fruit and the mouth-watering acidity make up for it. And at $12 a bottle, this is a great value wine.

Vintage: 2008
Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Monterey
Price: $12
My rating: 90/100