Fess Paker Frontier Red Lot No. 101 (85 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

VINTAGE

N.V.

WINERY/PRODUCER

Fess Parker

WINE NAME

Frontier Red Lot No. 101

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Carignane (varietal percentages are never revealed on the back of the label; for current release percentages, consult with Fess Parker’s website).

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

15.5%

PRICE PAID

$9.99

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

Got this bottle at BevMo; anytime I buy anything at BevMo (especially during their 5Cent Sale) I always pick-up a bottle of Frontier Red.

BOUQUET

This wine exhibits plenty of red and black fruit (strawberries, blackberries, plums, and cherries), lots of spices (savory herbs and black pepper), earth, oak, and hints that this will be a rich, creamy wine.

TASTING NOTES

Sho-Nuff, there’s a spice cabinet’s worth of spices going on here (especially savory herbs like rosemary and sage, along with black pepper), along with a Freightliner’s worth of red and black fruit (raspberries, black cherries, plums, and blackberries).  The wine pours very dark and has a well-balanced finish.  The tannins are not overwhelming and the finish is relatively smooth.  This is a typical Frontier Red, which are all rich, creamy, slightly oaky, earthy, and tannic blends.  The flavor profile, which should be obvious by the inclusion of all those fabulous Rhone varietals, is nicely complex and deep, especially for an affordable, quality red blend.

For the price, this wine is tough to beat.  Lot No. 101 isn’t my favorite version of the Frontier Red (I gave Lot No. 91 a score of 90 points; obviously, I LOVED that version).  But for an affordable, rich, chewy, creamy, oaky, earthy red, one would be hard-pressed to find a more consistently delicious red blend out of California.  I’ve had $100 blends that weren’t as good as this $10 bottle!  We’re sitting on a bottle of Lot No. 102 and Lot No. 111.  Think I’ll let those bottles age for a year or two and see how that works.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We served this wine with racks of lamb spiced with Kosher salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and chopped rosemary.  The wine paired very well with the lamb and would pretty much go well with just about any red meat dish, especially curried lamb shanks, Beef Bourguignon, or any rich stew.

AGING POTENTIAL

Being non-vintage, this wine is meant to be drunk fairly young and/or upon release.  But this wine has the structure (and the varietals used in the blend have the aging characteristics) to age and mature for several more years.  Despite being non-vintage and affordable, I wouldn’t be surprised if this wine aged beautifully for 10 to 20 years.

SCORE

85

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD to EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.fessparkerwines.com/

2007 Volver Tempranillo (83 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

VINTAGE

N.V.

WINERY/PRODUCER

Volver

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Tempranillo

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

La Mancha

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.5%

PRICE PAID

$13

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

Bought this bottle at Hi-Time in Costa Mesa, California about a year ago (Hi-Time is a FANTASTIC wine shop, with a selection that BevMo and Total Wine & More could only dream of duplicating).

BOUQUET

This isn’t a terribly aromatic wine.  We pretty much popped-and-poured (and swirled like crazy, of course), so if you have this wine at home, I would suggest decanting for at least an hour.  That said, there was some spice on the nose (black pepper), along with some red/black fruit.

TASTING NOTES

I had very high expectations for this wine.  We absolutely fell in love with another Spanish Tempranillo that we discovered on our first visit to New York City years ago (Pago Florentino, also from La Mancha).  The Pago Florentino isn’t easy to find (Hi-Time, of course, carries it) and about a year or two ago I read a glowing review of the Volver, so on a visit to Hi-Time we decided to give this bottle a try.

Sadly, this wine doesn’t compare to the Pago Florentino, which is very disappointing.  I generally don’t fault/blame a wine for not meeting my expectations or measuring-up to another wine, but since the review I read was so positive and Hi-Time isn’t exactly around the corner, it was a bit of a let-down that this wine didn’t at least approach the quality of the Pago.

 If I didn’t know this wine was a Tempranillo, I would have guessed that this was a Spanish Syrah, which isn’t a bad thing.  There’s plenty of that Syrah-esque spice (especially black pepper) and an abundance of black and red fruit like plums, blackberries, and raspberries.  Unfortunately, that’s about it!  The wine is a bit flat/shallow, a bit tannic and acidic, and the flavors only go a few inches deep below the surface, whereas the Pago’s flavor profile goes MILES deep.  Perhaps this wine needs a few more years of bottle aging and an hour or more of decanting. 

This isn’t a bad wine by any stretch of the imagination.  Perhaps a bit unfairly, I just expected much more.  And it doesn’t help matters any that I have incredibly fond memories of my beloved Pago Florentino.  I think I’ll buy another bottle of this (perhaps the 2008 vintage has been released), let it cellar for a few years, and then decant for an hour or two.  We’ll see how that goes in 2015 or so.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We served this wine with racks of lamb spiced with Kosher salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and chopped rosemary.  The wine paired very well with the lamb and would pretty much go well with just about any red meat dish, as well as (I would assume) Spanish tapas.  

AGING POTENTIAL

See above.  It’s possible this wine needs several more years of cellaring and based on its structure this wine will probably age well for another 10 to 15 years.

SCORE

83

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

FAIR

WINERY WEBSITE

Unknown

2007 Frank Family Vineyards Reserve Sangiovese (93 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, November 20, 2011

VINTAGE

2007

WINERY/PRODUCER

Frank Family Vineyards

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Sangiovese

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

Reserve

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

Rutherford, Napa Valley

ALCOHOL CONTENT

15.0%

PRICE PAID

$49.50

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We got this bottle at the winery’s tasting room (in Napa Valley) in September 2009.

BOUQUET

The bouquet for this wine reveals TONS of spices (mostly black pepper, along with hints of other savory herbs), along with some black fruits, rumors of oak, and a pinch or two of earth/soil.

TASTING NOTES

Here’s another example of a wine whose bouquet COMPLETELY foretells what the wine is going to taste like.  In this case, that means a fantastic Cal-Ital red wine that is very spicy, black-fruited, with a bit of oak and earth.

This wine is redolent of spices (especially cracked black pepper, along with savory herbs like rosemary and thyme) and black and red fruit (blackberries, plums, raspberries, and black cherries).  After those two predominant characteristics, the classic Italian red varietal traits of tannins and earthiness shine bright.  Whereas some Italian reds can be overwhelming with their tannic and earthy qualities, this Napa Valley Sangiovese is unbelievably/beautifully well-balanced, with fantastic structure and evenness.  With orchards of ripe, juicy, delicious black fruit, a container’s worth of black pepper, the PERFECT amount of oak and earth, smooth, easy-going, sweet tannins, a gorgeous creaminess, and a forgiving and complimentary dose of acidity, this is easily the best California Sangiovese I’ve ever had.  This wine is FANTASTIC!

Upfront disclosure:  I’ve never had an expensive, quality Italian Sangiovese and/or Chianti.  Based on numerous frothing and glowing reviews I’ve read of expensive/quality Chiantis, I’m assuming this is what a REAL good Italian Sangiovese/Chianti tastes like.  Napa is (obviously) known for their Bordeaux varietals, but based on how good this wine is, I’d suggest that more Napa wineries give the Italian varietals a chance to shine.  Caparone, Fratelli Perata, and Bella Luna in Paso Robles have proven how well Italian varietals can thrive and prosper on the Central Coast.  Based on this one wine alone, it’s obvious that Italian varietals can/could/should/would do VERY well throughout the Golden State (at least in Napa and Paso Robles)! 

If you’re as ignorant/clueless/inexperienced as I am about Sangiovese, I would describe this varietal as a cross between Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache, and Petite Sirah.  Thanks to Frank Family Vineyards and this wonderful wine, I will be on the hunt for quality Sangiovese for the rest of my life!

In my humble opinion, this is one of the best sub-$50 bottles you can get out of Napa Valley.  Especially compared to those overpriced and overrated Cabernet Sauvignons!

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with lamb shanks, peppers, onions, and tomatoes with penne.  This wonderful wine went beautifully with the lamb shanks.  Based on how rich, spicy, creamy, and fruity this wine is, the wine would also pair well with steaks smothered in Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, prime rib, curried lamb shanks, lamb chops and/or rack of lamb, and an Italian pork roast.  Basically, this wine would go GREAT with any/all red meat dishes.

AGING POTENTIAL

For Sangiovese, this is actually a pretty young red at four years.  I actually was planning on letting this wine continue to age and cellar for another couple of years (at least), but I just couldn’t help myself.  Pairing red wine with lamb shanks and penne is always very difficult.  And since we had been “sitting” on this wine for the past two-plus years, I finally gave-in and had to pour this Bad Boy.  Although drinking beautifully well right now, based on how finely well-structured this wine is, this vintage would probably age nicely for another 20+ years.  The only problem: who in the hell can sit on a fantastic bottle like this for 20+ years?!?!?!  Certainly not me………

SCORE

93

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD-EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/

2009 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Chardonnay (85 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, November 19, 2011

VINTAGE

2009

WINERY/PRODUCER

Fess Parker

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

White

COMPOSITION

100% Chardonnay

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

Santa Barbara County

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.5%

PRICE PAID

$13.33

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

The winery’s tasting room was blowing-out this wine for $13.33/bottle earlier this past summer (June 2011), along with their 2010 Riesling (a better wine at a better price of $10/bottle!!)

BOUQUET

As is typical for the Fess Parker SBC Chardonnay year-in and year-out, the bouquet is very rich and creamy, along with suggestions of tropical fruit.  The bouquet wasn’t nearly as fruity as I expected, given the 14.5% alcohol level (the fruit used for this wine was obviously pretty ripe when harvested).  The bouquet was also pretty subdued; I really had to put my schnoz deep into the bowl and take several lung-filling sniffs to get any indications of the wine’s character.

TASTING NOTES

Like the nose suggested, this certainly is a rich, creamy California Chardonnay.  I would assume the wine was fermented in barrel based on the buttery richness; in fact, I would bet a rather substantial amount of money on that assumption!  Along with the cream, there is some zippy white pepper spiciness, along with suggestions of savory herbs like thyme.  There’s also a nice dollop of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, finally finishing with a slightly heavy, lingering finish.

This is a substantial, heavy-bodied California Chardonnay made in the style of thick, heavy, ripe, creamy Chardonnays that wine snobs/critics like to dismiss.  I love a steel-fermented, crisp, clean, low-alcohol Chardonnay just as much as the next guy.  But sometimes (especially when the food calls for it), there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a ripe, creamy, oaky, fruity California Chardonnay.  And for a sub-$20 bottle, you could do a LOT worse than this.

Note:  As the wine breathes and warms-up, it gets much spicier, waxier, and heavier.  If you’re into that sort of thing or the food you’re serving with this wine calls for that kind of accompaniment, then you’re in luck.  If you prefer crisp, clean, steely, light Chardonnays to begin with, don’t go anywhere near this wine!  Just be aware that this wine can really evolve 30 minutes after opening and pouring. 

 

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with Barefoot Contessa’s Chicken Stew with Biscuits (very similar to chicken pot pie).  The wine didn’t pair very well with the chicken stew (I thought a creamy/buttery Chardonnay would pair well with the buttery biscuits, chicken, and creaminess; I was WRONG).  I think the tropical fruitiness of the wine was the culprit.  A Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, or Marsanne would probably have paired better with the Chicken Stew.

I would recommend pairing this wine with a white fish dish that is either steamed, baked, or grilled, especially one that utilizes tropical fruit(s).

 

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine isn’t particularly acidic or tannic, which would diminish its aging potential.  I would drink this wine within the next two or three years (before the end of 2014).

SCORE

85

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

FAIR

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.fessparkerwines.com/

2010 Fess Parker Riesling (89 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, November 12, 2011

VINTAGE

2010

WINERY/PRODUCER

Fess Parker

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

White

COMPOSITION

100% Riesling

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

Santa Barbara County

ALCOHOL CONTENT

12.0%

PRICE PAID

$10.00

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

June of this year (2011) while visiting the winery’s tasting room.  This wine normally retails for $14/bottle but Fess was having a “blow out” special at $10/bottle for wine club members and we took advantage of the sale and bought half a case.

BOUQUET

As is typical for a Riesling, the bouquet is very minerally (granite, stones), fruity (white peaches, apples, and perhaps some tropical fruits), spicy (white pepper), and floral.  My favorite trait of a Riesling’s bouquet is when the wine smells like the glass is full of wet, crushed rocks.  I simply LOVE that stony/minerally character.

TASTING NOTES

One of our dinner guests said it best: “Drinking this wine is like eating an apple!”  The scribbles on my note pad were slightly different, but our dinner guest’s comment made insightful reference to this wine’s essence: crisp, clean, and delicious.

My tasting notes made reference to TONS of stony minerals, white fruit (apples and peaches), and spices (white pepper), all classic traits of Riesling.  This is a very crisp and clean white that deftly avoids the pitfall of many Rieslings: being too sweet.  If this were a 14% alcohol Riesling, I would be making comments about cavity-inducing sweetness.  At 12% alcohol, this is a perfectly balanced Riesling with great minerality, glorious acidity, fantastic depth-of-flavor, with a nice, elegant, delicate finish. 

I checked my previous notes/scores for this wine and noticed that I gave the 2009 S.B.C. Riesling 89 points as well.  Talk about consistency!!  

The last sentence on my note pad says it best: The Wine of the Year for $10!!!!!

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We served this wine with a roasted tomato soup topped with puff pastry.  The wine paired very well with the soup and contrasted nicely against the soup’s spiciness and acidity, as well as the puff pastry’s richness. 

Like any worthy Riesling, this wine would pair well with just about any appetizer you could imagine.  Literally.  Seriously.  No kidding.  Serve ANYTHING before dinner and this wine would pair beautifully with it, whether it be a veggie platter from 7-11, a bag of tortilla chips, a block of Velveeta, or seared foie gras topped with a seared scallop.  This is a great "food" wine.

AGING POTENTIAL

A serious German Riesling from Mosel can age beautifully for decades.  Not that this isn’t a serious, well-made wine, but I would imagine this wine would be best when drunk rather young, meaning I would recommend drinking this wine before the end of 2013.

SCORE

89 Points

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

Regular price: GOOD

Special blow-out, club member price:  EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.fessparkerwines.com/

2009 Fess Parker Rodney's Vineyard Viognier (90 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, November 12, 2011

VINTAGE

2009

WINERY/PRODUCER

Fess Parker

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

White

COMPOSITION

100% Viognier

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

Rodney’s Vineyard

REGION/A.V.A.

Santa Barbara County

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.5%

PRICE PAID

$27.20

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

November 2010 from the winery’s wine club

BOUQUET

Viogniers can have very floral and delicate bouquets.  Perhaps we weren’t using the best white wine glasses for this wine because the bouquet was quite subdued.  There were indeed the slightest suggestions of white flowers and fruit (peaches and melon), along with rumors of spices like white pepper and savory herbs.  But overall the bouquet wasn’t very pronounced.  Hopefully the flavor profile will compensate for the lack of a “nose.”

TASTING NOTES

I’ll take a delicious wine over a beautiful bouquet any day!

Thankfully, the wine’s flavor profile MORE than made-up for its lack of a nose.  This is a delicious and VERY creamy white (this wine must have been barrel fermented).  The flavor profile includes an abundance of tropical and summer fruits (pineapple, apricot, white peach, and mango), along with a bit of spice (white pepper, which the bouquet foretold).  This wine has a rich, creamy, voluptuous, slightly waxy mouthfeel, probably mostly due to the (assumed) barrel fermentation.  Despite the high alcohol content (the grapes used were obviously pretty darn ripe!), this is a very well-balanced white.

Overall, we loved this wine.  It was very fruity, fantastically rich and creamy, with enough structure and acidity to uphold and support its flavor profile.  Sometimes a wine’s high alcohol content can overwhelm and intrude upon its (otherwise) favorable characteristics; such is not the case here.  As usual, job well done Blair (Fox, Fess Parker’s head winemaker).

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We served this wine with a Caesar salad topped with a crab fritter.  The wine paired better with the crab fritter than the salad, but that’s basically why I chose to serve this wine.

This wine would also go well with a rich, creamy, right-out-of-the-oven brie cheese, lobster bisque, or a crab and corn chowder.

AGING POTENTIAL

The label on the back of the bottle suggests drinking this wine over the next two to three years, so this wine should probably be consumed by the end of 2013.

SCORE

90 Points

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.fessparkerwines.com/

2009 Epicuro Aglianico (81 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Friday, November 11, 2011

VINTAGE

2009

WINERY/PRODUCER

Epicuro

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Aglianico

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

N/A

ALCOHOL CONTENT

13.5%

PRICE PAID

$4.99

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

Bought this bottle at Trader Joe’s after reading about this producer in their monthly newsletter (The Fearless Flyer).

BOUQUET

Being a VERY young wine, the bouquet is almost nonexistent.  There is a hint/suggestion of black fruits (blackberries and plums), along with a rumor of oak, earth, and spices.

TASTING NOTES

Trader Joe’s advertised this wine along with another one or two of Epicuro’s Italian red wines and at $4.99 a bottle, I just HAD to give this Aglianico and the their red blend a spin (Salice Salentino (80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera)).

I really liked the Salice Salentino.  Sadly, I cannot say the same for the Aglianico. 

My only other experience with Aglianico is with Paso Robles’ Caparone, which makes a fantastic Aglianico.  Admittedly, the last Caparone Aglianico I had was their 2006 vintage, which has years of barrel and bottle aging on this wine.  Perhaps this wine is simply way too young?  Either way, a winery should only release a wine once it’s ready to be consumed.

On the plus side, this is a rich, creamy, well-balanced wine.  There isn’t an abundance of red or black fruit; the wine’s most prominent attributes are cream, earth, and oak, along with very supple tannins and a very well-integrated structure.  The wine simply doesn’t have much depth and/or complexity of character/flavors.  Yes, there are some Zinfandel-like attributes like black fruit, spices (mostly black pepper with suggestions of some savory herbs like rosemary), earth, oak, and cream.  But whereas a quality Zin has depth-of-flavor that goes miles deep, this wine only scratches the surface.  Perhaps a few more years of bottle aging would help.  As of today, this is a pretty flat wine that isn’t worth the affordable price of entry.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

Just like the Caparone Aglianico, this wine would pair well with a nicely-spiced steak, a hearty stew, or spicy/curried lamb shanks.  We had this wine with penne with a sausage, peppers, onions, and tomato ragu; the wine did not pair at all well with the pasta.  If you have this bottle or like Aglianico, stick with steak, stews, and spiced meats.

AGING POTENTIAL

Like most Italian red varietals, this wine would probably age pretty well for several years (maybe decades?).  If you bought this bottle at Trader Joe’s and took advantage of the great price, you’ll want to cellar your bottles for at least 3 or 4 years.  This might actually be a nice red after 5 to 10 years of bottle aging?!?!

SCORE

81

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

Fair

WINERY WEBSITE

Unknown