#4 - Last Night's Wines

So, last night we didn't really pair food and wine, but we kinda did. We had burgers and hot dogs, with some mac and cheese and some baked beans. (Quick note - Carrie made the beans in our dutch oven, which would coincidentally lead to more dutch ovens later.) The book called for zins, cabs, and chardonnay overall for the dishes we chose. We also had tomatoes and cheese, since heirlooms are starting to arrive on store shelves finally. One of the cheeses we had was a cheese you can grill that is not haloumi - I don't know exactly how to spell what we had, because it has 3 "u"s, and 2 of them are back to back. But, a rundown of the wines we had since they weren't fancy, just wines you can probably find at the store now:

2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay Indian Wells - this was $15 and got a 90 from Spectator. We really enjoyed it - very bright, balanced. I believe the tasting note involved "sweet vanilla oak", my old nickname. Chances are that the 2005 is harder to find, but it has a pretty good track record if you can only find the 2006 or even the 2007. Especially at the price.

2007 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay Sonoma - Well, we did not go to St. Jean when we went to Sonoma last year, but it has always been a favorite because we love their Fume Blancs. I have always wanted to try the Chardonnay, just because. I found it for $14, but then saw it Meijer for $11. I wouldn't have liked it even if we only spent $2 on it. Yikes - it didn't even taste like a Chardonnay, and we stopped after one glass. Not one glass each, one glass combined. I can't speak for the other vintages or the reserves, which seem to score better. If you see one of those, you can try them out - the Belle Terre Vineyard Chardonnays are in the $20s, and the Reserve Chards are in the $40s. I still recommend their Fume Blancs for sure.

2006 Kumeu River Village Chardonnay - This is actually a New Zealand Chardonnay, and you should buy it if you see it. We found it at Costco for $17 or so - well worth it, especially for the fact that you will probably be drinking your first NZ Chardonnay. Our tasting notes included mineral, lime, orange, maybe some lemon. It isn't overly oaky like some California Chardonnays can be. Scored a 90 from Spectator. Check it out if you can find it.

2005 Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet - We picked this up at Costco for around $20 or so, only because we went there when we were out in Sonoma last year. It was actually pretty solid. You always wonder about wines after you visit a place - you always are more complimentary when you are at the actual vineyard and someone employed by the vineyard is standing there looking at you, waiting on your response. You may convince yourself you like it when you are there, but the real test is to buy it later and give it a whirl. This is what we tried with the Simi, and it was pretty solid for sure - it doesn't have a good track record on Spectator or anything, and you can probably do better for the cost. I probably wouldn't recommend it, but if you have a chance to have a glass, why not?