2002 Moulin St. George

I drank this and wrote notes about it ages ago, but I was too lazy to look up the name of it (I find it hard to remember things in a language that I don’t know). My memory was sparked by seeing that Jeff had reviewed this wine.

This tasted like a very typical Bordeaux to my unrefined palate. It went very well with the steak that I had cooked with some spicy rub on it, so it could hold its own very well. It was very full bodied, but it was not super strong (my wife enjoyed it, and she cannot stand most of the Shiraz that I drink).

If I see this again I will get it. Maybe it will help me get more used to French wine.

2002 Pretty Sally Cabernet Savignon

Winery Page

I found a good deal on this, and sometimes late at night I want a glass of cheap wine to get me sleepy.

This one has an interesting taste – bright and light without being too metallic. The winery claims that the tannins are well integrated, and I would agree with that. It is light on the alcohol, but does not beat you over the head with this lightness.

After about 30 minutes or so the wine is developing a deeper, sweeter taste. This is a 2002, so perhaps some air will do it good. The rest of the bottle is sitting in the wine fridge with a rubber stopper in it (picked those up in Walla Walla, and they do an awesome job). So I will consume this over the next week or so and see how it develops.

 

2002 Robert Mondavi Napa Cabernet

Winery Page (no description of 2002 though)

I went to Daniel’s in Bellevue with my wife last friday, and I decided on the Mondavi Cab because it hit a good intersection on the value curve.

This is a very pleasant wine with that typical Cab taste (a little bit of a vanilla edge to it) and it matched up with the steak wonderfully. It was a great night out, and the Cab helped a lot with that.

Now I want to try out the reserve…

2002 Grant Burge Holy Trinity GSM

Winery Page

As Jeff predicted, I am writing a review of this. It has been a while since we drank it but I have been blog lazy of late.

I gave this plenty of time to breathe and ate it with some lamb loin that I cooked roast style. As a wine to eat with my lamb I thought that it was eminently drinkable – I think that it paired quite well with the flavor of the flesh, and it was very smooth. To my drunken shame I killed half a bottle of it before taking the remainder to share with Jeff, and I enjoyed every drop.

Ultimately it was not the GSM that I hoped for though. Rosemount sets the bar with their offering, and the Holy Trinity cost me more than that, so on the value front it loses right away there. I think that The Steading is another better offering in the price range too – since I drank it I have been craving another bottle.

Personally, I think that Jeff was a little harsh on it. Perhaps this is just the kind of wine that does better with food, and that explains our slight difference of opinion.

2002 Hill of Content Grenache Shiraz

Winery Page (closest thing that I could find)

I was wondering around PCC and this one caught my eye. Why did this one come home with me? I think that my decision process went something like this:

• It was a Grenache / Shiraz. The past few years I have started to appreciate Grenache blends, so I like to experiment with them.
• It was from 2002. This was a good year in Barossa, so this always helps me push over the edge.
• It was in the $10 – $20 sweet spot. Not cheap enough to be badly made, but not expensive enough to scare me off on a spring afternoon when I want a cheap addition to the collection.

I have been having a little bit here and there in the past few days. Jeff had some too, although I wonder if he remembers it. We tasted it with some other wines and I think that it was the last one we had.

I think that this was a nice drop for the price. It is a little peppery and very full bodied, which I like. It is a little bit strong tasting at first (14.5% alcohol may be the cause of this) but with a little bit of air it was a nice drink. The style is a bit different from what I normally drink, but based on this I will continue to shop for these kinds of blends at this price point.