This was another random purchase, but one that has worked out quite well. This is a dark, rich grenache that is almost shiraz like in dryness and flavour. The balance of the wine is nigh on perfect, and the colour is a rich red. Unfortunately no purple hue to it, but you cannot have everything.
I am drinking this in anticipation of my experimental lamb loin recipe that is in the oven. If this succeeds then I might get my wife to publish the recipe on her web site some time.
(no winery page found)
I had the opportunity to get this for about 8 bucks a bottle, and I took it because I want more cheap stuff to drink and because I have had good luck with Spanish Grenache in the past. Spain has some hot weather, which is bound to bring about a wine to my taste.
I do quite like this stuff. The warm weather has given a mostly tannin-free taste, and it is leaning more towards the dark fruit flavour that I like. It has an interesting combination of a light texture with a dry, rich aftertaste. It is certainly not jammy or syrupy, which is a good contrast to the normal stuff that I drink.
For some reason I get the feeling that this will go well with lamb. I will try that theory out soon.
This is going for about 10 bucks in a variety of locations now, so I got half a case to keep around for the time when I need a drink and don’t want to feel guilty about what I am drinking. This is an interesting mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Grenache by Ben Glaetzer. These are all varieties that I like and a winemaker that I respect, so I figured that this was a good bet.
I must say that I was not blown away by this stuff but not terribly offended either. Perhaps this is a result of expectations set too high – it is in the price point where you should not expect much. It is well made enough (no headaches for me) and it went well with the food. Perhaps the blend is something that I need to get used to.
Certainly if you only want to spend 10 bucks on wine to take to a party or something you can do *far* worse than this. Plenty of wine at this price point tastes astringent or will have you feeling like a dissappointed horse kicked you in the head. My apologies if this sounds like faint praise, but faint praise is still praise.
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.
(no winery page found)
I nabbed this one day when I saw it in a Real Estate Agency / Art Gallery / Wine Shop in Kirkland (I shit you not). I am a sucker for the GSM, and this one apparently was supposed to be good and priced at a point where I might believe it.
Tonight is the second night that I am partaking in this wonderful blend. It definitely has a hint of raspberry to it on the nose, and it is very rich and full bodied to drink without being hot in the mouth. I think that it is a bit young to be drinking though, because the tannins are stronger than the sugar. This is not a serious deficit, and something that I am sure some time in a cellar would do well to fix.
Today I noticed that Seattle Wine Co. has this in the 2004. I may just go down there and nag a bottle sometime to leave in the cellar for a year or two. This is a great GSM for having a relaxing meal or a quiet drink with somebody. Not as smooth as The Steading that I reviewed recently, but it is a bit cheaper and has a more aggressive style that some people like to go for at times.
Winery Page (you need to work through some flash)
I was looking around a local wine shop and I noticed this on a shelf for about 30 bucks. I have a bottle of slightly more premium Torbreck (The Struie) and I wanted to try something cheaper from Torbreck to see what I think of them. I figured that a GSM would be a perfect way to try things out.
I drank this bottle over a couple of different sittings, both times with some lamb loin that I had cooked up. I gave it some breathing time, and gave myself some breathing time after exspending 5000 calories getting the cork out of the bottle. That shiznit was in there tight!
The word of the day with The Steading is subtle. According to the website, this is a pretty heavy alcohol wine, but everything about it was smooth and subtle as I was drinking it. As far as flavor goes, it is not a pepper bomb like the fantastic Rosemount GSM. But it is 60% Grenache, and the proportions in these blends has a huge effect on the flavor.
Even after two nights of drinking this wine I don’t know what I feel about it. I quite enjoyed drinking it with my meal both times. It tasted incredibly well made. But it did not have as much of the appeal as some other wine (like the Pastor Fritz) that made me want to have just one more glass each time. I think that this understated elegance in the wine is something that a lot of people appreciate more than I do, and I suspect that I will want to have something more like this at some point in the future. There is also the question of what some time in bottle would do – I think that it might be work 30 bucks for me to find that out.
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:
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.
Since I have not had a chance to pick up the wine that I have ordered for the past six months, I am starting to scrape the bottom of my “drink every day” barrel. By this I mean that I have drank all of the OK stuff that I want to drink, and that I have drank enough of the good stuff to know that I want to age some of it for a while (and forget the stuff in the fridge. That shit is Elliot Ness until my parents come back into town or Jeff throws a gauntlet down.
As I ummed and ahhed over what to drink, the Fox Creek Shiraz Grenache caught my eye. A quick search on the tubes tells me that this is not a super expensive bottle, so I decide to take the plunge. And I am glad that I did.
This stuff has that smooth earthy tone that a good Shiraz should have, with a bit of a peppery bite. Good alone or with some fine animal flesh, this is a great bottle. I wish now that I found this in 2002, since this is a McLaren Vale vineyard and 2003 was not quite the year that 2002 was (apparently).
Unless I am mistaken I don’t have any more, so I now need to attempt to procure some more when my wallet stops bleeding from Christmas (which will probably be next Christmas). If you like the Rosemount GSM or the heavier Penfolds Bin series (389, 128, anything with a numbered label) then you will love this.
