Grand Reve Vintners 2004 Collaboration Series I red wine

In a few weeks, there will be yet another infestation of wine bloggers passing through our area. This time, they will be polluting the airways of British Columbia (pity the Canads!), but as they migrate to yet another sub-par wine region (think Virginia), the organizers have been hosting planning meetings here in town. Here are excerpts from a break in how they would be hyping the rough wines of Greece. Of course, Washington wine bloggers are an incestuous, sex-deprived group, so you have been warned…

Sean: “When I was picking up China exchange students back in college, I always used that ‘fall from heaven’ line to get those overripe turnip-smelling chicks in my dorm bed. That said, until I met Anny, it didn’t work so well with the domestic Chinese babes.”
Antoine: “Give us examples.”
Sean: “When I first met Madeline at the wine office, I tried ‘Did it hurt?’. She replied, ‘Did what hurt?’ Me: ‘When you fell from heaven?’ Maddy: ‘Oh, I dug my way up from hell.’ Me: ‘Oh. Well, this is awkward.’”
Antoine: “What worked on Anny?”
Sean: “She was easy. All I said was, ‘Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? Did you fall from heaven because have sex with me.’”
Antoine: “Rico Suave, dude.”

Dave: Margot and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table. I asked her, “Do you know him?” “Yes,” she sighed, “He’s my old boyfriend. I understood he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn’t been sober since.” “Oh my,” I said, “Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?” And then, the fight started…

Jameson: I was bad at getting girls in high school, even when I tried to use the angle of being in a band. I’d be like, “Yo, what’s up, girl? You wanna come see my band on Friday?” They would go, “Maybe, what’s the name of your band?” And I would have to admit it… “Marching.”

Josh: Hey honey, what line did I use on you?
Kimberly: “If you ever get mauled by a bear with chainsaw hands, I hope he stays away from your face… because I think you’re kinda cute.”

Shona: Hey Sean, what line are you using these days?
Sean: This one worked with Jameson. “How’s your ass?”
Caylee: That’s a wonderful conversation starter. ‘Hey, how’s your ass?’ ‘It’s doing well, thank you! How’s yours?’ ‘Oh, it’s extremely sore, because someone decidedly tried to put a blunt object in it with no prior preparation.’ ‘I’m sorry to hear that, I hope your ass is feeling better soon.’ ‘Why thank you. Have a happy bowel movement later tonight!’ ‘Thanks! You too.’

Andy: What do wine bloggers really wonder about?
Sean: Do all guys find other guys attractive?
Barbara Winegal: What does herpes feel like?
Margot: I haven’t gotten my period in five months. Is that bad?
Shona: What did I do last night after my seventh free glass of Woodward Canyon thunderbird?
Jameson (looking at Sean): How do I get my penis to sit back down?

Clive: Hey wineman, had any memorable dates recently?
Wineman: I dated this gal who was really into photography, with a bent for this style called High Dynamic Range photography.
Wineman: I’ll never forget when she asked me over to her place for dinner. She wanted to show off her cooking. The convo went like this:
Hot chick: “I cooked this chicken in three batches. I cooked the first batch in one minute.”
Wineman: (thinking) Omigod, she’s so cute.
Hot chick: “The second, I cooked for ten minutes. And the third, for an hour.”
Wineman: “It’s delicious!” (thinking) this tastes awful. Omigod, she’s cute.
Hot chick: “I mixed them together to get the full range of flavors.”
Wineman: “Cool recipe! Best chicken ever!” (thinking) I’m going to die.

Sean: Penis!
Jameson: Did you know that if you own an iPad or iPhone and the devices are within range, the iPad also receives the text messages that are sent to the iPhone?
Sean: Yesss
Jameson: Shona is on her iPad and goes, “Sean, what is a penis?”
Sean: Noooo
Jameson: I said it’s a lollipop.

Wineman: “Hey Sean, you have so many fake friends on Twitter, so what’s your secret to making friends?”
Sean: “Tell them girls that you love them and they always reply, ‘I think we’re just friends.’”

Barbara Winegal: I have thousands of men followers on Twitter!
Shona: So do I!
Margot: Ditto!
Wineman: For all the women who brag about how many men want them, just remember… the cheapest prices attract the most customers.

Sean: I am the smartest tool in the shed.
Chris: It’s sharpest, not smartest. Dumbass.

Jamie: Ok Wineman, so tell us some of your secrets to dating!
Wineman: I dated a wine blogger in my early days. I texted her I was willing to share my Qilceda Creek 2005 cabernet sauvignon. All I need is U.
Sean: Agreed! I said something similar to this hot physics major from deep China, “I put the STD in STUD, now all I need is U.”
Wineman: *facepalm*
Wineman: Anywho. I once dated a biology major and tried this one, “I wish I was Adenine so I could be paired with U.”
Wineman: I also dated a math major. Tried this: “If I took a data collection of how beautiful every girl is, you would be at least three standard deviations above the mean.”
Wineman: Best date ever was this gal who loved cats. On our first date, all she talked about was her cat for six hours… then we had mediocre sex.
Wineman: I once dated a gal who looked like Eva Longoria but she went to the University of Washington. I told her she was like a dwarf star. Extremely hot but not very bright.
Wineman: At the wine bloggers shindig in Walla Walla, I was in a store buying 50 condoms, right? Two wine bloggers behind me, Babs and Claire, start giggling. I turn around, look at them dead in the eye and said… “Make that 52.”

Sean: Can I get the last word in? I’m really insecure and pathetic but I want people to think I am an authority on wine.
Jamie: Yes, Sean. Go ahead. What is your advice?
Sean: From my experience, if you’re going to be handling jalapenos, wash your hands before using a tampon. Or pay the ultimate pain of 1000 childbirths and death.
Jamie: That’s nice, Sean. But, how about you give us some sage advice about how life has been for you? After all, it’s Mother’s Day! Give us some wisdom that involves your mother.
Sean: My mom should have swallowed me.

Grand Reve Vintners is a name no longer on the active ledger of Washington wineries; however, the owners have since molted to Force Majeure Vineyards to avoid yet another legal tangle over nomenclature. This is a winery specifically setup for wine snobs and wine dildos who have nothing better to do with their over-compensated income. Sadly, for all their highbrow efforts to make this some type of cult winery on par with the likes of the well-established DeLille Cellars, their “tasting room” sits in a squalid industrial park under the armpit of a quiet bedroom community in Kirkland. Don’t get me wrong, this winery invests heavily in their wine, from vineyard to vinification. And, rightly so. When a winery invests in relying on Red Mountain’s premier vineyard savant, Ryan Johnson, to grow the source grapes then casts an all-star lineup of winemakers to handle the precious cargo off Washington’s only world-class cabernet-growing AVA, it is no longer a matter of IF the wine will be good, but more like… just HOW GOOD the wines will be.

And, therein lies the problem. This is a winery with a similar manifesto to that of Longshadows. Great names. Great vineyards. But, no sense of “soul.” Consumers who flock to Woodinville on a regular basis do so because they have developed a “relationship” with the winemaker/owner. Mark McNeilly. Chris Gorman. Jerry Riener. Lou Facelli. Mark Newton. Jeff Jirka. Rod Balsley. Tim Blue. Attila Kovacs-Szabo. Walk into any of these winemaker’s tasting rooms and sample their wines… they each have a unique and distinguished direction with their wines. Get invited to a Force Majeure party and, well, you taste good wines but that’s about it. Sure, you can go home with a bottle and brag about it to your “buddies” but then what? It’s all about chasing the “status” factor, and we all know what status means: buying things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like.

To the wine…

Tasted at 63-66 degrees on the IR temp gun, on May 4, 2013. Color: rustic ruby. Nose: black currant, black pepper, smoked cherry. Mouthfeel: medium-bodied. Tail trail: soft, enduring, 10+ seconds. Flavors: cherry, raspberry, red licorice, red plum, allspice, shredded New Mexico leather, cedar jewel box. Food pairing was grilled chops and veggies. Historic.

Alcohol: 14.5%. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 18% cabernet franc, 18% petit verdot. Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. Red Mountain AVA. Vineyard manager: Ryan Johnson. Winemaker: Benjamin Smith of Cadence Winery. 137 cases. Collaboration Series I (the winery’s very first wine). Power: 3/5. Balance: 3/5. Depth: 3/5. Finesse: 4/5. Rated: 93. Value: $50. Paid: $49. Music pairing: “Troublemaker” by Olly Murs. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.

Sun River Vintners 2008 Boushey Vineyard sangiovese

Resident admirers of Washington wines know there are enclaves where one may daytrip it with friends and partake in tastings from a cluster of wineries. The two major cities that fully embrace their “wine destination” status are Woodinville and Walla Walla, each with over a hundred wineries within and adjacent to their city limits. Then, there are the actual “tourist” locales where tasting rooms have sprouted to take advantage of the heavy foot traffic… why, that would be Leavenworth and nearby Lake Chelan! And sure, there are those that have tried (and not sustained success) but are still making an effort… calling Seattle and Snohomish here. Finally, there are the emerging wine meccas that are quietly but progressively growing their winery numbers, making their area a future “must stop” for those traveling winos. Common threads for these budding wine zones are that (1) they are situated close to a few existing wineries, (2) have cheap rental space, and, more often than not, (3) are located in the heart of wine country. You know a few of them: Yakima, Prosser, and perhaps the one area with the best opportunity for becoming the next premier “wine destination” due to its proximity to a large population, plenty of hotel space, and a distinguished regional culture– the Tri-Cities, representing Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco!

Let’s take a look at what each city offers.

Richland: Barnard Griffin Winery, Boulder Estates Winery, Cavallo di Ferro, Denhoed Wine Estates, F/W Wine, Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards & Winery, Hamilton Cellars, Holmes Family Winery, J. Bookwalter Winery, Kitzke Cellars, Lawrelin Wine Company, Market Vineyards, Pacific Rim Winemakers, Purple Star Wines, Sonoris Wines, Tagaris Winery, Terra Vinum, Thomas O’Neil Cellars, Vinaceus, Alexander The Grape (really? really?), and Gorgeous Wine Company (*facepalm* really??).

Pasco: Claar Cellars, Gordon Brothers Cellars, Preston Premium Wines, Vineyard View Marketplace.

Kennewick: Canyon’s Edge Winery, Farmhand Winery, Giant Wine Company, Moonlight Sparkling Wine Cellar, NW Vine Project, Powers Winery, Smasne Cellars, Thompson Hill Cellars (formerly 360 Cellars Estate), aaaaand this one.

Sun River Vintners. Just the name alone confuses many a Northwesterner with that resort town down south– Sunriver, Oregon. However, this is a very true Washington winery run by longtime electrical and plumbing experts, Daniel and Glenn Washam. While their construction-related company has stood since 1985, in the last few years, the Washams have nursed a winery on the property, purportedly as some homage to their favorite vacation retreat.

The Washams prefer to stay out of the wine-light and have brought in Kathleen Annette Dykes, 63, to be the “face” of the winery and handle the daily operations. “Kat” has extensive experience within the industry as she is also the “wine agent” for the Wines of Washington tasting rooms. The former Kathleen Cross married another wine-centric aficionado in Bob Dykes in 1998 before Bob succumbed to cancer on January 14, 2010.

Sun River’s winemaker is Gregory Steven Vogtritter, 50.

The winery produces approximately 2500 cases/year and wants to be known for using Le Grand Porto Pipe barrels. These monster-sized, 650 liter (110kg) barrels from Cognac, France, as you can imagine, pump a massive lot of toasty tannins to enhance a wine flavor’s profile. Each barrel holds about 72 cases of wine, three times the capacity of a “standard” barrel. Imagine racking and cleaning those bitches!

Sun River Vintner’s current lineup boasts a typical “I make what I like” set of wines: zinfandel, syrah, nebbiolo, merlot, chenin blanc, gewürztraminer, nebbiolo port, semillon/sauvignon blanc blend, and a cab/merlot/syrah blend. Prices top out at a reasonable $32 and feature a few single vineyard gems. Tastings by appointment only or on release/special event weekends.

To the wine…

Tasted at 60-64 degrees on the IR temp gun. Elegantly dressed in magenta with a ruby edge on dark mahogany, the wine’s Riedel-filling aromas overflow with Lambert cherry, raspberry sauce, and strawberry fields forever. Medium-bodied on the palate with a slight alcohol bite, this well-built sangiovese leaves enduring notes of plum, black cherry, and high-toned cupboard spices such as anise and cinnamon. Dense and active with fruit on stage and savory tannins behind the curtain. Give it 40 minutes to open up and for the tannins to become a red velvet carpet. Timeless sangiovese. Food pairing was quick-n-easy chili. Nice.

Alcohol: 15.3%. Boushey Vineyard. Yakima Valley AVA. Black waxed top. Power: 3/5. Balance: 3/5. Depth: 3/5. Finesse: 3/5. Rated: 92. Value: $35. Paid: $25. Music pairing: “Timeless” by The Airborne Toxic Event. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.

Kirkland Signature 2010 Columbia Valley red wine

What is the problem with our local wine bloggers’ denial of Washington wines made under the Costco ‘Kirkland Signature’ label? Costco is known for value, as opposed to Nordstrom is known for high-fashion quality and taking out a second mortgage to get that blingy pair of shoes. Oh yeah! That’s right… Costco doesn’t give away samples to low-life scumbags posing as knowledgeable wine writers! A wine blogger has to actually pay-to-play with real money and that eliminates everyone around latitude 47 except yours truly.

Let’s establish an agreement here… Costco’s house brand wines are generally reliable in delivering what is labeled. When a consumer sees a “Napa Valley”-labeled wine, he/she can reasonably expect a wine that will deliver a satisfying experience for the money, unlike those eighty-dollar fiascos at some wine boutiques. Who can we thank for this return-on-investment? Why, that would be Costco’s director of national wine, spirits, and beer program: Annette DeLeon Alvarez-Peters, 51, of Sammamish, WA.

Annette is widely recognized as the nation’s most financially-influential wine buyer (over $2.4 BILLION/year for all alcoholic beverages) as it makes sense since Costco is the nation’s (if not the world’s) number one purveyor of wine. Typical of Costco and their down-to-earth presentation, Mrs. Alvarez-Peters holds the humble title of “Assistant General Merchandise Manager” within this Fortune 500 company, quite unlike the low-lifes who hyperboast of joining Wine Enthusiast when he’s a blind-tasting setup lackey, or a self-proclaimed bitch “professor of English” despite skating by to a weak degree from a second-tier in-state college. What’s so hilarious about her is she considers wine no different than her previous title as a buyer of auto parts. She professes, “…at the end of the day, it’s just a beverage.” Hear, hear! As a follow-up, everyone in Costco’s wine program is at least certified as WSET Level 2, so it’s not like they each have the non-skilled wine-tasting level of a wine blogger. (Has anyone ever bothered to ask Sean what his WSET Level attainment is?)

Of note, while Costco sells wines from $5 to well over $600, Mrs. Alvarez-Peters insists the “sweet spot” is within the $7-$15 price range. But, here’s where it is revealed why wine bloggers lack the fancy for Costco wines: “Eighty percent (of our members) own their own home… the average income is $96,800 but 41% of our members have a household income of over $100,000.” Also, going back, think about it… you go into a Costco and their wine section sits far in the back, near the refrigerated meats/cheeses/seafood section, occupying maybe a total of 500 square feet, at best, and yet, they move over 1 BILLION dollars of wine every year. And, while I’m gnawing on my buck-fifty hot dog and Pepsi, all I see in those mega-shopping carts are magnums of Columbia Crest or those cheaper boxed wines. So, while you may find a rare Sauternes or Leonetti Cellar for sale, what makes Costco so profitable in the wine section are the cheap, bulk wines that go into well-fed homes throughout America. Think about that the next time you read a faux-hipster wine blog that only toots high-priced wines…

Tasted at 63-66 degrees on the IR temp gun. Neonatal purple to deep magenta in the Riedel with heady aromas of brambly fruits, plum, smoky cedar, and boysenberry leading to a full-bodied sensation and a surprisingly extended residence on the palate expressing pungent endeavors of black plum, black cherry, black licorice, nettle, menthol, cedar, and gritty spices. Exciting!

Alcohol: 14.6%. Cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot. Columbia Valley AVA. Winemaker: Gilles Nicault of Long Shadows fame. Produced and bottled by Dolan & Weiss Cellars (Walla Walla). Power: 3/5. Balance: 2/5. Depth: 3/5. Finesse: 3/5. Rated: 91. Value: $30. Paid: $18.89. Music pairing: “I Love It” by Icona Pop. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.

Conundrum 2005 White Table Wine (California)

Tasted at 52-65 degrees on the IR temp gun. Color: electric yellow gold. Nose: white and yellow flowers, peach, nectarine, orange blossom. Mouthfeel: medium-bodied. Tail trail: 6 seconds. Flavors: peach, orange pulp, pink grapefruit. Fine expectations achieved with Chinese take-out.

Alcohol: 13.5%. The winery likes to play this game of “I won’t tell you what’s in it.” Let’s guess, based on the winery’s tasting notes of “peach, apricot, green melon, pear and citrus.” Translated here as possible: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, semillon, viognier, and muscat canelli. Stelvin cap. Power: 2/5. Balance: 2/5. Depth: 2/5. Finesse: 2/5. Rated: 88. Value: $14. Paid: $20. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.

The Eyrie Vineyards 2008 Dundee Hills pinot gris (Oregon)

I get this asked often in my travels: “What’s a good wine to go with (insert fast food restaurant name here)?”

This is especially so with cheap “Chinese” take-out. The answer is ridonkulously easy. Look at the color of the mess on your plate and match it with the wine. Chow mein and fried rice dishes are tasteless fodder so those don’t count.

If there’s beef involved, then go with something not oaky like a cheap merlot or blend, and always a vintage not more than two years past current date. Focus on lower-shelf dwellers and stick to Washington wines as they tend to explode with fruit and have a good spine of acid while not lingering too long on the palate.

For most of the menu, however, the selection should be a white wine (with its dominant flavor expectation) such as pinot gris (stone fruits), unoaked chardonnay (apple, grapefruit), riesling (peach, apple), orange muscat (tropical sweet), gewürztraminer (lychee) or a sauvignon blanc (lemon). None of these should set you back more than $15 per bottle at the top end.

The one caution is if the food arrives extra spicy. Red chili peppers and 13% alcohol beverages do not mesh well in the hatch. Stick to Tsingtao instead and stash the 750ml for another day.

Tasted at 49-55 degrees on the IR temp gun. Color: straw. Nose: citrus, nectarines, grapefruit, tangerine, yellow flowers. Mouthfeel: medium-bodied. Tail trail: 5 seconds. Flavors: grapefruit bitters, green apple, peach. This wine is on the decline so drink your stash now. Pro tip: top-shelf pinot gris is solid for up to four years past vintage. No more.

Alcohol: 13.5%. Estate vineyard. A really sub-par website (grade: D) for such an established winery. Power: 2/5. Balance: 2/5. Depth: 2/5. Finesse: 1/5. Rated: 87. Value: $12. Paid: $12. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.

Novelty Hill 2009 Stillwater Creek Vineyard malbec

Tasted at 60-67 degrees on the IR temp gun. Color: inky, majestic purple. Nose: wallflower plum and blackberry at 63 degrees to raspberry at 67 degrees. Mouthfeel: full-bodied. Tail trail: 8 seconds. Flavors: star-studded plum, alcohol sting, spiced cherry, black pepper, streaky smoked blackberries, and some low-level funk. Primo with a curried turkey empanada.

Alcohol: 14.6%. Estate vineyard in the future Frenchman Hills AVA. Columbia Valley AVA. 93% malbec, 3% cabernet franc, 2% cabernet sauvignon, 2% merlot. TA 0.56. pH 3.66. 311 cases. Power: 2/5. Balance: 2/5. Depth: 2/5. Finesse: 2/5. Rated: 88. Value: $18. Paid: $25. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.

Chateau Figeac 1990 St. Emilion red wine (France)

WAwineman reporting from Radio City Music Hall in New York City with the latest on the 2013 National Wine Blogger Draft, and walking to the podium to begin the proceedings is Bobby Parkour. “And with the first pick, Choad Enthusiast selects… Sean P. Sillyvain of lesser Wallingford!” No surprise there as the “P.” stands for Penisbreath. I think they got the right gay to setup the glasses for those so-called “blind tastings.” Hey, here comes P. Richard Gregutt… “Hey Dick, what’d you think of that selection?” PRG: “Anyone who can emasculate a man via Twitter wine tastings is deserving to join our lemon parties. I mean, ‘blind tastings’. Sean’s been trying so hard to impress us, from the cheap hair dye and his ugly-ass bitch for a girlfriend to recommending wines he cannot afford and showing off what a small penis he has by tweeting a picture of himself with empty Leonetti bottles. This guy is one of us! We know he is a complete sell-out and will never put the paying consumer’s interest first. He’s on his way to becoming as two-faced as I am, posing as a ‘winemaker’ by schlepping wine made from free grapes and vinted by trained winemakers. So what if I am cozy with the big wine companies? I think I am still unbiased when reviewing their wines. And, besides, our palates don’t need official recognition. We THINK we know wines and we KISS a lot of ASS to get free wine. Like the public is smart enough to figure it out! Hah!” And this, from Sean’s congratulatory speech: “I’d like to thank Mr. Gregutt for allowing me to be his right-hand man… as we all know how worn out his right hand is from all those years between wives.”

Back to Bobby… “With the second selection of the 2013 National Wine Blogger Draft, Gallo Columbia Winery selects Shona666 from the armpit of Woodinville.” Wow! Not only did the winery rehab an out-of-work “I’m not a wine blogger but I blog about wines” wine mooching ho but now they will speak to the public about their “award winning” wines through the rusty spigot that is the Queenie of Woodinville wine-profit stealing diva!

Okay, that was all I could handle before sprinting to the washroom to vomit.

At the post-draft press conference, I asked Dickie Gregutt about the “changing of the guard” in wine writing. His reply was, “Age… doesn’t matter unless you’re a cheese.” I interjected, “Or a wine.” Then, Sean got the last word in, “Or on Dateline’s ‘To Catch A Predator’ which I know all too well…” I then asked if writing about wine is more difficult today then it was when he started out. The Dick’s reply was, “Once during Prohibition, I was forced to live on nothing but food and water.”

As for Shona, I asked, “What did you tell all your fake friends?” She replied, “It’s a Snuggie night! Don’t you agree, SeattleWineGal?” Uhhhmmm, that bitch is no longer on Twitter (since January). As a matter of fact, she is no longer in the country (THANK GOD!). The bitch got hitched and is now running with the bulls as a self-proclaimed “professor of English” at a “school” she claims to own in Spain. True story.

…back to the washroom for an encore Ralph…

Chateau Figeac has been in the news lately as they hired vino-vivant Michel Rolland to be their consulting winemaker in an attempt to recover lost glory from bygone days. The winery sits on luxe property alongside Chateau Cheval Blanc; however, was passed over for promotion to ‘A’ status as a Premier Grand Cru Classe site.

That’s all you’re getting about this winery as this is a Washington wine blog and we do not pretend to be world wine experts here. This isn’t some website where the authors (or readers) are allowed to instigate a pissing contest by one-upping some poor wine slog. You wanna read about French wines… anywhere but here.

However, being a Northwest wine-centric blog, specifically bent toward Washington State, we turn the tables here and examine how wines from other regions compare with ours. NOT the other way around. After all, Washington wines and Oregon pinot noirs are the best in value and quality so it only makes sense.

So, this was brought to the table by some oddfellows to pair with beef fritters. One look at the two-colored paper label and I thought it looked like a fine $15 wine. How’s that for a “blind tasting,” eh? All that wording about “Premier Grand Cru Classe” and “St. Emilion” (which I thought was misspelled for Semillon) had no effect on this author. After the first pour with its thin Trojan-red-like color, this wine gave the impression it was an aged Oregon pinot noir. Looked like it. Smelled like it.

What set this wine apart was its crazy evolution in the glass. Soft cherries and strawberries gave way to earth and truffles, then moved to caramel, coffee, then to anise and mint. Remember, this wine is over 22 years old. Phreakin’ awesome! Only later was it revealed that the current value of this wine was in the neighborhood of $250.

Tasted at 63-67 degrees on the IR temp gun. Transparent Trojan-red in the Riedel with a baseball-glove tan on swirl with light ruby edges, the aromas effused perfumed cherries, dried mushrooms, and plum. Soft medium-bodied on the palate with long ribbon of exotica, starting with an attack of red fruits (slightly medicinal) on a good spine of acid then leading to a mid-palate bump of rum chocolate, then finishing with red licorice, rhubarb, menthol, sarsaparilla, and elderly tannins to complete the bon voyage.

Alcohol: 13%. Appellation (Bordeaux): St. Emilion. Grand Cru Classe ‘B’. “Produce of France.” Bouteille No. 015776. Left-bank blend (cabernet dominant). Reported to contain: 35% cabernet franc, 35% cabernet sauvignon, and 30% merlot. Power: 2/5. Balance: 3/5. Depth: 3/5. Finesse: 4/5. Rated: 92. Music pairing: “That’s What I Like” by Kelsi Luck. This is WAwineman… uncorked, uneducated but not uncouth.