And Where the Bleep Have YOU Been?!?!?!

Well hello there! Good lord, it's closing in on a year since my last post. Perhaps you're wondering what happened to me, your friend and confidante the Casual Wine Taster. Well...I got caught up in some stuff...and came out the other side with this adorable baby!

 

Behold: cuteness.

So, as you can imagine, my foray into wine tasting had to be put on hold for a while. But I'm back (!!) with a delicious red to tell you about...

and there was much rejoicing...YAY!

Named after me, this fantabulous blend is known as Troublemaker (kidding...that's just a coincidence). Now, regular readers (if you're still out there) might recollect that I am generally a fan of red blends. Most are heavy on the Zin, and tend to embody everything that I think makes a red wine delish: they're juicy, layered, rich, and great with food. 

Troublemaker is no different. A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre,and Zinfandel, it has a slightly earthy scent, and tastes fruity and floral with perhaps the slightest hint of smoked vanilla (that's a thing, right?). Hope Family Wines (the wonderful folks who brought Troublemaker to life) craft each batch from a variety of vintages and varietals. Each version of the blend is a little different, so the flavors and aromas can vary, but in a "delightful surprise" kind of way. 

It's good to drink just as soon as you pop the cork, but I say give it just a few minutes to breathe. You won't be sorry. Troublemaker is great as a sipper, or to go with your Burger or Pizza Night.

Price: $$

My Rating: A

MacMurray Pinot Noir 2009

Wow, it's Tuesday already. The past few weeks have felt like minutes...you know, the kind of minutes that drag on forever and ever...okay, let me rephrase: the past few weeks have felt like minutes that feel like weeks. I don't know how else to explain it. Looking back it's like a blur of "meh" stippled with some of what makes life great. In between the mundane in and outs of everyday life I've gotten to play some good music, spend time with good friends and (as always) drink some good wine.

This week was a throwback to one of my standbys: MacMurray Pinot Noir. This wine is seriously good. It embodies all of what I love about reds. It's dry yet fruity, rich and soft (like a mouth full of satin, which, by the by, I do not recommend tasting for comparison), a little bit spicy and great with food.

a little on the dark side... sooo many
reasons why this image is funny...

Unlike many Pinots, which can be bright and nearly translucent in color, the MacMurray Pinot is a little on the dark side. If you're familiar with wine, you might notice a distinctly Zin scent when you smell it. Myself being a fan of Zinfandel, this just adds to the appeal.

A lesser Pinot can be watery and taste mostly like spice. Pepper in particular. This one's more layered, with a punch of dark fruit and vanilla and some of the sweeter spices-- like the kind you'd put in an apple pie (note to self: make an apple pie). Reading some online reviews, others have detected cola, smoke and crushed rocks. Yeah, I don't get that last one.

I paired the MacMurray Pinot Noir with chicken tikka masala and garlic naan from my favorite Indian restaurant. While probably not an ideal match, I won't tell you that it wasn't delicious. Really, the MacMurray Pinot Noir is, in what has become a catch phrase for me, a "Raisin Bran" wine: it tastes good with pretty much anything. Enjoy it folks; this one is as good as they get.


Price: $$

My Rating: A

Flipflop Left Coast Malbec 2010

Hooray!

Oh good, I was beginning to wonder when I was going to get to review a Malbec! In our house, Malbecs rule. If Ernie and I were Joanie, Malbec would be Chachi. On Iron Chef, Malbec’s cuisine would reign supreme. If we starred in the movie Sideways, Malbec would be our Pinot Noir... 


On second thought: we probably wouldn’t star in Sideways because Thomas Hayden Church's character is a jerk, Paul Giamatti's is a whiner, and we'd argue about who had to be the jerk and who had to be the whiner. Many a marriage has hit the rocks due to debates of this magnitude.

Anyway, in case you can’t tell, I’m really excited to be blogging about one of my favorite red varietals. My thoughts on Malbec in general: I love how bold it is. It's the kind of wine that takes a bouquet of fruit, backhands you with it and yells: "snap out of it!" Maybe your mouth smarts a bit after, but you're a better person for it.

This is a scrumcap, by the way...
yeah, it wasn't what I pictured either.

Yet another screwcap offering that Microsoft Word has hilariously suggested I change to “scrumcap,” the Flipflop Malbec may sound and appear a little like a “bargain bin" brand, but it’s really quite good.

The Flipflop Malbec looks, smells and tastes rich and earthy. The internet appears divided on whether Chilean or Argentinian Malbecs have more tannins, but I think Chilean Malbecs like the Flipflop tend to have less fruit and more earthy flavors compared to their Argentinian counterparts-- at least based on my dry mouth. However, don't think for a minute that there isn't depth to this wine; like many other Malbecs, the Flipflop is also plummy in color, scent AND flavor. The plum-ness is omnipresent, deep and juicy. It smells like a plum dust cloud, tastes like a plum-fisted handshake and finishes like smooth, warm, plum pudding. Also present: figs and dirt. Can't forget the dirt.

If you're skeptical about that last bit I assure you, in a wine, dirt is a nice flavor. It's not like sticking your tongue in a dried up mud puddle-- it's inhaling where a wine is from as the traces evaporate on your tongue; it's a neat way to connect with the wine's regional qualities.

Lip-smacking good, the Flipflop Malbec is a great tasting medium-dry red that's easy on the pocket. The bottle suggests you pair it with pork empanadas, and while that sounds delicious I didn't think of that while drinking it, nor do I know how to MAKE empanadas. A nice pork chop would do the trick. Maybe next time...

Price: $

My Rating: A

Tutidi Moscato

Well folks, I have some good news and some bad news today on the blog-front...

The good news is: I have emerged victorious from my Robitussin-induced, sleep-deprived delirium and fully intended on making sure today's offering is a.) in English, b.) free of technical difficulties and c.) coherent.

The bad new is: I didn't have time to taste a wine this weekend. I know you're thinking "that's preposterous, how can you not find time to DRINK WINE, since it is in part what you are paid to do at Personal Wine Cellar?"
I know, I know; you're right. And as a special gift to you, I'm going to let you use your imagination to answer that question and call it a day.

Lucky for me, the wines we'll be tasting at PWC this Friday are some old favorites; three delicious Italian sparklers, great for chilling while you're chillin' and/or grillin' (see what I did there?).
"Tutidi," as the bottle will tell you, is Piedmontese for "everyday." Not fussy or frilly, all three wines are great tasting and reasonably priced. The Cortese is a light, drier white and the Bracetto is a bubbly red with pleasing dark fruit and berry flavors.

Yup, only one photo today.

Since I tend to favor sweeter whites (and remember what it tastes like), I'll tell you a little more about the Moscato-- the Ultimate Summer White*:

The Tutidi Moscato is a great party wine. By that, I mean it's great just chilled and in a glass, but it's also versatile enough that you could do other things with it; add some schnapps or a cordial to make a delish carbonated cocktail. There's already a decent amount of light fruit flavors in the Moscato, so you can add some fresh fruit to make a fantastic (I wanted to say slammin', but had some last-minute reservations committing to yet another silly apostrophe) white sangria-- I'd go with peaches and or pears.

If you're the type of person who's ever said "I'm celebrating something and want to participate in/give a toast, but I don't like champagne" (or something to that effect), give one of the Tutidi sparkling wines a try for your next toast-worthy event. And if you need a reason to celebrate and don't have any impending festivities, I do have a birthday coming up...

Price: $

My Rating: A

* Tied with Riondo Prosecco. And up for debate, if the mood strikes. But it is really good, I promise!

Dreaming Tree Crush 2009

I’ve never been that in to DMB musically, but I am quickly becoming a fan of Dave Matthews’ wine. Unlike a lot of celebs who lend names to libations, Dave is really involved in the creation and production of Dreaming Tree along with vineyard veteran and wine world rock-star Steve Reeder, who has spent time working for Simi and Kendall Jackson.  For more on Steve and Dave’s partnership, check out the Dreaming Tree website.

Yeah folks, it's that good.

For this week’s tasting I sampled Crush, Dreaming Tree’s red blend. I’m going to come right out here and tell you it was DE-LISH. Like Dave’s music, the wine is both smooth and jammy (just play along with my lame metaphor here) in the best way possible.

It starts out in the glass with tones of dark, vivid purple and red, and smells sweeter and lighter than most reds. This is not to say that it’s sugary or spread too thin—it’s just right (smmoooooth and jammy)!

Other reviewers have mentioned a smoky quality, but I’m not tasting that tonight (could be the lovely spiced chicken tikka masala I had for dinner). What I do get from this wine is a fairly straightforward berry taste; the raspberry jam punches you right in the roof of the mouth. The aftertaste stays true; it doesn’t linger too long after you sip and the flavor doesn’t change on you. This makes it great with a meal.

Steve and Dave say they want their wines to be fun and accessible. They got it spot on. I really enjoyed drinking Crush this evening as a complement to my Indian cuisine. You might try it with other foods too: barbeque, pizza or steak wouldn’t do you wrong. Hell, I’d probably enjoy this wine with an accompanying bowl of Raisin Bran.

Okay so that's a bowl of Corn Flakes,
but you get the idea...

*Side note: While researching the winery, I discovered that Steve Reeder has a degree in Fermentation Sciences. How cool is that!?!

Price: $

My Rating: A