D’Autrefois, 2010 Pinot Noir

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): PN

Origin: Somewhere in France

Vintage: 2010

Price: 12 bucks

Happy holidays!  Only a few weeks left in the life of Semi-Pro but we’ll be going strong up to Christmas. 

I don’t claim to be a pairing expert but what I can tell you is that as you think about wine for the holidays remember the food element.  Many of the wines reviewed here are consumed sans fare; after all, we never claimed food pairing in our credo.  I’m bringing you this wine because it would be amazing with traditional holiday proteins. 

I stumbled upon Total Wines (amazing wine store) in West Palm Beach this week and I pulled this bottle based on staff descriptions – elegant, sophisticated, wholly French, fresh, light in color and stature with elements of strawberry, plum and other darker fruits.  If someone asked me, I’d say “pleasant and smart."  It’s simply excellent.

Google this wine and it gets poor reviews from the major reviewers.  I can only attribute this to the fact that, more than any other wine on Semi-Pro, D’Autrefois is meant to be served as an enhancement to something bigger and heavier- like an indulgent holiday meal.

By the way, I really like bacon- just had some.  As my friend Matt says, "it's the candy of all meat."

Santa Julia Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Cab-Sav

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina

Vintage: 2009

Price: Stupid Low, $9.98

Overall: 

Smells like the ripe dark red fruits with vanilla and a hint of smokey fire in the background.  I get a taste of ripe blueberry and cherry that balance so well together.  What's more is the feeling you get when you have it in your mouth for a second; it's velvety, soft and sophisticated.


In addition to making great wine, the winery is committed to sustainable farming methods and social welfare programs.  


If you have paid attention to Semi Pro with any regularity, you've probably noted the amount of wine we've reviewed from Argentina.  This region is making great wines at a price that really makes sense for a lot of people.  In wine lingo, the QPR (Quality Price Ratio) for wines from Mendoza or Argentina, in general, is absolutely in your favor.  Behind the Luigi Bosca from the same region, this one is top dog.

Ramona Singer, Pinot Grigio, 2010

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Pinot Grigio

Origin: Italy

Vintage: 2010

Price: $13.98

I'm belong to the camp that believes shows like "Real Housewives from Who Cares" are actually meant to make fun of those who participate- it's literally the only way I can justify their existence.  What I can say is, the participants likely have issues- that's why I chose this Italian lip smacker.  Someone from that culture, who likely depends on alcohol daily and has unlimited money, probably doesn't drink rot gut.  Enter Ramona Singer Pinot Grigio from stage left.


Light, crisp, hints of hazelnuts, lemon, citrus (grapefruit) all with a mineral quality.  The wine has great balance and long finish.


Ramona, I hate your show but I dig your wine.

La Serena, Italy, 2009

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Cab-Sav, Merlot, Sangiovese

Origin: Italy

Vintage: 2009

Price: Naturally below $15

Overall: 

Italy.  Wine.  Serena. In my world those all add up to things I'm fond of.  I'll admit the label caught my eye here but when the wino who rung me up said, "nice grab", I felt vindicated.  Admittedly, my wife's name is also in the title so I was compelled.  And you should be too...

Big fruit but balanced in a way that only the Italians do.  No one grape is dominant(maybe the cab slightly, if you're searching) but there are attributes of all of them in the taste.  I get this scent of garden ripe vine tomatoes, dark fruit, cherry cola and tobacco.  The taste is compiled of all those mentioned but with this natural undertone that is hard to place but really intriguing - call it organicness.  There is a richness yet refinement here that is so beautiful I wish it came in the Poland Spring office water cooler size.

Totally in love with this girl - she's an absolute knockout.   On par with the Luigi Bosca I reviewed.

Thought this was a dud during the first glass but I let it breathe for 45 minutes and then it was game on.  Should be a $40 bottle.

Greg Norman, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Cab-Sav

Origin: Paso Robles, CA

Vintage: 2009

Price: $11.98 in the barber shop

Overall: 

"The Shark", as he is known in golf circles, is in the wine game.  My radar goes off when I see celebs delving off into other interests because they can - with rare exceptions, there are only a few that are legit.  Examples like Shula's steak house, Dan Aykroyd's Vodka or Beyonce's perfume are no-gos just based on principle.  In contrast, I gave this one a try because I read that 12 of Norman's wines are rated 90 or better by fancy reviewer types; I figured it was worth a try.

Absolutely fruit forward with dark cherry, blackberry and a tad of blueberry, all of those flavors overlay on top of a herbal undertone.  What's more is the velvet, soft feel it delivers despite the big flavors.  The finish is medium-bodied with a nice touch of dried dark chocolate at the end.  

While it is not the best wine on Semi-pro, I can see this wine having its place.  Big steaks, BBQ pulled pork, cigars, golf, typical man talk including the over exageration how big the last fish you caught and the like.  You get the picture.

As per usual, let it breathe- this one especially.  30 minutes minimum.

Irony, 2008 Pinot Noir

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Pinot Noir

Origin: Russian River Valley

Vintage: 2008

Price: Squarely $14.98 where I shop

Overall: 

Light in color, a beautiful smell comprised of strawberries, cherries, dark chocolate and plum, this is awesome grape.  Wonderful balance between the fruit and alcohol.  Tons of ripe fruit upfront and then it finishes dry and subtle.  Very satisfying and grand for a Pinot Noir.  I'm in love.

The charateristics of this wine present a profile of quality rarely seen at this price-point.  While I'm only a Semi-Pro, something tells me that if this wine spent a year or two more on the shelf it may reach rockstar status.  Those flavors, if given more time to co-mingle, may put on a show that could rival Bon Jovi playing somewhere in NJ.  Oh, the irony of it all.

Buy this.

Agustinos, Pinot Noir, 2009

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Pinot Noir

Origin: Chile

Vintage: 2009

Price: Squarely $15.00

Overall: 

In several reviews, reds mostly, I mention letting the wine breathe before drinking it.  I usually crack a joke about enticing you to do so.  It is with good intentions that I make the suggestion because too often I make a judgment before it is warranted.  You likely have encountered this along your journey and by the third glass your like, “Wow, am I buzzed or is this just tasting better?”  Your senses are not fooling you-the wine has just opened up.  Many of you know this concept but do not bother to exploit it: your loss.

Agustinos is my finest example of the aforementioned.  I tasted it right out of the bottle, 30 minutes later, and then after 90 minutes.  Like a chameleon changing colors, the wine went through several transformations.  The latter being the most appealing point, was ultimately the reason why I consumed 95.2% of the bottle (I spilled the rest).

Light in color and body, with a scent of cherry cola, a little vanilla, and mesquite smoke, this pinot is top shelf.  I would add there is a slight floral component flanked by strawberries here that ultimately leads to a light finish.  It is super easy to drink and is touted in the world of environmentally sensitive vineyards.  What’s not to like?


Semi-Pro Tip – Invest in a Vinturi Wine aerator.  It’s like $20.00 and will accelerate the speed in which the wine opens up.  You can pour the wine right through it and into a glass or decanter.  

Muriel, Rioja, 2005

White or Red: Red
Grape(s): Tempranillo

Origin: Rioja, Spain
Vintage: 2005

Price: $15, Square and fair

Overall:

I saw something last week in the NY Times- some wine article and its opening paragraph alluded to the difficulty of learning the lingo- maybe you caught it too.  It reaffirmed Semi-Pro's place in the chaos.  It provoked me to give you a little knowledge nugget on this week's wine because it's very confusing to understand the terms as they appear on the bottle. 

Rioja - Spanish red wine grown in the La Rioja Provence of Spain.  Typically, it is a blended with other grapes from neighboring Provences.  There are three subdivisions in La Rioja: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa.  Along with a few other varietals, Tempranillo, is a grape grown in these regions used to produce Rioja.  Got it?  Good, on to the review.

Muriel is a light-bodied red that presents a pleasant floral scent.  I get a little vanilla and dark ripe fruit (predominately plums).  Overall, you get sense this has matured quite elegantly and while the taste does not last ever-long, while it's in your mouth, it's soft and inviting.  Like an elephant in the room, you can't help but think (and know!), it's from a place other than California or the USA.  We'll just say this Spanish beauty is easily in my top 3 behind the Luigi Bosca duo.  One of the best under $15.00.

La Cana, 2010, Spain

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Albarino

Origin: Rias Baixas, East side of Spain close to Portugal

Vintage: 2010

Price: Approaching $15

Didn't think we'd come right back at ya?  Well, we did.

Overall:

Albarino, the grape La Cana is made from, I'm not familiar with it but like David Bowie, I'd like to develop a closer relationship.  I ran the name of the grape through Wikipedia and I got some more info but ultimately it would be meaningless to you.  All you need to know is La Cana is excelente and by the second glass I was rolling my r's well enough to make my hot 11th grade spanish teacher blush.

It would be against Semi-Pro rules to give you the exact tasting notes from the back of the bottle but occasionally, for the right reasons, rules can be broken.  I make an exception here because I would have said almost the same thing but in a much more complicated way (it's that simple to review). And that is also against Semi-Pro rules- so the lesser of the two infractions is only for your benefit.

"Offering lush aromas of white peaches and ripe pears followed by pineapple and bright citrus the wine finishes on a crisp dry note."

It's super light in color and structure but stands up really well.  Money in the bank for serving as an opener.  You should serve it cold and keep it chilled.  Hasta manana.

Luigi Bosca, 2007, Malbec

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Malbec

Origin: Mendoza, Argentina

Vintage: 2007

Price: around $15

We're back.  I blame it on the hurricane, those hazy summer days and a lumpy economy.  

Overall:

We did the Luigi Bosca Cab Sav awhile back and friends mentioned that the Malbec version was one I needed to taste.  So I did and here's what I think.

Freakin' awesome.  You ever take a swim in a fresh-water river or lake and get a little water in your mouth?  You know how soft and silky that water is?  Well, that is the first thing you need to know about this wine.  Never have I been so attuned to a wine's texture- it's remarkable how soft and subtle it is.  

Further, some of the other Malbecs we've done  have been on the heavier side.  This one runs with more of a Pinot Noir consistency- light but grounded. 

The nose has hints of vanilla, strawberry jam, cola and big cherry fruit but it's in the context of a mature, well-balanced winner.

I would put this with a manchego cheese, tapas or even to the other extreme, heavy red meat.  More importantly I'd drink it without any food at all.

The bounty comes after being uncorked for an hour or more.  You gotta be patient when you get to better bottles - this wine opened up better than Gun's & Roses when they upstaged headliners, the Cult, night after night in '87.  Plan ahead, get a $5 wine aerator and drink another bottle while this one breathes.  Do that and this feels like a $50 bottle.

Grgich Hills, Fume Blanc, 2009

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc

Origin: Napa Valley

Vintage: 2009

Price: Cheaper than $15

Overall:

This one comes from a loyal reader who enforces rules on my job.  From the Sauvignon Blancs we've posted on Semi-Pro, this one is vastly different.  Perhaps it's the biodynamic grapes they use on their estate or maybe just the origin - who cares.

Grgich Hills smells like Granny Smith apples with a slight tinge of lemon rearing from the annals of the bottle.  It is undeniably well balanced, mostly crisp/dry and finishes silky and soft.  Kind of an interesting mouth texture if I might add.

From the ones I've tasted and posted, SB is typically very light-  Grgich certainly has a bigger structure that sternly places it in the medium-bodied category.  By no means it this characteristic off-putting- I merely mention it because I started the post by saying how the wine was like no other SB we've posted.

You'd be well liked if you served this very cold.  While the first glass made me reach for the computer to post, the second made me sad that it's only Tuesday

Arancio, Pinot Noir, 2009

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Pinot Noir

Origin: Sicily

Vintage: 2009

Price: Cheaper than $10

Overall:

Arancio is awesome. Ripe, juicy plums steal the show in this medium bodied wine. Sense of sophistication with a real serving of fruit in the scent. In the world of Pinot's this one is a tad heavier than some of the others we've posted but it gives it this solid, unflappable structure. The longer it sits in the glass the better.  Absolutely.

How I found it:

Funny how the role of marketing plays into our minds- consciously and subconsciously.

Here's the story...   Went to a nice italian restaurant in Plymouth, MA. I just so happened to order a Pinot Noir called Acrobat- the well-schooled bartender quipped "thats our most popular Pinot"! Generally, I'm not afraid of responses like that but if I had my druthers I'd always prefer to find the dark horse. Nonetheless I was given a taste: Not good.   The barkeep noticed my grimace and lunged for a different bottle- Arancio. "Ah, much better", I mentioned, she totally agreed.

I sat and thought why I was drawn to the Acrobat on the menu- well, with the little knowledge I have, I summarized that Pinot Noir from Oregon spells success - plus it's like super trendy right now. Wrong. Wine is so subjective and no one formula, vintage, grape, blend or region is guaranteed to consistently perfect - after all mother nature is at play here and recent years have been anything but predictable .  It IS a very complex process!

I now think of wine more like art - your absolutely entitled to your preferences and it's possible to be wrong in the midst of a crowd but right for you. So stand up for yourself- and if you don't care for it say it aloud - So the takeaway?  All Pinot's from Oregon, like we've been marketed to think, are not great!

Be your own man or women. Stand up for what you believe in life AND in wine.

Campone 2009 Rossi di Montalcino

White or Red: Rojo
Grape(s): Sangiovese

Origin: Montalcino, Italy

Vintage: 2009

Price: depending on the euro, 13 or so

Overall:
(This review comes from Pete Moss on assignment for Semi Pro in Italy)

So in Italy, as a commercial winemaker, you strive to have your grape stew given a certain classification: DOC (think MLB veteran) or DOCG (think MLB perennial all star). DOC is like Mike Bordick. DOCG is like Mike Schmidt.

Who knows how easy it is to gain admission into these clubs. But, based on what I've tasted in Italy so far, thankfully, the system is not corrupt and it is a taste based denomination.

This Campone 2009 Rossi di Montalcino is of the DOC variety- (hey, mike bordick was a solid player for a long time dont forget) Sweet start. Dry finish. Dark ruby in color. Somewhere in between motor oil and Pinot noir. If you please, trust my taste buds.

I really hope this is available in the states! Alas, if it is only available here in Italia, do not panic. Most reds from Montalcino seem to always get many nods of approval. I bought it for 8 euros today in the town of Amalfi. So it fits in the "under 15 bucks" category. Ciao

Cupcake, Pinot Noir, 2009

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Origin: Cali

Vintage: 2009

Price: Like 12 or something

Overall:

My friend Matt is like 43 and he’d gone that long without hearing the phrase “that’s right in your wheelhouse”.  Then one day he showed up at rehearsal and I used the phrase and he said, “I’ve never heard of it until today and you’re the second person to say it”.  Well, I had the same experience with Cupcake.  One day I was introduced to it at a wedding and the following week it appeared again… at another wedding!

Cupcake is simple to review: ripe cherries married perfectly with old leather and a little spice.  I would equate it to a really good slice of pizza- good crust, nice mix between sauce and cheese served at the right temperature.  Speaking of which this would go well with pizza (Dean's in particular on the UWS)!

Cupcake is really light in color which also speaks loudly for its drinkability and structure.  It was agreed upon amongst wedding attendees that the wine during the entire taste is soft and velvety.

An absolute for your collection or any other event you may be going to this summer.  This one is the real deal and shouldn’t be passed up.  Give it some time to breathe. 

Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc, 2010

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Origin: New Zealand
Vintage: 2010

Price: $15.00

Overall:

Yes. You’ve probably seen this one at your local wine shop- I’ve found it to show up as a main-stay amongst many wine stores… and with very good reason.

It caught my attention because of the origin: New Zealand.  We reviewed another one (Skyleaf) from there not too long ago and from all accounts it was a winner.  So why mess with success?

My pen started spewing right after the first sip; high-quality granny smith apples and grapefruit embark down my palate but, they do so quietly and crisply.  In the far distance and long after the sip is gone, there are flickers of pear and honey that make the finish ever-so slightly sweet (not in a bad way). It is wonderfully balanced, light and refreshing all with a sense of complexity and girth that separates it from any Italian version (tend to be lighter).   This one has sunshine written all over it and that’s probably why I drank it with big dumb grin.

FWIW, pairing is not my forte but I had this with Pita Chips and hummus and it was freakin’ awesome. Let the record show that I wasn’t trying to get the pairing right, it was just the only light snack I had in the fridge.

Buy this and you’ll probably be happy.

Kris, Pinot Grigio, Two Thousand Ten

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Pinot Grigio

Origin: Italy

Vintage: 2010

Price: 10 measly bucks

Overall:
It's been awhile but with the holiday looming I wasn't going to leave you hanging.  Took the wifey out for a meal and we were directed by the waiter to buy Kris.  Surprisingly, it was one of the cheaper bottles on the menu so I confided that it would be decent (why would the waiter lie?).  So I did the math and divided by two and quickly realized that this one was in the Semi-Pro range.  Went to my spot in NJ and got it for $9.99.

My notes suggest that this is light, well-balanced and a very easy drinker.  Perfect for that hot indoor/outdoor night with friends- it also matches perfectly with any seafood.  I get this delicious, citrusy lime vibe but with the notion it has run down an Italian mountain passing through greatness with a small detour through a mineral rock bed.  Yet, the finish challenges the former because there is subtle creaminess that makes this baby hum like a choir on Christmas Eve during communion. 

Serve cold.