The Heist, 2011

White or Red: N/A
Grape(s): All of them!
Origin: Five Finger Discount
Vintage: This weekend...

Price: Free

Overall:The distance I'll go to bring good wine to those I care about....  Jail? Maybe.  We missed a post last week but it was because I was on a deep cover assignment trying to recover the secret document above.

Well, I doubt I'll be Julian Assange'd for this one but I got a rush from making off with what I consider the Holy Grail of wine knowledge...  Much to my liking, this little cheat sheet was used by those who know much more than Moss or I do.

This card, snuck under the table to me by a covert associate, makes wine buying idiot proof.  You can whip out your Iphone, bottle and vintage shop knowing the information on this card will likely lead you to something really good.

It won't change Semi-Pro too much because the price goes up a bit (and likely out of our range) when there is a really great year but we're certainly going to use it when we're stumped.  So consider this my gift to you but remember, keep your sources confidential.  Shhshh!

Happy hunting.

Skyleaf, Riesling, 2009

White or Red: White

Grape(s): Riesling

Origin: New Zealand

Vintage: 2009

Price: $10.00 unless you shop on Broadway

Overall:
I know, we need more whites.  Well, a trusted source got in my ear about just that.  So I challenged her to tell me what she was sipping as of late and a text later I got Skyleaf.

It's simple, cheap and tasty.  

First, you need to know riesling can produce a wide variety of attributes - one could be very dry and another could be sweet and there's a lot of in between.  So if you've been anti you're likely missing out. Second, there's the country stigma- all great riesling comes from Germany.  Not true, if you ask those from down under. 

Skyleaf is absolutely on the sweeter side of the spectrum.  However, it is light enough that you can drink a few glasses and not feel overwhelmed like a dessert wine.  I get ripe peach, pear, green apple and melon from the first sip- but not from "concentrate" if you know what I mean.  When you swallow you get this sense it has some gerth to it- not like pinot grigio which is on the lighter/dryer side and sorta slides by.  This has a footprint.

With the holiday around the bend, Skyleaf is a "sit on the deck and reflect if that guy from Oakland is crazy or really knows something we don't" wine.  Would go well with a variety of foods or in warmer weather.  Nice for a party or the active ingredient in a sangria since the price is right.  Serve this guy really cold.

Evodia, Grenache, 2009

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Grenache

Origin: Spain

Vintage: 2009

Price: $11.50

Overall:

Moss brought over this bottle for our Seis de Mayo party last week.  The idea was to give those non-tequila drinkers a way out.  But once the Mariachi band rolled through wine was not on anyone's mind.  While cleaning up after the party I found this guy- Evodia.

The facts...

1.  Alcohol is 15%.  Depending on your goals for the night this can be good and bad- regardless that's high for a quality wine.  Don't be alarmed, there is no "heat" when drinking this wine.

2.  It smells like fresh-pressed Concord grape juice, infused with fresh blueberries, a hint of licorice and spice.

3.  The taste starts with big juicy ripe fruits including strawberry, raspberry and vanilla.  The middle of the palate transfers those flavors into a gentle spice.  The sip finishes with a sort of mineral quality; it lets you know that the wine has been grown in a place near Mr. Miyagi's Bonsai Tree (high altitude).

For some reason this wine feels/tastes/presents really chic, silky- like it should cost a lot or a dweeb like me shouldn't know about it.  I don't know, maybe because its from Spain and I think Europeans pay more attention to detail... Maybe because the middle to end of every sip teases you to reload... Maybe just because it's a great wine at economical price (most likely). 

I can tell you it's not because of the label- that part of the wine sucks.  Totally uninspiring, lame and not at all representative to what's in the bottle.  No doubt the marketers blew it but the winemaker got it right.

Tilia, Malbec, 2009

White or Red: Red
Grape(s): Malbec
Origin: Argentina - Mendoza
Vintage: 2009
Price: $8.00

Overall:
I love Guinness.  People always say "that stuff is so heavy- it's looks like you're drinking a meal."  Well, if you knew better, you'd know that Guinness is one of the least caloric beers that exists- that's why you can drink 5 and not be burping or bloated afterwards.  What have we learned?  Looks can be deceiving.

Pour the Tilia in the glass and you see this inky, dark purple nectar- visually intriguing.  I quipped, "It's as thick as pigs' blood".  But don't be fooled- Tilia is fruit forward, light and really well balanced.  It is surprisingly soft, clean and refined despite being from a place on earth that's typically not. Tilia is anchored in deep dark fruit- jumbo ripe blackberries to be precise.  Literally, it's the perfect compliment to a Gaucho's meat-heavy dinner.

Smell it and you get a sweet, black licorice scent on top of a smokey fire in the distance.

Their mission statement conveys the overarching goal of pleasing the locals-they reckon that if it is good enough for them, it's good enough for you and me.  I'm no Gaucho but for 8 bucks I totally agree.

Purchased at Bacchus - Bway & 71st.

Hangtime, Chardonnay, 2008

White or Red: White
Grape(s): Chardonnay
Origin: Central Coast, CA
Vintage: 2008
Price: $12.00

Overall:
Nope, Michael Jordan has nothing to do with it.  The name refers to how long the grapes hung on the vine.  In fact, they print it on every label.

Hangtime is a medium-bodied chardonnay led by an aroma of perfectly blended vanilla, green apples and pear.  Take that waft toward your palate, have it pass through some oak and your, "duh, winning".

It finishes with a creaminess but light enough where you can drink it all night.  Hangtime would be a great wine for a full-scale party, small gathering or a personal "feel bad for me" depressing moment.  It would absolutely show you know what you're doing and because of the price, you could buy a few bottles and not feel timid about opening them all.

May the weather get better soon.  

Luigi Bosca Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
Origin: Argentina

Vintage: 2007
Price: $15.00

Overall:
Moss and I seem to have a pattern evolving: reds from South America.  This is not by mistake- ask any wine snob and they'll tell you the up-and-comers are evolving from this corner.  Prices (cheap) are reflective of their current position on the wine stage.

Plums, great coffee and tobacco mingle together here to make the BEST Cab we've posted.  It's soft, elegant and extremely well-balanced.  It has this rustic red appearance that I've only seen in wines over 30 years old.  And yeah, it tastes like an old-timer too (that's a good thing!).  The smell on this evokes imagery of dusting off a cask in Pop's basement and sampling it right from the barrel-like it's been there forever.  Top quality wine at a great price.  With cocky confidence I'd serve it to my in-laws, mom, boss or Gadhafi. 

Ahead of the Dorgan I posted last week and the Whitehaven from a month ago, this is my top recommendation so far for Semi-Pro. 

Please let it breathe.  Don't be quick on the draw.

Dorgan Cellars, Petite Syrah, 2007

White or Red: Red

Grape(s): Petite Syrah

Origin: Lodi, CA
Vintage: 2007
Price: $15.00

Overall:
I am further convinced that the fewer words I can use to describe a wine the better it is.  So in just three words: Blueberry (not in a sweet way, think pancakes). Soft. Smooth.

It's all kind of dark blue/purplely with a smell of ripe blueberry, a tasty note of dark chocolate and the slightest hint of mint (herb) (I had three glasses to eek out the mint thing).

I recently went to Costco and bought a bag of goodness called "Brookside, Dark Chocolate Acai with Blueberry".  The label reads, "the perfect pairing of sweetened real fruit pieces, made from a blend of acai berry juice, blueberry juice.... dipped in extra smooth dark chocolate to create this decadent taste sensation." 

Ok. If you can envision this Scooby snack in wine form and think it would taste amazing, you're going to LOVE this wine.  This is going straight to my top 3.

In case you got stoked about the bag of goodness...