To begin, a long post about some recent wines that have fallen under the “how did I end up with this” category. I’m not sure if other twenty-somethings have these bottles, but my fridge is full of them. Bottles from a wine club my girlfriend was gifted. Bottles my parents have left at my apartment. Bottles that I must’ve bought at some point, but don’t recall whatsoever.
They fill the fridge (thus saving my budget) and serve their purpose when I’m wanting something that will work with dinner. Sometimes they’re even good! Often, though, they are like this bottle of
Danze della Contessa 2023 Solenta Chardonnay – A bottle of pure mediocrity. My mom had picked up some sort of Italian white, and the grocery store had this. I’m not sure if I’d had an Chardonnay from Tuscany, and was intrigued. Alas, there was nothing to be excited about. A bit of funk to begin (that I found pleasant) was the only positive factor. “Slightly tropical fruits that lack any sort of inspiration” is my note.
That was the bad.
Bastide Miraflores Vieles Vignes 2020 Syrah - Grenache – 22000 ratings on Vivino is all I needed to know about this wine. It was a Monday night, burgers were about to be grilled, a bit of peppery red wine was going to be perfect. I imagined the delectable notes that would fill my nose upon popping the cork, and remembered this bottle we’d received from the local restaurant’s wine club a few months back. So, out it came! I popped the cork and was immediately met with an extreme sense of blueberry. Sure, there was some pepper there, but the profile was almost entirely fruit. As I
thought about the effects of wine on my body, whether this bottle was even worth the alcohol, there was a moment of questioning. No good wine should ever make me question if it’s worth drinking (ok, maybe after the 5th glass).
That was the mediocre.
That means there is only room for the good left!
Kendall Jackson Vitner’s Reserve 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – A wine my parents had received as a gift. We planned to pour it into a bourguignon, but a sip was taken out of intrigue. It was good! A complete surprise. I expected to be drinking vanilla extract with some red fruit on top, but this was earthy and rustic. Fruit level was low, though some tasty cassis is in my note. I really recall the amazement of having what I’d fully expected to be a cooking wine be good! And, despite my small experience, California cabernet from large producers is typically not my first choice. However, this really was a bottle I remember fondly. Will I buy it again? Probably not. But, it was a great surprise and a good bottle for that evening with family.
*As a disclaimer, I write this while finishing a bottle of Domaine Pierre Usseglio et Fils 2000 Cuvee de Mon Aieul – not a gift nor a grocery store wine from the family. A bottle that my buddy pointed to when I told him “pick anything out of the fridge, we will open it and see how it goes.” I’m fairly certain his preferred wine is Stella Rose blueberry wine, or anything else with 100 g/L of sugar, but I was true to my word. And it gave me a chance to use my Durand – I love that thing. So, it’s not all bad and mediocre wines. But those seem to be the majority. One of these days I’ll get around to spending enough on wine to make sure it’s always interesting at the very least, but that’s not going to be today or tomorrow.
Cheers!
