Your 5 Favorite Wines

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt Urdan on January 22, 2008 at 5:00pm

My favorite wines are:
1. Tabor Hill, Michigan Chardonnay (preferably a reserve or select bottle.) http://www.taborhill.com
It's easily comparable to Cakebread's Chardonnay's at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, it's very dry and has a very silky oak and vanilla finish with a hint of Michigan apples. Sadly, it's not readily available outside of Michigan, and they do not ship out of state.Tabor Hill Winery, Bucha...

2. Dry Creek Vineyard, Dry Creek Appellation, Sonoma County, California. Dry Creek does not produce a bad wine. My all time favorite Chardonnay is the 1991 Dry Creek Reserve. Sadly, that case I bought is long gone. But beyond Chardonnay, Dry Creek excels at Cabs, Merlots, Meritages, Red Zins and is now touting a new wine blend called the Mariner that has earned 90 points from Wine Spectator.

3. Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay. While I prefer the Sonoma Chardonnays in general, Cakebread is my favorite Chardonnay. Consistently very dry, crisp, and perfect with any meal.

4. Columbia Crest Merlot. This is my favorite mutli-purpose / entertaining / wine and cheese wine. And it's by far the most affordable wine I drink on a regular basis.

5. Simi Winery Chardonnay. So, have you figured out I love Chardonnays yet? When I'm invited over to dinner as a guest, this is the wine I will typically bring because it's likely to go with any meal, and especially if the host or hostess' idea of a good wine is Fetzer Sundial or something of that caliber. Or less. Simi usually gets its grapes from a variety of locations and appelations, and blends them in various percentages and thus produces some excellent and highly affordable wines with sometimes surprising nuances. They also will produce wines just from one appelation, like the 2002 Reserve Chardonnay which I really love, and comes specifically from the Goldfields Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Once my friends taste the Simi Chardonnay, usually they are pleasantly surprised with that first gasp of "so this is what a good wine tastes like." I love seeing that, and then I can start talking about other wines that I love, which, sometimes, rewards me with gifts of the wines I really enjoy throughout the year.

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by Matt Urdan on January 22, 2008 at 5:37pm

There we go! Thanks Joe, I'm gonna check out the Chablis Grand Cru!

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by Matt Svacina on January 24, 2008 at 8:42am

1) Eric Kent Syrah, because it is a small unique wine from Sonoma that explodes with flavor.
2) Bassetti Syrah, tiny producer that supplies grapes to some of the greatest wines in CA (Alban etc.).
3) Paul Garaudet Pommard 1er cru, I was lucky enough to visit the winery in Burgundy and get a tour of his personal cellar.
4) Sebastiani Cherryblock, awsome wine, great price and they give a great industry discount at the winery.
5) Santa Barbara Winery's Pinot Noir, I believe it was the first winery in Santa Barbara, and they are all about getting people to experience their wine at a great price. I think the price on the Pinot was $15 and the Zin was $7. Ultimate Value.

Permalink Reply by Dan Ziegler on January 24, 2008 at 9:12am

1. 1990 Opus One - My first real expensive introduction to wine collecting (bought several cases) and true wine tasting.
I have too many stories and meals tied to my love of that wine and year to place them all here. Each one was a magical event shared with family and friends until the last bottle opened on July 4th 2006, what some might have called "way beyond prime" for a California red / Opus / or any California... Not true - The wine was fantastic and stood up against the beef wellington I made to celebrate the occasion of my last bottle of Opus one from 1990.

2. Any vintage Zinfandel from Turley - All thought I am still not on the list for a case of the wonderful wine, our best friends are and share several bottle each year... Wonderful..

And despite what you may have heard, the Turley Zinfandels are not priced out of this world. Certainly not when compared to other cult wines. But not even when compared to other high-quality Zins from Ridge or Ravenswood. Folks who bought directly from the winery could have purchased the just-released 1997 Old Vines Zin, for example, at about $22. (You can't blame the winery for what happens on the after-market, can you?)

3. 1991 Caymus Special select ion - Again, too many stories, purchased cases when the wine arrived and drank each one with joy and enthusiasm. I did not know it was a 95 point wine. Or would be worth some much now or I would have held a few cases...

4. 2003 Estate Selection Chardonnay from Wolffer Estates ; www.wolffer.com

5. What kind of Long Islander would I be if I did not plug our region - In little over quarter of a century the Long Island wine industry has grown from one small vineyard to 3,000 acres of vines and over thirty wineries producing world-class wines.

Located in New York State, on the East Coast of the United States, Long Island extends some 120 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Its maritime climate, geography and soil characteristics provide ideal conditions for producing wines of exceptional quality.

The Long Island wine region encompasses Nassau and Suffolk Counties, with the majority of wineries and vineyards at the East End, on the North and South Forks. Here, age-old growing techniques are combined with state-of-the-art technology to produce a range of world-class wines from specific varietals and selected blends.

It has been said by many that Long Island is one of the country's most exciting wine producing regions today, with great reviews and high praise found in major food and wine publications nationwide. As the awards continue to accumulate, Long Island wines are increasingly sought after in fine restaurants and wine shops from coast to coast.

A tour of the Long island wine region is a special experience, offering an opportunity to sample and purchase our award winning wines directly from producers while enjoying beautiful scenery, comfortable hotels and romantic bed & breakfasts, great food, and a wide range of sports, leisure and entertainment activities.

Discover why experts are saying “the enchanted East End of Long Island has become one of the world’s great vineyard regions.” David Rosengarten, Food TV personality, cookbook author and food & wine writer, 2004.

Visit Long Island Wine Country!

Want a tour guide? Give me a call anytime - We own a B&B and offer Wine Tours all summer long.
Dan and Fabienne

Permalink Reply by mary-anne/shanti on January 24, 2008 at 9:26am

I judt joined FohBoh a ew days ago-sdo I'll jump in n this discussion being a true "wino". Favourites vary for me from Amarone to a French Viognier with a raw platter with many inbetween.

Favourite 5 wines that is tough, sort of like the best meal type of question. Perhaps one of the best wines I have ever had was in Trstenik, Croatia. There are two brothers making amazing wine just down the hill from Mike Grigic(h). There have been wines from Perry Creek there were over the top. (Amador Zins). There have been some bottles from Diamond Creek that were over the top. And what about the amazing bottles of Chateau d`Yquem and Chateau Rieussec Sauternes that we drink at holidays with such as foie gras,- now that is spectacular. How can I choose 5 of the best? My grandmother was from Charante and I do love
http://www.pineau.fr/actualite/Actualite/voeux2008.asp

Five, 5 eh???????

Now if we are talking favourites for daily drinking that is another question.

Permalink Reply by Matt Urdan on January 24, 2008 at 9:45am

Thanks Matt, Dan, and Mary-Anne! Now THIS is a discussion and a great learning experience for me, and I hope for you as well. thanks for rising up to the call!

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by Robert Lile on January 24, 2008 at 5:05pm

Toasted Head®
Pinot Noir

Vintage: 2004
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Bottled: August 30, 2005
Release Date: March 2006
Aging Program: Barrel aged in French oak for 10 months; 10% new barrels.

Bottling Chemistries
Alcohol: 14.5%
Residual Sugar: 0.08 g/100ml
pH: 3.51
Total Acidity: 0.64 g/100ml

Taste. Flavors of strawberry and ripe raspberry lead to intriguing smoke,
spice and earth notes on the palate. The wine is medium bodied with soft,
silky tannins and a long, complex finish.

Vintage.
The 2004 vintage was one of the earliest harvests on record
for California wine grapes. Unusually warm weather in March caused an
early budbreak. Warm spring weather and mild summer temperatures
allowed the grapes to mature at an even pace. September was very warm
and, while harvest was early, the fruit developed good color and
concentrated flavors.

Vineyards.
The grapes were sourced from select vineyards in the cool,
foggy Russian River and Sonoma Coast growing regions, known for
producing refined and complex Pinot Noir.

Winemaking. All the fruit was gently de-stemmed (no crushing) and
fermented with 10% whole clusters in open-top fermenters. The must
was punched down twice a day. About a third of the lots were fermented
with native (wild) yeast for added complexity. The wine was aged with no
racking for 10 months in French oak barrels.

Producer.
This is the inaugural vintage of our Pinot Noir. The finest wine
grapes from select vineyards are used in crafting Toasted Head wines.
Launched in 1995, Toasted Head wines are named for the age-old
practice of toasting the barrel staves and heads during the coopering
process.

2005 Firesteed PINOT NOIR

Firesteed Wines

After a normal spring, a cool and damp weather in June caused vineyards throughout Oregon to set an abnormally small crop for the second consecutive vintage. The hot, dry summer ran out of steam early in September and high temperatures at the winery stayed between 60ºF and 70ºF for a full month prior to harvest. Requiring neither sunscreen, nor umbrellas, crushing peaked in mid-October. As the season began to wind down it became clear that the year 2005 would mark the return of the truly-Oregon vintage.

Our 2005 Pinot Noir continues the tradition of consistent style, achieved with gentle techniques in the cellar and imagination in the vineyard. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts propagated from cellars in Burgundy, pressed during the last days of fermentation, and racked as soon as the wine finished malolactic fermentation. Just a touch of barrel-aged wine was included in the blend to round out the flavors and enhance complexity. Grapes for this wine, as in previous years, were sourced from throughout the Willamette, Umpqua, Rogue and Walla Walla Valleys, creating a truly 'Oregon' blend.

Vibrantly aromatic, infused with generous aromas of warm berry preserves and strawberry shortcake. Layers of vanilla, black cherries and chocolate-covered espresso beans are supported by a broad texture and soft tannins.

WINE ANALYSIS
TA 5.69 g/l
pH 3.72
Alcohol 13.1%

Here are some to my liking and are less than $20 a bottle.

Robert

Permalink Reply by Matt Urdan on January 25, 2008 at 9:26am

Robert, thanks for the detail! the information you provide is awesome!

I definitely see a Sonoma Preference emerging on the list....Keep them coming everyone!

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by mary-anne/shanti on January 25, 2008 at 10:47am

Is this question Re: California only favourites?

While I love many California wines it is a big world out there and perhaps because I have traveled so much since I was 18 I have been fortunate enough to try many excellent wines in Europe. The best really doesn't leave Italy, France, Croatia, Australia, or even Spain.

I first discovered how amazing the Shiraz of Australia was when it was the wine served in the Hatt Regency Club room in of all places New Delhi. I was traveling there several times a year for many years and it was a treat to enjoy thesde new to me wines back then. My first French wines were of the 1961 vintage of France and that was where my palate was trained to enjoy great wines.

I am not inferring that California doesn't produce some amazing wines, but we certainly don't have the market on the world's finest wines. IMHO I also do not think Sonoma has the corner on California's best wines.

Now I am sure I stepped on some toes, but we all appreciate different wines and cuisines.
Viva la Difference!

Permalink Reply by Matt Urdan on January 25, 2008 at 10:51am

Hey Mary Anne, no you didn't step on toes, and no this is not a California's best wines discussion. It's all subjective and arbitrary. It's whatever your five favorite wines are. I'm learning about all kinds of wines I've never tried, but now that I know about them, I want to.

I agree with you as well that Australia Shiraz's are amazing. They are not my favorite however. And I was just noticing the high representation of Sonoma County on this list so far. That's all.

Keep on rocking, keep on particpating. Your posts are great!

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by mary-anne/shanti on January 25, 2008 at 3:48pm

I would have to say our favourite category of wine is Old Vine Zinfandel. Began drinking it back in the mid 70's when Monetevina made an amazing unfiltered Zin that would knock your socks off. Perhaps that is one reason we are so fond of the Croatian wines using Plavić Mali grapes. Pronounced with a ch sound at the end, as in Serbo-Croatian the c has 3 different sounds depending on the accent - for instance Grgić is Grgich.

Permalink Reply by Jeffrey S. Miller on January 25, 2008 at 7:01pm

I understand I'm probably opening myself up for ridicule here, but I really don't have a favorite wine. I have favorite wine drinks:

1. Sangrias. Applebee's made an amazing Peach and Red Apple Sangria last summer that I couldn't get enough of. Cool, refreshing, and perfect on a hot day or after a day of golf or a day at the lake. If you can imagine being an 8 year-old and going shopping with your mother down the juice aisle of the supermarket and trying to choose from all the great fruit juices and drinks, Sangrias are the adult version of the kid's juice aisle.

2. Wine coolers. Do you remember Bartles and James? I drank those. And we make our own for parties with sprite or gatorade or orange juice or whatever. We just pick up cheap white wine, whatever seems to be on sale, whatever kind of wine---chardonnay, sauvingnon blanc, white zin, whatever, it doesn't matter. We like to experiment. No home made wine cooler is ever the same twice.

3. Non-conventional wines. We like to try strawberry wine, cherry wine, and other flavored wines. We've been to the St. Julian winery in Paw Paw, Michigan. We like those. Especially the passionate peach spumante as our New Year's favorite.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page