The Lovely Young Lady.

The other day, the Lovely Young Lady and I took a detour over to Bin 38 in the Marina. After trying a few wines, I was pleasantly surprised to learn two things about her. First, she is very sensitive to brett and does not enjoy it in a wine. Second, she likes the big, fruit-forward style of wine making. I, on the other hand, will find the occasional brett in my wine enjoyable and like my wines with less fruit-dominance and more secondary characteristics that come from aging.

In the end, I had a big smile on my face. On the one hand, I love our differences on these two points as I hope they can make for interesting discussions down the road. On the other hand, I hope I have helped her a little bit in learning what she likes in wine. I find both of those propositions exciting!

Quinta do Carmo 2002

A nice touch of earthiness on the nose, though not enough fruit -- there is a definite presence of brett here, but not too much to make it undrinkable. Very smooth on the palate. Easy two and a half stars out of five.

Wedding wines.

As one can tell from recent posts, I am sampling a bunch of wines for possible selection at the wedding next year between the lovely young lady and I. The general rule is that the wedding wines must, over all, average out to $20 a bottle (some can be more, some can be less). We'll need 120 bottles (not counting all of the bottles we'll need for the Champagne toast) for about 120 guests. This is definitely proving to be a fun challenge, and one can follow along here.

Duckpond Pinot noir 2006

I bought this Oregon Pinot noir as another contender for a "wedding wine." It exhibited very jammy cherry flavors and spices on the nose and had a surprisingly full body for an Oregon Pinot. Sadly, there was little in the way of zippy acidity. A good wine at a decent value, I'd rate it two and a half out of five stars. Probably goes on the bottom of my "wedding wine" list.

Cloudline Pinot gris 2005

Bright citrus notes on the nose with touches of mango and tropical fruit. Refreshing though medium bodied. Has great potential in food pairing, and is a serious contender for the seated-dinner/white wine at the wedding. Two and a half stars out of five.

Continuum 2005

The inaugural wine of Timothy Mondavi's new winery, the Continuum is a very young wine with lots of purple color. On the nose, the wine exhibits very tight fruit aromas with hints of sage and tobacco underneath. Silky smooth tannins coat the palate, hinting at great aging potential. I do not plan to open my other bottle for at least three years. Four stars out of five.

Kunde Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Dark purple color with strong olive aromas. The palate didn't add much beyond chalky tannins. Two out of five stars, and definitely not a wedding wine.

Whitehaven Pinot Noir 2006

Pretty much what I look for in a Pinot noir! Light red color, with cherry and
spice notes on the nose, though no real earth or forest elements (I do like a little). The body had a nice, zingy acidity that tickled the mouth, and also added a touch of cola flavor. At around $25 a bottle (from the local store), it was well worth the price. Three and a half out of five stars.

Alpha Omega Rose 2007

Ruby color with pronounced berry hints and creamy chocolate on the nose. Weightier body than what I am used to with a rose. A very enjoyable wine. Two and a half out of five stars -- though one really needs to drink it now!