two australians and a frenchman walk into a superstore...

Be not fooled by how long it's been since I last posted; in the last month we've consumed, well, a few bottles. Of note, however, are three in particular:

The 2004 Little Penguin Shiraz (~$9 at Superstore, Australian) was a bit of a letdown. It might have been the particular bottle or batch, since the last time we had it (>six months ago) it seemed better. It was a bit overripe, which let the spice overtake the sickly sweet fruit.

The 2003 Black Swan Shiraz (~$12 at SuperStore) had, at first, a real alcohol kick on the nose, but that cleared to reveal subtle fruit on the peachy/black cherry side, supported by a really warm peppery spice note with a clove note. Complex, and dry enough to pair with rich meats (though we had it with pork).

-&-

The 2003 Red Bicyclette Syrah (French, ~$13 at Superstore) was a delightful find. Admittedly, I picked it for the cute lab, figuring the li'l lady would like it. (She did.) And, luckily, it made a very pleasant pairing with our rotini primavera con jamón. It was pleasant on the nose; a little lighter/milder than the shirazes I tend to like, but still spicy, balanced by a surprising and tangy plum finish.

Now, not to bestow too many handjobs on the fine folks at Superstore, but I must say that they not only have the hands-down best prices on wine, and reasonable selection, but they also have unbelievable prices and an excellent selection of scotch.

let's get crunk...

The l'il lady suggested we should keep a wine journal, and I thought that blogging it would be swell. This way other people can know how much I drink!

When she has time she'll get a blogger ID and join the team. Until then, it's just me.

So: at the moment the house red is Lindeman's 2004 Bin 55 Shiraz Cabarnet: spicy but a bit drier and with a subtle blackcurrant note (Australian; <$10 at the SuperStore liquor shack).

Previously it was the Wyndham Estates 2002 Bin 555 Shiraz : sharp and peppery with misc. berries on the nose (Australian; ~$12 at SuperStore liquor central). It may rise in fortune again, but I got sick of it after a spell — a wonder after only two cases.

Today with the ribeye and McCain superfries we cracked the Peller Estates [no vintage] Oakridge Merlot as much as anything to get it out of the cabinet: fairly acidic, on the dry side with an abundance of tannins, more orange zest than berry on the nose, but passable with the grilled meat and 'taters (blended from all over the place, but 'assembled' in Ontario; a well-intentioned unopened contribution to a dinner party last year sometime).

Last night we had the Lindeman's Cawarra 2003 Shiraz Cabarnet, which was very like the current house 55 but not as dry and even fruitier — quite yummy if a tad straightforward. (We had it at Rick & Alice's Grill at 109 St & 71 Ave — best mom & pop joint in town if you ask me.)

And last week we had Catena Cabarnet Sauvingon: which was really superb, being rich in fruit, but dry enough to be complex (Argentina, Gift from P. Cizzy).

By the way, I have no idea what I'm talking about; but the doctors say the wine is good for you.