Drew's Wine List

   NV Gruet Blanc de Noirs   Vintage:  NV Region: New Mexico, USA Winery:  Gruet Varieties:  75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay Price:  $13.99 (Should be able to find everywhere) Rating:  90 Points My Rating:  91 Points The Review:  As a firm believer in drinking sparkling wine for no reason other than the fact that I can, I've always been on the search for Champagne quality sparklers for an affordable price. This wine comes with an interesting story. The Gruet family, owners of the Gruet et Fils Champagne house in France, discovered while on vacation in the Southwest that New Mexico had perfect conditions for sparkling wine. The area had high elevation, drastic day and night temperature swings, and sandy soils- all conditions that make for excellent sparkling wine. They planted an experimental vineyard in the 80's, and soon some of the Gruet children moved to run the winery.  With their first vintage being released in 1989, Gruet has b...

  2016 A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir   Vintage:  2016 Region:  Oregon, USA Winery:  A to Z Wineworks Varietal:  Pinot Noir Price:  $15.99 (Should be able to find everywhere) Rating:  90 Points My Rating:  91 Points The Review: Everyone give a nice warm "welcome back to the blog" to A to Z Wineworks! As you may have noticed, A to Z produced the first wine I ever wrote about, and today is the day I revisit their wines. While I've been on this drinking adventure, I've got a little side quest going. I'm on the hunt for quality Pinot below $20. Many wine professionals would laugh if I told them that because as I've talked about in the past, Pinot is super finicky and hard to make well, but I'm maintaining hope! So far, this one from A to Z sits on the throne. Oregon is receiving quite the praise around the world for putting out incredible Pinots that are a lot cheaper than Burgundy Pinots. Whereas a $20 Burgundy isn't going to be all that good, you ...

  2009 Ch âteau La Tour Blanche Sauternes   Vintage:  2009 Region:  Sauternes Premier Cru, Bordeaux, France Winery:  Chateau La Tour Blanche Varietal:  Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle (Sweet!) Price:  $19.99 (half-bottle at Wegmans) Rating:  96 Points My Rating:  97 Points The Review:  I know this wine is technically above the price range that I said I would stick to, but I have two justifications. 1) Serving sizes of Sauternes is 2 oz, so if we wanna do the math, it's still about the same number of servings as a 750 mL bottle. 2) Sauternes is super rare. And I'll add a third- if you were to go through a 750 mL bottle of this you'd feel so sick. So, what the heck is Sauternes, why is it so expensive, and why am I making a quasi-exception to my price rule? Sauternes is a tiny region in Bordeaux, France that is one of the rare regions in the world that only makes sweet wine. These are wines made from Semillion, Sauvignon Blanc, and M...

  NV Dark Horse Big Red Blend Vintage:  NV Region:  California, USA Winery:  Dark Horse (owned by E&J Gallo) Varietal:  Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon Price:  $6.99 (you can find this everywhere) Rating:  88 Points My Rating:  88 Points The Review:  I knew that sooner or later, this day would come. Dark Horse has crept its way onto the shelves of every store ever over the past few years, and its been a wine that's continually found its way into my research. I've finally caved and bought it. And for the first time in this blog's brief history, I am writing a blog about a wine that I opened and am drinking right now. So, let that be a foreshadowing. Dark Horse is a winery that has popped on the scene in a major way over the past few years. They're owned by the world's largest wine conglomerate, good ole' E&J Gallo, and have been putting out a multitude of wines that all retail for $7. They source grapes m...

  2014 Castellani Sangiovese Vintage:  2014 Region:  Tuscany, Italy (Toscana IGT) Winery:  Famiglia Castellani Varietal:  Sangiovese Price:  $14 (found at Wegmans) Rating:  90 Points My Rating:  90 Points The Review: After a brief week off and a trip home, I'm back again with another delicious wine! For this week's wine, we'll be venturing to our summer homes in the Tuscan countryside to taste a wine from a legendary producer. The Castellani family has been putting out renowned Tuscan wines for around 150 years now. Around 25 years ago, however, the current owner decided to start focusing on his winery's environmental impact. The vineyard switched to organic (and from what I could read, biodynamic) farming processes and implemented a new focus on maintaining the land itself. This quality has shown itself in the wines, and even one of their low-end wines is receiving quite the acclaim. This 2014 Sangiovese receives the European Union quality certif...

  2018 Dr. Loosen "Dr. L" Dry Riesling Vintage:  2018 Region:  Mosel, Germany Winery:  Dr. Loosen Varietal:  Riesling Price:  $10 Rating:  88 Points My Rating:  91 Points The Review:  Since I've already written about Riesling from the Alsace region, I figure I should cover the other region that's really renowned for Riesling- the Mosel in Germany. Whereas Alsatian wines are always dry, Riesling from the Mosel will occasionally have a touch of residual sugar to balance the extreme acidity of these wines. This will add a little body and results in a brilliant wine that is amped up to level 100 in all facets. This wine also serves as a great introduction to one of the most recognized producers in Europe- Dr. Loosen.  The acid levels are so high in Mosel Riesling for two main reasons- the Mosel is one of the northernmost wine regions in the world, so the grapes struggle to ripen fully; and these are some of the steepest vineyards in the worl...

  2015 Kirkland Signature Barolo Vintage:  2015 Region:  Piemonte, Italy (Barolo DOCG) Winery:  ??? Varietal:  100% Nebbiolo Price:  $19.99 Rating:  92 Points My Rating:  92-94 Points The Review: Happy official fall! Today's wine is an absolute steal but is definitely not for the faint of heart. Barolo is strangely enough not very well known in America but is one of, if not the most, prestigious wine region in the world. It's one of those regions where you're unlikely to find a good example for below $50, so finding something that is well-rated for $20 is quite the find!  Barolo is made exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape- the pride of Northwestern Italy. These wines are absolute tannin bombs, which when executed well can result in mindblowing texture and depth. When executed poorly, Nebbiolo can seem abrasive (you may have experienced this drinking a young Cab Sauv. It can sometimes seem harsh or astringent). Luckily though, you won't find a...