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This review is going to be about Champagne, but in this case I have to technically call this one a "sparkling wine". Truly I am coming to the conclusion that many times "Cuvées" rule the roost in the wine world, take for instance Gloria Ferrer's Royal Cuvée. I purchased this sparkler for a mere $20.00 @ Costco (normally sells for $32.99). This sparkler is a QPR champ! It is three times the juice of many other sparklers and beats the hell out of many of the Champagnes from across the pond. I know it is probably not a completly fair comparsion because this is a vintage sparkler, but if you compared a vintage French Champagne vs. a domestic vintage sparkler the price difference still leaves this wine the QPR Champ!
Vintage means it is from a specific year and if you don't see the year printed on the label (which makes up the bulk of sparklers and or Champagnes) then it is a blend of different years.
This wine is in a word phenomenal. It delivered a very long persistent finish and great acidity balanced the pinot driven black strawberry-cherry flavors and chardonnay's palate coating apple-citrus nuances. We (my wife and I) paired this wine with a homemade hot crab dip and crackers, which we devoured while watching the SC kick the crap out of Penn State. All I can say is WOW! Grab yourself some today, you won't be disappointed!
Sparkling wine or Champagne is probably the most versatile drink for pairing you're are going to find and at these prices, this is an indulgence you could easily afford to keep on hand. Gloria Ferrer in my opinion ROCKS! and yes I have had some of the other Champagnes from across the pond and yes they are quite good as well, but the caveat is you have to pay so much more to get the same level of quality! Btw, check out the interview with Eva Bertan of Gloria Ferrer, here is the link.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=23750318&id=270309992 Until next time Cheers Everyone!
Ahh New Years Eve,
What Champagne would you order or bring to the New Year's Eve party? Perhaps your thinking hmmm, what would Bond do? That's right your thinking WWBD, then your Champagne of choice is Bollinger.
Champagne Bollinger has been featured as 007's Champagne of choice in some novels of Ian Fleming, as well as the movies.
List of Bollinger champagnes used in the movies:
Live and Let Die: Bollinger ...
Moonraker: Bollinger RD '69
View to a Kill: Bollinger '75
License to Kill: Bollinger RD '75
The Living Daylights: Bollinger ...
Goldeneye: Bollinger Grande Année 1988
Tomorrow Never Dies: Bollinger Grande Année 1989
The World Is Not Enough: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
Die Another Day: Bollinger '61
Casino Royale: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
"The relationship began when the Broccoli-Wilson family, producers of the Bond films, sought a wine to match Bond's impeccable taste and refined personality. Not surprisingly, they chose Champagne Bollinger, long acknowledged as one of the world's finest Champagnes. A mutual friendship developed between the Broccoli-Wilson family and the Bollinger family, and Champagne Bollinger has remained a Bond favorite even as the torch has been passed from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig.
More about Bollinger:Founded in 1829, Champagne Bollinger introduced the world to an instantly recognizable, dry, toasty style that connoisseurs around the globe covet. Six generations of the Bollinger family have maintained the trademark style of their namesake Champagne and it is one of a few remaining Grande Marque houses owned, controlled and managed by the same family since its founding.
Bollinger relies on its own estate for more than 60 percent of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir that gives its Champagne much of its distinctive strength and structure. Bollinger is one of a select few houses that can control the quality of its grape supply so carefully. Bollinger is renowned for its use of traditional methods that include extensive use of Pinot Noir, individual vinification of each marc and cru, barrel fermentation and extra-aging of all of its Champagnes on the lees prior to disgorgement."
Ahh New Years Eve,
What Champagne would you order or bring to the New Year's Eve party? Perhaps your thinking hmmm, what would Bond do? That's right your thinking WWBD, then your Champagne of choice is Bollinger.
Champagne Bollinger has been featured as 007's Champagne of choice in some novels of Ian Fleming, as well as the movies.
List of Bollinger champagnes used in the movies:
Live and Let Die: Bollinger ...
Moonraker: Bollinger RD '69
View to a Kill: Bollinger '75 License to Kill: Bollinger RD '75
The Living Daylights: Bollinger ...
Goldeneye: Bollinger Grande Année 1988
Tomorrow Never Dies: Bollinger Grande Année 1989
The World Is Not Enough: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
Die Another Day: Bollinger '61
Casino Royale: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
"The relationship began when the Broccoli-Wilson family, producers of the Bond films, sought a wine to match Bond's impeccable taste and refined personality. Not surprisingly, they chose Champagne Bollinger, long acknowledged as one of the world's finest Champagnes. A mutual friendship developed between the Broccoli-Wilson family and the Bollinger family, and Champagne Bollinger has remained a Bond favorite even as the torch has been passed from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig.
More about Bollinger:Founded in 1829, Champagne Bollinger introduced the world to an instantly recognizable, dry, toasty style that connoisseurs around the globe covet. Six generations of the Bollinger family have maintained the trademark style of their namesake Champagne and it is one of a few remaining Grande Marque houses owned, controlled and managed by the same family since its founding.
Bollinger relies on its own estate for more than 60 percent of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir that gives its Champagne much of its distinctive strength and structure. Bollinger is one of a select few houses that can control the quality of its grape supply so carefully. Bollinger is renowned for its use of traditional methods that include extensive use of Pinot Noir, individual vinification of each marc and cru, barrel fermentation and extra-aging of all of its Champagnes on the lees prior to disgorgement."
Ahh New Years Eve,
What Champagne would you order or bring to the New Year's Eve party? Perhaps your thinking hmmm, what would Bond do? That's right your thinking WWBD, then your Champagne of choice is Bollinger.
Champagne Bollinger has been featured as 007's Champagne of choice in some novels of Ian Fleming, as well as the movies.
List of Bollinger champagnes used in the movies:
Live and Let Die: Bollinger ...
Moonraker: Bollinger RD '69
View to a Kill: Bollinger '75 License to Kill: Bollinger RD '75
The Living Daylights: Bollinger ...
Goldeneye: Bollinger Grande Année 1988
Tomorrow Never Dies: Bollinger Grande Année 1989
The World Is Not Enough: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
Die Another Day: Bollinger '61
Casino Royale: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
"The relationship began when the Broccoli-Wilson family, producers of the Bond films, sought a wine to match Bond's impeccable taste and refined personality. Not surprisingly, they chose Champagne Bollinger, long acknowledged as one of the world's finest Champagnes. A mutual friendship developed between the Broccoli-Wilson family and the Bollinger family, and Champagne Bollinger has remained a Bond favorite even as the torch has been passed from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig.
More about Bollinger:Founded in 1829, Champagne Bollinger introduced the world to an instantly recognizable, dry, toasty style that connoisseurs around the globe covet. Six generations of the Bollinger family have maintained the trademark style of their namesake Champagne and it is one of a few remaining Grande Marque houses owned, controlled and managed by the same family since its founding.
Bollinger relies on its own estate for more than 60 percent of its grape requirements, including the Pinot Noir that gives its Champagne much of its distinctive strength and structure. Bollinger is one of a select few houses that can control the quality of its grape supply so carefully. Bollinger is renowned for its use of traditional methods that include extensive use of Pinot Noir, individual vinification of each marc and cru, barrel fermentation and extra-aging of all of its Champagnes on the lees prior to disgorgement."
Fashion, Style, Shopping for last minute stocking stuffers?
Well the big day is almost here and maybe you have not filled the stockings hanging over the fireplace as of yet or you think why did I get them that?? Well for all my wine loving friends, I have an idea which is not terribly creative but it is definitely a great read for the wine lover on your list:
Red, White and Drunk all Over! 
A Wine-soaked Journey from grape to glass........
Natalie MacLean
This a great book I just finished this the other day, hard to put down! An easy read at just a little over 300 pages. The journey Natalie takes through Burgundy is compelling, and really you never want it to end. The people she meets from all corners of the wine world will inspire you and challenge your palate to want to leap outside the box of wine you may now know and love.. she takes on the critics in classic fashion. She ponders the necessity of stemware for each type of wine and wraps up the conclusions nicely. Her trip to California and the conversations she has with the like's of Kermit Lynch and Ellisa Cooper of Discovery wine shop... is riveting. What I am trying to say is pick up a copy of this book and check out her website! http://www.nataliemaclean.com/ Please if you do purchase a book, video or whatever please tell her you were sent by Cuvee Corner. Thanks so much to everyone and have a great holiday season. All the best to everyone of my subscribers! I will see ya in the new year! I have a ton of reviews to write.. until then Cheers Everyone! Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass By Natalie MacLean Release date: 2007-10-16
Have you ever wanted to discovery a 14th Century Masterpiece, well here's your chance. I hope you will swirl, sniff and sip yourself into the wonderful discovery of this amazing elixir. Be part of the history of great wine and try this today! Cheers!
It's that time of the year and some of you may being going to gift exchanging events or simply want to give some of your wine loving friends a gift that shows your bon vivant taste as well your prowess in choosing quality wines and its accompaniments without breaking the bank.
Last year when my wife and I were in this predicament, while wanting to give a interesting gift that also involved a little more personalization then the simple choice between basket A or B at Costco. We saw many gift baskets, which included a couple wine choices pre-packaged with assorted items which did not necessarily pair with the wine. We thought why would we give someone a "pre-made" gift basket with wines with which we had know experience.
So we embarked on making our own gift baskets. We purchased all are items Cost Plus World Market who had everything with which to create our personalized gift baskets. The had little cheeses, chocolates, wine, baskets and if you want to be Eco, then I suggest shredding some old paper grocery bags which looks great as basket filler. We chose two wines a red and a white, (or one bottle of nice Champagne and my suggestion is the Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee) and we included a different x-mas ornament for everyone. They ran us about $48.00 each basket. We wrapped them up and were a huge hit. We were pretty proud of our creativity and I invite you to do the same this year!
This year I came across a new product which I've seen before, but these seem to be far more fun! There are many themes and they are removable. They are personalized wine labels from
Cerebral Itch . So before you finish up your gift basket get some of those wine labels from Paul and you'll be giving your friends a thoughtful gift and good chuckle as well! I hope everyone has a great Holiday Season! Until next time Cheers everyone!
Cerebral Itch Wine Labels
The Abadia Retuerta, Estate Grown in Rioja, Sardon De Duero 2003, 14% alc. In the glass a thin violet colored rim that segued to an opaque velvet curtain core. This wonderful wine is a blend expressing Tempranillo’s richness at 75%, Merlot’s roundness at 5% and Cabernet Sauvignon’s aromatic elegance coming in at 20%. Which for my palate made like a visit to a tobacco store humidor, breathing in all the wonderful aromas deeply and a lithe compote of dark fruits and well worn saddle leather, followed my a long palate coating finish. In a word yum!
Mr. Parker rated this wine 88 Pt's. I would say it requires a least hedonistic 91 Pt's. This is huge wine for the price. It is selling for $19.99 @ Bevmo and was a wine I tasted in my wine class @ ISG. This could be a everyday drinker and just happened to pair ever so nicely with some smoked beef sausage one of my classmates most graciously provided. My recommendation is purchase a six pack if you can and if storage is not an issue or buy one for an upcoming holiday party or gift giving occasion to show off your epicurean taste! Until next time Cheers!
I thought this would be a creative way to introduce my recommended wine for the traditional holiday meal of turkey and the usual supects side dishes. Also with the wine library video it would present some other ideas for your holiday feast. The wine I am about to introduce here should pair nicely with all parts of your meal, from appetizers to dessert. Enjoy!
Zilliken Riesling Butterfly, (Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken) a well balanced and delicate wine from the Mosel region, deftly combines peach flavors with a hint of floral notes on the nose; dances on the palate, with enough acidity to refresh your worked over palate. Cheers everyone and have a great Thanksgiving Holiday!!
Even though the fascination and the novelty of Beaujolais Nouveau has diminished substantially, it still an event carried out each November on the third Thursday of the month. BN began as a local phenomenon in the local bars, cafes, and bistros of Beaujolais. Each fall the new Beaujolais would arrive with much fanfare. Get your's today!
Remember it is made to quaff immediately, not a wine left to be stored for a long term. If you interested in BN, it also available on a regular basis in the form of Haut-Beaujolais or Cru Beaujolais, which are generally more concentrated versions of BN. One thing that makes really makes BN different from the way other wine is produced is the use of Carbonic Maturation which tends to give the wine a banana or eggnog notes in the nose and candied quality on the finish!
If you never have tried this wine, seek it out and give it a swirl. Could also pair nicely with your Thanks Giving meal.
This is same wine I picked up off the shelves of Henrys in San Diego on Thursday and shared with my wife before dinner. Interesting little quaffer for the money. Closure was a synthetic cork with typical notes of banana in the nose and a candied dry cherry on the palate, a short to medium finish. A wine is best served chilled with cheese and salami a true bistro wine. I would love to hear your experiences with this wine. Cheers!
As promised here is my fourth blog about my Paso wine experience. Often times you leave many of the best for the last and in my ever not so humble opinion that is what I have done. It is another hot day in Paso, although a hard rain came through overnight and left the beautiful Paso skies full of gentle puffy whites. The harvest heat picked right back up from where it left off the previous day. Our first stop of the day is L'Adventure, which I will let Robert Parker give you a quick blurb about the going's on at this gem in Western Paso.
Parker describes it this way; "transplanted Frenchman, Stephan Asseo (from St.-Emilion), has found a home as well as some great terroirs in the limestone soils of Paso Robles (all his vineyards are situated on the western side of Highway 101). Asseo continues to go from strength to strength, producing a fabulous portfolio of wines that makes L-Aventure one of the bright, shining reference points for the region. This is one of the California Central Coast superstars, and the wines are worth every cent."-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
All of this is true and drinking the wine you get the feeling that you are in smack in the middle of the Rhone. This why L'Aventure and a host of other wineries have been dubbed the "Rhone Rangers"
The first thing we tasted was the
2005 Optimus (51%
Syrah, 44% Cabernet
Sauvignon, and 5%
Petit Verdot) wow a great wine! Seamless, elegant fruit and a balanced acidity a good structure for aging. But I recommend drinking now. Oh by the way RP liked this wine as much as we did. The night before we went to
L'Adventure we paired this same wine with a rack of lamb. Marvelous!
That same day in the tasting room we tried the
Estate Cuvée 2006, 49%
Syrah estate, 37% Cabernet estate and 14%
Petit Verdot estate. Now when it says estate, it means the grapes are sourced from the vineyards they own and control from grape to glass. This really makes a huge difference in the quality of the wine and you can just taste the freshness and viewing the vineyards you start to get a sense of place. Check out this picture of
L'Adventure I shot from the tasting room door.
You see why the vineyards here produce some of the finest wine coming out of the
Paso area. We also tasted the
Estate Cote a Cote 2006 40%
Mouvedre estate, 30%
Grenache estate and 30%
Syrah Estate. Another amazing effort! We purchased all our budget would afford and signed up for their wine club
(were on the waiting list) in hopes of being able to purchase more of their wines in the future. They are a little on the expensive side for most folks. But contrasted with their brethren in the Rhone, the are quite a bargain.
By the way the tasting fee of $10.00 can be shared, but I recommend everyone get their own as the tasting fee includes a very nice Riedel 'O' Cabernet/Merlot/Bordeaux Stemless Wine 
Glasses, which do have the L'Adventure logo. These glasses sell for $24.95 for the pair retail. But you can get them with your tasting (pours are very generous). Make sure you go early to avoid the crowds, this tasting room or Salon as they call it will fill up quickly. L'Adventure is on most folks hit parade, so please stop on by, taste, enjoy and take some home to enjoy on a special occasion.
That's is all I have time for now, but I still have 3 more wineries from the area that I believe will shock and awe your palates. So until then Cheers! Remember a day without wine is just not a very good day!
Justin Justification 2006
Bordeaux Red Blends
Central Coast, California
(this vintage is sold out) Their Price: $41.99 @ wine.com
But it can still be purchased for 36.00 from the winery, if you join the Wine Society or 43.99 without the club. If you purchase six bottles and live in California, here's a gift no shipping charges! Enjoy this one gang!
Again if your in the area, by all means stop by for a visit. Just don't go on Saturday afternoon, unless you want to drown in a sea of imbibers.. so I would recommend booking an early midweek tour and tasting. I would love to hear back about your adventures with this wine. Until then Cheers!
Yum factor of 4 Stars - 11/14/2008 I would buy this wine again Some times you wonder how any wine can be so good and for a reasonable price. This wine hits both notes in stride and takes it to the house! If you love wine and the NFL, well you will definitely understand when I say, this wine could go...... all... the wayyyyy!! This wine danced on our palates like a lithe ballerina @ the Nut Cracker and delivered quite a performance. Wow a long persistent finish, soft gentle red fruits, a nice spice box on the mid-palate and the Alc. is unobtrusive. This wine will most likely sell out quickly! I went to Justin in October and purchased two, came home and a couple of weeks later drank another one. I just ordered another 1/2 case. Better Hurry!
Tasting Tags: Cab Franc and Merlot Food Pairing Tags: Just about anything! Was this review helpful?
So day two (which again was very hot) of our winery road trip in Paso Robles, we headed to the West side. The locals call Justin and most of the wineries located here the "farside". In October the hills of Paso are like giant stacks of pale yellow hay dotted with solitary oak trees. But before we head out I filled our large ice chest with some ice, to avoid (inside temp reached about a 98 degrees) cooking all the wine, we anticipated purchasing. Upon arriving at the vineyard you could definitely see the soil type differences between the East and West. The calcareous soil, white soil containing calcium and magnesium, similar to that of the Rhone Valley jutting up above the surface, like icebergs floating on a ocean of soil. There in lies the contrast in East vs. West wine styles.
We had scheduled a tour @ Justin first thing in the morning. Our tour guide Jim Gerakaris, who is part of the tour and tasting room team gave us a grand tour of the facilities. Since we were there in the middle of harvest, we witnessed first hand many of the harvest (including a pesky flies which can't leave you alone) activities from grape to glass. It is a very impressive operation, the machinery and attention to detail is evident in the quality of wine they are producing. Our tasting was conducted back in the tasting room which is pretty lavish and encourages purchases.
The tasting line-up included the 2007 Reserve Chardonnay, 2007 Viognier, 2006 Syrah, 2006 Syrah and the 2006 Savant. Unfortunately were unable to taste the 2006 Justification or 2005 Isosceles, but we did purchase a few of the 06 Justification and trying this at home. Wow, very good! We luckily already had some of the 05
Isosceles at home. We did join the Justin Wine Society so we would be able to purchase the Isosceles Reserve.
The wines I would pass on here are the 07 Viognier and the 07 Chardonnay. These varietals typically grow better in a cooler climate and despite being sourced from the cool, ocean influenced Templeton gap area I thought both efforts were too austere. Justin also produces about five other wines which we politely ask to taste and they politely refused. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area it is totally worth the trip and book a tour.
Next we went to
Tolo Cellars, and met the young winemaker and proprietor Josh Gibson. In wine circles he is said to be "flying under the radar", but definitely not a place to missed. As you pull up to a "little red school" which serves as the tasting room. I think we hung out in the kitchen which has a bar facing the sliding door entry way. He was very gracious to grant us a privat
e tasting during the harvest. We had a great time talking about his wine making style and how he got started. The wines are very good and had a long persistent finish. The
wine descriptions are very different than most, but are very smartly written. We walked out with six bottles and wished our budget could have afforded us more.
The wines we left with were the 2004 Cabernet, the 2002 Zinfandel and the 2004 Asini two of each. All of Josh's wines are worth your consideration and worth the trip to the tasting room. You can't find these wines on your supermarket shelves and your local wine shop guy won't have these either, but give him a call he may be able to ship a few bottles. If not "make the trip, you won't be disappointed", this is the advice I received and I am very happy I discovered this Westside gem. Thanks Josh!
In Part four you can look forward to my visit @ Tablas Creek, L'Adventure and Lone Madrone. Until then cheers!
Ahh New Years Eve,
Zilliken Riesling Butterfly, (Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken) a well balanced and delicate wine from the Mosel region, deftly combines peach flavors with a hint of floral notes on the nose; dances on the palate, with enough acidity to refresh your worked over palate. Cheers everyone and have a great Thanksgiving Holiday!!
Even though the fascination and the novelty of Beaujolais Nouveau has diminished substantially, it still an event carried out each November on the third Thursday of the month. BN began as a local phenomenon in the local bars, cafes, and bistros of Beaujolais. Each fall the new Beaujolais would arrive with much fanfare. Get your's today!
As promised here is my fourth blog about my Paso wine experience. Often times you leave many of the best for the last and in my ever not so humble opinion that is what I have done. It is another hot day in Paso, although a hard rain came through overnight and left the beautiful Paso skies full of gentle puffy whites. The harvest heat picked right back up from where it left off the previous day. Our first stop of the day is L'Adventure, which I will let Robert Parker give you a quick blurb about the going's on at this gem in Western Paso.
The first thing we tasted was the 2005 Optimus (51% Syrah, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot) wow a great wine! Seamless, elegant fruit and a balanced acidity a good structure for aging. But I recommend drinking now. Oh by the way RP liked this wine as much as we did. The night before we went to L'Adventure we paired this same wine with a rack of lamb. Marvelous!
Glasses, which do have the L'Adventure logo. These glasses sell for $24.95 for the pair retail. But you can get them with your tasting (pours are very generous). Make sure you go early to avoid the crowds, this tasting room or Salon as they call it will fill up quickly. L'Adventure is on most folks hit parade, so please stop on by, taste, enjoy and take some home to enjoy on a special occasion. 
Justin Justification 2006
So day two (which again was very hot) of our winery road trip in Paso Robles, we headed to the West side. The locals call Justin and most of the wineries located here the "farside". In October the hills of Paso are like giant stacks of pale yellow hay dotted with solitary oak trees. But before we head out I filled our large ice chest with some ice, to avoid (inside temp reached about a 98 degrees) cooking all the wine, we anticipated purchasing. Upon arriving at the vineyard you could definitely see the soil type differences between the East and West. The calcareous soil, white soil containing calcium and magnesium, similar to that of the Rhone Valley jutting up above the surface, like icebergs floating on a ocean of soil. There in lies the contrast in East vs. West wine styles.
We had scheduled a tour @ Justin first thing in the morning. Our tour guide Jim Gerakaris, who is part of the tour and tasting room team gave us a grand tour of the facilities. Since we were there in the middle of harvest, we witnessed first hand many of the harvest (including a pesky flies which can't leave you alone) activities from grape to glass. It is a very impressive operation, the machinery and attention to detail is evident in the quality of wine they are producing. Our tasting was conducted back in the tasting room which is pretty lavish and encourages purchases.
Isosceles at home. We did join the Justin Wine Society so we would be able to purchase the Isosceles Reserve.
