2007 Viu Manet Malbec Reserva

*Bottle #38: 2007 Viu Manet Colchagua Malbec Reserva

*Price: $10

*Running Tab: $488

My days off consist of me wine shop shopping. Whether or not I actually buy anything depends on how far in the distant future a paycheck is from me. In this case, the paycheck comes before I need to pay off my credit card so it's a win-win-win. 1 for me, 1 for the shops and 1 for the wine.

It's like going to a pet shop - those little bottles starring up at me with their flawless labels and shiny foils, dusted perfectly with a little bit of age so you know they're bottle-trained and ready to go home with a thirsty and adoring owner.

My pocketbook was relinquished of its duties this day on four different bottles (only spent around $90...) but this particular purchase stood out to me. When I bought the wine after it was recommended to me by a renowned Seattle area wine shop, I was told this pig was ready to go. I questioned this notion, politely as I'm sure this wine steward knew a bit more than myself, because the Viu Manet Reserva Malbec was only a 2007. I thought it was too young to drink before the wine even hit my lips.

Chilean producer Viu Manet (say it like it's spelled) makes this wine, at 100% Malbec, in both stainless steel tanks (for the fermentation process) and in barrels for 10 months (92% French, 8% American oak). Which for the amount of oak you pull from both the nose and palate, you'd assume it spent more time in the barrels than that.

Background check on Chilean wine: Grapes came from Bordeaux, France to Spain to Chile in the early 1800's. The lovely wingless wonder bug, Phylloxera, spread like wild fire in the European and North American vineyards, killing off many quality vines and potential land. Chile is situated between the Andes and the Pacific so that the nation's vineyards were perched in a fashion that even this deadly louse couldn't kill off their vines.

A powerhouse and lucky SOBs, Chilean vines are some of the oldest around exuding robust and flavorsome wines and a spirited toast: "Salud, amor y dinero, y tiempo para gustarlos!" (Health, love and money, and time to enjoy them!)

And enjoy, from a different perspective, I did.

I've been getting a pie-crust aroma from wines lately - maybe it's something I've been eating or is stuck up my nose but it's definitely there again in this Chilean Malbec. This time it's boysenberry pie, very muted however and backed by a vegetal touch - I'm thinking broccoli. The oak stands out very obviously in the first sniff but really comes out in a little time. A dark stoned fruit aroma was there as well but it was more the pit than anything. As if the fleshy fruit has been sucked off and all that is left is the pit to gnaw on.

Speaking of gnawing, both the tannins and a leathery flavor are really chewing on you in this 2007 Malbec. Showing great potential to tame down in the mouth-drying department, this wine's leather note is affable and the fruit pushes out a little bit of juice for this typically spiced varietal. The oak comes out after awhile and shows in the finish with parching tannins that have you questioning if your tongue ever was wet to begin with.

This $10 bottle will be a steal in two years, even better in five. It's a beautifully stunning and forbidden Lolita wine. A pervert's wine. That made me laugh.

Right now, the Viu Manet 2007 Malbec is just not ready to come out and play which makes Erin a sad girl.

Score: 7.5. 

Portalupi 2007 Bianco Wine

*Bottle #37: Portalupi 2007 Bianco California Table Wine

*Price: $16

*Running Tab: $478

The best kind of narcissistic satisfaction is when you win an argument and all you want to do is scream "I told you so!" and gloat and smirk. Unfortunately, that is no longer acceptable adult behavior past the age of six so now you just have to say "Oh, did I?" when presented with a win over a mature debate. 

When I was tasting the Portalupi 2007 Bianco at local wine shop, I was told this 2006 blend was mostly Gewurtztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and probably Semillon, but the wine steward wasn't quite sure. He was positive of the fact that there was no Chardonnay used in the blend, which I was just fine with considering it was a California blend and I'm not a huge fan of big, over-oaked, buttery, diacytel-saturated Cali Chards. No bias. 

Upon tasting, I found some nice apricot and tangerine notes, backed by some minerality and a slight hint of honey. It took me a wiff or two but I was smelling pear on the nose as well, something uncharacteristic of the varietals that were to be in this blend but something very common for Chardonnay...

The taste of the wine was exactly what I was looking for that night and I give the steward props for picking this out according to what I said I wanted. Dry and crisp but full of those orange fruits and minerality. Medium-full bodied with a little touch of something vegetal in the finish as it dimished. Nice, brisk acidity through and through, which I love in my whities. A little flabby once it sat in the glass/palm of my hand for too long, the Portalupi '07 White Wine still fit the profile for the night. 

After a couple swigs, I was tasting more and more of that pear tied in with Granny Smith apples (Chardonnay!!! - but I wasn't doubting Buddy Boy  just yet). 

And here's the punch-line. 

Post-taste/posthaste, I Googled the stats on it via my Blackberry Curve (product placement - please pay me?!), I found out that this 2007 blend (there isn't an '06 from this label) was actually 46% Sauvignon Blanc, 47% Chardonnay and 7% Muscat Alexandra. More Chardonnay than anything else in the blend! 

Ba-bow! I completely and utterly smirked and gloated by myself (yup...) and ran a little mental victory lap. Looks like I'm starting to know my ish better than I give credit for. I thank you.

Score: 7. 

Highway 14 2005 Red Wine

*Bottle #36: Highway 14 2005 Columbia Valley Red Wine

*Price: $15

*Running Tab: $462

Jim, Jack, Johnny and Jose - most alcoholics' favorite American (and Mexican) men.

Syrah, Counoise, Grenache and Mourvedre - this new wino's favorite French men. 

Background check:

1) Syrah: Sometimes floral, sometimes super juicy dark berries, sometimes chocolate and espresso and black pepper. Big, bold and beautiful and can't always make up its mind. 

2) Counoise (coon-wahz): Spicy, peppery and slightly abrasive in its acidity, the Rhone Valley rarely let's it out of it's borders. Kind of a back-up, yes-man for more audacious grapes (i.e. big bro Syrah).

3) Grenache: A late bloomer, spicy yet soft on the palate and most often used for blending.

4) Mourvedre (Moo-vahd/Moo-vey-druh): Tomayto, tomahto, very strict to its area, this grape often shows charactertistics of game, earth and red fruits. 

With 70% Syrah, 14% Counoise, 11% Grenache and 4% Mourvedre, the Highway 14 blend from the Northwest Vine Project represents its founding fathers well. I'm talking winemakers, not French guys. 

Carlton, Oregon's pride and joy of their non-Pinots (there aren't many that color outside of the lines) is Andrew Rich, who strategically joined up with Irish wine patriot David O'Reilly from Owen Roe wines to create the project. The two feature inexpensive wines for a quality that's mostly tagged with higher prices in their Columbia Valley based co-op. 

The 2005 Red Wine, including the grapes and their traits as listed, gives off bright cherries and other bright red fruits, cinnamon, blueberries and later eucalyptus (but that took great discussion to narrow that guy down). After about 30 minutes, I finally decided there was red bell pepper in there too - which also after much discussion, I realized that wasn't exactly a compliment (vegetal tones are not the greatest aroma for a Rhone style red blend) even though I didn't think it was bad.

A cinnamon flavor was the first thing to happen on the palate - I'm not sure if it was the seeming texture of the attack of the wine or if it was actually there or something I ate before... Bordering on sweet, the fruit was smooth, well-structured and medium-bodied, with tannins just tickling the tip of the tongue in the finish. 

If I didn't know better, I'd think this wine was flirting with me.

Flattery will get you everywhere. Rhone varieties seem to grow well in the state of Washington (where this "Oregon wine" got its grapes) and produce a bit more fruit to them than in their traditional origin. This I did like, for 15 bucks - how can you lose?

Score: 8. 

Nota Bene Cellars 2005 Miscela

*Bottle #35: Nota Bene Cellars 2005 Washington State Miscela

*Price: $29 (free for Erin though, somehow scammed my way again...)

*Running Tab: $447

I'm done with Italians, I swear.

This one just happens to be an Italian-named blend but Washington born and raised grapes! Look! I'm making larger steps out of my little circle of bias!

This one doesn't even use any Italian varietals and is a Bordeaux style blend. See!

A new world blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, Nota Bene - "N" for Tim Narby and "B" for Carol Bryant - was formed by the three star-crossed lovers over a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1982. I'm talking Narby, Bryant and the wine. The triangle began at first sip and has been a consist affair since 2001, but can be traced back to an amateur crush (of grapes) in 1986.

Bryant, the self-proclaimed "company Latinist" (information acquired from their handy, dandy Web site), transcribes the Latin root of "amateur" to amo, meaning "to love." She feels wine "must be the product of love."

Aw, the good old days when wine was produced for the love of the wine, not the love of the money. But what do I know, I just drink it.

"Note well," as Nota Bone translates from Latin, is what Narby and Bryant have done well. After a few trial and errors, they believe their blend epitomizes the state of Washington. The Seattle-based cellars sources from several of the region-specific profiled vineyards the state is growing in repute for.

After a heavy wait time in the glass (I'd say 15 minutes post-initial pour) and followed with devious swirling sessions, the 2005 Miscela came of age. The nose exhibited aromas of blackberries, oak and a later very distinct vanilla extract note. On the negative sounding side, but not necessarily so, a modest cherry-chapstick scent rose up along with something vegetal. And I couldn't help but find an aroma that I've been finding a lot in Cabs lately - Fig Newton. Yeah, those cookies your grandpa eats. Doughy but dried-fruit-like. Very strange.

With a delicate attack, the Miscela doesn't really appear too sharply on the tongue until the mid-palate, where I got a rush of deep red fruits, chocolate and tannins that grip your mouth like a firm yet professional handshake. Warm at 14.8% alcohol per volume - which, in the state of Washington, is given a 1.5% leeway up or down on the scale and usually means it's around 15.2%+ - but tasty after it really opened up.

You all know how I love the story behind the wine song and dance and I never like to sound like a disappointing, patronizing parent but... I kind of expected more. Especially with 11% Malbec in the blend, a Bordeaux varietal I love so much for its spicy qualities, I thought there would be more of a kick behind them perdy red colors and flashy titles.

Score: 6.

Matthews 2007 Stillwater Creek Sauvignon Blanc

*Bottle #34: Matthews Cellars 2007 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

*Price: $22

*Running Tab: $447 (free for me!)

I'll let you in on a little industry gossip the www. winery sites won't share with you on their event pages... But you've got to keep this just between the two of us, XOXO Gossip Girl, BFFL and all that good stuff.

The eight-acre estate of Matthews Cellars is one of Woodinville, Washington's prominent wine names, synonymous with the equally renowned winemaker Matt Loso. Rumor has it, the 2007 vintage was his last with the label under his own name...

The politics of this trade seem to fly more under the radar than our friends in the financial district. Cough WaMu/JP Morgan Chase cough. But they are nontheless still there... 

Loso was one of the three suits behind the winery's name and it seems his tie was revoked as his portion was bought out and the grape genius is no longer involved for reasons unknown...

In respect to his final vintage before Loso inevitably chooses to stand solo as an independent winemaking consultant (it's in the makings...), I've decided to go with one of his lesser known knacks - white wine.

The 2007 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc was crafted under the master hands of a man who channels his thoughts on Bordeaux-style red blends. Keeping it all in the family, he selected the white Bordeaux of Sauvignon Blanc (Semillon is the other white from the French region and typically is blended with ol' SB). 

Only 221 cases of this varietal was produced and was eclectically aged for six months in concrete egg, stainless steel and neutral French oak, giving it an array of characteristics.

Picture that cute little pigtailed blonde in the Welch's grape juice commercials and how she flips when there's a white grape juice. That was me smelling this Sauv Blanc. Complete Welch's white grape juice highlighted with fresh cut green grass and crisp, just-squeezed lemon juice. After the wine opened up (it was a little too chilly at first), the aroma gave off a mineral note backed by some tart grapefruit and more citrus.

Acidic, but rightly so with this classic varietal. The initial taste was a bit of an acid attack on the tongue, but followed smoothly with that mineral note and a slightly oaky tone from its time spend in a barrel. The mid-palate brought out some tropical fruits but held strong and statuesque in its minerality. 

At 14.3% alcohol by volume, Matt did not miss a beat form one of the most powerful elements of his red blends - the booze factor. Nearing on too prevalent, there was a steady rush of heat flushing down my throat and into my chest with this wine. I always find the higher alcohol content wines affect me that way... Needless to say, I was in a great mood shortly after consumption. 

Coming down from the buzz, reality hits that Matthews wines will never be the same again. RIP Matthews Cellars, whether or not the name stays, the brains behind the outfit has left the building. 

Score: 8.