Blanc de BlancsDomaine ste. Michelle 08'

Naked Wine Review 64

Wine: Blanc de Blancs

Producer: Domaine ste. Michelle

Vintage: 08'

Region: Washington State

Price: $9.00

Date tasted: 12/27/10

Place tasted: Four days into the future; It's New Years Eve and I have spent the whole day putting strings on tea bags. I have no brain left, but hey, it's a job, right? Anyway, my boss is a big pink rabbit who talks with a lisp, which I think is quite strange, you don't really hear lisps that often. No one else at my job even seems to notice either feature. Hum, whatever.
There is a New Years Eve party after work every year, and the bunny boss always supplies lots of Domaine ste. Michelle-Blanc de blancs. Unfortunately, he also supplies bacon wrapped plums stuffed with blue cheese. Anyway, it's still a pretty good time. Bob even shows up sometimes, and you all know how everyone loves Bob! Let the good times begin!
Still to come: Later that same evening....

Serve with: Hors d' Oeuvre plates including: Caviar, smoked salmon, brie, gouda, and no woman jamaican cheese. Some sliced apple, celery, grapes, pecans, and dried cranberries. Toast points and water crackers to give your snacks foundation. Then finally, a sweet plate of Posh Chocolat Truffels; and Fran's Chocolates, Double Chocolate Figs.

Appearance: Pale golden sunshine obfuscated by swarms of tiny shining bubbles.

On the snoot: Like pineapple and pear mingling in a cool breeze wafting over a grassy field.

Taste: Crisp Macintosh apple mixes with soft tropical fruits in tight little bubbles that dance about and tickle the giggling snoot. Finish is clean and bright as winter sunshine giving the palate a sense of clarity and enlightenment.

Balance: Skillfully balanced; light & dry with just enough gravity to hold the HWP elements of her lovely form.

Comments: For a nice little 'champaign cocktail' try this with some Raspberry flavored Stolichnaya Vodka. Happy New Years to all; May you live and dream in freedom & peace.

Rating: 4 stars

Red Blend, La Huella de Adaras 07'

Naked Wine Review 63
Wine: La Huella de Adaras, Almansa Red Wine-60% tintorera, 30% monastrell and 10% cabernet sauvignon
Producer: Bodegas Almansenas, SL
Vintage: 07'
Region: Spain
Price: 13.50
Date tasted: 12/20/10
Place tasted: Well it all started when I got back from my yearly Winter Solstice moon journey. I was wandering around, disoriented and thirsty when I noticed this beautiful bottle on the beach. I pulled the stopper out and a swirling of soft pink smoke escaped and formed into a beautiful woman right before my eyes! She smiled graciously at me and offered to grant me three wishes. When I wished for a bottle of wine, the genie brought forth La Huella de Adaras Red 07' (due to poor phrasing, I had to spend my second wish on a corkscrew). The conversation and wine flowed well into the evening as the genie and I became fast, and fabulous friends. It was a pretty typical solstice, lunar eclipse, full moon experience. Genies are so cool. What will I do with my last wish?
Serve with: Red meat; Aged cheeses, Stilton would be good; Perfect with Basque-Style Eggplant.
Appearance: Ruby with flashes of violet light.
On the snoot: Pheromones, hot & heavy. Like Gauloises, black cherries, dense earth, and just a hint of lingering lust on the breath of your naked lovers kiss.
Taste: Black current and dense cherry fruit upon impact with creosote and tar throughout. Wet earth and mineral saturate the palate as he expands to full on girth. Licorice and cracked pepper generate powerful emotion on the long, enchanting finish; with tannins linear, gentle, and understated.
Balance: Impeccable balance; a most harmonious quartet of acidity, sugar, alcohol, and tannin. His heavy, bulbous, and rather phallic legs were a delight to contemplate.
Comments: Just a beautiful wine experience. I think I even shed a few joyful tears during imbibation. This was one of my favorite wines this year. I would like to thank the genie, and CVS Pharmacy in Zootown for their wonderful wine selections and educated suggestions. Everyone loves the wine guy!

Rating: 4 stars

Red Blend, Goats do Roam 07'

Naked Wine Review 62
Wine:Red Blend-Shiraz 40%,Pinotage 18%, Cinsault 17%, Carignan 13%, Mourvedre 10%, Gamay Noir 2%
Producer: Goats Do Roam
Vintage: 07
Region: South Africa
Price: 9.00
Date tasted: 12/08/10
Place tasted: I was at an early morning gamblers ananomous meeting. The cigarette smoke was deafening and I could not help but process the hypocrocy of the situation. I don't know why I went to the meeting as I have never gambled a day in my life, but I was a little hung over and as it turned out I had just wandered into the wrong room. At least my coffee mug was full of this lovely South African nectar, and I sipped with delight while being regaled with many tales from this new group of fascinating friends.
Serve with: As a breakfast drink I would just go with one of Mary Jane's famous brownies. Normal people would serve in the evening with a lovely dinner of lamb, steak, or roast beef. Appetizers of aged cheddar, gouda, or bleu cheese and fruit would be nice. For desert, try anything done in rich dark chocolate.
Appearance: A liquid garnet that reminds me of the surrealistic inside world of the beautiful blood orange.
On the snoot: Fur, snow, and pipe smoke, twisting and curling around a sacred fig tree.
Taste: Rich black current, tar, leather, and spice that harden the nipples and get the juices flowing. He brings forth tiny naked clusters of tannin to chew on as he seductively pitches woo the the sensitive and receptive palate. Oh yeah, he can show you a good time. With his long, well endowed, heady finish, he will leave you wrapped in the loving embrace of a most charming and elegant afterglow.
Balance: As firm, buff, and focused as an ancient warrior. I'm really going to miss him when he's gone.
Comments: It's a very sexy man of a wine, who kinda has that whole bad boy thing workin' for him. Of course, I could not resist his charm, even if he did just love me and leave me once already. You should have seen me doing the happy dance at the supermarket when I saw him again. If you happen to find any of this anywhere, buy it up. Buy it ALL up... and then send it to me. Thanks.


NOTE: The 2008 Goats do Roam is a very beautiful wine. That said, it does not contain the Pinotage grape and will not taste the same as the previous years. There is however a wonderful Pinotage/Shiraz blend from the Goats do Roam folks called, Goats in Villages. I highly recommend you try both of these.


Rating: 3.8 stars

Red Blend, Cotes du Rhone Villages 07'

Naked Wine Review 61
Wine: Grenache/Syrah, 50/50
Producer: Perrin & Fils
Vintage: 07'
Region: Cotes du Rhone Villages, France
Price: $9.00

Date tasted: 12/1/10
Place tasted: I was naked, down in my laboratory working on a formula that would bring brownies and pretty rose colored bubbles to all the world; As the wheels spun with the intense thought processes involved in this peace-prize-winning project, I engaged in soulful sips of inspiration from a magical crystal goblet filled with this delightful nectar.
Serve with:
Cheeses: Gouda, Picodon, Bleu d'Auvergne.
Main Dish: Stuffed Cabbage or Cabbage Rolls, Pot Roast, or Pasta Dishes.
Appearance: A soft incandescent ruby glow.
On the snoot: Warm floral breezes drifting over a thick, berry rich bramble patch.
Taste: She is a pure shining black-raspberry goddess with an etherial violet aura, and quite tastefully draped in a lace gown of fine thousand-count tannin. The palate swoons with delight as she slowly and quietly slips away. She is know for leaving love notes written in graphite for you to remember her by. Now that's a nice finish.
Balance: Thin and softly dry, but not at all acrid. Instead, smooth and delicate. She has more legs than a centipede, but they are all very wispy; And the patterns rolling down the sides of my glass remind me more of faerie wings than gams.
Comments: Bow down and kiss her feet like you mean it, for she is your muse, and deserves nothing less than your gratitude, honor, and undying affection. As the saying goes: "the challis of every good person is filled with a beautiful wine". Now go out there, get yourself a bottle of this stuff, and solve a world problem. That's what I did. Brownies & Bubbles to all!


Rating: 3.8 stars (Wine Spectator gives it 91 points...fyi)