Kestrel Vintners "Lady In Red" 8th Edition

BRIAN: Last week we wrote about Taste Washington, and how if you can avoid the stumbling old men and the drunk harlots, it's a fantastic chance to try hundreds of new wines, from "local" (Washington State) wineries, that you might not otherwise have the chance to try.

In the interest of full disclosure, my company, Varsity Communications (new website coming soon!), are co-producers of the event with the Washington State Wine Commission. One of the benefits, in addition to being the only sober people in a room full of drunks (always a recipe for comedy) is that the week after the event, we have the chance to sample some of the wines that were poured at Taste Washington, and even take some home. Most of the wines we try are ones that were already opened at the show, and while a little oxygen can bring out the full flavor of a wine (why many wine connisseurs connisuers drinking types recommend uncorking a bottle to let the wine "breathe" a bit before drinking it), too much -- as in 3-4 days -- can do very bad things to a wine's flavor. As such, there is a premium on drinking as much wine as we can, as quickly as possible. We have no problem with this.

One of my favorite finds from the Taste Washington leftovers pile has been Kestrel Vintners, a Prosser-based winery with tasting rooms around the state. I can't recall what specific varietal it was that we first brought back from Taste Washington in 2010, but it turned out to be one of the best bottles of wine that we've ever scored from the event. What's even more impressive is that we drank it a couple of weeks after it had first been opened, when our other last remaining bottles were all duds. How good might it have been that first night? It was like watching a current Robert Downey, Jr., movie ... sure, he does good work (Tropic Thunder, Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, etc.), but it's just not quite the same as it was 20 years ago, when half the fun was in watching a scene and trying to figure out, a) how high he was (that he WAS high was never in doubt) or, b) whether the scene in question had been filmed before or after he slept with (and then subsequently cheated on) his co-star.

I remembered that bottle when we were walking through Leavenworth last year on our anniversary wine-tasting trip, and came across a Kestrel tasting room (they also have one in Woodinville, and two in Prosser). Since then, I've started seeing Kestrel bottles pop up on the shelves at our local grocery stores, but the price tag of $13.99 has been a little high for a bottle we plan to drink right away. So it was that I was excited to see this Kestrel "Lady in Red" red blend on sale this week for just $10.99 ... right at the top end of the weekly price range, but for a Kestrel? They've never done wrong by me, so I'm confident it's $10.99 well-spent. Heck, I'll throw them an extra $1 just for the effort put into the bottle art alone.

LINDSEY: I am a fan of Kestrel Vintners and I am a fan of Kestrel's Lady in Red, 8th Edition. It is a full-bodied red that can easily complement a meal (we were eating pizza) but is also something to look forward to drinking while relaxing at the end of the day. I would definitely share this with friends — it's easy, unpretentious and delicious. The only thing I can complain about has nothing to do with the wine in the bottle: I can't stop thinking about the song, "The Lady In Red," by Chris de Burgh. It's a great song for its nostalgic value, of course (I'm willing to bet many ladies have danced to this song while wearing a red dress), but still ... it's so 1986.

BRIAN: I also thought this wine was excellent. I was actually a little disappointed when I went to open it and realized it was the 8th Edition -- a mostly Merlot/Cab blend -- instead of the 9th Edition, a Syrah/Merlot blend with 8% of my favorite varietal, Cab Franc. But I was not at all disappointed when I started to drink it. The flavor was excellent, and as with all good wines, it didn't take much to give a good mellow buzz, which means you can drink it more slowly and really appreciate it. I might go so far as to say that Kestrel is becoming my favorite winery -- I can't recall ever having a bottle of theirs that wasn't excellent. I will be giving this wine a strong 5-bottle rating ... four for the wine itself, and an extra for the terrific value at just $11-$12.

Kestrel Vintners "Lady in Red" 8th Edition (38% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Syrah 5% Sangiovese, 2% Viognier, 1% Cabernet Franc)

Price: $13.99, purchased on sale at Fred Meyer for $10.99

Brian's Rating (1-5):

Lindsey's Rating (1-5):

Magnificent Wine Co., 2007 House Wine

BRIAN: Perhaps my favorite leisure-time activity is to just sit around and drink a glass of wine. While there’s never a bad time to drink a good wine (and my coworkers, with whom I have shared many a glass while on the clock, will attest that I mean never) unquestionably the BEST time of year to do so, for Puget Sound-area locals, is at the annual Taste Washington event in downtown Seattle. Over 200 wineries and 75 restaurants fill up the Qwest (er, CenturyLink) Field Event Center with their finest bottles and most delicious bites, and for just $75, you can eat and drink as much as you want, all night — or at least until Alcohol Enforcement throws you out. It's about the same as a night out at a nice restaurant, but instead of one restaurant, there's 30; instead of one bottle of wine, you get to choose from nearly 1,000 -- and the bottle never gets empty.

Not coincidentally, this also happens to be the best time of year to engage in my second-favorite leisure-time activity — watching people, particularly when they act like fools. It’s the same reason I spend all year looking forward to a summer of Big Brother episodes, and why I thoroughly enjoyed every Charlie Sheen interview of the past six months — for those of us with small houses, upside-down mortgages, low incomes and kids that pee their pants at the most inconvenient times, it’s a small, petty pleasure to be able to watch someone else make a complete ass of themselves and think, “Well, at least I’m not THAT guy.”

For its ability to combine my two favorite pastimes above, Taste Washington is one of the highlights of the year. Now, certainly, there are thousands of people who manage to make their way around Taste Washington meeting winemakers, tasting dozens of delicious wines, sampling food from the top chefs in the city and enjoying a fun evening out in a reasonable, respectful way. Yawn.

Far more enjoyable are the women who think that “unlimited wine,” “mini-dress” and “six-inch heels” are a good combination, and the usually much-older men who accompany them, with their loafers, jeans, receding hairlines, red faces and smug smiles. There’s also the wealthy middle-aged couples who feel entitled to everything — including multiple glasses to replace the ones they keep breaking by being careless and drunk — and on the other end of the spcetrum, the twentysomething boys trying desperately to impress their girlfriends by pretending to be knowledgeable about different wineries or varietals, while glancing furtively around to see if they are actually pulling it off.

Every attendee receives a glass to use for their tastings, and inevitably within five minutes of the doors opening, the sound of shattering glasses can be heard throughout the room. The best combination of these factors — broken glasses, women in tiny dresses and drunk old men — comes towards the end of the night, when inevitably a man will be distracted as a woman stumbles past awkwardly on her heels, trying not to spill the contents of her glass, her pushed-together boobs ALMOST falling out of her too-small dress … only for that man, instead, to take the tumble, smashing his own glass as his wife looks around in utter embarrassment. One time, one such man actually fell ONTO his glass, badly cutting his chest to the point that paramedics were called, only to pop up and stumble happily out onto the city streets. For a wine-drinker and people-watcher, it was the perfect finish to a perfect night.

Which all brings us to tonight’s wine — Magnificent Wine Co.’s 2007 House Wine. Yep, that’s it — “House Wine.” There’s no more description given, and really, there’s no more needed — a House Wine is a reliable wine you can drink with anything, which is what all of Magnificent's wines aim to be. A value-priced brand started by Washington wine rock star Charles Smith of K Vintners, Magnificent’s bottles always stand out at Taste Washington for their simplicity. I hate it when a wine label tries to tell me what imaginary flavors I’ll taste, or lays out the whole family history … to me, all that is just a sign that the wine can't stand on its own. Magnificent, on the other hand, goes for pure simplicity — black and white labels with nothing but the name of the wine, the blend, and the alcohol content. Count me in.

LINDSEY: Shout out for Taste Washington: If you are a wine drinker, this event is an absolute MUST in the springtime. But please, read Brian's observations above and know that he is not lying. There are some damn fools out there, and you really don't want to be one of them. If you are a serious wine drinker and wine taster, wear flat shoes (duh) and show restraint (super duh). You can drink a lot of wine in 4 hours, but if you try to taste everything, you will make an ass of yourself. Plan ahead. Know what wineries and restaurants you want to visit and don't expect to get to everything. If you like to taste wines you would not normally be able to afford, arrive early at the entrance before the event begins (yes, there will be a line, but if you aren't close to the beginning of it, you will miss the expensive stuff). When you are let into the event, go straight to your top wineries and taste away. Whatever you don't get to one year, plan on going back for the next year. Make this a tradition! It's truly worth it and it is impossible for wine and food lovers to be disappointed. I realize we are talking about Taste Washington about 7 months before it is set to occur again. Take this as a hint and set aside your time and money NOW.

This Magnificent House Wine 2007 wine was okay. I love that it is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Zinfandel. I am obsessed with red blends right now. When I think of a red blend, I think of one wine with all the best parts of various grape varietals. I expect something well-rounded and unique. If someone is going to take the time to blend that many grapes, it sure as hell better be worth it. For me, this wine lacked body and warmth. It was a bit flat and dry. I will say that each glass tasted better than the one before it. I'm not sure if that is because it needed more time to breathe or because my discriminating taste gets less and less refined with each sip. A true wine connisseur would be able to come up with an intellectual way of describing this process. Anyways, I will not advocate for buying this wine again any time soon. There are plenty of other wines out there to pursue.

Before I hand it over to Brian, I have to tell you all about a new wine waiting for me on our wine rack. A year ago, Brian and I went wine tasting in Chelan, Wash. We tasted many wines over a period of 3 days, and by far my favorite winery was Nefarious Cellars. We tasted their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and bought 1 bottle (remember, we don't have a lot of money to spend on wine; true collectors surely would have bought a case at least). This bottle is still on our wine rack. I can't decide when to drink it, and it seriously could be years away from being opened. Anyways, Brian was out in Chelan golfing this past weekend and, in celebration of the 1-year anniversary of our 10th wedding anniversary wine trip (yes, our 32-year-old selves have been married for 11 years), he stopped in at Nefarious and bought me their 2009 Syrah, Defiance Vineyard Lake Chelan AVA. This is a new release and I highly recommend that you start checking out the red wines from Nefarious Cellars before they all sell out. Their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is already gone! GO NOW!

BRIAN: I agree with Lindsey about this Magnificent bottle. I have to say, for as much as I admire the austerity of their bottles, I was a little disappointed in the wine itself. The first glass was merely OK -- I would describe it as a little too "wine-y," which I think an actual wine reviewer would describe as having strong tannins. I like a red wine to have a deep, well-rounded flavor, and this one was a little shallow and flat. But, like Lindsey, I thought it improved glass to glass. If I saw it in the $5.99-$6.99 range, I might buy it again, but not at $9.99 (the sale price at Fred Meyer) or $13.99, the MSRP on the tag.

2007 Magnificent Wine Co. House Wine Red Blend

Price: $13.99 full; $9.99 on sale at Fred Meyer

Brian's Rating (1-5):

Lindsey's Rating (1-5):

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And we're baaaaack! Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon

BRIAN: Well, well, well … 8 months later and we are finally revisiting the wine blog. To our 3 ½ loyal readers, we apologize … hopefully you’ve managed to get yourself suitably tipsy without our sage advice.

It’s not that we haven’t been drinking. In fact, we quite possibly have consumed more wine over the past 9 months than in any previous 8-month period (much of it on one night two weeks ago from which I am still recovering). It’s just that when we’ve been drinking wine, we’ve been doing it to relax, and the thought of blogging about our choices has been losing out on the “relaxing” scale to having another glass of Syrah, watching pseudo-celebrities snipe at each other on Big Brother or Real Housewives, or just going to bed before 10.

But we’re baaaaaaaaack! And not only are we back, we’re better than ever. When reading back our entries from last fall, it seems that there is a key ingredient missing — sure, we wrote what we thought about each bottle, described the importance of label appeal and whatnot, but we didn’t actually, you know, RATE, any wines. Heck, we probably told you more about the lack of quality television options in the 2011 fall season and the perils of trying to put a 2- and 5-year-old to bed at the same time (and before 8, no less), than we did about the wines.

So, from now on we’re pulling a page from our wedding-rating book (Uh-huh, we rate weddings. And yes, if we went to yours, we rated it. Yes, I know exactly what you scored. No, you can’t ask.) and scoring each wine from 1-5 bottles – a literal representation of how many bottles of this particular wine we plan to consume in the coming months weeks 15 minutes.

Tonight’s entry is our first-ever reader submission! Thank you, Ben Carlson. I’d like to say you’re getting the credit you deserve, but in fact, you are the only person reading this.

LINDSEY: Well, it will be hard not to go on and on about things other than wine. I love wine and I drink a lot of it, but I am NOT skilled at figuring out how to write about each bottle in a new and creative way. Hence my rants about TV and musings about the kids--- these are the things that make life truly interesting (not TV so much as the kids).

If I remember correctly, I may have mentioned previously that Cabernet Sauvignon is usually on my list of "boring" wines. It is reliable, mature, and predictable, but it lacks excitement and innovation. (Wait...it sounds like I am describing myself. Is there a psychological reason why I have been avoiding cabs for so long?) Anyways, in life we sometimes need excitement and we sometimes need security. This Bogle Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is a secure choice if you want a smooth and rich dark red wine when you have the need to curl up on the couch with a movie and a loved one. And with this 2009 cab being already good, this is also a wine you can buy now and store for a few years before bringing it out again to impress your friends over a hearty winter meal (I see a thick marinara or meat sauce or a homemade minestrone soup). I would buy this again. I probably would not be able to keep it on the wine rack for several years due to wine emergencies and whatnot, but do let me know if you manage to do so yourself.

BOTTLE: Bogle Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

PRICE: $14.99 full retail, purchased on sale at Fred Meyer for $10.79

Brian's Rating:

Lindsey's Rating:

Bear Flag NV Dark Red Wine Blend

BRIAN: In a previous entry, I mentioned the idea of "label appeal." A wine's label appeal works a lot like a house's curb appeal -- it doesn't necessarily mean there's anything great inside, but at least it gets you interested. When I'm holding my $8 in hand in the wine aisle, perusing the shelves, I have literally hundreds of options. The ones that catch my eye, therefore, are likely to be the ones with the most colorful or creative labels (or names). Likewise, the reverse is true ... when choosing between two bottles that are otherwise equal in terms of price, varietal, etc., I'm almost always more likely to take the wine with the cooler label. It seems to me that a winery that puts that much personality, effort and pride into its label, probably does the same with its wine.

All of which brings me to this week's wine -- NV Dark Red Wine Blend from California's Bear Flag Winery. Our local grocery store recently added this wine to its selection and it caught my eye immediately. How could it not? I've added a photo of the bottle, and a smaller image that shows the entire wraparound label. I frankly have no idea what's going on in the images -- the mask-wearing bear seems to have a complaint about his dinner (I would too with a dinner that small for a bear that large), the surgeon general's warning is being held on a sign by a bald man wearing only a barrel, while happy bottles dance, money rains down, and tomatoes are juiced into cans. Oh, and is that the California state capitol building? Sure, why not. As seemingly random as the images may be, it's impossible not to keep turning the bottle around to find the next one, all done in an artistic style and color that would make Chagall (my personal art homey) proud. [Credit, it turns out, should go to Spanish artist Eduardo Bertone, no doubt inspired in part by the abstract expressionism of fellow Spaniard Pablo Picasso.] OK, I'll be done nerding out on cool art for the time being, but I mean, go look at the label below for a minute -- that would look just as good on a wall as a wine label.

It's a bottle that practically shouts, "Pick me! Drink me! Like me!" So, of course, I did.

It's a blend of petite sirah, alicante bouschet, zinfandel, petit virdot and tempranillo. Other than calling it "big and bold" the bottle label offers no description of the wine's taste -- just the way I like it. It sells for between $6.99 and $8.99 at various grocery stores, making it a candidate for regular buys, and not just a one-time splurge.

The first time I had this was a couple of months ago, and I remember thinking it was delicious -- the rule of "label appeal" held true once again. I was at the store last week to get a bottle to take to our family's Thanksgiving dinner and it caught my eye (of course) and I thought it would be a perfect piece for the party. Not only a great wine, but a conversation starter as well! Anything to avoid the usual "Hi! How are you?" "Good, and you?" "Good! How are the kids?" "Good!" "Oh, that's great!" holiday small talk is a winner with me, especially if it involves drinking large quantities of good wine.

And, admittedly, I might have overdone it. I twisted off the screw cap early and I think I may have consumed more than half the bottle before anyone else had a chance to try it (before you judge me, this was probably over the course of at least an hour. An hour! How long do people expect delicious wine to last at a large holiday family gathering?). When I went back to the grocery store this week to pick up a bottle for our usual wine night, I saw the Bear Flag again and bought it for a third time -- after all, it just looks cool on the kitchen counter. And in about an hour, when the kids are in bed, it's going to look even better in my glass.

LINDSEY:  I also like this wine. While I was a bit disappointed to see it sitting on our counter again after Brian went grocery shopping on Sunday, this was not because the wine is not good ... I just get bored with drinking the same wine over and over. But, if I have to drink the same wine over and over, it better be an exciting one. As Brian noted, this wine is a blend of petite sirah, alicante bouschet, zinfandel, petit virdot and tempranillo. What fun! I am not at all familiar with alicante bouschet or petit virdot, and have only occasionally enjoyed a tempranillo. Luckily, I love doing research! And there is nothing like doing research while drinking my favorite kind of "thinking juice." (Seriously...I have written quite a few academic papers while drinking wine.)  CHEERS!

Pasek Cellars 2007 Tulip Red

LINDSEY: After two months of neglecting our blog, we are back for another round. Although we have continued our wine drinking during this time, we have been too tired and/or drunk to write about it. Tonight, we decided to open one of the bottles of wine we purchased while on our 10-year wedding anniversary mini-vacation in August. This was our first real trip in over five years, since we entered the world of parenting, and it was a much needed break from all things parental.

Given that we had only a few days and a limited budget, we headed east from Seattle to Chelan and Wenatchee for a full weekend of wine tasting. On the way in, we stopped in several tasting rooms in Leavenworth, Washington, and came across the tasting room for Pasek Cellars. We purchased two wines there: the Cranberry Wine ($10) and the Tulip Red Table Wine ($12), a 2007 merlot-cabernet blend re-bottled especially for the 2010 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Tonight we decided to open the Tulip Red, and this is the first bottle we have decided to enjoy from our lovely getaway. This was Brian's favorite wine of the entire trip, and while I do think the price has something to do with that fact (things got more expensive after visiting Pasek, and you can imagine that the more we drank the more we bought!), but in drinking this bottle tonight, I was pleasantly reminded that more traditional varietals like Cabernet and Merlot can be quite exciting and lively when blended. Much like your usually shy and quiet friends who shock you by getting wild in a club after a few drinks, Tulip Red is a welcome change from the usual. It is vibrant yet down to earth; bold but not brazen. Simply put: I want this wine in my life.

BRIAN: "Much like your usually shy and quiet friends who shock you by getting wild in a club after a few drinks"- I used to know someone like that, and she's sitting next to me on the couch. :) Of course, these days the only "club" we go to are the occasional PTA meetings, and they're not that fond of parents who show up three sheets to the wind with uncorked Syrah in hand. And the wildest we get is on a Sunday night when we get the kids in bed by 7 and realize we actually have three hours to do absolutely nothing at all.

All that aside, Lindsey's right (which is much easier to admit when not also combined with "and I'm wrong") -- I had remembered that this was a good wine, but had forgotten just how good until my first taste tonight. Usually I'll slightly chill a red to JUUUUUST below room temperature, and let it breathe for an hour or so, but today was crazy, and we were decorating the tree, and ornaments were breaking and my kids were loud and I just needed a glass NOW, so I "popped and poured" right away.

And it was great. An hour later, it was still great. It's hard to pinpoint the flavor -- I'd say it actually tastes more like a cab-syrah blend ... lots of dark, fruity flavors. But it's very well-rounded in my mouth (a term I use to describe a wine that I feel like I can taste all over my tongue), very smooth. It's easily as good or better than many of the $20-$30 wines we drank on our trip, and is one I would certainly look to try again.

I was actually inspired enough tonight to try to learn more about this winery. According to their website, pasekcellars.com, Gene and Kathy Pasek started the winery in 1995 in Mount Vernon -- that noted global wine hotbed. They specialize in fruit wines (as opposed to, what exactly?), and the Cranberry wine Lindsey mentioned is apparently their bestseller. We were planning to cook with and drink with dinner just as soon as we can find a recipe that calls for Cranberry wine, but we might be tempted to pop it sooner after being reminded tonight just how good their wines are. I'd highly recommend a visit to Pasek's tasting rooms either in Conway, about an hour north of Seattle, or in Leavenworth. For $12, it's a fantastic value and one we will definitely buy again.

This was a lot less sarcastic and witty than an entry where I get to write about how dumb and pretentious a wine is ... does that mean we should go back to drinking crappier wine, in the interest of a more humorous blog?

NV Sensual Mendoza Malbec

BRIAN: OK, I must confess, we've been cheating on the blog. Our last entry was a couple of weeks ago, and in the intervening period, we've actually had a few bottles of wine. But you know what? No one is reading this, so it doesn't matter! The only people we've been cheating on are ourselves, and we don't need us to tell ourselves that a Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon is good (certainly among the most reliable $4.99 wines on the market) -- we know this already.

This weekend I spent another delightful 10 minutes in the Fred Meyer wine section specifically hunting for a value-priced Malbec. Originally from Argentina (I think, though I should confess to always getting wine questions wrong at pub trivia night), Malbec is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and especially in Washington state. Lindsey and I spent a weekend sipping wine in Chelan (the Sonoma of Washington) this summer, and the winemakers we talked to there were all touting Malbec as the "next big thing" in wine.

I actually found two that looked good, both were $6.99, and both of them had eye-catching labels that made me feel cool just for considering them (label appeal is a highly underrated aspect of a good wine -- this is something that could easily be a whole blog entry in itself; maybe next week). Ultimately, I chose the Sensual Malbec because it's original price of $11.99 was higher than the other's, making it, in my world, a better deal. Maybe I'll try the other next week.

The label art was so appealing that I didn't actually even notice the name of the winery until the grocery store clerk scanned it and then did a clear double-take as "SENSUAL MAL" was added to the item list. Embarassed that he was accidentally charging me for a box of condoms or some kind of soothing bath beads that I hadn't purchased (or had I? Hmm ...), he picked the bottle back up and scanned the label, looked back at the screen, and realized he was indeed holding my SENSUAL MAL in his hands. We shared a brief chuckle, as guys do no matter how old we are whenever some kind of vague sexual joke or connotation is made, and I took my SENSUAL MAL home to do unspeakable things to it.

But Lindsey would probably prefer we just drink it. What-ever.

LINDSEY:  Before I get to the wine, can I say how happy I am that fall television has started? I am VERY happy that fall television has started.  So far, I am not at all confident that many of the new shows we have seen so far this week will survive past Halloween, but I am pleased to have some new things to rate and discuss here.  I don't have much of an opinion about any new shows yet, but I will say that I am extremely weary of all new lets-take-a-whole-season-to-yank-the-viewers-chains-about-what-type-of-disastrous-global-event-has-occurred-and-then-not-renew-for-a-second-season-having-never-resolved-anything-confusing-or-mysterious shows (I'm talking to you, ABC).  Needless to say, I am not holding my breath for shows like "The Event" (which is actually on NBC, but they screw with people, too) and may even need to add an extra bottle of wine on Monday nights just to justify watching that show.  Anyhoo, I am most excited about the return of Glee, which I enjoyed this evening on DVR while sharing this lovely bottle of wine with my darling husband.

On to the wine.  I love trying new wines, and I love new varietals. While I have been enjoying the occasional Malbec for several years, this varietal has not exactly been mainstream and easy to find at our local grocery store.  I can usually find and purchase a good Argentinian Malbec from Trader Joe's, but until recently, our preferred grocery store was severely lacking this.  Now that they have remodeled, there are 2 or 3 more rows of wine to sample and enjoy.  While I did enjoy this Sensual Mendoza Malbec (and what a bargain at $6.99), I will probably make a serious effort to purchase other new wines before coming back to this one.  I could later decide that this is the best one, or the worst.  Who knows?  I have a lot of tasting to do...

BRIAN: I agree. I must have poured particularly large glasses tonight, because somehow that bottle barely managed four and a half glasses. Fortunately (for me), I took the half. I liked this wine, though it didn't knock my socks off. But, it's been a good half hour since that last half glass, and I still feel a pretty good mellow buzz. For $6.99, it's certainly one I would buy again.