Chateau St. Jean — yet another cellar staple in my house. But I have to say it’s Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay that made me fall in love with this Sonoma County wine producer. It has everything I look for in a casual daily drinker with the added benefit that it can certainly double as a date night delight when paired with the right meal. It’s fun, versatile, easy drinking. So, Cheers to Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay!
How cute is the couple sitting on a park bench looking out onto a blank canvas? It makes me think about how I’d fill that space…Yes, this is another instance of wine-label impulse buy. But my instinct must be getting better because even my label-driven wine purchases are proving quite choice. And today I bring you Simple Life Chardonnay: a truly simple Chardonnay that in its utter calmness has created a kind of contemplative drinking experience.
A big bold red blend crafted with elegance and finesse. That’s the 2014 Leverage Trajectory GSM Red Blend. Yes, it packs a lot of flavor, and those flavors are so well-balanced, even the timid sipper will find enjoyment in this blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvédre.
Trajectory is the flagship wine of Leverage Wines — a boutique, artisan winery from the heart of Paso Robles. No you won’t find this wine, or any Leverage wine, in stores or restaurants, but I tell you as a regular consumer of those readily available Safeway, BevMo, Coscto, TJ, WF wines…this is a boutique winery worth seeking out. And this Trajectory GSM red blend is a peak example of what these boys can do.
I bought this wine on a whim. I was at the store perusing the wine aisles (that’s usually where you’ll find me in the supermarket) and I saw the label “Barrymore.” Ironically, I had just heard from my coworker that same week that Drew had her own wine label. Curious? Yes I was. Curious enough to buy a bottle, in fact.
Now for those who’ve read my previous posts, I did, in fact, also purchase her Pinot Noir. However, although I tasted Pinot Noir first, the Pinot Grigio was actually my first purchase. But I kept it in my cellar. Why? Well, my reasons are two-fold. 1) Pinot Grigios can be disappointing: I’ve had those that are so fruit-forward (borderline sweet) that I question whether or not it’s actually a Riesling or Gewurztraminer (won’t name names here). Then I’ve had those that have had so little flavor that I feel like I may as well be drinking water and save myself the alcohol points for something with some umph (again no names). 2) Because I had occasion to enjoy Drew’s Pinot first I actually had some high expectations for this wine so I wanted to make sure I was in the mood for a PG and had the perfect food pairing.
Well that time did come, and here are the results…
As promised in my Edna Valley Vineyard Pinot Grigio post, here’s yet another cellar staple from my personal stash: Edna Valley Vineyard Central Coast Pinot Noir. It’s like this: you don’t want to have to think about whether a wine will taste “good,” whether it’ll go with a meal you’ll actually eat, or whether you’ll have leftover wine to worry about. This is that wine that you don’t have to worry about — I guarantee you’ll like it, you’ll drink it, and you won’t have any leftovers…
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