East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast

We celebrate Mandi’s birthday with this interesting Australian blend. Nose: strawberry, dark fruit and a hint of spice flavors: smooth, vanilla red fruit and a kick of pepper on the mid-pallet then smooth again Scores: Chris: 84 Jennifer: 89 Jen2: 89 This wine is currently a Chairman’s selection at PA Wine and Spirits and at $6.77 it’s a great deal for such an interesting wine!

Who was there? Kate, Bryan, Jen, Chris, Joe, Tim What happened: Apparently, there is some sort of Cinco de Mayo rap concert or political rally going on in town... Chris wonders if many of the Ohio wineries use the same strain of yeast, as all of the wines have a similar “something on the nose” to them. We assert that we can walk around our houses naked if we darn well please. Chris catches his deck on fire and Joe offers to get his hose to help. We decide that we are all partial to east coast cool climate Pinot Noir Nose: Strawberry candy and “something robust” Taste: Strong strawberries on the front. Some bright acid. sprightly and cheerful. with a bit of buttered veggies. Subtle finish. The wine has held up well to its aging. Scores Chris: 88 Jen: 89 Bryan: 86 Kate: 89 This wine is very good, but it’s time to drink it!

Ten Reasons why we reviewed this wine: 1. Joe’s friend, Dan, got married in Kentucky and Joe picked this wine up for us--a toast to Dan! 2. May is Riesling month, so we have to have at least one 3. It is Pike Festival Weekend--a toast to funnel cake! 4. Bryan and Kate are gearing up for the annual Whiskey Rebellion--whiskey+Kentucky+wine geeks=wine from Kentucky. 5. Jen2 is here--a toast to Jen! 6. We are hanging out the historic Bradford House--a toast to David Bradford! 7. Alexander Hamilton was never president--a toast to Aaron Burr (just kidding)! 8. Bryan is reading by candlelight 9. The grapes in this wine are ”curb stomped” 10. We were thirsty! Flavors of honey, granny smith apple with crisp acidity. Very “spritely” Scores: Bryan 84 “a little too much acid for me” Kate 87 “its not too sweet” Jen 88 “I like the spritely-ness” Chris 84 “I think these are west coast grapes” Jen2 94 “I’m a red drinker, but I really like this--and I’m not too drunk to form opinions”

Who was there? Bryan, Kate, Chris, Jen, Joe, Tim, Jen2 It says right on the bottle that you can come and visit the Frank Family anytime, so we make plans to take them up on that offer... The nose: strawberry, green pepper, subtle oak and basic pleasantness. Taste: Kate thought it would be drier than it is. The nose carries through to the palate. Good strawberry flavor, some earthy dark chocolate on the finish. It has good structure and is not overly tannic. The wine is light and soft, but has a lot of substance. The wine is very “positive” in nature as opposed to some of the more “brooding” Pinot Noirs we have had. And now for the geek part...if this wine were a super hero, which super hero would it be? We discuss. Scores: Chris-A solid 90 Kate-88 At first I thought it was too bright and “extroverted”, but it became more interesting the more I drank. Jen-89 perfectly balanced, I love, love, love the strawberry...and the nano bots...the nano bots are what make the wine. Bryan-88 Very drinkable, light and enjoyable. Jen2-89.5 I like it better the longer it sits.

Who was there: Bryan, Kate, Chris, Jen, Tim, Joe We were SO excited that Chris FINALLY let us have one of the dessert wines....but did we wait to long? Unfortunately, yes! This bottle of Mt. Hope El Puerto del Dragon is about 4 years old and it has lost its core. It tastes like a very hollow, watered down, slightly sticky version of concord grape juice. Important to note, we have had this port before and it is usually very good. One of our favorites, so it is certainly not a port for aging. Scores Chris: 78 “I think we waited too long” Bryan: 78 Jen: 78 Kate: 76-78 The moral of the story is: If you have it, drink it!

The episode where you find out how Kate became the Prince of Bel Air Who is there: Chris, Jen, Kate, Joe, Tim About the wine: This wine was developed by Elmer Swenson way back in 1983 especially to grow in the cold climate of Minnesota. We come to the sad realization that Kate was not born yet in 1983.... Color: Super dark purple in color Nose: Spice, basil, salt, dark berries Taste: It’s like drinking blood that’s been soaked in an oak cask, low in tannins, smooth and deep in flavor with a pleasing aftertaste. Because it isn’t high in tannins, you should drink it rather than hold on to it. Pair it with: “stinky” cheese (says Bryan) Scores Chris: A Probationary 90 Bryan: 93 for them to be able to make a wine this tasty with a rather new hybrid grape for $12 is incredible Jen: 89 I like hybrids, I like the bloodiness and food friendliness of it. It’s so dark and brooding Kate: 89 It’s so dark and brooding, I feel like I want to try to save this wine.

For an Italian wine, this sure sounds Scottish! About this episode: Who was there? Kate, Bryan, Jen, Chris, Tim, Joe What happened? Maculen 2010 Dindraello is from northeastern Italy. It is a dessert wine made from Moscato grapes....we think, if not we just paid a lot of money for a very small bottle of wine. We discuss the Italian heritage of our friend, Shawn, and then we dish about his childhood idiosyncrasies. Heat Bot is Kate’s new best friend. It was just Joe’s Birthday, guess how old he is (email your answer to jen@eastcoastwinegeeks.com) About the wine: Nose: golden delicious apples and basement with a hint of dentist office. Palate: well balanced. Sweet with apple flavors and crisp tartness. The nose carries through to the taste. It has a very smooth mouthfeel as well. Great to pair with a cheese, pork or surprise, surprise, bacon. Score Kate 90 Jen 90 Chris 88 Bryan 89

We sequester the judges to blind taste our wine of the year finalists, and then we go in the other room and talk about them (and the wines) For a run down of the winners, check out the 2012 Wine of the Year Page

Here’s who was there: Jen, Chris, Kate, Bryan, Tim and Joe Here’s what happened on the show: The wine cellar is a balmy 56 degrees Jen’s got herring on the brain! Tim says “I would rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy!” Kate’s nose won’t fit in the glass No, Cougartown is NOT about us We kick around the idea of starting our own reality show. About the wine Classic Cabernet Franc nose of tobacco, vanilla and cherries. It reminds Bryan of cherry cider and Jen of cherry Lambic. A beautiful clear purple/ruby color. Flavors of cherry tobacco, tart cherries, and vanilla the flavors are light like a French wine, but not hollow. Scores: Bryan 86 Jen 89 Kate 88 Chris 89

What happened on the show? Bryan was featured on the season premiere of Diggers, did you watch it? Joe is juggling We are amazed at the amount of wine in the short, stout Charles Shaw bottle. Bryan and Kate explain that they have purchased a hammock for their fish Jen chews gum to relieve stress. We have a epiphany that it is epiphany and also that they screwed up the concept of Boxing day on an episode of MASH--why would they do that? Tasting notes: Strawberry, pepper and cedar on the nose. Wood, bubble gum, and fruit flavors. The wine has an acidity to it and seems to get harsher the more you drink it. Scores Chris: 69 “it is on scale with the worst Beaujolais Nouveaus that I have had” Bryan: 70 “It is definitely a D wine. There are some things that I liked about it at first, but not everything was consistent. Jen: 70 “It has crossed the line between real flavor and fake flavor” Kate: 66 “It is OK, its nowhere near really good there’s something that just doesn’t taste right. Bottom line, there are a lot of other inexpensive wines that you can buy that taste much, much better.

What happened on the show? The Cats are in the tree, so it must be Christmas! We chose this wine based on it’s label, which resembles an airplane ticket and luggage tag with flight safety instructions on the back. We marvel at the fact that this wine has a screw cap, given its aging potential, but the screw cap is becoming more prevalent in Australia due to their sustainability. Kate sings the Australian wine song. Speaking of sustainability, Bryan vows to just throw his Christmas lights away every year and buy new ones to save stress. Jen complains that the cats like the flavor of “bitter yuck” and it doesn’t keep them from chewing on the Christmas tree--she intends to complain to the Better Business Bureau. We talk about what happens when parents are confused about what you want for Christmas Tasting notes: plum, black currant, cinnamon and spice with a bit of milk chocolate on the nose. Rick with strong tannins, a hint of salt, cocoa, and red fruit flavors. A nice, big, after dinner wine. Who was there? Bryan, Kate, Tim, Jen & Chris Score Jen 85 Kate 84.5 “not very versatile with food, but it’s very good” Bryan 85 “Its a little salty” Chris 84 “its better than I expected”

What happened on the show? Bryan and Chris speak bad French (as usual). Joe and Chris give some drinking advice. The gang admits that neck foil helps keeps drips from happening. Bryan and Kate obviously have some inside joke about strawberries. Chris muses that Gamay (the grape in Beaujolais Nouveau) is a very under-rated grape. We end having a dialog about Abraham Lincoln. We question our wine scoring and create the “no wine left behind” act...that stamps out wine racism! Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine produced from the same year’s harvest. It traditionally goes on sale the 2nd Thursday in November. It is made from the Gamay grape and is produced in Beaujolais, a sub-region of Burgundy. Beaujolais Nouveau, because of its cranberry flavors, goes well with turkey. Beaujolais Nouveau has a short shelf life and should be consumed soon after purchase, traditionally before Easter. Who was there? Bryan, Kate, Chris, Joe, Jen, Tim and Jen2 Tasting notes Smells like strawberries and grapefruit. Light red fruit, strawberries and cranberries a bit of toastiness with a dry finish. Scores: Chris 84 revised to 78 “Makes me really want turkey” Jen 85 “It’s good, I can drink it” Bryan 84 revised to 77 Kate 80 revised to 74 “I like it better than last years, but it’s not versatile for food pairing” Jen2 84 revised to 77 revised to 79 “I would drink it if somebody had it”

We celebrate Oktoberfest in the wrong month, with absolutely no German things...except das boot! Who was there? Bryan, Kate, Tim, Jen, Chris and Tribble What did we Review? Washington Hills late harvest Riesling Samuel Adams 13th Hour Stout (that’s right, our first beer!) What happened on the show? We find out what everyone was doing in 1988 Kate says smorgan... alot Jen coughs...alot We discuss famous Germans (besides Hitler) Bryan & Chris vent about work, Tim vents about laundry, Jen vents about her cold We talk about “How booze made America” The wine: Nose: Sweet, floral and honey, with a lot of alcohol Taste: High acid and high sugar. Flavors of tart apple, balanced like a “good lemonade” Chris: 85 “very drinkable” Bryan: 87 Kate: 84.5 “its good, but its not for everything” Jen: can’t taste a thing The Beer: Nose: Coffee, toffee and malt Taste: Dark chocolate, wood smoke, “log cabin”, dark dried red fruit Chris: 90 “its a good entry beer” Bryan: 90, or 4.5 Kate: 90.2 or 4.57 “‘cause she likes it even better” Jen: Still can’t taste a thing

Who was there? Chris, Jen, Bryan, Kate, Tim, Tribble and Xander What happened on the show? *Everyone tries an unsuccessful French accent (as usual) *We decide that Meritage rhymes with Heritage, because it’s an American thing” *Kate pours wine (an unheard of precedent) *We discuss what is the best “starter wine” for someone newly turned 21 *We remark that for a Chef, Kate is a darn good notary. *Bryan picks apart the concept of the Star Trek Holodek *Kate and Jen dig deep into their French and still can’t remember what the heck “Clos” means, Jen Googles it and finds an amusing translation site. About the wine: *Meritage is an official name given to wines made with Bordeaux grapes, not from Bordeaux. Wineries must pay to use the Mertiage name on their wine. The red Bordeaux grapes are: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Merlot, Carmenere and Malbec *Clos la Chance is from the Central Coast appellation in California *Nose: red fruit, salty and savory, tobacco, subtle vanilla and cranberry notes *Taste profile: Juicy, fruit forward, strong tannic background, tart, red fruit (cranberry), smoke. *Notes; needs to be decanted, alcohol is heavy. The wine is a 5 year cellaring candidate. Scores Bryan: 87 “It needs to be decanted” Kate: 86 “Very nice, definitely needs decanting” Jen: 82 “its good, I’m not in love with it” Chris: 89 “its got all kinds of nice stuff” More information: www.clos.com

What happened on the show? *Bryan speaks Spanish (badly, everyone follows up by speaking other languages (also badly). *Bryan brings up the subject of “Poor limp Richard” and makes the Finger Lakes sound sketchy. *We talk about Three Brothers Winery, on Seneca Lake in The Finger Lakes, NY *We talk about dive bars in western PA, such as Rinky Dinks * We get around to talking about the wine * We discuss what we HATE about Facebook, causing an argument about Kate’s School Feed Interest. *Can you bend your pinky finger without bending your ring finger? Tim and Bryan can! Which leads to a discussion about....toes. *There are fireworks *We FINALLY rate the wine: Chris: 88 “It is damn good” Bryan: 89 “Its better than it should be” Jen: 88 “I’ll give it a yeah” Kate: 90 “For a sweet wine, I really do enjoy this”