What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

As I have stated before, there's no joy in writing about wines that don't meet the bar, or better put, make it to my table. Which is why commenting on these wines gets put off, while more favorable experiences take priority. To make this easier on both of us, I will keep this brief, as I would rather invest time and energy in writing about the positive.

The tasting notes for the Hedges 2006 CMS Red Wine (13.7%) were honest in describing the wine with a "sweet, round entry, ripe darker fruit, and toasted oak aromas and flavors". However, the follow on statement that this wine was "a joy to drink now" was clearly a subjective one (as all wine reviews are). It was anything but a joy, as the overly sweet, over ripe fruit, and over oaked wine made the varietal blend all but unrecognizable. Down the drain after one sip.

While shopping a few weeks back, I noticed a bottle of Distant Bay 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State (13.5%) wine for about $10. I was intrigued to find a lower alcohol cab at this price, therefore thought it was worth a try, even though I had low expectations. The price point and lack of an AVA designation suggested this was a bottle of bulk wine, bad wine, or a combination of the two. In tasting this sweet, over-oaked concoction, it was clearly a bad, bulk wine. I tried to learn more about the people and places behind Distant Bay, but only came across a single web page with just their logo. Down the drain after one sip.

One wine that I had higher hopes for was the Chatter Creek 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Alder Ridge Vineyard (13.8%). This was a bottle I picked up last Fall while visiting the Chatter Creek Winery in Woodinville. This Chatter Creek cab had one thing in common with the previous wines in that it too was a mouth full of candied fruit. After tasting this wine, I started to wonder why I ever bought it and then realized my visit to Chatter Creek was one of the last stops of the day, when my palette was probably blown from an afternoon of tasting. Down the drain after one sip.

I realize there are folks out there who enjoy candied, oaky fruit in their wines, but not me. Which suggests there might be something positive here, in that those who like this style will know which wines to seek out. For me, I'll pass these labels by on future visits to my wine retailer.