DECEMBER - IDAHO TRIP (4 0F 4 wines)

Keonig Vineyards
20928 Grape Lane
Caldwell, ID 83607
(208) 455-8386

www.koenigvineyards.com

2007 Cabernet-Syrah
(Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Syrah 50%)
$25.00
$21.50 for wine members

Winemakers Notes:
This special blend from the two best vineyards we work with showcases the structure and finesse of cabernet sauvignon and the richness of syrah in a rich, mouth-filling wine. With dark berry flavors and aromas of blackberries and fine oak, we hope you enjoy this limited offering. Pair with richly flavored foods like roast lamb, barbecue, and tomato based pasta.
242 cases produced.

A waltz and a glass of wine invite an encore.
~ Johann Strauss

Winegirl15:
VERY GOOD bottle! I definitely recommend this bottle of wine. I ordered 3 cases of the 2006 for my red wine selection at my wedding this year. Koenig Vineyards offers even more than just wine... Go online and check it out. They also distill brandy and vodka. My parents have been members of Koenig for over 4 years. They have very good quality wine. The owners are very friendly too! If your in the Caldwell area, stop in!

"The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars."
~Benjamin Franklin

Cheers,
xoB

DECEMBER - IDAHO TRIP (3 0F 4 wines)

Bitner Vineyards
16645 Plum Road
Caldwell, Idaho 83605
208.899.7648

www.bitnervineyards.com/

2006 Merlot/Petit Verdot Reserve
Merlot 60% and 40% Petit Verdot
$22.00

Winemaker notes:
International Bee Biologist Dr. Ron Bitner and his wife, Mary 3 decade old vineyards. Southwest Idaho's Snake River Valley appellation. This high mountain desert regions long hot summer days, short growing season, and cool evenings allow long hang time that result in intense, dark cherry flavors in the reds and crisp fruit flavors in the whites. Enjoy our wines in your home, while dining out, or on our deck over looking the vineyards, the Snake River, and the majestic Owyee mountains.

Like human beings, a wine's taste is going to depend a great deal on its origins and its upbringing.
~ Linda Johnson-Bell, Pairing Wine and Food

Winegirl15:
This wine was OK. It wasn't great and it wasn't bad. I would not recommend this bottle. For $22 I would have liked a better bottle of wine. If this bottle was $10 I probably would have like it a little more. I would however, keep trying other bottles of wines with Bitner. The wineries in that area all work together, so next bottle I choose wont have merlot in it. I didn't like the nose on the bottle... but, the longer it sit out the more mellow it became.

There are no standards of taste in wine... Each man's own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard.
~ Mark Twain

Cheers,
xoB

DECEMBER - IDAHO TRIP (2 0F 4 wines)

Keonig Vineyards
20928 Grape Lane
Caldwell, ID 83607
(208) 455-8386

www.koenigvineyards.com

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Bitner Vineyard, Snake Valley)
$20.00
$17.00 for wine members

Winemaker notes:
Dark berry and black current flavors typical of this tiny vineyard block are enhancing by aging in fine oak barrels for 22 months. Smooth and enjoyable now, cabernets from this vineyard typically are well soften with additional cellaring.
250 cases produced.

"Wine is sunlight, held together by water!
~ Galileo Gallilei

Winegirl15:
Good Cabernet. I like Cabs and Pinots though... So, I will definitely buy this wine again! My parents are members at Koenig, so we bought 6 bottles of wine and got 35% off the 6 bottles! Great deal! This bottle was a winner at the house once we opened it. Our visitors and family drank this bottle and commented on it.
I got married in Boise back in April, and we had 3 cases of Cabernet-Syrah blend as well as 3 cases of Cardonnay. That went along with our open bar! :) Needless to say we had great wine and it was all due to Koenig. I recommend stopping in and tasting at Koenig. They are also a distillery and make their own brandy and vodka. They come in all flavors!

Wine is bottled poetry.
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Cheers,
xoB

DECEMBER - IDAHO TRIP (1 0F 4 wines)

In my Wine Enthusiast Magazine for October 2009 there was an Idaho winery/wine mentioned. Thought it would be nice to add this in my blog:

Indian Creek Winery
1000 N. McDurmott Road
Kuna, Idaho 83634
208.922.4791
www.indiancreekwinery.com

WineEnthusiast:
Indian Creek 2005 Star Garnet (Snake River Valley)
85 (Good: Suitable for everyday consumption; often good value)
$14
WE: Indian Creek Garnet offers rich leather, spice and pepper on the nose and a balandced, savory blend of red fruit, pepper adn warming spice on the palate. The tannins are smooth and the acidity good, through the wine could use food to soften its peppery character. Think spiced grilled ribs, burgers.

2007 Star Garnet
Indian Creek Winery
(Cabernet Sauvigon 72%, Merlot 15%, Malbec 8%, and Petit Verdot 5%)
$10

Winemaker notes:
This red blend boast a beautiful ruby red hue similar to Idaho's State gem stone, the star garnet. Dense layers of rope cherries, plums and cassis linger with hints of vanilla, black licorice and well-integrated oak. Offerings of soft, velvety tannins create a wonderful mouth-feel and a long, smooth finish.

I have enjoyed great health at a great age because everyday since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles.
~ A Bishop of Seville

Winegirl15:
Since my parents moved to Idaho 5 years ago, I wine taste with them every visit. I have met the owners of this winery and they are good people. Their wine is good too! :) Since they were closed for the holidays I'm blogging about a bottle I bought at The Boise Co op! It was a bummer they were closed!
My take on this bottle is that its a dry, medium to full body red table wine. On the bottle it states to drink this bottle from now to 7 years. I thought that was kinda neat to have that on the bottle. It was a good bottle, and its an everyday drinking red. I got a tweet message from @ICwinery stating they were sorry for not being there, but they would set me up on a wine tour for my next visit! I will blog again soon about Indian Creek.

Making good wine is a skill. Fine wine is an art.
~ Robert Mondavi, Harvests of Joy

Cheers,
xoB

**SPECIAL**December - Idaho trip

This month I went to Boise, Idaho to visit my parents for the holidays. I actually wine taste every time I'm up there visiting. Since I am now blogging about wine I thought I should perhaps blog about the region that I frequent about 4 times a year. You may not know much about Idaho or even think they have wineries...but, they have very good wine! My favorite wineries there are Koenig Vineyards and Indian Creek Winery. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy my blogs!
Cheers,
xoB

December - $15 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: Parkers Estate
http://parkersestate.com/

2005: Parkers Estate (Riverside Crossing) Syrah: Sonoma County Private Reserve

Price: $13.99

Description:
Won SILVER in The San Diego International Wine Competition in 2009.

Wine makes a symphony of a good meal.
~ Fernande Garvin, The Art of French Cooking

Winemaker's Notes:
Ripe plum, raspberry and soy characteristics. Rich, ripe and opulent, generous fruit aromas and flavors, augmented by vanilla spice.

Winegirl15:
This wine is very good. I drank it with my family when we were having appetizers. This was my favorite $15.00 wine this month. If you like Syrah's this is a must pick for any dinner party. Affordable wine and extremely flavorful. I even enjoyed the aroma. Looks like you can go to their website, put your zip code in and it will tell you where the nearest location to purchase it is.

Hope you are all enjoying your Holiday Season!

Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart.
~ Ecclesiastes 9:7

Love and Cheers,
xoB

December - $30 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: St Francis
100 Pythian Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
Phone: 1-888-675-WINE (9463)

http://stfranciswinery.com

2006: Cabernet Sauvignon: Sonoma County

Price: $27.99
Bought at VONS: $15.00

Wine to me is passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the essence of civilization and the art of living. ~ Robert Mondavi, Autobiography, "Harvests of Joy"

Description:
Winemaker's Notes:
All the grapes in this classic varietal come from five Sonoma County appellations: Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Sonoma County. Hand-picked from mid-September through early November, the fully ripened clusters are then crushed into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and fermented from eight to fifteen days. The wine is then aged in different lots for fourteen to sixteen months in new American and French oak, and then blended. Once bottled, we hold the wine another four to eight months so that it’s fully developed by the time we release it. The result is a full-bodied Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon with rich mouthfeel, moderate tannins and deep color accentuating the taste of black currant, plum, blueberry and spicy oak.

Winegirl15:
I noticed that VONS like many other grocery stores are conducting wine sales. If you're a wine drinker, you can get great bottles at terrific prices right now. My local VONS was even selling Cakebread Chardonnay for 30% off marked price (Maybe I'll save that for my Napa region). :)

I didn't know much about St. Francis before I bought this bottle... But, I'm sure glad I picked it up. This bottle was smooth and flavorful. I definitely recommend this bottle of wine! And if your lucky, your local wine store or VONS might even have it on sale!

It's now time for me to branch into the expensive wines...@sonomawineries has given great suggestions, and I can't wait to go out there and try them out! Stay tuned for my next Sonoma region blog!

Good wine is a necessity of life for me.
~ Thomas Jefferson

Cheers,
xoB

December - $15 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: Rodney Strong
11455 Old Redwood Highway
Healdsburg, CA 95448
800-474-9463

http://www.rodneystrong.com

2006: Cabernet Sauvignon: Sonoma County

Price: $16.99
$11.99 - $2.50 (coupon @ Costco) = $9.49

Description:
Tasting Notes
Aromas of blackberry, cocoa and earth lead to a rich, layered mouthfeel, replete with black cherry, cedar and cassis, and structured with lush, mature tannins. Enjoy this seductive cabernet sauvignon now and over the next several years.

Vintage Notes
The 2006 vintage began with a rather late bud break during an unseasonably cool and wet spring. March rains slowed shoot growth down considerably, and set the timer for a late harvest. After a fine May and June, much of July was a scorcher, including a 10 day stretch where every day saw temperatures over 90 degrees, and several days topped out at 110! Fortunately, the delayed development of the grapes kept sun scorch to a minimum. Harvest began the third week of September, and continued throughout October. This ripening period was accompanied by mild weather and promoted excellent flavor development, with the last of the cabernet harvested on November 1st.

Winegirl15:
Great bottle for the price! This bottle is good for an everyday wine... You can pick it up in the grocery store as well as at Costco. I lucked out with a coupon the girl handed me at the door. I was there for Christmas presents and walked out with wine... WHAT A SHOCKER! HAHA. Anyhow, go and pick up a bottle!

Even more importantly, it's wine, food and the arts. Incorporating those three enhances the quality of life.
Robert Mondavi

Cheers,
xoB

December - $10 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: Fife Vineyards
707-485-0323

http://www.fifevineyards.com

2007: Zinfandel: Sonoma County

Price: $6.99

Description:
winemaker's notes:
-Rich, dark berries, dried cherry, cloves and spice, well balanced with an exceptional finish.
-Pair with BBQ Beef, grilled chicken, sausage, and pizza.
-Vineyards with sun drenched days and crisp, cool nights. Aged in French Oak.

Winegirl15:

Love the following quote:

"Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Benjamin Franklin

This is a pretty good zin for $7. I got this wine at Trader Joes, and drank it at a dinner party I hosted. It was a good bottle to drink in between my expensive bottles. Biggest advice with this bottle... Let it sit for a little before drinking it.

Off to another bottle to taste!

Cheers,
xoB