One of the great joys of being a wine enthusiast, besides enjoying the wines, is poking around the shelves of a wine store for interesting wines and the occasional rare find. Please believe us that there are often great discoveries to be found on some dusty, partially hidden shelf.
To illustrate this, we once found six bottles of Chateau d'Yquem, the legendary super expensive sweet white wine of Bordeaux and at a very attractive price. Needless to say, we grabbed them right up.
We have made other stupendous finds, like the first vintage of Chateau Montelena, the same wine that beat out all of the French chardonnays and the movie "Bottle Shock" was made about. We also have found bottles of many of the top Chateaux of Bordeaux wines, including nine bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. But, there are still finds to be made.
Recently, during one of our "scouting missions," we came across some interesting wines that were made right here in the United States and are currently available.
Treana Red 2009 ($35)Red is a fairly generic name for a red wine, but in truth, it works.
This is one of the new blends coming out of California. Recently, some of the smaller wineries have been producing their own blends in attempt to rival the classic French blends of Bordeaux. Treana Red 2009 is just one example of these new blends, but what an example.
This wine is a blend of 70 percernt cabernet sauvignon and 30 percent syrah. All of the flavor and aroma elements that are exhibited by both varieties are there to be enjoyed in abundance. The aroma showcases red current, cranberry, plum and strawberry with coffee and spice lingering in the background. The flavor presents cherry, boysenberry and pomegranate with an aftertaste of licorice, cocoa and pepper. There is also an earthiness that lingers in the mouth for a very long time.
This is definitely a wine to try, because it is new, interesting and enjoyable.
Treana White 2010 ($23)Where there is red, there will surely be white.
Again we have a blend, but in this case, it is a blend of two often neglected varieties: 50 percent marsanne and 50 percent viognier. This is not a big wine; it is a huge wine.
The aroma is almost overwhelming and fills the room with the scents of honeysuckle, pineapple and citrus. The flavor is equally as big, stressing oranges, peaches, and apricots, with a hint of dried herbs and pepper - which then trail off to the finish.
What is amazing about this wine is that it can be aged as long as 10 years, if you can keep your hands off of it for that long, which we doubt.
Candor Lot 4 Merlot ($24)Around another corner, we found two interesting wines from another small winery, Candor. While the wines from Candor are of the familiar varieties, it is the depth of their flavor and aroma that are their hallmark.
Exceptionally drinkable is the best way to describe Candor Lot 4 Merlot.
It is full of the rich, ripe fruit flavors that have made merlot wines so popular. The Candor Lot 4 Merlot displays a big and inviting plum and black cherry aroma, which carry over to the flavor along with a positive cedar element.
This is a very soft wine that can accompany a broad spectrum of foods, from barbecued fish to heavier cuts of meat.
Candor Lot 4 Zinfandel ($20)It is unfortunate that red zinfandel wines have not achieved their full recognition in the marketplace.
This is a rich and robust wine that adds new levels of finesse and grandeur to an already familiar wine style.
The aroma is alive with strawberry, cherry and licorice. These carry over to the flavor, where they merge with vanilla and spice and continue on to a big finish.
This wine accentuates all of the facets that a red zinfandel is capable of, so our only comment is to say, "Enjoy."
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and helps manage ArticlesOnWine.com with his wife, Sheila. He can be reached at frojhe@suddenlink.net.[[In-content Ad]]
