Scott here...
Okay, yes I like a little wine now and then. This pic shows a little taste we had at Mumm's in Napa Valley. Some good bubbly. Not sure what that cute little thing in my shirt pocket is. Probably my pocket protector. But where are my pens?
Wines of the day? '04 Blackstone Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir? Not so much. Drinkable, just not that interesting. '06 Fess Parker Santa Barbara Pinot Noir? Better, but I wish I had the patience to give it another year in the bottle. Had some good fruit, but also a touch of spice. Tanins (that's what makes your mouth pucker or feel dry) were pretty strong for a Pinot. I think Fess Parker's wines are generally as his portrayal of Daniel Boone back in my childhood. Judging by Heather's childhood crush on him, the wines are worth a try. Bottom line: the Fess Parker Pinot was much more interesting than the Blackstone, even if it should wait another year. Besides, Blackstone is a long, ugly and boring street in Fresno. Boring, that is, unless your on the wrong part of Blackstone at the wrong time.
As far as other recent wines, we had a Menage a Trois Red Table wine that is really okay, but if I'm going to go that inexpensive route, I'll stick with my Red Guitar (Spain). Check it out. It's tasty for the price and has a cool name. Yep, I play, so there's the emotional bias for me.
If you want to take a look at more sophisticated wine reviews, check out the folks at Snooth. They're my favorite wine blog of the day... or week., maybe even month.
Okay, I'll say again I'm not a 2 buck (up)Chuck kind of guy. I know some tasters like Chuckie's chardonnay, but I'm a fan of decent red, and the two dollar variety just doesn't cut it for me. I'm a big boy now and I think I should be able to drink an every day wine that costs in the two figure range. Big spender, right? Well, keep in mind "two figures" can mean anything from 10 to 99. I like the lower end of two figures most days, but get me out for a few tastes in the Sonoma Valley and I might end up buying a case of $50 bottles. Yes, it has happened. Though that is a bit extravagant for me, we had a great laugh when the VISA bill came. Really...
Want to go taste at a lesser known name with good reds in the $30-$40 range? Say hello here and I'll give you some cool places. Even if you're not used to buying in that price range, and most wine drinkers are not, it is definitely worth the splurge once in awhile if you're out tasting. Keep in mind, most restaurants mark their wine prices up by a big chunk. So, you can take your own nice $40 bottle to a fine restaurant, pay a $12 corkage fee and end up with much better wine than you would get for that price if you bought off the restaurant's wine list.
Also, let me know if you have faves in the Santa Barbara-Paso Robles realm. We'll be there in the not-too-distant future. Hitching Post for some Pinots will be a definite stop. They were serving great Pinots before Sideways made a mockery of the scene. Aside from that, my dear Heather likes a good Pinot, so Scotty will provide! Hasta...