The Bottom Shelf

Osborne Solaz Tempranillo Cabernet 2003

I just finished up a bottle of the Osborne Solar Tempranillo Cabernet 2003 the other night, and if you are a fan of a medium-bodied red with a noticeable kick, this is the wine for you. I must not have a very keen sense of smell, because I got the same thing off this one that I get off most of the reds I’ve been drinking of late: dark berries. Maybe there’s a little prune in there, too.

The element I most associate with this wine was the bit of kick it had in the mouth and then just after swallowing. By no means was it offensive, but if you like your wine mild, the Osborne Solaz is one to stay away from. I think the kick added some good character.

I had this wine mostly by itself, and it’s alright in that regard. I think it would improve if it was paired with grilled red meat. I’ll have to give that a shot at some point.

And it looks like the Osborne Solaz was a Wine of the Week winner in March over at Novus Vinum. I can understand why. They say it’s an $8 bottle of wine, but I bought two bottles at BevMo for $7.04 during their nickel sale. Not a bad haul.

Posted in cabernet sauvignon, red, tempranillo, wine | 1 Comment »

Banfi Chianti Classico 2003

I bought a bottle of the Banfi Chianti Classico 2003 from Beverages & More! about three weeks ago on sale for $10.99 (regularly it costs $13.99). I opened it up and drank it about a week ago, but I obviously haven’t been diligent enough to post my impression of it until now.

I must say that the only other Chianti I have had is the Ruffino Chianti Classico 2001 Reserva Ducale, and the Ruffino is quite a bit better than the Banfi. I didn’t dislike the Banfi at all. In fact, I really enjoyed it. The Ruffino just set such a high bar for me that it will take some tasting before I get a good feel for what I like best in a Chianti.

The Banfi pours a dark reddish purple with a dark berry and prune nose. As with the other reds I have had recently, it was quite sharp on the first night but opened up very well the second. It started to become somewhat flabby by the third night. The Banfi definitely has character, with a little bit of an acidic bite that was not unpleasant when swallowing.

In terms of the comparison with the Ruffino, it is only fair for me to mention that the Ruffino is (at least) a $20 bottle of wine, while this is a sub-$15 dollar bottle. I’m curious to try more Chiantis and see if it’s the style that draws me in or only a specific bottle here or there that excites me.

Posted in chianti, red, wine | No Comments »

Home Brew Haiku

Beer Haiku Daily posted another one of my haikus. This one is titled “My first home brew”, and I wrote it about helping Roger brew a dry Irish stout at his place this past Sunday:

Now my first home brew
Clean is the name of the game
Hope it turns out well

I intended for it to express a little bit of the wisdom that Roger dropped on me. It turns out that temperature and cleanliness are two of the most important elements of the brewing process that need to be controlled diligently. I will head out to his place again in a couple of weeks to help him bottle the beer.

I really do hope it turns out well. A home brewed dry Irish stout sure is sounding tasty.

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Things that will not be reviewed

Despite my fascination with the idea of three or more penises in my wine, we will not review any of these drinks here on The Bottom Shelf. Unless I’m blogging from federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison. In which case I might be enjoying a little pruno to dull the pain. Even if it causes blindness. Especially if it causes blindness.

Posted in meta, wine | No Comments »

Covey Run Merlot 2002

I probably shouldn’t write a tasting note for this one, because I only had a small amount out of a plastic cup at a recent comedy show. Let me use this as my disclaimer. I definitely need to try this one again before I make a final judgement.

However, I wasn’t excited after my first tasting of the Covey Run Merlot 2002. I was pretty down on it that night, but I was standing in a packed area shoulder-to-shoulder with the typical Hollywood comedy show crowd. The surroundings weren’t very conducive to enjoying a glass of wine.

The Covey Run’s color was a dark purple, and the nose was the standard dark cherry, plum, and currant. The wine seemed slightly too acidic, and I felt a noticeable burn upon swallowing. I think the Walnut Crest was a slightly better balanced merlot than the Covey Run, but I would prefer to have a full glass or two (out of a real glass, no less) of the Covey Run before I finalized that judgement.

I would buy a bottle of the Covey Run if I found it for $6 or less, but for more than that, I would rather try something new. It seems to be a pretty standard $5 to $10 type merlot.

Posted in merlot, red, wine | 1 Comment »

Tour of Craftsman Brewery

Yesterday Ted, Ger, Roger, Greg, Mike, and I toured the brewery of the Craftsman Brewing Company here in Pasadena. Mark, the founder and one of the brewers, gave us the tour.

Craftsman has a unit in a business park just off the 210 freeway. Their setup was a bit bigger than I had anticipated. They basically operate out of a huge garage with brewing equipment along one wall, a big refrigerator in the back, and the beginning of a bottling line in the middle.

Mark started the tour with a description of the beer brewing process in general. He pointed out the particular piece of equipment they were using that corresponded to the step in the process he was describing. I haven’t done any home brewing, but both Ted and Roger have, and they were impressed with the sophistication of the Craftsman process relative to the rough-around-the-edges home brewing approach.

At the end of the tour, we got to do a little beer tasting. We had four of their beers: their hefeweizen, the 1903 lager, the Poppy Seeds pale ale, and their Indian pale ale. I like the beers in that order, with the hefeweizen being my favorite. It had a noticeable banana aroma to it, but not an overwhelming one. There was also some citrus hiding behind the banana. The color was a light, cloudy yellow. The beer was “fruity”, without being too sweet or pungent. I haven’t had too many hefeweizens (Widmer, Pyramid, Sam Adams, Hoegaarden), but I can safely say the Craftsman is my favorite of this style.

Craftsman doesn’t do any bottling yet, so the only way to get their beer is to either order a keg or head on down to Lucky Baldwins to get a pint (or two). What better excuse do you need to make a trip to Lucky’s?

Posted in beer | 3 Comments »