This may have to do with the movie Sideways, jor, in which the guy goes on a rampage about not going near a place where anybody's going to be drinking that ________merlot. Very funny. You'd have thought he was saying "Ripple".

Most Merlot is way overpriced in relation to competition. The retail, wholesale and restaurant folks are simply taking advantage of the hype.
Seek out stuff you have never seen or heard of.
M

Sorry, but I'm back yet again.
We had a '75 Ch Mouton Rothschild which had a very low fill - the cork came out intact and the wine was still sound and great with my GGG G'Ma's Cajun catfish on a large bed of fresh spinach, arugala, Belgian endive, and other field greens, tomatoes and Ken's Blue cheese drizzle dressing.
M

Patrick,
I had that wine - the '01 vintage - just before seeing Sideways. The wine was very substantial - the film was great.
M

mikemo~ shucks, wrong Arlene... and she passed away two yrs. ago in April. Thought maybe you'd crossed paths since she lived in SMA a few years..
your dinner sounded wonderful! We get lots of fresh seafood here, but any Cajun type preparation is restaurant served, the Double Musky in Girdwood, Ak. is excellent if you're ever up this way.

The '01 Guigal Cotes du Rhone and the '00 Mas des Bressades (a Robert Kacher sel from Costieres de Nimes) are VG at about $10. The latter is a bit rustic, but a nice winter wine (the '98 was prob a notch better).
M

dear jetset1, one of my favorite wines if you can get it is a chardonnay called sonoma cutrer(russian river ranches) it is difficult to get because they sell it mostly to restaurants but if you research it you can find it.i got my best friend hooked on it and also last week we went out with a group of friends that ordered their"favorite wine" and it turned out to be this wine so i'm not alone in loving this wine. it runs about$20/bpttle but is well worth it. good luck and enjoy!

>>I just tried a King Estate Pinot Gris that I liked quite a bit.<<

Whoops, wrong name! It was actually Kings Ridge Pinot Gris from Rex Hill Vineyards. It's still tasty, though. :-)

Lee Ann

LeeAnn,
Glad you like Pinot Gris.

I would like to request that the vintage dates be listed when we make recommendations.

Many thanks.

M

HI jetset--I did not read the whole thread, so forgive me if this is a repetition. Last March we went to the Alsace in France. Some of their wines share names w/German ones, such as Riesling, but are *competely* different. If you like white, I enthusistically recommend any Alsatian white--pinot blanc, pinot gris, riesling or gewurtztraminer. They can be a little pricey, so watch for sales. My favorite "bargain" one is Hugel Gentil. I hope you like them as much as we did!!

Thanks nomad, social and mikemo and others over the weekend. I now possess a somewhat impressive list, and if anyone approaches me in the store for advice, I'll pretend to be an expert, looking for specific vintages and appropriate food pairings.
I did spot an aquaintance, with the big ***box*** of Franzia, tucked like cement under one heffalump arm. Something for everyone:)
Guess I have a mental block about wine from a box..but to each, his own.

jetset.... was that a **box** of franzia, or a ***box*** of franzia?

uuhhh, I couldn't control myself..I could have expressed myself with caps, but somehow, the little stars seemed funny.(yes, my home has the requisite water view).
I have this old memory of a dh's friend bringing me a box as a Christmas gift or something.. all I know is the two garbage guys were having a great time in the driveway on that Wednesday,lol.