What Would Mikey Drink

Here’s a good value in a Paris bistro style wine. Pretty purple, with compelling aromas of fresh black pepper, and rose water. Full bodied, spicy and strong flavored, with a finish of drying tannins. This would pair well with almost any food. Better than most at this price. Retail $14, grade: A-. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Who has heard of this wine? It is a nice, dark ruby with great, clear aromas of green vegetables (green peppers, artichokes, and fennel). I sit and smell for 2 minutes. The palate is not a strong, but nice. There’s balance, but some hard, somewhat green tannins. Retail $80, grade B+. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Light, clear ruby. Classic Bordeaux with lead pencil and cigar box, nice structure and lean and mostly secondary flavors. Not much fruit. Tastes tired and old. Ready to retire. Drink up, this will not improve. Retail $100, grade B-. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

This wine was a lovely gift from my colleagues Sharon and Helen. Thanks! I’m constantly taking about ’05 burgundy, so they chose this gem. It is delicious, charming, silky and floral, with an outstanding inner mouth feel (lavender, minerals) and some very clean spicy cherry with some persistent but smooth tannins. I usually think of [...]

Here’s a decent pasta wine. It has interesting, well-defined layers but acids dominate, so much that there’s a lemon zest and citrus, which seems odd in a deeply colored red. It evokes images of a wild forest, with pine cones smoking on the ground, after a camp fire. Still, for its charm, overall, it is [...]

I had a great time drinking the wine below with a fun, diverse, fascinating group of wine lovers. We started with a 2004 Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay as a warm-up. It is great, as always, with oily, nutty, sunny, full flavors. Retail $90: grade A. Then onto the great whites. 1995 Kistler Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay. [...]

Like the Exlibris, this is a big mouth full of nice fruit. It is dark inky purple, with a nice ring of cloves, flowers, and road tar. Full bodied, exuberant and youthful, with crushed pepper and ripe plums, this wine is a good value, and will work with almost any food. Retail $18. Grade: A- [...]

Nice mouth full of fruit. Inky dark and concentrated, this is a jammy mix of dark plums, blackberries, and figs. Long luscious aftertaste. However, it lacks verital character. The distributor put this blend of purchased grapes together (Polaner Selections). Retail $20. Solid. Grade: B+ www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Yet another excellent ’05 red burgundy. This one’s light and lithe,. It has aromas of fresh mushrooms, damp earth, and raw sugar. It is pure silk, on entry. Outstanding balance of acids, just ripe, dusty cherry, and lovely spring flowers. I really like the feminine style. This is not for fans of blockbuster wine. Drank [...]

Amazing value from Veneto, Italy. Lighter-style clear ruby. Aromas of clear, clean figs, pine, and forest flowers. On the palate, this wine has an excellent balance and complexity. There’s roasted meats and winter root vegetables. This would make a perfect house wine. Pairs well with almost anything. Retail $13. Recommended by the helpful staff at [...]