West County Wine Extravaganza

What a fun day on Saturday! We went to Lukas Liquors, had some wine. Since I cleared out Schnucks, I bought all of Lukas's Kenwood Merlot, although it was a couple bucks more, for the wedding and got another contender for the Wedding White. Then we went to Wine and Cheese Place, with some more wine. Then to Wine Chateau, where we had …..some more wine. Then sushi for dinner. Then more wine at Yia Yia’s. Actually, one of my favorite wines of the day was at Yia Yia’s. The 2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Orphelin (red Rhone style blend of Mouvedre, Grenache and Cinsault) It was really good. Here’s an interesting tidbit about the wine and the name from the website:

“We grow many different Rhone varieties at our Columbia Valley vineyards, many of which don’t have a home when it comes time to blending. These varieties, such as Mourvedre and Grenache, are some of the more interesting varieties winemakers get to work with, and it always seemed a shame to have to blend away these orphans. Orphelin was born by trying to create a true Rhone-style blend from these wines, while showcasing Washington’s true potential for Rhone varieties. The wine bursts with ripe, red fruit and layers of spice and milk chocolate. On the palate, candied cherries and ripe strawberries abound offering an enticing, complex mouthfeel and a smiling finish.”

Hmm-I was curious about the name. How interesting that "Orphelin" comes from "Orphan" grapes. I'll have to agree about the smiling finish though-I did like it a lot. It was $11 for an 8 ounce glass at restaurant pricing, so I’m guessing its around 15-22/bottle. I’m going to go look for it.

After that, I decided to have some more wine at Big Sky- I had the Spellbound Cabernet. Also very yummy! I was actually suprised I liked it so much because of the price point. (you can also order directly from the website for $15/bottle including S&H) Its made by Robert Mondavi Jr. and his wife and another couple to focus on affordable and intersting wines. Another interesting tidbit, its 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Dornfelder. I've never heard of Dornfelder...

"A friend brought us a unique red varietal called Dornfelder, affectionately known as “German Pinot Noir” by many winemakers. As we blended the Dornfelder in with the Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine became more lively and showed a great amount of spiciness while maintaining the true Spellbound and California Cabernet Sauvignon style."

Its worth trying and I'll be looking for it out and about. Who doesn't like a good cab for under $20 a bottle???