More Wine, More Wine

Hmm... I've got some more wines to write about. Once again, I try to write about the ones I either really liked (so I can remember them when I go back to the wine shop) or the ones I really didn't like (so I know what not to buy next time). Today, I am writing about three. One I really enjoyed, one was somewhere in the mid-to-high range, and the last I may or may not ever get again.
First, let me start with one I really enjoyed. This was Domaine Beranger Pouilly-Fuisse Georges Duboeuf France 2005. I went to the wine shop (Total Wine in River Edge, NJ) looking to buy some more of a wine my dad got me for Christmas. However, when I found their supply was limited to only one bottle of that particular wine, I decided to browse a little and stock up on things we were missing. I wanted a nice chardonnay (because we've been enjoying whites lately, and I had no Chardonnays in the fridge) and this one sounded nice from the review in the store. I really don't remember what we ate with this wine, but I loved the wine itself. It was buttery with some vanilla and a little fruit in there. A tiny bit of acid, but not too much. To me, it felt like a great example of a French Chardonnay, and not too expensive, either.

Another wine I bought while in this store was L'Anima Negroamaro 2004 Puglia Italy. A few months ago, we received a travel magazine that spotlighted this part of Italy (the heel of the boot) and I've been dying to go ever since. It just looks fantastic. Anyway, I've also wanted to try some of the wine from this area as well. There's actually one wine in particular I've read some nice reviews on, but they didn't have it here. They did have this bottle for a fraction of the price of the one I was looking for, so I gave it a shot. Overall, we really enjoyed this wine although we had to warm up to it. Some of our hesitation was probably due to the wine's need to breathe. It smelled very sour at first, but after a few minutes that seemed to fade away. The wine has some blackberries, herbs, and some blueberries. It's not a harsh wine and feels very soft. We had it with both past bolognese and a lamb pot roast. It worked well with both.

Finally, we had a bottle of Hopper Creek Ranch Chardonnay Napa Valley, 2004 the other night with some friends. My friend made crispy red snapper (which was terrific) and this is what the wine-guy suggested. (He also suggested a white bordeaux, but we never got there, so I'll try that one another day.) I enjoyed this wine, but I didn't love it. It went nicely with the meal, but I didn't feel like it added anything special. Everyone else seemed to love it, so maybe it's just my tastes. It was more of a crisp chardonnay without any oak-ness or vanilla. It was more fruity than I expected.

NP: The Wonder Pets, Noggin