Goldschmidt Vineyards ~ Singing Tree Chardonnay 2018, Katherine Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Hilary Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

I first became aware of Goldschmidt when a customer requested a special order of them about a year or so ago. I looked them up online and they seemed pretty interesting, so it's pretty cool that I actually get to taste them now. The 2018 "Singing Tree" Chardonnay is a classic lightly oaked Chardonnay. Pears, pineapple, banana. It still has a big body but only a little bit of butteriness on the midpalate and crisp on the finish. As a Chard fan, I enjoyed it. The 2018 Katherine Goldschmidt "Stonemason Hill" Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a very nice example of an Alexander Cabernet. Softer and more elegant than a Napa Cabernet but similar in profile (and my opinion better overall). Medium bodied, beautifully smooth on the mouthfeel, with notes of cassis, plums, and pepper. Delicious! To me the 2016 Hilary Goldschmidt "Charming Creek" Cabernet Sauvignon out of Oakville is juicier and has sweeter tannins. There's A LOT of vanilla going on here with notes cherries and blackberries. It may be a fruit bomb, but fruit bombs can more than others be "stress relief wines". 

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Barone Montalto Pinot Grigio & Art of Earth Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

It's so hot and humid out that even the red wine bottle is perspiring just from coming outside of the air conditioning in my house! I opened these two while cooking burgers on my new grill and they were both perfect for performing such a heroic feat of dad-dom. Barone Montalto Pinot Grigio 2019 is 100% Pinot Grigio from Sicily and it's cost you $12 retail. Bright and tart with a little bit of sweetness and very refreshing. It's loaded with lemons, pears and green apple. It's a serviceable Pinot Grigio for the price and definitely a porch pounder. Art of the Earth is a certified organic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and it'll also cost you $12 retail. Once the burgers were done, this guy went pretty damn well with them. Medium bodied with very dusty tannin, and a bursting acidity that fits right in with the wine and doesn't make you think "damn, that's bursting acidity". There's notes of plums, tomato, licorice, and sweet tobacco. Again, for the price it's a solid bottle of wine. Maybe let it open up so that tannin calms down a bit.

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Ron Rubin Winery ~ Pinot Noir 2017, Chardonnay 2018, Pam's Unoaked Charonnay 2018

It's been a rough time for everybody this year, and I haven't had a more fun time throughout it all so far than opening up these bottles of Ron Rubin on the porch on this beautiful night on Cape Cod. Pam's Unoaked Chardonnay is like drinking the pear juice out of a can. Do not even think that is a bad thing right now or we'll have words, mister. Yeah, it has some sweetness, but damn is it crushable. The Russian River Chardonnay is much more sophisticated but can also be summed up simply: it's literally like drinking apple crisp. Baked apple, crumbly crust, and baking spices. Holy crap it's awesome and everything I want out of a Chardonnay. Then there's the Pinot Noir. It's got this alluring metallic thing going on, much more silver than the copper that I usually get on Pinot Noirs. There's also a full trading post of spices, licorice, and the fruit takes the background with plums and blackberries. The tart acidity is just begging me for something to eat. I can't let it down. Time to see what we have for snacks...

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Bonterra Boxed Wine ~ Sauvignon Blanc & Rosé

Box wine again??? Don't worry, this is the last one of those for awhile. As much as I love Bonterra, the drop off is pretty noticeable when coming from a bag-in-the-box. Overall yeah, they're better than Peter Vella and Franzia, but still there's not much going on. The Sauvignon Blanc is simply lemon and grapefruit while the Rosé is simply watermelon and strawberry. Their very basic profile is not helped out like it should be by the acidity because that is rather flat. That said, if it's chilled up nice and good I wouldn't say no to drinking it and it's fine for a porch party with a bunch of friends where nobody is going to analyze the crap out of it like I have to.

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Natural Origins Boxed Wine ~ Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon

I know what you're thinking: BOX WINE??? Has Joey lost his mind??? First of all, if you've been a long time follower then you know I'm missing a few screws. Secondly, this is boxed wine made by Domain Bousquet! This winery makes some pretty damn good affordable organic wine from Argentina, and both of these selections are from Mendoza. Not only are they organic but they're also vegan. The Cabernet is a pretty good one for what you expect from boxed Cabernet! It's got some great Cabernet qualities such as cherries, cassis, and chocolate but it's also rich while having soft tannin. Much like Bousquet's regular bottled Malbecs are impressive, so is this boxed one. It's got a great pluminess, juicy blackcurrants, minerality, and a lighter body but stronger tannin than the Cabernet. Both of these are a great deal, but that Malbec is a steal.

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