A Masterpiece or a Flop?

I feel as though it has been forever since I have gotten to indulge on a full glass of red wine and sit in my thinking chair. OK to be fair I don't have a thinking chair. I have a very small apartment and my only chair I frequent is also shared with a 17lb dog that needs to sit next to me. This occasion would be no different.

I was walking down the wine isle of my local Trader Joe's when I noticed this bottle called Da Vinci. I thought to myself well Da Vinci had created great masterpieces such as the paintings of the Last Supper, The Vitruvian Man, and his most famous on of all The Mona Lisa. But, this man was the jack-of-all-trades if you will. He could do it all he was a painter, he could draw, he was an architect, a sculptor and an inventor. Oh he was also as I like to call a slight over achiever. I'll be happy if I succeed in one thing let alone master five different fields. But, I digress. Yes, I now know they didn't name the wine specifically after him but, they did name the town after him and the wine was named after the town so not a bad trade off. I didn't know that until I did a bit of research so my initial thought was wow these guys were pretty ballsy to call something a masterpiece by naming it after the master himself.

I take back that thought now knowing what I do now. I like a good Chianti. I had never had a Chianti until my family and I were traveling in Italy, Tuscany to be exact. I like a good full- bodied red wine and Chiantis are just that. It's amazing because now I can always tell when a wine comes from that region without knowing where that bottle came from before I take that first sip. As soon as it hits my taste buds it's like they begin applauding. It really is something in the soil that you taste and it's delicious.

Ok back to the Da Vinci is it a masterpiece or a flop?

The cork seems like it takes forever to get out of the bottle and not to sound barbaric but, i have to use my teeth to get it out that last little bit!!! Stupid wine opener. My parents are going to be pissed that i used my teeth considering they paid a lot for these Chiclets (my family calls my teeth)! But, the cork is finally out. That was the most physical activity I have done all day including going to work. I examined the cork and it was moist at the end just perfect. I poured that wine through my personal aerator(yup i got one what am I am amateur?) and watched as it in an orderly fashion filled my glass turning it from clear to a lovely plum color. And I don't know if it was the wine or the tear in my eye from excitement( because it has been such a long time) but it seemed like the wine sparkles in the light.

The scent seems like a deep blackberry with some oak and a bit of earth in there as well. Hey earthy is fine with me. We are all trying to be one with nature especially out here in LALA land so consider this my contribution.

The flavor is just as I had hoped it would be rich and tasty. It goes down easy leaving no bad aftertaste at all. It's one of those tastes that doesn't linger but fades evenly. I do taste a deep blackberry and also a cherry and some oak in there. Just a lovely combination that comes together in this bottle. Its not a complicated wine. It's simply delicious. Honestly, It lived up to the name. Nice Chianti to wash down a rich meal with. I'm not a meat eater but, if I was I'm thinking a good steak would taste just divine. If your a veggie person I'm going to try it with a lovely risotto creation and once my food coma wears off I'll brag on how delicious it was together.

I hope you guys get a chance to enjoy this wine as much as I did. At Trader Joe's you can find it for a mean $9.99. Not a bad price at all for me and I'm poor. So go grab that bottle put on some true Italian music, close your eyes and day dream to Tuscany. I'll meet you there for it's where I go in my dreams every night!

FINALLY!!!! Da Vinci 2008 Chianti - Jennifer's Review

Well, it has been quite the hiatus for the old wine blog, but we are back up and drinking!  Poor Lindsay was really sick for a good long while and was unable to drink with the illness and then the antibiotics.

So, the Da Vinci?  I had my eye on this wine for a few years, but because I am typically a cheapskate I never indulged.  When Lindsay recommended it I was glad and it was also, coincidentally, on sale this week at Jewel-double win!!!

I always follow the Wine Lover's Simple Tasting Form when I do my tastings.  You can find it here.

After uncorking and allowing the wine to breath for 5 seconds (normal recommended time would be 30 minutes, but it had been a long day so cut me some slack!)  I poured it into the glass and took a good look at the beautiful rich magenta color.  Even though it was a red wine, you could see that it had clarity and the light shone through the wine to reveal many shades of reddish purple when I held it up to the light in my kitchen.  The aroma was mostly oak, but if you sniffed real hard that slight bit of fruit could be detected.  The flavor of the wine very much matched the aroma in that the oak was the first to be tasted and that was followed by the fruit in the finish.  I really loved this wine, as I tend to prefer "earthy" reds.  The medium finish was just the right length, in my opinion and left me wanting that next sip.  My final grade, according to the Parker Scale, was a 91.25.  I would definitely recommend this wine and I will certainly purchase it again.