Blue State Carpetbagger's Purple(?) State Wine Blog

An idiosyncratic journal of wines I buy from a mix of Internet sources and retailers in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area. Mostly inexpensive and moderately-priced stuff, reflecting my frugal New England roots. Cent anni!

Saturday, June 27, 2015

I'm over on Delectable now.

Much easier than this old thing. And remember: no f*cking Malbec.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

2014 Domaine de la Loge POUILLY-FUME (Loire Valley, France)

This is a really good value. No great depth or complexity (very few Sauvignon Blancs do), but textbook aromas and flavors, great acids, and...

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Saveur magazine's demise -- I'm done

I've subscribed to Saveur since 2001. Its articles always blended traditional regional culture with classic foods, wines, and recipes. ...

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

2012 Tommasi VALPOLICELLA CLASSIC SUPERIORE "Rafael" (Veneto, Italy)

Always a solid example of the type, the 2012 is one of the best I've had in a while. Flavorful, light-textured, super-soft, and with cl...

Monday, March 16, 2015

2014 Domaine Chene MACON MILLY LAMARTINE (Southern Burgundy, France)

This vibrant, flavorful, unoaked Chardonnay should be every restaurants' house white. Just a fantastic value. Shimmering bright, ligh...

Saturday, March 07, 2015

2010 Garofoli ROSSO CONERO "Piancarda" (Marche, Italy)

Rosso Conero is the Montepulciano-based wine from the region where my grandparents were born. It's always been somewhat hard to find in...

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

2011 Fattoria del Cerro VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO (Tuscany, Italy)

One of the best Vino Nobiles I've had in years. Balanced and full-flavored. Drinking well now but with structure to age for 5 more yea...

Friday, February 13, 2015

2009 Alvarez de Toledo BIERZO "Mencia Roble" (Spain)

This is a great buy. I got it for $9, and it tastes like $20-$30 wine. Dark black ruby. Very nice nose of blackberry extract, dusty san...

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

2012 Francois Villard SYRAH "L'Appel des Sereines" (France)

This producer is located in the Rhone, and the grape is Syrah, so I'm assuming it's a Rhone wine. The label doesn't say. But i...

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

2009 Xavier Vignon CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE "Cuvee Anonyme" (Rhone Valley, France)

I've now had two bottles of this wine, one today and one about 6 months ago. Robert Parker rated it a 96. But here's what I don...

Tuesday, November 04, 2014

2012 Clos du Mont Olivet COTES DU RHONE "Vieilles Vignes" (Southern France)

This was a delicious, balanced, pure-tasting red. Nice now, it will keep and improve for a couple of years easily. Gorgeous, youthful dar...

Sunday, September 28, 2014

2011 Thorn-Clarke "Shotfire" SHIRAZ (Barossa Valley, Australia)

This had everything in beautiful balance. Nice body and concentration. Velvety texture. Nose had swirling mixture of smoke, gravelly mine...

Saturday, September 06, 2014

Ask someone who's been a wine geek since before MTV was a channel. Global warming is real.

Bordeaux, Rhones, and Piemonte reds, on average, are 1%-1.5% higher in alcohol than they were in the 60s and 70s. And that, along with the ...

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Still here. Just unmotivated.

Yeah, I still drink wine. It's just been a sucky summer, however, and that's sapped my motivation to blog. I'll be back at som...

Monday, June 09, 2014

2009 Marchesi de Frescobaldi Nipozzano CHIANTI RUFINA RISERVA (Tuscany, Italy)

This is a very reliable wine that is always well-made and a good value. The 2009 is reflective of the ripe, easy-going nature of the vintag...

Saturday, June 07, 2014

2011 Domaine La Soumade RASTEAU "Cuvee Prestige" (Southern Rhone Valley, France)

This 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre is dark, deep, rich, and soft. Loads of mineraliness too. Very nice. Fully-saturated color: ...

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

2009 Chateau Haut-Canteloup MEDOC (Bordeaux, France)

A very nicely-balanced, velvety-soft Merlot-dominated blend. No oak showing at all, and that's a nice thing. Very sultry black ruby. ...

Sunday, May 18, 2014

4 Wines with Great Friends

Jonathan L. is a long-time friend from NYC from when I was just out of college and starting in the wine business (pre-law school period). H...

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

2004 Chateau La Tour de By MEDOC (Bordeaux, France)

This is a fully-mature, reasonably complex, smooth red. Strangely, for decades I've been ambivalent about whether I really like the age...

Monday, May 12, 2014

2012 Chateau Pesquie "Terrasses" VENTOUX (Rhone Valley, France)

As it usually is in most vintages, this wine is a solid, ripe, minerally Rhone that will go with lots of foods. This wine fleshes out a gro...

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

2011 Three Wine Cellars Old Vines ZINFANDEL (Contra Costa County, Cal.)

Three Wine Cellars is one of the most consistent, and consistently good, wineries out there. They don't try to do everything, but their...

Sunday, April 27, 2014

2012 Mockingbird Hill ZINFANDEL Reserve (Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California)

This wine is very young and, at present, needs a lot of time to breathe. The first night I thought it was going to be mediocre, since it sh...

Saturday, April 26, 2014

2012 Domaine de le Potine TOURAINE Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc) (Loire Valley, France)

A zesty, refreshing wine. Not a lot of depth, but, boy, is it easy to gulp down. Nose has scents of lemon-lime, green apple, tarragon, an...

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

2012 Michel Chapoutier "Bila-Haut" COTES DU ROUSSILLON VILLAGES (Southern France)

Not as extroverted as the 2011 or 2009 renditions, this blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane is very nicely proportioned and in nice b...

Monday, March 31, 2014

2010 Domaine La Bastide "Les Genets" SYRAH Vieilles Vignes (Rhone Valley, France)

A terrific value in a deep-flavored, complex, well-balanced Syrah. Very linear, and not a hint of flabbiness. Saturated dark, plasma-like...

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

2009 Clos Pegase PINOT NOIR "Mitsuka's Vineyard" (Carneros, Napa, Cal.)

A fragrant, balanced, fairly complex and ready-to-drink PN. Very good value at the $15.99 I paid. Medium ruby/garnet with a little tawny ...

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

2009 Baloiro BIERZO Mencia Reserva (Spain)

Totally overblown. This wine is a caricature of a what the Anti-Parkerites think Parker advocates (he's not as bad as they make him see...

Saturday, March 22, 2014

2011 Heinz Eifel "S" RIESLING SPATLESE (Mosel, Germany)

This is an excellent value in a slightly sweet, bright Riesling. Very pale greenish-gold color. All sorts of ripe fruit in the nose, with...

Thursday, March 06, 2014

2009 Clos des Menuts ST. EMILION Grand Cru (Bordeaux, France)

This is a style of Bordeaux I like. Not trying to emulate a New World wine; structured, not overripe, not overoaked. It needs a few more y...

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Viña Alarba GARNACHA Viñas Viejas (Calatayud, Spain)

I haven't had this wine in 10 years or so. It used to be a ridiculous bargain. This one is still cheap, but it's thinner than I re...

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About Me

Tom Casagrande: Arlington, Virginia, United States; ME: I used to be in the wine business ('82 - '87) in NYC. I loved studying (and drinking) wine, but I was no good at sales, so I became a lawyer. MY RATINGS/NOTES: People can sometimes attach meanings to basic wine adjectives that are different from those used by wine geeks, like me. And they also attach unpredictably positive and negative connotations to these words too. Take "fruity." Many casual wine drinkers think fruity is bad, that fruity means sweet. Some people equate "dry" with tannic and astringent. The letter grades scores I give are like school grades. I used to give numerical grades on a 100 point scale, but I decided I'm not really good enough to distinguish between an 89 and a 90. I hope that my scores help people understand how the words I use translate into enjoyment. My scores do not vary with the cost of the wine. They reflect how much I liked it. Also, I give scores to wines only after I've had a chance to focus on it away from the kitchen or dining room, where food smells and tastes can affect my evaluation. Unfortunately, I don't taste "blind," but I try to be as objective as possible.

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