Williamsburg Winery -- Lord Botetourt Red 2005

Neither me or Joy have posted a review in awhile. It's not because we don't love the blog, it's just that we haven't had much time. Our respective works have been crazy, and now that my commute can take anywhere from 50 minutes until the end of time, my eagerness to write about the experience is overmatched by my eagerness to crash out on the couch any time I have a glass of wine. This will not last forever, but it is a reflection of my current reality. Our blog continues to grow, nonetheless, and once again I'd like to say that we will welcome guest reviews if you're funny and feel up to it.

Tonight I'm reviewing another selection from the Williamsburg Winery in Virginia. You may remember some time back I reviewed their Two Shilling Red after an infernally hot wine tasting in a suburban parking lot. This particular wine was given to us as a housewarming gift -- so I enter into this review hesitantly. Many of our friends have given us bottles of wine (which is awesome, thank you) and, while we love it, it's caused just a bit of discomfort since we absolutely don't want to in any way seem ungrateful for the gifts. Writing "the merlot, given to us by John and Louise Beauchamps of West Falls Church, Virginia, has the smoothness and vibrancy of snot" is not too likely to make us any friends. Especially if I go on to state how it will only appeal to "ignoramuses and those of questionable hygiene." Not that I would ever write anything like that, but why tempt fate with friendships on the line? If I did feel inclined to write that, I'd hate to think that somebody's feelings might be hurt. Or at least somebody I know.

Fortunately, I have nothing but good to say about the Lord Botetourt Red and the wonderful people who gave it to us. It's a full-bodied red with a spicy kick that cries out for a honkin' big block of cheese. It's also named after an early governor of Virginia and a member of the original Board of Visitors at William and Mary. A statue of Lord Botetourt, in fact, stands at the College of William and Mary, indicating an impeccable pedigree -- since those William and Mary kids know how to par-tay. What? That's right! Can I get a witness? Woo-woo!

I actually highly doubt the Lord Botetourt Red is available for under $10, but for me it was free. And I'm drinking it. And I'm posting about it.

Word up.

8 out of 10

My house, Free

Bohemian Highway Cabernet Sauvignon 2006; Bohemian Highway Merlot

Forget about lychee, or cherry, or plum. Today I'm looking for a wine with one distinct essence: dingledodie. I want to taste, smell, and be dingledodie. I want to live dingledodie. I want to wallow in dingledodieness. I'm looking for mad dingledodie wine that lights up the sky like a roman candle. Dingledodie. That's all, nothing else.

Not that I have the slightest idea what a dingledodie is, but that doesn't matter. By the time I'm done with this glass, I'll not only know what a dingledodie is but I'll be dancing down the street like one. Hold on, let me put on some Miles Davis. Let me think of Carlo Marx; Hassel on Riker's Island; Jane wandering in Times Square in her benzedrine haze. I don't know these people, but I'll think of them as I drink. But most of all, I'll think of Dean Moriarty.

Tonight I am drinking Bohemian Highway Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. I'm also drinking Bohemian Highway Merlot 2006. No, that isn't because I'm getting crocked off my ass, it's because I started the Cabernet several nights ago and didn't get a chance to post, so I needed to purchase another bottle to continue the review and all that was left was Merlot. So it's a double review tonight. Two for the price of one. Hell, let's do the whole Bohemian Highway collection, and maybe I will get crocked off my ass. How much more bohemian could I get? But no, no. I have work tomorrow. So I'll have a sample of both.

"The Bohemian Highway meanders through vineyards, redwood forests and palm groves. The wine embodies the casual, free-flowing spirit you'll find along the way." The wine embodies it. You know, with its essence of marijuana, loose women, and jazz. It must have been hard to get all of that into a bottle, but with a little imagination I can dig it, daddy-o. Let's take a little trip in our favorite rocket ship. Blow, man, blow!

First the cabernet: Spicy and heavy on the fruit. Maybe a little chocolatey.

Then the merlot: Not as good. Kind of astringent. Tannic.

The cabernet is great, but I'm not such a fan of the merlot. Which is a pity, since I bought the merlot in a 1.5 liter bottle. And I don't taste them damned dingledodies anywhere. What the Hell, isn't this supposed to be a bohemian experience? Wait a second, the wine is $6.99 for a bottle. I get it. It's cheap. Total dingledodiedom!

The Cabernet: 8 out of 10.
The Merlot: 5 out of 10.


Bloom: $6.99 each

Don't worry. Even I'm not sure what I'm talking about.

Kitchen Sink Artisan Blends California White Table Wine

The best thing about our blog? Since moving into the new house a month ago, Mike and I have received a lot of wine and wine glasses as housewarming gifts. We now officially own more wine glasses than regular drinking glasses. It's always a bit funny when people proudly hand over their gift of wine, proclaiming that they spent less than $10 on it, seemingly for our sake. They can't just hand over the bottle; they feel the need to tell us how little was spent on the gift. Hilarious. Mike and Joy are cheap and easy to please! Hell, we can even afford to get them two bottles! I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. I knew this blog would come in handy. We've never owned more wine or wine glasses. Best thing ever!

Tonight's selection is one such gift, from my brother-in-law and his wife, my favorite sister-in-law. Since Tom has posted guest reviews on our blog recently, I knew they would choose a wine suitable for review. Their choice was perfect; it's so cheap that the label on the back of the bottle describes a red wine made by the same manufacturer instead of describing the white wine in the bottle. Oops. So much for quality control. Luckily, the taste makes up for the packaging mistake. This wine would be the bottle that I would pick up at the store if I didn't want to bother putting any effort into my choice of wine. It's a very mild white table wine and does not have the sharp aftertaste that most (cheap) white wines have. It's pretty bland and that isn't necessarily a bad thing; this wine would complement any dinner, no matter the meal. In fact, pour yourself a glass as you cook, before you have the meal. It'll relax you pretty quickly. I've found that I prefer white wines that aren't too sweet and this one fits the bill. It isn't too fruity either.

Perfect as a housewarming gift!


8 out of 10.


Bloom, *less than $10, forgot to ask the exact price