Domaine Charbonniere - Perdrix - Chateauneuf du Pape – 1998

France / Chateauneuf du Pape $35 / Rhone

Ahh, the joys of having a cellar. With the economy ailing, and me being in an industry that has been severely affected, I am happy to have a cellar to drink during the downturn. I have been drinking 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape on and off for almost 10 years. It was a great vintage, and most of the wines have held up very well.

I was curious how this Domaine held up. A reasonably priced wine, it cost about $25 when I purchased this in 2001. It was a bit tight when I tasted it back then, and has had time to mellow over the years. The tannins have softened, and the wine has morphed into a wonderful treat.

The cork held up beautifully on this wine when I opened it. It poured ruby red, and did not look like a 10+ year wine. The scents from the glass were balsam, black fruit, cherry and a bit of earth. The wine was layered and long. There was still a bit of glycerin which was surprising after all these years. There were still sufficient tannins - though softer then in early life - that leads me to believe this one has 5-7 years left to drink.

Overall, this was a wonderful bottle of wine.

This producer always has a consistently good bottle from year to year. In the great years, this bottle is one that you should stock up on. With 2007 being compared to 1998 as a vintage, I may have to pick up some for the cellar.

What are some of your favorite CDP producers? Not the obvious - like Beaucastle and Pegau - but some of your favorite values in the region? Let me know....

Free Wine Tasting - Saturday's - 3pm to 7pm

Cork and Fork
Specialty Food and Wine
7110 Bethesda Lane
(301)841-7204

So, what is not to like about free wine? Especially on a Saturday afternoon before the big night out on the town. The best part of this free tasting is you don't have to travel an hour west to the Virginia wine country - it is as close as downtown Bethesda!

Bethesda Lane is one of the newer parts of the vibrant Bethesda "Downtown". Built on the land once occupied by Giant Foods, it is a lovely pedestrian street with restaurants, shops and retail. Cork and Fork is a lovely store selling wine and specialty food.

Every Saturday they have wines open to taste from 3pm to 7pm. With knowledgeable owners and representatives from local wine wholesalers, this is a great spot to taste different wines and learn a bit about wines of the world.

Most important, we have to support our local small business. Especially the independent wine shops in Montgomery County. Visit the Cork and Fork website for more information!

FREE Burger today at all BGR Locations! 4827 Fairmont Avenue 11am to Noon!

FREE BURGERS TOMORROW! For anyone that has a sharpie and skin. I quote you the press release: “On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 11:00 a.m. to noon customers who arrive at any of BGR’s three DC area locations with ‘BGR’ written on any body part will receive a delicious gourmet burger on the house. Customers can select either The Burger or Veggie Burger, and the promotion is limited to one complimentary burger per customer. ” The locations are: Dupont Circle: 1514 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 2003 Alexandria: 106 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 and Bethesda: 4827 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814 This information was taken verbatim from WeLoveDC.com - A site dedicated to things to do and eat in D.C. Follow the link, and check it out! Thank you Katie! For up-to-the-minute news and reviews (among other musings), follow Katie on Twitter! Have any foodie-related news Katie might like to know about? Email her at Katie (at) WeLoveDC.com!

Five Guys Now Open on Bethesda Avenue!

For those fellow burger afficionados in Bethesda, this is what you have all been waiting for. Five Guys - Famous Burger and Fries - has opened its doors in Bethesda.

Located at 4829 Bethesda Avenue, this local chain has been pleasing burger lovers for over 23 years since they opened thier initial location in Arlington, VA. There are now over 450 locations in 30 states.

You can also follow Five Guys on Twitter - @five_guys for updates on new locations!

Hewitson - "Ned and Henry" - Barossa Valley - Australia – 2006

Shiraz / Mourvedre Barossa / $22 - $30

Although Australian wines are often labeled by the critical press as "Over the Top", they are still some of the finest values to be found for frugal wine lovers. Consistently delivering a lot of wine for the money, there are some gems to be found that should be on the top of every wine lovers list.

Hewitson is one of my favorite producers in the Barossa Valley. With 8-10 different wines released each year, they are consistently good year to year. Hewitson is one of my "Go-To" producers when I am looking for a wine to impress.

Ned and Henry is a lovely shiraz with a touch of mourvedre blended in for balance. Named after the estates two sons, this wine is big, rich and fruit forward. Those that like Aussie reds will love the balance and richness of this red.

It pours purple and the color is saturated. The nose is gobs of black fruit, red fruit some vanilla and licorice. The wine tastes of black fruit, plum, cola and finished with a hint of nut and earth. This is a medium bodied wine with a decadent feel.

How much can you expect to pay for this decadence? I found this wine on-line for $21.00. If you buy it retail, you can expect to pay up to $30. Even at $30, this is a lot of wine for the money. Most importantly, it is a bottle of wine that will not disappoint. I could easily see folks that taste this wine blind assume it is a $50 bottle of wine.

This wine is imported by John Larchet who owns "The Australian Premium Wine Collection". Any time you see this neck label, I can promise you it is attached to a wonderful wine. I had the chance to taste the entire collection last year with Josh Raynolds of IWC. There was not a bad wine in the bunch.

Maybe the best part of this review today is not specifically this review, but the recommendation to look out for this neck label when searching store shelves for a wine. It may be cheating, but I promise you that you won't go wrong.

Has anyone tasted any other wines in this collection? Do you agree with my analysis? Report back. You can comment following this post.

Bethesda Ranked Second Healthiest City in America for Women

SELF Magazine has ranked Bethesda as the Second Healthiest City in America for Women. Topped only by Burlington, Vermont - Bethesda was given this honor based largely because it is a SAFE city for women to live.

The story specifies that the area has a much lower percentage of violent crime, rape and traffic accidents that are fatal. Kudos to the Montgomery County Police who are largely responsible for keeping crime low and public safety a top priority.

For further reading, feel free to follow this link to the story on line.