d'Arenberg 2008 Stump Jump Shiraz

This shiraz was purchased from wine.com - mainly because it was only $10 and ranked #82 in the top 100 wines of 2009 by Wine Spectator. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the cheap, ranked wine.

The cherry flavor is quite forward and stronger than expected. This paired well with pasta tonight, but is a bit too sweet and juicy for sipping without food. Earthy undertones make this an interesting wine. It's above average, but didn't knock my socks off. For $10, it's good...but as they say, good is the enemy of great. I'll rank it 6/10. $10 from Wine.com.

Reignac 2005 Bordeaux Superieur

I was turned on to this bottle from Sam's Wine, which was sold a year ago...*tear*. Any 2005 Bordeaux is excellent, but this one was at the top spot on 2008's top wines, according to Sam's. At $28, I splurged and have been holding on to this wine for 3 years. With the wife delivering a healthy baby boy late last month, it's time to celebrate. You can still find this wine online for around $30 - and it's well worth it. I'll give it a 8.5/10 rating...excellent.

First off, the back label wins the award for the most technical wine mumbo jumbo to ever appear on a label; words like maceration, malolactic and enologist make me wonder if this was ever translated from French ;)

As for the wine, it may have one of the finest bouquets I've ever smelled from a glass of wine. Seriously, I could just smell it all night and never drink it...but that would be wasteful, because the flavor is equally brilliant. Smoky oak and floral on the nose.

The Reignac is a 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The merlot brings the ripe, sweet, and fruit forward beginning and the cabernet leaves a nice bite with a dry finish with medium tannins. The oak barrels leave a wonderful smoky flavor to complement the nose.