Here I am with my tongue out in front of the Field Museum.  Why not.

Dave is studying the museum map.

Here we are in front of the Dino!  She’s like a big puppy dog.

While the ride to the Field Museum was uneventful and actually kind of nice since we got to see a little more of the city, the ride back to the hotel was way more fun.  In retrospect of course.  We hailed a cab, or walked up to one that was parked in front of the Museum, and were on our way.  It was first an uneventful ride in a slightly grimy and interesting smelling Chicago taxi.  About two blocks from our hotel, our cab driver swerved slightly and blared his horn. Apparently someone cut him off and he was royally and intensely pissed.  We end up stopped in traffic next to the person who is now our driver’s sworn enemy.  He gave him the full finger flip off and spews forth profanity like a proper cab driver should.   He said things like “fuck you”  “what the fuck do you think you are doing?”.  I have not heard the f-word used in so many phrases and sentences.  He was quite creative indeed.  Just as traffic started to move, the threats of ass-kicking were thrown out.  Oh yes, there could have been much ass kicked, I was convinced of it.  We drove side by side while words were exchanged, spittle flew, middle fingers were thrust and all the while Dave and I sat wide-eyed getting ready to bail if they really started to fight.  I think we had to turn and the enemy cab driver went straight and that was that.  We made it back to the safety of the Omni Hotel and enthusiastically got the hell out of that cab.

And back to the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Being cheapo frugal wine drinkers we tend to look for the most flavorful wine that suits our budget.  These last few months we have enjoyed the loveliness that is the Cabernet Sauvignon!  I really enjoy the big bold flavors.  The silky texture and the subtle nuances that the different vineyards provide.

Now for the ultimate cheap wine, a Charles Shaw Cabernet.

Charles Shaw (Bronco Winery)

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa/Sonoma Counties, California

(Cost $3 from Trader Joe’s)

Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Dave’s Review

• Smells: Fruity, fresh washed hair, a little poopy.
• Tastes: Unripe mandarin orange, and a little bitter.
• Final Letter Grade: C

Kelly’s Review

• Smells: Musty, acidy, planty and green with a little floral sweet fragrance.
• Tastes: Surprisingly easy to drink, some grapefruit, some tannins, some brown sugar and baked apple.  Can’t go wrong with this bottle of an easy drinking wine for $3.
• Final Letter Grade: C

Australia

(Cost $5 from Total Wine)

Fourth wine review of the night.  And we’re done! 

Bleh Blue Flame Shiraz 2009

Kelly’s Review:

• Looks: dark dark red, a little cloudy.
• Smells:honeydew, wet straw, capers, cake and a little funky too.
• Tastes: overripe peach, a little coppery, red berries, lemon peel. It’s a little dry.  The copper actually lingers in the aftertaste making it a little less of a wine.  I don’t like drinking pennies.
• Other Observations: I had to google blue flame and upon my amazement blue flame in Australia means lighting your fart on fire.  I have not tasted this type of blue flame but I don’t think this wine is comparable to toasted flatulence.  That would be an F.
• Final Letter Grade: D

Dave’s Review:

• Looks: Like maroon shower curtains on a cold summers eve.  Gosh, it looks like RED WINE.  I need to take a class on how to study the look of the wine.  It’s bright, not brilliant. Looks a little bouncy.  idk.
• Smells: Whof.  Smells kinda cheap if you ask me. Like bubblelicious or wait Big Leauge Chew!  Yeah, that’s it. That’s the ticket.
• Tastes: BLECK.  Ugh. It’s like a ground up peach pit.  Balsa wood and copper is not my favorite flavor profile.  Surprisingly a long questionable orange rind finish.
• Other Observations: I am not a fan.   Tastes like a plastic bag that once had a sour piece of hamburger in it.  At least there’s a humorous anecdote if you google Blue Flame.
• Final Letter Grade: D

2009 Shiraz, Australia

(Cost $10 from Total Wine)

Third review in one night holy sharona!  So, the way I chose my two wines to purchase today was to go for bold flavors.  I was looking to spend around $25 for a couple of wines that were described as heavy bodied with cocoa flavors.  That was my criteria.  I think the first one, Maipe, Cabernet was the biggest flavor, not very cocolicious though.  Tyrell’s was light.  Note to self: do not go by anything the people at Total Wine tell me or write on their little scraps of paper and stick on the shelves.  When am I going to learn?

Tyrell's Wines Shiraz 2009, Ye old winery.

Kelly’s Review:

• Looks: dark magenta, shiny and a touch of opacity.
• Smells: Very strong alcohol smell first.  Next you get cedar, melon, flowery, and a little oceany oddly enough. Cucumber.  A little dill.
• Tastes: woa this is different.  It hits the tongue in a new and interesting way.  Like it hits the roof of my mouth first. Tried it with a Shiraz glass just to double check and it hits the same way.  Light and delicate.  Slightly salty, buttery, a little lime peel and some cranberry also.  This wine is a little puzzling.
• Other Observations: I think it might go well with a goat cheese pizza, or spaghetti. Not great, not terrible. Not likely that I would buy it again.
• Final Letter Grade: C-

Dave’s Review:

• Looks: Ruby ruby ruby sohooooo.  Quite bright. Maybe a little
• Smells: Cherries and funk in a good way.  Like P-Funk, not foot funk.  Movie theater licorice.  Kelly said, “Oceany smell” I agree like sea shells or ocean breeze.
• Tastes: Salty, sour, spicy and Sunflower seeds with the shell.  There’s definitely some lemon and lime mixed in there too. Woody flavors, long smoky finish, in a campfire way (not an ashtray way) Tart of real cherries, not Maraschino cherries.
• Other Observations: Whoa these are different flavors.  After so many Cabs and Pinots this stands out.  This Shiraz really packs a salty/sour punch. Kelly is getting her fancy glass for this one.  Hm.  This is a mouthful of wine, which I like.   It’s not as fruity as I usually like, but it’s something to talk about and try.
• Final Letter Grade: B+

Blend from the Columbia Valley in WA State

(Cost $5 from Total Wine)

This is the second wine we decided to review from the four we picked up in today’s Total Wine shopping extravaganza.  Dave’s method of selecting wine tonight was to choose something he would normally never try based solely on price (low price) and a clever label.  He selected Fruit Bomb and another one we will review soon called Blue Flame.

Fruit Bomb, I think he chose it because he was thinking sex bomb.

Kelly’s Review:

• Looks: dark red and shiny,
• Smells: Wet earth or mud, but in a good way.  Mud can be a good thing.  Really.  Pineapple, mint, cherry jello, definitely some oak and apple.
• Tastes: Smooth bright and fruity, some vanilla, lots of plum, berries, a little herby maybe Rosemary.
• Other Observations: Nice and easy-going wine.  Pretty simple but still good enough to help you recover from a tough day at work.
• Final Letter Grade: C

Dave’s Review:

• Looks: Bright and maybe a little thin.  Purple with hints of blue.  Darker than usual.
• Smells: Wet cedar with black cherries. Cardboard? Chalk eraser?   “Minerals”
• Tastes: Falls flat with.  Not a big flavor, just some hints of grapefruit, lemon zest, and tangerine.  Slight spice, maybe clove.  Oh wait.  Yucky smoky burnt finish.  Like the char from a burnt marshmallow.  Or a dirty ashtray.
• Other Observations:  If you drink it fast enough, it’s pretty good.  Not a great wine, but drinkable if you don’t think too hard about the finish.
• Final Letter Grade: C-

We went a little nuts at Total Wine tonight.  Stopped in for a bottle, walked out with four.  This is the first of our new Quickie Reviews series.

Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Reserve

Kelly’s Review:

• Looks: super thick and nice dark red.  Not totally clear. Shiny
• Smells:woody, buttery, rose, dark cherry
• Tastes:dry, cinnamon, some dark cocoa, a little peppery, pumpkin spice, goes down easy, but not boring at all.  Flavor lingers for a while and continues to develop.  I also taste some overripe strawberry, and hazelnut.
• Other Observations: a little hedonistic Like the description at the store, but not as bold as I expected but definitely big flavor.   I like this wine.  It has big bold flavors.  Might go well with some sweet barbecue.
• Final Letter Grade: B

Dave’s Review:

• Looks:Very thick ruby-red.  Almost hard to see through it’s so thick. Not super bright, but shiny as Kelly puts it.
• Smells: kinda stinky.  like an over ripe box of strawberries…  mixed with the soil department at Home Depot.  Maybe a hint of berries and fresh trading cards.
• Tastes: Eases into the flavor.  Rich berries and spice.  Nice ramp up, with a pretty long finish.  Nutmeg?  Tart of lemon lime… kind of like Sprite syrup.  More sour than bitter.  Not too dry.
• Other Observations: An interesting wine.   Not crazy awesome, but certainly interesting enough and good to drink.
• Final Letter Grade: B+