The Collected Wisdom of Jen

Jen's Notes:

2002 Porque No? Zinfandel
$18.00

For a wine in this price range, you’d hope for something a little better than, “just ok.” Certainly, nothing spectacular, but a wine with a bit of depth, complexity, etc. While this Zinfandel boasts juicy, tart berry flavors mid-palate, they fade quickly into an overly oaky-vanilla finish.

Vinicola Hidalgo
Oloroso Especial
$19.00

If Billy Ocean wrote a song about this sherry, it would go something like, “get out of my mouth, and into my sink.”

After our Pedro Ximenex experience (see Why You Should Try a Sherry from April 27, 2005), Shane and I were really looking forward to trying an Oloroso sherry. This one had the lovely color of good Bourbon whisky and pleasing aromas of burnt caramel, raisins and pralines. Unfortunately, the taste was reminiscent of the cheaper Bourbon whiskies: grain alcohol, thin, no flavor. I was left wondering how something that smelled so good could taste so bad. We could not spit it out quickly enough.

1999 Baron de Curieres, Pommard
$21.00

Unlike that sherry, our first brush with an aged Burgundy went quite well. Fearing that it might be a bit youthful and need a bit of air, we decanted it. The wine boasted a light garnet color and had softly sweet Pinot aromas with hints of ripe strawberries. Initially, it was somewhat tight and inaccessible. When the flavors bloomed, about 10 minutes after opening, the wine showed smooth, sweet strawberry pie or strawberry jam flavors with that nice “reverb” that we associate with a well-made Pinot, especially Burgundies. Speaking of well-made, this wine is perfectly structured with supple, fully-integrated tannins.

Though light in body, this wine did not skimp on complexity. Amid the fruit, there were hints of exotic, musky spices, all blending into a long finish.

This wine is very drinkable now with decanting and could be cellared for another couple of years.


Royal Oporto
20 year Tawny
$25.99/375 ml

What a wine!! This port was quite different from the other tawnies we have had. First impressions were heavenly: rose-gold/amber color and a lighter, pure gold at the meniscus. The wine exhibits a huge, very sweet aroma of maple and caramelized fruit. This port was quite complex, with flavors of hazelnuts, maple syrup, and even smoky bacon. There was also a whisper of fruit underneath.

This Port was lighter in body and not as creamy as other tawnies, but it was definitely more interesting. This port’s restraint and delicacy allowed the flavors to burst on to the palate, and it also tasted more like a wine than one would ordinarily expect. Ultra-long finish.