Winefoolery

An Unlikely Pair: Chariot Gypsy 2008, Twomey SC Pinot Noir 2008

I broke my boycott of Faker Joe’s because I’m in Oakland and was told they have Laphroaig for $33. I pay $43 in Atlanta. But that’s not really why I went. Ben needed some Woodford Reserve. Mrs Dink insisted I look at the wine selection but it didn’t impress. But I did see the bottle pictured on the left. I’ve had some Chariot wines. He (Jim Neal) made some great sangiovese a few years back, a drinkable Rhone blend (Diana Red) and a very simple sauv blanc. All of them were inexpensive and appropriately priced. The Gypsy white shown here was $5. Leaving aside the many questions it’s presence raised I picked one up. It’s sweet and nice. 37% Chardonnay, 32% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Gewurtraminer, 11% Muscat, 5% Marsanne. The sweeter grapes dominate. Nothing most of my strongly prejudiced friends would drink. If I were home I’d grab a few to keep for future atempts to sway by matching with some spicy food. The Twomey I picked up at Safeway for $45. I don’t usually spend that for a quick dinner wine for just Mrs. Dink and I but since I was choosing from supermarket wines and I’ve never had a Twomey I splurged. It was very nice. I suspect it’s a quintessential CA pinot noir but I don’t drink enough of them to know. Good PN’s are costly enough that I rarely drink them. This was one I could drink easily and often if it were more affordable but for $45 I’ll probably go French next time.