A Decent Costco Wine! Los Doyers on the Ropes )):]=

tBoW is aware we have many LA readers and they are ALL Dodger fans. We respect their fiendish loyalty however this blog is about – if N-O-T-H-I-N-G else – truthdom. The Dodgers will lose to the Cardinals…

for the reasons encrypted in the wines reviewed. Wait til next year! Hail to the Tigers World Series champs.

2009 Gérard Mugneret Bourgogne Passetoutgrain $20: A controversial wine that cleaves Burgundy loyalties right down the middle because it is a hybrid wine. This wine blends Pinot Noir with Gamay [ed. NOOOO WAAAAAY!]. There are multiple producers of Passetoutgrain. Mugneret is good as producers get in Burgundy. Goldun picked it because it is NOT like Yasiel Puig: full of vibrant energy, spectacular blunders and unpredictable heroics. Well, Puig’s heroic are not entirely unpredictable. You know they will occur just not sure if this is the time. This Passetoutgrain breaks the mold of grainy barnyard chicken lickin’ wine. The wine comes out with all the acid of Jim Harbaugh [ed. hello – he’s a football coach] then settles into a balanced sweet spot where the acid settles down and the Pinot Noir is surprisingly tasty. Unexpectedly capable… like Don Mattingly. A Becky Wassserman Selection available at Steve Goldun’s Eno Fine Wine site. U20 steal deal! 12%

2010 Wente Reliz Creek Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco Monterey $17: Purchased from Costco on a field trip with Young ‘Un PT88Y. tBoW pointed out all the MOR internationals which Costco strives to discover which used to be how Dodger GM Doug Colletti has to find ballplayers under the former Dodger owner. Now Colletti can pay a bit more for quality like Hanley Ramirez and Zach Grienke. This wine has a lot going against it like Ramirez: from a tarnished franchise (Marlins) with a rep for being a wimp. Wente bills itself as California’s oldest family winery (it is… but so what?). Reliz Creek runs through the property (who cares?) [ed. enuff with the Pauley Pavilion cheers] in a cool weather zone (now we’re listening). Bottom line is Ramirez had a smashing summer and took a shot to play in Game 3 after the Boys in Blue dropped two in St Louis. Baseball is such a slow game with a season so long players can grow 8 beards. Wente has been around so long they have to unload their mixed up brand – old school, legacy with family values? – to any takers. Enter Costco. This Pinot Noir is light weight, ruby red and does not taste at all like an extracted giant catfish from River Monsters – I mean Santa Rita Hills. Another U20 value we can recommend. 14.5%

2006 Thévenet Morgon “Vielles Vignes” $23: Drink it up. This wine is a couple years past its prime, like Clayton Kershaw will be in 5 more years. Thévenet is a prized winemaker and his Beaujolais labels are equally prized. Kershaw is often confused with Sandy Koufax. He gets rocked more than Koufax did. For now the better comparison is to Hershiser. Pinpoint pitching accuracy. Bulldog attitude. Power. Smarts. These are intense times. Gratify me now…before things get worse. Patience went a bit long with this bottle however it did not lose any of its character. Fruit is there. It is tiring without losing vitality. Like Carl Crawford. Not as fast as he once was but the instincts are there to go for home even though he is a step slower… and beat the tag by the length of a split cork [ed. photo at top!]. A winner. Balanced. Pleasing. Beaujolais at its best. Here is a site for learning more about GOOD Beaujolais. 13%

Let’s pull for Los Doyers. Pray for more Puig at bats and fielding opportunities. Cards in 6. Wait until 2014. With one more season Puig will be the monster.