PHC Blend of Mashbills

I've sampled a few of the other PHCs- the wheater, the cognac finish, and some others I'm not even sure anymore which ones they were.  All were delicious.  This past year I would not miss out, I jumped on 2 bottles of the PHC blend of mashbills ASAP.  It's a mix of a wheated and rye bourbon.  I love my wheated bourbons, and as an EC 18 fan I like the Heaven Hill rye too.  This though, just doesn't work for me. It's been a few months now and I'm just about to kill my first bottle.  Even the fans admit the finish is weak, but for a barrel proofer hovering around 130 proof, it's not just the finish.  This thing lacks flavor!  With proof this high it should be bursting at the seams with... STUFF!  Anything!  I just find this tame and dry.  It's like a dish that needs salt. It's not bad, it's just not special.  For the price and hype, I want special.

2010 Chateau La Dauphine, Fronsac

I'm still drinking stuff.  More drinking than writing, but I thought I'd do a quick check in with the wine I'm drinking tonight.  Chateau La Dauphine, a French wine from the Fronsac
Bordeaux appellation.  What does that mean?  I don't really know much beyond that is a region of France.  When it comes to wine I'm more comfortable with the local California wineries, and that's exactly why I bought a bunch of value French Bordeauxs!  So far this one is my favorite.  This 90% merlot 10% cab-franc tastes like a mouthful of black cherries that are a little more tart than sweet.  Up front there's fresh minerality in the background that I generally associate with a crisp white wine (I'd love a more descriptive term than minerality).  Then cherries throughout, and at the end some mild black pepper that comes up as it dries into the long finish.