Seghesio - Zinfandel

Price: $17
Region: Sonoma, CA
Year: 2010

I still have a couple of wines to get through that I bought right before Christmas, and this is one of them. I think we actually had this wine a couple of weekends back with some homemade pizza. I actually had a bottle of Seghesio Zinfandel back a few years ago when I visited California on a business trip with some of my co-workers. So, when I saw a bottle at the local wine shop, I thought I'd give the newer vintage a try.

This wine is just a couple of dollars more then the normal everyday Zinfandels I usually buy (like Bogle, etc.), but I do remember enjoying this wine, so for $17, I thought it was worth a try. As I sat down for dinner and poured myself a glass, I was looking at a dark red wine with good clarity, that was nice an bright. It definitely wasn't clouded looking. As with many Zinfandels, it had a bold aroma, but was not unpleasant at all. Sometimes with a bold wine, you get a little too much of one kind of smell, but not so with this wine. So far I was liking my choice. When I finally went to take a sip, I knew the extra couple of dollars was well spent. This wine starts off a bit soft, but with wonderful upfront fruit flavor. The flavor really continues throughout and ends with a very smooth finish. There really wasn't much to dislike about this wine, but maybe the flavor was just a touch light. Overall a very good wine, and one I'll pick up again.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Quality!)

Cueva De Las Manos - Malbec

Price: $15
Region: Argentina
Year: 2009

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I stopped at the local wine store to pick out some bottles of wine as gifts for my team at work. This is a bottle that caught my eye as a highly rated Malbec. Many of the Malbecs I have tried over the past few months I have just grabbed off of the shelf to give it a try. This one was one that was highlighted as a best buy, so I thought it was a safe bet for a gift. The person I gave it to had really good things to say about it, so I thought I'd give it a try for myself. I actually had this wine a few weeks back, but am trying to get to a few reviews that I never got around to writing.

I opened this particular bottle one Friday evening after I arrived home with burgers from our local 5 Guys. It seems that is becoming all too common of a Friday meal, but I guess it could be worse. I noticed right away when I poured a glass that this wine was dark and jammy. It really seemed thick when pouring into my glass. It really had a great aroma as well, and a bit of a fruit/flower mix. When I took a sip, I tasted a really smooth and consistent wine with great flavor. It had nice tannins, and a pretty smooth finish. I think all in all I agree with the person who gave this wine a thumbs up, and I had found yet again, another great value in an Argentinian Malbec. Imagine that.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Yummy!)

Kitchen Sink

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year:

This was a bottle of wine that I had tasted on a few occasions at my father-in-law's house for Sunday night dinner. Usually however, it was just a taste of a left-over bottle that he opened earlier in the week, but usually not as the main wine he would open for dinner. So, when I went to the store in late December to grab a few bottles of wine, I decided to grab one of these for myself so I could sit down and review it. This particular weekend was one of the Saturday nights that there wasn't a whole lot going on, so just sat down for a quiet dinner with a bottle of wine. Not a bad Saturday in my book.

My general bias going in was that this was a solid wine, and since it was only $10, I really wanted to pay attention and see how solid. As the name would seem to indicate, there are a whole bunch of grapes in this wine. It consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Petit Shiraz. With a wine made of of these grapes, there was little wonder it had a deep, dark red color, but it didn't have the really thick look about it when I gave it a swirl. In the same vein, I was surprised that the aroma was a bit faint. I would have to say it was more in line with a Cab/Merlot mix when the Merlot seems to take some of the bold Cab smells down a notch. When I went to take a sip, I was hit with the same bit of surprise as I was with the aroma. It was good enough, but just lacked some follow through. I tended to lean towards bland as the description that came to mind. I think in general it is a good enough wine to have a few bottles around for an every day kind of wine, but nothing that really stands out as a must buy for some some friends are over.

P.S. I forgot to put the name of the wine in on my last review, but it is in there now, so if you haven't checked that one out, please do as it was a very good wine.

Rating: 3.0 corks (So-so!)