Wine Reviews You can Understand

2012-01-26T20:39:00.002-05:00

Price: $13.99
Region: France
Year: 2009

No other reason that I am reviewing a bottle of wine as I drink it today then it really wasn't a great day at work. Probably more of an excuse to have a glass of wine or two, but I'm just going to roll with it. I had bought this bottle late in December as I picked out a nice bottle for my birthday dinner. Lots of the wines as I passed through the French aisle at my favorite store indicated that 2009 was a great year for Bordeux blends. This particular wine is 80% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. I have a few other wines to get to from the last week or two, but I hate to review one wine as I'm drinking another.

For a wine that is made up primarily of Merlot grapes, this one is a bit darker red then I would have first anticipated. It really has a great look to it. As I take a smell of this wine, I find a really aromatic wine that just oozes fresh berries. It really has a wonderful smell that makes you want to give it one more swirl. By this point I was really looking forward to a taste. Again, maybe the long day at work was an excuse, but it worked for me. The flavor was every bit as berry-filled as the aroma. Really the one that sticks out the most is black cherry. It almost taste like one of those thick Chobani yogurts. Really good flavor and really good balance. I haven't tried any of the other vintages of this wine, but with as good as this one was, not sure there is any reason to.

Rating: 4.25 corks (Top Notch!)

2012-01-21T15:09:00.006-05:00

Region: Virgina
Wineries: Jefferson, Blenheim, & Barboursville

A little bit of a departure from the norm this week. I missed last week's review, but for good reason. My wife surprised me for my birthday last month with a long weekend away for two. The plan was to stay in Charlottesville, and visit a few close by wineries. This was actually a trip we had planned to take in 2009, but for one reason or another, it just never happened. I've only had one or two Virginia wines in the past, so really wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Interestingly enough, Wine Enthusiast just came out with an article listing Virginia as one of the top 10 wine travel destinations for 2012.

I decided this week to just write a little about the wineries we visited, with maybe a restaurant or two thrown is as well. We bought plenty of bottles of wines from the places we did visit, so I'm sure they'll be showing up in future reviews, but now I just want to give my view of the winery visits themselves. The first winery we visited was Jefferson Vineyards. We had just taken a tour of Monticello, and ate a down home Southern meal at Michie Tavern. If you are ever in an around Monticello, I think the Michie tavern is a must stop place to eat. After lunch and a very short drive, we pulled into Jefferson Vineyards, which had a nice view of the surrounding mountains. The tasting bar was quite full, so we paid our fee, grabbed our Reidel glasses, and squeezed in at the corner of the bar. We tasted a few whites, and few reds, and decided on the ones we wanted to bring home. While the facilities weren't overly impressive, the staff was nice, and for $10 we got to keep the Reidel glasses, so overall a winery that needs to be on the list of ones to visit if not just for the name.

After a short 5-10 minute drive, the next stop was Blenheim Vineyards. The only thing I knew about this winery was that it is owned by Dave Matthews, and it is right across the street from Trump Winery (former Kluge). We hadn't heard the best things about Trump, so we went straight to Blenheim. The facilities here was much nicer than Jefferson. The rustic looking tasting area with a great view and very friendly staff. I actually think this would be even better come warmer weather with a great deck overlooking the vineyard in the valley. Here they only offered one white, which seems to be the white of choice in Virgina (Viognier). Along with that, it seems Virgina is also known for Cabernet Franc as well as Petit Verdot. Both of these are rather bold red wines, and really right up my alley. Both were rather tasty. Overall, this winery visit was a step up, and I even bought a shirt with the annual painting that Dave Matthews puts on their top bottle of wine. A must visit winery as well.

After Blenheim, we decided to head back to Charlottesville, and stroll around downtown and pick a place out for dinner. We settled on the Orzo Kitchen and Wine bar, which is about halfway between where we were staying and UVA. Service wasn't great, but the food and atmosphere were very good. I also had a Spanish glass of red with my Colorado Lamb to top off a very nice day. The next day we decided to hit one more winery, and this time we went North of Charlottesville to Barboursville. This was another very nice layout, with a nice fire roaring as we walked in out of the cold. The one thing I was surprised about at all of the wineries was how many people were out tasting wine on a weekend in January. The bar here was pretty full as well, and for $5 a piece, we started out tasting a few whites, including the signature Viognier again. The all around experience at this winery was also very good. We tasted 15 different wines, including some very good red wines. We have a few ready to be opened, and a couple that will probably be better with a little age. The one wine I am really looking forward to from here is their Reserve Merlot. A little different character than a California Merlot, but I think in this case, that's a good thing. There was one more winery we wanted to vist called Mountfair, but unfortunately they did not have tastings at this time of year. Based on the bottle of Mountfair Cabernet Franc we bought on our first day in town, it will definitely be on the list next time around.

As I mentioned earlier, I really wasn't sure what to expect from the wine, and after only a couple of stops, I couldn't have been more impressed. Obviously Wine Enthusiast knew what they were talking about when Virginia made their list for 2012 destinations. Given it is only a few hours drive for us, I think we'll definitely plan on heading back some time soon.

Rating: A lot of fun!

Chappellet - Cabernet Sauvignon

2012-01-05T20:25:00.002-05:00

Price: $49.99
Region: Napa
Year: 2008

Quite often I cheat a bit and go outside the original guidelines I set up for this wine blog, and review a wine a few dollars above the $15 limit I try to stay under. Then there are times like these when I just blow it out of the water. Those times are however, few and far between. This past New Year's Eve just happened to be one of those times. New Year's Eve also happens to be my birthday, and on this particular one I turned 40 years old. I had originally set out to spend a few hours browsing the local Total Wine store, and find a bottle of Napa Cabernet in the $75 range. So, when I first got to the store, I found the bottle I intended to buy, and then decided to go find some additional wines for this blog while I thought a bit longer if that was actually the bottle I was going to buy. When I was all set to go back and put it in my cart, I starting getting into an interesting conversation with one of the very helpful individuals at this store. What ended up happening was that he actually talked me down from the original bottle I had (to remain unnamed), which was $70, to this bottle of Chappellet Cabernet at around $50. He almost had me go with a blend from Washington State called Cadence, which he said he would put up against any of the wines I was looking at, but in the end, I decided to go with the pure Napa Cab.

My wife and I ordered a nice sushi spread for dinner, and we sat down really looking forward to tasting this wine. From the get go, this wine had a lot going for it. Even the pour into my glass made this wine look good. It had a very silky look to it, and was a deep, dark red color. The aroma was really nice, with a full berry smell, and hints of chocolate. As good as the look and smell of this wine was, the taste and feel of this wine was off the charts. The word that most comes to mind was consistent. It was velvety smooth from the very first taste, had great length had more hints of chocolate, and maybe even a little coffee, and finished with the same great structure it started with. I knew I had some really good sushi to get to, but I was enjoying the wine so much, I slowly finished that glass before putting any food in my mouth. I sometimes wonder if certain wines are worth the extra money, and I'm not going to get int he habit anytime soon of buying $50 bottles of wine, but as a special occasion, it was more than worth it. I need to take a little off for the price, but this is as close to a 5.0 as I have ever had.

Rating: 4.75 corks (Treat yourself, I did!)

Apothic Red

2011-12-28T20:11:00.003-05:00

Price: $12.99
Region: California
Year: 2009

Here I go with my last review of 2011. I set out with high expectations for the number of wines I would review this year, but I fell woefully short. As I've mentioned before, this had absolutely nothing to do with not having enough subject matter, but with simply not putting aside the time to sit down and write. If there is at least a bit of good news, the month of December was the one month this year that I at least averaged a review a week (which is my goal each year). So, here's hoping that as we enter 2012, that I make this site what it was originally intended to be, which is a weekly wine blog.

The wine I am reviewing this week is one that we opened up one Saturday evening in early December. It was a wine that my wife picked up along with a group of others one Friday afternoon. It had a pretty cool look to it, and I knew it was some type of blend based on the name. After reading the label a bit, I saw that it was a blend of three grapes, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Shiraz. The wine that I poured into my glass was very dark indeed. It was more in line with what I would expect from a pure Zinfandel. I didn't actual write down the percentage of each grape, and I'm sure if I looked online, I could figure it out, but my guess is that it leans a little heavier towards the Zin. That being said, while the aroma was pleasant, it wasn't as bold as the dark red color would have you believe. It was pleasant, with a little earthy undertone, but a touch faint. Along those same lines, when I took a sip of this wine, I tasted a very smooth wine that was not overly bold. It was very well balanced from start to finish. The overwhelming taste was that of vanilla. It just kind of jumps out at you, and stays until the last little bit fades away. I do enjoy the hint of vanilla in a wine, but this was a touch more than just a hint. It was a good tasting wine for sure, if not a touch too much vanilla. A good change of pace though, and not a bad wine to end the year on.

I have lots of wines lined up for this weekend as it is my 40th birthday, so if I'm ambitious, maybe I'll start the year off right with two reviews next week. A very Happy New Year wish to all and hopes for a prosperous 2012.

Rating: 3.25 corks (If you like vanilla, you'll love this wine!)

Sivas Somoma - Zinfandel

2011-12-15T20:42:00.003-05:00

Price: $16
Region: I'm guessing Sonoma
Year: 2008

Another wine from our recent neighborhood wine tasting. again, I didn't pay full price, but this one is reasonable at around $16 retail. We opened this bottle last Saturday night as we cooked some spicy sausage on the grill. I usually try to save my Zinfandels for something with a little kick to it, so this seemed like a good pairing. I would say that I was cheating with this one because I had tasted it before, but in reality, it was far down on the list of wines during the tasting, so at that point they were all kind of blending together. That being said, I did recollect this was one of my favorites of the night. It was time to see just how good my memory was of that night.

There was no mistaking as I poured a glass that this was a very deep dark wine. It even had the appearance of pouring a little slow into the glass (like molasses). The aroma of this wine was really wonderful. I smelled a bucket of berries with a hint of sweetness which I really wasn't expecting for a Zinfandel. At this point, I was thinking I was right on with my recollection of the small taste I had of this wine a week or so back. To my surprise, it was actually even better than I remembered, and most likely due to not having tasted 4 wines in advance. It was really smooth with awesome balance. From beginning to end it was consistent, and silky smooth. The overwhelming flavor that came to mind for me was blackberries, and I just couldn't get enough. Interestingly, my wife is not a big Zinfandel fan, but she loved this wine as well. It didn't have that over the top in your face flavor, and was enjoyable all around. Luckily, we also have a bottle of Sivas Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon. I hope this is right up the same alley, because if so, I'll definitely go back for more..

Rating: 4.25 corks (Best one in a while)

Ruca Malen - Malbec

2011-12-09T19:37:00.003-05:00

Price: $18
Region: Argentina
Year: 2008

Maybe it is the glowing bottle of the wine I reviewed last night, but what ever the reason, I felt like sitting down and writing another review tonight. My wife and I had gone to a neighbors wine tasting event a few weeks back. A local distributor was present and had a good number of wines for us to try. Luckily, their house is right across the street :) Anyway, he was selling any of the wines we tasted at wholesale price. While this Malbec in particular retails for around $18, we ended up grabbing a couple of bottles for $8. A bargain for sure. Interesting enough, I had reviewed the first bottle we bough about two weeks back, but my wife and I shared the second bottle tonight. So, while the notes are a little old, the wine is definitely fresh in my mind.

The first thing you notice about this wine is that is it a very deep, dark red, almost purple wine. I'm not sure there is much not to like about a wine that looks like this. As bold as the color is, the aroma stands out just as much. I just get the sensation of lots and lots of berries. Really, just a great smelling wine. By this point I was really looking forward to a great tasting wine as well, and was hoping I wasn't going to be let down. Fortunately, it lived up to the billing. This wine had a great flavor, with excellent balance throughout, and wonderful tannis. There really wasn't a lot not to enjoy about this wine. You can find lots lots of nice Malbecs under $15, but for a couple of extra dollars, this one wine is definitely worth a try.

Rating: 4.0 corks (A very good wine!)

Vampire - Pinot Noir

2011-12-08T20:15:00.003-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Napa, Ca
Year: 2010

As I sit here and drink a very good Malbec on a Thursday evening, I just have to get to some of the wines I haven't made the time to review. I really need to set aside some time to sit down and write reviews more often, but until then, I'll be reviewing wines that I tasted a few weeks back. In this case, it was actually over the Halloween weekend. It seemed fitting to try a wine called Vampire over Halloween, so that's what we did.

I must admit, the $10 Pinot Noir wines that are worth getting a second time, are few and far between. I love the Angeline, and would buy that any time I am in the mood for a Pinot, but one of these days I need to find something on par with that wine for a similar price. I think this may be the first time I have reviewed Pinot Nior wines in back to back weeks. So, here goes. It wasn't really about the food pairing so much this time as is was to try a wine called Vampire on Halloween. I poured myself a glass, and to no ones surprise, I had a very light colored wine in my glass, but it was an interesting shade for sure. Really it wasn't that bad to look at, but you can only look at a wine so long before you have to give it a taste. For those who are wondering, I did have my Pinot Noir glasses out on this night instead of my usual steam-less Reidels. I gave the glass a nice swirl, and along with a light color, came a light aroma as well. A bit earthy, but not very strong. For the trifecta, when I took a taste, it was a bit faint on the toungue, but really had a pleasant taste. I liked it much better then the $25 bottle of Pinot I reviewed last time. Not top notch, but an enjoyable wine nonetheless. Worth a try....

Rating: 3.25 corks (Getting warmer!)

Clos Julien - Pinot Noir Reserve

2011-11-17T20:21:00.003-05:00

Price: $25
Region: Oregon (Willamette Valley)
Year: 2008

I seem to be getting into the habit of working a little late on Thursdays, and then opening a bottle of wine for a glass or two once I get home. Today is no exception. The difference here is that I usually have a glass and then sit down and write. while tonight, I have not had a sip of this wine yet. We'll see how my initial reaction translates into a review. Unfortunately with this method I am not getting to my substantial backlog of reviews. We had another couple of good wines last week that I would like to get to, and will try to write about this weekend. Nothing in quite some time has really knocked my socks off. Here's hoping tonight is that kind of wine.

This is actually a wine my wife bought me for an anniversary gift. There is a really great 'boutique' wine store here in Delaware that I really don't get too that often (Moore Brothers), but when I do, I love to look around for something I've never tried before. This time I was looking for a decently priced Pinot Noir. Not sure why, was just hoping to catch a break with this particular variety. Some Pinot Noir wines are very opaque in color, and while this one does have some of that characteristic, it is a bit fuller looking. The one thing I noticed about this wine as it has been sitting here for ten minutes, is that when I'm within a few inches of the glass, I can already get a feel for the aroma. I'm not really sure I can quite place the smell, and I'm also not sure I really like it. Anyway, on to the more important aspect for me, the taste..... Well, at least I know I didn't find that wine that knocked my socks off. It is good enough, but the taste just doesn't wow me. Overall, just too thin for my liking. I'll be the first to admit I'm a horrible judge of a good Pinot Noir, but what I do know is what I like to drink, and I'm not sure I'd spend anther $25 on this one. I would guess some people would point to a review like this as my lack of real wine tasting experience, and that's OK, I'm just trying to find good wines at a good price, and this one just doesn't make the cut.

Rating: 2.75 corks (Try the Angeline instead!)

Ten Lakes - Merlot

2011-11-10T19:59:00.004-05:00

Price: $14.99
Region: Sonoma Valley, CA
Year: 2008

I knew I was going to try and put aside some time to write a new review tonight, but this was definitely not the wine I had intended to review. I was planning on reviewing a bottle of Pinot Noir that we had the weekend before Halloween, but when I got home from work today, my wife had opened this bottle of Ten Lakes Merlot for dinner, so as I sit here and have another glass, it seemed a bit silly not to review this wine. This is the one problem with having a few bottles tucked away in the basement, is that a bottle usually gets opened on Thursday night, along with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I guess now that I say that, it isn't really a problem at all.

As I sit here and take a look at this wine, it is a bit darker red then some of the more middle of the road Merlots I am used to buying. It really is does have a deep, dark red color one would usually attribute to a California Cab or an Argentinian Malbec. To go along with that color, it also has a really great aroma. This is where it part ways from some of the bolder reds, but it enjoyable all the same. I' having a little trouble placing the smell, but I would say it is a good mix between fruity and floral. So, finally as I take another sip, the one word that comes to mind is consistent. It isn't a wine that jumps out at you, but I can taste the suttle hint of blackberries, without the heavy Cab tannins. This isn't a wine I would order with a juicy Fillet Mignon, but with a bit lighter fare, it would go quite nice. Not a whole lot to complain about with this wine, so if you're in the mood for a different Merlot then the standard choices, give it a try.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Definitely worth trying!)

Root:1 - Carmenere

2011-10-27T20:29:00.003-04:00

Price: $10.99
Region: Chile
Year: 2009

Ok, so the new improved design of my blog lasted a week. Maybe I'll just change it up more often, but I'll go with this one for now. Tonight is a live review. My wife had opened a bottle of wine for dinner tonight, so I just figured I'd sit down and write about it. This is an interesting one for sure in that it isn't your run of the mill grape. This wine is primarily Carmenere and its from Chile. I actually think this grape was blended with the Cabernet Franc I had last week, but I'd have to go look at the bottle to be 100% sure. Anyway, I really wasn't sure what to expect, so here goes.

This wine had a dark red color to it that faded a bit as it got out to the edges. It was definitely a little clearer as it worked its way out. As I sit here and give the wine a swirl and a long sniff, I sense a bit of an earthy wine with a little bit of flowers mixed in. If I had to compare it to a mainstream grape, I would say it tends to have the aroma more like a Merlot. I really have no idea if this grape leans more towards that or something a bit more bold, but that is what first comes to mind. As I take a sip, I still get the earthy impression, with just a touch of tartness. What pops into my mind is that it is a bit thin, and lacks that smooth flavor and chewy tannins, but it is pleasant just the same. It is a good change of pace, but not something I would go back to very often.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Not a standout!)

Oveja Negra - Cabernet Fanc

2011-10-22T11:34:00.003-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Chile
Year: 2008

I know it has been way too long since I wrote my last review. My backlog is piling up for sure. To be honest though, I had been getting a little bored of the site, and needed a little break. So, what I decided to do today was change things up a bit with a little design face lift. Hopefully you like the new format, but if not, feel free to comment and let me know. A FB like every now and again would hurt either :) So, as I said, I have plenty of wines to get to. It appears every other one in my book however is a Malbec, so I think I need to get out of that rut. Therefore, this week I am going to write about a Cabernet Franc I had recently. I'm not expert on the grape, but it seems to me to be primarily a grape used to blend along with other big reds (Meritage). Every once in a while though, I'll find a wine that is primarily Cabernet Franc. And when I do, I have rarely been disappointed.

My wife actually came home with a few wines a couple of weeks ago, and this Cabernet Franc just happened to be in the group. I was quite surprised, but definitely looking forward to giving it a try. I really loved the look of this wine as I poured it into my glass. It was a very consistent dark purple color. It was a couple of minutes before I gave the wine a smell as I was really enjoying the sight of this wine. A little surprisingly, it was not as bold a smell as the color would have made me think. It had a good mix of dark fruit smells, but just a bit faint. As I took a sip, the taste hit me upfront, and really didn't fade away until the back of the tongue. It was very consistent, with great balance and a yummy taste. It was definitely a smooth wine, and the winning streak continues with this grape. I really don't think I have had a a bad Cabernet Franc yet. Just makes you wonder why there aren't more on store shelves.

Rating: 3.5 corks (Yummy!)

Pennywise - Merlot

2011-09-22T20:34:00.002-04:00

Price: $12
Region: Napa
Year: 2009

As is usually the case, I have a nice little backlog of wines to review. This is my attempt to get through a few of them by writing more then one every other week. I think two a week would be a good clip and get me caught up relatively soon. On another note, someone (not to be named) keeps telling me I use the word "nice" way too much in my reviews. Therefore, I'm banning the word until further notice. This particular bottle of wine was sitting on the counter one Friday night when I returned from work with a bags of hamburgers and fries from 5 Guys. There was actually a couple of other bottles to choose from that night, but this just seem to be the best fit.

At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary about this wine. It wasn't overly rich or dark in color, but was kind of middle of the road. I would say a typical looking merlot. I will say as I gave the glass a swirl, and held it up for a sniff, it was a little bit light for my liking. It was OK, and definitely not bad, but again, nothing special. After a couple of bites of my burger, I took a sip, and found the wine had pretty good balance, and a generally pleasant upfront taste, but just lacked something when it came to the finish. Overall it was not a bad wine, but ended up being a little tart on the back of the tongue. Given it wasn't and "under $10" bottle of wine, although I would assume some could find it at a better price then I did, I would just have to say there are better values out there. (and I don't think I used the word nice)

Rating: 2.75 corks (Doesn't stand out)

Vina Zaco - Tempranillo

2011-09-08T20:07:00.003-04:00

Price: $15
Region: Spain
Year: 2007

It is another one of those weeks where I had a review all set to sit down and write, and then I decided to open a bottle of wine for dinner tonight, so I figured it was better to review what was freshest in my mind (and on my palette). This is a bottle we had actually bought for last weekend (Labor Day '11), but with baseball tournaments, and just general chaos, it never got opened. So, after a short week at work, I decided to start the weekend early (not sure how that adds up, but work for me). We were having meatball sandwiches for dinner, and now a bottle of Tempranillo as well.

It was kind of hectic when I got home, so I didn't have as much time as I usually do to sit down and take good notes. As I sit here though with my 2nd glass, this wine has a generally pleasant appearance, that is a bit light, but expected for this grape. it is the kind of wine you can just barely see through when you give it a swirl. On top of that, it has a very nice aroma. It just reminds me a little of fresh cut flowers when I hold it up to my nose to smell. When it comes to the taste, it start off very nice, and stays consistent on the tongue. When I usually use the word 'acidity' to describe a wine, I tend to use it in a negative way, but not here. The one thing that comes to mind is this wine has a nice balance of acidity. It isn't a big bold red, but it is a wine I could enjoy on a regular occasion. I was just label it a smooth, easy drinking wine that is easy to enjoy.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Very enjoyable)

Santa Julia Reserve - Malbec

2011-08-23T20:34:00.004-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Argentina
Year: 2009

Wow, it really has been a long time since my last review. It must be the time of year with vacation, and the kids being out of school, but whatever the case, I always seem to fall off in the months of July and August. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things starting now. As is usually the case, I certainly do not have a lack of wines to write about as I've made sure to keep up with my weekly purchases and note taking.

So, the one thing I have really noticed recently is that I have been leaning towards grabbing a Malbec whenever I am in doubt of what to buy. I really have quite a few I could review, but I decided to pick one that I had recently and was fairly fresh in my mind. This was one actually that my wife picked out one Friday evening. She was making burritos, so it was a fairly casual dinner with what we were hoping was a nice bottle of wine. When I poured my first glass, the adjective that immediately came to mind was "grapey". This wine really did have a hue that reminded me of grape jelly, but just a little bit darker. When I went to give the glass a swirl, and take in the smell, I immediately noticed a very bold aroma. As strong as it was, it was also very pleasant. It was really quite nice I then took a sip, and tasted a very smooth and consistent wine that really had a nice blackberry flavor. The taste really had good length, and there just wasn't much to complain about. For about $10, this one is really worth a try.

Rating: 3.5 corks (I'm liking Malbec these days)

Wine Men of Gotham - Shiraz/Grenache

2011-07-14T20:38:00.003-04:00

Price: $8.99
Region: South Australia
Year: 2008

Was a little bit of a late day at work today, so decided to stop on my way home and grab a bottle of wine. I knew there was just some pizza waiting for me, so I wasn't planning on breaking the bank. I do have a couple of other wine to write up, but since I am sitting down at the computer with a glass of wine, it seems more appropriate to review this wine tonight. I didn't spend much time browsing around the store as it was already late. I actually was looking for a Zinfandel, but ended up wandering over into the Shiraz aisle. I try to avoid the wines with the little signs in front of them with a particular rating, but this wine just caught my eye. It was a Shiraz/Grenache blend from South Australia for only $9, with an interesting name. I guess sometimes that's half the battle. My wife has been spoiling me lately with 15 - 20 dollar bottles of wine, but it was time I tried to find another gem under $10.

I poured myself a glass and sat down with my ham and pineapple pizza. The wine had a definite red hue about it, but was just a bit faint. Nothing dire for sure, but something I did notice. The wine had a very earthy smell to it, with a touch of black licorice. I know some people love that smell and even taste, but I am not once of them. Black licorice to me is not something I want in my wine, but obviously that just a personal preference. As I took a sip (and as I take a sip now), it doesn't have much upfront taste, but kind of goes right to the back of the tongue. It is a touch tart and not quite as smooth of some other Australian wines in this price range. Nothing really stands out about this wine. it really isn't bad, but I have tasted a lot of Australian Shiraz at around this price point that I would go back to before this one.

Rating: 2.25 corks (Next)

Fabre Montmayou - Malbec

2011-06-30T20:30:00.004-04:00

Price: $20
Region: Argentina
Year: 2009

Nothing too out of the ordinary this week. When I got home from work on Friday it was a choice between this bottle of Malbec from Argentina, and another red from Chile. I think both were right around $20, but I didn't ask, so I'm not 100% sure. I'm fairly certain they weren't any more expensive though. I had stopped and grabbed a few pizzas for dinner, so I sat down with my glass of wine and slice of pizza ready to enjoy a nice relaxing Friday evening.

When I poured a glass, I immediately noticed the deep, dark red color. Definitely the kind of wine I like pour into my glass. I enjoyed the sight for a few seconds, and gave the glass a nice swirl. The aroma that followed was really very nice. It was kind of smell that made you take notice, but was not overpowering. I went back for a little more before taking a sip. When I did finally take a sip, I tasted a wine that was very smooth, with really good balance. It was a touch spicy, but more towards the taste of a Cab then a Shiraz. I think the aroma had me hoping for a bit more, but not too much to complain about with this wine. You can find similarly good wines for a little less, but I don't think it will leave you disappointed.

Rating: 3.5 corks (Wonderful aroma)

Pine Ridge Forefront - Cabernet Blend

2011-06-23T20:33:00.004-04:00

Price: $20
Region: California
Year: 2008

Wow, it has been a really long time since I've sat down to write a review. This is mostly due to a very busy stretch at work, but I hope that is behind me for the most part now. Anyway, I tried my hardest not to take a hiatus from drinking wine as well, so I definitely have a few to get to. The routine has not changed much, and I usually come home on Friday to a couple of bottles of wine to choose from. This particular weekend my wife picked up this bottle of Pine Ridge Forefront. Besides the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Vognier blend that we like so much, this winery was definitely in the top three that we visited when in Napa a few years ago. This was a visit where we actually had a private cellar tasting right out of the barrel. With some great cheese and crackers to go along, it isn't an experience I'll forget anytime soon. So, when she saw this line from Pine Ridge, knowing that we had never tried it, I wasn't surprised she grabbed a bottle.

We were cooking some burgers on the grill that night, so opening the bottle of Cab seemed an easy choice. This bottle actually has a few other grapes in the mix as well, like Merlot, and Shiraz, but it is mostly Cabernet. The deep dark wine that was sitting in my glass was definitely no surprise. Pine Ridge generally has some nice bold looking red wines. The aroma was right along the same lines. You could almost smell the blackberries. So, when I took a sip, I tasted all of that fruit right up front. This taste didn't fade easily either. It had nice structure, and great length. It was very consistent until it faded on the back of the tongue. There really wasn't much to not like about this wine except that it was a little more than I like to spend for a normal Friday night, but it was worth putting up a couple of extra dollars for a nice treat.

Rating: 3.5 corks (A solid bottle of Cab)

Pirouette - Red Blend

2011-05-18T20:20:00.003-04:00

Price: $55
Region: Washington
Year: 2006

Interestingly enough as I sit down to write the review for this wine, I am enjoying a glass of the wine I reviewed last week. We liked the bottle of Petite Petit so much that we went out an purchased another bottle last weekend. ..and it was still just as good. Anyway, this wine is definitely an anomaly when it comes to my usually reviews. It was actually a gift I received a month or so ago that I saved for something better then take out burgers. So, one Saturday we decided to order sushi, and it seemed like a good time give this one a try. Since this bottle of wine is north of $50, I had a little higher expectations then my normal $10 - $15 weekend bottle.

This wine is actually a Bordeaux type blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Two weeks in a row I had a wine mixed with Petit Verdot, which I'm sure is a record for me. When I sat down with a glass, I noticed a very nice purplish wine in my glass. When I gave my glass a swirl and lifted it up to my nose, it was very nice. it wasn't anything I could put my finger on, but it was nice nonetheless. So, before I took my first bite of sushi, I took a nice slow sip of wine. What I tasted was definitely more complex then what I was used to. There were a couple of different fruit flavors that hit me right away, with a touch of vanilla in the middle and a little bit of spice to finish things off. That being said, the structure and feel of the wine was very consistent and enjoyable. So, bottom line was a thought this was a very good wine, and a bit different, it definitely was not one I would spend over $50 for.

Rating: 3.5 corks (A bit too much $)

Michael David - Petite Petit

2011-05-04T20:18:00.003-04:00

Price: $18
Region: Lodi, California
Year: 2008

I went for a good stretch of reviews without adding a new wine to my top 5 list. This ended a few weeks back with the Cruz Alta Cabernet Sauvignon. There was really a lot to like about that wine, including the price. I know I am going to give it away early, but it didn't take too long to find another. It could very well be the fact that when my wife goes out and buys wine for the weekend, she usually stays under $20, while I was zeroing in on the under $15 bottles. While it might not seem like a big difference, I have noticed that the wines I choose to pass on are fewer when getting into the $15 - $20 range.

When I got home and there were a couple of bottles sitting on the counter, and this one just jumped out at me. I would think that most likely has to do with the interesting label, but I was also intrigued by the blend. This wine is 85% Petite Shiraz, and %15 Petit Verdot. While we will regularly pick up a bottle of Petite Shiraz, I won't pretend I know a whole lot about Petit Verdot. Based on the primary grape in this blend, I was not shocked to see a very deep red wine pour into my glass. It was already right up my alley, and the kind of wine I really just enjoying looking at in my glass. Not enough to leave it there too long, but it works for a little bit anyway. The aroma was also in line with what I would expect, with a nice floral bouquet. When I sat down with my dinner and took a sip of this wine, I was impressed with a nice bold upfront flavor that was really quite smooth. You could really taste the blackberry, but also right in the middle was a touch of pepper. Those aren't the type of things I usually notice, but as I took another sip, I definitely tasted it again.. This wine was very well balanced, and just kind of lingered on the back of the tongue. This is the kind of wine I'd definite buy again, and was one my my enjoyed as well. I probably would have rated it a bit higher, but I have to take into consideration the price it a bit higher than I would spend on a weekly wine, but good thing my wife is buying these days.

Rating: 4.25 corks (A really good wine)

Montes Alpha - Cebernet Auvignon

2011-04-21T20:12:00.003-04:00

Price: $20
Region: Chile
Year: 2007

I debated which wine review to write tonight because I really had a very good wine last weekend that I wanted to get to, but since I missed my review last week, I decided to get to one that I had two weekends ago. I tend to skip wines whenever I miss a week, and I didn't want to end up forgetting about this one. I'm going to try and make some time this weekend to write about the one from this past weekend. Anyway, as has been the case for a whole lot of weekends in a row, my wife had a couple of bottle of wine on the counter when I got home from work on Friday. She's kind of been on a South American kick lately, and this weekend was no different.This Cabernet from Chile was a bit more than I would look to spend on a wine for a normal weekend, but the one thing I like about my wife picking the wines out each week is that the tend to be further away from $10, then they do closer. I've found however, that doesn't always necessarily mean a better wine.

Not that I worry too much about pairing wine on Friday night, since we mostly get take-out, but this one went along nicely with the hamburgers from Five-Guys. As seems to be the case with the South American wines I have had lately, this wine was super dark. It had very little red tint to it, and poured into the glass with a dark purple demeanor. I started to get familiar with the heavy fruit (like black cherry) smell of a Cabernet, this one seem to hit me with a more earthy and floral aroma. It was really quite nice. I really did not have much to complain about at this point, and was also very happy when I took a sip. It had a nice bold upfront taste, and was very consistent right up to the end. It had good length and fairly chewy tannins. overall I was quite pleased, but I kept going back to the price. At $10 - $12, this wine would be a home run for sure, but at $20, I just think there are better buys out there.

Rating: 3.25 corks (Can find one just as good for a better price)

Cruz Alta - Cabernet Sauvignon

2011-04-07T20:17:00.003-04:00

Price: $13
Region: Argentina
Year: 2009

The far majority of the wine reviews I have written over the past 2+ years have been ones I've opened over the weekend, jotted down some notes in my wine journal, and reviewed the following week. Every once in a while, I get to sit down with a glass of wine I just poured, and write about it on the fly. That just happens to be what I decided to do tonight. I usually only have wine (or sometimes beer) on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Tonight as I was driving home however, it was just one of those days that seemed like a good day to break from the norm. So, I opened a bottle of wine that my wife bought for me last weekend that I didn't get around to opening.

I was a bit late getting home from work today, so I had a little dinner by myself. I was enjoying a nice plate of pasta bake when I poured myself a glass of this Cabernet from Argentina. I'll tell you, wines don't get too much darker red than this one. It really is almost black it is so dark. When I went to give this wine a swirl, and take a sniff, I got a nose full of a really nice aroma. I've never been really great at having a particular smell stand out when I smell a wine, but I do get just a hint of coffee in this one. I really do not like the taste of coffee, but I sometimes enjoy the smell. So far I was fairly impressed. Then, when I took a sip, I realized this was one of those fairly inexpensive wines that really gets it right. It had a very nice upfront ripe fruit taste, with really good length and a smooth finish. I took another quick sip to make sure it was as good as I thought the first time around, and I was not disappointed. It has really been a while since I found a wine that cracked my top 5, but I think I just found one.

Rating: 4.5 corks (Grab a bottle and try for yourself)

Mandu - Shiraz

2011-03-31T20:23:00.004-04:00

Price: $13
Region: Australia
Year: 2006

When I got home last Friday, a couple of more wines were sitting on the counter for me to choose from. While my wife knows I love a good Shiraz, when it comes to the darker reds, she tends to pick out a Cab more often than a Shiraz. Well, this particular week there was one of each. I will try to get to the Shiraz review in the next couple of days, but I tried this Australian Cabernet first. I had never seen this particular wine before, but I think it has to do with the fact we shop at different wine stores with a slightly different selection, which actually happens to be a good thing. Anyway, I was happy to see an something different, so I couldn't wait to sit down and have a glass.

We actually did not have takeout on this particular Friday, but were having homemade crab cakes instead (it is Lent). So, as I sat down to dinner, I poured myself a glass, and immediately noticed the wine was a bit lighter than I would have expected. Not the end of the world, but definitely noticeable. When I gave the glass a swirl, and took a few sniffs, again it was a bit faint, but it did have a very nice aroma. It wasn't the usually bold Cabernet, but had a pleasant floral smell to it. So far I was not 'wowed', but still had hope for a good wine. I'm not quite sure how to explain what I experienced when I took a sip, but for my liking, it wasn't great. I would have to say, to go with the color, and aroma, it was thin. It really had no texture or tannins to speak of. I have had some very good Australian wines, at very good price points, but in my book, this just wasn't one of them. For $13, I can find a whole list of good Australia wines, but on this one, I'll have to pass.

Rating: 2.25 corks (Would score better at $10)

Jade Mountain - Merlot

2011-03-17T20:17:00.002-04:00

Price: $13
Region: Napa/San Luis Obispo
Year: 2007

Another one of the three bottles my wife bought for me last weekend was this bottle of Jade Mountain Merlot. She always tries to mix it up regarding the type of wine, and a Merlot tends to show up every once in a while. We sat down on a Saturday evening with a salad and some Salmon cakes for dinner and I opened up this bottle of Jade Mountain. I can't say that I had ever come across a bottle from this winery before, so I was interested in giving it a try.

The first thing I noticed when I poured my first glass that it had a very 'grapey' look to it. it almost looked exactly like grape jelly to me. It had good clarity and was nice and dark, but I definitely noticed the look of grape. When I gave the wine a good swirl, and brought it up to my nose, I thought it had a very distinct aroma. It wasn't overpowering, which makes sense for a Merlot, but it had good intensity, with a hint of flowers. so far nothing was standing out, but no red flags either. I took a sip, and thought it was very consistent from beginning to end, but was just a bit light on the taste. The overall flavor was pleasant, but just a little faint for my taste. My general opinion is that is was an acceptable wine, but there are some better ones out there for a couple of dollars less.

Rating: 2.75 corks (Would score better at $10)

Truscott - Old Vine Zinfandel

2011-03-09T20:32:00.002-05:00

Price: $15
Region: Mendocino, CA
Year: 2007

This review is a couple of weeks old, so not as fresh in my mind, but wanted to get to some that I had missed. I especially wanted to get to this wine this wine because I just don't seem to pick up a Zin very often. I think it is a shame too, because when I find a good one, they are a tough wine to beat. Anyway, this particular wine I didn't even pick out myself. My wife has really been picking out some good wines for me lately, so I've left well enough alone. This particular Friday I came home to three new bottles of wine to choose from, and when I saw she had picked out a Zinfandel, I couldn't wait to pop it open.

My usual MO when it comes to Zinfandel is that I go looking specifically for a bottle based on the food we are having. Lots of times I'll pick one up during the summer if we are cooking bar-b-q on the grill. In this case, we were just having hamburgers, but it really sounded good over the Malbec and Merlot she had bought as well. So, I sat down with a glass before dinner to give it a go. This wine was really nice and dark. It had a very good ruby color. It also had a big, bold Zinfandel smell. I find a good Zinfandel is fairly easy to pick out from the distinct aroma. This one definitely had some good earthy smells. So far I was liking my choice. I have definitely gotten this far with a Zinfandel before just have have the taste disappoint. Luckily for me, that was not the case here. This wine was solid upfront, and very consistent throughout. It didn't have a heavy tobacco taste like you get with some Zinfandels, but did have a noticeable cherry-vanilla flavor. This wine was very consistent, with just the right amount of boldness & spiciness. It wasn't an overpowering Zin, but those aren't usually my favorite anyway. This was definitely a solid wine, and is on my repeat purchase list for that first summertime bar-b-q

Rating: 3.25 corks (Solid)

Gumdale Shiraz & Shiraz Reserve

2011-02-20T14:29:00.007-05:00

Price: $6.99 / $10.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2009 / 2008

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Jamaica, and trying to catch up on some reviews from before my trip. I had the idea to do a double-review right before I left as I had tasted two versions of the Gumdale Shiraz within a couple of days of each other. My wife had bought a couple of bottles of wine for me the week before last. We had a couple of friends over one Friday night, and when Saturday came around, I needed another bottle for dinner. Since I had just had the regular Gumdale Shiraz, it was interesting when someone pointed out this bottle of Gumdale Reserve, so I decided to give it a try. As I was paging through my wine notebook, I decided to write the notes down for the Reserve next to the regular Shiraz and do a comparison review. So, here goes...

Regular:
Even though I started this blog to review bottles under $15, I rarely buy wines that are much less that $10. Something about a $7 bottle of wine just makes me hesitate. When people come up to me and say you have to try this wine or that wine, and it is between $5 - $7, I usually pass. This has been the case with Gumdale Shiraz on more than one occasion. I have seen many good reviews, and the employees at my favorite wine store have recommended it many times. Since this one my wife actually bought for me, I guessed it was about time I gave it a try. This wine had very good clarity, but a bit on the light/clear side for a Shiraz. Along those same lines, the aroma was ab it faint. I could definitely pick up hints of earthiness, but they were definitely int he background. When I took a sip, the one word that came to mind was consistent. The taste went right along with the color and smell. Really not bad at all, but just not as bold as I like my Australian Shiraz.

Rating: 2.75 corks (Not bad for $7)

Reserve:
As I found myself in the Shiraz aisle once again (just what I've been in the mood for lately), I just couldn't make up my mind. I was asked if I need some help, and I gave my usual "just looking" response, as that is really half the fun for me. As he started to walk away, he pointed to this bottle of Gumdale Reserve, and said "that is a great value". So, as I mentioned above, I said "why not"? The color of this wine was much darker then the regular offering, which maybe wasn't much of a surprise. The aroma on the other hand, still lacked that stand up and take notice kind of smell. Again, not bad, just not very strong in my opinion. As is usually the case, it was all going to boil down to the taste. The extra flavor in the wine was apparent from the get go. It was just a bit smoother, with wonderful length and very good structure. As the wine still was very well priced, I would say it is definitely worth the four extra dollars for my money.

Rating: 3.25 corks (Worth the extra $$)

Penfolds - Thomas Hyland Shiraz

2011-02-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

Price: $12.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2008

Wow, post number 100!! Not sure it has quite been 100 reviews, but am very close. I do however, need to get on a better wine review schedule. I am just leaving out too many good wines (and I guess some not so good ones as well). I already had a bottle wine for Saturday night dinner that my wife had picked out for me, but decided to save that for another time. The reason was, I was really in the mood for a bottle of Shiraz. So, as I went to pick up a buffalo chicken wrap for dinner, I stopped next door to grab a bottle of wine. As I mentioned, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to grab a bottle of Shiraz, however, as I was walking towards that section, I almost stopped and grabbed a bottle of Yellowtail Malbec, but thought better of it and kept walking (maybe another time). As I browsed the Shiraz section, I spotted this bottle of Penfolds. It had been a while since I have had a bottle, and I always seemed to enjoy their wine from what I could remember, so I thought it was a good opportunity to become reacquainted.

As I sat down with my dinner, I poured myself a glass. For those that have followed along with most of my reviews, you'll know I I love the color of a good Shiraz, and this was no different. A very nice dark red wine filled my glass. I was also quite impressed with the aroma. As I gave it a few swirls, a very pleasant smell came out of the glass. There was a hint of spice that just made me anticipate the flavor that much more. As I went to take a sip, it hit me right away with a wonderful fruit forward taste. This wine was a bit young, but I'm pretty sure that is by design. It had a nice balance of fruit, reminiscent of blackberry, and a touch of earthy undertone. It was consistently smooth from beginning to end, and really hit the spot. A really great value for $13, and I'm glad I went back to visit the Penfolds brand.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Excellent Value)

Courtney Benham - Merlot

2011-01-23T22:03:00.003-05:00

Price: $15
Region: Napa Valley
Year: 2008

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a lot of wines to get to. I tend to write about those that are most fresh in my mind, but when ends up happening is that a lot of the wines I've tried, and intend on reviewing, get lost in the shuffle. So, as I sat down for my second review of the night, I started to write about another wine I had this weekend, but decided at the last second to change gears and review a wine from last week. This particular wine I had actually bought so for my wife who was heading over to a friends house, but found out at the last second that they had gone out an bought a few bottles as well, so this was one mine to keep (or drink).

I have had a couple of wine from this winery, that usually turn out to be pretty darn good. I believe they have Angeline and Martin Ray in their lineup as well. I had never had the Courtney Benham Merlot, and as it is a little more than I usually buy for my weekend wines, it was still only $15. What caught me by surprise was how dark red this wine was when first poured. It came out as a very bold looking wine. Then I gave the glass a swirl, and noticed a very nice floral smell. At this point I was fairly impressed and really looking forward to having a taste. I definitely was not disappointed. I know a lot of people view Merlot as a boring, middle of the road kind of wine that lacks the style of a lot of other reds, but this wine was very interesting, with good structure, and a very consistent flavor. I really enjoyed this wine, and will look for other offerings from this vineyard.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Very Nice)

Chilenesis - Cabernet Sauvignon

2011-01-23T18:54:00.003-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Chile
Year: 2009

Wow, do I have a lot of wines to get to. I've had a good variety of wines lately, with some very good ones, and so kind of middle of the road. I picked this one because I happen to be having a glass right now. My wife has kind of gotten into a habit of stopping by the wine store on Friday afternoons and picking out a couple of bottles of wine for the weekend for us to share. She always tries to stay within the guidelines of buying wine that is $15 or under so that I can use it in my blog, and this was no exception. This weekend she happened to buy 3 bottles, and I will try to get to the other bottle we tried a little later tonight, but for now, I'm going to write about this bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

As you would expect with a Cab from Chile, when this wine it sitting in the glass, it truly has a deep dark red look about it. Definitely no surprise there. When I give the glass a swirl, and take a sniff however, I get a unique aroma. It smells just a little bit tart, but the overriding smell is one of berries. Mostly notably blackberries, but again, just a bit tart. So, when I go to take a sip, i am expecting a rather fruit forward flavor, but the flavor that hits me, and just won't go away is one of vanilla. The flavor doesn't really hit until it gets to the back of the tongue, and then there is still a bit of tartness, but really not bad. I was expecting a little smoother wine, as I had enjoyed some very good values out of Chile. This one isn't bad, but not the top of my list. Worth a try if you like the taste of vanilla in your wine.

Rating: 2.75 corks (Not my favorite, but not bad)

Lan - Rioja

2010-12-31T13:01:00.004-05:00

Price: $17.00
Region: Spain
Year: 2006

My last post of 2010. I was hoping to get to about 40 done this year, and fell a bit short, but still another fun year of trying and reviewing a lot of new wines. I have a whole lot of reviews written down from over the Christmas holiday, but I decided to go with another gift from my wife from the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2010. I forget exactly where this was on the list, but I'm fairly certain it was between 40 and 50. From the title, it is easy to determine we are talking about a wine from the La Rioja region of Spain. This wine is made up of about 80% Tempranillo. It falls a little bit about the $15 range, but not much. I really enjoyed the Malbec that also found its way on the Top 100 list, so I was hoping for a repeat experience.

There was nothing special going on when I decided to open this bottle of wine. To me, sometimes that is the best time to open a new bottle. No expectations, just wanted to sit down with a fire in the fireplace, and experience a new wine. There was no surprise when I poured a glass and saw a deep dark red wine in my glass. I have had some really good Spanish wines over the last couple of years, so my expectations were high. I gave a glass a rather long swirl, and took a couple of short sniffs. While the wine had a very nice berry smell, it was a bit faint in my opinion. With such a bold color, and the reputation of this grape, I was hoping for a little more umph. When I took a sip, I had the same impression. It was a very smooth wine, with great texture, and length, but just lacked a little boldness. Maybe expectations were a bit too high, but overall I thought it was a touch thin. That definitely doesn't take away from a very good wine, but just a little off the mark for me.

P.S. I updated my list of default wines since it tends to change over time. I added the Angeline Pinot Noir that I reviewed in May - http://winereviewsyoucanunderstand.blogspot.com/2010/05/angeline-pinot-noir.html - Good Stuff!

Rating: 3.0 corks (Worth a try)

Durigutti - Malbec

2010-12-18T10:54:00.005-05:00

Price: $15
Region: Argentina
Year: 2008

I really love this time of year. There are the obvious reasons of the Christmas season, but there are surely wine reasons as well. We attended a recent wine tasting at a local wine shop, and did a lot of browsing for a couple of bottles of our Christmas wines. We have a brunch each year on Christmas day, and I like to have a couple of nice bottles of wine, even though it is fairly early in the day. It just gives me a good excuse to take a little nap in the early afternoon. This year will be no different, and I'll do my best to review them come January. Another reason I love this time of year is that my wife always picks me up the Wine Spectator top 100 wines of the year. I don't read Wine Spectator at any other time of the year, but I enjoy sitting down in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine and casually reading this edition. On top of the magazine this year, my wife also grabbed a couple of bottles that were on the list and under $20. so, since I had a couple of new wines to try, I thought I try one an write about it here.

While I had 3 to choose from, I ended up picking the Malbec first, as it was just the kind of mood I was in. We happen to be having take-out hamburgers again, which is almost becoming a Friday night staple. Not quite sure if that is a good thing, but that's another story. Not surprisingly, when I poured a glass, I saw a very dark red wine in my glass. It really had a rich looking quality to it, and just right up my alley. Now, I gave a glass a few swirls, and took in the smell. It was not overpowering, but the word that came to mind is smooth. That is something I usually associate with a velvety tasting Cab, but this wine just had a nice consistent smell to it. When it came to having a taste, the word that again popped in my head was consistent. It had a great upfront flavor, which was a bit smokey, but continued right through to the back of my mouth, with nice length. This wine was really quite tasty. Now, I usually try to stay away from wines that already carry with them a great review, and being on the top 100 list of 2010 definitely carries classifies, but it was easy to see why this wine made the cut. It really had it all, including a very reasonable price. This was one of the better wines I've had this year for sure.

Rating: 375 corks (Top 100 for a reason)

Glen Ellen - Chardonnay

2010-12-04T16:07:00.002-05:00

Price: $8
Region: California
Year: 2009

I actually and just about to get ready to head to a wine tasting tonight, and had a few minutes so thought it was a good time to write another review. I have two wines from last week, but I thought I would start with one of the wines that was sent to me a couple of Fridays ago. There were two 1.5L bottles of red, and this bottle of Chardonnay. If you go back over my 2+ years of reviews, the white wines are few and far between. Interestingly enough, I have another one ready to go from two weeks ago that I have not gotten around to yet. Even though we usually buy a white every week for my wife, I usually only have a taste. Since I knew I was going to be reviewing this, I sat down with a glass, some spinach dip, and my wine journal to give it a try.

While I don't find it that difficult to see the variety of sight differences between red wines, I tend to lump white wines into two categories. There are those pure white wines, that have very little color at all, and then there are some with a bit of a yellowish tint. Now, I'm sure there are those that would say there is much more to it that that, I'm sticking with that for now. This wine definitely had a bit of a yellow tint to it. I really gave this one a good swirl to try and conjure up as much of the smell as I could, and I was pretty impressed. This wine had a nice floral aroma about it that was definitely not overpowering. When it comes to white wines, there are few that I love, but I must say I tend to stay away from Chardonnay. My general impression is that I will get a very dry wine, and when I do choose a white over a red, I look for something a bit more on the fruity side. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as I took a sip, and was bracing myself, I was actually quite surprised that this wine had a very crisp flavor with a pleasant hint of pear. It did not have a bad aftertaste, but went down smooth, and was quite enjoyable. I only had the one glass as my wife enjoyed it as well, and I had a nice looking red standing by just calling my name. I think we will add it to the list of white wines that we buy as a little change of pace from our typical Chenin Blanc.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Not what I would call typical, but pretty tasty)

Glen Ellen - Petite Syrah (Magnum)

2010-11-27T09:23:00.004-05:00

Price: ~$10
Region: California
Year: 2007

If I said this review was a departure from my normal process, that would be a rather large understatement. I have been writing this blog for close to three years now, and for anyone who has run across my reviews in that time, you will know that the original intent of this blog was twofold. First, it was really hard to find any reviews that I could really relate to. The exotic flavors and smells that were described in the reviews I would read, just didn't coincide with what I experienced when drinking wine. Second, I wanted to focus on wines that were in a reasonable price range. That is primarily because those are the wines I buy, but also because I know there are some good bargains to be found out there. Interestingly enough, I have been pleasantly surprised with the number of views that my blog has received over the pas three years. Nothing spectacular, but enough to keep me interested in writing each week (my goal anyway). So, as I posted a new review a few week back, I received an inquiry as to whether I would be interested in receiving a few "media samples" of wine to taste and review. While I was completely caught off guard, I wasn't about to say no. A few days later a couple of bottles of Glen Ellen wine showed up on my doorstep, and luck would have it, I had not tried any of them, so they are a perfect fit for me to review. I decided that if I ever receive samples of wine for my blog again, I will review that wine along with my weekly review. So, here I am writing my 2nd review this week.

Now, since this is a bit of a departure from the norm, I am completely aware that my integrity is coming into play, but here goes. As I sat down on Friday evening with a hamburger from my kid's favorite Friday night takeout place, I poured a glass of Glen Ellen Petit Syrah. I would say it was was a touch light for this grape, but good color nonetheless. When I gave the glass a swirl, the aroma was much more in line with the Petite Syrah wines I have had in this price range. While for me, the wine I always go back to is the Bogle Petite Syrah, this wine was not noticeably lacking in this area. Now, it was time to give it a taste. One thing I noticed right away was that it was actually quite smooth, and although it was more in line with the color, meaning it was a little light for a Petite Syrah, it has a pretty good overall flavor. Considering this bottle was a magnum (1.5L), the value was even better. I would say this is a solid choice if you are having some friends over for a party, and need to find a good tasting wine at a reasonable price.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Good taste, even better value)

Terra Alta Ludovicus - Red Blend

2010-11-27T08:54:00.005-05:00

Price: $12
Region: Spain
Year: 2009

This wine came courtesy of my wife again, who really tries to make sure she picks a bottle that I have not tried before, so that I can write about it here. One of the advantages she has, is that she usually has a good idea what's for dinner on Sunday night when we get together with her parents. This particular Friday, there was a small wine tasting, and she mentioned to the person giving out samples, that she was looking for something to go with a chicken and sweet potato stew. He recommended this bottle from Spain, that is actually a blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. There was been few Spanish wine that I really did not care for, so I was looking forward to dinner on Sunday.

I opened the bottle a bit before dinner, as I usually do, and I sat down with my wine journal to make some notes. Given the grapes that are blended to make up this wine, I was hardly surprised to find a very dark wine. It definitely had a grape jam look about it. Part of what I am definitely trying to get away from is making any assumptions about a wine just by sight. I'm getting better for sure, but I slipped a little with this wine, as I was expecting something along the lines of a Cab or Syrah. It had a very pleasant aroma, but I thought it was a bit tart. I'm not quite sure the percentage of each wine, at least i didn't write it down, but if it is based on the order they were listed, it makes sense that it would lean toward the Garnacha or Tempranillo, both of which I'm a little less familiar with. As I tasted this wine, the tartness that I came across in the aroma, was nowhere to be found. This wine was very smooth, with a good flavor from start to finish. I would say it fell on the side of being a bit lighter than I expected, but again, this where I need to try and experience what the wine is, instead of thinking what it should be. I will say, it went well with the delicious chicken and sweet potato stew. Not a bad way end the weekend.

Rating: 3.25 corks (Something a little different, and worth a try)

Alexander Valley - Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-11-08T21:25:00.003-05:00

Price: $17
Region: California
Year: 2007

This has probably been the longest streak of not reviewing a wine online since I started writing my blog back in 2008. Definitely not a habit I want to get into. A few different things happened recently that made me carve out some time for a new entry. First, while reading one of my wine-a-day calendar entries, I was reminded why I started writing this blog to begin with. It was one of those reviews that I just don't get. This one happened to point out the subtle taste of pencil shavings in a particular Cabernet. I'll be the first to admit that I have a limited array of flavors I usually pick up on when tasting a wine, but pencil shavings has never been one of them. To be honest, if I ever do taste pencil shavings in a wine, it will be time to move on to some other topic. The second thing that happened was the change of seasons. I'm not quite sure where late Summer or even early Fall disappeared to, but not much motivates me more to enjoy a glass of wine then a cracking fire on a brisk fall even, especially as it gets close to the holidays. Lastly, as my wife picked up my son from school, she stopped by the store to pick me up a bottle one Friday afternoon, as I was running late. Being the considerate person he seems to be turning into, he insisted on using allowance to by me a special bottle of wine so that I could write about it in my blog. So, this so happens to be that bottle. While I tried my best to remain open to either enjoying this wine, or not, I can't help but think my final verdict was a bit tainted, but I did my best nonetheless.

I had this wine the weekend before last, and I believe it was with an Italian dish my wife had made for Sunday dinner. As I poured a glass to have before dinner started, I noticed a wine with a soft grape color. It was a little different than a typical Cab, but sometimes something a little different is welcome. As I gave the glass a swirl, and took in the aroma, I wasn't at all surprised to find a very pleasant, fruity smell, that I would again have to describe as soft, and not over-powering. I then went to take a sip, and the taste that immediately came to mind was blackberries. Again, the flavor wasn't bold, but subtle. It also had very good length with a smooth finish. This wasn't a cab that would stand up and command attention, but not one that you would easily forget either. My goal is to not buy a $17 bottle of wine each week, but for a few extra dollars, it it definitely worth a try.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Good choice)

Rio Seco - Malbec

2010-10-14T20:39:00.002-04:00

Price: $14
Region: Argentina
Year: 2008

As I was driving home this past Friday, I knew I already had a half of a bottle of wine waiting for me when I got home. I'll review that bottle another time, but in addition to that bottle, my wife had stopped by the store on her way home from work, and grabbed me this bottle of Malbec. Since I didn't need it Friday, I saved it for Saturday dinner. Saturday ended up being a fairly long day as I took my son and some of his friends to play paintball for his 14th birthday. When I got home, I had a buffalo chicken wrap, and a bottle of Malbec waiting for me. After running around in the woods all day shooting paint at people, it was nice to sit down and relax with a glass of red wine.

Since the big bold red wine are usually my favorite, I was looking forward to giving this one a try. I really have enjoyed most Malbecs that I have tried, so I was hoping this one would be no different. The first glass was poured, and at first sight, I was definitely not disappointed. This wine was very dark, almost like black cherry in color. Things just kept getting better because the aroma was very nice indeed. it had a nice strong fruit smell, and really the black cherry was starting to become a common thread. As I took a sip, I really got the feeling that the wine was very slow to develop. It didn't come right out and hit you, but slowly built up to a wondering flavor with a great finish. As with the smell, I could really taste the fruit in this wine. I really do think black cherry is how I could best describe what I tasted. There was really a lot to like about this wine, so I poured my wife a small glass, and she agreed. This wine is definitely worth a try, but it does seem hard to find a bad Malbec, especially if you put out a couple more dollars and go for one in the $12-$14 range. This one for sure, is worth it.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Gotta try it)

Ercavio - Tempranillo Roble

2010-10-07T20:34:00.002-04:00

Price: $12.99
Region: Spain
Year: 2007

I think I am going to have to take a day off one of these days if I ever want to catch up on my backlog of reviews. I've had a couple of decent wines the last couple of weeks, and I've surely skipped a few that I'd like to review, but it is always easiest for me to pick one that is relatively fresh in my mind, so here goes. I had been to the wine store the weekend before last, and grabbed a couple of extra bottles because I knew work was going to keep me pretty busy during the upcoming week, and wasn't sure if I'd find the time. I walked around for quite a while on Saturday afternoon, and eventually found myself in the Spanish wines aisle. There was a decent sale going on, and for some reason this one caught my eye at a dollar or two off. I've had good success with Tempranillo in the past, so I was hoping to find another gem.

We didn't have anything special for dinner, just a few burgers and fries from our local hamburger joint (5 Guys), but it is always a tasty meal. After a long day of running around for my son's 11th birthday party, I was ready to unwind a bit with a glass of wine. I noticed at first glance, that the wine had a very nice clarity too it. I would say the color was a dark red, but not quite a Cab or Shiraz. As I usually do, I gave the glass a good swirl, and then a few quick sniffs, and found it was a bit fainter than I was expecting. It did however, have an interesting hint of vanilla. I would say it was fairly pleasant, but a little more of the aroma wouldn't have hurt. At this point, I would say I was pretty middle of the road in my expectations. Nothing blew me away yet, but nothing caused a red flag to go up either. When I took a sip, what hit me was the fact the wine had very good length. The taste went from the front of the mouth, all the way to the back of the tongue, and was pretty smooth to boot. I wouldn't say I was jumping up and down over the flavor, but I did notice a bot of the vanilla I smelled earlier. I think it was a bit off of the beaten path, but sometimes that is a good thing. Definitely worth a try if you want to take a break from the same old thing.

Rating: 3.25 corks (Worth a shot)

Jim Jim - Shiraz

2010-09-23T19:47:00.004-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2008

It has unfortunately been a few weeks since I last sat down and wrote a review, and again, it hasn't been for lack of material. One of these days work will slow down, and I'll have a bit more free time to catch up on the backlog. In the meantime, I'm going to stick with what is fresh in my head, and that is a bottle of wine I tasted last Friday night. On my way home from work, I had to stop and pick up my son from one of the first field trips of the school year, so luckily my wife offered to stop by the store and pick me up a bottle of wine or two. On a few recent Fridays, I've stopped at the local convenience store on my way home and grabbed her a bottle of Coke with Lime, and she's stopped and grabbed me some wine. I know I'm the one who always makes out on the deal, but I'm not about to start complaining. She has a pretty good grasp of wines I have not tried yet, and this week was no different. She came home with two different wines that I had yet to try. I was kind of in the mood for a Shiraz, and sure enough she grabbed an Australian Shiraz I had seen on several occasions, but had never picked up. It was time to give Jim Jim a try.

It is obvious from first glance, that the a wine called Jim Jim, with a picture of a dog on the front is going to have some story behind it on the label, and sure enough, it did (I'll let you pick up a bottle to read for yourself). I don't think we had anything too intriguing for dinner, maybe just some sandwiches, but after a long week, I was really just looking forward to a nice glass of wine. Things were starting off on the right foot once I poured a glass. A very dark looking ruby colored wine filled my glass. I was expecting a very strong smelling wine, and while it was very pleasant, it definitely wasn't overpowering. To me, I smelled just a bit of fruit, maybe a little blackberry, but based on the bold color, and a bit of a mellow aroma, I wasn't sure which side the flavor would tend to lean towards. Luckily for me, it was a combination of both. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the wine was for a $10 bottle, and it really had a wonderful flavor, with great length. The taste just lingered on the palette for a few seconds, and then slowly faded. No hint of bitterness in this wine.Jim Jim (I just like saying that) was a real find in my opinion, and if my wife continues to come home with wines like this, I might just let her pick them all out.

Rating: 3.75 corks (One of the better $10 bottles I've had in a while)

Anakena - Ona

2010-08-26T20:28:00.004-04:00

Price: $13.99
Region: Chile
Year: 2008

First, I know the picture is a bit small, but it is the best one I could find. Second, I can't believe I'm actually reviewing a white wine. I'm sure there are lots of people who comes across my blog, who probably think I don't know what I'm talking about, but wait until they see me trying to review a white wine. I actually had a couple different bottles of wine this past weekend, and I hope to get to one in particular, but I just thought it was about time to throw another white into the mix. Usually, if I have a white wine, it ends up being the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier blend. This is on my list of top 5 default wines, and my wife likes it so much we usually pick up a bottle each week. This past weekend was a bit odd in that we were out running errands together, and decided to stop at the wine store. As is typical, my wife picked up a bottle of Pine Ridge, and then asked one of the store employees about a white Chilean wine we had tried at the wine tasting the week before last. They didn't have that particular wine, but picked up this bottle of Anakena Ona, and suggested we give it a try. So, we put it in the basket, grabbed a couple of other things as well, and headed home.

This particular bottle of wine was a Viognier, Riesling, and Chardonnay blend. It is fairly obvious from going through my previous posts, they I'm not a big white wine fan. There are a few I enjoy, and especially with a certain type of food, but given the choice, I'll pick the red every time. One of the major reasons is I just am not a big fan of Chardonnay. This blend kind of intrigued me because of the variations in the grapes. My generalization on white wines is that Riesling is sweet, Viognier is in the middle, and Chardonnay is dry. I know that is a far from always the truth, but assumptions are made lots of time because they start with a grain of truth. Anyway, we opened this bottle to have with some appetizers at Sunday dinner. While I tend to focus a lot on the different shades of red wine, I'm not as picky with white. I will say, this had a nice golden color, and definitely wasn't pale. It also had a nice smell that reminded me a bit of cut flowers. So, at this point, I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I took a sip, it had a nice crisp flavor, that wasn't overpowering, with a bit of pear flavor. I would say the Viognier kind of rounded out the bite of the Chardonnay. I could still taste what I would call the dryness of the Chardonnay, but it wasn't the overriding flavor, and in the end, I thought it wasn't half bad. For me to say that of any wine composed of Chardonnay is a step in the right direction. I did however, quickly open a bottle of Malbec after one glass.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Not a bad white)

Ruta 22 - Malbec

2010-08-19T20:38:00.004-04:00

Price: $13
Region: Chile
Year: 2008

I've been in a bit of a wine review slump lately, but hopefully things are beginning to turn around. It really hasn't been for any reason in particular, and especially not for a lack of material. Last weekend was a bit of change of pace. If you've read any of my previous posts, you'll know Friday evenings are not the "night out on the town" kind of nights for me. A pizza and a new bottle of wine usually does just fine by me. This particular weekend however, my wife's parents bought four tickets to a local wine tasting, and asked us to come along. So, after a nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant, it was off to the wine tasting. This tasting was not at a wine store, so there was not the usual 1.5 oz limit to the servings. This was pretty much a full glass of wine with each pass.

There were two tables est up on each side of the room. One side sat the white wines, and the other the reds. I'm sure you can guess which side of the room I ended up on most of the night. The theme of the night, if you can call it that, was Chilean wines. While all three of the reds I tasted had some merit, this particular Malbec was the that stuck most in my memory. The first red I tasted as a pretty good Pinot Noir. Not what I would call typical, but tasty for sure. The Malbec however, was right up my alley. It had a really nice dark purple color. When I got my first glass, I walked a bit out of the way, so I could pay a little closer attention. The smell was fruit forward for sure, with a nice intense aroma. So starting off with a nice deep color, and strong fruity smell, the wine definitely had promise. At this point, I was really looking forward to giving it a taste. As I took a sip, I knew this wine had a lot of merit. The fruit forward smell that I observed, was definitely not an illusion. The taste of fruit was very prominent, especially blackberry. It was a very nice bold wine, that was really quite smooth. The tannins were firm, but definitely not overdone. I really was not sure how much this wine cost, but when I found it online for around $13 on average, I was convinced this was a good buy. I will definitely look for a bottle to try at home with my favorite grilled meat.

Rating: 3.5 corks (A nice Malbec at a good price)

Le Cadeau - Pinot Noir

2010-08-04T20:55:00.003-04:00

Price: $30
Region: Oregon
Year: 2007

This is not going to be my typical review. I'm going to branch out a bit this week and write about the restaurant my wife & I visited last week. While I'll highlight a great wine I tasted, I'll also touch a bit on some of the other wines, all of which I enjoyed very much. Since our two boys had an overnight stay at summer camp, my wife and I had a night to ourselves, and we surely weren't about to just sit around the house. While we had visited this particular wine bar in Wilmington, DE once before with friends, it had been quite a while, so we thought it a good time to visit again. I thoroughly enjoyed it last time, and wasn't expecting anything different this time around.

To describe the entire evening could get kind of lengthy, so to make a long story short, we decided to order the 6 course, chef's special tasting. This was basically leaving our food choices to the chef's descretion, most of which was not on the menu. We just told our server a couple of items we were not overly fond of, and the rest was up to them. Each course was really a tasting, and not a full serving, but with 6 courses, we surely weren't going to go hungry. With each course, our server would give us a few different wines that he thought paired well with what was being served, and we could either choose a 1.5 oz., 3.0 oz., or 5 oz. serving. Most of the time we just had a small taste, especially with the whites, but when we got to my favorites reds, that paired with the main course, I figured a full glass was the way to go.

We started off with a taste of some sparkling wine (CastellRoig Cava Brut) from Spain. Sparkling wine isn't my favorite, but it really wasn't a bad way to start off the evening. Next, we had a delicious fig, stuffed with some kind of cheese. With this, I tried a Robert Mondavi Chardonnay. If Sparkling wine isn't my thing, Chardonnay is even further down on the list, but again, not a bad wine at all. Maybe I'm starting to broaden my horizons, who knows. The next was a wonderful lobster salad, with which I tried a taste of a fairly sweet German Riesling (Fritz Windisch). A couple of more courses found their way around, including an absolutely wonderful piece of filet mignon. As one would expect, I went straight to the Cab for this course, and this one did not disappoint. I had a glass of Carl Roy "East Side Cuvee" 2007 Cabernet. This wine had a wonderful aroma, and a very smooth finish, the was just an excellent companion for the filet. With another course, I gave the Bodega Rejadorada (Tempranillo) a try, and this was the only wine that seemed a bit off. While it was not a bad wine, I was just hoping for a little more. Finally, we decided to skip dessert, and instead had a cheese tray brought out with 6 or 7 different kind of cheese. I was torn between the cheddar & the blue cheese as my favorites, but both went great with my final wine choice. I had a glass of the Le Cadeau "Red Label" Pinot Noir (2007), and enjoyed every minute of it. It is just one of those wines you can tell a lot of care and attention went into making. While I will be the first to admit I always favor the big, bold red wines, it definitely seems to me, that when you pay a little extra for a good Pinot Noir, they are simply hard to match. This wine had a great unique flavor, with a finish of soft tannins & great berry aroma. A wonderfully complex wine, that just topped off a spectacular evening. Although a little pricey in the end, I think you just have to treat yourself every now and again when the opportunity presents itself.

Rating: 4.5 corks (A great wine, a great Wine Bar, and great evening)

Crush - Cab/Merlot

2010-07-28T20:25:00.002-04:00

Price: $14.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

Not my typical picture this week, but it will have to do as I had trouble finding one online. While I wouldn't say this is going to become the routine from now on, again my wife stopped by the wine store on Friday afternoon, and picked up a couple of bottles from the Cabernet aisle. No particular reason that I tried this one first, but I thought it was an interesting looking wine, so I popped open the cork and dug in. We decided on some pizza for dinner, so I sat down with a bottle of wine and a couple pieces of pizza with ham and spinach. Not a bad Friday evening in my book.

From the get-go, this was a nice looking wine. A dark red color, where you could see the Cabernet really shine through. It seemed a little thicker than most wines, but could very well have been my imagination. When I brought the glass up for a smell, my only reaction was wow. It had a great aroma that just oozed fresh fruit. This glass of wine was surely headed in the right direction. As I went to take a sip, the smell was still stuck in my head, and I think my expectations were a bit high. The interesting thing is, my initial reaction after the first sip was kind of muted, but the more I drank this wine, the better it seemed to get. It really had a very flavorful, fruity taste with a hint of blackberries. The wine was very smooth, and with nice tannins. I actually liked it so much after a couple of glasses, that I looked for it again the next day at my favorite wine store, but unfortunately, it wasn't on the shelf. I will definitely head back to where my wife picked up this bottle to another round. In fact, if my wife keeps bringing home winners like this one, maybe her stop at the wine store on Friday to pick out my weekly wine will become the routine.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Very fruity, very yummy)

Bonterra - Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-07-22T20:35:00.003-04:00

Price: $13.99
Region: California
Year: 2007

The wine I'm reviewing tonight was from a couple of weekends ago. I know I am going to give away my overall impression of this wine, but what I was really waiting for, was to finish off the bottle before sitting down to write about it. The problem was, I never did end up finishing the bottle, which is a first in a very long time. Anyway, when I got home from work one Friday evening, my wife had already stopped at the wine store and picked up a couple of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon for me. The first one she picked because it had a good rating on one of the little signs they hang up, and this one she picked up because it was organic. When given the chance, and without over-spending, we like to try different organic foods & drinks. I have had a couple of other organic wines with pretty good success, so I was happy to give another a try.

I ended up having the first bottle she bought my on Friday, and finished it up on Saturday, but when Sunday evening rolled around, we sat out on the deck after dinner and popped open this bottle of wine. It was a very pleasant Sunday evening, so we just sat down, relaxed, and had a nice chat over some wine. The color of the wine was right up my alley. A nice dark red wine, with a purple hue. It was at this point that things started to head down hill (with the wine anyway). When I ace the wine a swirl, and a couple of quick sniffs, I just didn't think it was overly pleasant. Sometimes I like a nice earthy smell, but this one was so earthy, it reminded me of dirt. Not something I look for in a wine. So, at this point, I was just hoping against hope that this was just an anomaly, and the taste would come crashing through. Unfortunately, it was more like crashing down. There wasn't much I liked about the taste. The smell definitely influenced the taste, and not in a good way. I thought the overall texture was rough, and the taste was somewhat tart. As I mentioned when I started out, I never did end up finishing this bottle of wine. If I have some wine left over from the weekend, I usually find a night during he week to have a glass or two. I'm not sure if I was just too busy, but I tend to think it never crossed my mind for a reason.

Rating: 2.0 corks (I'll pass)

Grayson Cellars - Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-07-08T20:24:00.002-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2009

I promise it is not my intention to review a wine every other week, but it seems that has been happening more and more lately. It isn't that I am running out of material, for that is the furthest thing from the truth, but finding the time lately has been a bit of a challenge. Anyway, I had two new wines this past weekend, so here goes the first. Each of these wines my wife actually bought for my one her way home from work. I didn't indicate that I wanted anything in particular, but she bought me a couple of bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. It ended up being a normal Friday evening with pizza and wine... Just the way I like it.

Right off of the bat, this wine strayed a little from the typical California Cab, as the color was a bit light. It almost reminded me of a middle of road Merlot, but it was had nice clarity & a pleasant color. It veered back towards the typical with the smell. I gave it a few swirls, took a few quick sniffs, and got a nose full of a full-bodied red wine. It had a very nice fruit aroma that called for another sniff. So far, it was a little of the expected, and a little of the unexpected. So, I really wasn't quite sure what to expect when I took a sip. Of all the things I could have expected, what I ended up getting was not one of them. To me, this was a very unique tasting Cabernet. While I got an initial flavor of bold fruit, it was quickly followed by a stream of vanilla. Again, not what I would have expected, but very distinct, and very enjoyable. It still had all of the normal structure of a decent Cabernet, with slightly chewy tannins, but the taste was what kept me coming back for more.

Rating: 3.75 corks (A very unique, tasty Cab)

Mercedes Eguren - Shiraz/Tempranillo

2010-06-24T20:36:00.004-04:00

Price: $12.99
Region: Spain
Year: 2006

I purchased a couple of wine this past weekend, and being that it was Father's Day, I treated myself to a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to go along with the fillet mignon we had for dinner on Sunday, but maybe I'll get to that review next week. Right now, I wanted to write about the wine I picked up on Friday on my way home from work. I went into the store looking for a bottle of Shiraz, preferably Australian, because I was just in that kind of mood. It just goes to show you that sometimes the best laid plans never turn out quite like you thought. As I was walking up the Shiraz aisle, this bottle just kind of jumped out at me. I'm not really quite sure why, because as you can see, it definitely isn't the flashy packaging. I think it was just the fact that I saw the word Tempranillo along with the word Shiraz. I have had a few very god wines made from Tempranillo for a very reasonable price, so I just thought the mix sounded interesting. At a 50/50 mix between Shiraz & Tempranillo, I was quite sure what to expect.

Dinner was a normal Friday evening stop by the pizza store. I know that is starting (if it hasn't already) to sound a bit repetitive, but it works for us. Anyway, when I first sat down with a glass, I thought it had a very distinct coloring. More a fruity looking purple than anything else in my opinion. At this point I tried to continue with an open mind, not trying to favor either of the two grapes, but when I swirled the wine around, and gave a sniff, I would have to say the Shiraz came through loud and clear. It had a very nice earthy Shiraz smell, with a nice trail of spice. At this point I was thinking that might be a common theme with this wine, but the taste threw me a bit of a curve. When I firs took a sip, I was kind of surprised that all of the flavor tended to hit the back of the mouth, but it truly was a great blend of the two grapes. It It had a slow start, with a distinguishable fruitiness in the middle, with a nice spicy finish. I would say overall a ripe fruit kind of taste, but definitely unique. I know this might seem like strange thing for me to say, especially this week because I started out looking for my tried and true, but I love finding something off the beaten path every now and again, and this one definitely fits the bill. A really nice change of pace & a good wine to boot.

Rating: 3.5 corks (A nice blend)

Cono Sur - Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-06-17T21:33:00.003-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Chile
Year: 2008

Sometimes it seems that work gets in the way of writing my weekly review (I missed last week). Luckily however, it doesn't get in the way of enjoying a new bottle each week. In fact, it might be one of the main reasons why I sit down with a bottle every weekend, but I guess that's another story. Interestingly enough, this week's review was a bottle that my wife picked up for me one evening. It was a nice gesture after a particularly long day last week, but it also meant I didn't have to stop on my way home from work on Friday. She picked it because it had mentioned organic farming, and she was pretty sure I hadn't tried this before, so it worked well for what I usually try to find. While this winery definitely has some organic wines, I do not believe this particular variety is organic. Either way, we ordered some pizza last Friday night, and I sat down to enjoy (hopefully) a new bottle of wine.

I also hadn't had a new Cabernet in a little while, so it was even a good choice as far as the grape was concerned. I do not believe I have had too many wines from Chile, so really this was a good choice all around. When I poured my first glass, the wine had a very pleasant color, but a little lighter than I would have expected for a Cab. No complaint, just an observation. Interestingly enough, the smell was similarly light, but there was no doubt it was a Cabernet. I didn't get enough the first time around, so with another pass, I could definitely smell a nice fruity wine. At this point, I was pretty convinced that the taste would align with the sight, and smell, but as seems to be the case more often than not, it is hard to make assumptions before you actually taste the wine. This wine was definitely not short on taste, as it had good tannins, that were not really heavy, but the wine was fairly smooth, if just a bit tart. It really did have a nice overall flavor that I quite enjoyed with my ham and pineapple pizza (my favorite). I think I will take a look at their organic wines someday, as my first go around with this cleverly named wine, was quite enjoyable.

Rating: 3.0 corks (Will try others from this winery)

Manage a Trois - Red Blend

2010-06-02T20:14:00.004-04:00

Price: $11.99

Region: California

Year: 2008

It was nice to have a three day weekend this past Memorial Day, and I do have a wine to review, but I decided to try and get to my backlog of wines before I don't remember some of the more subtle details that I sometimes forget to write down. This particular wine was one I had been looking for at my favorite store for a few months now. My wife had tried it at a dinner party we went to (not sure how I missed it then) & she said she really enjoyed it. When she says that about a red these days, I tend to give it a try. While I didn't have much luck finding it at my favorite store, I happened to run across it in the Zinfandel aisle of another store I stop by every now and then. Although I did not write it down, I'm pretty sure I had just picked up a peperoni pizza, and had the notion that a Zin might do the trick. This is one of those minor details that would have soon slipped my mind if I didn't get around to this review. This wine is actually a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, but happened to be in the Zin aisle of this particular store. When I saw it sitting there, and for a reasonable price, I had to give it a try.

Sometimes I fall prey to the notion of having to have a Zinfandel with pizza, and this just happened to be one of those days. So, I sat down with a slice, and poured myself a glass (not a bad start to the weekend). As one would expect from a wine made from these three varieties, we have a nice dark red wine on our hands here. I would tend to say it was almost purple in color, but you get the gist. Once I gave the glass a swirl, and took a sniff, I immediately realized why it was in the Zinfandel aisle, because out of all three, that particular smell sure shined through. At this point, I was pleased, but a little perplexed as to why my wife was a big fan. if there is a wine she almost categorically does not like, it is Zinfandel. Anyway, trying to figure that one out may be a bit beyond my capabilities. I was a little less surprised at that fact when I took a sip of this wine. While I definitely tasted a bit of the boldness & spice of a Zin, this wine had very smooth edges, and great length. It had a very good structure, with a bit of "jaminess" (if that's a word). I thought this wine was a great alternative to a straight Zinfandel, and definitely worth the price of admission.

Rating: 3.5 corks (Definitely give it a try)

Releaf - Cab/Merlot/Shiraz

2010-05-20T20:42:00.005-04:00

Price: $8.99

Region: South Africa

Year: 2007

Even though I had a little time on my hands this past weekend to browse a bit, this was a very quick trip to the wine store. I had pretty much decided the week before that I was going to pick up this bottle of Releaf red. As I mentioned in last week's review, as I was checking out, the cashier recommended I grab a bottle of this as well. Considering I generally try to purchase as much organic food as is reasonable based on price, etc. I thought it was just natural that I try a bottle of red wine made out of organically grown grapes. I didn't even know this was a South African wine until I got it home and read the label. Since the general trend is you pay a bit more for organic food, I was a little bit scared of the $9 price for this wine, and was hoping it wasn't a $6 bottle in terms of quality.

We ordered Chinese take out for dinner, so after I got back from picking it up, I poured myself a glass. I thought the wine has a nice looking ruby color, with good depth. It definitely didn't give the impression of a weak wine, but I would think being 50% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, and 20% Shiraz, you would get a nice dark red wine. I then took a sniff of the wine, and was a bit surprised that it seemed a little faint, but it had a pleasant fruity smell nonetheless. It has close to 2 years now that I have been writing these reviews, and I am definitely trying to concentrate of identifying particular tastes, but I would be the first to admit I still tend to notice more general flavors as opposed to specific ones that people identify on more "professional" reviews. I do tend to pick up hints of blackberry with this wine for sure. My only complaint is that the wine was a bit acidic, but generally a nice flavor. I would have to do some more research on the benefits of drinking organic wine, but my philosophy has always been, if you can get someone without chemicals, for the same price, and quality, why not. This was a very solid wine, at a great price, and organic to boot. I will definitely pick up a few bottles to have around as it could be a very good everyday wine.

Rating: 3.5 (Gets a little higher score for being organic :)

Bridgman - Merlot

2010-05-13T20:29:00.005-04:00

Price: $13.99
Region: Washington
Year: 2007

I think I am drinking more wine than I am able to review these days, which I'm not sure is a good thing, or a bad thing. My guess is a good thing, and we'll leave it at that. I had two wines this past weekend, one on Saturday evening, and the other for Mother's Day. I decided to go with the review of the wine from Saturday since it fits the original intent of this blog, which is wines under $15.00. The wine we had on Mother's Day wasn't that much more expensive, but was in the $30 range. Anyway, I was out running errands on Saturday, and finally had a chance to stop by my favorite wine store and just walk around for a bit. I wasn't in a huge hurry, which is how I like it when I visit this store. Lots to choose from, that's for sure. Since we were having chicken for dinner, I decided going in and search out a Merlot, and I figured at least part of the bottle would be left over for Mother's Day, and since we were having my Mother-in-law over, I decided to look for something that was a bit more than I would spend on a normal weekend (althought not that much).

At the beginning of each aisle, there are some wines that are listed as the "Wine Buyer's Selection". I assume these are wines that various employees at the store list as their favorites. For some reason this bottle of Bridgman Merlot stood out, so I grabbed a bottle and headed for the register. For the first time while checking out, the cashier tried to sell me another bottle that was sitting in the check-out line. In this case it was a bottle of Leaf, which is apparently an Organic blend. I passed this time, but may just grab it the next time through. Anyway, I headed home and was ready for a glass of wine. I was pretty impressed right off of the bat with this wine as it had a very nice light purple color. It definitely looked like a wine with some character. I also thought it had a very pleasant smell, with a bit of a cherry licorice coming to mind. When I took a sip, and then another, I thougth this wine was very well balanced, with nice structure. The taste was a bit like the smell, with a hint of cherry. Overall it had a very nice taste, and wasn't over-priced. There are some comparable wines for a few dollars more, but I would say this is worth a shot.

Rating: 3.25 (Pretty nice wine)

Angeline - Pinot Noir

2010-05-05T20:41:00.003-04:00

Price: $11.99
Region: California
Year: 2008

So, last week I did something a bit different by reviewing a wine as I typed. This week I'm going back to the weekend before last. This was the weekend ww had my in-laws over for my father in-law's birthday. Based on what was on the menu, shrimp and rice, I knew my father-in-law would enjoy a bottle of white wine. Since I wanted to get a decent bottle for his birthday, but just don't have much experience with whites, I decided to go the the "highly rated" aisle. This is where there are about 20-30 bottle of different wines that have good ratings from publications such as Wine Spectator, etc. I ended up getting a bottle of Courtney Beckham Sauvignon Blanc, which really wasn't half bad (and I probably should review as well), but I also saw this bottle of Pinot Noir sitting there, and was just tempted to give it a shot. If you've followed my blog much, I just don't find that many that I really enjoy, and it could very well be the price range I usually find myself in, but at $12, I thought, "why not"?

I'm not sure if this is the wine/food pairing made in heaven, but that isn't always my top priority. Some time you have to bend the rules. The first thing I always tend to focus on with a Pinot is the color. Some would most likely say it is my wine novice shining through, but I just love a dark red wine, which these are usually not. This was no exception, although I must say, it really did have good clarity, and was a pretty color red. As I gave the glass a swirl, and took a sniff, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit earthy, as doesn't seem to be uncommon for a Pinot, but also had a really nice fruity aroma. Not that big bold blackberry Shiraz smell, but maybe just a bit down the intensity scale. As I took a sip, I was again taken a bit by surprise at the smoothness of the wine. It really had an even taste that made me go back for more. While I've tried a few Pinot Noirs that were highly rated, and I usually ended up not getting what the person found so interesting, but not so on this one. If I ever need a Pinot to lean on at a good price, I'll definitely grab a bottle of Angeline.

Rating: 3.25 (Great value)

Ravenswood - Petit Shiraz

2010-04-30T19:29:00.007-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2007

Ok, doing something a little different this week. I have two reviews from last week that I just didn't get around to writing up this week, and I really want to get to them, but I think I'll try to get them done one night next week. Since today is Friday, and I didn't get around to my review last night, I have a new bottle for this weekend that I am going to review as I try it out. I think I've done this once before, but it definitely isn't my normal routine. I just had a little free time tonight, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I left work a bit early and caught the last half of my son's baseball game today. Since it wasn't my normal route home, I stopped by a store I rarely buy from. It was already a little late, and I didn't want to spend a whole bunch of time, so I headed for the Shiraz aisle. It is always good to have a fallback wine, and this is definitely mine. While I didn't get a regular Shiraz, I did see a sign for a Petit Shiraz from Ravenswood at a good price, so I thought I'd give it a try. I only spent about 5 minutes in the store, so mission accomplished on that front. I didn't have this wine with dinner, which was a delicious tortellini soup, but instead decided to wait until a bit later to sit down and relax with a glass of wine. And of course, that time is right now. As I take a look at this wine, I can tell you this is one dark red wine. I know I've said this before, but it is nearly black. As I give the glass a swirl, and take a sniff, I can tell you the aroma is very intense. Almost a bit too much, but for my liking I would prefer this to one that has a very faint smell. As I take my first sip, my initial impression is kind of middle of the road. The taste is not as intense as the smell, but I'm not so sure that is a bad thing. It is not quite as smooth as the other Petit Shiraz that I lean towards in this price range. It isn't a bad change of pace from the Bogle, that I really enjoy, but it isn't quite at the same level either. While the wine has good length, it is just a tad bitter for my liking. I think it will definitely do the trick for tonight, but not at the top of my list of Petit Shiraz.

Rating: 2.75 (Acceptable)

Unti - Petit Frere

2010-04-21T20:20:00.003-04:00

Price: $28
Region: Healdsburg, California
Year: 2006

First, a bit of background on this one. This is a wine I usually buy a couple of bottles of around Christmas each year because it is my wife's absolutely favorite red wine. I would buy it more often, but there is only one store in our local market that carries it, and I just don't get out that way very often. It is a great little specialty wine store, that carries much more wine from Europe than the US, but this one that they do carry is usually a winner. The one thing I noticed this year that I hadn't noticed before, is that while the grapes used in this wine are the same, the percentages of them from vintage to vintage vary significantly. This wine is a Cotes-du-Rhone style wine made from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. The blend in the 2006 vintage that I tasted was 86% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 4% Mourvedre. A significant difference, for instance, from the 2007 vintage which is almost 50% Syrah and 40% Grenache. This wine sat in our cellar for a couple of months, until recently when we had a quiet Saturday evening home preparing for our trip to Florida, and it seemed like a good time to break out a bottle.

This is obviously a bit more than we would spend for a weekly bottle of wine, but it is always nice to have an upgrade every now and then. When I poured my first glass, I noticed the wine had excellent clarity, and a very rich looking color. It was definitely pleasant to look at. I then gave my glass a quick swirl, and took a sniff. This wine had an excellent floral bouquet. So much so, that I went back for more before giving the wine a taste. At this point, the wine was everything I was expecting it to be. I then took a sip, and instantly noticed that this wine was very smooth. It had a wonderful flavor, with great length, and a definite European flare. Maybe it was the heavy percentage of Grenache, which is a grape I don't purposely seek out, and don't usually come across in California wines I buy. This one is definitely unique, and well worth the almost $30 as something to save as a treat.

Rating: 4.25 (A yearly treat)

Hess - Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-04-08T20:45:00.003-04:00

Price: $15.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

Still have a bit of a backlog of reviews to get to for a couple of different reasons, and was hoping to get at least two done today, but don't think that is going to happen. I decided to review this wine, just because it was one of the ones I enjoyed over this past holiday weekend (Easter), and it is fresh in my mind. In picking this wine out, I took a bit of a different approach. Before O left work on Friday, I had a quick conversation with one of my friends. We both get the same wine of the day calendar, hers being online, and mine being one of those little square desk calendars. I usually save a wine if it looks like one I want to try, and she usually saves a link for the same reason. So, we went through our saved wine of the day selections, and this is what we came up with. It definitely made the trip to the wine store that much easier. While sometimes I enjoy browsing the local wine store, the way home on a Friday evening isn't usually one of those times. For this blog, this is a couple of dollars more than I usually spend on a weekly wine, but I'm sure you can find it somewhere for under $15.

When I first poured a glass, I was a bit intrigued by the color. It wasn't a big bold looking red, but did have really nice clarity, and an almost ruby hue to it. So, if I thought that the appearance wasn't typical Cabernet, I certainly can't say that about the smell. I gave my glass a few swirls, and tried my new sniffing routine again, and very much enjoyed a full-bodied red wine smell. I would say it have a hint of blackberry, which is what usually comes to my mind for me when I smell a typical Cab. At this point, I was pretty impressed, but the taste is always most important to me. With my first sip, I immediately noticed how smooth this wine was, and also the great tannins. This wine had a great upfront taste, that continued all the way to the back of the throat. Really great length. That smell of blackberries was again evident int he taste. Overall, a really good wine, and held up well against wines that I've paid twice as much for. Go give it a try for sure.

Rating: 4.25 (A Cab for the Top 5)

Oracle of the Sun - Shiraz

2010-04-01T20:30:00.004-04:00

Price: $8.99
Region: South Africa
Year: 2008

Well, March was not a such great month for keeping up with my reviews. That's not to say I didn't have my fair share of good (and not so good) wines. Between being away for a week for Spring Break with my family, and a crazy work schedule, I just haven't made the time to sit down and write a review. I try to keep those periods to a minimum for sure, but sometimes it can't be helped. The good news is, I have a whole lot of reviews to catch-up on, so no time like the present to get started. I bought this wine on my way home from work one Friday evening in early March. Didn't really have a particular wine in mind, but also didn't have a lot of time to walk up and down the aisle. This usually means I head to the Shiraz aisle first, as I can almost always rely on the fact something will grab my attention. The interesting thing about this particular wine is that sometimes I am in the mood for a South African wine, but they are usually in a different section of the store. At my previous job, I became friends with a couple of colleagues from South Africa, and met up with one of them on a business trip, and the wines he brought over from South Africa that we shared were excellent. Every once in a while I try to find something as good as those wines were, but haven't had much luck. So, when I was in the Shiraz aisle, and saw this wine, I was hoping my luck had changed.

I can't recall what we were having for dinner that night, but if I had to guess it was probably pizza, which seems to becoming a Friday night staple. When I was ready to sit down, I poured a glass, and was a bit surprised at the color. It was much more shallow then I was expecting for a Shiraz. Not the end of the world, but wasn't impressed. Not sure if I said this in one of my other recent postings, but I read recently that when you smell wine, you should take multiple short sniffs, as opposed to one long one. I really can tell the difference when you do this, so I would recommend it. The comment said to think of a hound dog following a scent. Anyway, this isn't a wine I went back to sniff again. It wasn't horrible, but definitely a bit off. Just not overly pleasant. This was going to have to finish with a phenomenal taste to win me over for sure. I took my first sip, and my impression was average. It didn't have those good chewy tannins that I love to find in a Shiraz, and it definitely wasn't a big bold wine, but it wasn't horrible. I paid $9 for this wine, which is too much. I just saw online while looking for the picture that it can be had for $6. It might be worth a try at that price, but I just have to say there are much better wines out there for the price.

Rating: 2.5 (I'd skip it)

V Sattui - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-03-04T20:36:00.002-05:00

Price: $30.00
Region: Napa, California
Year: 2006

Well, I missed a week for the first time in a while, but time to jump right back in. I was hoping to get two reviews written up tonight, but might just try to do the 2nd one over the next couple of days instead. I actually had this wine two weeks ago, when we had just received another big snow storm. This was the second or third of the year (lost count). Anyway, I didn't feel like tracking through the snow, so I went downstairs and grabbed a bottle I had been saving for a rainy day... or in this case, a snowy day. I didn't remember to write down what I had for dinner with this particular bottle, but if my memory servers me correct, we made a fairly simple pasta dish.

I'm cheating a little bit on this review because I did have a taste of this wine back in January when I was in San Fransisco for a week of training. I was fortunate enough to get done early, and headed up to the winery for lunch and a little wine. I knew it wasn't going to be one I turned my nose up at, but I was still looking forward to a couple of glasses to have a little more to go on. I was not overly surprised at the color being a Napa Valley Cab, but never get tired of the sight of a dark red wine like this one. I also very much enjoyed the aroma, with a fairly noticeable fruit smell that I would liken to blackberries. I'm not sure I'm getting any better at picking out certain smells, but every one in a while I go with the first impression, and that's what happened here. So, when I finally took a sip, and then another, I knew I had made a good choice in picking a bottle of this up. It was a very smooth wine, with a flavor that hung on for quite a while. The predominant flavor hit the back of the tongue, which always carries a little bit of spiciness to me, but it definitely didn't disappear right away. My kind of wine for sure. I would say you could probably fine similar quality wines for a bit less money at your local store, but if your driving through Napa anytime soon, you just can't go wrong by pulling into the V Sattui parking lot. You won't be disappointed. I know I haven't been yet.

Rating: 4.0 (Worth a trip to their website)

Carro - Tinto

2010-02-18T20:12:00.003-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Spain
Year: 2008

Sometimes it happens that I head into the store with one thing in mind, and for no particular reason, head out with something completely different. After a few of weeks of being completely out of my routine, I settled back into a fairly normal weekend for me. I was stopping to grab dinner on my way home from work on Friday, and stopped by at the most convenient store, which happens to be one of my least favorite. For some reason, I was pretty much set on grabbing a bottle of California Cabernet. To be honest however, I never even made it over to that aisle. On my way over, I took a detour, and ended up looking at some rather well priced Spanish wines. This particular bottle of Carro Tinto just happened to catch my eye. When I looked at the back, I saw it was primarily made from three grapes, two of which I knew fairly well. The third, and predominant grape however, I had never even heard of, and that was Monsatrell. Given that the other two were grapes I'm very fond of, Syrah & Tempranillo, I thought it was a good gamble at $10.

Right when I poured my first glass, I noticed that this wine had a nice moderate color, with good clarity. Definitely not very dark, but not weak looking either. The smell on the other hand, while being very pleasant, and slightly floral, was quite strong. It was actually an aroma I enjoyed very much. When I took my first sip, I was a bit surprised. I was expecting a middle of the road type wine, almost like a California Merlot, but this wine was much more. It was very smooth, with good length, and very nice tannins. I know this following term is one you'll see in some reviews of high end Cabernet, but it was almost a bit chewy, with a nice hint of spice (must be the Syrah). Anyway, from beginning to end, I found this wine very enjoyable. A nice smelling wine, that was fairly smooth given the price, and had a nice flavor. I will definitely give it another try sometime.

Rating: 3.75 (A nice find)

Poggio Morino - Morellino Di Scansano

2010-02-11T20:14:00.002-05:00

Price: $15.00
Region: Tuscany
Year: 2006

The weather has definitely been a bit crazy around here lately. Lots and lots of snow. I haven't had the chance to run out and pick out a new bottle of wine, but luckily I still had a couple left over from our recent wine tasting. This bottle was another one our friends bought for us that we tasted that night. Now, given that it was the first Italian wine I've had in a little while, and the fact we get a lot of take-out from a nice Italian Cafe that is close by, you would think that would be what I had with this bottle, but it just didn't work out that way. Instead, we stopped by our favorite burger joint for some good old hamburgers and fries. Sometimes the food-wine pairing just doesn't work out, but that definitely isn't going to stop me from opening a bottle of wine. Regardless of the food, I was hoping for a nice smooth wine for a Friday night.

I took a quick look at the label to see if I recognized the predominate grape that is used for this wine, but I didn't. Sometimes that makes it a bit more interesting and forces more of an open mind. When I poured my first glass, I noticed the wine had good clarity, with a hint of ruby to it. It kind of flashed red a bit as I poured it into my glass. I tried something a bit different when going to smell the wine. I read recently that I was doing it all wrong, which really isn't much of a surprise. Instead of a prolonged sniff, I read that you should take a series of shorter sniffs, kind of like a hunting dog. That seems to make sense to me, so I gave it a try. My impression was that it definitely intensified the smell, but that didn't necessarily help me in identifying smells that some people seem much better at picking up than me. It did have a pleasant smell, and I would say somewhat earthy. It kind of reminded me a little bit of a Shiraz. With no preconceived notions at this point, I gave it a taste. It actually tasted much like it smelled, with a hint of earthiness to it. The taste hit the back of the tongue, but didn't fade away immediately. it was a little different, but I very much enjoyed it as a change of pace from my normal reds. I would say overall it is a good medium-bodied red, that would go well with pasta, even though I enjoyed it with hamburgers.

Rating: 3.5 (A solid Italian wine)

Altos Las Hormigas - Malbec

2010-02-03T20:08:00.004-05:00

Price: $10.99

Region: Argentina

Year: 2009

Some time back in October, we attended a wine tasting for a local breast cancer charity. One of the auction items that day was a wine tasting for up to 20 couples at the same store . We decided to split the auction item with some good friends, and it just so happened that this past weekend was the day we decided to hold this wine tasting. We each brought four other couples with us, so the final group was a nice even 20. The tasting was scheduled for late afternoon, so once 3:00 rolled around, it was off to a very nice, sort of upscale, local wine store. They had a nice variety of wines for us to taste, ranging from a California Riesling, to an Australian Shiraz. As isn't too much of a surprise, I was not overly impressed with the whites we tasted, but based on the small samplings, thought a couple of the reds had some promise. I actually decided not to purchase any of the wines that we tried, but given that we have some very generous friends, I found out as we started our walk to dinner, that one couple had bought us three bottles as a sort of thank you.

We now have a couple of bottles of wine to try from our most recent tasting, which always make for something to look forward to. The first one I decided to try this past weekend, was the 2009 Malbec. I think this was mostly because we were having beef stew for dinner, and it seemed like the logical choice, but it was always because of a comment someone had made on my blog the last time I reviewed a Malbec. Back in November, I reviewed the Alamos Malbec on a whim (http://winereviewsyoucanunderstand.blogspot.com/2009/11/alamos-malbec.html). Being that I love wines like Shiraz, and Cabernet, I was thinking Malbec would be the next logical choice, given they are mostly very well priced and have good word of mouth. Anyway, the Alamos left a bit to be desired, and someone left a comment to make sure that I didn't give up on this particular variety. So, with that in the back of my mind, I wanted to give it another go.

This is definitely a bold looking wine. Very dark and jammy in color. A nice wine to look at for sure. As far as the smell, it was pleasant enough, but just seemed a bit young. It didn't have that stand up and take notice type of aroma, but again, not bad. With the last Malbec I tried, it was the overall taste that made the rating take a bit of a hit. It was definitely thin, and a little bitter. This wine however, started out with a nice flavor that hung around for a bit, and finished smooth. My initial impression was somewhere between a Shiraz & a Cabernet. This wine didn't "wow" me, but it was definitely a good counterpart to the beef stew, and it is nice to have a change of pace sometimes. I think I may now be on a search for a really good Malbec that comes in at a reasonable price. Wish me luck....

Rating: 3.5 (Getting warmer...)

V Sattui - Crow Ridge Zinfandel

2010-01-28T20:12:00.005-05:00

Price: $33

Region: Napa, California

Year: 2007

One more entry from my trip to San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. My class ended a bit earlier on Friday than I expected, and my plane wasn't leaving until 7:30 PM, so with a few hours to burn, I could think of nothing better to do than drive 60 miles or so north to grab lunch and a quick little tasting at a great winery. When my wife and I visited Napa back in 2004 for our 10th wedding anniversary, this was definitely one of our top three favorite stops. The great thing about V Sattui, besides the wine, is their small deli "like" shop and picnic area. A wonderful place to grab a nice meal, and sit outside on their beautiful grounds. After buying their special of the day, a homemade meatball sandwich, I went back in for a quick tasting before heading back to the airport. This is going to be less of a review, and more of a recommendation to stop by V Sattui, if you ever have the chance.

There were two different options for their tasting. I took the cheaper one ($5), only because it had a wider variety of options. The more expensive tasting was only $10, and had some higher end wines, but not as many wines to choose from. There were two wines that definitely caught my attention. The first of which I have pictured above, the Crow Ridge Zinfandel. Interesting enough, this wine was not actually on the tasting sheet for this tasting. The Zinfandel I first tasted was call "Bar 49". I wasn't overly impressed with this wine, as it was very mild for a Zin. When the very nice lady behind the bar noticed the look of "ehh, it's OK", on my face, she quickly went and grabbed this Zin and asked me to give it a try. I am very glad she did. This is what I would expect from a solid Zin, and even a little more. It had a very unique, but very nice flavor, and was very smooth. Also, a great aroma that I had to take a second sniff of before taking a sip. As the original intent of this wine blog was to look at wines in the under $15 category, I won't compare a wine that cost twice that, but if you buy wines in this range, this one is a steal. The 2nd wine I really enjoyed was their Napa Valley Cabernet. I actually liked this one so much I bought a bottle to bring home. I'll have the opportunity to review that one some time down the road. I was also going to grab a bottle of the Zinfandel, but I wanted to get a bottle for my wife, and she is not a big fan of Zinfandel. Instead, I bought a bottle of their Petit Sirah, which we'll give a try one of these days as well.

Since V Sattui only sells their wines direct to the consumer, you won't find any of their wines in your local store. For some states however, you can go directly to their website, and they will ship you an order. I made due with a couple bottles to go, and I am looking forward to trying them both out. I would definitely give this particular Zinfandel high marks, probably somewhere in the 4.25 range, but my real recommendation is to give a variety of their wines a try. They definitely do a great job!!

Rating: A Great Winery....

Talley - Pinot Noir

2010-01-20T20:22:00.004-05:00

Price: Around $35

Region: California

Year: 2006

Definitely not your typical wine review week for me. I know it has been 2 weeks since my last review, but I have a good excuse. I was on a trip for work, and lucky me, I got to go to San Francisco. Definitely one of the best cities I have ever visited. Not to mention the fact that Napa is only an hour north. Now, being from east coast, I have only visited San Francisco two other times, so it is definitely a treat when I get to go. The other thing that makes this review a little out of the ordinary is that I had this particular wine at a great wine bar, and just jotted down some notes when I got back to my room. So, here goes...

This wine was actually part of a "flight" of three different wines that I tried. I knew without writing down the names of each, I would have a hard time remembering all of them, so I just went with the one that made the biggest impression on me. Amazingly enough, it was a Pinot Noir, and not one of the very good Cabs or Syrahs that I tried. Go figure. I'm 100% I have the winery and grape, but only about 95% sure I have the right year. That being said, I'm pretty sure it was a 2006. When I just looked up the winery online, this picture seemed the most likely, and it appears to go for around $35. A bit more than the wines I usually review, but this was a special occasion for sure.

The thing that caught me by surprise originally was this wine was a bit darker than what I would typically expect from a Pinot Noir. It had a real nice color, and very good clarity. What really stuck out to me, and made this wine memorable for me was the aroma. The word that first comes to mind is smokey, but it was way more complex than just that. It had a nice earthy feel to it, with what I would call a dried fruit smell. Without a doubt, one of the more distinctive smelling wines I've had in a while. So, when it came to tasting this wine, I was so not surprised how smooth, flavorful, and downright good this wine was. I actually saved another wine for last in this flight of three wines, but given to do over, this would have definitely been the clean-up hitter. Next week I'll review one of the wines from one of my favorite wineries in Napa that I had the pleasure of visiting last week.

Rating: 4.5 (A Home Run of a wine)

2010-01-06T21:05:00.002-05:00

Price: $18 (3L)

Region: California

Year: 2007

It has been quite a while since my last post. I know it gets crazy around the holidays for everyone, but it just seems that when the routine changes so drastically, this is one of the things that gets missed. That isn't to say I didn't have plenty of good (and some bad) wine over the last three weeks. In fact, I have quite a backlog to choose from. The first wine I plan on reviewing is another selection from Black Box. As you can tell from my top 5 list, the Black Box Merlot is one on the list for its blend of quality, and absolutely great price. I wanted to see if the Cabernet could stand up to its sibling.

I didn't write a whole lot of supporting notes down, so I'm not 100% sure which weekend I bought this wine, but I'm pretty sure it was the week before Christmas. I had a list of a little more expensive wines I wanted to try out for Christmas, so with the equivalent of 4 bottles of win, this one was to hold me over until the holidays started in full force. Not much surprise on the color being it was a Cabernet. For a grape like this, as long as it doesn't look pale when being poured, I'm pretty happy. The interesting thing about the smell was it was a bit more fruity than I expected. Kind of a bit similar to the Merlot if I remember correctly. So, when I took my first sip, I was happy to find it was a nice smooth wine, but it definitely didn't have that nice "chewiness" you get from a good Cabernet. You could tell it was an inexpensive selection, but overall, it was a nice wine. That is especially true again, given the price breaks down to about $5 for a 750 Ml bottle. This was wasn't quite the home run in my book as the Merlot, but a very good everyday wine, and one that last for a good while given a couple of glasses a day.

Rating: 3.5 (A solid drinking wine)

River Road - Pinot Noir

2009-12-16T20:35:00.004-05:00

Price: Around $13
Region: Russian River Valley, CA
Year: 2008

Had a couple of different things to do this weekend. I wasn't home much on either Friday or Saturday night, so I didn't get a chance to browse my local wine store, and pick out a wine for the week. Therefore, my only chance for a review was if my father-in-law was having a wine with dinner that I had not yet reviewed. Luckily enough, that was exactly the case. Even better, it was a variety that I just don't buy that often myself, so it turned out to be a great chance to give another Pinot Noir a chance. I'm not exactly sure of the cost, but I gave a pretty good guess above. There is always an attempt to match wine up with the main course at Sunday evening dinner, and this was no exception. Since turkey was on the menu, Pinot Noir was as well.

I'll be the first to admit that this is always a tough wine for me to review. I just love pouring a glass a dark red wine into my glass and enjoying the view. It is always good however, to try and expand horizons. When I poured a glass of this wine, as expected, it was light red in color, but I did notice it had very good clarity, and was actually quite pleasant to look at. The smell on the other hand, didn't do a lot for me, as it was kind of faint. It did have a bit of an earthy smell, which is another reason I tend to shy away from this type of wine, but overall it wasn't a bad smell, just a bit light. Now, if I shy away from this wine because of the color, and smell, that goes even more for the taste. It just isn't one I have grown to love, but I keep trying, and find one I like every once in a while. Interestingly enough, this happened to be one of those wines. I think the thing I found most surprising, was the taste was very smooth, with a bit of a peppery taste, but not overpowering by any means. I actually enjoyed a couple glasses of this wine with dinner, and could easily find myself buying a bottle of this wine to simply enjoy by itself. This is one I will definitely put on my buy list.

Rating: 3.25 (A Pinot I'll buy again)

So Cab - Take a Guess..

2009-12-10T20:14:00.008-05:00

Price: $15.00

Region: California

Year: 2005

It was starting out to be a normal Friday evening as I was headed home from work to grab some pizza. About half way home though, I remembered I had a bottle of wine I purchased at a wine tasting we attended the day before Thanksgiving. From the ounce or so I tried, I was pretty intrigued, so I was definitely looking forward to sitting down with a glass. It is kind of hard for me to come to an overall conclusion from such a small sample, so a glass or two always does the trick.

I had a couple of pieces of pizza on the table waiting, so I poured myself a glass. One of the interesting things I noticed right away, was that it was noticeably lighter then your normal Cabernet Sauvignon. Definitely good clarity, but no doubt a touch paler. I started to take a sniff, and thought it was very nice, but I definitely got the sense of a particular fruit smell. If you have read any of my previous blogs, you will know I am very bad at indicating a specific smell, but I could smell a hint of blackberries for sure, very nice. So, when I took a sip, I wasn't overly surprised to find the taste very much in line with the smell. It was very pleasant, but just a bit more fruity then I was expecting. It wasn't a big, bold tasting Cabernet, but that was quite alright for me. This wine had a wonderful flavor, an even better finish, and was a great change of pace for a Cab. This was definitely a solid wine, and one I would buy again for sure. I've been on a roll lately with some good wines, so hopefully my streak stays alive.

Rating: 3.75 (Very Nice)

Bogle - Phantom

2009-12-03T20:38:00.008-05:00

Price: $19

Region: California

Year: 2005

I had another wine in between my last review (Terra-Barossa) and this wine, but it was just a run of the mill Cabernet I'll make an effort to review one of these days. This wine however, was the last wine from a wine tasting I attended last month, that I've been looking forward to tasting. Now, I kind of cheated on this since I did try it at the wine tasting, but this is the first time I've sat down and had a couple of full glasses with dinner. This special wine from Bogle, is a blend of Petit Sirah, Old Vine Zinfandel, and Old Vine Mourvedre, that only comes around at certain times of the year. It seems to be in stock locally around the October/November time frame. If you read some of my previous reviews, you'll recall that Bogle Petit Shiraz is a fairly common wine in my house, so I was interested in how this would compare.

Based on the wines used to make this wine, I don't think it is a big surprise that the color was a deep, dark red. It wasn't quite as dark purple as the Petit Shiraz is, and I noticed a hint of red, that gave it a little sparkle. I was also a bit surprised to find that the smell was a touch faint, but it was very nice, with definite earthy undertones. No complaints so far. As always, the color and smell add to the experience, but for me, taste rules. So, when I finally sat down to take a sip, I enjoyed it as much as I did when I only had an once or so back in October. This time, I was very happy to have a full glass. The mixture of Zinfandel, and Mourvedre, with the Petit Sirah, gives this wine a wonderful, interesting flavor. It was definitely a little unique, and am already looking forward to next year's selection. I think it is quite a coincidence that two reviews in a row have made it on to my top 5. This one as a tie, but definitely deserves to be on the list. Plus, it has a cool name :)

Rating: 4.0 (A bit more $, but a nice treat)

Terra-Barossa - Shiraz

2009-12-03T20:14:00.005-05:00

Price: $15.99 (1 Ltr)
Region: Australia
Year: 2008

I am a bit behind because I didn't write any reviews last Thursday (as it was Thanksgiving), so I definitely have some catching up to do. The week before Thanksgiving wasn't a typical week as I had some free time Friday to head to my favorite wine store. We also had some plans Friday night, so I didn't have this particular bottle until Saturday. I did take my time picking out a bottle though, and as is not unusual, I ended up in the Shiraz aisle. I came across this bottle, and it caught my eye because of two reasons. First, it was on sale, and second because it was a bit bigger then the normal 750 ml bottle. So, for a little more then $15 for 25% more wine, it seemed like a good idea.

So, by the time Saturday evening came around, I was looking forward to a glass of wine. I had cooked a simple dinner ravioli for me and my kids, as my wife was out helping a friend. So, when I poured my first glass, I was very impressed by the dark, rich looking wine. It was so dark, it was almost black in color. I then brought my glass up to have a smell, and was equally impressed with a very nice floral smell, with a hint of spiciness. Very much a Shiraz smell without overdoing it. At this point, I had high expectations, so there was nothing left to do, but take a sip. This wine had a very nice initial flavor, that was extremely smooth, and the best part was that it hung around for a bit before fading away. Definitely a very nice wine, with everything I look for in an Australian Shiraz. This one as definitely worth the couple of extra dollars. A very quality wine, at still a reasonable price.

Rating: 4.25 (The 1st Shiraz for my top 5)

Domaine Tresor - Pinot Noir

2009-11-19T20:23:00.003-05:00

Price: $11.99
Region: France
Year: 2004

It seems the percentage of European wines that I fail to find a picture for, is much higher then from other areas, but maybe that isn't a surprise. Anyway, I was heading home on Friday, and made the usual stop at the wine store that is right on the way. Again, not my favorite, but by far the most convenient, and on Friday evening, that is important. A slight departure from the normal dinner, and the usual wine. I stop and picked up subs from a local store that uses real turkey breast instead of cold cuts. Therefore, since everyone always says Pinot Noir goes great with turkey, it seemed like as good a time as any to pick up a bottle. Not a wine I have had a lot of luck with at lower prices, but I'll keep trying.

I always have my prejudices when it comes to this wine, which is probably not a good thing when trying to do a review, but they are sometimes hard to put aside. As I poured myself a glass, and took a look, the color was very interesting. It was a bit clear, which I expected, but it had a nice light ruby color that I found appealing. Nothing like the deep dark reds that are by far my favorite, but a nice change of pace. When I took a smell, I was also pleasantly surprised. Again, trying to put aside my expectations, it had a nice fruit smell, with very little of the earthy undertones I tend to find in the Pinot Noirs I have tried. At this point, I wasn't quite sure what I had, so there was no time like the present to give it a try. Here is where I struggle a bit. I really didn't love the taste, but that isn't saying it was bad for a Pinot. It wasn't something I turned my nose up at, which is the case sometimes with this variety, but it just wasn't my cup of tea (or glass of wine to be more precise). Overall, it was decent, but for $12, I just don't think I'll go back. Hopefully one of these days I find a Pinot Noir that fits pleases my palate, without costing an arm and a leg.

Rating: 2.75 (Probably deserves a little higher)

Alamos - Malbec

2009-11-12T20:08:00.003-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Argentina
Year: 2008

I still have one bottle of wine I purchased at the wine tasting party a few weeks back, but it is a bottle I am looking forward to, so I plan on saving it for a rainy day. Actually, there have been a lot of rainy days lately, so I'll save it for a special dinner if I can. This past weekend didn't happen to be one of those special dinners. In fact, it was very much like a few Friday have been recently, which is fine by me. A simple pizza and wine dinner. I walked into the wine store that is on my way home, and had it in my mind that I was going to get a wine from South Africa. Not sure why, it was just something I hadn't had in a while. After a few minutes, nothing really stood out, so I walk a little further down the aisle to where the Argentinian wines were located. There is always a large selection of well priced wines in this section, especially Malbecs. This isn't a wine I have a whole lot of experience with, but the ones I have tried have been pretty good. There wasn't anything that made this particular wine jump out, but it was good as any at $10.

So, when I got home and got settled, I sat down with a couple of slices of pizza and a glass of Malbec. As has always been the case, this wine was very dark red, and had great clarity. There was nothing weak looking about this wine. The Malbec's I have had always remind me of a Cabernet Sauvignon while in the glass. Next, I gave my glass a swirl, and took a sniff. The smell was just as bold as the color, with a bit of spiciness to it. It almost reminded me of an earthy Shiraz, which is always a good thing in my book. At this point, I has hoping for the best. Unfortunately, when it came to the most important attribute (in my opinion anyway), it fell a bit short. I mean that literally. I was kind of surprised that the structure was a bit thin, and a bit short as well. The flavor just didn't hang around for long. The taste seemed to go immediately to the back of the throat, was a little bitter, and then faded quickly. All in all it wasn't a bad tasting wine, just not smooth as the look and smell would have led me to believe. I'll try a few Malbec's over the next couple of months and see if I can find a better choice.

Rating: 3.0 (Will search for a better Malbec)

Ballast Stone - Petit Verdot

2009-11-05T20:33:00.004-05:00

Price: $20.00
Region: Australia
Year: 2005

Well, the World Series is over, so I have a little extra time tonight. Was really hoping for a game 7 to route on the Phillies, but no such luck this year. Instead, I am writing my second review from this past weekend. Another of the wines I picked up at a recent wine tasting I attended. This one is again a little more then the average I have been reviewing lately, but it was another recommendation from a friend, so I thought I'd give it a try. As I have written many times, I enjoy many of the Australian wines I have tasted, many of which happen to be Shiraz. This was is a Petit Verdot, and I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly sure of the "normal" characteristics of this wine. I think that made this choice all the more interesting to me.

We were not in the mood for pizza again last Friday, so we decided on a local sandwich shop. I didn't have anything special, so it wasn't really about matching this wine up with anything in particular, but just a relaxing Friday evening with the family, and a bottle of wine. The first thing I noticed when I poured a glass of this Petit Verdot, was a very "grapey" looking wine. That may sound kind of odd, but that was the first thing that came to mind. It had a purplish tone, but not deep dark purple. It was a little lighter, kind of like grape jelly, but with good clarity (definitely not cloudy). After enjoying the color, I took a good sniff of the wine. I would say it was a bit sweet smelling, and kind of floral. Not exactly what I was expecting, but very pleasant to be sure. So far, I was enjoying the uniqueness of this wine, and I wasn't disappointed when I took a sip. The flavor hit immediately, and had very good length. It had a bit of spiciness to it, but I would say not as much as your typical Australian Shiraz. The nice flavor hung around on the pallet for a bit, with no bad aftertaste. This was a great change of pace, and given the opportunity, would definitely give it another try.

Rating: 3.75 (A nice change of pace)

Blackstone - Merlot

2009-11-05T20:07:00.007-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2007

I know it has been nearly 9 months since I decided to post my top 5 "default" wines, but I am finally reviewing #5 on the list. The real story is that each week I was looking forward to trying something new to review, and just never picked up a bottle. This past weekend, I just needed a bottle for Sunday dinner with my mother and father-in-law, and didn't have much time to browse. My wife was making a chick and sweet potato stew, and a Merlot seemed to be in order. I have tried this wine many times before, but never had taken the time to write down any tasting notes until now.

Obviously with a fairly mainstream wine like this Merlot, especially one I have had on many occasions, I was going in with some preconceived notions already in place. Nonetheless, I was looking forward to finishing off my default wine list. I sat down with a simple appetizer, and poured myself a glass. The wine had a good dark red color, with good clarity. Nothing to be wowed by, but sufficient. Along the same lines, after giving the glass a short swirl, the smell was very pleasant, but predictable. This could very well be my familiarity with the wine talking, but it was what I expected. So, it came as no surprise that when I took my first sip, I found the wine to be fairly smooth, with pretty good length, and a nice overall taste and finish. Now that I think about it, one of the reasons this was always one of my default Merlots, if I didn't know what to buy, was because it was consistent. I knew I wasn't getting a knock your socks off kind of wine, but each and every time it was a solid choice, and sometimes that's all you need.

Rating: 3.25 (Consistently Solid)

Catamoungst the Pigeons - Shiraz

2009-10-31T15:06:00.002-04:00

Price: $17.00
Region: Australia
Year: 2007

I'm a couple of days behind on my latest post because the World Series has taken up some of my free time. Anyway, I have a little time to kill this afternoon, so it seemed like a good time to write my latest review. This was one of the wines I picked up at the wine tasting we went to a couple of weeks ago. I grabbed a couple of different bottles as 10% of sales were going to the charity being represented. This store is a little more expensive then the others I frequent, so $17 is a little more then what I usually spend for a bottle, but not by much. This particular wine was recommended by a friend that was at the same wine tasting, and my preference for Australian Shiraz is no surprise, so it seemed like a no-brainer.

Another Friday evening pizza dinner from our favorite local Italian eatery. That seems to be a more and more frequent event on Friday these days, but it is convenient and good. As I poured myself a glass and sat down for dinner, I noticed right away how deep, dark purple this wine was. A great start in my book for sure. It wasn't too "syrupy", but has a nice texture. When I took a smell, it definitely said Shiraz, which again, is just fine for me. It is just a smell that I look for when I open a bottle, especially from Australia. It seems to have a bit of spice behind it, but not overly pungent. Based on the color, and smell, I was thinking this was going to be a fairly strong wine, but when I took my first sip, it definitely wasn't as bold as I was expecting. It had a very nice flavor, a bit different then your typical Shiraz, with a hint of licorice. I actually was quite impressed because it was a nice smooth wine, with a very interesting taste. It definitely played the Shiraz part nicely, with a little twist. Would definitely pick up another bottle on my way through that store.

Rating: 3.75 (A bit different, but very good)

Farnese - Montepulciano D'abruzzo

2009-10-22T20:23:00.004-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Italy
Year: 2008

Another interesting weekend. We honestly do not attend too many wine tastings, but we had another one scheduled this week for a friend's charity. Anyway, I tried a few good wines, a couple of which I bought to try for future reviews. I didn't however have anything with which to take notes, so I just enjoyed the evening with friends, and wine. That was on Saturday evening, so I did have a new wine to try for Sunday dinner. I actually bought this on my way home from work on Friday, but wasn't feeling 100%, so just decided to save it until Sunday. I bought this Italian wine thinking I was actually going to have it Friday with some of our favorite pizza, but it just didn't work out that way. Instead, I ended up having this wine along with chili that I made in the crock pot. I probably would have usually used this opportunity to try a new Zinfandel, but maybe next time.

To tell you the truth, I really don't know much about this wine based on the label, and am guessing it is may be a Sangiovese, but not 100% sure. I guess I could look it up, but we'll just go with the fact that it was an Italian wine. I sat down to dinner, and poured myself a glass. It started off good enough, with a nice dark color red. I would say it had a nice crisp color, with good clarity. I gave the glass a couple of swirls, and took a quick sniff. Nothing really special to write home about, and smelled a bit tart for my liking. It wasn't anything that made me turn up my nose, but my hopes weren't as high at this point. So, I took my first sip, and my first impression wasn't so great. The acidity, or tannins were very strong in my opinion, and the taste went away quickly. Definitely no length. It didn't have a bad aftertaste, but the initial flavor was just not something that intrigued me that much. I had a couple of glasses, and soon lost interest. I decided to save some for a night during the week, and my follow-up experience was no better then the first.

One good thing about the weekend though (I think) is that we ended buying a wine tasting of our own (actually we split it with a couple we are friends with) to benefit the charity. So, in the next couple of months, we'll schedule a wine tasting for about 10 couples, and this time I'll bring some paper to jot down some notes. I already have a couple of wines from the wine tasting party, so no need to stop on my way home from work tomorrow. Hopefully there is a winner amoung the bunch.

Rating: 2.75 (Seek out last week's selection)

Langhe Rosso Vajra

2009-10-14T20:26:00.004-04:00

Price: $16
Region: Italy
Year: 2007

A very different kind of weekend for sure. It was the first time in quite a while I wasn't stopping at the wine store to pick up my weekly review. The reason being was that we were invited to a "wine tasting" party at a friends house. This particular party was one that was purchased at an auction by some friends of ours to benefit the school our son attends. This is the 2nd one we have attended, and was definitely looking forward to it. The first thing I had to do was get a bottle of wine for the "admission", which will be put together with everyone else's bottle for an auction item at this year's auction. I thought a pretty good idea. So, for my bottle, I purchased a bottle of Ferrari-Carano Tresor, which I would recommend as a special occasion bottle of wine. All in all, it looks like they gather a nice collection for the auction this year. I might even had to bid on it.

Anyway, as I mentioned, we had been to a similar party once or twice before. It is put on by a local wine shop that I wish I had more time to shop at. For lack of a better word, I would say it is a specialty store that focuses European wines from smaller, family owned vineyards who handle the entire wine making process themselves. I have had more than my share of good bottles of wine from this store. The great thing about these parties is that there is always a great variety of wine in terms of varieties and origin. This time we tasted 6 different wines ranging from a sparkling white, up to a very dry Cabernet. There were two that stood out in my mind for sure, and I will definitely head over to this store one day soon, and grab a couple of bottles of each, but for now, I am going to focus on the one that topped the list for me that night.

I'll be the first to admit my ignorance when it comes to the name of the wine above, but even more so regarding the grapes that make up this wine. I wasn't sure what to expect. From the brief notes I took home, in addition to the conversation I had with the gentleman from the store who was pouring the wine, it primarily comes from the Dolcetto grape, but also a contains mixtures of Barbera, Fresia, and Nebbiolo. I'm not going to try and recall too much regarding the site, and smell, but I do recall a very pleasant aroma, that made me want to dig in. The thing that stood out with this wine for me was the taste, and the balance. I tend to gravitate to the grapes I know when purchasing wine, but I should step into the unknown more often, because when sticking with the tried and true, you end up missing little gems like this. It was not overpowering, but had good length, and a unique flavor (at least to me). I will definitely need to buy a bottle or two to get some more accurate notes, but do yourself a favor, and if you can find it, try it.

Rating: 4.0 (A unique winner)

Gnarled Vine - Zinfandel

2009-09-30T20:22:00.004-04:00

Price: $8.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

One of the reason I enjoy living where I do is because of the change of seasons. I enjoy each season in it's own way, but there is something about the beginning of Fall that makes it my favorite. It could be a lot of reasons, but one of them for sure is the combination of some good warm comfort food, and a bottle of red wine to go along with it. In the case of this past weekend, it was a pot of homemade chili, and subsequently a bottle of red Zinfandel. When one of my former colleagues and I were tired of talking about work, we would always share some wine recommendations. Mine was usually a Shiraz, while his was the newest Zinfandel he'd tried. He's given me some good recommendations in the past, and this variety always makes me think of him. I'll admit it isn't my favorite wine, but I tend to lean in that direction whenever there is a spicy food on the menu. Also, the start of fall always seems to reminds me to grab a bottle of Zinfandel, so there was no escape this time.

I have tried a couple of bottles of Zinfandel lately that were definitely above par in my book, so I was hoping for another stroke of luck. I had seen this wine many times, but was yet to give it a try. It is always one of the wine store employees favorite wines, and this time also had a sign next to it stating it was their most popular Zinfandel. Not usually a reason I would buy a wine, but it seemed a good time to give it a try.

Now, the beginning of Fall can sometime seem just as much like summer as any day in July or August, but luckily it was a nice breezy, chilly day (relatively). So, with the chili (no pun intended) in the crock pot getting ready to be served, it was time to pour a glass and see what we had to go with dinner. As one would expect from such a bold variety, the color did not disappoint. A very dark red, with good clarity. Now, one of the reason Zinfandel is not my favorite, is because the smell is usually a bit much for me. This one however, was very nice. Not too strong, but still held it own for sure. It didn't have the really "earthy" smell that I associate with a Zin. So, at this point, I was thinking maybe I was going to get lucky with another Zinfandel. I took a sip, and swished it around a bit, and my first impression was "ehh". To me, it was really nothing special, but didn't have that strong bite that a really bad wine would have. it was just kind of middle of the road, and really nothing special. For the most popular Zinfandel at this particular wine superstore, I would just have to say there is much better out there in that price range.

Rating: 3.0 (Maybe a bit generous)

Razor's Edge - Shriaz

2009-09-23T20:45:00.002-04:00

Price: $12.99
Region: South Astralia
Year: 2006

Back to a little bit more of a normal routine. A slightly different routine now that I have started a new job, but a routine nonetheless. It just so happens that my commute home of Friday brings me past one of my least favorite wine stores (mostly because of price), but it would be enough out of my way to go somewhere else, that it is now where I stop more often then not on my way home from work. I knew this particular Friday nigh was not going to be a take-out night, but instead some type of either pasta or ravioli. So, for a moment I thought Italian, but quickly decided I was in the mood to try another Shiraz. Not uncommon...

It didn't take me too long to come across something I hadn't seen before, but that definitely caught my eye. The reason Razor's Edge caught my eye is because it is the name of one of my favorite AC/DC albums that came out in the early '90s. Anyway, besides the fact they are both from Australia, I was pretty sure there was no other connection, but a good enough reason to give it a try anyway. Knowing that it is quite easy to find a really good Australian Shiraz for $10 or less, I wasn't real keen on paying $13, but knowing I was probably paying a couple of dollars more because of the store I was in, it seemed about right.

So, when I arrived home, and got settled, I grabbed some dinner, and sat down with a glass of Razor's Edge. I know I sound quite like a broken record when it come to Australian Shiraz, but the deep dark red color was very impressive. Probably one of the reasons I like this variety so much. When I swirled the glass a bit, and took a sniff, I was a bit nonplussed because it was kind of tart, for lack of a better, word, but very strong. It was almost a bit too much, but as always, it was going to come down to taste. So, when I finally took a sip, I found that the taste wasn't as nearly as overpowering as the smell, which is probably a good thing. It was however not quite as smooth as I was expecting, and bit short on the finish. I would say all in all it wasn't bad, but for $13, and the fact that I have come across many Australian Shiraz wines for at least a coupel of dollars cheaper, I think I will pass on this one.

Rating: 3.25 Corks (Definitely better Australian Shiraz out there)

Anakena - Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-09-09T20:39:00.005-04:00

Price: $7.99

Region: Chile

Year: 2008

Another review from my backlog. It just so happens that this one however, occurred purely by chance. Earlier this year I review a bottle of the Anakena Cabernet, that I enjoyed very much (http://winereviewsyoucanunderstand.blogspot.com/2009/01/anakena-cabernetsauvignon.html) and one weekend I decided to give it another try knowing that it wouldn't be one I review. Well, when I got it home and took a closer look, it was a differnet year (2007 as opposed to 2006). So, as it so happens, this will be the first time I review the same wine, but a different year.

Not quite sure what I had this bottle of wine with because for some reason I forgot to write it down. However, history tends to point towards some take out pizza or Italian food. That probably isn't too much of a stretch. Anyway, I do have some pretty thorough notes, and I do remember the wine quite well given it was one I was looking forward to trying again. When I poured the first glass, I was cheating by looking at the notes from my review of the '06. This one did not strike me as the deep dark red that the '06 had, so I would say it was a touch lighter. No big deal so far. The smell however, was still very pleasant, and had all of the strength of what you would expect from a Cab. So, being that we weren't that far off from the previous year yet, the real test came next. I swirled the glass again, and took a sip. I noticed right away that it just didn't have the qualities I was expecting given my earlier review. One of the things I loved about the previous year, was how smooth it was for the price. Maybe there is a reason it was 20% less expensive ($7.99 vs. $9.99), and I will tell you, I would gladly pay the $2 for the difference between these two wines. This '07 simply was not as smooth as the '06, so we'll have to hope for good things from the '08.

Rating: 3.0 Corks (Grab the Anakena '06 if you can find it)

Montoya - Petit Shiraz

2009-09-02T20:41:00.003-04:00

Price: $12.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

I've been meaning to get to a some of my backlog reviews, and it seems I have a little time to do so. I'll aim for an extra review a week until I catch up. This wine was actually enjoyed in July, when we went over to a friend's house for an evening out on the back deck. As some may know from other reviews, I'm in constant search for another Petit Shriaz to match the one found on my default list (Bogle). I've tried many, but no such luck to date. My usual course of action, when I have the time, is to browse the store until something jumps out at me. This particular week, as I walked down teh first aisle, where "other reds" are on display, one of the employees who often offer to lend a hand saw me looking in the direction of the Petit Shiraz. She said, if you want to try a good one, this one from Montoya just came in, and it is excellent. Well, that was about all I needed to pursuade me, so it was a wuick trip to the wine store in deed.

As we arrived at our freinds' house, it didn't take too long to be out back on the deck with glasses of wine in hand. One of the things I just love about a good Petit Shiraz is the almost purple color, and this one was no different. It was very deep, and dark, almost black. A very goos start indeed. As I lifted it up to smell, it didn't disappoint there either. A good earthy, bold smell. Just was I was hoping for. I will say I have gotten this far before with a Petit Shiraz, but then fell flat on my face when it came time for the moment of truth. No such bad luck here. The wine was very flavorful, and bold, with great length and balance. A great match for burgers on the grill. Much like the Bogle, it was just a good solid, smooth wine for a reasonable price. I will say I tend to say no thank you every time one of the employees ask me if I need any assistance, but this time, I'm glad I took her advice. While I would definitely say it is on par with the Bogle, it is a couple of dollars more expensive, so just comes in a shade under as far as corks go, but a nice wine fo sure.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Great for a Bar-B-Q)

Hopewell Valley - Barbera

2009-09-02T20:11:00.004-04:00

Price: $16.95

Region: New Jersey

Year: 2007

It has been far too long since I've sat down and wrote a review, and I have quite a backlog to get to. Part of the delay was that I was on a family vacation in Maine. While the normal evening would consist of a beer or two, I was definitely looking for a different kind of wine to review as well. As luck would have it, my sister who went along with us, brought a bottle of wine along for me that I definitely had not tried before. Not her full time job, but as a little side project, she has been working at a local winery in New Jersey. So, knowing that I love a good red wine, she grabbed a bottle of Barbera from Hopewell Valley Vineyards.

Now, I will be the first to admit, when I look for a bottle of wine each week to review, the New Jersey section of my favorite wine shop is not prominently displayed (if its there at all). So, not only do I know I never had a wine from Hopewell Valley, I can't remember ever having a wine from New Jersey. I can't say that was going to stop me from giving this wine a try with a nice seafood dinner. I will also admit I am not completely up on all of the Italian varietals, but whenever I hear the name of this wine, a big bold red always comes to mind. Not sure if that is completely accurate, but we'll go with it for now.

So, I sat down with a plate of scallops, and my bottle of Hopewell Valley Barbera. When I poured my first glass, I found it to have a very nice red color, albeit it touch lighter then I as expecting. This could very well be my ignorance, but nonetheless, nothing to be concerned about. When I gave my glass a swirl, and took a whif, I was fairly impressed at the pleasant smell, with a bit of an earthy background. Really not bad at all. So, when it was time to give it a taste, I wasn't completely shocked that is was actually quite good. It had a nice smooth flavor that hit the tongue immediately, and hung around quite nicely with very good balance. It definitely didn't have a big bite to it, but instead just kind of faded away, at which point I wanted to have another sip. I beleive if I had written some notes down before I gave it a try, based on my expectations, I would have to say it would have exceeded them. Would definitely stop by an pick up another bottle if I happen to be driving by Hopewell Valley. If for no other reason then to say hi to my sister.

Rating: 3.75 corks (Pleasantly surprised)

Penfolds - Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet

2009-08-11T22:34:00.002-04:00

Price: $10.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2007

OK, back to reality. While last week was totally out of the ordinary, I wasn't quite so lucky this week. Still a nice Friday night at home with the family, some homemade tacos, and a bottle of wine. While I went to one of my least favorite wine stores, mostly because it is on aver $2-$3 more expensive per bottle, it is the closest to my house so it did the trick. I will say they have a fairly good selection, so its not all bad. As I was walking around looking for a bottle to try, I just thought to myself that I hadn't tried an Australian Shiraz in a little while. It is also a wine that rarely lets me down. While I have had a couple different bottles of Penfold's wine, I had not as yet tried teh Koonunga Hills Shiraz/Cab mix. There was no time like the present.

So, as I mentioned already, my wife was making dinner on Friday this week, so no take-out to pick up. Once I got home, I sat down and poured myself a glass. One of the reasons I love a good Shiraz is because of the great color, and this wine was no different. A nice dark purple wine, that had good depth. So, when I gave my glass a swirl, and took a sniff, I again was not disappointed. A very nice fragrant wine, which I would say was above average in that it really stood out to me. As always, the taste has more weight in my book. As I took a sip, I will say it had a nice fruit-forward taste, and was generally pretty smooth. The taste faded a bit quick for my liking, but it wasn't weak by any means. I wouls ay all in all the taste was a little shy of the color and smell, but in general, a very good $11 bottle of wine that you can probably find for a couple dollar cheaper. Overall, I would put it ont he "give it a try list". Next week we are off to vacation, so I might a couple of extra bottles to review :)

Rating: 3.25 corks (Give it a try)

Pine Ridge - Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-08-04T22:48:00.003-04:00

Price: $90 (in 2004)
Region: Napa, California
Year: 2001

OK, definitely way out of the guidelines I originally set up for my blog, but I couldn't go without reviewing this wine. It was a wine that my wife and I purchased on a trip to Napa, Ca. for our 10th wedding anniversary in 2004. The plan was always to put it in our little wine refrigerator until anniversary number 15, and then break it out for a special dinner. Although our anniversary is a little over a month away, we were able to sneak in a nice little getway this past weekend. We ate dinner at a great little BYOB restaurant that is about 20 minutes away, and I just couldn't wait to give this wine a try. I litteraly had been waiting 5 years.

So, we ordered a couple of appetizers, and poured ourselves each a glass. From the get go, it was exactly as I expected. A deep, dark red color was definitely no surprise. This is a top rated Cab each year, and shallow in color was one thing it was not going to be. The smell was equally impressive. A great fruity smell, that definitely had some body behind it. So, now, the only thing left to do was give it a taste. I know there is not much suspense here, but wow, what a great wine. It was velvety smooth, with a great red berry flavor, that had tremendous length. I know that when you are used to $10 - $15 bottles of wine like I am, that a bottle that almost cost $100 is in a different league, but at least it tasted like it. I would have been a bit disappointed if it wasn't a homerun across the board, but no such let down here. I will say that when we were in Napa, we had a private tasting at Pine Ridge where we barrel tasted this wine, and it wasn't quite as good as it was that day, but not far behind. The point here is that every once in a while, even if it is once every 5 years, treat yourself, and see how the other side live :)

Rating: 4.5 (Wow)

Tin Roof - Merlot

2009-07-28T22:31:00.005-04:00

Price: $11.99
Region: California
Year: 2005

I still have a little bit of a backlog of reviews, but I haven't had time to sit down and write up the weeks I missed. I will certainly get to it soon. In the meantime, I am going to write about my wine from this past weekend, as it is fresh in my head. There wasn't too much special about this Friday night, just a normal take out dinner from our favorite little Italian eatery, with a wine store next door of course. I was just having a salad, so wasn't predisposed to any particular wine. I just wanted something medium bodied, so I went straight to the Merlot aisle. After looking at a couple of selections, I saw this bottle of Tin Roof, and at $12, seemed like it was worth a try.

So, when I got home, and got everyone's dinner ready, I sat down with my glass of wine, and my salad. At first glance, this glass of wine looked very much like many other medium-bodied Merlots. Not super dark in appearance, but not weak looking by any stretch. It really had a nice looking depth to it. When I gave my glass a little swirl, and took a sniff, I was pleasantly surprised. A very nice floral bouquet, that was definitely not weak, but not overpowering. A good balance. At this point, I was really looking forward to tasting this wine, because it had been a while since a new Merlot caught my attention. When I took a sip, this one definitely did that. A very nice forward flavor, that was very smooth, with great length. It wasn't a velvety smoothness like a good Cabernet, but definitely a smooth tasting wine, with great texture. I have to say, once of the better Merlot wines I have had in this price range in quite a while. I was so impressed, I went back on Sunday to get another bottle for Sunday night dinner. The first new addition to the "top 5" list in a couple of months.

Rating: 4.0 corks (a repeat buy for sure)

Earthquake - Syrah

2009-07-19T11:43:00.006-04:00

Price: $30

Region: California

Year: 2005

So, I am a few weeks behind I know, but I have a good reason. I recently changed jobs after 13 years at my previous job, and things were a bit hectic. I am however, back in the swing of things, and have three reviews to write up over the next couple of days. This first one is a departure from the normal routine as it was a present from my wife. It is more expensive then the wines I set out to review, but still wanted to post a review on this one. Anyway, after I decided to take this new job, my wife stopped by the store on her way home one night, and picked out a nice bottle of Syrah.

We were having rice and shrimp for dinner, so as I helped around the kitchen to get dinner ready, I poured myself a glass of wine. Right off the bat I knew this was a bold wine. The color was a deep dark purple, very pleasing to the eye. After admiring the color, I gave my glass a swirl, and smelled a very nice Syrah for sure. Not too strong, but extremely pleasant. So far I was very impressed. As I took a sip, the smoothness hit me right away. A great bold flavor for sure, but one that hung around for a bit too. A nice smooth wine with great length. I must admit there wasn't much I could find wrong with this wine. Definitely one worth the extra money for a special occasion when you done't feel like spending $50 or $100 for a bottle of wine. Now, I probably won't add this to my top five, although it certainly scored high enough. I just want to be sure to rank the wines that fit into the original criteria of this blog. That being said, if you have a few extra dollars one evening, this one I would recommend for sure.

Rating: 4.5 corks (A great wine)

S. Orsola - Chianti

2009-07-03T14:48:00.003-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Italy
Year: 2007

This week I was determined to stay in the Italian aisle until I left with a wine I hadn't tried before. I'm just not as familiar with the grapes on some of the different kinds of Italian wine, so it just takes me a little longer to pick one out. Well, after about 15 minutes, I narrowed it down to a couple of choices, and finally picked the S. Orsola Chianti. I can't say there was really any deciding factor, but sometimes that's just how it goes. Anyway, since I was determined to get an Italian wine, I also decided to pick up our favorite pizza for dinner. A large pie with grilled chicken, artichoke, and spinach. Sounded like a good Friday evening to me.

So, I sat down with a couple of pieces of pizza, and a generous glass of red wine. One thing I found interesting when looking at a couple of different bottles of Chianti, is that some stated "full-bodies", while one or two stated "light-bodies", but the far majority were listed as "medium-bodied". The bottle I choose was of the medium variety. So, it wasn't unexpected that the color was a bit on the light side. It didn't look weak or anything, but definitely not big and bold. Along the same lines, the smell had a bit of a floral hint to it, but it wasn't very strong. It was definitely time though to give it a try. I took my first sip, and all of the taste seemed to go right tot he back of my tongue, with a bit of a bite. In addition, the taste seemed to fade pretty quickly. It wasn't an awful taste, but I was definitely hoping for much more. All in all, I would say it was a middle of the road kind of wine. When Sunday rolled around, and it was time to have my in-laws over for dinner, my wife told me she was cooking an Italian dish for dinner. Since I had long finished the bottle of Chianti I bought on Friday, I took another trip to the store, and grabbed the only Italian wine on my default list Monte Antico-> http://winereviewsyoucanunderstand.blogspot.com/2008/12/monet-antico-sangiovese.html -> and it was good....

Rating: 2.5 Corks (Going to have to pass)

The Prodigal Son - Petit Sirah

2009-06-23T23:03:00.003-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

For some reason over the past couple of weeks, I have been heading to a different country section of my favorite wine store to try and find a new wine. Last week I tried a new wine from Spain, and this week I was gravitating towards Italy, as it has just been a while since I tried a new Italian wine. For some reason though, I left the aisle without finding what I was looking for (maybe next week). Then, I ended up in a small section of the red wine aisle called "alternative reds". This is always a place I like to take a peak in order to find something a bit different. This week however, it wasn't something different, but instead a new brand of wine I buy quite often. It is hard to miss the bright colorful label, and the interesting name of this wine, and it definitely caught my attention. There are only a handful of Petit Sirah wines in this store, so I guess that is why it shows up in this section. Based on how much me and my wife love a bottle of Bogle Petit Sirah, I am always on the lookout for its equal, at a similar or better price. However, so far, no luck. So, when I saw a new bottle of Petit Sirah with a catchy name, and at the same price point, I had to give it a try.

Usually I would save this wine to have with a hamburger on the grill, or some other grilled meat, but I already knew we were having Italian take-out, and that wasn't stopping me. I was really looking forward to giving this a try, which might have been my first mistake. I have to remind myself to not get my expectations up when buying a bottle of wine under $10. Anyway, I sat down to dinner, and poured myself a glass. It started off good enough, with a nice rich, deep red color. Very similar to other Petit Sirah wines I have enjoyed. Definitely one of the things I love about this variety is the color. So, I gave the glas a swirl, and was not surpirsed that it was a nice strong scent. Pleasant enough, but for some reason, it seemed a bit young, for lack of a better word. As usual though, it was going to come down to taste, as I was a bit on the fence at this point. So, when I took a sip, it had a good start, but faded quickly. As I noticed with a smell, the wine didn't seem to have much in the way of staying power. It was a nice enough taste, but still a bit short of the Bogle, and with much less length. So, my search for an equal continues, but I'll keep trying for sure.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (Decent, with a catchy name & label)

Eguren - Tempranillo

2009-06-11T19:25:00.002-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Spain
Year: 2007

OK, another trip to the store where I decided upfront to go back to a specific country. For some reason, I just gravitated towards a wine from Spain this week. It didn't have anything to do with what was on the menu, because we were planning bar-b-q pork chops, but more just that I hadn't had a Spanish wine in a while and decided it there was no time like the present. I really haven't only tried a couple different wines, and mostly have stuck with the Rioja grape, but I saw this bottle of Tempranillo, so I snatched it up.

I'm not overly familiar with the grape, so I didn't have any preconceived notions. I was getting ready to throw dinner on the grill, so I headed out to the deck with a glass of wine. A first I thought the wine was a bit pale, but it has a nice light "redish" color with good clarity. When I took a smell, it was also a bit faint, but was a little bit different then what I am used to. So, at this point, I definitely wasn't anticipating a big bold wine taste, and true to form that isn't what I got either. The tate was unique when compared with the normal varieties I usually stick to, but not in a bad way. It was a little short in length as the taste didn't hang around long, but it was a nice change of pace. Maybe in the end, it was a good pairing for pork, because that is something we choose when we're tired of the same old meats on the grill during the summer. So, all in all, a decent tasting wine, and would try it again if I was wanted to get out of a rut of having the same old thing each week..

Rating: 2.75 Corks (if you want to try something a bit different)

Snapdrag - Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-05-28T19:45:00.003-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Sonoma, California
Year: 2007

Sometimes it isn't just about finding a different wine, sometimes I like to try a store I rarely visit just to see if they have something different on the shelves. In the case of last Friday, we were actually not ordering take-out, but I still had to make a quick run to the store to grab a bottle of wine. A Friday just isn't complete.... Anyway, I decided to try a small little shop that is close by, but just don't happen to frequent very often. It just so happens that on Friday evening, they do a small wine tasting. Now, this isn't generally how I pick my wine out, but I figured what the heck. So, when I was offered a taste of a wine I hadn't tried before I thought it would work good for my wine review of the week. I just took a small sip because I had already decided to buy a bottle, and I wanted to wait until I got home to determine what I really thought.

When I arrived back home, I went right to work and poured a glass. As one would expect, a nice strong looking, dark red color. I then swirled it around a bit, and took a sniff. A very nice smelling wine, but a touch on the light side. Nothing too much to complain about though. So, at this point, I didn't recall much of the taste from the wine store, since it was such a small amount, but I was ready for another try. Now, I will be the first to admit I'm not the biggest fan of the next saying, but it definitely applies with this wine. The taste was was "fruit forward", which to me means the fruity taste hit me right away, and then actually had good length. It definitely didn't dry up right away. A bit of blackberries if someone demanded to know what fruit I tasted (again determining different tastes in a wine is not my strong suit). It had a touch of a bite, but I would say was fairly smooth overall. My general impression is that for $10, and I would suspect a couple dollars cheaper at a larger wine store, this was a very nice Cab. It wasn't a big bold tasting wine, but definitely held its own. Would definitely give it another try.

Rating: 3.25 Corks (Solid choice for the price)

Ravenswood - Petit Shiraz

2009-05-17T14:20:00.002-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

A pretty average Friday evening, but we just happened to order pizza from a different pizza shop, which is no where near my favorite wine store. In fact, the store I ended up stopping at has a good selection, but just way overpriced, so definitely not my favoroite. However, I didn't have much of a choice unless I wanted to go out of my way, so I figured I'd stop by and see what I could find. I really didn't have anything particular in mind, but found something in the first aisle I walked down. It happened to be the aisle with a few bottles of Petit Shiraz. I just haven't been able to find a bottle, for the price, that meets or beats a bottle of Bogle Petit Shiraz (on my default list), but I'm always willing to take a chance just in case I get lucky.

In this instance, the brand was very familiar, as I have had many bottles of Ravenswood Vinters Blend Zinfandel, but was very surprised to see a Petit Shiraz on the shelf. I had never seen a Ravenswood Petit Shiraz before, but at just under $10, and probably cheaper at more reasonable stores, it was worth a try. Again, nothing to exciting for dinner, just a ham and spinach pizza, but it was Friday, and there could be worse things then a quiet evening with pizza and wine. So, when I sat down, and poured a glass, I was not surprised to find a very dark, purple glass of wine. That definitely seems to be the trait of any Petit Shriz I have ever had. A very nice color for sure. When I went to take a smell, I was a little surprised to find it was kind of dull. It was pleasant enough, but not as bold as I was expecting. So, at this point I was thinking that I might have found a decent, inexpensive Petit Shiraz to have every now and again, but the most important aspect was still left. When I took my first sip, my first impression was, bland. Not the adjective I was thinking I would use after first seeing the wine. I know this next word might not make a whole lot of sense, but overall the wine just seemed shallow. I was expecting big, and bold, and that is not what I got. So, the search goes on for another quality, inexpensive Petit Shiraz, but I didn't find it here.

Rating: 2.25 Corks (Will pass on this one)

7 Deadly Zins - Zinfandel

2009-05-07T22:17:00.007-04:00

Price: $12.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

Sometimes it takes a gentle nudge. I received an email from a friend the other day, nicely reminding me that I haven't reviewed a Zinfandel in quite some time, and he was exactly right. I must admit, it is a wine I walk past more often then not, and I'm not 100% sure why. I think in general, I have just had a couple bottles that make me think twice about it, and I have found that the more inexpensive Zinfandels seem to stand out as just that, cheap. Anyway, there were a couple of suggestions for ones I might like, but when I saw "7 Deadly Zins" on the list, I knew what my next purchase was going to be. I have seen this a couple of times before, but just never pulled the trigger, and this time I had no excuse.

The interesting things about this night, was that I had to figure out a way to buy a Zinfandel for a dinner I was planning for my wife's birthday, when I know full well i is one of her least favorite wines. So, in addition to grabbing a bottle of this, I also picked up my default white wine, (http://winereviewsyoucanunderstand.blogspot.com/2008/11/pine-ridge-chenin-blanc-viognier.html) which I know she loves. So, I was covered all the way around. I wasn't sure exactly how much this wine was going to cost at my favorite wine store (which has some great deals), but when I saw it was $12.99, I was actually happy because I was hoping it wasn't a $8 bottle of Zinfandel for reasons mentioned above.

I made a mixed grill of chicken, steak, and vegetable ka-bobs for dinner, so I was actually looking forward to the pairing. i was going to wait until dinner was ready, but something about a glass of wine out on deck while grilling that is very enjoyable, so there was no time like the present. I poured a glass, and was none to surprised at the nice deep, dark color. When I raised the glass to swirl & smell, I was impressed by the very nice smell, that was a touch earthy. So, far, things were looking good. So, when I took my first sip, I continued to be impressed. It immediately hit me how smooth and well balanced the wine was. No big bite that I have sometimes experienced with less expensive Zins, but still bold, and a touch spicy. Kind of similar attributes to what I love about Shiraz, but clearly a different wine (and 14.9% alcohol to boot). I'm not going to say it was my favorite wine, but definitely on top of my Zinfandel list at this point. I am definitely going to have to pay more attention to the emails I receive from Roland in the future.

Rating: 3.5 Corks (A really good Zin)

Mendoza Station - Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-04-26T13:35:00.003-04:00

Price: $9.99 (1.5 liter)
Region: Argentina
Year: 2008

Obviously another selection that I didn't have much luck finding a picture for. So far they've been few and far between, so I'll stick with my default picture. This would have been a weekend where I took the time to look for a little nicer bottle of wine because it was for my father-in-laws birthday dinner. That would usually coincide with a nice cut of steak or one of his other favorite meals, however, it was a super busy weekend, so we decided to make it simple, and have hamburgers instead. Whatever we ended up having, I really wanted to try out my new grill, so hamburgers worked for me. I will admit, my original intent was to run in and grab a 1.5 liter bottle of my #1 default wine, Yellowtail Shiraz. When I went to the aisle with the 1.5 liter bottles, this wine just jumped out at me. It was definitely a new selection in this store, and I could pass up the opportunity given the excellent price.

We started out with a simple appetizer of chips and guacamole, and I figured it was time to give the new wine a try. Everyone else was enjoying Corona and lime, as it was a warm spring afternoon, but I was really looking forward to giving this wine a try. I poured my first glass, and I was thinking the color was a bit lighter then I was expecting. Not weak looking, but not as deep as I was thinking it might be based on previous Cabs from Argentina. I then took a smell, and thought it was very pleasant. Again, not overly bold, but nice. So, after I swirled it around a bit more, I thought it was time to give it a try. I took a sip, and the first thing I noticed is that it was very smooth. Sometimes with wine hovering around this price for a 1.5 liter bottle, you get some bite, but this wine was definitely not bitter. It also had very good length, as the taste hung around for a second or two, and finished nicely. It was a not a big, bold Cabernet by any stretch, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I would especially think based on the price, this would be an excellent wine to but a bunch of when you have a large gathering of friends. This could also be one of the inexpensive every day wines that you keep around the house. Overall, and wine with a few different uses for sure.

Rating: 3.0 Corks (Nice, especially for the price)

Sebeka - Cabernet/Pinotage

2009-04-21T19:08:00.002-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: South Africa
Year: 2007

This week I happened to be in one of my less favorite wine stores, and I must say it is mostly because of the price, but nonetheless it was convenient. So, I would say you could easily buy this wine for around $7.99 at stores that have more competitive pricing, but for now we'll go with what I paid. When I walked into the store, I just made the decision I was going to find a wine from South Africa this week. I have worked with some colleagues from South Africa for quite some time now, and on a visit a few years back, one brought me over a couple of very nice bottles of wine. So, every once in a while I see if I can find something that matches up. So far, very few have, but it could very well be the price point I keep sticking to. Anyway, this one looked different, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I can't really say I know exactly what a wine made from the Pinotage grape should taste like, but based on the brief write-up on the label, it seemed like I wasn't going too far out on a limb. Things started off well enough. The wine had a very nice bold color to it when I poured my first glass. I would say it was more a dark purple, then dark red, but either way, I was impressed. The smell on the other hand, was not quite as bold. It was pleasant enough, with what I would say was a hint of floral background, but in general it was a little weaker then I anticipated. As always, the important piece was the flavor. Based on a plus, and a minus so far, I really didn't know what to expect. Unfortunately, it definitely didn't "wow" me. My first impression was that it had a bit of an odd tasting bite at the onset, but then that went away quickly. It didn't have great length, and wasn't what I usually expect from a California Cabernet.

I would say overall, it wasn't horrible, but nothing I'm going to rush out and buy again. Interestingly enough, the 2nd glass I enjoyed more then the first. It may have been that the bite I epxerienced with the first glass was not as noticeable with subsequent glasses. I also saved a couple of glasses for another day, and also thought it wasn't too bad a couple of days later. Again, nothing to write home about, but if it sticks out on the shelf someday, might consider giving it a try.

Rating: 2.25 Corks (When you run out of others to try)

L de Lyeth - Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-04-11T14:05:00.002-04:00

Price: $10.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

Nothing too exciting for dinner, but somehow just decided that I was in the mood to try a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sometime I go into the wine store looking for a wine from a particular country, and other times it is a specific variety. Most times I do it just to make my search for a new bottle a little less time consuming, although this time it didn't seem to work very well. I must have looked at a dozen different bottles of Cabernet that I hadn't tried before, and I just couldn't make up my mind. Anyway, I settled for this bottle of L de Lyeth, and I can't exactly say why. Maybe it was the interesting name, who knows.

Nothing too out of the ordinary for dinner, just something from the Italian eatery we seems to hit every other week. So, I sat down and poured a glass. As I would have expected from a Cab, the color was deep and rich. Sort of a dark purple with a hint of red. When I took a smell, I was pleasantly surprised. It had a very nice aroma. Actually, I decided to give it a couple more twirls because I really found it appealing. So far so good with this one. I took my first sip, and I quickly noitced that it was very smooth, with a slightly subdued taste. It was not overly bold for a Cabernet, but it was by no means bad. So, the inital flavor was good, overall it was very smooth, but it did not have great length, or that type of taste that lets you know you just tasted a Cabernet Sauvignon. I think I will put it on the list of wines to give another try some day.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (More good then bad)

Shoofly - Shiraz

2009-03-29T10:59:00.002-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2005

This was not a typical take-out and wine Friday evening. Every so often we take the kids to my sister's for the weekend, so they can spend some time with their cousin, and Aunt and Uncle. We were planning on a night out with some friends on Saturday, so it seemed like a good weekend for that. On the way home from dropping them off, I stop at my favorite wine store with the knowledge that I was picking up sushi for dinner. Without a doubt, it is hard to top sushi and wine in my book. Usually I would buy a more expensive bottle to enjoy during a quiet dinner like this, but I wanted to stick with my original plan, which was a review a week for a bottle under $15. Therefore, I went to the aisle that usually never lets me down, and that was the Shiraz aisle. I had this wine on my list to try for quite a while, so I thought there was no time like the present.

After getting home, and setting out our sushi dinner, I poured a glass, and my first impression was wow! I do not think it could be any deeper, or darker red. It looks just like the bottle in this picture, almost black. The wine just looked smooth from the get go. When I brought the wine up to take a sniff, I was almost equally impressed. Now, I will always admit I love the smell of Shiraz to begin with, smooth with a hint of spiciness, and this one did not disappoint. At this point, I was very much looking forward to taking a sip, but was just hoping it was even close to the expectation I had now set based on the sight, and smell. I did this all while still knowing I only paid ten dollars for this bottle of wine. So, when I took a sip, I knew I had found a very good wine. it was smooth, with an excellent flavor, and great length. It hung around just enough to entice another sip. I usually don't use this next word because it is part of what I have always found confusing, but one word that did come to mind was structure. This wine, from the beginning to end, was just well structured, and very much worth the price. I will definitely add this one to the list.

Rating: 3.75 Corks (A $10 gem)

Avalon - Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-03-14T16:52:00.002-04:00

Price: $9.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

I'm a bit behind, so I have a couple of weeks of reviews to catch-up on. Sometimes life gets in the way. Not unlike many weekends, I was picking up take-out at one of the two Italian eateries we frequent on Friday evenings. This particular one has a wine and beer store right next store. It isn't my favorite place, but it isn't too bad, and is very convenient. Anyway, I wasn't looking for anything in particular this week, just something I hadn't tried before. I actually walked around for longer then normal because I just couldn't make up my mind. After a couple of times around, I finally decided to try a Cabernet I have never seen before, but at $10, wasn't too much of a gamble.

On Fridays in Lent, I usually try to remember not to eat meat, so I actually ordered an eggplant parmigiana sandwich, and stole a piece of two on my son's pizza. Again, not necessarily what I would buy a Cabernet Sauvignon for, but that's just how it played out. So, I poured a glass, and sat down ready to eat dinner. My first impression was that there was a hint of "clearness" to the wine. It wasn't as deep dark red as I would usually picture a Cabernet, but still had a nice color to it. When I went to have a smell, again, it was a little on the soft side. It wasn't bold at all, but not unpleasant. So, when I went to take my first sip, it was generally well balanced with no bite or aftertaste, but just a little thin. All the way around, the wine was pretty good, just didn't stand out liek many Cabernets tend to do. I will say though, as I ate my dinner, and pured another glass, it grew on me a bit. This is the case of the 2nd glass pull up the score just a touch.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (Nothing great, but a solid buy)

Black Box - Shiraz

2009-02-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

Price: $17.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

I wanted to sit down and write this last week, but just didn't get around to it. This was an odd week for a couple of reasons. The main reason was that my wife was traveling to a conference in Texas, so I knew my schedule would be a touch out of whack. Since she was away from Tues - Sunday, I was thinking I might not make it to the wine store on Friday night, so I needed somethign that would last. Plus, I was thinking there might be a day or two where a glass of wine to end the night wouldn't be such as bad thing. My usual mode of operation is to only drink on the weekends, but again, this wasn't a normal week. Anyway, I decided a box of wine might not be a bad idea. Whenever I think of box wine, I almost always go right to Black Box Merlot, and as you can see from my top 5 list, there is a reason why. Since my goal is to try somethign different each week, I decided to try a different variety, which I hadn't before this week. Now that I think about it, it is kind of surprising because of how much I like the Black Box Merlot, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Not surprising I'm sure, is the fact I went right to the Black Box Shiraz. One, I had never tried it, and two, for the equivalent of 3 bottles of wine, who can beat $18. For those that are math challenged, that's only $6 a bottle. Pretty impressive. Anyway, when I pushed the little valve, and poured my first glass, it was exactly as I expected, a deep dark red, almost purple. A very nice, deep color. Them when i took a smell, I knew this was going to be a good purchase. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very bold aroma, which is exactly what I love about a good Shriaz. So, when I swirled the glass, and took my first sip, I was again thoroughly impressed. This wine had a very smooth taste, with great length, but no aftertaste. it was just a very enjoyable galss of wine. And the best thing about it is that it last for a good long while. After a couple of glasses, I just put it in the basement, and the next time I poured a glass, it was the same quality as the first glass. i do not want to over emphasize this wine, as it is still a $6 bottle of wine, but for the price, I find it very hard to complain. This is the second Black Box wine that I have tasted, and while I still like the Merlot a little better (which is ood for me to say), this still a very good wine for the price.

Rating: 3.75 corks (A tie for a top 5, but just misses the list - Great buy)

Gabbiano - Chianti

2009-02-17T22:08:00.002-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Italy
Year: 2006

I have a couple of wines to review from this past weekend, but I'm going to start with the first one I tried. Nothing too special about this Friday evening, just grabbing my wife's new favorite pizza from a relatively new Italian restaurant nearby. This particular pizza has chicken, spinach, and artichoke. Definitely a good pizza, so I decided it needed an Italian wine to go along. The store I was close to has a much smaller selection, and much higher prices then my usual store, so I was just looking for something I hadn't tried before that was around $10. Low and behold, I saw a Chianti that fit the bill, so I decided to give it a try.

I have not had a whole of of Italian wines. I have the one I usually get that is n my list of default wines, and I have also had a couple of more expensive wines around the holidays, but as you can see from what has been reviewed so far over the past 6-7 months, wines from Italy are not that common. That being said, I'm more then aware you can find many good Italian wines at a good price. I was hoping this would be the case here. My first impression when taking a look at my glass of wine, was that it had a very nice ruby red color. Definitely not a dark Cabernet, or Shiraz, but very vibrant. When I lifted the glass up to take a smell, I could tell it was going to stand out. It was very fruity, but definitely not overpowering. Just a really pleasant, fruity smell. So far so good. Now, for the important part. I took a sip, and was a touch disappointed. It was definitely not bad, but there was something about the taste that just didn't make it stand out. I was thinking based on the great smell, that the taste would be equally as good, but it was just OK. I hate to say middle of the road, because I just don't have a whole lot of Italian wines to compare it too, but definitely not on par with my Italian defaut wine. Definitely not a bad "pizza on a Friday night wine", but nothing to write home about either..

Rating: 2.75 Corks ( Pretty good)

Red Diamond - Merlot

2009-02-06T19:00:00.002-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Washington
Year: 2005

OK, I'm trying something a little different this week. Usually I have some wine over the weekend, take some notes, and then sit down later in the week to write the review. Well, it just so happens I have a little free time now, so I decided to write the review at the same time I am trying the wine. I have a glass of Red Diamond Merlot sitting here at my desk, so here goes.

First impression based on the color is pretty good. A nice deep red color, but also a little soft, which I would expect for a Merlot. Now, just gave the glass a few twirls, and gave it a sniff, and again very nice. I'm admittedly not the best a pinpointing specific smells, but it is very appealing, and definitely not too strong, and not too weak. I would say it almost has a floral aroma. Another point to make here before giving my impression of the taste, and overall rating, is that often times I come back to my notes to make a slight adjustment a glass or two later. Obviously that won't be the case here, so this is just my first impression, which will end up driving the overall review. In addition, Merlot is not usually my wine of choice. I have a couple that I really enjoy like Bogle, Blackstone, and Columbia Crest (one of which might finally be #5 on my default list), but generally I stray towards Cabs, and Shiraz. Anyway, the taste of this wine is very good. Definitely not too weak, so it holds up well, with a nice finish, but no aftertaste. Again, hard for me to rate many Merlots really high just because of personal preference, but it definitely stands up with the others that I mentioned above.

Rating: 3.0 Better the avgerage, and definitely worth a try

Anakena - Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-01-30T08:58:00.003-05:00

Price: $9.99
Region: Chile
Year: 2006

I tried to post last week's selection a little earlier in the week, but I guess time just got away from me. So, I know it is almost time for this weekend's selection, but here goes anyway. One thing it has been around here lately in the Northeast, and that is cold. So, last Sunday seemed the perfect day to have a nice pot of beef stew for dinner. Seemed like my wife was up for it too, so that was the plan. Now, when it comes to matching up a good wine with dinner, I usually don't try to stick too much by the book, but there is just something about beef stew and Cabernet Sauvignon in my opinion. So, off to the store I went. I will admit, it took me a while to find something I wanted to try. What it came down to was i decided to try a completely different region then my standard California Cabernet. The bottle from Chile, just happened to jump out after a little browsing.

So, when it came time for dinner, I was excited to pour myself a glass. When I first saw the wine in my glass, my first word was wow. When I say deep, dark in color, I am not kidding this time. This wine was almost black it was so dark, but definitely in a good way. The color made me look forward to the meal that much more. Interesting enough, on the label it mentioned some of the tastes, and smells. Now, if you happen to have read my initial entry when I laid our the reasns I was going to write this blog each week, you'll know I am not very good at distinguishing what others say I should smell or taste. This was no different as I did not smell tabacco or licorice, but it was very pleasant nonetheless. So, after the first two observations went so well, I was hoping not to be disappointed as has happened a couple fo times recently. Luckily, that was not the case here. This wine had a wonderful fruit forward taste, and was very smooth, with good length. It definitely enhanced a great dinner on a cold winter night. I will definitely take a longer look at wines from Chile based on the experience here.

Rating: 3.75 Corks (Pretty darn good)

Columbia Crest - Two Vines Cabernet-Merlot

2009-01-20T23:36:00.005-05:00

Price: $7.99
Region: Washington State
Year: 2005

OK, kind of a different weekend on the activity front, so same goes for the wine review. Friday was actually pretty quiet, but I already had one of my default wine in the basement, so I decided to have a bottle of Bogle Petite Shiraz -> http://winereviewsyoucanunderstand.blogspot.com/2008/11/bogle-petit-shiraz.html instead of going out an getting another bottle. Then, on Saturday I took my 12 year old son to see Metallica in Philadelphia, so no drinking on that night. That left Sunday for my wine of the week. However, this week we were having dinner at my in-laws, so I was kind of hoping the wine with dinner was something I hadn't review yet. Luckily enough, it was.

There are a couple of different Columbia Crest wine I liek very much, and actually, when I get around to buying my last default wine, it just might end up being a Columbia Crest wine, but this is one I have not tried before. It is called Two Vines, and to be honest I did not read the bottle to find out why. However, it is a Cabernet/Merlot blend. I had my first glass with some simple appetizers, and watching the NFC Championship game. When I first poured a glass, and took a look, I was hoping for a little darker red. It was a good color, but could see through the wine just a touch. In addition, the smell was not very unique, but did border on tart. Again, not something I was expecting. So, at this point, with being a little disappointed with the color and smell, my expectation were lowered. When I took the first sip, I think it at least met my lowered expectations. It was by no means a horrible wine, but having very much enjoyed some Columbia Crest wines in the past, I was just hoping for a little more. The taste was just not very bold, or distinct. It kind of tasted like one of the wines you would expect to have at a large gathering in a clear plastic cup. Not really anything that could offend someone, but really nothing special either. With some other very good Columbia Crest wines out there, I would just have to pass on trying this one again.

Rating: 2.5 Corks (Definition of Middle of the Road)

Silverwing - Barossa Shiraz

2009-01-10T16:25:00.003-05:00

Price: $10.99
Region: Australia
Year: 2005

Some habits are just hard to break. For some reason, in the beginning of January, I decided to go pick up a few bottles of wine instead of having to go out to the store every weekend. I walked around for a while just to see what would catch my attention, and after a while, I found myself in the Shiraz aisle. Sometimes it is just hard for me to pass by an Australian Shiraz that has a sign on it about being highly rated. As is almost always the case with Australian wine, it is always reasonable. So, this was no exception. Plus, I thought the silver dragon fly on the bottle was pretty cool.

Anyway, the wine has been down stairs for a couple of weeks, and I decided to give it a try last night. Nothing special for dinner, just take out from our favorite Italian eatery. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, and maybe it is because I tend to stick to bold red wines, but this wine had a nice deep ruby color. It also had a very nice aroma, with just a little spiciness to it, but definitely not overpowering. It was really just the right balance for me. I assume as with most things, that is a personal preference, but I'm not thrilled with wines that have an overly strong smell. So, After whirling it around a bit, I gave it a taste, and I was not disappointed. Again, you probably know I tend to favor a Shiraz, but when they're not good, I'll be the first to say I didn't like it. That was not the case here. This wine was smooth, with great length as the taste didn't disappear right away. Also, that hint of spicy smell, was the same with the taste. Just enough to be bold, but not overpowering. I was thinking the other day that I might not see a wine climb into my top five for a while, but I was wrong, as this was one I will definitely try again!

Rating: 3.75 Corks (Could become a regular)

Robert Mondavi - Meritage

2009-01-04T14:33:00.003-05:00

Price: $10.99
Region: California
Year: 2006

As I mentioned last week, New Year's Eve is my birthday. In a sort of dual celebration, my wife and I have had a nice sushi dinner for the past five years or so. It is definitely a favorite of ours. We almost always get sushi take out from the same place, and this year was no different. Now, I just had to go about picking out a wine to go along with dinner. The difference this year is that I received a couple of bottles of wine as birthday presents, so I decided to pick one of those. My brother gave me a bottle of Robert Mondavi Meritage, which is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (72%), with the rest being made up of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. I usually don't like to go check what people paid for a gift, but if I was going to review it, I had to know how much it cost. As you can see, it fits nicely into the range of most of the wines I have reviewed so far.

After getting back from picking up dinner, I sat down and poured myself a glass. This was one dark red wine. It was almost beyond purple, and bordered on black. There was no seeing through this glass of wine. I was expecting an equally strong smell, but when I twirled my glass and took a sniff, I was surprised that was not the case at all. A very pleasant smell, and kind of "earthy", but definitely a little faint. So far, my impression was that this wine was a very middle of road bottle of wine, but it was time to take a taste. Not surprisingly, the taste continued the trend. It was good, but not great. it was smooth, but short in length. The taste started off on a good foot, but then just went away. If there is anything about wine I enjoy, it is when the taste lingers for a second or two, and that just wasn't the case here. Overall, not a bad wine, but again, are lots more out there to try so not one I'll run back out to buy.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (Pretty Good)

Courtney Benham - Cabernet Franc

2008-12-31T14:29:00.004-05:00

Price: $18.99
Region: California (Sonoma)
Year: 2006

I meant to write this review last weekend, but with a bunch of vacation days thrown into the mix, I'm just a little off my routine. Anyway, this wine review is going to be a slight departure from the norm since this was one we enjoyed during our annual Christmas lunch with my in-laws. I usually buy something in the $40 - $50 range for Christmas lunch, but had just been wanting to try this wine for a while, so decided to go a little lower on the scale. At just under $20, this is more then I spend on a weekly wine, but still not all that expensive. We had this particular wine with a wonderful cheese and fruit tray. the cheeses consisted of Huntsman (cheddar & blue cheese), a dill Havarti, and Brie.

I will be the first to admit I do not know how a Cabernet Franc is different from the more common Sauvignon, but I did have a bottle once when I was in Napa, and thought it was very good. This is partially the reason I've been wanting to try this particular wine. I have passed by it a coupel of times in my local wine store, but just never picked it up. Anyway, when I first pured a glass, it definitely looked like a deep dark red Sauvignon. No difference here (to my eye anyway). When I took a sniff, I was surprised at how strong the aroma was. Not bad by any means, but strong nonetheless. Now, the important part. When I took my first sip, I was hit with a very upfront taste that also hung around for a bit. There was definitely a noticeable difference between what I would expect out of a Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was very pleasant, and I would say unique. It was good to try something different for a change, and generally was fairly impressed with this wine. My only hesitation is that at almost $20, there are much more economical choices that are at least on par with this wine. That being said, if you just want to try something different, you won't be disappointed.

Today will be another holiday wine choice, as not only it is New Year's Eve, but also my 37th birthday! Here is wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!

Rating: 3.25 Corks (Slightly pricey, but different)

Per Me Sola - Sangoivese

2008-12-20T14:08:00.002-05:00

Price: $6.99
Region: Toscana
Year: 2007

Well, as you'll notice, this is the first wine I've reviewed so far where I just couldn't find a picture online. It usually just isn't that difficult, but after 15 minutes or so, I gave up. Here is the new default photo in case that ever happens again. Anyway, this was a record fast trip to the wine store. I knew we were ordering some of our favorite pizza (called Mediterranean Salad), and I needed a wine to go along. Just seemed like a good time to head down the Italian wine isle. As I did, I got to the section where the Sangiovese wine was located, and came across a big yellow sign that simply said "PIZZA". I'm never one to ignore an obvious sign. My only hesitation is that $6.99 is getting close to the range where I tend to stay away from, but I gave it a try anyway.

The wine definitely had a nice deep color to it. I didn't get the impression it was going to be weak and timid. Additionally, it had a nice aroma as well. Nothing astounding, but pleasant nonetheless. But, as always, it comes down to taste. For some reason, I didn't have a glass with an appetizer this week, just waited to have a glass when I sat down to eat. Sangiovese is not a wine I drink on a regular basis, but have generally enjoyed it when I have. This was was along the same lines as others I have tasted. It had a nice flavor, with good length, but just slightly acidic for my taste. I will say, for $7, it is definitely a good pizaa wine, but are probably others out there that may just just a bit better.

Rating: 2.75 Corks (Not too shabby)