Pirouette - Red Blend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)