Crush - Cab/Merlot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 :)