Vina Zaco - Tempranillo

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

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

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

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

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

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)