Red Rock 2008 Reserve Malbec

The Winery: Red Rock
The Wine:  2008 Reserve Malbec
The Price: $10.99 at QFC

Red Rock is a California winery.  The grapes are sourced from multiple appellations.  Their website implies that this wine is a blend of varietals, but it doesn't state what blend is used in the wine.

The bottle was stopped with a composite cork and was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of cassis, cherry, blackberry and black tea.

The wine has bland flavors of cherry and blackberry and a very mild spice finish.  It is smooth, but lacking flavor.  All in all, it is very disappointing.  There are many good Malbecs out there, but this isn't one of them.  It would be a poor value at $5, but at $11 it's a plain rip-off.

Perrin & Fils 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages

The Winery: Perrin & Fils
The Wine: 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages
The Price: $9.69 at Costco

It has been awhile since I reviewed a French wine, so when I saw this one at Costco I knew I had to review it.  I've never heard of Villages being appended to Côtes du Rhône before, so I had to investigate a bit.  It turns out that Villages indicates two things - first that the wine is a bit more special than regular Côtes du Rhône (only 20% of the Côtes du Rhône vineyards are permitted to use the Villages label).  And second, that the wine is from a southern Rhône appellation. 

This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah.  The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 1 1/2 hours before tasting.

The wine is a very deep ruby color.  It has aromas of blackberries, cassis, and eucalyptus.

This is a pretty fruity and sweet wine with a predominant cherry flavor and underlying flavors of blackberry and black currant.  The wine is fairly heavy in tannins.

This wine is different than wines I would normally seek out, but I do like it.  It's very fruit-forward and very drinkable.  It's sweeter than I am used to encountering in a red wine, but it is intriguingly good and interesting.  

Kris 2008 Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Kris
The Wine:  2008 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $9.99 at Costco

Kris is an Italian winemaker.  This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  The grapes were grown in Oltrepò Pavese in Pavia Province, Lombardy.

The wine bottle was stopped with a screw cap and decanted 1 1/2 hours before tasting.  The wine is a fairly deep ruby in color, with just a hint of a prune-brownish tone. 

The wine has aromas of blackberries and cherries, and really nothing else is coming through. 

This is a pretty harsh Pinot Noir.  It has a forceful cherry flavor, backed by blackberry with a pronounced metalic note.  It's fairly sour and has, really, no redeeming qualities.  Well, that's not quite true - the label is kind of interesting.  But even for a $10 bottle of Pinot Noir, this is pretty awful.  The just may be the worst Pinot Noir I've ever tasted.  The folks at Cloudline may be pleased to learn that they've been unseated as the worst Pinot Noir I've ever encountered.  

High Note 2008 Malbec

The Winery:  High Note
The Wine:  2008 Malbec
The Price:  $11.99 at QFC

High Note is an Argentinian winery, with the grapes originating from the foothills of the Andes near Mendoza.  As far as I've been able to find out, the Malbec is the only wine that High Note produces.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted 1 1/4 hours before tasting.  This wine is a blend of 85% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Viognier and 2% Petit Verdot.  The wine is very deep purple in color and has aromas of prunes, blackberries, cherries, vanilla and cassis.

This is a very smooth and well-balanced Malbec.  It's flavor is anchored by berry and cherry, with a very mild vanilla undertone and just a splash of pepper.  It's a very nice Malbec, and is a great bargain for the price.

These guys are focusing on just one wine, and they are doing a great job of it.