Praxis 2008 Pinot Noir

The Winery:  Praxis
The Wine:  2008 Pinot Noir
The Price:  $20 at Jack Cellars

Praxis is a California winery, founded by Bill Arbios in 2000.  He started Praxis as to produce wines that are more affordable than those produced by his Arbios Cellars.

I am constantly on the lookout for a really good lower cost Pinot Noir, so when I saw this one I knew I had to try it.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 30 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine is dark ruby in color and has aromas of cherry, plums and cassis.  It has flavors of cherry and blackberry.  It's a very fruity and bright wine.  It is absolutely the best $20 Pinot Noir I've ever tasted.  This one is definitely worth checking out.  It's very much a shining star in the field of $20 Pinot Noirs.   

Maryhill 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Winery:  Maryhill
The Wine:  2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price:  $14.99 at QFC

Maryhill is a Washington winery, located in the Columbia River Gorge, approximately 100 miles east of Portland.  The winery was established in 1999 on land adjacent to what was once planned to be a farming community.

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

The wine is dark red with a bit of a brown cast to it, and has aromas of plum, blackberry and cherry.  It has flavors of black cherry and dark chocolate.  The wine is very smooth and has a very balanced and thoroughly enjoyable blend of flavors.