tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-630789457100252212024-02-19T02:04:14.906-08:00BrianOnWineBrian On Wine is my personal opinion on various wines. These wine reviews are solely my personal opinion. I have no formal training in wine tasting, and am not involved in the wine industry in any way. I am just a regular guy who appreciates a nice glass of wine now and then and I'd like to share my experiences with you. Hopefully I will turn you on to a nice wine at a nice price, or help you to avoid a less than perfect wine.Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-91314961249849286342016-09-21T18:42:00.001-07:002016-09-21T18:42:30.294-07:00Waterbrook 2013 Reserve Merlot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3XHF5qQBqjN_9V7mlYLRn-_FUiU1lDto9fWDwmj3tWiHJYGEfCUZERmppaO6xgP7VVZdSfNhREic-4F5MJNJXZr61XOMEaqlJGMWOsJutO9BAWbENRY397_xRHBHXnqyDiFh4DZ4CA/s1600/waterbrookbottle-Merlot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3XHF5qQBqjN_9V7mlYLRn-_FUiU1lDto9fWDwmj3tWiHJYGEfCUZERmppaO6xgP7VVZdSfNhREic-4F5MJNJXZr61XOMEaqlJGMWOsJutO9BAWbENRY397_xRHBHXnqyDiFh4DZ4CA/s320/waterbrookbottle-Merlot.jpg" width="99" /></a></div>
The Winery: <a href="http://waterbrook.com/" target="_blank">Waterbrook</a><br />
The Wine: 2013 <a href="http://waterbrook.com/reserve-merlot" target="_blank">Reserve Merlot</a><br />
The Price: $25.00<br />
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Waterbrook is a Washington State winery, located in Walla Walla. Waterbrook is one of Washington's early wineries, opening their doors in 1984. They are a winery that I discovered long ago - probably 16 years or so. They were the first winery to get me beyond the $5 bottle mentality. I <a href="http://brianonwine.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html" target="_blank">reviewed one of their wines in 2009</a>, so it is time for another go around. <br />
<br />
The Waterbrook Reserve Merlot is made from 100% Merlot grapes. The grapes are sourced from three vineyards: Mirage, Canyon Vineyard Ranch and Pepper Bridge, all in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Valley_AVA" target="_blank">Columbia Valley AVA</a>. The wine is aged for 22 months in a blend of American Oak (94%) and French Oak (6%). Each vintage is aged in 25% new oak barrels. The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. <br />
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The Wine is a very deep purple in color, with just a slight hint of brown. It has aromas of cherry, vanilla, dried plum, and a very slight hint of black pepper. It has a pronounced cherry flavor with a strong vanilla back. It has more subtle tones of raspberry, pepper and oak. The wine is very good and drinkable today, but it has pronounced tannins and a bit of a bite that should yield an even better wine after a few years in the cellar. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-56340391721997076192016-09-07T20:14:00.001-07:002016-09-07T20:14:40.200-07:00Liberty School 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDmmr7Ubu1fnForGtdNCZDyAVyVIAoFNDJ7SQsc7TSu05tgySIZcw_LR_e3xKJNpOb8Vx3mqH3APZwZ3C0XfhrQmxPedJlyUxSVNVjNyszzRO4SgEX4fNMWglvREg60vAAnB8P25xgw/s1600/Liberty_School_2013_CS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDmmr7Ubu1fnForGtdNCZDyAVyVIAoFNDJ7SQsc7TSu05tgySIZcw_LR_e3xKJNpOb8Vx3mqH3APZwZ3C0XfhrQmxPedJlyUxSVNVjNyszzRO4SgEX4fNMWglvREg60vAAnB8P25xgw/s320/Liberty_School_2013_CS.png" width="81" /></a></div>
The Winery: <a href="http://www.hopefamilywines.com/liberty-school/" target="_blank">Liberty School</a> (from <a href="http://www.hopefamilywines.com/" target="_blank">Hope Family Wines</a>)<br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.hopefamilywines.com/liberty-school/wines/?product=75" target="_blank">2013 Cabernet Sauvignon</a><br />
The Price: $16.00<br />
<br />
Liberty School is one of Hope Family Wines from Paso Robles, California. The wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Syrah; all from the Paso Robles AVA. The wine was aged in 10% new French and American Oak and 90% neutral French and American Oak barrels.<br />
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The wine was capped with a natural cork. It was decanted an hour before tasting.<br />
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The Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon is an extremely dark ruby color. It has aromas of blackberry, cherry, cassis, and black pepper. It has flavors of tart cherry, blackberry, vanilla and a slight hint of cinnamon.<br />
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This is a very good wine. At $16, it is a bargain for a wine of this quality.Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-6879658996027724062016-08-22T22:25:00.004-07:002016-08-22T22:27:23.388-07:00Ex Umbris 2014 Syrah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8icMKspU78hkND8RU8FnsM_QZnyiCwQKvdmcwAPyXdanZ86AekeXgpOxHoAAhdLfDd884AIN2dvxx29WpCo-DwWEwkRuTgBPPJJ8xYGudyfFgBWC4flIWxsPgiQUz6ylA0zLUh1NCrQ/s1600/Ex_Umbris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8icMKspU78hkND8RU8FnsM_QZnyiCwQKvdmcwAPyXdanZ86AekeXgpOxHoAAhdLfDd884AIN2dvxx29WpCo-DwWEwkRuTgBPPJJ8xYGudyfFgBWC4flIWxsPgiQUz6ylA0zLUh1NCrQ/s320/Ex_Umbris.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
The Winery: <a href="http://www.owenroe.com/" target="_blank">Ex Umbris</a> <br />
(produced and bottled by <a href="http://www.owenroe.com/" target="_blank">Owen Roe</a>)<br />
<span style="text-align: right;">The Wine: <a href="http://www.owenroe.com/product/2014-Ex-Umbris?pageID=1AEC712A-D734-92C5-6F03-391E9B9A4324&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=12&" target="_blank">2014 Syrah</a></span><br />
Retail Price: $21<br />
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Ex Umbris is produced by Owen Roe, who, interestingly enough, produce both Yakima Valley (Washington) and Willamette Valley (Oregon) wines. They have been around since 1999, so they must be doing something right.<br />
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The Ex Umbris Syrah is made from grapes from the DuBrul, Outlook, Red Willow and Union Gap Vineyards; all in Washington. Ex Umbris originally began from a wildfire in 2002, which, apparently, resulted in a phenomenal Syrah that year. They bottled it under the Ex Umbris name, and their fans have pressured them to continue the Ex Umbris brand. For those who are not up on their Latin, Ex Umbris translates to, "from the shadows," which is appropriate given the roots of this wine. <br />
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The bottle was stopped with a natural cork (and a wax seal at the top). It was decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is very dark burgundy in color. It has aromas of cherry, plum, leather and blueberry. This is a very big, juicy wine with delicious plum and blackberry flavors and an incredible cherry finish. It is very smooth and bursting with flavor! This is a very special Syrah that is very much worth checking out.Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-50257678537605258302016-08-07T19:50:00.000-07:002016-08-07T19:50:56.240-07:00Zin-Phomaniac 2013 Zinfandel<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSxgMb4iB3QyEEGP3vckTyD3ai0GMbAUbSduvyJK7Rbg0xPItTxsIhg2YaIfIOcQqzFzETjrfxo92yRSU599kxfUuGMdmHYq56lbEG2h__F8NxbXY3n46h7GsuRR0IeAK9ye5VZ6QRA/s1600/Zin-Phomaniac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSxgMb4iB3QyEEGP3vckTyD3ai0GMbAUbSduvyJK7Rbg0xPItTxsIhg2YaIfIOcQqzFzETjrfxo92yRSU599kxfUuGMdmHYq56lbEG2h__F8NxbXY3n46h7GsuRR0IeAK9ye5VZ6QRA/s320/Zin-Phomaniac.jpg" width="93" /></a>The Winery: <a href="http://zinpho.com/" target="_blank">Zin-Phomaniac</a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSxgMb4iB3QyEEGP3vckTyD3ai0GMbAUbSduvyJK7Rbg0xPItTxsIhg2YaIfIOcQqzFzETjrfxo92yRSU599kxfUuGMdmHYq56lbEG2h__F8NxbXY3n46h7GsuRR0IeAK9ye5VZ6QRA/s1600/Zin-Phomaniac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The Wine: 2013 Zinfandel<br />
Retail Price: $18.99<br />
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Zin-Phomaniac is a Sonoma County, California winery. I usually shy away from gimmicky labels and/or names. But this one was very well done, and used embossed, raised accents, which is not an inexpensive upgrade. <br />
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Zin-Phomaniac sources their grapes from the Lodi AVA, and their grapes all come from old vine stock. All of their grapes come from vines that are 20-75 years old. Their wine is aged for 9 months in new and aged oak barrels. <br />
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The wine bottle was stopped with natural cork, and was decanted an hour before tasting. It is deep burgundy in color. <br />
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The wine has aromas of cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla with a hint of black pepper.<br />
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The Zin-Phomaniac has a bit of a pepper bite, followed by flavors of juicy cherries and raspberries, and finally a rich chocolatey finish. This is a really good wine...sexy, bold, and arousing. It is much better than I hoped for when I selected it for review. It is definitely a conversation starter - a fun wine to take to a party. Probably not a great wine to impress a woman on a first date, though. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-48499819349603801962014-05-06T20:47:00.000-07:002014-05-06T20:47:14.976-07:00B Side 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgNFEbNO62aJR9FgWEIis1vT7UmHjIZf6PhgsWHuZyKlx5G8IDcNzwlwE5rx9RhteswGzW4455NH-7D7al69HFdv3J89s8mTlVO7ajZWL1VqbE6PWd6XKyH4e161QtOkcAXUPsercXQ/s1600/bottleshot-b+side-cs-2011.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgNFEbNO62aJR9FgWEIis1vT7UmHjIZf6PhgsWHuZyKlx5G8IDcNzwlwE5rx9RhteswGzW4455NH-7D7al69HFdv3J89s8mTlVO7ajZWL1VqbE6PWd6XKyH4e161QtOkcAXUPsercXQ/s1600/bottleshot-b+side-cs-2011.png" height="200" width="60" /></a>The Winery: <a href="http://bsidewines.com/" target="_blank">B Side</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://bsidewines.com/cabernet-sauvignon.html" target="_blank">2011 Cabernet Sauvignon</a><br />
The Price: $16.99 at Costco<br />
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B Side is a secondary label of <a href="http://www.donandsons.com/" target="_blank">Don Sebastiani & Sons</a>. The grapes for B Side wines are sourced from vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Napa Valley, hence the name B Side (for those who don't know, the B Side of 45s and 78s was the song on the flip side of the record from the hit song...sometimes the song on the B Side was good, other times not so much). <br />
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The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petite Verdot and 4% Merlot grapes. It has aromas of blackberry, vanilla, caramel and cassis. <br />
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The wine has flavors of cranberry, cherry, chocolate and almonds. It is a bright, fruity wine with plenty of tannins. It is a very delicious wine that boasts deep fruity flavors. If you are not one who enjoys being smacked in the face with tannins, then this probably isn't a wine for you. But I find it to be very enjoyable and one that I would definitely recommend giving a try. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-32808551904443699892013-03-11T19:02:00.001-07:002013-03-12T05:53:06.866-07:00Apolloni 2010 Cuvee Pinot Noir<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxkfvZkGEwmC-U8qHfZwRzD4fVw1GnJ-xmqaZ8mV0F52Hl1xcv7g1kbwZu8lA9AS_VE2Ndj4Xg19LZqIewg8QeJdHQakSeYIRrj2phsa07cAO8mw-nUzRxKWLBZc4Gbqixle6eQAznQ/s1600/Apolloni+Pinot+Noir+CuveeL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxkfvZkGEwmC-U8qHfZwRzD4fVw1GnJ-xmqaZ8mV0F52Hl1xcv7g1kbwZu8lA9AS_VE2Ndj4Xg19LZqIewg8QeJdHQakSeYIRrj2phsa07cAO8mw-nUzRxKWLBZc4Gbqixle6eQAznQ/s200/Apolloni+Pinot+Noir+CuveeL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The Winery: <a href="http://www.apolloni.com/" target="_blank">Apolloni</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.apolloni.com/wines.html" target="_blank">2010 Cuvee Pinot Noir</a><br />
The Price: $19.99 at Whole Foods<br />
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Apolloni is an Oregon winery located in the Willamette Valley AVA. The winery was founded in 1999 by Alfredo Apollini, a first-generation American.<br />
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The wine is made from Dijon and Pommard clones. It was aged for 16 months in French Oak barrels. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.<br />
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The wine is light red in color with a slightly brown tone. It has aromas of moss, cherry and grass. <br />
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The wine has flavors of cherry, raspberry and vanilla. It is a light and thin example of an Oregon Pinot Noir, which is the norm for a $20 bottle. It's a decent wine, but one that would move from decent to exceptional if the flavors and aromas were more pronounced. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-9246097687101871692013-03-06T19:15:00.003-08:002013-03-06T19:15:44.834-08:00Pendulum 2010 Red Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw5_AHaL2yNdqbwuZGvztJkbwrUMEljf3QUo5uPnrryx0xwa4MwmEOqmSdECtyhXWbsAgLY71uFke-p_WRfvAERrlfnx2mggWiAYCzJy3vL-UYVgK-wIBRH2h0O7oO0pPe3TZlpATmQ/s1600/Pendulum_RedB_NV_BS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw5_AHaL2yNdqbwuZGvztJkbwrUMEljf3QUo5uPnrryx0xwa4MwmEOqmSdECtyhXWbsAgLY71uFke-p_WRfvAERrlfnx2mggWiAYCzJy3vL-UYVgK-wIBRH2h0O7oO0pPe3TZlpATmQ/s320/Pendulum_RedB_NV_BS.jpg" width="76" /></a></div>
The Winery: Pendulum<br />
The Wine: <a href="http://preceptwinebrands.com/wines/brands/000000005/pendulum" target="_blank">2010 Red Wine</a><br />
The Price: $15.99 at Whole Foods<br />
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Pendulum is a Washington State winery, located in Walla Walla. This wine is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 15% Grenache, 14% Mouvedre and 3% Malbec. The wine was aged in French and American oak barrels for 19 months before bottling. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted for an hour before tasting. <br />
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The wine is dark purple in color. It has aromas of blueberry, cherry, leather and chocolate. This is a very delightful wine. It is bursting with fruit flavors of sour cherry and blackberry with subtle undertones of cocoa and vanilla. <br />
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This is a very good wine at a good price. I recommend giving this one a try. It's a fine example of the quality of Washington blended wines. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-440247981785511962012-03-29T19:14:00.000-07:002012-03-29T19:14:03.345-07:00Talbott 2009 Logan Pinot Noir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIFrVjX_xz5wlT9q_LALEEQnZzwkij6_CbqV-LYMZv9XS3P9ZgSZi3hb8d91tOXqSgZzT8r2kQlqluhekO0D3yWVOTZAbqc2kyUwXTpZyM2-Cn6lCEpi1cJghQDkf_XEVBiG7jcKGIg/s1600/Talbott+2009+LPN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIFrVjX_xz5wlT9q_LALEEQnZzwkij6_CbqV-LYMZv9XS3P9ZgSZi3hb8d91tOXqSgZzT8r2kQlqluhekO0D3yWVOTZAbqc2kyUwXTpZyM2-Cn6lCEpi1cJghQDkf_XEVBiG7jcKGIg/s320/Talbott+2009+LPN.jpg" width="106" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.talbottvineyards.com/" target="_blank">Talbott Vineyards</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.talbottvineyards.com/product/2009-Logan-Pinot-Noir-750ml?pageID=007a03dc-2264-112b-b139-9abcca6e0bd9&sortBy=Price&" target="_blank">2009 Logan Pinot Noir</a><br />
The Price: $16.99 at Costco<br />
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Talbott is a California winery, located in the Central Coast AVA. The winery was established in 1982 by Robb Talbott,<br />
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The Logan Pinot Noir is made from Estate Grown grapes. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before tasting. <br />
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The wine is dark red and has aromas of strawberry, cherry and blueberry. The wine has crisp fruit flavors of tart cherry and blueberry with a peppery bite on the finish. I find it to be richer and more full bodied than is typical of California Pinots, which I normally would like. But unfortunately the flavors are too in your face, and the wine does not taste much like any Pinot Noir I've tasted. It tastes more like a Petit Verdot, but not a good Petit Verdot. This is a pretty bad wine, even overlooking the fact that it does not taste like a traditional Pinot Noir. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-60239815019612061722012-03-15T20:53:00.000-07:002012-03-15T20:53:26.858-07:00The Crusher 2010 Clarksburg Petite Sirah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M8I_WLj76joNomw0Ib5O32cth0XKBJW_Ie2LxeDRW0lksKz74ZcITRs-ptFd7y7HjBJFpX-_mxZZSrKfSOWrVtBP4fVn5FlxqSFQhQzxGp5WXhekZUXT04hyphenhyphenArJwcvFVm_poY4Gzag/s1600/The+Crusher+2008+Petite+Sirah.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3M8I_WLj76joNomw0Ib5O32cth0XKBJW_Ie2LxeDRW0lksKz74ZcITRs-ptFd7y7HjBJFpX-_mxZZSrKfSOWrVtBP4fVn5FlxqSFQhQzxGp5WXhekZUXT04hyphenhyphenArJwcvFVm_poY4Gzag/s320/The+Crusher+2008+Petite+Sirah.png" width="82" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.donandsons.com/" target="_blank">The Crusher (a label of Don Sebastiani and Sons)</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.donandsons.com/ourwine/thecrusher/petitesirah.php" target="_blank">2010 Clarksburg Petite Sirah</a><br />
The Price: $12.99 at QFC<br />
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The Crusher is one of the labels of Don Sebastiani and Sons. In addition to The Crusher, Sebastiani produces Aquinas, B Side, s|k|n, Pepperwood Grove, The Paso Project, Smoking Loon and Big Green Box. <br />
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The Petite Sirah is a blend of 76% Petite Sirah and 24% Merlot. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before tasting. <br />
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The wine is a deep purple in color and has aromas of boysenberry, strawberry and just a slight hint of peppermint. <br />
<br />
The wine is anchored with a strawberry jam flavor, which is rounded out by fig, prune and tart grapefruit. The wine is a bit heavy on tannins, but very enjoyable. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-30302370206191157122012-03-05T19:30:00.000-08:002012-03-05T19:30:47.406-08:00St Francis 2008 Old Vines Zinfandel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCQnzLiVwIp11d85AXQ26B3qBg28o37Hw1KrfAKqWyeLyNlsakaqx9qPRsd34CJoqL0FL9_8BXcY2sUJjLv_DwLXUl1P2lS6JnsS6iZjxechagPOtXFwfB4LTaiR-yVZykcZCogTD6g/s1600/St+Francis+2008+Old+Vines+Zin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCQnzLiVwIp11d85AXQ26B3qBg28o37Hw1KrfAKqWyeLyNlsakaqx9qPRsd34CJoqL0FL9_8BXcY2sUJjLv_DwLXUl1P2lS6JnsS6iZjxechagPOtXFwfB4LTaiR-yVZykcZCogTD6g/s200/St+Francis+2008+Old+Vines+Zin.png" width="55" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://store.stfranciswinery.com/" target="_blank">St Francis</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://store.stfranciswinery.com/2008-old-vines-zin-sonoma-county" target="_blank">2008 Old Vines Zinfandel</a><br />
The Price: $16.99 at Safeway<br />
<br />
St Francis is a Sonoma County, California winery. The grapes for this wine were harvested from vines that are over 50 years old, with many of the grapes from 100+ year old vines. The wine is aged from 12 to 15 months in American Oak. <br />
<br />
The bottle was stopped with a synthetic cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The win is dark purple in color and has aromas of raspberry, black cherry, vanilla and blueberry. <br />
<br />
This is a very smooth, velvety wine. It is bursting with big fruit flavors of cherry and blackberry with a hint of tobacco. This is a fantastic wine at a very good price. It's definitely one worth picking up. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-41161390879683993002011-11-28T18:53:00.000-08:002011-11-28T18:53:00.378-08:00Gran Oristan Gran Reserva 2000 Red Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL3b9vGjmjQyJDudUJywT2yapJy3ljbQPXG-5Zs-s5vzglI9g8aEIF7EAV2UwpnsHtmyPfwPp-J8zM5ZXkyMl4F-YlqQf_LymvnI1zJg8xYrxDs5VyfE-D1i8xXDsyN0k3_zjI4Rw_w/s1600/Gran+Oristan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEL3b9vGjmjQyJDudUJywT2yapJy3ljbQPXG-5Zs-s5vzglI9g8aEIF7EAV2UwpnsHtmyPfwPp-J8zM5ZXkyMl4F-YlqQf_LymvnI1zJg8xYrxDs5VyfE-D1i8xXDsyN0k3_zjI4Rw_w/s320/Gran+Oristan.JPG" width="84" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.bodegas-lozano.com/bodegas_lozano_eng.html" target="_blank">Gran Oristan</a><br />
The Wine: Gran Reserva 2000 Red Wine<br />
The Price: $11.89 at Safeway<br />
<br />
Gran Oristan is a Spanish winery, with the grapes sourced from the La Mancha Denominación de Origen. The wine is a blend of 65% Tempranillo and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is aged in American and French Oak for 24 months before bottling. The bottle was sealed with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.<br />
<br />
The wine is dark red in color. It has aromas of black cherry, prune, vanilla and blackberry. It floods the palate with flavors of blackberry and cherry with a slight bite of pepper on the finish. For under $12, this is a fantastic wine!Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-7722534413339063082011-10-30T18:49:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:49:24.200-07:00Columbia Crest 2009 Horse Heaven Hills Merlot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qvoGyXoN4OJJd-XIbMAHUysGKBvV-X5JYCNij91CIq21RaTx_h9MZn1qNuRSPwRQT6aTWlW_DD1FU1Y_vP5chf2rrR85aU71ozU6vJreNVfO_LySTAmDEyqxFBQh6XSidOog_9jZtg/s1600/h3-merlot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qvoGyXoN4OJJd-XIbMAHUysGKBvV-X5JYCNij91CIq21RaTx_h9MZn1qNuRSPwRQT6aTWlW_DD1FU1Y_vP5chf2rrR85aU71ozU6vJreNVfO_LySTAmDEyqxFBQh6XSidOog_9jZtg/s320/h3-merlot.gif" width="91" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.columbiacrest.com/" target="_blank">Columbia Crest</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.columbiacrest.com/HorseHeavenHills/release/177" target="_blank">2009 Horse Heaven Hills Merlot</a><br />
The Price: $12.99 at Safeway<br />
<br />
Those who regularly read my reviews may have noticed that I don't usually review Merlot. That's because I'm really not much of a Merlot fan. But this wine was recommended by a wine seller recently, so I thought I'd give it a try.<br />
<br />
As the name indicates, the grapes for this Merlot were grown in Washington State's Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The wine is a blend of 96% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. <br />
<br />
The wine is very deep purple in color. It has aromas of blackberry, plum and cherry. This is an awesome Merlot! It has a bold blackberry taste, blended with a cherry and chocolate finish. The wine is very velvety and the flavors are rich, bold and smooth. I highly recommend this one, even if (like me) you're not typically a fan of Merlot.Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-9635347780396436672011-09-29T19:43:00.000-07:002011-09-29T19:43:26.833-07:00Quinta do Portal 2007 Mural Reserva<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0J_EPyGP02pvXG5Q3i5W2qeFduSK7b5ElObw7R9snaCj_EmkEVGifJhGmFiqykEmQtl5-t8L7ed3y5l1W0R99R0ETAUe_d7odLh3ZkOfwbwX8oOumpbjpGZK0uQ4edj6VXu0eaRATg/s1600/Quita+Do+Portal+2007+Mural+Reserva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0J_EPyGP02pvXG5Q3i5W2qeFduSK7b5ElObw7R9snaCj_EmkEVGifJhGmFiqykEmQtl5-t8L7ed3y5l1W0R99R0ETAUe_d7odLh3ZkOfwbwX8oOumpbjpGZK0uQ4edj6VXu0eaRATg/s320/Quita+Do+Portal+2007+Mural+Reserva.jpg" width="86" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.quintadoportal.com/main.php" target="_blank">Quinta do Portal</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.quintadoportal.com/main.php?setid=25&id=32" target="_blank">2007 Mural Reserva</a><br />
The Price: $8.69 at Costco<br />
<br />
Quinta do Portal is a Portugal winery, located in the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal. <br />
<br />
The bottle was sealed with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting. <br />
<br />
The wine is a blend of 40% Tinta Roriz, 40% Touriga Franca and 20% Touriga Nacional, with 25% of the wine being aged in French oak barrels for nine months before bottling. <br />
<br />
The wine is a deep, dark burgundy in color. It has aromas of cherry, blackberry, cassis and vanilla. <br />
<br />
The wine is a bit lighter in flavor than the dark color and rich aromas would indicate. It is a delicious wine, with flavors of cherry and raspberry. It is a nicely refined wine, with velvety smooth flavors. <br />
<br />
While the wine is not bursting with bold fruit flavors, it is a wonderful wine at an absolute bargain price. It's definitely one worth checking out!Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-56886812761897554292011-09-13T20:06:00.000-07:002011-09-13T20:06:46.149-07:00Chehalem 2007 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU-Taw23M5ZKQvdQcG5OfXAv6c0G7TdYn-cIjxDOkRQxfhVqowh4wKzMnlzPN-Do-xj0RSRurBmdBBzPSlj5UpyzYZbeF1FcJkHpLeRWG9PvxOWGuk7hrKFayqMWFqkPbWoXlB3Wb2A/s1600/Chehalem+2007+Pino+Noir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU-Taw23M5ZKQvdQcG5OfXAv6c0G7TdYn-cIjxDOkRQxfhVqowh4wKzMnlzPN-Do-xj0RSRurBmdBBzPSlj5UpyzYZbeF1FcJkHpLeRWG9PvxOWGuk7hrKFayqMWFqkPbWoXlB3Wb2A/s320/Chehalem+2007+Pino+Noir.JPG" width="110" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="https://www.chehalemwines.com/index.php" target="_blank">Chehalem</a><br />
The Wine: 2007 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir<br />
The Price: $23.99 at Costco<br />
<br />
Chehalem is an Oregon winery, located in the Willamette Valley's incredible <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundee_Hills_AVA" target="_blank">Dundee Hills AVA</a>. Chehalem was founded in 1990 by Harry Peterson-Nedry<br />
and Bill & Cathy Stoller.<br />
<br />
The bottle was sealed with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is ruby in color with a slight brown cast to it. It is a bit thinner in appearance than I prefer in a Pinot Noir.<br />
<br />
The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry, plum and leather. It has flavors of raspberry, cherry and blackberry with just a touch of spice.<br />
<br />
This is a very good wine. It has bright fruit flavors, and is very smooth and well-balanced. It's definitely a wine worth trying!Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-65151401648154577542011-06-30T20:33:00.000-07:002011-06-30T20:36:20.028-07:0014 Hands 2009 Hot to Trot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwN6BrL07zHC5D62PPZiPLVH_CWyOVADzrjUls1ucZEJAkWqnfvILZXTZ3VzJAOQhVTBjK2DZr0zirmP4YkPC6npn3gi1atrLDdG-YKKU-r3d1UVBRgqWXHpbou_eaiEvKEu_Yu3UhQ/s1600/14+Hands+Hot+to+Trot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwN6BrL07zHC5D62PPZiPLVH_CWyOVADzrjUls1ucZEJAkWqnfvILZXTZ3VzJAOQhVTBjK2DZr0zirmP4YkPC6npn3gi1atrLDdG-YKKU-r3d1UVBRgqWXHpbou_eaiEvKEu_Yu3UhQ/s320/14+Hands+Hot+to+Trot.jpg" width="85" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.14hands.com/" target="_blank">14 Hands </a> <br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.14hands.com/wines/hot_to_trot_red_blend" target="_blank">2009 Hot to Trot Red Blend</a><br />
The Price: $14.99 at Albertsons<br />
<br />
14 Hands is a Washington winery, located in Patterson. In addition to the Hot to Trot Red Blend, they make Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Reisling and a Hot to Trot White Blend. The Hot to Trot Red is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot, sourced from several AVAs throughout Washington State. <br />
<br />
The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is medium-dark burgundy in color, with a slight brown tint.<br />
<br />
The wine has aromas of blackberry, blueberry and cassis. It has very solid and well balanced fruit flavors of blueberry, blackberry, cherry and vanilla. The flavors are bold without being overwhelming. It is simply fantastic! I highly recommend giving this one a try.Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-74657146656745848392011-05-30T20:43:00.000-07:002011-05-30T20:43:01.312-07:00Bonny Doon Vineyards 2009 Contra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhvSIhR7uzuSpTOZS_umazhtrDoXLT-AzD4I6V2_7_aqgQRlNsUUdeFP6jVkNK0fgAi3qDpiw5GmB7bzAC8fbj-Amz8GRM0mBErXuYN0V71JHY3Rft2OjzN08AIm3sSmixpTYnlqTWg/s1600/Bonny+Doon+2009+Contra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhvSIhR7uzuSpTOZS_umazhtrDoXLT-AzD4I6V2_7_aqgQRlNsUUdeFP6jVkNK0fgAi3qDpiw5GmB7bzAC8fbj-Amz8GRM0mBErXuYN0V71JHY3Rft2OjzN08AIm3sSmixpTYnlqTWg/s320/Bonny+Doon+2009+Contra.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/" target="_blank">Bonny Doon Vineyards</a><br />
The Wine: 2009 Contra<br />
The Price: $16 at PCC<br />
<br />
Bonny Doon Vineyards is located in Santa Cruz, on California's central coast. They have a quirky website, and they do not take themselves too seriously. Their website, besides being quirky, is irritating to navigate and does not adhere to typical web design standards. But I'm here to talk about wine, not websites. <br />
<br />
The wine was sealed with a screw cap, as are all of Bonny Doon's wines. On their website they have an explanation of why they use screw caps. I don't necessarily agree with them, but they have clearly thought about the various choices for sealing bottles, and I appreciate that they explained their philosophy.<br />
<br />
The 2009 Contra is a blend of 55.1% Carignane, 15.4% Grenache, <span class="font2">14.3% Mourvèdre, 7.1% Petite Sirah, 5.3% Zinfandel and 2.8% Syrah. </span><br />
<br />
The wine was decanted 1 1/2 hours before tasting. It very dark purple in color and has aromas of black cherry, blackberry and black licorice. This is a very interesting wine. It is fairly heavy in tannins, and has flavors of blackberry and cherry. It is a bold wine, but it has a velvety soft finish. I really like this wine. And with each sip it gets better. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-30246822849182836282011-05-22T18:43:00.000-07:002011-05-22T18:43:10.097-07:00Seghesio 2008 Sonoma Zinfandel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHGVSFqwpPfo95BphnZWL9qfe34GUuOifZD1JMQCIoVggJgC-6LtWV7U6wJwW7gZcbOqTKf1jbpKq_Im2TC8H1B-nzfbi0YiVujzBtdIfuiMI1ult5iQD-VeM9CgNlzSF2dgIQQ5XGw/s1600/Seghesio+2008+Sonoma+Zinfandel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHGVSFqwpPfo95BphnZWL9qfe34GUuOifZD1JMQCIoVggJgC-6LtWV7U6wJwW7gZcbOqTKf1jbpKq_Im2TC8H1B-nzfbi0YiVujzBtdIfuiMI1ult5iQD-VeM9CgNlzSF2dgIQQ5XGw/s320/Seghesio+2008+Sonoma+Zinfandel.png" width="99" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.seghesio.com/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Seghesio Family Vineyards</a> <br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.seghesio.com/SeghesioStory/Wines/tabid/236/Default.aspx" target="_blank">2008 Sonoma Zinfandel</a><br />
The Price: $23.99 at QFC<br />
<br />
Seghesio Family Vineyards have been around since 1895. The Seghesio history is pretty interesting. Rather than recapping it and leaving out a lot of details, you can read it <a href="http://www.seghesio.com/SeghesioStory/tabid/210/Default.aspx" target="_blank">here</a> if you're so inclined.<br />
<br />
The wine is a blend of 89% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah and 3% Syrah. They barrel age the wine in 75% American Oak and 25% French Oak for 10 months prior to bottling.<br />
<br />
The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting. It is very deep red in color, with just a hint of brown. The wine has aromas of cassis, blackberry, raspberry, cherry and vanilla.<br />
<br />
The wine is very well balanced, with flavors of blackberry, cherry and dark chocolate with a spicy undertone. It's a velvety smooth wine that is running over with delicious fruit flavors. This is simply a fantastic wine!Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-44469561210541672922011-05-08T19:09:00.000-07:002011-05-08T19:09:25.193-07:00Don Miguel Gascon 2010 Malbec<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKAIkWspzv9Ptixnl2pSXqhlCZ64IOx0yZ43siflAcu4Qt0SoqxadADNJPwdX40uQk_ROigxXSGa_dUk_qBRdW6ZZfmlguFNsniyMQnPELBVvkNZIkrP-X4rBoUgJRcWjYKvD5ba08g/s1600/Don+Miguel+Gascon+2006+Mendoza+Malbec+750ml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKAIkWspzv9Ptixnl2pSXqhlCZ64IOx0yZ43siflAcu4Qt0SoqxadADNJPwdX40uQk_ROigxXSGa_dUk_qBRdW6ZZfmlguFNsniyMQnPELBVvkNZIkrP-X4rBoUgJRcWjYKvD5ba08g/s1600/Don+Miguel+Gascon+2006+Mendoza+Malbec+750ml.jpg" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.gasconwine.com/" target="_blank">Don Miguel Gascon</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.gasconwine.com/our-wines/don-miguel/DonMiguelGasconMalbec.html" target="_blank">2010 Malbec</a><br />
The Price: $12.99 at QFC<br />
<br />
Don Miguel Gascon is a part of the Ernest and Julio Gallo family. I knew E&J was big, but I didn't realize just how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_%26_J_Gallo_Winery" target="_blank">many wineries they own</a>. It's pretty astounding. <br />
<br />
Gascon is located in Mendoza, Argentina. They have been producing wine since 1884, and they focus solely on making Malbec. <br />
<br />
The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 2 hours before tasting.<br />
<br />
The wine is very dark purple in color, and has aromas of black cherry, blueberry, prunes and chocolate.<br />
<br />
This is a very smooth wine. It has flavors of blackberry, blueberry, tart cherry, vanilla, and a tad bit of a peppery bite on the finish. It's a really good Malbec, and priced very nicely. I like this one very much. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-11370983785621015512011-05-08T15:43:00.000-07:002011-05-08T15:43:08.661-07:00Wine Insiders: A Groupon Induced TrialI have had a fair amount of wine shipped to me over the years, but my experience has been limited to either wineries wanting me to review their wine or wineries that have clubs that I belong to. I have never before ordered wine for delivery through an online retailer. So when I saw a <a href="http://www.groupon.com/" target="_blank">Groupon</a> offer for <a href="http://www.wineinsiders.com/" target="_blank">Wine Insiders</a>, I just had to bite. What follows is a chronological account of my experience. Neither Groupon nor Wine Insiders have any idea that I review wine, nor that I am writing about my experience.<br />
<br />
<b>March 2, 2011</b><br />
Groupon offers a deal for Wine Insiders. A $75 Groupon for $25. I check out Wine Insiders website, and they seem decent, so I make the purchase.<br />
<br />
<b>April 24, 2011</b><br />
I finally decide to use the Groupon. I didn't use the Groupon right away because I didn't want their fulfillment to be skewed by the Groupon offer. After poking around, I decide to order their <a href="http://www.wineinsiders.com/Best_of_Everything_12-Pack_Reds_AAA000939.html?emap=0" target="_blank">Best of Everything Reds</a> pack. This selection includes 2 bottles each of: 2009 River's End Merlot, 2009 Burke Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, <span id="lblDescription">2005 Fair Oaks Reserve Zinfandel, </span><span id="lblDescription">2007 Geja's Big Bold Red, </span><span id="lblDescription">2007 Black Fox Cabernet Sauvignon and </span><span id="lblDescription">2007 Monarch Glen Merlot. </span><br />
<br />
My order costs $137.88 for the wine, plus $9.93 for tax and $0.01 for shipping. The total comes to $147.82. I apply the Groupon, which makes my balance $72.82. I paid $25.00 for the Groupon, so my total outlay is $97.82. This works out to an average of $8.15 per bottle.<br />
<br />
Shortly after submitting my order, I receive an email confirmation that says that I should receive my wine within 2-4 weeks. That seems a bit long. <br />
<br />
<b>April 26, 2011</b><br />
My credit card is charged for the balance of the shipment ($72.82). <br />
<br />
<b>April 27, 2011</b><br />
I receive email confirmation that my wine has been shipped. Based on the email, I was expecting it to take another week or so before they shipped. Nice!<br />
<br />
<b>April 28, 2011</b><br />
Today I decided to see if anybody had shared their experience with Wine Insiders...maybe I should have Googled Wine Insiders before buying the Groupon deal. They have lots of<a href="http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/wine-insiders-c235093.html?sort=datea&page=1" target="_blank"> unhappy customers</a>, and a few satisfid ones. So far, my experience has been far better than those I've read about. My order shipped 3 days after ordering, and I am tracking it on UPS's website. It is scheduled for delivery on Friday, 6 days after ordering it.<br />
<br />
At this point I'm more concerned with the quality of the wine than anything. The handful of reviews I've read haven't been overwhelmingly great. <br />
<br />
<b>April 29, 2011</b><br />
The wine was delivered right on schedule. In unpacking, I found the wine to be exactly what I had ordered. So far, so good. I have no complaints with them.<br />
<br />
Since receiving the wine, I've opened a couple of bottles. I'll be reviewing some before too long. My general impression so far is that the wine that I've tried has been lower-end. The wines have all had a kind of swampy aroma and flavor to them. They're not bad, but for the money I think I could have done far better going to Trader Joe's, Costco or a grocery store. <br />
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All in all, my experience was better than that of many of the people I read about. But I seriously doubt I will be buying from them again. The quality of the wine doesn't justify the price they're charging.Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-27777547139769425742011-04-27T19:46:00.000-07:002011-04-27T19:46:46.411-07:00Conn Creek 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJ4M3jIh735Z-8vjYco0n6PC-5Z0YzYnauJ6IQCU6QigGrOpwExBzkJJXOdbqlzxVkHsEkSsKrFx5Hn7l7B5akH-hC5BL8DeJlTy8R3oATkPr0-2sV5ucBN3FtXhkRhv7edFK9PXHww/s1600/Conn+Creek+CabSauv.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJ4M3jIh735Z-8vjYco0n6PC-5Z0YzYnauJ6IQCU6QigGrOpwExBzkJJXOdbqlzxVkHsEkSsKrFx5Hn7l7B5akH-hC5BL8DeJlTy8R3oATkPr0-2sV5ucBN3FtXhkRhv7edFK9PXHww/s320/Conn+Creek+CabSauv.png" width="88" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.conncreek.com/" target="_blank">Conn Creek</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.conncreek.com/Wines/napa_valley_collection/2006_cabernet_sauvignon_napa_valley" target="_blank">2006 Cabernet Sauvignon</a><br />
The Price: $16.44 at Safeway<br />
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Conn Creek is a California winery located in St Helena, which is in the heart of the Napa Valley. Conn Creek has been around since the early 1970s and focuses primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from 9 of the 15 Napa Valley AVAs.<br />
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The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.<br />
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The wine is medium-dark red in color. It has aromas of blackberry, plum, cherry, chocolate and vanilla. <br />
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This is one of those wines that is just bursting with velvety fruit flavors. It has flavors of cherry, plum, chocolate and just a touch of spice on the finish. It's an extremely well-balanced and smooth wine. I absolutely love it!Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-60845748458682832712011-04-20T18:55:00.000-07:002011-04-20T18:55:21.674-07:00Snoqualmie 2008 Whistle Stop Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvgkN-Hp2sfAL1ahzVgMgOvpb1kBv4a9ASNXmRWNL979SK47jiwWieLatdczCEh8EtyycyESrvWYqdr0USF6R6iwr1RY_9njU75wJl9cCe7Glou0Z3aOzhhndyCg6yOJBH-5SssibJg/s1600/Snoqualmie+2008+cv_cabernet-merlot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvgkN-Hp2sfAL1ahzVgMgOvpb1kBv4a9ASNXmRWNL979SK47jiwWieLatdczCEh8EtyycyESrvWYqdr0USF6R6iwr1RY_9njU75wJl9cCe7Glou0Z3aOzhhndyCg6yOJBH-5SssibJg/s320/Snoqualmie+2008+cv_cabernet-merlot.png" width="86" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.snoqualmie.com/" target="_blank">Snoqualmie</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.snoqualmie.com/Wines/columbia_valley/2008_whistlestop_red_cab-merlot" target="_blank">2008 Whistle Stop Red Cabernet Merlot</a><br />
The Price: $7.99 at Safeway<br />
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Snoqualmie, founded in 1984, is a Washington winery located in Prosser, near the base of Horse Heaven Hills. They source their grapes from the Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills AVAs. <br />
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This wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet and 30% Merlot. The bottle was sealed with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting. The is very deep red in color and has aromas of cherry, blackberry and chocolate.<br />
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The wine has flavors of black cherry and chocolate, and is heavy with tannins. It's a very smooth wine with a nicely balanced flavor. It's an unexpectedly enjoyable wine for the price. It's definitely one that I'll be stocking up on. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-83291621190937914642011-04-03T18:54:00.000-07:002011-04-03T18:54:48.878-07:00Red Door Cellars 2009 Pinot Noir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iMOyV3wCnMqALTPBiDamOnRUNoQEVVRgemMHUByO58DcrvdW2Q8uH8F8Bi0ogYTe4Qb84cj2LPJtvL4nzBjEEiRNNEN5O-2uUymmCwCbwqY2gpCzd-ADxwmJfozidFVbJ_MxeYxdyw/s1600/Red+Door+Cellars+Pinot+Noir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iMOyV3wCnMqALTPBiDamOnRUNoQEVVRgemMHUByO58DcrvdW2Q8uH8F8Bi0ogYTe4Qb84cj2LPJtvL4nzBjEEiRNNEN5O-2uUymmCwCbwqY2gpCzd-ADxwmJfozidFVbJ_MxeYxdyw/s320/Red+Door+Cellars+Pinot+Noir.jpg" width="89" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://preceptwinebrands.com/" target="_blank">Red Door Cellars</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://preceptwinebrands.com/our_wines/brands/000000031/red_door" target="_blank">2009 Pinot Noir</a><br />
The Price: $14.99 at QFC<br />
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Red Door cellars is a part of Precept Wines. I'm not quite sure what Precept is all about. They call themselves, "a producer of wines." But a very <a href="http://preceptwinebrands.com/our_wines/brands" target="_blank">large number of brands</a> fall under Precept.<br />
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Anyway, Red Door claims to be, "a portal to Oregon's finest Pinot Noir." That is a mighty bold statement. Especially coming from a $15 bottle of Pinot Noir.<br />
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The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before sampling. The wine is much lighter in appearance than I come to expect from Oregon Pinots. It is a very light burgundy color.<br />
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The wine has a light cherry aroma and an even lighter leather aroma and a touch of moss.<br />
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As the color and aroma would portend, this is an extremely light Pinot Noir. It has predominantly a cherry flavor with a bit of a pepper finish.<br />
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This wine is a much lighter style than I prefer, which is pretty typical of the sub-$30 Pinot Noirs. It has good aroma and flavor, just not as much as I'd like. So while it's a good wine, it falls far short of Red Door Cellars' claim to being Oregon's finest Pinot Noir. I must say, however, that it is one of the best Oregon Pinots that I've found in the $10-$20 range. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-67756663613833286172011-03-27T18:02:00.000-07:002011-03-27T18:02:35.217-07:00Domaine de Nizas 2006 Red Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0Wsx2xYqAkTgi18Da37-iapgytRGZaNifXlu4nK0XIrfZQ4h0MV3eIiKyLMvic1YARfCbwtYwzfqL7FE3cu6-1X7yW3hN1J3mDKa2mXGGiCc6rSTAifNrEGU1bNtkDvWCKPWqLvcBw/s1600/Domaine+de+Nizas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0Wsx2xYqAkTgi18Da37-iapgytRGZaNifXlu4nK0XIrfZQ4h0MV3eIiKyLMvic1YARfCbwtYwzfqL7FE3cu6-1X7yW3hN1J3mDKa2mXGGiCc6rSTAifNrEGU1bNtkDvWCKPWqLvcBw/s1600/Domaine+de+Nizas.jpg" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.domainedenizas.com/" target="_blank">Domaine de Nizas</a><br />
The Wine: 2006 Rouge<br />
The Price: $14.59 at Costco<br />
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Domaine de Nizas is located in southern France in Nizas, located in the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation. The winery was founded in 1998 and focuses on artisan-style wines.<br />
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This wine is a blend of 60% Syrah, 35% Mourvedre and 5% Granace. The bottle was sealed with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is very dark burgundy in color. It has aromas of blackberry, black pepper and bell pepper.<br />
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This is a very delicious wine. It has bit of a black pepper bite, countered with generously fruity flavors of blackberry, cranberry and vanilla. This is a $15 wine that absolutely drinks like a $30 bottle. Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-53391016863521551722011-03-23T18:54:00.000-07:002011-03-23T18:54:20.143-07:00Bogle Vineyards 2008 Petite Sirah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z_fAqcUgZ_zYwPgpurlzEabz5vkCO5xFtACdk-x3174oCAMb84F19JLduf7GwfrhD1_3ZEe9l4mpB-B5n6m9nwx9OYKdVbQIvN42CsrwGDdcwgCa_ztK5A-iijEfFCx06ggHUBl-mA/s1600/bogle_petitsirah.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z_fAqcUgZ_zYwPgpurlzEabz5vkCO5xFtACdk-x3174oCAMb84F19JLduf7GwfrhD1_3ZEe9l4mpB-B5n6m9nwx9OYKdVbQIvN42CsrwGDdcwgCa_ztK5A-iijEfFCx06ggHUBl-mA/s320/bogle_petitsirah.png" width="116" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.boglewinery.com/" target="_blank"> Bogle Vineyards</a><br />
The Wine: <a href="http://www.boglewinery.com/ourwines_petitesirah.php" target="_blank">2008 Petite Sirah</a><br />
The Price: $9.99 at Safeway<br />
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Bogle is a California winery, located in the Sacramento delta. The grapes used in this wine are from Clarksburg and Lodi. <br />
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The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of blueberry, plum and toast.<br />
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This is a fairly tannin-intense wine, with flavors of cranberry, blackberry, plum, vanilla and tobacco. The wine is well balanced and has plenty of nicely developed flavors. If you're a fan of Petite Sirah, this is definitely one wine that you should check out for yourself. <br />
Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63078945710025221.post-34403892737087610792011-03-15T18:38:00.000-07:002011-03-15T18:38:17.958-07:00Dunham Cellars 2008 Three Legged Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6vQF1nd0zME5qbluualgRM7wcJ92xShejEHbosuU-DEEs-UMQ5S2eYGtpaUb8qPXy8DnULeXT6TkrXckL_8g4s2vAQPaRIV2QcHpjs6Sm1INt6_OoGEWeU-egah7gl3TLF0vMzhvFA/s1600/Dunham+Three+Legged+Red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6vQF1nd0zME5qbluualgRM7wcJ92xShejEHbosuU-DEEs-UMQ5S2eYGtpaUb8qPXy8DnULeXT6TkrXckL_8g4s2vAQPaRIV2QcHpjs6Sm1INt6_OoGEWeU-egah7gl3TLF0vMzhvFA/s320/Dunham+Three+Legged+Red.jpg" width="89" /></a></div>The Winery: <a href="http://www.dunhamcellars.com/" target="_blank">Dunham Cellars</a><br />
The Wine:<a href="http://www.dunhamcellars.com/threelegred" target="_blank"> 2008 Three Legged Red</a><br />
The Price: $15.74 at QFC<br />
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Dunham is a Walla Walla, Washington winery. They have been making wine since 1995, with their first release being a Cabernet Sauvignon. Before starting Dunham Cellars, founder Eric Dunham interned at Hogue Cellars and L'Ecole No. 41. Besides making the wine, Eric creates the original artwork for some of the wine. <br />
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This wine gets it's name from Eric's dog, who he saved from an attack by another dog. The wine is a blend of grapes, but the exact grapes and percentages are not listed on the bottle or the company website. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. <br />
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The wine is very dark purple in color and has aromas of plum, black cherry and raspberry. The wine has flavors of blackberry and cherry. This wine is incredibly delicious! It is rich and velvety, and bursting with wonderful fruit yumminess! Brian On Winehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16472072991093517647noreply@blogger.com0