BrianOnWine

Gran Oristan Gran Reserva 2000 Red Wine

2011-11-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Gran Oristan
The Wine: Gran Reserva 2000 Red Wine
The Price: $11.89 at Safeway

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.

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!

Columbia Crest 2009 Horse Heaven Hills Merlot

2011-10-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Columbia Crest
The Wine: 2009 Horse Heaven Hills Merlot
The Price: $12.99 at Safeway

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.

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.

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.

Quinta do Portal 2007 Mural Reserva

2011-09-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Quinta do Portal
The Wine: 2007 Mural Reserva
The Price: $8.69 at Costco

Quinta do Portal is a Portugal winery, located in the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal.

The bottle was sealed with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

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.

The wine is a deep, dark burgundy in color. It has aromas of cherry, blackberry, cassis and vanilla.

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.

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!

Chehalem 2007 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir

2011-09-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Chehalem
The Wine: 2007 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir
The Price: $23.99 at Costco

Chehalem is an Oregon winery, located in the Willamette Valley's incredible Dundee Hills AVA. Chehalem was founded in 1990 by Harry Peterson-Nedry
and Bill & Cathy Stoller.

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.

The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry, plum and leather. It has flavors of raspberry, cherry and blackberry with just a touch of spice.

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!

14 Hands 2009 Hot to Trot

2011-06-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Winery: 14 Hands
The Wine: 2009 Hot to Trot Red Blend
The Price: $14.99 at Albertsons

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.

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.

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.

Bonny Doon Vineyards 2009 Contra

2011-05-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Bonny Doon Vineyards
The Wine: 2009 Contra
The Price: $16 at PCC

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.

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.

The 2009 Contra is a blend of 55.1% Carignane, 15.4% Grenache, 14.3% Mourvèdre, 7.1% Petite Sirah, 5.3% Zinfandel and 2.8% Syrah.

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.

Seghesio 2008 Sonoma Zinfandel

2011-05-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Seghesio Family Vineyards
The Wine: 2008 Sonoma Zinfandel
The Price: $23.99 at QFC

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 here if you're so inclined.

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.

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.

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!

Don Miguel Gascon 2010 Malbec

2011-05-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Don Miguel Gascon
The Wine: 2010 Malbec
The Price: $12.99 at QFC

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 many wineries they own. It's pretty astounding.

Gascon is located in Mendoza, Argentina. They have been producing wine since 1884, and they focus solely on making Malbec.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 2 hours before tasting.

The wine is very dark purple in color, and has aromas of black cherry, blueberry, prunes and chocolate.

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.

Wine Insiders: A Groupon Induced Trial

2011-05-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

I 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 Groupon offer for Wine Insiders, 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.

March 2, 2011
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.

April 24, 2011
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 Best of Everything Reds pack. This selection includes 2 bottles each of: 2009 River's End Merlot, 2009 Burke Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Fair Oaks Reserve Zinfandel, 2007 Geja's Big Bold Red, 2007 Black Fox Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Monarch Glen Merlot.

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.

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.

April 26, 2011
My credit card is charged for the balance of the shipment ($72.82).

April 27, 2011
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!

April 28, 2011
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 unhappy customers, 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.

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.

April 29, 2011
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.

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.

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.

Conn Creek 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

2011-04-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Conn Creek
The Wine: 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $16.44 at Safeway

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.

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

The wine is medium-dark red in color. It has aromas of blackberry, plum, cherry, chocolate and vanilla.

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!

Snoqualmie 2008 Whistle Stop Red

2011-04-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Snoqualmie
The Wine: 2008 Whistle Stop Red Cabernet Merlot
The Price: $7.99 at Safeway

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.

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.

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.

Red Door Cellars 2009 Pinot Noir

2011-04-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Red Door Cellars
The Wine: 2009 Pinot Noir
The Price: $14.99 at QFC

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 large number of brands fall under Precept.

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.

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.

The wine has a light cherry aroma and an even lighter leather aroma and a touch of moss.

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.

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.

Domaine de Nizas 2006 Red Wine

2011-03-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Domaine de Nizas
The Wine: 2006 Rouge
The Price: $14.59 at Costco

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.

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.

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.

Bogle Vineyards 2008 Petite Sirah

2011-03-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Bogle Vineyards
The Wine: 2008 Petite Sirah
The Price: $9.99 at Safeway

Bogle is a California winery, located in the Sacramento delta. The grapes used in this wine are from Clarksburg and Lodi.

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.

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.

Dunham Cellars 2008 Three Legged Red

2011-03-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Dunham Cellars
The Wine: 2008 Three Legged Red
The Price: $15.74 at QFC

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.

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.

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!

Willakenzie 2006 Pinot Noir Pierre Léon

2011-02-27T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Willakenzie
The Wine: 2006 Pinot Noir Pierre Léon
The Price: Retails for $38 (I had it in a restaurant, so I paid above retail)

This is unusual for me. I am reviewing a wine that I had at a restaurant. I have never done this before. I am on vacation in Maui, and had dinner at Mama's Fish House. If you ever get to Maui, I highly recommend you make a point of having dinner there. This is a destination dining spot, so reservations are highly recommended.

The wine was served immediately upon opening, and was not decanted prior to tasting. The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork.

The wine is bright red in color and has aromas of cherry, cassis and blackberry.

This is a lighter Pinot Noir than I usually like. But this one is very well developed and is bursting with great fruit flavors. It has flavors of plum, cherry and blackberry. The wine was good when first opened, but after 30 minutes, the flavors really came alive! It is a very fabulous wine. If you can get your hands on a bottle, it is definitely worth trying!

Cantina Zaccagnini 2007 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

2011-02-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Cantina Zaccagnini
The Wine: 2007 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
The Price: $11.49 at Costco

Cantina Zaccagnini is an Italian winery. The grapes are from Catignano in the Varano district, which is located in southern Italy. The wine is made from 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grapes.

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

The wine is dark ruby in color and has aromas of leather, plum, blackberry, oregano and just a hint of chocolate.

The wine has flavors of plum, cherry, leather, tobacco and green tea.

This is a pretty good wine. It's flavors are interesting and well developed. But I'm having difficulty with it because it's really not like any wine I've tasted before. The flavors are good, but the wine tastes unfamiliar. It tastes like wine, but it doesn't taste like any wine I've ever tasted before. It's definitely worth picking up a bottle to experience something different.

J Lohr Estates 2008 South Ridge Syrah

2011-01-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Winery: J Lohr
The Wine: 2008 South Ridge Syrah
The Price: $10.99 at QFC

J Lohr is a California winery, located on the central coast near Monterey. The winery was founded by Jerry Lohr, who planted the first of the grape vines in 1972.

The Syrah is a blend of 93% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah, 3% Grenache and 1% "other reds". The wine was aged in American and French oak barrels for 14 months before bottling.

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

The wine is deep burgundy in color. It has aromas of blackberry, blueberry and plum.

This is a fantastic Syrah! It has very smooth and extremely well balanced flavors of blackberry and blueberry that combine in a velvety explosion of fruity goodness!

Besides making a wonderful Syrah, I appreciate the thoughtfully designed and very informative website that J Lohr has built.

Don Sebastiani & Sons 2009 The Crusher Petite Sirah

2011-01-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Don Sebastiani & Sons
The Wine: 2009 The Crusher Petite Sirah
The Price: $11.99 at QFC

Don Sebastiani & Sons is a California winery. While located in Sonoma, they source grapes from several appellations. The grapes for this wine were sourced from the Clarksburg AVA, in the San Francisco Bay area.

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

The wine is very dark purple in color. It has muted aromas of blackberries and plums, but it is fairly lacking in aromas at all.

This is a disappointingly bland wine. There is just not much flavor to it. The flavor that is there is good, but it's amazingly lacking. The wine has flavors of blackberry and plum. The flavors in the wine are very well balanced and very smooth, but it lacks punch. If the flavors were at all pronounced, I'd highly recommend this wine. But given how underwhelming the flavors are, I have a hard time endorsing this. It's too bad, because I'm always on the hunt for a really good Petite Sirah.

Yalumba 2008 Eden Valley Shiraz Viognier

2011-01-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Yalumba
The Wine: 2008 Eden Valley Shiraz Viognier
The Price: $13.99 at Costco

Yalumba is an Australian winery. Founded in 1849, they are Australia's oldest family owned winery. The name Yalumba comes from an aboriginal word meaning, "all the land around."

The Shiraz Viognier is comprised of 97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier, all sourced from southern Australia's Eden Valley.

The wine bottle was stopped with a screw cap and was decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is very dark purple in color. It has velvety smooth aromas of plum, cherry and cassis.

This is an incredibly delicious wine with very smooth and well balanced flavors of plum and cherry with a slightly spicy finish. I absolutely love this wine! And at the price it is a great bargain!

Dussek Family Cellars 2007 Syrah

2010-12-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Dussek Family Cellars
The Wine: 2007 Syrah
The Price: $15.99 at Costco

Dussek is one of the wines produced by Woodhouse Family Cellars, a winery located in Woodinville, Washington. Woodhouse has been making wine since 2004, so they are a relative newcomer to the industry.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes before tasting.

This is a very dark purple wine with aromas of cherry, blackberry, plum and vanilla.

It is a very tasty wine, with a blackberry base, accented with cherry, plum and black pepper. This is a very good Syrah. It's definitely one worth checking out!

Erath 2008 Pinot Noir

2010-11-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Erath
The Wine: 2008 Pinot Noir
The Price: $14.69 at Safeway

I last reviewed Erath's wine just over two years ago, it was their 2006 Pinot Noir, and at the time I was not overly impressed. 2008 is supposed to be a very good year for Oregon Pinot Noirs, so I thought I should revisit Erath.

Erath is still sealing their bottles with screw caps. The wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is is fairly light red in color. It has aromas of cherry, plum and cassis.

Like the 2006, the 2008 Pinot Noir is light and thin. It has flavors of cherry, blackberry and cranberry. It also has a bit more alcohol flavor to it than I would expect. It has more robust flavor than I recall from the 2006, but it is still lacking the rich, velvety flavors of a great Oregon Pinot Noir. If you are looking for a great Pinot Noir, this isn't it. But it is a drinkable wine at a decent price. At the price, I half-heartedly recommend this wine. But I'd rather spend more money and get a great Oregon Pinot Noir.

Michael-David 2008 7 Deadly Zins

2010-11-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Michael-David
The Wine: 2008 7 Deadly Zins
The Price: $11.99 at Safeway

I've been wanting to review this wine for quite some time, partly because I can sometimes be a sucker for a clever name, but more because I really enjoy Michael-David's Petite Petit. 7 Deadly Zins is so named because the wine is a blend of grapes from seven different Lodi (California) vineyards.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted slightly more than an hour before tasting.

The wine very dark purple. It has aromas of plum, blackberry and blueberry. It has a bit of a bite to it, owing to it's 15% alcohol content. Once you get past that, it's a very delicious wine. It has very robust flavors of cherry, cinnamon, blueberry and raspberry, wrapped in a blanket of black pepper. Despite the peppery bite, the wine has a very velvety smoothness to it.

This is another great wine from Michael-David!

Arbios Cellars 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-10-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Arbios Cellars
The Wine: 2004 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $30 at Jack Cellars

This wine review is a bit bittersweet for me. It is the last wine I will review that came from Jack Cellars. Sadly, Jack closed his doors last weekend.

Arbios has a second label, Praxis, whose 2008 Pinot Noir I recently reviewed and found to be quite good. So I'm quite pleased to have an opportunity to taste the Arbios.

The grapes for this wine come from the Alexander Valley, in northern Sonoma County. The wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

The Arbios was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is dark purple in color with a bit of a cocoa hue to it.

The wine has aromas of black cherry, vanilla, chocolate and prune.

This is a superb wine! It has cherry base blended with flavors of blackberry, vanilla, cocoa and caramel. The flavors are well balanced and the wine is absolutely velvety smooth. I highly recommend the Arbios. It is a truly great wine!

Firesteed 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

2010-10-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Firesteed
The Wine: 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price: $22.99 at Safeway

Firesteed is an Oregon winery that has been producing wine since 1992. It appears that 2006 was the last year they made the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, but they are currently producing their Oregon Pinot Noir. If it's not abundantly obvious, the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is made from grapes from Oregon's Willamette Valley. The Oregon Pinot Noir is made from grapes from throughout Oregon, including the Willamette, Umpqua, Rogue and Walla Walla valleys.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted 45 minutes before sampling.

The wine is dark purple in color with a brown cast to it. It has aromas of blackberries, blueberries, cassis and vanilla.

This is a pretty disappointing Pinot Noir. The flavor is harsh, with a strong alcohol flavor. Buried underneath the alcohol flavor lingers flavors of blackberry and cherry. But you really have to search long and hard to find those flavors. I'd really expect a 4 year old wine to have been far less harsh than this.

Skip this one. Blech.

Ferrari-Carano 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-10-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Ferrari-Carano
The Wine: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $18.99 at QFC (marked down from $34.99)

Ferrari-Carano is a California winery. The Cabernet Sauvignon is from grapes grown in the Alexander Valley. The wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah and 11% Petit Verdot.

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

The wine is very deep red in color and has aromas of cassis, black cherry and vanilla. The aromas are very deep and rich; very pronounced an velvety.

The wine has extremely smooth flavors of black cherry and cassis, with a subtle hint of licorice. This is an absolutely fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon. I highly recommend this one! It is nothing short of fantastic!

Sokol Blosser 2009 Willamette Valley Müller-Thurgau

2010-10-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Sokol Blosser
The Wine: 2009 Willamette Valley Müller-Thurgau
The Price: $22 on their website

I would venture to guess that many of you have never heard of, let alone sampled, Müller-Thurgau (pronounced MYOO-ler TOOR-gow). Having lived most of my life in Oregon, I am quite familiar with it. Müller-Thurgau grapes are generally used in low-end German wines, such as Liebfraumilch. But there are a handful of vineyards in Oregon that grow the grapes, and make a pretty good wine. In the dozen years that I've lived in Seattle, I've never seen a bottle of Müller-Thurgau in a store, so it is apparently not widely exported.

I was surprised when I saw Sokol Blosser was offering Müller-Thurgau, so I asked them about it. They told me that they only make it in years that the grapes are extraordinarily good, which was the case in 2009. They produced 300 cases of the Müller-Thurgau in 2009.

The wine bottle was sealed with a natural cork. One thing that I appreciate about Sokol Blosser is that they don't put wrapper over the cork. They just put a circular label on top of the cork itself. It makes for easy opening and less waste.

The wine is a very pale straw color. It has aromas of peach, pineapple and melon.

This is far and away the best Müller-Thurgau I have ever tasted! It has flavors of peach, pear and a honey. It is deliciously bright and refreshing. It's sweet without being too sweet. I highly recommend trying this one!

Concannon 2007 Petite Syrah

2010-09-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Concannon
The Wine: Conservancy 2007 Petite Sirah
The Price: $9.99 at Safeway

Concannon is a California winery, located on the central coast in Livermore. The winery was built in 1883, so they've been at this a long time. They claim that they were the first California winery to bottle Petite Sirah, more than 40 years ago.

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

The wine is deep purple in color. The aroma is fairly subdued. The predominant aroma is cherry, with hints of vanilla and leather.

The wine has flavors of cherry, blackberry and vanilla. It's smooth and well balanced, but a bit lacking in flavor. This wine reminds me a lot of the Chariot Gypsy that I previously reviewed, and is twice the cost. My recommendation is to skip the Concannon and go for the Chariot.

Sagelands 2007 Malbec

2010-09-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Sagelands Vineyard
The Wine: 2007 Malbec
The Price: $16.99 at Safeway

Sagelands is a Washington winery, located near Walla Walla, in southeastern Washington. The grapes from this wine are 100% Malbec, all sourced from the Wahluke Slope AVA. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color, and has aromas of blackberries and blueberries. It is a bold, smooth wine with jammy boysenberry flavor and a pepper finish. This is great representation of a Washington Malbec, and definitely worth .

Snoqualmie 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-09-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Snoqualmie Vineyards
The Wine: 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $18.00 at Safeway

Snoqualmie is one of those wineries that is local to me, yet I've never gotten around to reviewing their wine. I am surrounded by so many great vineyards that I could just focus on Washington wines and never run out of wines to review.

The wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of black cherry, cassis and chocolate. It is a big, fruity wine anchored by a black cherry flavor, accented by undertones of strawberry, cocoa and vanilla. It's a very smooth and balanced wine, with tons of flavor.

All in all, it's a very good wine. It's absolutely a wine worth checking out.

2008 Evodia

2010-09-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Altovinum
The Wine: 2008 Evodia
The Price: $9.99 at QFC

This is another wine from the Eric Solomon selection. Eric Solomon specializes in importing Grenaches. The last Solomon import I reviewed was 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah. The Evodia is 100% Grenache from vineyards planted as long as 100 years ago. The wine is from Calatayud appellation of Spain.

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

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of blackberries, cherries and cassis. It is a very flavorful wine, bursting with blackberry and cherry flavors, with a bit of a vanilla undertone and a mildly peppery finish.

This is the second Eric Solomon wine I've tasted, and I must say that he really seems to know how to pick winners! I highly recommend this one!

Mark West 2008 Pinot Noir

2010-09-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Mark West
The Wine: 2008 Pinot Noir
The Price: $8.99 at Safeway

When I saw this ridiculously inexpensive California Pinot Noir at the store, I just knew I had to review it! I just couldn't resist.

Mark West is located in Sonoma County. The only wine they make is Pinot Noir, which I think is a kind of cool approach - specializing in just one wine. They age their wine for 8 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels before bottling.

Their website kind of sucks. It uses unconventional navigation and most of the content is all on the home page. It looks like it was designed by a graphic artist with no thought given to usability. But enough about their website. This is, after all, a wine review, not a website review.

The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, a nice touch on such a low-priced wine. It was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is medium-dark red in color with a splash of brown. It has aromas of strawberry, vanilla and cherry.

It has berry and cherry flavors, with a touch of pepper. It's really a decent Pinot Noir, especially at this price point. It isn't a velvety smooth Pinot, but it also isn't a watery, thin wine like I expect from a lower end Pinot. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how good this wine is. I think I'll be stocking up on this one.

Praxis 2008 Pinot Noir

2010-08-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

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.

JAQK Cellars 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-07-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Winery: JAQK Cellars
The Wine: 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $28 at Jack Cellars

I picked up this wine because I thought it was funny that my local wine shop, Jack Cellars, was selling wine made by JAQK Cellars. Yes, I am easily amused.

According to their website, Jaqk Cellars is a new winery. I'm not seeing when they were founded, but it appears that 2006 is their first vintage. The founders enjoy gaming, and their wines have a gambling theme to them (hence the spelling of JAQK - Jack, Ace, Queen, King).

The 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Malbec. The wine bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before sampling.

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

It's a very fruity and smooth wine. It has flavors of cherry, blackberry and blueberry with a mild pepper finish. The wine has a very deep and well balanced flavor. It's remarkably good! I highly recommend getting your hands on a bottle of this one!

Cline 2009 Mourvèdre Rosé

2010-07-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Cline
The Wine: 2009 Mourvèdre Rosé
The Price: $11 at PCC.

Since warmer summer weather is here, I thought it would be a good time to review a rosé. This wine jumped out at me because I don't recall ever seeing a rosé made from mourvèdre before. Being a fan of mourvèdre, I was compelled to give this a try.

Cline is a California winery, with the grapes being grown in Contra Costa county. The winery was founded in 1982 by Fred Cline. They specialize in crafting Rhône-style wines, and have made several 90+ point wines.

Although it doesn't appear so in the photo of the bottle, this wine is a bit darker than other rosés I've sampled. It has almost a brownish cast to the color.

The wine has aromas of strawberry, plum and aged Scotch.

It's a very smooth and fruity wine with flavors of strawberry, cherry, plum and cranberry. I was concerned that the Scotch aroma meant that the wine would have strong alcohol flavor, but it doesn't. This is a very good rosé, one of the best I've ever tasted! It's a very refreshing wine; perfect for enjoying on a warm summer evening.

Red Rock 2008 Reserve Malbec

2010-06-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

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.

Domaine Serene 2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir

2010-05-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Domaine Serene
The Wine: 2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir
The Price: $36 at Jack Cellars

Domaine Serene is an Oregon winery, located Yamhill County, prime Pinot Noir territory. The winery was founded in 1989, with the vineyards being planted on (then) recently logged forest land in the Dundee Hills.

The wine is dark ruby in color. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine has aromas of cherries, roses, vanilla and chocolate.

This is a fruit-forward wine with a bit of a spicy kick. It has flavors of cherry, blackberry, pepper, vanilla and cranberry. It is a very complex and rich wine, with a lot of wonderful flavors bursting through.

This is a very good example of an Oregon Pinot Noir, but one crafted in the Burgundy style. It is a medium bodied, fruity, delicious wine. It is definitely a wine worth trying!

Rex Hill 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

2010-05-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Rex Hill
The Wine: 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price: $25 at Jack Cellars

This past weekend I went to Pinot Palooza at Jack Cellars. They were pouring a great selection of Pinot Noir from Oregon, California and even a nice wine from Burgundy. This review is a result of the event.

I am originally from Oregon, so Oregon Pinots have a special place in my heart. The roots of my love for wine are firmly planted in Oregon. I spent many weekends driving through wine country sampling wines. Some wineries have consistently produced great wines. Other wineries have folded or just stopped producing great wine. When I was new to drinking wine, Rex Hill was always a favorite stop on my tours through Oregon's wine country. My last few trips to Rex Hill had been enough of a disappointment that I'd given up on them.

It turns out that Rex Hill had changed hands a couple of times over the years. The new owners didn't have the passion and skill to make the great wines that Oregon is known for. The good news is that back in 2007, A to Z Wineworks purchased Rex Hill and is working on bringing them back to their former glory.

The 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is medium dark red in color. The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has aromas of cherries and plums. It has a strong cherry base with an undertone of berries and plums. This is a lighter Pinot Noir, but is very good. At $25 it is an absolute steal!

I'm happy to see Rex Hill again in good hands and making good wine! I look forward to seeing where they go from here!

Ghost Pines 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-05-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Ghost Pines
The Wine: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $16.99 at QFC (marked down from $24.99)

Ghost Pines is a California winery that was founded in 1964 by Louis P. Martini (son of Louis M. Martini, who started making wine in Napa Valley in the early 1900s).

This wine is made from 59% Napa County grapes, and 41% Sonoma County grapes. The wine is very deep red in color. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry and vanilla. It's a very big, fruity wine with flavors of cherry and berry and sweet vanilla, with a very mildly spicy finish. It's a very drinkable wine, with a lot of fruit flavor without being overly sweet.

Three Thieves 2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-05-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Three Thieves
The Wine: 2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $11.99 at QFC (marked down from $16.99)

The Show is made from grapes from three separate California AVAs: Central Coast, North Coast and Napa Valley. The wine is made from 89% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and 11% Petite Syrah. It is aged in French and American oak barrels.

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

The wine is deep ruby in color; and has aromas of black cherry, vanilla and pepper.

The wine has big, fruity cherry and vanilla flavors with a pepper finish. It's a very delicious wine. I absolutely love it! This is a must-buy wine!

Vini Menhir 2007 Negroamaro Cinque Passi

2010-04-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Vini Menhir
The Wine: 2007 Negroamaro Cinque Passi
The Price: $14.00

Vini Menhir is an Italian winery located in the Puglia region. Think of Puglia as being the heel of the boot.

The bottle was stopped with the shortest natural cork that I've ever seen. It's nearly 1/2" shorter than regular corks. The wine was decanted 45 minutes before tasting.

The wine is moderately dark purple in color. It has aromas of plum, cassis and spice. It has an odd mix of sweet and sour. Kind of like a sweet blackberry flavor wrapped with a puckeringly sour cherry flavor. The combination is surprisingly awful! And this isn't a wine that gets better with more tastes. It gets worse. Earlier I commented on this winery being located in the heel of the boot of Italy. This wine makes it pretty clear what the heel has stepped in. Because it tastes just like THAT. Yuck!

If you see this wine - run far, far away! At $5 this would be a bad wine. At $14 it is absolutely horrifying!

Durigutti 2006 Reserva Malbec

2010-04-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Durigutti
The Wine: 2006 Reserva Malbec
The Price: $27.00

Durigutti is an Argentinian winery, with the grapes being grown in the Mendoza province. It is made from 100% Malbec grapes and aged in oak barrels for 18 months.

This wine is not filtered, and they recommend decanting it before drinking. At the bottom of my bottle was a handful of twigs and sludge, so I would definitely follow their recommendation and decant it. Unless you like chewing on grape stems.

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

The wine is very dark violet in color. It has aromas of blackberry, cherry, tobacco and chocolate.

This is an amazing wine! The flavors are well balanced, smooth and velvety. It has wonderful fruit flavors with a counterpoint of tobacco and a mild pepper finish. It is nothing short of phenomenal.

Primaterra 2008 Sangiovese

2010-04-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Primaterra
The Wine: 2008 Sangiovese
The Price: $7.99 at Cost Plus World Market

I selected this wine because I've been planning a trip to Italy, so I'm trying to become more familiar with wines from Italy. This winery seems to be pretty much a big mystery. I haven't been able to find any history on the winery.

The wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. The bottle was stopped with a composite cork, and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is a medium-dark purple in color. It has predominantly a cherry aroma with a slight pepper finish.

The wine has a somewhat subdued cherry flavor, with a mildly spicy finish. The wine is very heavy in tannins, leading me to want to scrape the powdery feel off of my teeth.

This is a decent wine for the money, but it certainly doesn't knock my socks off. It's an every-day kind of wine. Definitely not something you'd serve to impress anybody.

Woodhouse Family Cellars 2006 Hudson Shah Malbec

2010-04-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Woodhouse Family Cellars
The Wine: 2006 Hudson Shah Malbec
The Price: $12.99 at QFC

This Malbec is made from 100% Malbec grapes from Washington's Rattlesnake Hills AVA. The

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. The wine is very dark purple in color and has aromas of blackberry, cherry and vanilla.

This is a very fruity wine, with crisp and slightly tart blackberry and cherry flavors with a hint of peppermint. It's very crisp and clean tasting. The flavor is light without being thin.

Castaño 2005 Solanera

2010-03-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Bodegas Castaño
The Wine: 2005 Solanera
The Price: $14.99 at Central Market

Bodegas Castaño is located in the Yecla region of Southern Spain. This wine is a blend of 65% Monastrell (Monastrell is also known as Mourvèdre, a term many of you may be more familiar with), 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tintorera. The wine was aged in oak for 10 months before bottling.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. It is a very dark red wine with aromas of cherry, vanilla, chocolate and spice.

The wine has flavors of cherry, vanilla and black pepper. It's a pretty tannic wine, owing to the Mourvèdre/Monastrell grapes. The pepper flavor adds a bit of a bite to the wine, so if you don't like the pepper flavor this probably isn't a wine for you. Personally, I enjoy the pepper flavor and find this to be a a nice, interesting wine.

Eos Estate Winery 2007 Zinfandel

2010-03-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Eos Estate Winery
The Wine: 2007 Zinfandel
The Price: $13.99 at Safeway (marked down from $18.49).

Eos Winery is located in Paso Robles, which is in California's central Coast. The winery has a couple of cool, environmentally friendly things going for it. First, it has converted to 100% solar power. Second, for every bottle of wine that is purchased, they donate $1 to plant a tree.

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

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of raspberries, cherries and chocolate.

It has very crisp berry and cherry flavors with a chocolate undertone. The wine is very smooth and velvety and quite delicious. This is one wine that I highly recommend. Between the great wine and the winery's commitment to the environment, this is a double winner. Think of it as saving the planet one bottle at a time.

Columbia Crest 2007 Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-03-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Columbia Crest
The Wine: 2007 Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $8.99 (marked down from $12.99 at Safeway)

I think this is the first time I've reviewed two wines from the same winery in back-to-back reviews. It wasn't my intent to do so, but the latest issue of Wine Spectator listed this wine as a Best Value selection, so I had to give it a try. They rated it an 89

This wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder a combination of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. The bottle was sealed with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 30 minutes before tasting.

The wine is very dark red in color. It has aromas of cherry, currant, blackberry and chocolate. It is a fruity wine, with a velvety blackberry flavor underscored by a chocolate finish. This is an exceptionally good wine at this price point. It would stand up well against many wines at twice (or more) the cost. This is a wine that is very much worth stocking up on.

Columbia Crest 2007 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-03-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Columbia Crest
The Wine: 2007 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $11.69 at Safeway (marked down from $16.49)

This wine is the second that I've reviewed from Columbia Crest's Horse Heaven Hills (H3) line. In addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon, they make Chardonnay, which I have reviewed, and a Merlot, which I have not. Columbia Crest has been growing grapes in Horse Heaven Hills for over 20 years. Horse Heaven Hills was officially recognized as an AVA in 2005.

This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour prior to tasting.

The wine is a very deep purple in color. It has aromas of blackberry and cherry. The wine has a pronounced berry flavor with just a bit of a spicy bite. It's a very velvety smooth wine. I highly recommend giving this one a try. It's well worth the price.

The Other Guys 2008 Hey Mambo Sultry Red

2010-03-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

The Winery: The Other Guys
The Wine: 2008 Hey Mambo Sultry Red
The Price: $10.99 at Safeway (marked down from $15.49).

I don't normally do this, but I purchased the wine for this review based on the label. I know, I'm a sucker. But I liked the simplicity of the label and the fun spirit that it embodies.

I like the attitude that the winery displays on both their website and their bottle. They seem like a fun-loving and spirited group. The kind of people I could see hanging out with.

The wine is a blend of Syrah, Barbera, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Malbec, and Alicante Bouchet grapes. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted 30 minutes before tasting.

The wine is a deep ruby color. It has aromas of cherry, blackberry and tobacco. It has flavors of cherry and cranberry with a pepper finish. It's a very good, very fun wine. I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Alandra Red Wine

2010-02-16T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Alandra

The Wine: Red Wine
The Price: $6.99 at QFC (marked down from $7.99)

Alandra is located in Portugal. Portugal is well known for Port and Madeira, and less so for it's red wines and Vinho Verde. I have been unable to find any information regarding the grapes that are used in this wine. The winery is located in Portual's Alentejo region, which mostly grows Syrah and Alicante Bouschet, so I would presume that one or both of those grapes are in this wine. Beyond that I have no idea.

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

The wine actually had a small grape leaf in the bottle. I've never encountered that before. It surprised me to see it because it seems like the leaf should have been filtered out at some point during the production or bottling process.

The wine is medium-dark red in color. It has aromas of berry, black olive and bell pepper. It has flavors of raspberry and cherry and mild spices. For the price it's a pretty good wine. The flavors are not bold or very pronounced, so I think most people will find it drinkable. It's kind of an everyday wine at an everyday price.

Brian Carter Cellars 2005 L'Etalon

2010-02-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Brian Carter Cellars
The Wine: 2005 L'Etalon
The Price: $19.89 at Costco (a screaming deal - it sells for $17/half-bottle on their website!)

L'Etalon is French for The Stallion. They've mysteriously renamed the wine L'Cousier, French for The Steed (I'm curious about the renaming - was it a prompted by a scandal ala Andersen Consulting becoming Accenture, was it a legal battle, or simply the whims of a winemaker?). Back to the wine. It's a Bordeaux style wine, blended from 55% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 7% Malbec.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork, and decanted an hour before sampling. The wine is a very deep burgundy in color. It has aromas of blackberry, cherry and cedar.

The wine has a very velvety-smooth feeling to it. It has a melt-in-your-mouth lusciousness. It has flavors of berry, cherry and chocolate. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this would be a great choice for snuggling on the couch with that special someone, while enjoying some great dark chocolate.

Wine Tasting/Tweetup at Northwest Totem Cellars

2010-02-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a tasting at Northwest Totem Cellars. This was a tweetup arranged by Barbara, known on Twitter as @SeattleWineGal. For those unfamiliar with "tweetups", a tweetup is a gathering of Twitter users.

I've been intending to get to Northwest Totem ever since I first learned of them, about two years ago. But they're in my own backyard, so I just haven't gotten around to it. Thanks to Barbara, that has been corrected. I first learned of Northwest Totem Cellars when I was researching wineries that use glass stoppers (I know of two versions of the glass stoppers - Vino Lok and Vino-Seal). I've been saving my glass stoppers (trying to find the perfect reuse for them). You can also, I've been told, toss them in your recycle bin. Or brink them back to Northwest Totem Cellars and they will sterilize them and reuse them. Regardless of how you choose to recycle them, rest assured that they are eco-friendly.

We started the evening with a barrel tasting. First we sampled a Grenache. At this stage the wine was very fruity and quite delicious. After the Grenache, we moved on to Tempranillo. Both wines were very good and show great potential. The winemaker, Mike Sharadin (who I briefly renamed John...oops), talked about the winemaking process. In the photo, below, he was discussing methods that winemakers use to impart more oak flavor to wine. As it turns out, wine barrels are quite expensive (around $1200) and the oak flavor quickly dissipates. So extending the usability of the barrels is a very worthwhile endeavor. Beyond the financial benefit to the winemaker, it is also an environmentally good thing to do.

After the barrel tasting, we moved into the kitchen to sample the offerings from the winery. In addition to the wine, Mike's wife, Kate, put together an amazing spread of vegan food for us to enjoy with the wine.

I won't do a full review of the wines we sampled. When I review wine I am pretty regimented in my process (a side effect of my career, which relies heavily upon rigorous processes), so in fairness to all parties, I make every attempt to keep my reviews on an even playing field. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every wine he served. They were all very good, and I would proudly serve them to guests in my home. Now that I know how good these wines are, I will be stopping in and buying some of them to review (and some for my personal collection). My personal favorite of the night was the 2006 Low Man Bordeaux blend, closely followed by the 2007 Cab Franc. Both of the dessert wines (2008 Salish and 2007 Late Harvest Viognier) were heavenly.

Besides the great wine, it was very nice to meet @SeattleWineGal, @Shona425, @winebeerWA, @WriteforWine, @DivaTink, @WABrokers. And of course, our gracious host Mike (@NWTotemCellars).

Nashwauk 2006 Tempranillo

2010-02-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Nashwauk
The Wine: 2006 Tempranillo
The Price: $20 at Jack Cellars

Nashwauk is an Australian winery, located near Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Nashwauk was founded by Kaesler wines, who makes a variety of other interesting looking wines.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes prior to tasting.

The wine is very deep purple in color. It has aromas of cherries, blackberries and leather. It has a big, fruity cherry flavor with a spicy undertone. There is enough flavor that the wine would stand up well with a spicy meal, yet the spicy flavor is not so pronounced as to overwhelm the fruit flavor.

This is a really great wine! I'd say it's easily my favorite of the Australian wines I've sampled.

Torii Mor 2007 Pinot Noir

2010-01-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Torii Mor
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Noir
The Price: $19.99 at Metropolitan Market (marked down from $29.99).

There are a few reasons that I decided to review this wine. First, it's the first time I've seen Torii Mor for sale in Washington. Second, I visited the Torii Mor tasting room about two years ago, and was pretty disappointed. I was pretty harsh on my review of their tasting room, and I thought they were due a wine review. The third reason that I wanted to review this wine is that they recently started following me on Twitter, so they were at the fore of my mind.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork, always a plus in my book. It was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is deep red in color, and has aromas of cherry, tobacco, mint and moss. The wine has flavors of cherry and oak, with a very subtle pepper finish. It's a fairly good Pinot Noir. But I am much more enthusiastic about it at $20 than I would be at $30. I think it's a bit thin and missing a the depth of flavor to compete in the $30 price range. That said, I think that this wine compares quite favorably against the $30 Pinot Noirs I've sampled from California.

This wine is far better than I recall the last wine I sampled from Torii Mor, so I'm glad that I was able to review it. As I said in my write up of their tasting room, I really liked their Port a lot. It's good to see that they're making strides with their Pinot Noir. Oregon is the quintessential Pinot Noir producing state, so the bar is fairly high. By comparison, I find this wine to be far superior to Cloud Line, and a couple of notches below Sokol Blosser. Not a bad position to be in. Given their improvements over the last two years, I can see them becoming one of the premier Oregon Pinot Noir producers in the near future.

Argyle 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

2010-01-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Argyle
The Wine: 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
The Price: $21.99 at Safeway

Argyle is one of the many wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Argyle was founded in 1987 by Rollin Soles. Argyle specializes in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine.

The wine was stopped with a screw cap and was decanted an hour before tasting.

The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is red in color, and far less dark than I am accustomed to seeing in Pinot Noirs from Oregon.

The wine has aromas of cherry, raspberry and pepper. The wine has a bright, almost tart cherry flavor, blended with berry. This is a good Pinot Noir. It's not my personal favorite, but it's a good wine and priced appropriately in the mid-range of Pinot Noirs.

Spellbound 2007 Petite Sirah

2010-01-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Spellbound
The Wine: 2007 Petite Sirah
The Price: $10.99 at QFC (marked down from $15.99)

Spellbound is a partnership between Robert and Lydia Mondavi, Patti Romano and Geoff Whitman. The partners also own Medusa Wines. Robert is the grandson of the Robert Mondavi who founded Robert Mondavi Wines, so he is no stranger to the industy.

The Spellbound Petite Sirah is made from 98% Petite Sirah and 2% "Other Red" grapes. The bottle was stopped with a synthetic cork, and decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine is dark purple in color and has aromas of prune, blackberry, vanilla and pepper. This is a big, bold, fruity wine with a mild pepper finish. It has flavors of strawberry jam, raspberry and vanilla, with just that hint of pepper. This is a pretty incredible Petite Sirah, espcially given the price. I highly recommend this one!

Waterbrook 2007 Melange Noir

2009-12-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Waterbrook
The Wine: 2007 Melange Noir
The Price: $11.99 at QFC

Waterbrook Melange is a wine that I discovered several years ago, well before I started reviewing wine. And well before I even had more than the barest of interest in wine. I only discovered it at that time because of an article in the paper. In my mind, it was an outrageously priced wine at around $10, but I gave it a shot anyway. I haven't had it in ages, and I don't recall what it tasted like. So when I saw it in the store, I thought I should review it.

The wine is a blend of 43% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 13% Sangiovese and1% Tempranillo. The bottle is stopped with a natural cork and the wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The 2007 Melange is dark purple and has aromas of cedar, blackberry, prune and pepper.

The wine has flavors of blackberry, cherry and chocolate with a mild pepper finish. This wine is very good. The more I taste it, the more the flavor develops. It is an interesting and fun wine. This one will be in my rotation for sure!

Delille Cellars 2007 D2

2009-12-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Delille Cellars
The Wine: 2007 D2
The Price: This wine was given to me by my friend, Elena (thanks, Elena!). Delille sells this wine on their website for $35.

Delille is a local winery for me. They're located in Woodinville, Washington. They are an independent winery that has been making wine since 1992.

The D2 wine from Delille has an interesting story. The wine is made from the same grapes that were selected for their premium Chaleur Estate wine, but is comprised of juices that did not quite have the qualities that they were looking for in their Chaleur Estate label. This is a common practice in Bordeaux, although in Bordeaux, the second label typically utilizes the fruit from the vineyard's younger vines. As an aside, by looking for the second label for a Château from Bordeaux, you can often find a very good wine at a great savings over the Château label.

The D2 is a blend of 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petite Verdot. The wine was corked with a natural cork and decanted an hour before tasting. It is very dark purple in color.

The D2 has aromas of black cherry, plum, blackberry and vanilla. It has flavors of cherry, berry, chocolate and spice. The spicy flavor is fairly prominent, so if you don't like a lot of spice in your wine, then this isn't one for you. Personally, I like this wine very much. The spicy flavor is a nice balance to the fruit flavors. While it's very good now, this is a wine that would likely benefit from a few years of additional aging.

San Greal 2007 Red Supper Wine

2009-12-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

The Winery: San Greal
The Wine: 2007 Red Supper Wine
The Price: $6.99 at Trader Joe's

San Greal takes their name from the French for Holy Grail. The winery is located in California's Mendocino County, in the Russian River valley; the origin of many fine wines.

The wine is a blend of 55% Syrah, 23% Merlot and 22% Sangiovese. This is information that they left off the label, but I was able to find it on their website. The wine is dark red in color. The bottle was stopped with a screw cap, and the wine was decanted 45 minutes before tasting.

The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry and black pepper.

The wine is fairly awful. It has a very gritty mouth-feel. It has a strong alcohol flavor, which overwhelms the flavor of the wine. Once you get through the alcohol flavor, there are flavors of berries and spice. But the berry flavor is fairly tart and not at all appealing.

They call this Red Supper Wine. Last Supper is more like it. Yuck! As I said at the beginning, Mendocino's Russian River Valley is the origin of many fine wines. This, however, is not one of them.

La Marca Prosseco

2009-11-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

The Winery: La Marca
The Wine: Prosseco
The Price: $13.99 (marked down from $19.99)

As the holidays approach, I thought I would take time to review a few sparkling wines. This is partly selfish - I like to serve sparkling white wine throughout the holiday season, so this is a great opportunity for me to sample some wines before serving them to others.

La Marca is an Italian winery, thus it is a sparkling white, not a Champagne. The Prosseco wines are named for the grapes from which they are made. They are generally less complex than Champagne.

The wine is a very pale straw color. It has steady streams of bubbles bursting forth, creating a thin layer of froth on the surface of the wine.

The wine has aromas of apples, pears and peaches. It has a very crisp apple flavor with a peach undertone. It has a bit of a creamy feel to it. It's a good wine, but not a great one.

While I like this wine, and it is interesting, this one won't see my table this holiday season. For the price of one bottle, I could pick up two bottles of more enjoyable local sparkling white wine.

Saviah Cellars 2007 The Jack

2009-11-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Saviah Cellars
The Wine: 2007 The Jack
The Price: $12.99 at QFC (marked down from $19.99)

Saviah Cellars is a family-owned winery in Washington's Walla Walla Valley. They were founded in 2000, so will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next year.

The Jack is a blend of 86% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Syrah and 2% Petite Verdot.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork, and was decanted one hour before tasting.

The Jack is very dark purple in color. It has aromas of blackberries, cherries, vanilla and a slight hint of pepper.

The wine is absolutely delicious. It has a big berry flavor, with a subtle pepper finish. While the wine would benefit from some further aging, it is very drinkable today and is a bargain at $12.99.

I must admit that I knew before sampling that I would like this wine. That's because I recently had occasion to sample the wine and liked it quite a bit. So I sought out a bottle that I could review.

Inkberry 2007 Shiraz Cabernet

2009-11-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

The Winery: Inkberry

The Wine: 2007 Shiraz Cabernet
The Price: $10.99 at QFC (marked down from $15.99)

Inkberry is an Australian winery located in the Central Ranges, in New South Wales.

The wine, a blend of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet, is a very inky purple color. The bottle was stopped with a screw cap and was decanted an hour before sampling.

The wine has aromas of blackberry, black currant, bell pepper and black pepper.

This wine has flavors of blackberry and cherry, balanced with a mild pepper flavor. The wine has good fruit flavors without being overly sweet. The pepper flavor is understated and is a great counterpoint to the fruit flavors.

This is a very nice Australian wine. It is priced higher than other Australian wines that I've had, but it is worth the few extra dollars. While not in the premium wine category, this is far superior to the main stream Australian wines and definitely worth trying.

Col Solare 2006 Red Wine

2009-10-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Col Solare
The Wine: 2006 Red Wine
The Price: This wine was provided by the winery. The wine retails for $75 and can be purchased directly through the winery.

Col Solare is an interesting winery. It is a partnership between Chateau Ste Michelle, a Washington State winery; and Marchesi Antinori, a Tuscany winery. The partnership was formed with the intent of producing ultra-luxury wine.

The 2006 Red Wine is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Syrah.

As I would expect from a premium wine, the bottle was stopped with a natural cork. I don't normally comment on the cork itself, but the cork in this bottle was exceptionally clear and seemed to be of higher quality than the corks I've encounter with other wines. The wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

The wine has a very, very deep burgundy color, taking on the color of a good Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine has very bright black cherry and blackberry aromas with a hint of vanilla. The aromas are very well balanced and well pronounced.

The wine is absolutely phenomenal! It has a very smooth and velvety feeling to it. The wine has bold flavors of blackberries and black cherries with a chocolaty finish. It is absolutely the best wine I've ever reviewed! At this price point, it's clearly not an everyday wine. But if you're looking for a great wine for the holidays or a special occasion, you can't go wrong with this one. I very highly recommend it.

Scott Paul 2006 La Paulée Pinot Noir

2009-10-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Scott Paul
The Wine: 2006 La Paulée Pinot Noir
The Price: $35.00 at Jack Cellars

Scott Paul Wines has an unusual history. They were founded in 1999 in California. But then they relocated to Oregon's Willamette Valley. I don't recall ever hearing of a winery moving from one state to another. If you think they were crazy for doing so, you do not understand how great the Willamette Valley is for growing Pinot Noir grapes.

The La Paulée Pinot Noir was stopped with a screw cap. I much prefer a natural cork to a screw cap. It's difficult to take a wine seriously when it is stopped with a screw cap. The wine was decanted over an hour before tasting.

The wine is ruby in color, but not quite as dark as many of the Oregon Pinot Noirs that I've sampled.

The wine has aromas of cherries and blackberries. The aromas are not as pronounced as I typically expect from a Pinot Noir.

The flavors of this wine are understated, but very good. The wine has very well balanced flavors of blackberries and cherries. It has the velvety feeling that I've come to expect from the better Oregon Pinot Noirs. The wine is deliciously ready to drink now.

Campo Viejo 2005 Crianza Rioja

2009-09-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Campo Viejo
The Wine: 2005 Crianza Rioja
The Price: $9.99 at QFC

I've discussed Spanish wines previously when I reviewed the Campo Viejo 2001 Gran Reserva Rioja. So I won't rehash what I said before, other than to state that Crianzas are younger wines. This wine is aged in oak for 12 months before being bottled.

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

The wine is very dark purple, with very light penetrating through the wine in the glass. It has aromas of blackberry, plum and vanilla.

It's a fairly flat wine, without a lot of flavor. It's not bad, it just doesn't pack enough of a flavor punch. It has plum and blackberry flavors with a very slight pepper finish. I really wish there was more flavor to the wine. I like the flavors that are there, I just want more of them.

I doubt I'll buy this wine again. There are plenty of $10 wines that have more flavor than this. If you're a fan of mildly flavored wines, this could be something you'd like.

Rustenberg John X Merriman 2006

2009-09-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Rustenberg
The Wine: John X Merriman 2006
The Price: $28 at Jack Cellars

Rustenberg is located in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. The wine is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Fran and 1% Malbec. The bottle was stopped with a natural cork and was decanted an hour before tasting.

This is a deep purple wine. It has aromas of plums, tobacco and pepper. It has a big, fruity blend of plum and cherry flavors with a pepper finish. This is an extremely good wine. Although I tend towards the NW Pinot Noirs, this is a great, fun wine. I recommend giving it a taste.

Feel Lucky?

2009-09-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sokol Blosser wants to know what makes you feel lucky. Check out the video (http://evolutionlucky.mppr.info/) and tell Sokol Blosser what makes you feel lucky for your chance to win!

Good luck!

As for what makes me feel lucky? My Lucky Jeans, of course!

Errazuriz 2006 Single Vineyard Carmenère

2009-09-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Errazuriz
The Wine: 2006 Single Vineyard Carmenère
The Price: $18 at Jack Cellars

Errazuriz is a Chilean winery that was founded in 1870. This wine is single sourced from the Don Maximiano Estate.

Carmenère grapes were commonly grown in the Bordeaux region of France, and elsewhere throughout Europe. In 1867, an outbreak of Phylloxera wiped out many vineyards and nearly caused the extinction of Carmenère. The Carmenère vines in Chile were unaffected by the Phylloxera epidemic, and the grapes have thrived there.

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

The wine is a very dark purple. It has aromas of blackberries, bell peppers with a spicy black pepper undertone.

The wine has a fruity blackberry flavor at its base, and a very pronounced black pepper finish. If you don't like a peppery wine, then this is not a good wine for you. I really like the wine, however. The flavor is well balanced and is very smooth.

McManis Family Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-09-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Winery: McManis Family Vineyards
The Wine: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $9.99 at QFC (marked down from $12.99)

This review was inspired by a few things. First, I've been trying to not review just Northwest wines, so I'm always looking for wines that are widely available throughout the country (and world). Second, I've been reviewing higher priced wines lately, so I'm trying to reel it in and review some sub-$10.00 wines. And finally, I happened to sample a bottle of McManis Petite Sirah recently which, while I didn't review it, was quite good.

This bottle of wine was stopped with a natural cork and was decanted about 45 minutes before tasting.

The wine is a very dark purple. It has aromas of blackberry and plum. This is a very nice wine. It has flavors of blackberry, cherry, chocolate and cinnamon. I like this wine a lot. It's a very good wine for the price. It's absolutely ready to drink now.

Rive Della Chiesa Prosecco

2009-09-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Rive Della Chiesa
The Wine: Prosecco Frizzante
The Price: $11.99 at Central Market

If it's not obvious from the name, this is an Italian wine. It is made from 100% Prosecco grapes. And for those who don't know, frizzante wines are wines that are fizzy. They're less bubbly than sparkling wine, but definitely have a light effervescence to them.

This wine is pale yellow in color and emits steady streams of tiny bubbles. It has aromas of apple, lemon and grass.

This is a semi-dry wine. It has an apple flavor with a hint of pineapple and peaches. It's kind of a fun wine. I like the fizz - it's a nice change of pace from the same old white wines. It's definitely no replacement for a quality Champagne or sparkling white wine, but it is a good wine to have in rotation and would be fun to pull out for friends at a barbecue or dinner party.

Michael-David 2007 Petite Petit

2009-08-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Michael-David
The Wine: 2007 Petite Petit
The Price: $15.99 at QFC

Michael-David produces several fairly well known wines (Incognito, 7 Deadly Zins, 7 Heavenly Chards, Earthquake, and several others). This is the first wine from the Michael-David family that I've reviewed.

I selected this wine for two reasons. First, I was looking for a Petite Sirah to review (and my local QFC had very little selection in Petite Sirah). Second, and I rarely fall for this, I really liked the label.

The Petite Petit is a blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot is usually used as a minority grape in blends, most notably in Bordeaux wines. Interestingly, Petite Sirah was at one time considered to be a blend-grape, too.

Besides the cool label, Michael-David had the good sense to cork the wine with a natural cork. The Petite Petit is very deep purple in color. The wine has aromas of blackberries, strawberry jam and prunes with just a touch of black pepper.

The wine has big jammy berry flavors with a peppery finish. Overall, it's very good. I like it a lot. Despite that, the wine tastes a little young and would probably benefit from additional aging.

Don Ramon 2007 Red Wine

2009-08-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Don Ramon
The Wine: 2007 Red Wine
The Price: $6.99 at Trader Joe's

Don Ramon is a Spanish winery. Beyond that, I haven't been able to dig up much information on them. The wine is a blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Tempranillo.

This wine comes in a kind of cool bottle. It has a natural cork stopper, which is surprising given the price of the wine. It also has a cloth ribbon affixed with a wax seal, another touch of class on a value-priced wine.

The wine has aromas of blackberry and blueberry. It is an amazingly smooth wine for the price. It has plenty of blueberry and blackberry flavor with just a touch of pepper on the finish.

Sokol Blosser Evolution Lucky Edition

2009-07-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Sokol Blosser
The Wine: Evolution, Lucky Edition
The Price: $14.99 at QFC (marked down from $21.99)

I previously reviewed Evolution (11th Edition), but a couple of bottlings have occurred since that review, so I thought I'd review it again. I'd been kicking around the idea for awhile, and now that Seattle (and the rest of the Pacific Northwest) is entrenched in a heat wave, it seems like the perfect time.

From talking with an employee of another winery, I learned that some wineries chemically manipulate some of their wines so that it tastes the same from year to year. Based on my observations, Sokol Blosser does not do this (my observations are supported by this statement from their website, "Every new bottling has its own subtle and fresh personality."). I point this out because the Lucky Edition is the best edition I recall them having produced.

The wine is a blend of Muller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. That's a lot of grapes!

The Lucky Edition seems brighter and a hair sweeter than I recall the 12th Edition being. It has a citrusy aroma. The wine has flavors of citrus fruit, apples and pears.

In addition to the great flavor, I love the playful nature with which Sokol Blosser treats this wine. The label poses the question, "Luck? Intention?" And this year, rather than calling it the 13th Edition, they went with Lucky Edition. I like that.

As I write this, I am sitting on my balcony, looking out over Lake Washington. It's 92 degrees, highly unusual for Seattle. The view, the weather, and the Evolution make me realize what a great life I have.

Des Voigne Cellars Website Update

2009-07-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

When I reviewed Des Voigne Cellars San Remo 2006 Sangiovese I commented on the condition of their website (the word "raggedy" was used). Somebody posted a comment on the review that their website has been updated. I checked it out, and found that it is much improved.

Their new site is cool and attractive. I like that they have brought the musical theme of their wines to the website. The graphics are bold and very professional looking. I encourage you to check out their new site at www.desvoignecellars.com. And while you're there, you might consider snagging a bottle or two of their wine.

Woodinville Wine Cellars 2006 Indomitable

2009-07-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Woodinville Wine Cellars
The Wine: 2006 Indomitable
The Price: $40 at Jack Cellars

This is the second wine from Woodinville Wine Cellars that I purchased at their recent tasting at Jack Cellars. Woodinville Wine Cellars calls Indomitable their flagship wine. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Cabernet Franc (25%) and Merlot (25%).

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

Like the 2006 Syrah, this is also a very dark wine. The wine has aromas of blackberry, cherry and prune. This is a big, fruity wine. It has flavors of cherry and blackberry, with a mild pepper finish. The 2006 Indomitable has a very smooth, velvety feel to it. The wine is nothing short of awesome!

Quinta Do Feital 2007 Auratus

2009-07-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Quinta Do Feital
The Wine: 2007 Auratus
The Price: $15.00 at Jack Cellars

Quinta Do Feital is a Portuguese winery. At the time of this writing, their website is not working quite right, so I really don't have much information on the Winery. Jack (from Jack Cellars) tells me that Auratus is Latin for golden, which is appropriate because the wine is very gold in color.

The wine has aromas of pineapple and honey, much like the other Portuguese wine I recently reviewed, the Gazela Vinho Verde. Unlike the Gazela, however, this wine is actually good. Also unlike the Gazela, this wine is not sparkling. This is a good wine. It has a creamy pineapple flavor. This would be a great wine to sip on the porch on a hot summer day.

Woodinville Wine Cellars 2006 Syrah Columbia Valley

2009-07-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Woodinville Wine Cellars
The Wine: 2006 Syrah Columbia Valley
The Price: $30 at Jack Cellars

I'd never had any wine from Woodinville Wine Cellars until a recent tasting at Jack Cellars. All of the wines they were pouring were very good. I particularly enjoyed the 2006 Indomitable, which I may review soon if I don't crack it open before getting around to reviewing it.

The 2006 Syrah Columbia Valley was stopped with a natural cork, and was decanted an hour before tasting.

This is a very dark red wine. One of the darker wines that I've encountered. The wine has aromas of blackberry, prune and blueberry. The wine has big fruit flavors of blackberry and plum with a slight hint of blueberry and a barely perceptible mint flavor. It has a definite pepper taste, typical of Syrah, but it's not overdone.

This is an excellent wine, well worth the price.

Recession Review: Gazela Vinho Verde

2009-06-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Gazela
The Wine: Vinho Verde
The Price: $5.99 at QFC.

Gazela is a Portuguese winery. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any information on the winery.

I was able to dig up a little of information on the Vinho Verde varietal. These wines are made in Northern Portugal, in the Minho region. The term Vinho Verde literally means green wine.

The wine is was capped with a screw top. Opening the wine, I was surprised to hear the tell-tale whoosh of a sparkling wine. It's a very, very light carbonation. Had I read up on Vinho Verde before opening the bottle, I would have known that that is typical of the varietal.

The wine is an extremely pale straw color, very nearly clear. It has aromas of honey and pineapple.

It's a very bland wine. The flavor is almost nonexistent. It has a slight pineapple flavor, with a hint of pear. I don't dislike it, but it really lacks flavor and the bubbles are so few as to be nearly absent. It's almost like taking a box of cheap wine and cutting it with sparkling water.

Greg Norman Estates Limestone Coast 2006 Cabernet Merlot

2009-06-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Greg Norman Estates
The Wine: Limestone Coast 2006 Cabernet Merlot
The Price: $11.99 at Costco

This winery is one of golfer Greg Norman's many endeavors. You can check out his other ventures at www.shark.com.

This wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, both from Australia.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork. It is a very deep, dark red wine. It has aromas of blackberries, clove and cherry.

This is a fairly big, fruity wine. It has bold cherry and berry flavors with a pepper and clove finish.

This is and impressive wine for the price. It would probably improve with age, but is perfectly drinkable now.

Columbia Crest 2007 H3 Chardonnay

2009-06-15T18:35:00.001-07:00

The Winery: Columbia Crest
The Wine: 2007 H3 Chardonnay
The Price: I don't usually do this, but I ended up buying two bottles of this wine at two different stores. First I bought a bottle a Safeway for $12.99, marked down from $22.99. Then I found a bottle at Costco for $10.99. So naturally I next checked to see how much Columbia Crest is charging for the wine online - $14.99.

The wine is medium yellow in color, and the bottle was stopped with a natural cork.

The wine has aromas of pineapple, pear and vanilla. It has flavors of pineapple, vanilla and coconut (no, it doesn't taste like a Pina Colada), with a bit of a bite on the finish. This is a very good wine. I wouldn't pay the $22.99 that Safeway claims is the regular price, but if you can get it for $15 or less, it's definitely worth it. This may be the best Chardonnay that I've ever sampled.

Recession Review: Blason de Bourgogne 2007 Pinot Noir

2009-06-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Blason de Bourgogne
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Noir
The Price: $7.99 at Trader Joe's

If it's not abundantly clear by the name, Blason de Bourgongne is a French winery.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, and was decanted an just shy of an hour before the review. This wine is much lighter in color than other Pinot Noirs that I've encountered. I would say it's roughly half as dark as the typical Pinot Noir.

The wine has aromas of strawberry jam and cherry. It's a pretty bland wine. It has a bit of a strawberry jam flavor, a bit of a cherry flavor, and too much pepper flavor.

The problem with this wine isn't the flavor. It's the lack of flavor. It's far too watery. The flavor that comes through is good. There's just not enough of it.

At $8, I'd pass on this and find a truly decent $8 wine.

Fire Road 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

2009-06-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Fire Road
The Wine: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
The Price: $9.99 at Central Market

Fire Road is a New Zealand winery. I don't recall ever reviewing, or even sampling, a wine from New Zealand.

The wine was stopped with a screw cap. It is a very light colored wine, with aromas of apple, grass and a hint of mint. The wine has flavors of flavors of apple, honey and, again, that hint of mint.

This is a really good wine. It's a perfect wine to savor on the porch on a hot summer day. It would pair very nicely with mild fish or a refreshing salad.

This first foray into the wines of New Zealand was a great experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have to offer.

Lowden Hills 2005 See You There Syrah

2009-05-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Lowden Hills Winery
The Wine: 2005 See You There Syrah
The Price: $25 at Jack Cellars

I went to a tasting a Jack Cellars on Saturday. Jim Henderson was pouring his wines this week. I enjoyed them all, and purchased my favorite to review. My second favorite was probably the Lowden Clear Riesling - an off-dry Riesling. While I'm not reviewing it here, it's worth a taste if you get a chance.

Jim Henderson seems like a great guy. Total confession here - I talked with him without letting him know that I review wines. In the event that the wine was horrible, I didn't want him asking for my opinion. And I find vintners to be much more friendly and approachable if they don't know that I do reviews. Anyway, I liked Jim and found him to be a pretty nice guy. And he wore a very brilliant Hawaiian shirt, so you had no chance of missing him.

I'm not normally a huge Syrah guy. When I sampled this originally, I didn't really think of it as a Syrah. It's much more fun than most of the other the Syrah's I've tasted.

Lowden stops their bottles with natural cork. The wine was decanted an hour before tasting.

This Syrah is a very dark purple wine. It has aromas of blueberry and coffee. This is a big, huge, fruity wine. It is bursting with blueberry flavor, with a carmelly, coffee finish. It is absolutely wonderful. It is great, and I don't see any value to cellaring it away. Buy it. Drink it. It's fantastic.

Recession Review: Protocolo 2006 Tinto

2009-05-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Protocolo
The Wine: 2006 Tinto
The Cost: $7.99 at Central Market

Protocolo is one of the lines from Dominio De Eguren. The winery, founded in 1870, is located in Northern Spain.

The wine was stopped with a synthetic cork, and was decanted about one hour before tasting. The wine is made from 1oo% Tempranillo grapes.

The wine is a deep purple color with aromas of molasses, pepper and berry, with a fairly pungent alcohol aroma.

This tastes salty. I don't recall ever encountering a salty wine before. Besides salt, the wine has flavors of cherry and berry with a pepper finish.

The wine is not bad. Actually, it's pretty good Especially for the price. I'm just perplexed by the salty flavor. It is unexpected and adds an interesting depth to the wine.

Recession Review: BV Coastal Estates 2007 Chardonnay

2009-05-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Winery: BV (Beaulieu Vineyard) Coastal Estates
The Wine: 2007 Chardonnay
The Price: $7.99 at QFC (marked down from $11.99)

BV is a Califonia winery. They've always struck me at one of those mega-producers that is focused on quantity over quality. This may be the first BV wine I've ever sampled. I don't recall ever having it before.

To my surprise, the wine was sealed with a natural cork. So we're off to a good start. The wine is a hair towards the yellow side.

The Chardonnay has aromas of apple and pear. It has a creamy texture to it and has flavors of apple, pear and vanilla. It's a dry wine with fairly decent flavor. It's an average Chardonnay for the price.

Ruffino Il Ducale 2006 Toscano

2009-04-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Ruffino
The Wine: Il Ducale 2006 Tuscano
The Price: $17.99 at Albertson's (Marked down from $22.99)

If you can't tell by the name, Ruffino is an Italian winery, located in Tuscany. They are celebrating their 130th anniversary, so I'd imagine that they probably have this whole wine making thing down by now.

This wine is a blend of Sangiovese (60%), Merlot (20%) and Syrah (20%). It was sealed with a natural cork, and was decanted just over an hour before tasting.

The wine is is a very dark burgundy in color and has aromas of blackberry, currant and cherry. This is a nice wine. It has bold fruit flavors of berry and prune with a subtle bite to it. It has a nice texture. and the flavors have blended well. It would be better with further aging, I would think, but it's certainly drinkable now.

Recession Review: Columbia Crest 2007 Two Vines Chardonnay

2009-04-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Columbia Crest
The Wine: 2007 Two Vines Chardonnay
The Price: $6.99 at QFC (marked down from $9.99)

I don't normally drink a lot of Chardonnay. It's not one of my favorite varietals, but today I was in a mood Chardonnay.

This wine was stopped with a natural cork. It is light both in color and aroma. The wine has aromas of pear and apple, with a slight woody aroma.

The wine is slightly sweeter than Chardonnays I've sampled. It has pear and apple flavors, with a pepper finish. It has a a very nice texture - reminiscent of of a Late-Harvest/Cellarmaster's Riesling.

This is one of the better Chardonnays I've had. A strict Chardonnay purist may not like its lighter, sweeter flavor, but I think it's a very good wine.

Recession Review: Duck Pond Cellars 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-04-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Duck Pond Cellars
The Wine: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Price: $7.99 at QFC (marked down from $11.99)

This wine barely squeaked in under the $8 Recession Review limit, thanks to a generous sale.

Duck Pond Cellars is located in Dundee, Oregon; however, this wine is made with Washington grapes. I was surprised the find a 5 year old wine on the shelf at such a discounted price. There must be a story behind that.

The wine was corked with a natural cork, and was decanted an hour before reviewing.

The wine has aromas of prunes and blackberries. It is a fairly smooth, velvety texture to it. The wine has flavors of plum and blackberry, with a slight pepper finish.

For $8, this wine is an absolute bargain. I think it will continue to age well. I'd highly recommend this wine at this price. An absolute steal.

Va Piano 2006 Syrah

2009-04-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Va Piano Vineyards
The Wine: 2006 Syrah
The Price: $40 at Jack Cellars

Va Piano is a Washington winery located in Walla Walla, a town made famous by Daffy Duck (how many other reviewers would mention Daffy Duck in a review, I ask you?). The vineyards were planted in 1999, so they are a relative newcomer to the game.

The bottle was stopped with a natural cork, topped with a dollop of wax. A very classy presentation. I decanted the wine an hour before reviewing it.

The wine has aromas of plum, blackberry and...wait for it...bacon. Now, ever since I got my Wine Aroma Wheel I have been wanting to find a wine where I could use bacon. This one definitely has it, but it is very subtle.

This is an exceptionally good wine. It is easily the best Syrah I've ever had. It has a very well developed flavor, primarily of blackberry and plum with a warm finish (and there is even a hint of the bacon in the flavor).

This is a truly awesome Syrah. I highly recommend it.

Cambrian 2006 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir

2009-04-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Cambria
The Wine: 2007 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Price: $19.99 at QFC (marked down from $26.99)

I didn't set out for a Pinot Noir tonight, but the sale price made it irresistible.

The wine was stopped with a natural cork. I decanted it 30 minutes before reviewing it. The wine is a dark burgundy color.

The wine has aromas of plums, berries and cherries. The wine has a very rich and well-developed boquet.

This is a good Pinot Noir, with flavors of berry and plum. It has a very rich, velvety flavor. While it's good now, I think it would benefit from further aging. At $20, this is a very good Pinot Noir at a bargain price. It is one of the few California Pinot Noirs that can compete with the Pinot Noirs of the Northwest.

Wine By Joe 2007 Pinot Noir

2009-04-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Wine By Joe
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Noir
The Price: $13.99 at QFC (marked down from $19.99)

Wine by Joe is a winery that I've been reviewing for several months. I like the name and the label. And when I saw it $6 off at the store, I knew it was time.

Looking at their website, it's clear that these guys don't take themselves too seriously. They seem like the kind of people I'd enjoy hanging out with.

The wine bottle was capped with a screw-top. A little disappointing, but it fits with their casual approach. I decanted the wine 45 minutes before tasting it.

The wine is a little light in color for a Pinot Noir. It doesn't have quite the deep, dark, penetrating color that I'm used to seeing.

The wine has aromas of cherries and blackberries. It doesn't have the bold aroma that I would expect.

The wine is fairly fruit forward, with the primary flavor being tart cherry. It has a subtle berry flavor, and a peppery finish. It's definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum for Pinot Noir.

At $20, this is an okay wine. At $13.99 it's a bargain.

Recession Review: Fetzer 2007 Pinot Noir

2009-03-29T20:17:00.001-07:00

The Winery: Fetzer
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Noir
The Price: $6.98 at Safeway (marked down from $8.99)

I was shocked to find a Pinot Noir for less than $7. I don't see how they can produce a $7 Pinot Noir. Needless to say, I'm not expecting to find greatness here.

Fetzer is a California winery. They seem to focus on making mass-produced wines for the masses.

The bottle was stopped with a composite cork. The wine is a deep, dark red.

The wine has aromas of plum and berries, whith a fairly strong alcohol odor. It also has a bit of a plasticy aroma to it.

The wine is fairly harsh. It has flavors of berries and plum that are overwhelmed by the alcohol flavor. It is an eye-watering red wine. If you want to dip your toes into Pinot Noir for the first time, skip on this one. It is not a good representative of Pinot Noir.

That said, it is a servicable red wine for $7. This is, afterall, a recession review. This wine is the homely person on the bar stool at last call. It's not what you were hoping for when you walked it, but it'll get the job done.

Francis Ford Coppola 2007 Pinot Noir

2009-03-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Francis Ford Coppola
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Noir
The Price: $17.98 at Safeway (marked down from $21.99)

I'm trying to not let two prejudices cloud my objectivity on this wine. First, I've had very few good Pinot Noirs that were less than $20/bottle. And second, I had a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola Claret a few years back, and I recall not liking it a whole lot. But nevertheless, I shall review this wine with the same open mind with which I review all wine.

This bottle was sealed with a natural cork. The grapes are from California's Monterey County, which seems to be where the bulk of the California Pinot Noir that I run across comes from.

This is a dark ruby colored Pinot Noir. It has aromas of raspberries and plums with a very subtle smokey aroma.

The wine has a tart cherry flavor to it that mellows to a smooth berry finish. It's far better than I would expect for a $20 mass produced Pinot Noir. I'm happily impressed. This would be a good wine for those nights that you're in the mood for a Pinot Noir, but don't want to drop $40+. Or to serve to that date that you're not quite sure which direction things are going. Save the really GOOD wine for the dates with whom you think you have a future.

Recession Review: Trinity Oaks 2007 Pinot Grigio

2009-03-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Trinity Oaks
The Wine: 2007 Pinot Grigio
The Price: $5.99 at Haggen (marked down from $10.99)

Trinity Oaks is a California winery. I don't recall ever having any of their wines before.

The wine bottle was corked with a synthetic cork...disappointing. The wine is very light in color, with a very slightly yellow cast. It has aromas of pear and melon. Its a fairly dry wine with flavors of pear, melon and citrus.

This is just an okay wine. If I'd paid the regular $10.99 for it I would be fairly disappointed. At $5.99 it's not horribly priced but it's definitely not making me want to get it again.

Table Mountain Vineyards 2006 Rooster Red

2009-03-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Table Mountain Vineyards
The Wine: 2006 Rooster Red
The Price: It was a gift, but I found that it sells online for $16

Table Mountain Vineyards is the first Wyoming wine I've ever seen, let alone tasted. They're located in Torrington, Wyoming. I had no idea that Wyoming had any wine industry. When I think Wyoming, I think cowboys, Devil's Tower and Yellowstone. Not wine.

The bottle was corked with a natural cork, which is a plus; however, the label is quite unprofessional looking. It looks like they printed it on their home computer.

The wine is a muddy red color, but it has pretty nice legs. It has perfume and strawberry aroma. The wine is...um...interesting. It is decidedly fruit forward. It tastes a bit like cherry SweetTart candy. It starts out sweet, and then it changes it's mind and goes sour. Then just when you're about to give up on it, it goes all sweet again. With each sip, you don't know what you're going to get. It's like a little roller coaster ride from Torrington. This is a wine that you probably wouldn't want to share with your friends. Or your family. Except maybe your mom. What am I saying? Wine should be shared. If you don't share it and just keep it hidden away in the cupboard, it just goes bad over time. And then nobody gets to enjoy it.

Recession Review: Red Truck 2006 Red Wine

2009-03-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Winery: Red Truck Wines
The Wine: 2006 Red Wine
The Price: $6.99 at QFC (marked down from $10.99).

In the crowded wine market, a lot of wineries are turning to the label to attract customers. Red Truck is one such winery. I've wanted to review their wines for some time now, and seeing a price drop down to the recession review price range was just the nudge I needed to pick up a bottle.

According to the label, this wine is a blend of Syrah, Petite Shiraz and Cabernet Franc. The website adds Grenache and Mourvedre to the mix. Don't you just love it when companies give conflicting information? Me either.

The wine is corked with a natural cork. It is a dark red wine with good clarity. I decanted it about an hour before sampling it.

The wine has aromas of plum, cherry and berry. The wine is fairly fruity, with the flavor leaning decidedly towards berries. It has a bit of a peppery bite on the finish. Not a lot, just the Syrah saying hello. The wine has a slightly velvety texture to it, which appeals to the Pinot Noir lover in me.

At $10.99 this is a pretty decent wine. At $6.99 they really have my attention.