JAQK Cellars 2006 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Perrin & Fils 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kris 2008 Pinot Noir

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

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

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

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

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

High Note 2008 Malbec

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

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

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

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

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

Domaine Serene 2007 Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir

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

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

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

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!