Tag Archives: $10

Sycamore Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

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If you read my post on the Santa Ana disaster, it leads into this wine.  My buddy bought two bottles of the nasty stuff and returned one the next day.  They offered him this bottle as a replacement so I don’t know the value of it.  A lighter shade of red in the glass and some hints of raspberry on the nose.  On the palate I got red cherry and strawberry with some earth.  Not my favorite profile for a Cab Sav but I was willing to roll with it.  Nice mouthfeel yet not very complex.  I don’t think this is a serious/expensive wine yet it was intriguing.  Suffering from jet lag and hunger we polished it off and headed out for dinner.  If this was a $10 bottle I would give it 3 stars.  I reckon it is an 85 point wine and think you may enjoy it as an aperitif.  I can’t quite pick a pairing because of the somewhat strange flavors for the varietal, best to be drunk by itself I reckon.  Salut….

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Wolf Blass Red Label Shiraz Cabernet 2012

05 Saturday Oct 2013

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Along with the 2012 Shiraz Grenache from Wolf Blass, I also bought this blend at the same time.  Priced at $10 each or in my case $14 for both.  Cabernet does better with Merlot, and Shiraz is a natural with Grenache and Mourvedre.  I thought this would be an interesting blend.  Red berry with some cassis came up and the wine was very smooth.  Easy to drink as it is made in a very fruit forward quaffing style.  I think I preferred the Grenache blend as it was more balanced.  The Cabernet seemed to be fighting with the Shiraz for top honors.  Still, a decent wine for the price that would be great for a BBQ or a picnic of roast beef sandwiches and potato salad.  For me, an 85 pointer with 3 stars.  Salut….

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Wolf Blass Red Label Shiraz Grenache 2012

05 Saturday Oct 2013

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A charming, easy to drink red that won’t break the bank.  Unpretentious, the Red Label series is made for casual drinking and I enjoyed this blend.  Shiraz and Grenache were meant for each other.  Bright red fruit on the nose easily translated to raspberries and strawberries on the palate.  Very little tannic complexity and no biting acidity made this an easy pop-n-pour before dinner wine.  You could serve this wine at large parties or with burgers and dogs.  I bought two red label wines for a bargain price of $14, but alone, it was $10.  86 points and 3 stars for this South Eastern Australian blend.  Salut….

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Valle Dorado Merlot 2011

15 Sunday Sep 2013

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From the Echeverria winery comes this Chilean Merlot priced at around $10.  Very Merlot-like and typical of the region.  Plummy, with currants and oak in the nose and  palate.  Not very complex, but for the price it’s a nice wine.  Good structure and easy to drink.  This was our second bottle in the tasting and was far better than the first.  I would drink this wine casually, but can’t seem to pinpoint an ideal pairing.  If you enjoy Merlot, try it.  85 points and 3 stars.

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El Bombero Cariñena 2008

10 Tuesday Sep 2013

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A hefty Grenache from Spain that will hide it’s 15% alcohol very well until – boom.  Dark purple in the glass, it exuded blackberry and vanilla on the nose.  My initial impression was the smoothness of the fruit, coupled with the drying tannins.  It is likely this wine has peaked, but in doing so it has offered berry and a mint component plus some red fruits, perhaps strawberry on the palate.  Good balance, but somewhat short on the fruit finish.  My friend brought this over so I had to do a search- perhaps $10 per bottle.  86 points, but in its day this would have been a 4 star wine.  Drink up if you have any.  Salut….

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