20 Monday Oct 2014
Posted in Wine reviews
A Margaret River Cab Sauvignon we picked up for $9. A casual afternoon watching football was on the cards so we added a wine tasting to the fray. Blue fruit compote on the nose from the reddish purple glass. Tart cherries and some oak with blueberries on the palate lead me to think of this as a basic, drinkable red worthy of 85 points. It did the job, and well. Basic components tell me that this Aussie wine will drink between 2014-2016. 2 Stars, Salut….
28 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Wine reviews
A bargain for $9, but only if you like the style in which it is made. Me, not so much. It started out with sweet plums and cherry cola on the nose supported by a generous dose of oak. Merlot makes up the majority of the blend in this Chilean wine and gives it a youthful plum profile on the palate with a high degree of acidity. Very slight tannins give an easy to drink mouthfeel, yet the wine is over oaked with lashings of wood and vanilla. It is a casual drinking bottle that may appeal to many as an aperitif with some nuts, olives and bruschetta. I am going with 84 points and 2 stars. Salut….
20 Thursday Feb 2014
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This was my contribution to the $9 per bottle party that ‘The Beave’, Edvard and I ended up having. It comes from the Bordeaux region, more specifically Entre-Deux-Mers and is a typical blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It offered white plums on the nose which continued on to to the palate with a delicious cherry pop component. I noticed only slight tannins but made a note that the wine was juicy. Great acidity could be responsible for that! The backbone is somewhat lacking though and I fear this wine needs to be popped and poured rather than cellared for any length of time. Bang for the buck you could certainly short term a half dozen for casual drinking and pairing with rustic meals like beef stew or Coq-au-Vin. I’m going with 88 points and 4 stars for the effort. Salut….
20 Thursday Feb 2014
Posted in Wine reviews
When Moxie and I first met we used to get a bottle of this plonk, a baguette and some cheese for a midnight snack. She used to work until late at night and this was our go-to bottle for the unwind and relax part of the evening. Priced at $9, this flashback was brought to the party by my friend Edvard. A good choice methinks because it brought back great memories of my early wine drinking career and the initial romance that Moxie and I started over 23 years ago.
The wine is a bulk produced blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot made by the Rothschild group. It is considered the premier bargain wine of the Bordeaux region, and for good reason. It came in at $9 and offered amazing value for money. I noted Merlot flavors with Cabernet backbone on my quick sheet. The broader notes include the black fruit and dark cherry components with some plum intermingled. Good juicy tannins and balanced acidity made this a pleasure to drink. The profile was very Bordeaux like and I could sense a certain terroir that was unmistakable. 90 points from me and 5 stars. Most of all- thanks for the memories, I will be buying this wine again. Salut….
20 Thursday Feb 2014
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My buddy ‘the Beave’ brought this little gem to the party. He paid $9 for it, which is the price of all three wines we tasted that day.
I love Spanish wines, the Tempranillo grape is delicious and flexible. Serious wines made from the varietal are long lived, complex and rewarding to cellar. Wines like the Tridente are made in an easier style, meant to be consumed without cellaring and offer tremendous value. This wine was a stunner. It was everything you could want in an everyday wine and delivered it with style for under $10. Dark cherries and judicious oak give way to some spice box and earth. The tannins are present yet not too dry. The mouthfeel is great and makes this wine equally good with or without food. I gave it 86 points and reckon it is a 4 star wine worthy of looking out for. Salut….
09 Sunday Feb 2014
Posted in Wine reviews
I have previously had the Castle Rock Cabernet but from Paso Robles and the 2009 vintage. This wine follows the same mold, but is far better. Priced at a bargain price of $9, you will be hard pressed to get anything form Napa for less. It starts off with a decent color in the glass and some pretty plums flavors on the nose. This is not a complex wine, nor is it built for cellaring. It has primal flavors of plums and violets with a candied cherry finish. Very light on the oak and virtually no tannic backbone. It was very easy to drink and managed to keep up with some big players at the tasting. I gave the Paso version 82 points and 4 stars. This one gets 84 points and 4 stars as well. We enjoyed it with some cheese and (crackers). It would do well with some bruschetta, perhaps some olives and cold cuts but I would hold off on pairing it with a main course of meats etc. Good value for the money folks. Salut….
22 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted in Wine reviews
A few buddies and I settled into some Chilcas Cabernet yesterday and found the need to send a runner to get more vino. ‘Coolio’ was duly dispatched while my Russian friend ‘Edvard’ and I held the fort. He returned with the 2012 version of Chilcas Carmenere. I panned the 2011 badly and only gave it 1 star so I was skeptical about this wine. I was in for a surprise.
Bargain basement pricing of $9 for a liter would make most people nervous about the quality, but this wine is very well made for what it is. The nose showed bright red fruits and a touch of oak. On the palate, very fruity with a forward expression of red currants, raspberries and cranberry. The wine is made in a very easy style with very little tannic framework but with juicy acidity. This is a pop-n-pour wine that would pair nicely with charcuterie and olives or perhaps a BBQ of burgers, dogs, slaw and some baked beans. 87 points but 5 stars for over delivering on the quality/price ratio. Think party and you will be buying this by the case. Salut….
20 Wednesday Nov 2013
Posted in Wine reviews
This is the third varietal in the Red Label series that I have tried from Wolf Blass. Cabernet and Merlot blended together are one of my go-to combos. This wine rolled in at $20 for two 1 liter bottles, do the math. It’s a very reasonably priced wine that everyone enjoyed. Easy to drink with raspberry and red currants on the palate and a red fruity nose. Built for pop-n-pour, it offers no complexity and no associated stuffiness. The tannins are slight and the acidity very gentle making it very versatile for pairing. I think this would be an awesome party wine and believe it is widely available. 86 points and 4 stars for this one. Salut….
18 Monday Nov 2013
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We tasted this wine next to it’s stablemate, the Tilia Merlot. For me, Malbec is supposed to be very fruity, rich and sometimes jammy. Syrah has a far greater flavor profile and draws a lot from the terroir where it is grown. The combination of the two is somewhat bedazzling. I can’t really enjoy the Malbec side, and the Syrah portion is not to my personal taste. It does however offer up some decent fruit for the measly $9 price tag.
Darker purple than the Merlot, this wine had a more candied nose of red fruits. On the palate, raspberry and earth with a touch of cafe’. There was a slight sweetness to the wine, but nothing off-putting. The tannic structure is decent as is the acidity. I think I prefer my Malbec served straight up, no mixing. Syrah is a wonderful grape by itself or in company with more traditional blends. I will look for the pure Malbec from this winery to see the difference, stay tuned. 85 points and 3 stars from me for this effort. Salut….
18 Monday Nov 2013
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Can you say QPR? In essence, when taking cost into account this wine is a must try. I paid $9 for it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Reminiscent of right bank Bordeaux, the Merlot was round, fleshy and tasted of plums, chocolate and red berry. A certain earthiness came though and the tannins were slight but present. I found this wine to be a great basic wine with no faults and loads to offer. We drank it pre-dinner and I reckon it would go well with pasta, steaks and pizza. Not for cellaring, buy it by the dozen in case a party erupts, everyone will love it. 88 points and 5 stars from me for this Argentinian gem. Salut….
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