OK. It's Sunday night & I have no great joy in going back to work tomorrow morning. To top it off, my father-in-law is back in the hospital & my parents' cat, the beloved little Pazza, is missing. I almost want to say I'm numb to all of the sadness right now. Regardless, I'll dive into a wine anyway. And this one, with its 13% alcohol content & partial grenache composition, would make Julie proud.
The back of the bottle is written in five different languages, so there's not much to say except that I should expect "ripe red berry flavours with hints of spices and licorice." Well, sounds good to me.
I can smell the berries on the nose. I mean big, bold, ripe, luscious red strawberries. Add red grapes & black pepper to the mix, and that is the smell of this wine. I literally want to bite into it. It takes about ten seconds for the legs to form down the side of the glass, and then they roll downwards, back into the glass & the beautiful color. It looks like it's a really dark pinot noir with a shot of purple. Really beautiful.
Unfortunately, this is one of those times in life where I wish the smell would translate into the taste. This wine is very Burgundian on the palate, heavy with sour tannins. The finish is just bitter!
On the bright side, this is a well-made mine with a polished mouthfeel and - my favorite thing - a SCREW TOP! So I can't really condemn Chamarre just b/c I wish this wine tasted more like how it smells. Besides, how often is it that you find a decent-quality French wine for under 10 bucks? http://www.chamarre.com/#/home/
Cheers!
Kate
P.S.: This is the reason I prefer US wines over French. Flavor abounds!!!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Palette Ridge 2006 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, $6.99
OK. Things haven't gotten any better where I come from. So tonight, I chose this unoaked chard with a 13.5% alcohol content to make me feel better.
This wine has hints of fruit & honey on the nose, like honey-covered peaches. A slow-moving crop of legs forms down the side, exposing the heft of the body.
On the palate, this wine is a little unexciting. It tastes like regular chardonnay, though I do have to admit I can taste lots of creamy vanilla & a bit of oak. It might not be a wine that smacks me in the face, but it's well-crafted & fairly complex for the price. This is a bottle I will gladly purchase again! Look for it at Stew Leonard's.
Cheers!
Kate
This wine has hints of fruit & honey on the nose, like honey-covered peaches. A slow-moving crop of legs forms down the side, exposing the heft of the body.
On the palate, this wine is a little unexciting. It tastes like regular chardonnay, though I do have to admit I can taste lots of creamy vanilla & a bit of oak. It might not be a wine that smacks me in the face, but it's well-crafted & fairly complex for the price. This is a bottle I will gladly purchase again! Look for it at Stew Leonard's.
Cheers!
Kate
Friday, August 5, 2011
Bodegas Callia Alta 2009 Malbec, $8.99
I have not been having a good past couple of months.
I'll spare you all the drama, but the gist of it is that there has been a lot of sickness & death around me. Therefore, I'm not going to launch into how I chose this wine. It has a screw top, a 13.8% alcohol content, and it's under ten bucks. That should say it all.
HOLY CRAP! This wine has just blitzkrieged my palate & made my life a heck of a lot better. While weak on the nose, all I get is cherries on the palate. Cherries, leather & spice. Spice like cinnamon, but the bite of the cinnamon, not the taste.
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you Bodegas Callia, for helping me to forget (however briefly) that my father-in-law has been in the hospital for the last three weeks & that I have to go to my great-aunt's funeral tomorrow. I plan on taking out stock. http://www.bodegascallia.com/eng/
Cheers!
Kate
I'll spare you all the drama, but the gist of it is that there has been a lot of sickness & death around me. Therefore, I'm not going to launch into how I chose this wine. It has a screw top, a 13.8% alcohol content, and it's under ten bucks. That should say it all.
HOLY CRAP! This wine has just blitzkrieged my palate & made my life a heck of a lot better. While weak on the nose, all I get is cherries on the palate. Cherries, leather & spice. Spice like cinnamon, but the bite of the cinnamon, not the taste.
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you Bodegas Callia, for helping me to forget (however briefly) that my father-in-law has been in the hospital for the last three weeks & that I have to go to my great-aunt's funeral tomorrow. I plan on taking out stock. http://www.bodegascallia.com/eng/
Cheers!
Kate
Monday, May 30, 2011
Korta Barrel Selection Reserve Merlot 2008, $8.99
OK. God knows that Korta is one of my favorite low-priced vineyards, delivering the goods with a decent amount of alcohol. It's the same vineyard that made me fall in love with Petit Verdot.
Now, I am not a huge merlot fan. I never have been. That doesn't mean I'm willing to write off a grape entirely, though, especially since it's from Korta.
The legs on this glass are insane. There are millions of them, coming from nowhere. The nose is tight, so tight that I can't smell anything other than sour and alcohol. And boy, is there alcohol - to the tune of 14.5%.
This wine is a little disappointing on the palate. I don't taste anything until mid-palate, which is bitter. On the finish, I get that burning artificial sweeteners taste, much like I get on the petit verdot. So to me, that's how it's disappointing; it doesn't taste like merlot, it tastes like PV.
Well, I adore Korta, so I can't trash this wine. And, for a PV-lover like myself, it is pretty tasty. I'm just sad that Korta couldn't let the true flavor of merlot shine through.
Cheers!
Kate
Now, I am not a huge merlot fan. I never have been. That doesn't mean I'm willing to write off a grape entirely, though, especially since it's from Korta.
The legs on this glass are insane. There are millions of them, coming from nowhere. The nose is tight, so tight that I can't smell anything other than sour and alcohol. And boy, is there alcohol - to the tune of 14.5%.
This wine is a little disappointing on the palate. I don't taste anything until mid-palate, which is bitter. On the finish, I get that burning artificial sweeteners taste, much like I get on the petit verdot. So to me, that's how it's disappointing; it doesn't taste like merlot, it tastes like PV.
Well, I adore Korta, so I can't trash this wine. And, for a PV-lover like myself, it is pretty tasty. I'm just sad that Korta couldn't let the true flavor of merlot shine through.
Cheers!
Kate
Friday, May 20, 2011
2007 Cline Sonoma County Syrah, $9.99
OK. I am a huge fan of Cline Vineyard's Cashmere (more to come on that) as well as a fan of their viognier (www.kmwinediary.blogspot.com). So I am interested to see how this syrah stacks up.
Again, as I've explained before in my other blog, I am not the biggest fan of syrah when it's called syrah. I like it better when it's called shiraz. No matter. As long as it brings the goods, you can call it whatever you want.
The back of the label states that there are "black cherry fruit spiced with black pepper aromas." Mmm, yummy. I smell alcohol & black pepper right off the bat, but I only get a faint whiff of the black cherries at the tail end of the nose. Hmm, that 13.5% alcohol content must be blocking it out. Oh well, I'll take that 13.5% any day over a strong nose. This wine is very dark and grapey in the glass, with long legs that form immediately.
The first thing I taste are the tannins in this grape. Once you've tasted enough grapes, believe me, you can pick them out blind-folded. It tastes like syrah tannins at first, followed by rubbing alcohol on the mid-palate, with cherries & black pepper on the finish. I have to admit, this is a pretty complex wine at this price point, one that I would definitely recommend & buy again.
I've noticed that there are plenty of good red wines under $10, but the white wines at the same price point tend to be lacking (see: Las Valles 2009 Viura - Chardonnay). I'm not sure what that's about, but I do know that I'll try anything once, and if it warrants a re-buy, I'll buy it again. This wine definitely falls into the buy-it-again category. I love Cline Vineyard & I'm happy to support and promote anything they put out. Much like Pacific Rim, it's one of my go-to vineyards. Check out www.clinecellars.com for more info.
Cheers!
Kate
Again, as I've explained before in my other blog, I am not the biggest fan of syrah when it's called syrah. I like it better when it's called shiraz. No matter. As long as it brings the goods, you can call it whatever you want.
The back of the label states that there are "black cherry fruit spiced with black pepper aromas." Mmm, yummy. I smell alcohol & black pepper right off the bat, but I only get a faint whiff of the black cherries at the tail end of the nose. Hmm, that 13.5% alcohol content must be blocking it out. Oh well, I'll take that 13.5% any day over a strong nose. This wine is very dark and grapey in the glass, with long legs that form immediately.
The first thing I taste are the tannins in this grape. Once you've tasted enough grapes, believe me, you can pick them out blind-folded. It tastes like syrah tannins at first, followed by rubbing alcohol on the mid-palate, with cherries & black pepper on the finish. I have to admit, this is a pretty complex wine at this price point, one that I would definitely recommend & buy again.
I've noticed that there are plenty of good red wines under $10, but the white wines at the same price point tend to be lacking (see: Las Valles 2009 Viura - Chardonnay). I'm not sure what that's about, but I do know that I'll try anything once, and if it warrants a re-buy, I'll buy it again. This wine definitely falls into the buy-it-again category. I love Cline Vineyard & I'm happy to support and promote anything they put out. Much like Pacific Rim, it's one of my go-to vineyards. Check out www.clinecellars.com for more info.
Cheers!
Kate
Friday, May 13, 2011
Trialta Tempranillo 2006, $8.99
OK. I heart tempranillo. I heart it. It’s not only delicious (as a general rule, of course), but it also tends to be price-friendly. And from Spain. How lucky can a girl get? That’s like hitting the holy trinity.
The back of this bottle is especially enticing. I love the fact that this bottle pretty much spells out everything you should be seeing, smelling, tasting. For example, it says, “AROMA: Revealing ripe fruit and toasty notes of the wood, balsamic hints with memories of tobacco and licorice.” Then, right underneath, it says, “TASTE: Elegant and full-bodied with moderate acidity and velvety tannins that make it easy to drink.” Way to spell it all out. But I suppose I should say that my favorite part is where is says it’s got a 13.5% alcohol content. That’s pretty nice, coming from a wine under ten bucks.
In the glass, it actually looks like this wine might be spoiled. There’s a musty brown component in the red color that makes it look like it’s been uncorked and sitting out for more than a couple of days. Chubby little legs for down the side of the glass after ten seconds, showing the heft to the body of this wine. On the nose, I smell cedar wood & tobacco on the tail end, tightly wound in with the scent of the alcohol. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by the complex nose of this tempranillo.
The first thing I think after taking a sip of this wine is, “This could use a decanter.”
This wine, more than anything, tastes very young on my palate. The tannins are a little harsh, but they are velvety. There’s a little underripe strawberry component on the mid-palate, sprinkled with a touch - just a touch - of white pepper. And, in my mouth, this wine is thin & smooth, totally masking its heavy body.
I have to say, this wine taste like it costs way more than $8.99. In fact, I think it would hold its own if it were stacked up against other wines in the $10 - $15 range. I would totally recommend buying a couple of bottles for a party or for a birthday/holiday gift. Keep it in the back of your minds.
Cheers!
Kate
The back of this bottle is especially enticing. I love the fact that this bottle pretty much spells out everything you should be seeing, smelling, tasting. For example, it says, “AROMA: Revealing ripe fruit and toasty notes of the wood, balsamic hints with memories of tobacco and licorice.” Then, right underneath, it says, “TASTE: Elegant and full-bodied with moderate acidity and velvety tannins that make it easy to drink.” Way to spell it all out. But I suppose I should say that my favorite part is where is says it’s got a 13.5% alcohol content. That’s pretty nice, coming from a wine under ten bucks.
In the glass, it actually looks like this wine might be spoiled. There’s a musty brown component in the red color that makes it look like it’s been uncorked and sitting out for more than a couple of days. Chubby little legs for down the side of the glass after ten seconds, showing the heft to the body of this wine. On the nose, I smell cedar wood & tobacco on the tail end, tightly wound in with the scent of the alcohol. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by the complex nose of this tempranillo.
The first thing I think after taking a sip of this wine is, “This could use a decanter.”
This wine, more than anything, tastes very young on my palate. The tannins are a little harsh, but they are velvety. There’s a little underripe strawberry component on the mid-palate, sprinkled with a touch - just a touch - of white pepper. And, in my mouth, this wine is thin & smooth, totally masking its heavy body.
I have to say, this wine taste like it costs way more than $8.99. In fact, I think it would hold its own if it were stacked up against other wines in the $10 - $15 range. I would totally recommend buying a couple of bottles for a party or for a birthday/holiday gift. Keep it in the back of your minds.
Cheers!
Kate
Friday, April 29, 2011
Las Valles 2009 Viura - Chardonnay, $6.99
OK. I don't know what the heck kind of grape viura is, except that it's a white Spanish variety. The thing that sold me was the screw top. It certainly wasn't the piddly 11.5% alcohol content. But back to the screw top. Oh, how I love a screw top on a bottle of wine. It makes things so much easier.
Oddly enough, when I take a sniff of this wine, it reminds me of Matua, my sister's favorite sauvignon blanc. It smells fresh & mineral-y. There is no heft to this wine, as evidenced by the flat sheet falling down the side of the glass. Oh, and it's so pale it looks like I poured it out of a gallon jug of spring water, but before I poured, I measured out three drops of yellow food coloring into the plastic.
Wow. This wine is a disappointment.
Literally, it tastes & feels like water. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't know from the mouthfeel that I wasn't drinking water. I get some semblance of a taste as the wine travels from mid-palate down my throat, but it's nowhere near as clean & impressive as its scent. It also tastes nothing like the "citrus fruit, pineapple and wild flowers" that the back of the bottle promises. Bummer.
I wouldn't buy this again, nor would I recommend it to any of my readers, which is why I won't even bother to give you the web address. But hey, at least it was under $10. And it has a screw top.
Cheers!
Kate
Oddly enough, when I take a sniff of this wine, it reminds me of Matua, my sister's favorite sauvignon blanc. It smells fresh & mineral-y. There is no heft to this wine, as evidenced by the flat sheet falling down the side of the glass. Oh, and it's so pale it looks like I poured it out of a gallon jug of spring water, but before I poured, I measured out three drops of yellow food coloring into the plastic.
Wow. This wine is a disappointment.
Literally, it tastes & feels like water. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't know from the mouthfeel that I wasn't drinking water. I get some semblance of a taste as the wine travels from mid-palate down my throat, but it's nowhere near as clean & impressive as its scent. It also tastes nothing like the "citrus fruit, pineapple and wild flowers" that the back of the bottle promises. Bummer.
I wouldn't buy this again, nor would I recommend it to any of my readers, which is why I won't even bother to give you the web address. But hey, at least it was under $10. And it has a screw top.
Cheers!
Kate
Monday, March 7, 2011
2008 Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Gewurztraminer, $7.99
OK. I have to start by saying that this wine makes me sad. I used to like it, but now it makes me sad.
I discovered this wine in a Middletown package store about 4 years ago. While I was a way cool single chick (some might have called me the maneater; I'm just sayin'), I used to spend a lot of time with my oldest friend Fab & her husband Geoff at their ranch house in Middletown. Geoff was an excellent chef & loved to throw parties. His favorite thing to do was have his friends over for dinner, and Fab used to invite me. The guests all drank beer, but Geoff & I liked wine, so he would send me off to the packey to pick up the wine while he made dinner. The night I discovered this wine, Fab & I made it to the shop about ten minutes before closing. This was the first white I picked up at the right price. Sold!
It ended up becoming Fab's favorite wine. I bought bottle after bottle of this wine to bring to their house on many occasions. It was always a big hit & it always went empty.
Fab & Geoff separated over a year ago, and their divorce was recently finalized. Geoff became a huge, sadistic jerk during the divorce proceedings, which made me incredibly sad b/c I used to like him so much. I couldn't even look at this wine. It hurt too much.
It's time to face the demons.
In the glass, this wine looks like pee. God, that sounds so bad, but it looks like someone peed in my glass. It's just this side of fluorescent yellow. But it smells good. Sweet, like honey and peaches and flowers. Interestingly enough, that's what the back of the bottle says, too. "...honeyed apricot and peach flavors, and...aromas of rose petals and honeysuckle." It leaves a ragged sheet down the side of the glass. I'm not expecting much from it. What can I expect from a wine with a 12% alcohol content?
Wow. It's sweet.
This wine feels very thick & viscous in my mouth, almost like a dessert wine. The fruit & flowers attack my palate from the start, transitioning into honey flavors at the mid-palate. The aftertaste is bitter & sharp, like straight-up rubbing alcohol that dissolves away into its base materials.
A sipping wine, it is not, but I could see it being amazing with spicy food. Or Asian fare. Ooh, pad thai. Yum.
All that being said, I will not be dumping this wine down the drain. Why not? This is the last bottle I'm opening before Lent. I am officially giving up alcohol for Lent. Starting Wednesday, March 9th, I will begin a completely sober Lenten season. So cheers to Fetzer, and know that when I return, I will pick right up where I left off, reviewing the best cheap wines I can find for under $10!
Cheers!
Kate
I discovered this wine in a Middletown package store about 4 years ago. While I was a way cool single chick (some might have called me the maneater; I'm just sayin'), I used to spend a lot of time with my oldest friend Fab & her husband Geoff at their ranch house in Middletown. Geoff was an excellent chef & loved to throw parties. His favorite thing to do was have his friends over for dinner, and Fab used to invite me. The guests all drank beer, but Geoff & I liked wine, so he would send me off to the packey to pick up the wine while he made dinner. The night I discovered this wine, Fab & I made it to the shop about ten minutes before closing. This was the first white I picked up at the right price. Sold!
It ended up becoming Fab's favorite wine. I bought bottle after bottle of this wine to bring to their house on many occasions. It was always a big hit & it always went empty.
Fab & Geoff separated over a year ago, and their divorce was recently finalized. Geoff became a huge, sadistic jerk during the divorce proceedings, which made me incredibly sad b/c I used to like him so much. I couldn't even look at this wine. It hurt too much.
It's time to face the demons.
In the glass, this wine looks like pee. God, that sounds so bad, but it looks like someone peed in my glass. It's just this side of fluorescent yellow. But it smells good. Sweet, like honey and peaches and flowers. Interestingly enough, that's what the back of the bottle says, too. "...honeyed apricot and peach flavors, and...aromas of rose petals and honeysuckle." It leaves a ragged sheet down the side of the glass. I'm not expecting much from it. What can I expect from a wine with a 12% alcohol content?
Wow. It's sweet.
This wine feels very thick & viscous in my mouth, almost like a dessert wine. The fruit & flowers attack my palate from the start, transitioning into honey flavors at the mid-palate. The aftertaste is bitter & sharp, like straight-up rubbing alcohol that dissolves away into its base materials.
A sipping wine, it is not, but I could see it being amazing with spicy food. Or Asian fare. Ooh, pad thai. Yum.
All that being said, I will not be dumping this wine down the drain. Why not? This is the last bottle I'm opening before Lent. I am officially giving up alcohol for Lent. Starting Wednesday, March 9th, I will begin a completely sober Lenten season. So cheers to Fetzer, and know that when I return, I will pick right up where I left off, reviewing the best cheap wines I can find for under $10!
Cheers!
Kate
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
2009 Evodia Old Vines Garnacha, $9.99
OK. I'd like to start by saying "Happy New Year!" to all my readers. That, and "No, I'm not dead. I've just been drinking wines that cost more than $10." Check out kmwinediary.blogspot.com for further details.
My mother gave me a lovely Xmas gift this year - an aerating pourer by Rabbit. Now, I love decanters; I think they're beautiful, also very useful if you're in the company of serious wine aficionados. But let's face it, they're a pain in the heinie. They sit around collecting dust when you're not using them, tough to wash when you do, and let's face it, what am I gonna do with an entire bottle of decanted wine? I'm not that much of a drinker that I can finish a whole bottle by myself. (On the whole, that is. Stop rolling your eyes.) So I love this gift! It solves all my wine problems, except for the problem about how I'm gonna get rid of my current decanter - a belated wedding gift - without the gift-giver knowing. But that's for another blog.
I have to warn you, this wine has a 15% alcohol content. HOLY COW!!! I have a feeling if I drink too much of this I will be severely hungover. Cheap wine with a high alcohol content? Sometimes that's scary.
This label, by the way, is just beautiful. I don't believe in buying a bottle of wine based on the label (unless it's a can't-pass-up label, like "Big @$$ Cab"). It's a blue label, the texture of grosgrain ribbon, with black scrolls & whorls on the front. Really, just beautiful. It's been a long time since I've seen such a pretty label.
In the glass, this wine looks like a dark cranberry juice, and on the glass, it forms long legs. Lots of 'em, actually. On the nose, this wine makes me want to eat it - it smells like a combination of Concord grape & strawberry jams, with a little black pepper thrown in there for funsies. It smells like one of those fancy, high-end brunches on "Top Chef" where they pull out all the stops & come up with these crazy, over-the-top combinations.
On the palate, the first thing I taste is bitterness! My salivary glands literally begin to tingle in spasm on sipping this. I know that's not exactly a top recommendation for a wine, but if you can hang in there, it gives way to a spicy, strong black pepper flavor on the mid-palate, growing stronger on the finish. I don't taste grapes at all, just this overwhelming pepper flavor.
That being said, you have to like black pepper to like this wine. If you can't stomach a lot of pepper, don't buy this bottle, no matter HOW pretty you think the label is! However, if you enjoy finding complexities & nuances in inexpensive wine, or if you just like getting buzzed at a low price point, by all means, look for this wine. Learn more at www.europeancellars.com, under Eric Solomon Selections.
Cheers!
Kate
My mother gave me a lovely Xmas gift this year - an aerating pourer by Rabbit. Now, I love decanters; I think they're beautiful, also very useful if you're in the company of serious wine aficionados. But let's face it, they're a pain in the heinie. They sit around collecting dust when you're not using them, tough to wash when you do, and let's face it, what am I gonna do with an entire bottle of decanted wine? I'm not that much of a drinker that I can finish a whole bottle by myself. (On the whole, that is. Stop rolling your eyes.) So I love this gift! It solves all my wine problems, except for the problem about how I'm gonna get rid of my current decanter - a belated wedding gift - without the gift-giver knowing. But that's for another blog.
I have to warn you, this wine has a 15% alcohol content. HOLY COW!!! I have a feeling if I drink too much of this I will be severely hungover. Cheap wine with a high alcohol content? Sometimes that's scary.
This label, by the way, is just beautiful. I don't believe in buying a bottle of wine based on the label (unless it's a can't-pass-up label, like "Big @$$ Cab"). It's a blue label, the texture of grosgrain ribbon, with black scrolls & whorls on the front. Really, just beautiful. It's been a long time since I've seen such a pretty label.
In the glass, this wine looks like a dark cranberry juice, and on the glass, it forms long legs. Lots of 'em, actually. On the nose, this wine makes me want to eat it - it smells like a combination of Concord grape & strawberry jams, with a little black pepper thrown in there for funsies. It smells like one of those fancy, high-end brunches on "Top Chef" where they pull out all the stops & come up with these crazy, over-the-top combinations.
On the palate, the first thing I taste is bitterness! My salivary glands literally begin to tingle in spasm on sipping this. I know that's not exactly a top recommendation for a wine, but if you can hang in there, it gives way to a spicy, strong black pepper flavor on the mid-palate, growing stronger on the finish. I don't taste grapes at all, just this overwhelming pepper flavor.
That being said, you have to like black pepper to like this wine. If you can't stomach a lot of pepper, don't buy this bottle, no matter HOW pretty you think the label is! However, if you enjoy finding complexities & nuances in inexpensive wine, or if you just like getting buzzed at a low price point, by all means, look for this wine. Learn more at www.europeancellars.com, under Eric Solomon Selections.
Cheers!
Kate
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