Route Stock Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (about $20)

About the Wine:  Napa Valley needs no introduction in the wine world and the 2010 vintage is considered by some to be the new 2007 (not by me, but by some.)  To find a bottle at this price is intriguing to say the least.

About \THIS Wine:  The color is seriously dark, opaque with a dark purple rim.  The nose presents a lot of dark fruit and a mineral, wet asphalt quality that I have only ever experienced in wine made from Mount Veeder fruit, leading me to suspect that many of the grapes were sourced from there.  That minerality defines the palate with a humming undertone of red fruit.  The wine finishes with dark fruit and subtle tannin.

Drinking This Wine:  This could work as a sipping wine but a Cab that doesn't go with red meat is hardly a cab at all. 

Overall Impression:  Drinks like a bottle costing twice the price.  At twenty bucks, this one is a steal.

Three Rivers Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (about $17)

About the Wine:  2009 was a terrible vintage for most of the West Coast but sometimes that works in favor of bargain hunters.  In a bad vintage, better wineries often declassify a great deal of their fruit into lesser labels or sell it off to other wineries, meaning the cheap stuff gets better grapes.  We'll see how that works out for this wine.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is dark purple with a violet rim.  Charred oak is heavy on the nose, perhaps a bit overdone, but jammy plum does come through.  Smoke and oak spice are prominent on the palate with the fruit components relegated to the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This would really pair well with a beef and rice dish.  It is not big enough for steak but it is definitely looking for a meaty pairing.

Overall Impression:  The wine is drinking now, has a unique flavor as is pleasant to taste.  At seventeen dollars a bottle it is reasonable for the price.

Pasquet Bordeaux 2010 (about $20)

About the Wine:  I first tasted this wine about a year ago and was thoroughly unimpressed.  My coworkers who tried it variously described it as "gross", "awful", and "Water the plants with it."  One of my coworkers recently re-tasted it and said "It's singing now."

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a purple rim.  The nose is very grapey with some charred oak notes.  The palate is bland with an oak bite toward the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  I had it with beef and noodles.  I guess we'll go with that.

Overall Impression:  If this wine is singing then it is still badly out of tune.  It is certainly better than it was a year ago and I may re-taste it in another year (I do not foresee selling out of it)  but nothing about it impresses me and at twenty dollars a bottle it is badly overpriced.

Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (about $16)

About the Wine:  Though this is a California producer, Louis Martini follows the old world tradition of making multiple products with maddeningly similar labels.  For example, this is their Sonoma County Cab as opposed to the Alexander Valley Cab, which is about five dollars a bottle more.  You know this by looking at the single line of type under the cursive writing that says "Cabernet Sauvignon".  Seriously, Louis Martini, if I want to play "Where's Waldo" with vital information about the wine I'm buying then I would buy Burgundy.

About THIS Wine:  Green pepper is dominant on the nose,as one would expect from such a young Cab, but it is backed by jammy fruit.  The palate is smooth and fruity.  The finish is tannic but not nearly as gripping as one would expect for such a young Cabernet.

Drinking This Wine:  The tannins are prominent enough that this would do well with some food.  Beef and rice comes to mind as a good pairing.  It is not so bracing as to need a bloody steak but a meat dish is definitely in order.

Overall Impression:  I have always taken a certain pride in hating Gallo Family products so it pains me to say that this one is good for the price.  If you're wondering, the way to tell if a wine is a Gallo Family product is to ask, "Is it from California and have I heard of it?"  If you answer yes to both then there's about a fifty/fifty chance that it's a Gallo product.

Santa Alicia Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2011 (about $12)

About the Wine:  In European countries there are strict rules about what may be labeled as "reserva", "riserva", or any variation thereof.  South America does not, as a rule, have those kinds of restrictions.  This is unfortunate because it means that some wineries throw the reserva label on anything.  The fact that this bottle is a screw cap makes me somewhat dubious about the choice of labels. That said, I have seen genuine reservas in this price range where the non reserva of the same wine is $9 or something like that.

About THIS Wine:  This one is opaque in the glass with a purple rim.  The nose is heavy with the green pepper notes one would expect from a Cab this young.  A musky quality is also present.  The palate is dry and smooth with sweet red fruit on the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  Pop and pour.  It needs all of fifteen minutes of decanting.  It works well as a sipping wine but would also be good with a burger.

Overall Impression:  Pleasant, easy to drink, and cheap.  This reserva could easily sell for fifteen dollars or more and at twelve it is a good value.

Domingo Molina Hermanos Cafayate Cabernet-Malbec 2011 (about $18)

About the Wine: Argentina is best known for its Malbec, which is a bit of a shame since many of the Cabs from there fight well above their weight class in terms of price to quality ratio.  A Cab/Malbec blend is probably as good a way as any to introduce drinkers to this expression of a familiar grape, assuming the wine is any good, of course.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a purple rim.  Some chocolate and coffee notes are present on the nose on first opening but those quickly give way to aromas of burnt cedar.  My guess is that this spent a lot of time in charred oak barrels.  Oak is strong on the palate but heavy green pepper also comes through along with and undercurrent of plum.  Spice lingers in the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a rich, racy wine that needs food.  Enjoy it with grilled hamburger and Spanish rice.  This wine was not meant to age and the cork is synthetic, so you could not really age it if you wanted to.

Overall Impression:  This is a pleasant reminder of everything I love about New World wine.  It is vibrant, rich, and unique.  If the label said "California" then this would be a thirty dollar bottle.  At eighteen it is a steal.

Bosco Dei Ricci Langhe Nebbiolo 2009 about $15

About the Wine:  Nebbiolo is the grape used to make Barolo and Barbaresco.  Those are Italian terms meaning "expensive" and "pretentious".  Or the names of two villages where Nebbiolo is grown.  I forget which.  Barolos especially require years and sometimes decades of aging to reach maturity and it is all but impossible to get a good one for under forty dollars.  While young Nebbiolos can't really compete they can provide a full bodied wine with a lot of structure at a reasonable price.

About THIS Wine:  The center is dark red with a pink rim.  Slightly sour red fruit with hints of tobacco make up the nose.  Those flavors deliver on a palate with some pretty fierce tannins and a hot finish. 

Drinking This Wine:  This needs at least an hour of decanting and I think you would get best results but popping the cork in the morning, putting the cork back in, and having it with supper.  You could also age this a few years, though I have never heard of anyone cellaring a fifteen dollar bottle.  Having with a hearty pasta dish.

Overall Impression:  I am of two minds on this one.  It is not really ready to drink but it definitely an Old World wine with a classic tannin structure and it is hard to find anything like that in this price range.  If that is your taste then this wine is a good value.

House Wine Red 2010 (about $12)

About the Wine:  This is one of the first labels I sold well when I got into the wine business.  That was over two years ago now.  At that time it was smooth, unpretentious, and enjoyable to a drinker with an undeveloped palate.  I don't remember if it was this vintage, but I doubt it.  I do not recall the back label of that vintage giving a breakdown of the blend where this label helpfully informs us that the wine is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 15% Syrah, and 3% Cabernet France.  My guess is that the wine maker started with a Left Bank Bordeaux blend and added the Syrah to make it more fruit forward and approachable and because who cares, it's $12.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a purple rim.  The Syrah really dominates the nose.  It is all jammy fruit.  The Syrah also dominates the palate with that sticky, jammy quality that defines Syrah from the West Coast.  There are some subtle dry and spicy notes in the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is not really a food wine.  It is basically a dry red patio pounder for people who like jammy, sticky wines.  That said, it could also go well with a burger.

 Overall Impression:  I have never been a fan of West Coast Syrah but this wine is varietally correct and the winemaker did do a pretty good job of taming the Syrah with the other varietals.  That makes this wine good for the price.

Mt. Tabor Chardonnay 2012 (about $14)

About the Wine:  Galilee is my favorite wine growing region in Israel.  The temperatures are somewhat milder and rainfall higher than in the rest of the country, so it is much more conducive to wine growing  than the Negev Desert, the coastal Samson, or the Shomron region north of Jerusalem.  The Judean Hills around Jerusalem make wines of at least equal quality but real estate is expensive there so Judean wines tend to be pricy.

About THIS Wine:  It is golden yellow in the glass, promising a fair amount of oak.  The oak delivers on both nose and palate.  Israeli wine makers often seem to follow California's lead (which makes sense, given that both are hot, coastal climates) and this appears to be an example of that.  This is basically a Kosher Kendall Jackson.

Drinking This Wine:  This one is fine by itself or with roast chicken. This is the second Kosher Chardonnay I have reviewed that would go well with lobster.

Overall Impression:  This is a very pedestrian wine but it not expensive and the price and taste are comparable to similar, non Kosher wines.  This wine is reasonable for the price.

Carmel Winery Appellation Cabernet Franc 2009 (about $16)

About the Wine:  Wine growing in Israel probably predates wine growing in France but there was an interruption in Israeli wine production starting when Israel came under Muslim rule and the vineyards were destroyed and ending the Carmel Winery was founded in the late 1800s.  This is their Cab Franc.  Normally a dry, austere wine used to mellow the other aspects of Bordeaux blends and also to add a peppery flavor, Cab Franc is often much fruitier and juicier when grown in Israel's hot climate.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a purple rim.  The nose presents smoke, pepper, and hints of plum.  The palate is dry and gripping with a somewhat juicy quality that lingers.

Drinking This Wine:  This needs to decant after opening and could probably stand a few years of aging, which is unusual for a wine in this price range.  Have it with hamburger and noodles or some other meaty dish.

Overall Impression:  The wine is tasty and it is not too expensive.  This one is reasonable for the price.

Bogle Essential Red 2010 (about $12)

About the Wine:  Bogle is a go to for many California wine drinkers because it is fairly cheap and also consistent from vintage to vintage.  I don't know that anybody really loves this winery but it is hard to deny that they almost always produce something reasonable for the price.  The nice fellow at my local wine shop kept recommending it, so I decided to try it.  He also told me that he regularly drinks Mark West Pinot Noir so I may regret trusting him.  If you drink Mark West Pinot Noir then you are welcome to comment on this post so that and my wine snob friends can silently judge you.

About THIS Wine:  It is very dark in the glass with a purple rim.  The label informs me that the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel.  It unclear if this a field blend but given that there is no appellation more specific than California I doubt it.  The Syrah dominates the nose with jammy red fruit but I do get some smoke and a subtler undercurrent that I associate with Cab.  I am not usually a fan of California Syrah.  It's usually a sticky, jammy, mess.  The winemaker did a nice job of moderating that with the other varietals so that there is a lot of fruit and pleasingly lingering jam finish tempered with some spice and just generally tamed into something pleasant.

Drinking This Wine:  This is not really a food wine.  It is better as something to sip on a cool day.

Overall Impression:  It really pains me to endorse a popular brand, but I have had twenty dollar bottles with less appeal.  This one is a good value.

Fanti Rosso di Montalcino 2010 (About $17)

About the Wine:  Brunello di Montalcino is a type of wine from Tuscany that usually starts at about $40 a bottle and requires substantial aging.  I like these wines.  I like to look at the bottles and gently fondle them before putting them back on the shelf.  Rosso di Montalcino is the baby brother of Brunello.  It is cheap and drinks relatively young.  But is it worth a whole seventeen dollars?

About THIS Wine:  It is red in the glass with a pink room.  The nose pops with jammy fruit, presenting more like a Syrah than a Brunello.  The palate is smoother and more refined than the nose would indicate with very well integrated tannins and a soft finish that lingers.

Drinking This Wine:  This is good by itself but I think it would be a perfect companion for roasted pork.

Overall Impression:  This is a tasty and unpretentious wine at a reasonable price.  At $17 a bottle it is fair for the price.

Black Bear Red Chair Petite Sirah 2010 (about $14)

About the Wine:  The Petite Sirah grape and the Lodi region are among the most unpretentious things in the history of the wine business.  Generally derided as "fruit bombs", these wines helped usher me into wine appreciation with their easy drinking, fruit forward nature.  The posh wine shop where I now work finally got in some Lodi wines.  I don't know if my awesomely compelling arguments had anything to do with it so I have no choice but to assume that they did.


About THIS Wine:  The wine is opaque, unless you hold it up to a bright light in which case it is blood red and still opaque.  Blackberry, dark chocolate, and leather make up an usually brooding nose for this kind of wine.  The berry flavor delivers on a slightly creamy palate that ends in a jammy finish.  This is not as over the top as some Lodi wines but it definitely has the characteristics of the region.  Mocha lingers on the palate.

Drinking This Wine:  This wine needs no food but if I had to pair it with something I would say a heavily seasoned pork roast.

Overall Impression:  This is an example of everything I love about Lodi.  At $14 a bottle it is a good value.

Grand Portail Bordeaux 2010 (about $13)

About the Wine:  2009 was one of the great vintages of Bordeaux, some say the best in the last ten years, others say the last twenty, and some even say the last thirty.  This is a 2010, which is also a good vintage but one that is largely ignored due to its proximity to the brilliant 2009 and the disastrous 2011.  I had the good fortune to attend a 2010 Bordeaux grand tasting in Manhattan earlier this year and after sampling the wine maker's products we all wished them a heartfelt congratulations on a job done.

About THIS Wine:  It is purple in the glass with a pink rim.  Cherry and pomegranate dominate a nose that is very atypical of a Bordeaux.  These flavors, along with some hints of mocha, define a fairly straightforward palate with a light finish.

Drinking This Wine:  There is very little tannin structure so it does not really need food.  It would be a good burger or sandwich wine.

Overall Impression:  This is not something to impress anyone but it is a very nice wine and could easily go for a few dollars more.  That makes it good for the price.

Warwick Valley Winery Black Dirt Red NV (about $12)

About the Wine:  The Warwick Valley Winery sits in the Black Dirt region of upstate New York.  The area is so named because it was once the site of a glacial lake and eons of sediment deposits turned the soil completely black.  It is one of the richest farm areas in the Northeast and maybe the country.  So how does their blended, non vintage wine taste?

About THIS Wine:  It is ruby red in the glass with a pink rim.  The nose is not as a bright as I expected, though red fruit notes are definitely present along with an undercurrent of fig.  The palate is fruit forward and abrupt.  The flavor is pleasant but it is sharper than I expected for such a mild nose.  A very subtle raspberyy finish lingers.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a barbecue wine.  Drink it young and maybe slightly chilled.

Overall Impression:  I can't say I am impressed but neither am I disappointed.  This wine is reasonable for the price.

The Lucky Country Shiraz 2011 (about $14)

About the Wine:  This inexpensive Shiraz started as a side project from the same wine maker that brought us Two Hands, a Shiraz best defined by I have no idea what because it's way out of my price range.  This is either going to be a great bargain or something that wine maker crapped out over a weekend.

About THIS Wine:  It is dark red in the glass with a violet rim.  The nose is very jammy with a lot of dark fruit and some forest floor notes.  The fruit delivers on the palate with just a hint of black licorice.  The finish is smooth and does not linger.

Drinking This Wine:  This is fine for a sipping wine or something to go with a hamburger.

Overall Impression:  This is a decent Tuesday night wine and it is priced as such.  It is fair for the price.

Petite Petit 2010 (about $17)

About the Wine:  Traditionalists sometimes call California winemakers the "Mad Scientists" of the wine business.  While the makers from Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tuscany strive for consistency, California winemakers are forever trying to find ways to make wines that are truly different.  Michael David is a maker of particular vision and with an especially pronounced disregard for tradition, as demonstrated in this blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot.  These are two grape varietals that never meet in traditional wine making.

About THIS Wine:  It is opaque purple in the glass with a violet rim.  The nose presents the jammy red fruit that more or less defines the Lodi appellation.  That fruit is present on the palate with an interesting undercurrent of tannin that makes this a good wine for a light meal.  Pasta dishes or a light lasagna seem especially suitable.

Drinking This Wine:  As stated, it would be good with lighter Italian food.  It would also make a good burger wine.  There is a little too much acidity for a sipper.  Another year of aging would not hurt this wine but it will not get much better than it is now.

Overall Impression:  This wine is okay but I can't say I'm especially thrilled with it.  Much as I am a fan of Michael David I am going to have to say that this one is a little overpriced.

Root 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (about $11)

About the Wine:  This Cab is a staple in Upstate New York's less expensive wine shops.  I never tasted it when I worked at a shop that carried it because it did not need any help selling.  Now I work at a posh shop that doesn't carry it and my curiosity is peaked.  People at my old store did get mad when we ran out of this.  Then again, they also got made when we ran out of their brands of box wine.

About THIS Wine:  It is ruby red in the glass with a pink rim, very light for a Cabernet.  The nose presents coffee and tobacco with notes of sour fruit.  The palate is very smooth with notes of sweet red fruit and supple tannins.  It does not linger.

Drinking This Wine:  There is enough tannin here that it should be had with food.  It would be good with a burger or some other meaty sandwich.

Overall Impression:  This is a textbook example of what a wine under fifteen dollars should be.  It is smooth, approachable, and not overly complex or lingering.  At eleven dollars it is good for the price.

Buried Cane Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (about $10)

About the Wine:  Washington State is coming fast in prestige and price in the wine world.  Does that mean a ten dollar screw top from there is any good?  Let's find out.

About THIS Wine:  It is ruby red in the glass with a clear rim.  The nose is very woody.  There is either a lot of oak or very little of anything else.  Charred oak dominates the palate, which is generally dull.

Drinking This Wine:  Don't have it with anything too heavy.  It won't stand up to steak.

Overall Impression:  Nothing to see here but you can do worse for ten dollars.  This one is reasonable for the price.

Benziger Syrah 2007 (about $15)

About the Wine:  Benziger is a California winery on its way to a fully organic status.  I had the good fortune to meet the winemaker, whose name I promptly forgot.  What I do remember is that this winery is pushing a vision of wine making that includes an extremely deep connection to the land to the point of using MRI machines to determine the composition of individual plots of soil and decide what will best grow there.  They also keep livestock on the property to control pests and generate fertilizer.  2007 is a California vintage that needs no introduction, so this could be quite a gem at fifteen bucks.

About THIS Wine:  The center is blood red with a nearly clear rim.  The nose has an earthy, forest quality.  There is prominent fruit but it is of a wild berry variety rather than the jammy fruits one often associates with California reds.  The palate is a fairly simple one of red licorice and plum going into a finish that overdose it a little on the spice but is still pleasant.

Drinking This Wine:  I bought it to go with a burger and I think that is the right pairing.  I think this wine is at its peak.  Aging more will not benefit it, nor does it need to be decanted.

Overall Impression:  I like the wine, but not as much as I had hoped I would.  A wine with this much age is not common in this price range and the fact that it is made with organic methods does increase its worth.  At fifteen a bottle this wine is a good value.

Quivira Zinfandel 2009 (about $20)

About the Wine:  A lot of wine aficionados look down their noses at Zinfandel.  This bold, often sweet wine seems out of place among the more refined wines like the great reds of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tuscany.  But Zinfandel can be a great wine for anyone looking for something fruit forward and easy drinking.  I was drawn to this bottle by the cute piggy, and after that by the fact that it comes from Dry Creek Valley, one of the best places in California for growing Zinfandel.

About THIS Wine:  It is an opaque red in the glass with a nearly clear rim.  The nose presents red and dark fruit and interesting notes of charred wood.  The palate is moderately acidic with a lot of creamy red fruit and significantly more tannin structure than I normally associate with Zinfandel.

Drinking This Wine:  It does well by itself.  Some kind of hearty, spicy sausage would make a good companion.  This one might benefit from some decanting or some aging.  The acidity and tannin are more than I have come to expect from this kind of wine and I think it could hold up to and improve with a few years of cellaring.

Overall Impression:  I have tasted much more expensive bottles that had nothing on this in taste, complexity, or accessibility.  At twenty dollars a bottle this one is a good value.

Bodegas Y Vinedos Noe Tempranillo #3 2009 (about $11)

About the Wine:  I told one of the managers where I work that I was having chicken and rice and wanted something cheap to go with it.  This was his recommendation.  I have heard rumors that the Chinese are starting to take an interest in Spanish wine and that prices will soon skyrocket, but for now it remains a good region for value.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is dark red in the glass with a thin, nearly clear rim.  The nose is fairly woody, though some notes of red berries do come through.  The palate is fairly acidic and frankly not all that pleasant with a slightly sour finish.

Drinking This Wine:  Definitely not a sipping wine and too light for anything heavy.  I would describe this as Pinot Grigio drinker's red and as such it would go well with foods that go with Pinot Grigio, like chicken and rice.

Overall Impression:  The wine is unimpressive but it is cheap.  I will say it is reasonable for the price.

Veramonte Primus Malbec 2010 (about $19)

About the Wine:  Veramonte is a producer that needs no introduction, unless you don't know South American wine in which case Veramonte is a great Chilean producer.  Primus is a line of bold, forward reds that generally lack any kind of subtlety and make no apologies for it.

About THIS Wine:  It is opaque purple in the glass with a nearly opaque rim.  My first question on smelling this wine was "What's the alcohol content?"  It was 14.5% and it smells like it.  Sweet tobacco, chocolate, and forest floor are all present on the nose.  The palate is fruity with high acidity and moderately tannic finish that lingers.

Drinking This Wine:  This needs steak, pasta, or something else as hearty as the wine is.

Overall Impression:  If you are looking for something subtle and nuanced then don't look for it here.  If you want something big and bold then this wine is good for the price.

Bagordi Rioja 2011 (about $11)

About the Wine:  Spanish wine has seen some problems in recent years, like some kind of mold or bacteria got into some of the vineyards and fouled some of the grapes, leading to flawed wines.  The problem is not universal and there are still some great values coming out of the region.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a dark purple rim.  Dark fruit and forest floor comprise the nose.  Dark, sour fruit makes up the bulk of the palate with gripping tannins on the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This wine definitely needs food.  I had it with spaghetti and red sauce and it was a good pairing.

Overall Impression:  For eleven dollars I don't expect much and in this case I got what I expected.  Unfortunately, this wine is reasonable for the price.

La Vigne en Veron Chinon 2011 (about $12)

About the Wine:  Chinon is a region within the Loire Valley that is known for its Cabernet Franc, which is what this is.  To find a Chinon for under twenty dollars is quite rare so this is potentially a great find.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is crimson in the glass with a scarlet rim.  The nose, well it smells like Cab Franc.  That is to say the nose is defined by vegetal notes with hints of ash.  The palate is dry and austere with some very pleasant cherry notes on the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is a little on the dry side for a sipping wine and it is not big enough to stand up to something like steak.  It would be good for buttered noodles, red beans and rice, or perhaps a roast duck.

Overall Impression:  This is a good Cab Franc and it really would not be overpriced at twenty dollars a bottle.  At twelve it is a good value.

Firestone Syrah 2010 (about $18)

About the Wine:  Syrah is one of the two principle grapes in Rhone blends (the other is Grenache.)  Its cousin Shiraz has become essentially the national grape of Australia and it has also shown well in other hot climate terroirs like Israel, so it makes sense to produce it in California.

About THIS Wine:  This Syrah is very dark red in the glass with a violet rim.  The nose presents with enough earth and sour cherry that on a blind test I would have mistaken it for a Pinot Noir.  Red fruit defines a very full and rounded palate with firm tannins on the back end and a lingering dry, spicy finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This one definitely needs food.  Pepperoni pizza would be a good match for it.

Overall Impression:  I am not blown away but it is a very good wine and California Syrahs typically go for at least twice this much, so this one is reasonable for the price.

Bayten Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (about $14)

About the Wine:  South Africa is best known for its Chenin Blanc, locally known as "Steen", and second best known for the horrible sweet box wine turned out by the Robertson winery, essentially the Yellow Tail of South Africa.  The region does have a unique terroir that produces wines unlike those of the same grape varietals from anywhere else in the world, including some remarkable Sauvignon Blanc.  Will this be one of them?

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is golden yellow, enough so that I wonder if the wine saw some oak.  The nose is acidic with the kind of sharp citrus I would associate with a New Zealand Sauv. Blanc.  That citrus is present on the palate but there are also interesting cream and caramel notes, which I suspect are the result of malolactic fermentation and which I have never experienced in a Sauv. Blanc before.  The finish is very clean with just a hint of citrus lingering.

Drinking This Wine:  This is good for a warm weather sipping wine and it would also do well with grilled chicken or whitefish.  I do not think there is enough body to stand up to shellfish.

Overall Impression:  This wine is crisp and delicious and could easily be a thirty dollar bottle.  At fourteen it is an absolute steal.

Clearview Vineyards Estate Noiret 2010 (about $18)

About the Wine:  The Hudson Valley has been producing wine since the early eighteen hundreds.  The quality of the wine produced there is why you have never heard of it.  Most of what is grown in sweet, low quality wine that is consumed only locally or as church wine, but many producers are working to reinvent the region with more classic styles of wine.  This Noiret is a hybrid varietal distinctive to the region and grown with bio dynamic methods.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a violet rim.  Vegetal notes dominate the nose, as is common in New York reds.  Sour cherry is strong on the palate, reminiscent of a California Pinot Noir, but the wine is more robust that most California Pinots, with the exception of Russian River Valley.  The weight and tannin of this wine reminds me of a Gevrey-Chambertin.

Drinking This Wine:  This is good by itself but better with a roasted turkey and best with honey roasted pork.

Overall Impression:  I have had much more expensive wines from better known appellations that were not any better.  This one is good for the price.

La Posta Cocina 2009 (about $16)

About the Wine:  I came across this one because a customer would not leave me alone about it and I eventually found a case in the cellar of the wine store where I work.  When customers show this kind of dedication it means that either the wine is great or they are insane.  There is no exaggeration nor humor in that statement.  I've seen people obsess over box wine before.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is opaque with a very thin, very dark purple rim.  Earth and spice are heavy on the nose along with hints of oak.  The palate is smooth and dry with more acidity than I would expect from a red blend in this price range.  It is definitely not the "fruit bomb" style often associated with South American wines under twenty dollars. The finish is dry and slightly gripping.

Drinking This Wine:  This is definitely a food wine.  Enjoy it with juicy red meat or pasta with tomato sauce.

Overall Impression:  I'm not blown away by this wine but it a good Tuesday night steak wine and as such it is reasonable for the price.

Terra Vega Syrah 2012 (about $11)

About the Wine:  One way to make wine Kosher, regardless of source is to cook it, making it "Mevushal."  Unfortunately, this has a sever negative effect on the taste of the wine.  However, Kosher winemakers have begun to use flash pasteurization to minimize the damage while retaining the ritual qualities necessary to satisfy your annoying uncle.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass this wine is an opaque purple with a very dark purple rim.  The nose is extremely jammy, as I would expect from such a young Syrah. I also do get some smoky notes.  The palate is a little tight and more tannic than I would have expected, though it is not entirely surprising given how young the wine is.  Fruit comes through nicely in the finish.  This is somewhat reminiscent of the more classic Bordeauxs, which were processed in such a way as to bring the tannins to the front of the palate and that is why those wines needed so much time to age.  Why a new world wine maker would do this with something they were releasing young I cannot say.

Drinking This Wine:  This is definitely a food wine and one that benefits from decanting.  Enjoy with lighter red meat dishes like shepherd's pie or beef and noodles.

Overall Impression:  This is a full and robust wine with some real depth.  At eleven dollars a bottle it is a good value.

Bosco Dei Ricci Barbera d'Alba 2009 (about $15)

About the Wine:  I asked the manager of a posh wine shop for something affordable that does not taste like my own death.  This is what he gave me.

About THIS Wine:  This wine is opaque in the glass and has a purple rim.  Dark fruit and hints of spice make a juicy nose.  The palate is slightly sour with a lot of fruit and hints of spice.  Sour dark fruit lingers in the finish.  It bears mentioning that this is not the kind of sour that I associate with spoiled wine, rather it is the kind of sour I would associate with sour cherry. 

Drinking This Wine:  I had it with spaghetti and marinara sauce because that's always safe bet with an Italian red.  It went very well.  This is definitely better with food, preferably something a bit sweet to offset the sour.

Overall Impression:  This is an unusual and fairly pleasant wine.  At fifteen dollars a bottle it is good for the price.

Stringtown Pinot Noir 2011 (about $16)

About the Wine:  I have written fairly extensively about Oregon Pinot Noir before, so there is not much to add.  This one was recommended to me to go with baked salmon.

About THIS Wine:  It is ruby red in the glass with a pink rim.  The nose is earthy and herbaceous, reminiscent of Red Burgundy more than anything I have had from Oregon.  The sour cherry often associated with West Coast Pinot Noir is present on the palate in a big way but is tempered with earthy notes and firm tannins in the finish.

Drinking This Wine: It is not bad by itself but better with food.  Pork or turkey are good pairings.  The wine has a spiciness too it so it is best to have with something sweet or at least not spicy.  The aforementioned salmon pairing was really nice.

Overall Impression:  This is a little more than I normally like to spend it is a very good wine.  This one is fair for the price.

Chateau de la Terriere Beaujolais-Villges 2009 (about $14)

About the Wine:  The Beaujolais region of France is best known for Gamay, a grape traditionally viewed as the inferior of Pinot Noir.  The area's reputation has not been helped by the popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau, an inexpensive version of Beaujolais wine that one wine critic labeled vin du merde (shit wine.)  Despite everything working against it, the wine and the region do have a devoted following and a rich history.  What remains to be seen is how merdey this particular wine is.  (I know that merdey is not a word.  Deal with it, France.)

About THIS Wine:  It is a very deep, dark purple with a violet rim in the glass.  After a little time to breath this wine presented notes of underbrush, cherry, with hints of oak on the nose.  Black cherry dominates a palate that really lingers.  There are vegetable notes in the background, but the cherry is the defining element, lingering after all else is gone.

Drinking This Wine:  This one is fine by itself but it would also go well with heavier white meats such as pork or roast duck.

Overall Impression:  Though not especially complex or otherwise mind blowing the wine is pleasant and it does not hurt the pocket book too much.  This one is good for the price.

Lights Out Grenache 2009 (about $15)

About the Wine:  Grenache is one of the grapes that goes into red Cotes Du Rhone blends.  This effort comes from Australia, which is known for Shiraz, a close relative of Syrah, the other varietal that is crucial to Cotes Du Rhone. It will be interesting to see if this Rhone grape transfers as well.

About THIS Wine:  In the glass it is deep red with a light pink rim.  The nose has a vegetable quality with strong mineral and graphite notes.  The palate is heavy and tannic with a dry, sour cherry finish.

Drinking this Wine:  This wine is not big or bold enough to stand up to steak but beef and rice or beef and noodle dishes are a good match.  It is definitely not a sipping wine.

Overall Impression:  The wine is nice and the price is right.  This one is good for the price.

Ugav Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (about $14)

About the Wine:  I am not optimistic about the prospect of 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Some Cabs age for years, even decades before they reach maturity.  Then again, some Cabs are meant to be drunk young.  It all depends on the terroir, the strain of the grape, and the skill of the wine master. 

About THIS Wine:  It is ruby red in the glass with a pink rim.  Jammy red fruit defines the nose, though notes of green herbs are also present.  The fruit delivers on the palate but gives way to a vegetable quality that lingers in a finish that is dry but not overly so.

Drinking This Wine:  This is fine for a sipping wine.  It is not big or bold enough for really heavy red meat dishes but would do well with beef and rice or a stew.

Overall Impression:  You can definitely pay more and do worse.  This wine is good for the price.

Peirano Estate Chardonnay 2011 (about $10)

About the Wine:  Lodi, California is a wine growing region best known for its accessible, fruit forward reds.  I have never had a white from there so this will be a learning experience.

About THIS Wine:  The wine is golden yellow in the glass with no distinct rim.  Oak, peach, and apricot blend on the nose.Citrus and oak are strong on the palate.  The finish is fairly acidic, so much so that I don't think this wine went through the malolactic fermentation that gives most California Chards their buttercream taste.

Drinking This Wine:  This is acidic enough that it needs food.  Grilled chicken, light vegetarian dishes, or cheddar cheese would all go well.

Overall Impression:  This is not a wine you bring to impress anyone but it is very pleasant and perfectly drinkable.  This one is good for the price. 

Fleur Pinot Noir 2010 (about $16)

About the Wine:  Carneros is a region at the south end of the Napa/Sonoma border.  While Napa and Sonoma are both known for their Cabs, Carneros is better known for its Burgundy style wines.  That's a pompous way of saying they grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay there. The winemaker has a website here.

About THIS Wine:  It is a touch darker in the glass than I usually expect from a California Pinot.  The color is a deep, almost blood red with pink a rim.  The nose is very earthy with prominent notes of spice and just a hint of sour cherry.  The palate is spicy and saucy but the wine's consistency is very thin, making it an unusually good sipping wine for something so robust.  Spice and cherry make up a mild but lingering finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is not a really a food wine though it could work with pork steak, turkey, or maybe just cheese and crackers.  This one is also fine to just sip on.

Overall Impression:  This is a beautiful representation of a California Pinot Noir.  In a blind taste I would have guessed the price at around thirty dollars.  At a little more than half that this wine is a steal.

Dainero Toscana 2010 (about $16)

About the Wine:  I chose the wine for tonight's post based on the fact that it was the most appealing of the three open bottles we had at the store where I work.  I said that I was always up for a Super Tuscan.  The manager corrected me, explaining that it was only a Tuscan blend and that Super Tuscans are very high end.  I thought about telling him that the wine expert from Italy I had talked to said something different, but I preferred to go home and drink my wine instead.

About THIS Wine:   Very dark red it the glass with a violet rim.  The nose is tannic and herbaceous, indicating that the wine may still be a little too young.  There is some very nice licorice and cherry on the palate, but the wine is still pretty tight.  Tannins are sharp on the finish.

Drinking This Wine:  It would be a sipping wine if it was a little and more developed.  I had it with a meat and rice dish and it went pretty well.

Overall Impression:  This is an Old World maker's attempt at a New World wine.  The result is pretentious and overpriced.

Badiola Toscana 2010 (about $15)

About the Wine:  The recent trend in Super Tuscans and other non traditional Italian red blends has been toward Sangiovese and Merlot blends.  A particular winner in that category is a wine called PHI, which many people say is under priced at $45 a bottle and that high end stores routinely sell out of.  Is this a knock off or a quality off brand?

About THIS Wine:  The center is a deep red with a pink rim.  Raspberries are prominent on the nose with strong hints of smoke and oak.  The fruit delivers on a strikingly dry palate with a fairly nice cherry finish.

Drinking This Wine:  This is really not a sipping wine.  It is good for pasta and red sauce (a personal favorite) or a meaty pizza.

Overall Impression:  There is nothing spectacular here but the juice is good and the price is fair.  This one is reasonable for the price.

Chateau Monestier La Tour Bergerac Rouge 2011 (about $10)

About the Wine:  The back of the bottle informs me that Bergerac is a wine growing region outside of Bordeaux that shares many of the climate and soil characteristics of the Bordeaux region.  The blend in this wine is dominated by Merlot, fairly typical of a Right Bank Bordeaux.  The implication here is that one can get Bordeaux quality without paying Bordeaux prices.  I am a little doubtful, but the price speaks to me on a very deep level. 

About THIS Wine:  The color is a deep, ruby red with a garnet rim.  The nose is thick and rustic, revealing the wine's youth.  I get notes wild berries and forest floor.  The palate is mellow and has a fairly meaty with notes of sour cherry.  Cinnamon and pomegranate are present in a finish that lingers a lot longer than I would have expected.

Drinking This Wine:  I could sip this by itself but it would also go well with burger or pizza.

Overall Impression:  It seems like the maker of this wine set out with a very specific goal: to make a perfect ten dollar wine, and I would say they succeeded.  You will not impress anyone with this but it is pleasant, complex, lingering, and versatile.  This wine is a good value.

Bear Boat Pinot Noir 2008 (about $15)

About the Wine:  The Russian River Valley is one of the best regions in California for growing Pinot Noir.  Finding a Pinot Noir from there at this price is either a really good find or a looming disappointment.

About THIS Wine:The center is crimson with a light red rim.  Earth, smoke, and mineral notes dominate the nose, reminiscent of a Red Burgundy.  Those flavors deliver on a palate with what I would describe as an earthy punch, a sharpness that I would not have expected.  The finish is very light after the heavy palate, with more mineral notes and some red fruit lingering.

Drinking This Wine:  The palate is a bit too heavy for a sipping wine.  Enjoy with swordfish or some other dark fish.  This would be too heavy for most white meats and too light for red meat.

Overall Impression:  This wine is good for the price but I think it will improve with a few more years of aging.  It's still pretty coarse.

Bellanotte Merlot 2007 (about $13)

About the Wine:  Most wine in the under twenty dollar price range is not meant to be aged more than a year or two.  This is why fifteen dollar Brunellos and Barolos don't exist.  Those wines simply require too much time in the cellar for a cheap price tag to be possible.  Finding an '07 red at this price range is remarkable.  It may be that the winery was having trouble moving it and dropped the price or perhaps this is just a rare value.

About THIS Wine:  The center is opaque with a violet rim.  Berries and fruit leather make up a pleasant nose.  A kind of crude acidity defines both the palate and finish.  The wine is not spoiled, it just has very little flavor to speak of and is fairly acidic so the acidity dominates.

Drinking This Wine:  This definitely needs food.  It would work well with pizza.

Overall Impression:  This one is not bad but you can do better for less.  This wine is overpriced.