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.