Seven Falls Wahluke Slope Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (about $15)

About The Wine: Washington State has not overtaken California as the best producer of domestic wine but I believe it is only a matter of time.  When done right, Washington State's Cabs have a smoothness and an easy drinking quality that most of Cali's over the top reds lack.


About THIS Wine: In the glass it is opaque purple right up to the rim.  Jammy blackberry dominates the nose along with prominent vanilla notes.  The palate is full and slightly tannic.


Drinking This Wine: The tannins are potent enough that a little bit of decanting is advisable.  Leave the wine open for half an hour or an hour to let it smooth out.  It is not really big enough for beef but it would be divine with pork steak.


Overall Impression:  This is a smooth, easy drinking, and food friendly wine.  It is everything you could want from a fifteen dollar bottle and as such it is good for the price.

Kallune Red Blend 2010 (about $18)

About the Wine:  Malbec is so closely associated with Argentina that many people forget that it is one of the Bordeaux varietals.  Argentinian Malbecs are often a bit soft and flabby, so some producers have begun blending other varietals to produce a heartier wine.  This wine is a blend of 48% Malbec, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot.  This can technically be classified as a Bordeaux blend because Cab and merlot are both Bordeaux varietals, though few producers in Bordeaux favor Malbec so heavily..


About THIS Wine:  The center is opaque purple with a violet rim.  The nose is musky with heavy wood notes.  On a first taste the wine was very dry with scattered fruit notes.  It had a disjointed feel.  With some time in the glass the elements began to integrate into something that was a passable interpretation of a Bordeaux, though not nearly as heavy or tannic. 


Drinking This Wine:  This definitely benefitted from decanting.  I had it with oven roasted chicken and it was a great pairing.


Overall Impression:  This is a red Bordeaux blend for someone who wants something lighter, cheaper, and generally easier than traditional Bordeaux.  It is an interesting, food friendly wine that may provide a window into the future of serious Argentine wine making.  It's also pretty tasty.  This wine is a good value.

Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (About $10)

About the Wine:  I had a previous vintage of this at a wine seminar, one of my first wine seminars, a few years back and have been recommending it ever since.  It occurred to me that I should taste the current vintage to see if I should be commending people for buying a great value wine or silently judging them for buying plonk.  (Just kidding, wine professionals are always judging our customers.  Always.)


About THIS Wine:  The center is opaque and fades to a clear rim, which is surprising for such a young Cabernet.  Fig and prune are prominent on the nose.  Those flavors present nicely on the palate along with a tannin structure that is very well integrated  Again surprising for such a young Cab.  The finish tastes of plum and lingers nicely.


Drinking This Wine:  The wine is not big enough for steak but it stands up nicely to a hearty sandwich.


Overall Impression:  I have had bottles that were twice the price and no better.  At $10 a bottle this one is a steal.

Coquena Tannat 2011 about $19

About the Wine:  Tannat is a grape that was once grown in France and has found a new home in South America. The name is related to the words "tannin" and "tannic" which refer to the bracing quality that makes Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot good with red meat and also give those varietals some of their aging potential.  If your idea of a good meal involves attacking livestock, Tannat is the grape for you.



About THIS Wine:  It is opaque in the glass with a violet rim, just about what I would expect from a heavy, young South American red.  The nose is earthy a musky and when it was first opened I thought it might be corked.  With some time to breathe the wine settled into heady, brooding aromas that promised a big wine.  That delivers on the palate with well integrated tannins and a persistent dry finish.



Drinking This Wine:  I do not know if it is physically possible to get through a glass of this without eating some red meat.  And really, why would you attempt it?



Overall Impression: There is no versatility here but if you want a great steak wine then this one is good for the price.

Castillo de Monjardin (about $12)

About the Wine: I went to a wine shop and asked for something weird. They gave me a Garnacha from Navarra. Though bordering on Rioja, Navarra is nowhere near as popular. This Garnacha is, I am told, done in the style of its French cousin Grenache, a major varietal in Rhone blends.

About THIS Wine: Fruit and earth compete on the nose.  Earth wins on the palate, creating a wine that is firm but not overbearing. There is no finish worth noting.

Drinking This Wine:  This would pair well with grilled meat.

Overall Impression: This wine is tasty and approachable. For $12 it is good for the price.

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.