5 Cent Sale at BevMo!

To be quite honest I don't usually shop at BevMo!. It's too expensive, has a limited selection, and their employees are far from wine experts. But their 5 cent sale is the only time I will shop their. Those of you that don't know, the 5 cent sale works thusly. Buy one bottle of wine that qualifies for the 5 cent sale at full price and get the second for 5 cents. That's a screaming deal, even for bottles that are priced much higher than Trader Joe's, Fry's or Total Wine & More. Here are three mini-reviews of the bottles I purchased during my visit to the store.

2009 Calloway Cellar Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast California
This has a bland rather subdued nose of cherry and raspberry that flows over into the flavor of the wine itself. It's fruity on the first sip, with flavors of caramelized cherries with a liberal dash of alcohol and some bouncy tannins that really don't do much to make this wine better. It's not a bad wine, just a mediocre one. Not nearly worth 8 dollars, closer to a 5 dollar wine.

2009 Challis Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, California
This has a decent nose of red and black fruit (specifically cherry and blackberry) with minimal floral notes. It tastes pretty darn good for the price (9.99), with fruit jumping right out at me (cherry and currant) the mid-palate has some wood but it's minimal, and then a medium finish. I would say this is a good wine, nothing spectacular, but it holds up to most wines priced at the 10 dollars, though this would probably sell for 7 dollars at a supermarket or Total Wine.

2009 Trumpeter Malbec by Rutini Wines, Argentina
This is a real winner, it's thick and rich. Perfect for a big, bold red wine. It's fruity, yes, but not too fruity. It's more like a rich steak, with layers of flavor, black currant, pepper, vanilla, and oak piled on top of one another. It's full bodied but with a rather short finish, but is pretty much fantastic. It goes for around 14 dollars at BevMo! but would probably go for about 10.99 if sold anywhere else. I would pay 14 for it, and would find it an amazing deal for 11 dollars. It's definitely a keeper.

I don't know if the 5 cent sale is good or bad. Yes I got a pretty darn good bottle with the Trumpeter Malbec, but the Calloway Cabernet Sauvignon is not worth the time and the Challis Lane Cabernet Sauvignon is merely average. I would say stick to shopping at Total Wine or if you want to just pick up a cheap bottle get one from Fry's or Trader Joe's. Total Wine and their employees will point you in the right direction to find a superior bottle, no matter what your price range. And the supermarkets will have a range of pretty decent 5-8 dollars bottles for you to pick up. Sure I will be buying a few bottles during the next 5 cent sale, but only because I like the treasure hunt and need more fodder for this blog. In the meantime I will be sticking to Total Wine, Trader Joe's and Fry's. You can be sure I will keep you appraised of every purchase I make at any of these wine purveyors.