2005 Condado Di Oriza Crianza, Tempranillo, Spain

Color - Dark, Ruby Red

Nose - Plum, Blackberry, Molasses/Brown Sugar, Tobacco

Taste - Right away this wine is both sweet and very dry. It's definitely a fruit forward wine, as most Tempranillo's I've had are also fruit forward. This wine has a very long finish with hints of vanilla and oak. It's quickly become one of my favorite wine's which is strange for me because I don't normally like sweet, fruit forward wines. It is quite possible this wine smells better than it tastes, and it tastes great. The aroma of plum and blackberry that melts into brown sugar is so inviting...that yankee candle company should make candles of this scent. This wine is complex enough to keep me guessing but not too complex to confuse me. In one sentence, "An awesome red, sweet but not a fruit explosion, wonderful tannins, long finish that makes me just want to drink more."

Overall, this price and quality of this wine makes it a no-brainer, buy this wine now, in large quantities, and enjoy it daily. It's actually a wine from the Pagos del Rey winery in Spain which produces high quality, much more expensive wines. This one is a bargain at less than 15 dollars. Keep your cellar stocked with this, and you won't be disappointed.

Pagos del Rey

2006 Veo Grande Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Dark, Ruby Red

Nose - Spices (Pepper and Vanilla hints), Dark Cherry, Tobacco

Taste - Clean, vegetal flavors hit my tongue almost immediately, with just a hint of vanilla. Not quite green bell pepper flavor, but nearly the same flavor. As the wine fades there are some slight notes of cherry. The tannins, to me, are rather smooth, nearly nonexistent for a Cab. The aftertaste is nearly creamy. Medium bodied.
On my second drinking, I paired the wine with Jarlsburg Swiss and Gouda. The wine didn't fair well with the swiss, but really came alive with the gouda. Very creamy with the cheese. The vanilla hints rise to the surface and block out the vegetal flavors. Quite pleasant.
On my third drinking, I chose to drink the glass without food of any kind. The wine has now been open (though recorked) for nearly 4 days. The fruit is much more developed. I would say it is now very fruit forward, Cherry jamminess on the attack, though not too sweet. Smooth and more dry than it had been before. The nose is much more complex than before, though the wine is more enjoyable without food now. (Or maybe my palate's just changed that much in 4 days).

Overall - I would say to break the seal and enjoy this with food the first time, pasta with red sauce, grilled meats, or strong cheeses. If there is any left over, let it sit a few days and then enjoy it on it's own. It can taste decent by itself, though the vegetal notes are rather off putting if this is drunk without food. A rather run-of-the-mill Cabernet Sauvignon, there are better wines out there for the same price.

Veo Grande Wines

2006 Merkin Vineyards Caduceus Chupacabra

I review this wine first only because it is a local wine, and I have been a fan of the vineyard's owner (Maynard James Keenan) since I was a teenager. I picked this wine up from Total Wine for 16.99, which is cheap compared to other wines from Mr. Keenan. I hadn't read any reviews of Caduceus wines though I had watched "Blood Into Wine". With all that being said, on to the review.

Color - Dark red bordering on violet

Nose - Black Cherry, Pepper (very light in the nose)

Taste - This wine was very dry to my taste on the attack, with just a hint of black cherry and plum. The tannins were very present (I like strong tannins and this wine has a lot of them). Large alcohol bite on the finish and in the throat, though I didn't find this off-putting. The wine is spicy with hints of tobacco flavor as the attack lessens. When paired with red pasta the fruit shines through and the bite and acidity lessen somewhat. Very enjoyable with food, a little overwhelming by itself. Pepper and spice also pull through quite a bit with red pasta. On the third tasting I tried it with a nice Jarlsburg Swiss and a gouda. The wine evinced lovely vanilla flavors with hints of coconut just as the wine left my tongue, very pleasant.

Overall - Though this wine is great when paired, especially with cheese, it's far too expensive to be a regular drinker when other much cheaper wines taste so much better. I'd say buy it now and leave it sit, then drink it on special occasions (I plan to). It's really good, though not by itself, pair it well and you'll love it. It tastes better warmer in my opinion 65 degrees or above and when decanted for at least 12 hours.

Caduceus