2007 Calcu Red Wine, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Carmenere/15% Cabernet Franc/5% Petit Verdot, Chile

Color - Very Dark Red

Nose - Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, currants (red & black), lots of berries, slight leather and tobacco hints

Taste - Right off this wine is very dry and has a LOT of heat from the alcohol! I taste a lot of cherry, then a lot of heat, and almost a fresh, cool mint taste and feeling just before the wine fades. This wine has some quite mild tannins that are almost erased by the heat. It's dry and the cherries start sweet and then move to sour in a the mid-palate. The finish is quite long but very smooth. To be quite honest there is much more going on with this wine in the nose than in the mouth. It's still something different. I can't say if it's "different-good" or "different-bad". But on my second tasting after the bottle had been open but recorked for about 72 hours, this wine has opened up a lot. The heat is lessened and the flavor of cherries and raspberries comes through more. The tobacco hints in the nose are also present in the finish and are quite pleasant. It's much better after having been opened. I'd say open and wait to drink this specimen.

Overall, in my opinion this wine will turn a lot of people off. They'll equate it to Listerine, rubbing alcohol, or vodka. On the one hand I kind of agree, but I really think this is a winner. I'd recommend it and say decant it and aerate it for some time. Make sure you drink it with food and pair it with strong, fatty dishes (steaks, heavy pasta dishes, ribs, etc), or wait until the bottles been open for a few days before drinking it by itself. Don't drink it right after you open it. It's a decent value at 8 dollars. I plan on drinking it again and taking the crazy journey of flavor that it took me on the first time.

Calcu

2008 Arizona Stronghold Mangus, Cabernet Sauvignon/Sangiovese/Merlot

Color - Nice even Red

Nose - Strawberry, cherry, plum

Taste - This wine is fairly sweet and quite fruit forward. It's not unpleasant even though I don't usually like sweet reds. It's not particularly complex, has smooth round tannins, and a nice clean, even finish. The finish contains hints of smoke and apple skin. This wine is young but not biting from too much alcohol or bitter like a lot of young red wines. The Sangiovese sweetens the red, but the Cabernet Sauvignon keeps it grounded. I would have to say the Sangiovese is much more dominant in this wine even though there is a higher percentage of the Cabernet. The blends from Arizona Stronghold lean on the sweet but but also dry with a very decent structure and enough depth to keep my taste buds from getting bored.

Overall, this is a decent wine though you can find others at the same price point that are just as good. It's good and will last in the bottle. The wine might mature into something more complex. But it is really quite enjoyable as an every day drinker. I would definitely recommend this wine as one to pick and try, even to keep on hand. It's sweet, yes, but it's smooth with a medium bodied and something to keep a smile on your face.

Incidentally, this is a partnership between Maynard James Keenan (yes that MJK) and Eric Glomski (Renowned Vigneron and owner of Page Spring Cellars) to make good wine blends from Arizona grown grapes.
Arizona Stronghold Vineyards

Two Wines for the price of...too much money.

I'm breaking the mold a little bit here and reviewing two wines tonight. Both of them from the same winery, one Malbec and one Cabernet Sauvignon. Without further ado, we will start with the Malbec.

2009 Espuela del Gaucho Malbec, Argentina

Color -Ruby red with a strawberry rim

Nose - Blackberry and something herbaceous that I can't define

Taste - Right off the bat this wine is not as sweet as I'd expected for a Malbec. I'm used to drinking Malbecs that are a little bit cheaper or around the same price point, but much more fruit forward and quite sweet. This has hints of dark berries and round almost well-defined tannins. It's dry, medium-bodied with a decently long finish. It has just enough heat from the alcohol to tantalize the mouth as the wine leaves my tongue, but not enough to be unpleasant. By no means is this a complex wine. It's not the normal Malbec I'm used to at this price, more of a light Cabernet Sauvignon. It's enjoyable by itself though it can take on a slightly tangy or sour flavor in the mid-palate. It leaves my mouth with a very clean feeling similar to when I chewed on grass stalks as a kid. It's a mediocre Malbec, though a decent enough run of the mill red wine.

Overall, it's an ok wine but drink it when you're in the mood for a light Cabernet or a Merlot. It's not anything special but decent at 8.99 on sale, though I'd never pay full price for this wine. Go for the Mil Piedras Malbec for 14.99 or the Redwood Creek Malbec for 6.99. Leave this for someone else to try.


On to the second wine...

2008 Espuela del Gaucho Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Color - Dark red

Nose -Sweet berries, raisins, sweet grapes

Taste - Perhaps the aroma of raisins pervades this to the point that it overwhelms the flavor as well as the nose, but that's the dominant taste I get.Very sweet, nearly over-ripe grapes and raisins. There's heat from the alcohol and the wine is medium-bodied with a long finish. Flavor-wise this wine is a fruit bomb. There's no depth, no complexity, no layers. The flavor of sweet grapes/raisins overrides absolutely everything. This wine is halfway decent when paired with dessert more than dinner. The extreme sweetness of the raisin flavor is dampened with chocolate and there is a very subtle leather/tobacco flavor that comes through. Again this is nothing spectacular, a very one-dimensional wine. This wine is nothing to get crazy about it's on the lower end of the spectrum. Very mediocre and rather plain.

Overall, this wine is nothing to rave about, its on the lower end of the spectrum. As much as I disliked the Malbec from Espuela del Gaucho, this is even more boring. I'd be hard pressed to find a more mundane Chilean wine. You could be blindfolded when picking out a bottle at the supermarket and 9 times out of 10 you'd get a more complex, more well rounded bottle than this. Pass on this one, while it's not bad, it's so "blah" it's nearly worse than bad.

Espuela del Gaucho Wines

2010 Fabre Montmayou Phebus MMC (70% Malbec, 15% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon), Argentina

Color - Dark, inky purple

Nose - Raspberry, cherry, slight oak

Taste - On the first taste, I get cherry, spicy oak, a little plum and a tinge of red berry jamminess. The wine is adequate in the tannin department, though not big like I'm used too. It's acidic but not overwhelming, with a nice alcohol bite. There are some nice spice hints on the end of the attack (licorice and vanilla). The wine is medium bodied with a long finish. This wine has a very clean mouthfeel though it only touches the tip and sides of the tongue and doesn't coat my entire palate.
I like this wine much more when I paired it with white sauce pasta and creamy cheeses. I like the way it loses the sweetness and gets a slight tart flavor, the cream in the sauce and cheese compliments the wine quite nicely. It also lessens the acidity which can get cloying.

Overall, I would have to say this is an exceptional wine for the price. At just over 5 dollars, you can't miss with this one. I am becoming quite fond of the Argentinian and Chilean produced wines, specifically those varietals that you rarely see from other regions (Malbec, Carmenere, and Bonarda). I would recommend this wine with just a few caveats. One, it's still a rather young wine so let it sit for a good fifteen minutes before consuming it. Two, it is a decent blend that you can put out basically at any time of the day for any occasion but it's not really complex and it won't work wonders on your palate. Finally, it doesn't have the depth or flavors that I love in wines that usually feature Cabernet Sauvignon (warm dry moutfeel, big tannins, nice depth of body and flavor) but it's not a bland wine either. Go get a couple bottles and sample it for yourself, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Fabre Montmayou Wines

Thoughts on Food and Wine.

(I do not own the rights to this picture)

A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to eat at Victoria and Albert's at Walt Disney World. This is all due to my wife making reservations months in advance. I have never had the opportunity to eat a meal the likes of which we enjoyed that night, nor to have wine that matched each course of our meal so perfectly. As I have become more entranced by wine, I have found myself reminiscing about that visit to Victoria and Albert's. I have pulled out our menus and perused them, then searched the internet for each wine that we sampled. Not surprising, the wines we tried are not 100 dollar bottles. Most of them come in at 20 dollars. Of all the them, I could only find one that had been rated by any of the big wine magazines or organizations, and it was rated a 92. I didn't know that at the time, what I do know is that every wine we sampled was fantastic, and the meal itself was an amazing experience. I long to try something similar, however, Arizona does not lend itself to fine dining or nine course chef's tasting menus. I envy friends of mine living in California, New York and Florida that have access to a bevy of restaurants that offer these types of dining and drinking experiences. I guess all my reminiscing and writing is for one reason. If you are so inclined and have the money, I would recommend doing some research and then spending a lovely night at a restaurant like this. If you go in with an open mind and an attitude to learn about cuisine and wine, you won't be let down. Even if it's a once in a lifetime experience, it's well worth it. And for those of you that want a review of Victoria and Albert's, it was worth every penny, I highly recommend it!

2009 Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Black currant, blackberry, oak

Taste - My first impression of this wine(from this tasting, I've had this wine quite a few times in the past), is that it has a quick cherry sweetness to it which fades to a pleasant, light vegetal flavor reminiscent of grass, oak and mint on the finish. It has a decent medium-to-long finish with a mild bite right before it fades from the palate. There are subtle undertones of black pepper and spice, as well as minute flavors of green bell peppers. All of these spice/herbaceous flavors are just under the surface of the fruit and fade rather quickly. This particular wine is lighter than most Cabs I am used to drinking. It's good but uneventful, not complex at all, but not boring. It's definitely more medium-bodied, even leaning more to a light Cabernet. The wine really shines when it's paired with fatty meats or heavy cream sauces. The fats pull out the tannins and flavors of this wine that otherwise go unnoticed. It's not a great Cab, pretty ordinary, but you can pick it up at almost any supermarket so it's readily available if you need a decent Cab to go with your steak dinner.

Overall, I'd love to rate this as one of my favorite wines because I truly do appreciate Concha y Toro wines, but I really can't. It's a good wine, it's probably priced about 4 or 5 dollars too high, but if you get on sale for 8.99, it's a decent bargain. I would say pick it up for those summer grilling days, but you can just as easily find a better bottle for just a few dollars more. Try the Altera Cabernet Sauvignon for about the same price, or Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon for just a few dollars more.

Concha y Toro Wines

2008 Fabla Calatayud Garnacha, Spain

Color - Garnet

Nose - Strawberry, Tannin, Alcohol, Oak

Taste - Right from the get-go, this wine strikes me as very light, fruit forward and particularly dry. As with the nose, there are definite hints of strawberry and as the wine passes over the palate it has quite along finish, which surprised me. Attacks the mid-palate, but rather softly with light berry flavors . This wine has a very clean finish, one of the cleanest I've experienced, it leaves almost no lingering tastes of anything, which I view as disappointing. The finish itself is medium compared to what I'm used to, and pleasant. It's rather one dimensional, not complex at all. I would say this is a decent substitute to Chianti or a light Merlot. After a second tasting of this, I find it does leave just a slight aftertaste of leaves (strawberry leaves or sweet tea leaves). Finally, I can't find any tannins at all, though they seem present in the nose, I can't taste them to save my life. For me this is a big minus since I love tannins in my wine.

Overall,this is much too light for my tastes. It's extremely un-complex, bordering on boring. I'm sure it would be great to serve to red wine newbies or people that like light/sweet red wines, but for me it just seems bland and a waste of time and money. It's not nearly tannic or full bodied enough which is the main deciding factor. It is drinkable by itself, but you should know that the flavors "dull" rather quickly. Find something even a little more complex and driving, perhaps a Malbec or decent Tempranillo.

Calatayud Wines

Bad Reviews

(I do not own the rights to this picture)

I really hate to write bad reviews. Basically for two reasons. First, I hate to be that wrong about a wine I've picked out even if it is a bottle of 4.99 "supermarket blowout" sale wine. I just don't want to come off like I've been had by a winery producing something closer to grape juice than to wine. Second, I don't think I am qualified enough to write a lot of bad reviews, which is why I only write them when the wine is REALLY bad (Lucky Duck Cabernet Sauvignon was one such wine). I think that most wine probably has merit, especially since there are so many wines out there with so many different tastes. Plus wine reviewing at my level is completely subjective, and to a certain extent I think wine reviewing even by a world renowned sommelier is fairly subjective. We are all human, our tastes are based totally on bias. I like wines that show vanilla on the nose, and that give my tongue the feeling of being coated in olive oil and have the slight aftertaste of butter. That's probably really rare and very particular, but the few wines that I've found that have these characteristics, I've ended up loving. That is a bias and I will base all my reviews on the fact that I am looking for a wine that has these characteristics.
So as far as posting a bad review goes, I will attempt to do that rarely. I think most wines have something to offer, especially when the consumer is as uneducated in wine as I am. I should view them as learning experiences, and in five years after I've gained more knowledge I might end up liking something I didn't like right now. So unless it really sucks, it's not getting a bad review. I might say I don't like it or it's not for me, but I will probably still admit that it's a decent wine for the money, or suggest it to someone that likes something a little different than I do. I just don't have the heart to "kill" the wines I drink...Unless it's Lucky Duck. Then I might as well break out my shotgun and use the bottle for target practice, I'd get more out of it that way than if I drank it.

2009 Bolla Valpolicella, Italy

Color - Light red with a near pink rim

Nose - Slight cherry, clean herbaceous hints

Taste - Having never had this particular style of wine, I didn't know what to expect, but right off the bat two things hit me. One, this wine is much lighter than I am used to drinking. Two, this wine has an interesting sour cherry flavor that permeates every sip. The wine is light colored and light in body, it doesn't hang around on your palate after you've swallowed though the sour cherry flavor stays with me for several long seconds before it fades. There are hints of grass, herbs or light mint as the wine fades on the tongue and nearly a pucker factor. Though the wine is sour it is still fruity and not particularly dry. The vegetal flavors are quite pleasant in the wine almost enough to balance the sourness. The wine is very smooth as far as mouthfeel goes, the tannins are nearly lost (in my opinion due to the fact that your mouth is dealing with so much sour cherry). It's young and kind of muddled, but not necessarily bad, just different. I usually stick with Chianti or Sangiovese if I purchase and Italian red wine, I tried this out because it was cheap and the back label made it sound like something my mouth would enjoy. There is a slight bite from the alcohol, but not a lot of heat from it, nothing.

Overall, this is a difficult wine for my palate to peg. My gut instinct is to find a different brand of this wine before I discount Valpolicella altogether, but to be quite honest I don't really like the wine all that much. I'm not fond of light red wines. This wine reminds me more of a sour apple Sauvignon Blanc more than it reminds me of a Chianti or other light red. Even the aroma has more in common with the few dry/sour whites I've come to enjoy. It's not an unpleasant wine just not what I would pick. I would hazard a guess and say a person looking to transition from white-to-red might enjoy this wine as an ice breaker into red wines. For the price I'd pick up a Chianti or Tempranillo or even a decent red table wine before I'd buy this again.

Bolla Wines

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...

Or something like that. So in hopes of helping those of you that read my blog visualize the wines I review, I've decided to add some photographs to this page. I was torn between using stock photos of the wine bottles that I might find on the web, but decided that I should probably use my camera instead. I am by no means a professional photographer. I probably have more skill reviewing wine than I do taking pictures, but like drinking wine, taking photos is something that I greatly enjoy. (Coincidentally, my background photo for this blog is a photo I took, if you care). So I pulled out all the bottles I still have and snapped photos of each and every one.
But I soon ran into a problem, a lot of the wine's I have reviewed have been consumed and I no longer have the bottles, oh what to do?!? Well, I guess I am a little bit strange but I've been removing the labels from my wine bottles and keeping them in a journal I have created where I will write brief notes about each wine next to the corresponding label. Therefore I have also used these labels as subjects for my photographs. I hope this doesn't bother anyone. I know I didn't have the bottle. You can't see the detail of the wine shining through the glass bottle or how tall the bottle is...Sorry. Even the photos I've taken of the labels still on the bottle have been cropped to just give you the front label of the wine.
I do this more because I don't have a studio to take "nice" photos of each bottle sitting next to a four course meal, or the equipment to do a photo like that justice. What I do have is the desire to help you identify the wines I have reviewed by sight when you take a trip to the supermarket/liquor store.
Hopefully this helps you and doesn't detract from the reviews themselves. If you have any feedback, positive or negative, don't hesitate to comment or send me an email.

2007 Munoz de Toro Argie Bonarda, Argentina

Color - Very Dark Purple

Nose - Roses, Brown Sugar/Molasses, Plum (lots of plum)

Taste - This wine is very dry on it's first drinking, but very nice. Not something I would normally choose based on flavors, but it tastes exquisite all the same. It has a very long finish, slightly more tannins than I usually like with a strong acidic follow through. There are plum flavors (no surprise) with slight vegetal undertones. Very clean aftertaste, like chewing on apple skin. There are very tiny hints of molasses or syrup which is present in the nose. This wine coats my entire mouth. It's a VERY BIG wine based on what I'm used to drinking at the 16.99 price point. Quite complex compared to the other wines I've tasted of this varietal.
I paired this with Alfredo sauce pasta (a test I like to do with red's since they usually pair well with red sauces, I like to try the white sauces to see how they fair as well). The plum and molasses flavors are still very present. The wine is also very dry and the acid from the tannins pulls to the end of the attack so that the flavors go as follows: plum/molasses, tannins, clean/herbaceous notes. This is very fruity  and lighter than when I'd consumed this by itself. The plum flavor is heavy on my palate, almost too much, but it stops just short of being overwhelming. The abundance of plum has me perplexed since I don't usually drink wines that feature a lot of plum, this isn't for everyone, but it's PERFECT for me.

Overall, this wine is simply delectable. A BIG wine for someone that likes big wines with tons of heavy, dark fruit and syrup. I loved every second of it and I can't wait to get more of it to enjoy any time I want to. This is my favorite wine so far. It's the perfect wine for my palate though it's not your normal red wine. My wife bought it for me at a local olive mill, Queen Creek Olive Mill, and it's absolutely perfect for me.

Munoz de Toro Wines

2007 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Cabernet/Merlot, Australia

Color - Dark Red

Nose - Plum (lots of plum), minimal blackberry and oak

Taste - I am firmly of the opinion that this wine would have been a very offensive wine had it not been blended with the Merlot. It's sweet to begin with, lots of plum on the attack, there is a slight vegetal flavor that hides behind the plum. Very nice clean finish with little or no aftertaste, but leaves my mouth with a very pleasant clean feeling. A medium bodied red perhaps even leaning on the light side of reds, especially those I am used to drinking. The cutting acidity and tannins of the Cabernet are mellowed, almost to the point of nonexistence, by the Merlot quite nicely. It is enjoyable if somewhat one-dimensional and not a very good offering of a blend of these two grapes. There are many that you can find for the same price that taste better. The wine is smooth with little or no alcohol heat to it.

Overall, This wine is good, not great. It's definitely not something I would drink often or even out of preference, but I wouldn't shun this wine if it was offered to me at a party or get together. It's far to "light" for my taste of reds. The Merlot really softens the Cabernet's heaviness, which isn't bad because I truly think this Cabernet would be a subpar offering. The few times that it broke through it was just too herbaceous and unpleasant for my palate. This would go well with food from your barbecue grill, pork chops, or fried dishes. Not nearly my favorite from Penfold's, they do have a lot of good wines, this one is not one of them.

Penfolds Wines