On Tonight's Menu...Two Red Blends

So tonight I thought I would stray from the strict review of a single wine and review two red blends. I don't specifically seek out red blends, though I will pick them up now and again if they jump out at me. These two piqued my interest when I was shopping, both from their descriptions and their prices. Let's see how they faired.

NV Oreana ? 55% Cabernet Sauvignon/45% Syrah, California

Color - Dark red

Nose - Cherry, blackberry, spices

Taste - Be warned, straight off this has BIG BOLD FRUIT flavors. This thing is the closest to a fruit bomb of a red wine that I have ever tasted. The Cabernet Sauvignon seems nearly invisible, while what I can only imagine is the Syrah bombards my palate. Sure there are underlying tones of Cab goodness like vanilla, cocoa, blackberry and black pepper but you really have to search for them on every sip. I would love this wine if the cherry/blueberry/cranberry/gooseberry/(insert any other berry here) flavor didn't flood my mouth with every sip. The mid-palate holds all of the Cabernet Sauvignon flavors but they last for only a few seconds before they fade into a 20 second tannic and alcohol filled finish. The wine is medium bodied with a completely unremarkable mouthfeel. I don't doubt that the Cab in this wine would be a magnificent wine by itself but for this doesn't work at all. Overall, this is way too fruity for my tastes. This wine might be what some people are looking for, I'm not one of those people. It doesn't have the depth or complexity I'm used to. It's still a decent wine despite it's faults, even I can see that it's not a bad wine. I just can't see buying it again, but you'll have to choose for yourself.

Oreana Winery

2009 Thistle Dew Cabernet Sauvignon 65%/Petit Verdot 35%, Australia

Color - Purple with a dark red rim

Nose - Cherry, raspberry

Taste - There's some nice jammy, cherry fruit that jumps right out at me on the first sip. Though I will say this tastes way better a day or two after opening. The cherry hints fade into a nice mid-palate of tannins with a slight hint of heat. This wine is absolutely nothing spectacular; it's right in the middle of the pack of average, sub-ten dollar wines. It has a rather unimpressive nose, medium body, and medium finish. The aftertaste has tinges of clean fruit skins. I'm not even close to being familiar with Petit Verdot, this is only the second wine I've had that featured the grape. I would hazard a guess and say that this wine would probably be overwhelming and too young to drink if it didn't have a healthy dose of Petit Verdot. As a blend it's pretty decent. Reminds me of the Notro only this is more balanced and not as fruity. Overall, this is an OK wine. It's not too hot which is nice in a blend. I'd say it makes a nice sipping wine, food tends to run over it though it might hold up to fish, poultry and salads. Try it if you want to sip something new and don't want anything too complex, as this is a rather simple red blend.

2008 Anakena Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard, Chile

Color - Nice even red

Nose - Creamy blackberry, plum, mint

Taste - Initially this has a very nice flavor of currant and blackberry with some cedar in the mid-palate and then hints of vanilla and pepper on it's long finish. The tannins are definitely present in this wine though they aren't too overpowering. There is an even level of astringency that coats my gums and teeth. The cedar notes and vanilla are quite pleasant, a mix I've found in a few wines and have grown to like them.There is only a small amount of vegetal flavors or heat from the alcohol. I wouldn't call this bland or subdued, just a rather mellow Cabernet Sauvignon. I enjoyed it, just not as much as I thought I would. It has some small complexities, but is more a "safe" wine than a big bold red wine.

Overall, this is kind of a letdown as far as QPR and comparison to other Anakena wines go (at least for my palate). If the Indo wines weren't so good, this would be a pretty good wine, but at several dollars more than the Anakena Indo and in my opinion, having far less complexity and depth than the Indo; I'd say pass on this. That is however, based on my palate that craves big, bold red wine flavors, and lots of spice box aroma. For a very clean, easy drinking red wine, that is pleasant and smooth, this is probably one of the best out there. It all depends on your perspective.

2008 Finca Flichman Misterio Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Color - Dark red

Nose - Blackberry, muddled dark fruit and berries

Taste - On first sip and throughout the glasses I consumed this wine is fruit forward and, in my opinion, mediocre. I will admit that this is the bottom of Finca Flichman's offerings as far as price goes, but from word of mouth and the staff reviews at Total Wine, I was expecting more. There aren't any layers or depth to this wine. What little flavor there is seems to be some rather subdued and indecipherable berries followed by an aftertaste that has more alcohol than actual flavor. Even at this level it's better than a lot of wines, but not enough for me to seek it out again when there are so many other wines at the same price point or just a little bit more expensive that are far more pleasing. I would advise that you don't waste your time with this and pick up one of Finca's more expensive offerings, any of Anakena's Cabs or the Crios Cab for just a few dollars more. With those you know you'll be getting a bottle that will keep your taste buds happy.

Overall, this is merely an OK wine. It's nothing special, very subdued until the finish and then rather alcohol heavy. It is medium bodied, with too long of a finish (more because of the alcohol than anything else). It's possible I got a bad bottle, but it might just be that this is just what an 8 dollar bottle of wine is for Finca Flichman. I am by no means done tasting their wines, they have a lot more wines under 20 dollars, hopefully the others fair better than this. To sum up, keep searching, leave this one sitting on the shelf.

Finca Flichman Wines

2009 Anakena Indo Merlot, Chile

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Plum, black cherry

Taste - This wine has nice dark fruit characteristics on the first sip, but they fade quickly into something less fruit-y and more sour fruit-y. Normally I wouldn't complain but something about the sourness in this wine is a little unpleasant. The sour cherries don't last too long, thankfully, but give way to a decent amount of heat and astringency. The wine is full bodied and a long finish that has dark fruit characters and some rather lively tannins. It's not offensive but it isn't what I was expecting. This is the first Anakena wine that I would say take a pass on. It's just not nearly as "organized" as the other wines are. It's rather disjointed and the flavor profile just does all the wrong things for my palate. The heat is present but the sour cherries really just puts me off when combined with the amount of heat there is in this wine. I think it has to do with the transition from sour to heat to astringent; it's not very pleasant. That's not to say this is a bad wine, by no means is it bad. It's great compared to most of the grocery store Merlots, it's just not what I would expect from an Anakena wine.

Overall, this wine falls short of the rather high Anakena bar. It's pretty plain and at some times rather confused. To be honest I have not tasted a whole lot of Merlot, but if I were to judge this like I judge any other red wine, than this isn't up to snuff as far as Anakena goes. If you want a Merlot, get the Columbia-Crest H3 Merlot, if you want an Anakena red, pick up any one of their other reds and you'll be happy.

Anakena Wines

NV Double Dog Dare Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color - Red

Nose - Strawberry and raspberry scented cleaner of some kind

Taste - I can tell the story of this in two words: absolutely horrible. This is quite possibly the worst "wine" I've tasted yet; the sad thing is that this isn't offensive, bitter or too hot from alcohol. The true horror of this wine is the fact that it tastes like melted jolly ranchers with a tiny heat right at the finish. This is a light-to-medium train wreck of a beverage. It's not a Cabernet Sauvignon, more like a wine cooler. Lucky for anyone that buys this wine, it has a medium finish that is pretty devoid of any flavor whatsoever. It is a bland, flat red wine that doesn't taste like anything I'd ever want to drink.

Overall, I didn't expect much from this wine seeing as I picked it up for 2.99 at Total Wine, but it was even more disappointing that I thought it would be. This wine, if you could call it that, has no redeeming values at all, unless you like your wine to taste like chemical-laced candy. That's the furthest thing from my mind when I want to drink wine. Pass this up like it has the plague, I would rather drink anything else, including box wine and probably most malt liquor before I'd drink this again.

2008 Georges Vigouroux Pigmentum Malbec Cahors, France

Color - Deep purple with a dark red rim

Nose - Wet soil and unwashed lettuce (I know, sorry, this is what I get from this wine)

Taste - This wine got me right from the first sip, actually from the first whiff. There is minimal or muted fruit in the flavor though there are hints of smoky dark berries on the mid-palate and finish. Mostly I taste the following: (in order) damp soil, lettuce and celery, wood smoke, berries, lots of minerals and an almost bitter aftertaste. This is all after decanting the wine for two hours and then again tasting a glass on day two and another glass on day three. There is a strong level of astringency and a lot of tannins. The wine is medium-to-full bodied with a quite long finish. It would probably do well to be paired with a decent steak, savory game dishes or sharp cheese.

Overall, this wine is what you get when you don't pay attention when picking out a new wine. I am familiar with Argentinian Malbec and the flavors of their particular terroir. Until this wine I'd only read about French Malbecs and how they differed from their Argentinian brethren. I now have a first hand experience. This is not a wine I would drink often. It's not bad at all, in fact, it's pretty good just not my preference. I'll stick with the Argentinian Malbcs, but I would recommend this as a good wine with a decent QPR and if you are looking for a change of pace or want to be a little adventurous, try this out.

Georges Vigouroux Wines