2007 Viriato Tinta de Toro, Spain

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Strawberry, cherry, blueberry?

Taste – This wine surprised me right from the first sip. I was expecting a rather fruit forward, medium bodied red wine. That’s not really what’s displayed here. Sure there’s fruit here, but there’s also a nice heat from the alcohol that doesn’t let the fruit run away with this wine. I would say to let this wine decant for a good 15 minutes before you really start to sip and also that it tastes better to me when it’s just slightly chilled. This is as close to fruit bombs as I like to get without crossing the line. I can taste red and black berries right from the first sip. The berries are followed closely by some baking spices, chocolate, and heat in the mid-palate, and then on the finish again we have lots of juicy berries characteristics coming through. I would say that without the heat from the alcohol and the subtle astringency this would just become a fruity, jammy mess of a wine. This is a medium-to-full bodied wine with a long, pleasant finish. This wine is still relatively close to being too much for my palate, but it doesn’t go overboard. I would say try this with some savory burgers or a nice cheese platter though it does go down just fine by itself.

Overall, this is another good wine with a pretty decent QPR from Trader Joe’s. It’s not incredibly adventurous, but it does bring some nice flavor and texture to the table. It’s relatively plain and simple with easygoing flavors and nothing to detract from it. This is a nice break from the normal red wines you might purchase. You can’t go wrong here, but you can find some other 6 dollar wines that are just as good if not a little better. Try it for yourself.

2010 Trader Joe’s Vinas Chilenas Merlot Reserva, Chile

Color – Dark purple with a violet rim

Nose – Blackberry, dark cherry, green bell pepper

Taste – Having tried the Vinas Chilenas Cabernet Sauvignon and being pleasantly surprised at how a 4 dollar bottle of Cab could possibly be quaffable, I was not surprised that the Merlot passed my test as well. I will admit that this is a little less to my liking than the Cab was. First off the wine has two big flavors that come through on every sip: black cherry jam and green bell pepper. These two flavors vie for dominance through the attack, mid-palate and the finish so there isn’t a whole lot going on in the forefront of this wine. There are some subtle flavors and textures under the surface but you might struggle to find them. The first is a decent amount of chocolate and tobacco in the mid-palate and some nice oaky smoke on the finish. There is also a decent amount of heat that runs through the mid-palate, finish, and aftertaste. This taste much better right at room temperature or slightly warmer, at cooler temperatures the green bell pepper becomes nearly overbearing. The mouthfeel is fairly smooth with near invisible tannins but just the right alcohol. The wine is medium bodied with a medium finish.

Overall, this is an OK QPR. I can’t honestly say this is any better than its price tag of 4 dollars. Sure the other 4 dollar bottles are wines you are going to dump down the drain whereas this one you will actually drink, but it really isn’t worth it. I would say save up 2 more bucks and pick up the Trentatre 33 or Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon or if you are desperate get the Vinas Chilenas Cabernet instead.

2007 Louis Verge Morgon “Les Pierres Fines”, France

Color – Light, nearly transparent red

Nose – Cherry, blueberry

Taste – I am pretty sure this Morgon is truly from the Gamay grape and an actual Beaujolais Cru though I could be wrong. The bottle does not identify the varietal, however, this wine is quite similar to other wines I have tasted featuring the Gamay grape. That being said this wine does not fare as well as any of those wines. I have read online that 2007 was not a particularly good year for Beaujolais winemakers and this wine definitely shows that. The wine itself needs a chance to breathe, at the very least decant this for 10 minutes, though 30 minutes would be better. If you don’t decant this you will find the wine acidic, bitter, and tannic; three things you don’t want to find in your Beaujolais. After breathing this wine mellows quite nicely and the flavors can actually be deciphered. The wine is light-to-medium in body. There are flavors of cherry, strawberry, and some floral notes as the wine first touches the tongue. These transition quickly into a mid-palate of sour cherry, smoke and grass. Finally the finish is short and features hints of dust and more smoke.

Overall, this wine surprised me. It surprised me where the actual flavor of the wine is concerned. It surprised me that it might actually be a Morgon Beaujolais Cru for under 10 dollars. And it surprised me that it has tannins and acid that actually show up when you drink it. Not all of surprises are good surprises. Sure it’s nice to drink Beaujolais and not have to fork over 15 bucks, but in all honesty I’d rather buy the 8 dollar Georges Debeouf Beaujolais-Villages than this bottle. This wine isn’t bad, I’d drink it again, but not when I want Beaujolais. But if I want a light red that I can pick up for under 8 bucks this is pretty good. It’s not going to win any awards and it’s definitely closer to the” Red Table Wine” on its label than actually being a Beaujolais.

2010 Concha y Toro Xplorador Cabernet-Merlot (75% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Merlot), Chile

Color –Dark red

Nose – Green bell peppers, blackberry

Taste – Having sampled nearly all of Conca y Toro’s inexpensive wines and being, for the most part, underwhelmed (besides the amazing Concha y Toro Trio); I was surprised that this wine is as good at it is. Simply put this is a great inexpensive, bulk wine. The flavors are very vegetal and herbaceous but also very pleasant and fulfilling. There are few transitions in this wine as far as flavors go. What transitions there are in this wine are as follows: green bell pepper, dark cherry, alcohol. The mid-palate is all cherry and raspberry, while the finish is rather short and personified with muted tannins, celery, and cut grass. This wine is medium bodied and a little “watery” at times. Normally I would say a wine of this “caliber” is poor, however, this wine is very inexpensive, 8.99 for 1.5 liters. And the quality is actually pretty darn good at that price point. There aren’t any surprises, it lacks anything close to depth, and there isn’t a hint of complexity in this wine at all. But it tastes good, and goes down really smoothly on its own or with food. So I have to say it’s a pretty good wine.

Overall, I would say this wine passes my tests for an inexpensive, bulk wine. It tastes good, a glass of this actually tastes like wine rather than fruit juice with alcohol mixed in. It doesn’t have any of the more off putting flavors that some cheap wines exhibit (jolly ranchers, chemicals, or sugar). While it does have some fruit flavors, it’s balanced by the predominant flavors of green bell peppers and celery and that makes it taste complex even though it is far from complex. All in all this is a good QPR and a wine that you should pick up and store because it is inexpensive and perfect for large parties or as something inexpensive to sip during the week.

Concha y Toro Wines

2009 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, France

Color – Nice even red

Nose – Raspberry, strawberry, cherry

Taste – Quite some time ago, a wine clerk at Total Wine recommended that I try 2009 Beaujolais Cru as the 2009 vintage is the best to have been produced in quite some time. I shook it off and didn’t think much of it until a few days ago when I picked up a bottle of Beaujolais-Villages at the local supermarket. Now this isn’t the same as the Cru, but its pretty close according to Wikipedia, and boy was I impressed. It’s a very low tannin, high acidity wine with flavors of strawberry and rose petals. The mid-palate has characters of sour cherry but not enough to bring out the pucker. And the finish is medium-to-long with more floral notes. The wine is quite light, but very pleasant. Honestly this is perhaps one of the best varietals I’ve had the opportunity to try. Though this is light-bodied, quite floral in flavor, and astringent, it is a fantastic glass of red wine. It’s refreshing but pairs well with food. You can drink this all by itself or try it with some good cheese. For a decent red that’s not too heavy and more accessible to the average person, you should pick up a bottle of Beaujolais-Villages.

Overall, this is a pretty darn amazing wine with complexity, depth, flavor, and versatility. I would recommend this as a wine to drink just about any time, any place. Sure it’s not a big, bold red like I normally enjoy, but that’s what makes this wine so good. It has TONS of flavor, with hints of flowers that run through it making the flavor very compelling. The QPR on this is quite good at 8.99 a bottle, I would say this is one of the better wines at this price point. Serve this to anyone including those that don’t like red wines, I would be willing to bet they’d like this. Pick this one up!

Louis Jadot Wines

2008 Mouton Cadet Bordeaux (65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc), France

Color – Dark red, with a garnet rim

Nose – Currant, blackberry, flowers, spice

Taste – Beautiful flavors of red currant right from the first sip. This wine is very smooth and easily very accessible. The red currant mingles with some sour cherries, then a mid-palate of blackberry and well balanced acidity. The finish is very smooth, medium in length, with flavors of red currant, leather, floral hints and some creamy textures as well. All in all a very nice quaffable effort. This is closer to a medium bodied wine than a full bodied red. It nicely mixes the three varietals of grapes, Merlot, Cab Sauv and Cab Franc to the betterment of the wine. The red currant flavors and smooth texture from the Merlot come right through and stay from first sip through the finish. The Cab Sauv adds some weight, tannins and acid to the wine and defined flavors in the mid-palate of blackberry and cassis. Finally the Cab Franc helps balance the “heaviness” of the Cab Sauv and the delicate Merlot with hints of floral characteristics in the nose and on the finish. I think this is a great entry level Bordeaux, you aren’t going to find anything cheaper with the word Bordeaux on it or the quality you will find here. But you aren’t going to find the depth, complexity and wonderful character of the terrior you will find in more expensive Bordeuaxs.

Overall, this is a good red wine with a good-to-great QPR. It has nice flavor, texture, and decent depth. It’s not going to suck your wallet dry and it is very drinkable. It will let you get your “toes wet” where Bordeaux wines are concerned but it won’t break the bank. It’s also not going to teach you a lot about Bordeaux wines, but it will satisfy your desires for a good red wine.

Mouton Cadet Wines