2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Color - Dark purple with a violet rim

Nose - Black currant, chocolate, vanilla

Taste - This particular Argentinian gem is actually a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Had I known that when I purchased this I might not have picked it up, but I learned it after I sipped it for the first time and boy am I glad I didn't know that particular fact. The wine has an incredible mouthfeel and flavor. I was floored by the complexity and warmth of this wine. It is dry, there is a little heat from the alcohol, but the flavor profile is what grabs me. Vanilla-tinged black currants fade into a light chocolate flavor then finally transition into black pepper and leather. The flavors keep me captivated with every single sip. The wine is full-bodied with a wonderful long finish. There is a warmth and velvety mouthfeel to this wine with a slight butter-y texture. The wine is somewhat astringent but not in a bad way. I like the immense intensity of this wine, it's now one of my favorites.

Overall, this wine is a 20-25 dollar bottle of wine hiding at an 11 dollar price point. The Wine Advocate gave this 90 points, I'd say it's definitely deserving of a point or two on top of those 90 points. I say buy it now and every time you can find it. It's an amazing example of a great Cabernet Sauvignon under 20 dollars.

Crios de Susana Balbo

A Tale of Two Cabs

A little change of pace, I figure I'll review two Cabernet Sauvignon's and we'll see how things pan out. Without further ado, on to the wines.

1. 2008 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Dark Red

Nose - Blackberries, Black Cherry, Currant, Vanilla

Taste - I get a healthy does of blackberries minus the tartness, and a lovely quick drying of my mouth and gums. This is a very young, tannic, astringent wine. Not particularly dry and it isn't very complex either. I wouldn't call this a "simple" wine just rather young. It has a TON of potential, and is my current Cabernet from Trader Joe's. There aren't many layers to this wine right now, but I bet if you cellar a few bottles for a few years you'd find that changes rather quickly. Though the wine has heat and tannic acid, neither overpower the wine. Mostly this is an early wine that's rather plain and subdued but is packed with the potential to be amazing.

Overall, the wine has a decent texture and mouthfeel, though it's only medium-bodied for a Cab. It has a medium-to-long finish and astringency that is more compelling than it's flavors. I'd say this is very nice for the price and for as young as this is it has a lot of character and a flavor that won't disappoint. Pick it up as a stand by when you run low on the good stuff or if you need a cheaper wine for a big shindig.

Santa Rita Wines

2. 2008 Montes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Garnet Red

Nose - Cherry, wood smoke

Taste - This wine is pretty dry, and fairly fruity when paired with strong flavored food. There is aquie a lot of bite from the alcohol, it's not overwhelming just a lot of bite. By itself it just really loses its complexity and ends up rather boring for a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's an ok wine at the sub 10 dollar ranger. It lacks a lot of depth but it finishes well with a clean feeling. The tannins are a little elusive, one sip they are very present and the next they are invisible. I think the wine is good for the price, but to be honest there are others that are just as good for a similar price(Redwood Creek for a few bucks less, Santa Rita 120 for about the same price, and Crios for just a few dollars more). It's hard t pin down this wine mostly because the alcohol bite takes a lot from the wine.

Overall, there is the potential for this wine to be spectacular. There's a lot going on under the surface, the heat masks a lot of the flavors. There is a little bitter hint towards the end of the finish that I find slightly off-putting but not enough to discount this wine. It' would benefit from a decent aeration and decanting to lessen the alcohol and bring out the flavors. Good, not great, enough to give it a try at this price point.

Montes Wines

2008 Santa Alicia Carmenere Reserve, Chile

Color - Garnet Red

Nose - Blackberry, green bell pepper, leaves, coffee

Taste - This wine is dry with a nice burst of blackberry that fades to something herbaceous, I just can't pin down the particulars. Given the right food the very subtle tannins come to life coating my mouth in somewhat warm, creamed coffee feeling and slight taste. I went out on a limb and had this with three different dishes.

1. Six-Cheese Pizza - The wine is fruity with a nice bite. The herbaceous notes in the nose don't come through. There are definite spice hints almost like black pepper and maybe very minimal clove touches.

2. Sushi - I know wine and sushi don't mix, especially red win, but it wasn't bad. It fared best when the sushi had been given a dip in wasabi, then the heat and spice of the wine complemented the wasabi but the fruits also pull forward making this wine almost seem sweet.

3. Pesto-Alfredo Cheese Ravioli with Shrimp - There are wondrous creamy tannins and lovely herbaceous flavors of grass and green bell pepper. The wine has adopted a decent mouthfeel, still medium-bodied and somewhat tart, it still warms the tongue. It reminds me of a few rather spicy Cabernet Sauvignon's I've had, but not as full-bodied.

Overall, this is medium-bodied with a long finish. it's also quite good without food, which I didn't expect. Hands down, this is the best Carmenere I've tasted so far. It's complex and inviting. I would reach for this when I wanted something lighter than a Cab and not as sweet as a Malbec. It has an exceptional QPR right now since it's on sale at Cost Plus World Market for 7.99. On a side note, The Wine Advocate rates this wine 90 points, and I would highly agree if I used a point system, since I don't I will rate it like this...Go buy some now, and if you have the money buy a whole case, you won't be disappointed.

Santa Alicia Winery

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

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

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

2009 Maipe Bonarda, Argentina

Color - Deep red with violet hints

Nose - Black Currant, Blackberry, Vanilla

Taste - The first thing that hits me is that the tannins are very, very smooth for a wine that is this dark. It's nice and dry, has a long finish with a good clean finish. The wine has a very pleasant mouth feel, slightly spicy as the wine leaves the mouth. It has a somewhat smoky flavor. The wine is medium-bodied and it coats the mouth quite nicely. This is the first Bonarda I've ever tried. It's made me want to try a few more. It reminds me of a "light" Cabernet Sauvignon. It's not particularly sweet, not reminiscent of a Malbec or Merlot. It has depth and body, isn't overly complex, but has enough flavor to keep me guessing. Pair it with grilled meats, pasta, smoky cheeses, or savory dishes.

Overall, I will definitely be drinking this wine in the future. It's turned me on to a brand new varietal. One that I am learning to love just as much as I love Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a wonderful nose, nice color, and great taste. It's quite "mild" for a wine that is as dark as it is. On my third drinking it became amazing. The vanilla in the nose dominates the wine. The flavor is just slightly more fruit forward, I would have loved the vanilla in the nose to be more present in the taste. But I would say overall this has become a favorite of mine and I will be purchasing it at my next visit to Total Wine.

Chakana Wines

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