2006 Waterbrook Melange Noir (28% Cabernet Franc/21% Syrah/19% Cabernet Sauvignon/17% Sangiovese/14% Merlot/1% Tempranillo) , Washington

Color – Dark red, with a purple core

Nose – Blueberry, vanilla, grapes

Taste – I had hoped when I picked this up on clearance at my local supermarket, that this would be a standout wine. I had hoped it would surpass the two other Waterbrook wines I had tasted up to that point. Unfortunately I was sadly mistaken. This isn’t a bad wine, but it doesn’t have the depth and complexity that the Waterbrook Syrah and Waterbrook Cabernet-Merlot characterize so well. This wine looks big, bold and dark. It smells just a little more timid than that. But it’s in the flavor that it fails for me. The attack is full of jammy, fruity blueberry, raisin and plum flavors with veins of brown sugar, molasses and leather running through all the fruit. The mid-palate is relatively one dimensional, with the alcohol and astringency hiding and chewy, playful tannins showing up as the mid-palate makes its way into the finish. The finish might have redeemed this wine had it been just a little more complex and a little longer. It’s a medium finish that holds more brown sugar, molasses and plum flavors and brings on hints of vanilla, licorice and very minimal baking spices. The wine itself is medium bodied, though when left to sit and reach slightly above-room temperature this wine feels “heavier” on the tongue.

Overall, I can’t call this a bad/poor wine or QPR. At its normal price of 17 dollars I would have called it a poor QPR. But I picked this up at 9 dollars and for that price this wine is lightyears ahead of most other 9 dollar wines. The reason I deride it is because the other Waterbrook wines I’ve tasted have been so good, I expected the same from this wine. I didn’t get it. It’s a little thin, a lot confused as far as flavor goes and lacking anything I would call depth or complexity. If you can get this for under 10 dollars then I would recommend grabbing it just to try it and maybe you‘ll prove me wrong. If you can only find this for more than 10 dollars I’d advise passing and grab any other Waterbrook red wine.

Waterbrook Wines

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