2010 Kirkland Signature Series Red Wine, Washington

My fourth foray into Costco’s Signature Series line of wines that one can only assume are of higher quality, complexity and limited batches. While I loved the Stag’s Leap and Mountain Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignons, I was not a fan of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as it was far to fruit forward bordering on sweet. This particular wine is the first of the series that is not solely a Cab Sauv, as it is a red blend featuring Cab Sauv, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot; therefore falling into the Meritage family of red blends. I purchased two bottles of this particular wine right off the bat and popped the first that very same day. It is a very pleasant red blend that is dark purple in the glass, with violet bubbles and a black core. The nose is comprised of succulent, compact blackberry, black currant, molasses and oak notes; floating atop a vanilla, caramel and crème de cassis backbone. The attack is very balanced but focused; featuring black cherry, blackberry, black currant, cream/vanilla and oak. The mid-palate is near perfect, chewy tannins; semi-sweet astringency with perfectly balanced acidity from the alcohol lovely in every sense of the word. The finish is long and complex with blackberry and vanilla, swirling amidst sugared plums and coffee mixed amidst a backdrop of chocolate covered cherry and oak. This wine is a full bodied effort with a lovely aftertaste of blackberry, oak and coffee all flavors that bring me joy that knows no bounds.

Overall, this is definitely one of the better Signature Series wines that I’ve sampled. That being said two other Signature Series wines make the grade with only the Napa Valley Cab Sauv falling short. This isn’t the best of the winners, coming in second, below the Mountain Cuvee but above the Stag’s Leap. It features wonderfully focused and compact fruit and spice flavors that are married in perfection. The saddest part of this wine is it’s price point, coming in at 19 dollars and while this wine is a nicely complex red blend, it might not be as good a QPR as the Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Meritage. I would rate this a good-bordering-on-great QPR, but the Napa Valley Meritage gets the same rating, therefore it might be more cost effective and just plain easier to purchase a bottle of the Meritage. But if you can find this wine, I would definitely recommend purchasing a few bottles; one to drink and one to cellar.

2006 Adler Fels Russian River Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Artistically colored...Black tinged ruby red with a rust hued rim

Masterful aromas…Blackberry, black currant, molasses, oak

Savor the complexity…Those three words sum up everything about this wine. You just have to savor the complexity and textures that this wine has to offer; anything less does this wine a terrible disservice. Firstly this wine benefits from 2 ½ years of oak cask aging, by that I mean the tannins are tightly packed and come out throughout this wine smoothing the attack and finish just as much as they bring vibrancy to the mid-palate. The attack is intense, heavy and dark brining out the best in blackberry, black currant and black cherry flavors; then mixing in flavors of brown sugar, cedar and tobacco around the edges of this wine. The mid-palate features crisp acidity and astringency that pull down the alcohol heat that mingles nicely with dense tannic acids that swirl over the tongue nicely. The finish is brilliantly crafted and long enough to enjoy even the smallest flavor it holds. The fruits come back first this time led by sugared black plum and blackberry jam. This is followed by just a little licorice and smoke. And finally more tobacco, cedar and a hefty dose of chalk dust right at the end. This is a full bodied wine that covers every base and truly brings and enjoyable drinking experience.

Overall this is a superb glass of wine. It was a featured wine at my local Total Wine & More and was recommended by one of their staff on a recent visit. It’s definitely underpriced at 17 dollars. I’d pay 25 for this bottle and be happy. It’s because of that reason that I rate this a solid Great QPR. To be honest this wine is not for everyone. It is very oaky and definitely a “heavy” red wine; but I love everything about it and it is firmly in my top ten. Keep an eye out for this if you enjoy big red wines with a lot of oak aging, you won’t be disappointed if you pick this up.

Adler Fels Winery

2006 Yangarra Cadenzia (68% Grenache, 27% Shiraz, 5% Mourvedre), Australia

Colored with three Crayola crayons…Ruby red fading evenly to garnet with flecks of black in the core

A lovely bouquet of…Black cherry, blackberry, plum, sugar

My tongue tells me…I don’t usually purchase Rhone Blends or any wine that features Grenache or Mourvedre. The reason being; I think they taste sweet. Yes I am using the term sweet, not fruit forward or “fruit bomb”; I think GSM’s taste sweet and cloying. This was recommended as I was purchasing the Wirra Wirra Catapult Shiraz/Voignier; now I know why. That particular Shiraz is “sweeter” than I would have liked, and this is a wine along the same lines. All of this begs the answer, is it a good wine and worth the buy? Setting aside my dislike for sweeter red wines, I will attempt to review this wine. It is a very smooth wine from start to finish, which is the only thing I like about sweeter red wines they tend to remove the tannins that might make the wine less palatable. This wine is the definition of a smooth, sweeter, dark red wine. The attack is all sugared dark berries and stone fruit; black cherry, blackberry, plum, raisin and grape. These flavors taste good even to me as they take on a slightly caramel/molasses flavor and blend into a very warm mid-palate. The mid-palate is nicely warm from the alcohol, not overly acidic and marginally astringent; creating a pleasant but minor segue from attack to finish. The finish is long in length and personified by more black cherry, blackberry and plum flavors, but now they are brought down to earth and tempered by some alcohol heat and flavors of crème brulee, vanilla and leather. This is a medium bodied wine, just edging into full bodied territory with an aftertaste of fresh plums mixed with wet leather.

Overall, this was originally priced at 20 dollars; yikes! But it was on sale for 10 dollars the day I purchased it. Is it worth 20 dollars? I don’t really know as I don’t have anything to judge this against. Is it worth 10 dollars? Very much so! I would say at 10 dollars this is nearly a great QPR, and a wine to purchase by the half case at least. Yes even though this is a rather sweet wine, it is very smooth and balanced, and moves nicely into an extremely pleasing finish that had me going back to the bottle for more as my glass emptied. I can’t review this wine against other GSM’s, but judging this wine on its own I would say this is a very nice wine; perhaps not worth 20 dollars but definitely worth more than 10.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard

2007 Anakena Ona Limited Edition Malbec, Chile

On the Crayola chart…Blackish red with a garnet rim

Olfactory allusions...Black currant, brown sugar, Concord grape juice

The taste buds are a-tingling…I have talked up the Anakena line of wines for quite some time now, with the only real disappointment being their Single Vineyard Malbec. So when I saw this on the shelves of my local Total Wine & More, I just had to try it out. I had hopes that I would find a decent Malbec from Chile; sadly that’s not the case here. While this wine does better than the Single Vineyard Malbec, it still falls short of my expectations for an Ona labeled wine. The attack is marked with blackberry, black currant and plum; other than those flavors there doesn’t seem to be any other layers which threw me for a loop to say the least. The attack to mid-palate transition is very smooth; the mid-palate showing shy tannins and over-friendly alcohol heat. The heat lingers into the medium-to-long finish; mingling with darker flavors of molasses, tobacco, black tea leaves and sugared black plums. There is a lingering aftertaste of black plum and molasses, that sours just a tad right before it fades. All of this after the wine had been open for a day. I did sample a glass fifteen minutes after I popped the cork; much like the Single Vineyard Malbec this wine tastes better right after opening than it does after breathing in some air. I don’t know if the terrior in Chile doesn’t favor the Malbec grape or if my palate doesn’t enjoy just how much Chilean Malbec tends to mellow after breathing, but I didn’t enjoy this wine as much as I’d hoped to.

Overall, this rates a mere OK QPR. It tastes big and somewhat herbaceous if you sip it right after opening, but mellows into a rather boring, warm red wine if given the chance to touch some air. That’s not to say it tastes bad, merely that it makes this wine an over-expense when there are much cheaper Argentinean Malbecs that are more pleasing and complex than this wine. If you are taking a journey through the Anakena Wines as I am attempting to do you will still want to sample this wine, but I don’t think you will be keeping it around the house afterwards. This does not earn a recommendation from me unless you just want to try out a Chilean Malbec, all the rest of you purchase something else.

Anakena Wines

2009 Angeline Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, California

Complex colors…Dark red with a garnet rim and stars of deep purple

Subtle Scents…Strawberry, cherry, compost

Tempestuous tastes…This was purchased as a way to grade the Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that I enjoy and my wife really likes. While that wine is light and floral containing components that I would assign to a white wine; this wine while still being a light red is deep and complex with intense red fruit flavors and characteristics more akin to a red wine. I knew I was in for a treat right after I popped the cork on this as I was greeted with amazing aromas of strawberry and cherry with hints of potpourri and herbs (when swirled there is an added scent of compost and root beer). The first sip was intense and amazing all at the same time; rarely have a I found a light red wine that had this many flavors and textures (2009 Beaujolais truthfully is the only wine that makes the grade until now). On first sip this brings strawberries and molasses mixed with cherries and vanilla and right in the back a semi-sweet black pepper flavor and heat. The mid-palate has alcohol that tingles and slightly warms my gums and just a hint of tannins that dry my cheeks and add a “dark” texture to this wine (I frequently use “dark” to describe a deepening, intense flavor that I would not have expected from a wine. Kind of like a spur-of-the-moment thunderstorm that blows in=”dark”; this “dark” flavor blows into a wine that I had not expected or intensifies already deep and dark flavors). The finish is medium in length and definitely the highlight of this already stellar wine. This finish is bright strawberry/raspberry and cherry, vanilla and brown sugar, roses and wet leaves with a slight trace of cherry cola (I know that even sounds weird to me but right at the end of the finish I get a fizzy Cherry Coke flavor and sensation). As I stated before this is a light bodied red wine that sometimes leans into medium bodied territory. It’s much more complex than similarly priced Pinot Noirs and is one of the least expensive Pinot Noirs from the Russian River AVA. All of that adds up to a great big, tasty wine.

Overall, you can’t go wrong here. At $12.99 a bottle this wine is a freaking steal. It’s smooth; it’s complex; it’s drinkable with or without food; and it’s damn good. I don’t normally rave about Pinot Noir because I think that Pinot Noir in the sub-20 dollar range tends to be rather weak and/or fruity; this wine proves me wrong. It does has some fruit flavors that make this a pleasant drinking experience, but there is an underlying foundation of powerful dark and savory flavors that lend this wine credence and truly make it an outstanding wine. This is a great QPR, no doubt about it this wine is worth WAY more than 13 bucks (I’d pay 20, maybe even 25 for this bottle and feel like I still got a good deal). While I love Beaujolais and the flavors that varietal can bring to a wine, this is just a little more up my alley combining the best of Beaujolais and Malbec, two wines that I love to sip. This is a must buy, and you should add several bottles to your cellar for enjoyment in the coming years.

Martin Ray Winery

2008 Cruz Alta Chairman’s Blend (85% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah), Argentina

In living color…Deep ruby red with hints of purple throughout

Heavenly aromatics…Blackberry, boysenberry, smoke, clove

Taste sensations…I have enjoyed quite a few wines from Cruz Alta’s catalog, but I always felt they were slightly overpriced for the quality of the wine. Sure they were all good, solid wines; but I had heard them talked up as these amazing, complex wines for bargain prices. It is true that most of them fall into the value wine category, but I have enjoyed other, less expensive wines more than I enjoyed those from Cruz Alta that I had sampled. It was with all of these reservations in the back of my mind, I went out on a limb and took the advice of a Total Wine “expert wine specialist” and purchased this bottle. My palate is truly appreciative of that man’s advice. This is an immensely excellent red blend; combining elegant fruit flavors, subtle savory textures and enough heat and complexity to carry this wine through and bring me great pleasure. The attack flows over the tongue with smooth blackberry, plum, black cherry and molasses. The mid-palate carries the silky-ness of the attack with focused yet subtle tannins, delicate alcohol acidity and warmth and near perfect levels of astringency all mingled together to ground the fruit forward attack. The finish is pleasantly long, characterized by cassis, black pepper, tobacco, bittersweet chocolate and hints of wet leaves. This is a silky-smooth while at the same time somewhat “weighty”, full bodied wine. It moves from attack to mid-palate to finish like a liquid ninja gliding across the tongue and leaving faint reminders of its passing. Truly an exceptional red blend!

Overall, I have to rate this wine a good QPR. I wanted to go out on a limb and say great QPR, but it is a little pricey. However for the quality exhibited here you won’t find many other wines that can compete with this. The Anakena Ona red blend is the only one that comes to mind, all others at the 10-15 dollar mark are decidedly lacking (though still decent in and of themselves). The Kirkland Signature Rutherford Valley Meritage comes close to this wine, but doesn’t have the complexity, balance and smoothness that this wine carries. In my opinion this ties the Anakena Ona as my favorite red blend sub-20 dollars. I highly recommend this wine if you enjoy intense red wines or quality red blends from south of the border.

.2009 Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec, Argentina

Color – Deep red with a purple core

Nose – Blackberry, plum, blueberry, molasses

Taste – Upon recommendation from a Total Wine employee I picked this up. Actually several of their employees have recommended this as their best Malbec under 15 dollars, so I finally bought a bottle. This is a good, balanced Malbec. The attack is warm, with pleasant dark fruit and berry flavors particularly blackberry, dark cherry and black plum. The mid-palate has wonderful texture personified by firm tannins, perfect levels of acidity and easy-going astringency. The finish is medium-long with darker flavors and textures; sugared dark plums, molasses, tobacco, coffee and bittersweet chocolate jump to mind as I sipped the wine. This is a medium bodied Malbec, though it edges into full bodied territory just a little bit on the finish. The weight and warmth of this wine speak to its quality, while the depth and texture are nicely balanced. It’s not overly presumptuous though it shows hints of complexity in the mid-palate and finish. The aftertaste is very smooth berries and raisins with a touch of plum skins. A nice effort, nothing out of the ordinary for a Malbec but of definite quality, depth and flavor.

Overall, I would rate this wine with a good QPR. It’s not an amazing Malbec. The attack is a little subdued for my taste, the mid-palate a touch boring and the wine itself wants to be a full bodied wine but doesn’t make the cut. The finish is the only area where this wine shows its true colors, and it shines at the finish. It’s not my favorite Malbec, but it’s a good, drinkable representation of this varietal. In my opinion for half the price the Kaiken Malbec is a much better wine for the price, but this isn’t bad just not the best.

2008 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills H3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Harmonious hues…Very dark red (nearly black) with a ruby red rim

Sensationally scented…Black currant, blackberry, molasses, cedar

Quintessentially quaffs…Quite some time ago I went on a Columbia Crest kick and picked up just about every red wine with their label on it. At the time I could only find the H3 Merlot at my local Costco which was a wonderful wine and opened my eyes to what a decent 10 dollar Merlot should taste like. This recently showed up at my local supermarket and I just had to give it a taste. I will be honest and admit that I didn’t have a lot of preconceptions about this wine. I knew going in that this is a relatively inexpensive wine (though it is at the mid-to-high range as far as Columbia Crest is concerned). That it might not rate that high against other wines at the 10-12 dollar price range. But most of all I expected this to be a rather straightforward but big, oaky Cabernet Sauvignon that would be pleasantly drinkable with just about any hearty foods. I was right on that last point though I would rate this a little higher than wines in the same price range. That being said; the review…The attack is interesting, layered and more complex than I would expect from a wine that only cost me 10 dollars. There are the obligatory blackberry and currant flavors, “sweeter” than I had expected but they are mixed with warm oak and minimal licorice flavors. Normally this mix would be a little cloying but the mid-palate comes on with a healthy dose of alcohol warmth and rather robust tannins that tone down the fruit and wood flavors of the attack. The mid-palate doesn’t last long; it soon fades into a medium length finish that again brings to mind blackberry and oak, and then adds raisin, plum, vanilla, tobacco and brown sugar. This makes for a pleasantly warm, full bodied wine with a medium finish and an aftertaste of grape skins, vanilla and tobacco. Honestly this wine has more going for it than I had given it credit for.

Overall, this is a good QPR. I want to rate this higher than good, but it’s not great it just doesn’t show the depth that a wine should show for it to be rated that high even when considering Quality-to-Price ratio. It is certainly a more complex red wine for the price; you won’t find many wines that are this layered for less than 15 dollars. But it’s also a pretty big, robust red; so you also won’t find a lot of people seeking out this wine. Those of you that enjoy these types of reds already have your favorites (though this should be considered if you are still looking or just want to try something new). I’d be interested to see how “wine snobs” would rate this if they came over for dinner and you served them the wine without telling them what it was. I would hazard a guess they would guess this was a 15 dollar Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec or a 20 dollar California Zinfandel. But they’d probably enjoy the wine in and of itself. I recommend at least giving this a try if not keeping it in your cellar at all times.

Columbia Crest Winery

2008 Chateau Los Boldos Cuvee Tradition Carmenere, Chile

Color – Deep purple, nearly black

Nose – Currant, blackberry, sugared plum

Taste – I was in the mood for a Carmenere and had sampled most everything from Total Wine with a sub-ten dollar price tag; so I picked up this bottle for 13 dollars instead. I was hesitant at first due to my dislike of the Chateau Los Boldos Momentos line of wines, but figured there Cuvee Tradition offerings might be more to my liking. Was I ever right? Whereas the Momentos wines are acidic, alcohol-forward and almost overbearing; this Carmenere is smooth, flavorful and surprisingly complex. The wine sips pleasantly directly after the cork has been pulled with just a little overabundance of tannins and some sharper green bell pepper flavors; if you let it decant for 30 minutes or so the tannins calm down in the glass and the green bell peppers become just hints around the edge of the other flavors. The attack is black currant, blackberry, and molasses with minimal flavors of green bell peppers, damp earth and coffee grounds. What I notice first in the mid-palate is an intense astringency that mingles with perfect tannins and some alcohol heat, but these textures easily blend into a wonderfully long finish that is chock full of blackberry, black plum and dark cherry notes and floating at the edges flavors of vanilla, leather, cut grass and bittersweet chocolate. The wine is medium bordering on full bodied with a very pleasant berry/cherry aftertaste. This may be one of the most balanced Carmenere’s I’ve ever tasted and for the price is my new favorite from this varietal.

Overall, this is a pleasing, complex offering from a grape that is oftentimes too green or barring that too Cabernet Sauvignon-like. The QPR here is good-to-great with the flavors and texture truly being worth more than the price tag. I wouldn’t have picked this up had there been any other options in this price range that I hadn’t already tried, that’s how much I disliked the Momentos wines, but this is a winner. I highly recommend this if you like Carmenere, or just want a balanced red, sipping wine. This is a must try.

Vina Los Boldos

2007 Waterbrook Syrah Reserve, Washington

Color – Dark purple with violet highlights on the rim

Nose – Blackberry, blueberry, black currant, molasses, licorice

Taste – Yet another recommendation from the Beverage Guru at Cost Plus, this wine was not on the top of my list as I chose my bottles. However upon opening and sipping all of my purchases, this one shot right to the top as the best of the bunch. This wine is not just big, it’s HUGE. Intense coloration, deep dark purple with violet and ruby highlights on the rim when held up to the light. Lots of fruit aromas pour forth from the glass with each swirl and underlying them is just a hint of molasses and licorice. And when the wine touches your lips and tongue, hold on because the flavors absolutely assault the palate. Sugared blackberries, black currants, and blueberries piled on top of licorice and vanilla that melt finally into very light notes of molasses, brown sugar and oak. The mid-palate is the only part of this wine that can be just a little rough as the astringency, tannins and alcohol push just a little too hard and bring out some pucker in the form of sour black cherry/blackberry flavors. But these soon give way to a nice long finish with leather, caramel, burnt sugar (think crème brule) and more oak. This is definitely a full bodied wine, I sipped the next to another full bodied red and the texture in this Syrah is much more mature and “heavy”. The aftertaste is quite pleasantly berry-ish with some sugar and a nice zing of alcohol.

Overall, this is a new favorite of mine. I am pretty sure I paid 13 dollars for this, and I think it’s worth every dollar plus about 7 more. I don’t even have to give it a second thought, this is a great QPR. The quality exhibited in this wine is truly a marvel. I was able to stretch this bottle over three separate tastings; once with a grilled top sirloin, the second with hamburgers and baked beans, and the third time all on its lonesome. Each time the wine held up superbly, though it tasted much better when it was warmer, this wine tightens up just a little on the palate when it’s chilled. I highly recommend this wine if you are a fan of fruit forward, big bold reds this wine is for you. If you are a fan of great tasting red wine in any form and want a great experience with a bottle of red then this wine is DEFINITELY for you.

Waterbrook Wine

Head to Head: One Wine, Two Vintages

I've reviewed more than one wine before, but I've never reviewed the same wine just different vintages. I've only had the opportunity to conduct this experiment once before and I didn't take any tasting notes on the second vintage I sampled. So I went ahead and made sure to take notes on both vintages this time. Without further ado, on to the reviews.





2007 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Dark red (nearly purple) with a black core

Nose – Plum, molasses, smoke

Taste – Be in for a shock on the first sip of this decadent red. This wine makes the grade in every single category. Color, yep it’s got beautiful dark red characteristics that look amazing in the glass. Aroma, that’s here too in spades with bountiful scents of plum, molasses, smoke that fade to lighter notes of oak, leather, chocolate, and spice. Flavor, this wine has flavor for days; intense plum, dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, leather, coffee and oak mingle together with perfect acidity and tannins, all topped off with a long, dry finish. This wine can take you on a journey all its own; it’s nearly a masterpiece compared to anything else out there under 15 dollars. Don’t delude yourself, this wine is a heavy hitter. While it might not be a fruit bomb, it comes pretty darn close. It’s complex and full bodied red wine with a nice silky mouthfeel. This one tastes perfect when served right at room temperature. Make sure to let it breathe in the glass for about 10 minutes, but I wouldn’t say you need to decant it any more than that. I took four days to finish my bottle off and the wine tasted just as amazing on glass number one as it did on glass number five.
Overall, this is probably the best QPR I have come across in a 6 dollar bottle of wine. It has the depth, complexity, flavor, and texture of a 15-20 dollar wine. It has layer upon layer of flavor and texture and brings intense pleasure with every sip. It is so well balanced that it holds up nicely with food, but tastes absolutely superb on its own. I sincerely can’t say enough about this wine. You have to go buy it now if you enjoy big red wines. This is a “buy by the case” wine!


2009 Trentatre Rosso (33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, 33.4% Montepulciano), Italy

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Dusty blackberry, chocolate, damp soil

Taste – I will preface this merely by saying I would have loved this wine had I drank it before trying the 2007 vintage. That being said, this wine is not bad. In fact it’s pretty good, just not on the same level as the 2007. It has a decent enough nose even though it is lighter in the glass than its previous variation. The flavor in the initial sip are light and acidic, with more raspberry, cherry and smoke than blackberry or chocolate. The mid-palate consists largely of tannins, red berry flavors and some alcohol. The finish is medium in length; contains raspberry, sour cherry and wet leaves; and is quite dry. This wine is young and while not very complex, is still a pretty good effort. The texture is smooth in the mid-palate and finish but the wine starts a little confused and somewhat harsh. I can’t honestly say this is great wine nor can I say it’s a bad wine; it falls firmly in the good wine category. The wine has minor complexity, mostly smooth mouthfeel, and decent flavors mainly of red fruit with some chocolate and earth mixed in.
Overall, if you were to randomly purchase 10 wines with a price tag of 5.99 each, this wine would beat 8 of those wines and fall just short of the 9th. It’s not a bad wine at all, it’s just not a great wine. It is a good wine and not much more. What is best about this wine is that its only 6 dollars at Trader Joe’s and that makes it a really good QPR. I would say that if you can’t find the 2007 vintage then pick up a bottle or two of this. It’s not a wine to buy by the case unless you are going to cellar it for a few years, but it’s a wine you can keep around and still enjoy.

To recap, if you are able to pick up these vintages, set the 2007 aside and open the 2009 first. Enjoy its flavors, how it only cost you 6 dollars but still tastes good enough to get pretty good marks. It's not off-putting or pretentious, there aren't any surprises, its a little complex and tastes quite nice. Then a few nights later pop open the 2007 and be prepared for an amazing experience with a glass of wine. It's a wine that you can pick up for the price of the change you can find in your couch, but it tastes absolutely fantastic. Big flavors that rival a 15 or 20 dollar wine. You can enjoy both of these wines in their own time and place. The 2007 is a truly superb QPR, the 2009 is a good QPR. But for 6 bucks, I would advice buying the 2007 by the case and the 2009 by the half case.

2007 Finca Flichman Paisaje de Tupungato, 70% Malbec/27% Caberet Sauvignon/3% Merlot, Argentina

Color - Dark red, nearly black

Nose - Blackberry, plum, molasses, alcohol

Taste - This wine is HUGE! Big, bold dark fruit flavors. Think of just about any dark fruit and that flavor is present here. Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, plum; the list goes on and on. Normally all of that fruit would chase me away, but the heat from the alcohol and very lively tannins come in during the mid-palate and finish and level this wine out quite a lot. I will say the alcohol is just a little too much in this wine and can come on too strong especially during the finish. The wine has a lovely mouthfeel, velvety and spicy at the same time. It's a full bodied red with a definite "weight" to it that you can feel on the tongue. The astringency is a little lacking or perhaps covered up by the alcohol, which is a shame.

Overall, I'd say take a pass on this big, red wine. The QPR here is only fair. I was hoping this would be similar to the Anakena Ona or Concha y Toro Trio. While this wine is big and bold like both of those, it's too alcohol-forward to be rated like the Ona or Trio. If you want a good red blend from South America try on of those two and pass this one by, while it's not a bad wine, it's not the best out there and it's price is higher than the decidedly better competition.

Finca Flichman Wines

2008 Radius Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Color - Dark red

Nose - Blackberry, green bell pepper, molasses

Taste - On day one, glass one of this wine I thought it was going to be a nice even Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon that had dark fruits, oak and vegetal flavors. That's precisely what it was, though with less oak and more fruit. On day three, glass five this wine has lost most of the vegetal flavors and the bluberry, dark cherry and blackberry flavors have taken over. It's not bad, there's a nice bite right in the mid-palate and the finish is nice a smooth although only medium in length. There are some very subtle hints of brown sugar or molasses on the aftertaste which is very pleasant and fruity. The wine has a nice "warmth" to it that I've noticed in certain reds that I end up liking (perhaps a reaction of the acids and tannins, though I don't know).

Overall, I would say this is another wine that I've come to enjoy quite a bit. I would compare it to Columbia-Crest or Redwood Creek both in price and taste. It's an OK QPR, the wine is not complex but it's a great, smooth stand alone wine. Try it if you like fruitier Cabs or just need something pleasant and unoffensive for a get together.

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

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