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

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

2009 Kalbarri Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Raspberry, oak

Taste – The fact that the nose was so muted had me wondering if I’d gotten a dud of a wine. That and the fact that this wine features a “cute” drawing of a bird really had me wondering. But when I took my first sip, I was overjoyed to be proven wrong. The nose might be subdued, but the wine itself is not. It’s not a big, bold Cab rather this is a medium bodied Cab that features some very different flavors and textures. First off, I get some sour cranberries and sweet/sour red currants those fade to a nice mid-palate of roses and hints of mint, then there is a smooth transition to the medium-long finish that is filled once again with cranberries and some oaky black pepper flavors. The wine is a lot less “weighty” than most Cabernet Sauvignons, which works here. I was nicely surprised by the delicate flavors and textures rather than disappointed. This would go great with pizza or a burger maybe even a roast beef sandwich. It’s a nice change of pace from the “big” reds I normally favor, plus it’s priced right.

Overall, I would say this is a surprisingly good wine for the money. At 6 bucks you won’t find a lot of stellar wines and this isn’t stellar, but it is so far off the beaten path of what 6 dollar Cabs are that it’s refreshing and I will definitely buy it again. I would say pick this up for a sipping wine or as a way to introduce newcomers to red wines (though make sure to tell them that this isn’t a normal Cabernet Sauvignon). Good QPR, different enough to please my palate, and something I can enjoy just about any time of the day.

Kalbarri Wines

2009 Cave de Saumur Saumur Champigny Reserve des Vignerons, Cabernet Franc, France

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Cherry, red currant

Taste - This has quite beautiful flavors of cherry and flowers. Yes literally something similar to rose petals that I picked off my mom's roses and ate as a child. This wine is dry but not very astringent though it does go through a lot of changes on the palate. Cherries then flowers meld into sour cherries and there is a slight bitterness in the aftertaste but it is mild and unoffensive. This is a medium bodied wine with a nice long finish and rather subdued tannins though they come alive with the right food (pizza, hearty beef stew, cheese). I like this wine though I'm not used to the peculiarities of Cabernet Franc. This is fruity but it's more floral-forward than anything else. It's like drinking potpourri or one of those "rose hips" teas. While not bad it's definitely an acquired taste.

Overall, this is an interesting wine, but something that will only please certain people. Personally I think it's easier to grow accustomed to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Merlot than Cabernet Franc. I'd say try this or another good sub-fifteen dollar Cabernet Franc, but if you're like me you'll stick ot other wines and varietals. That's not to say this isn't a really good wine, it definitely is, it's just not my particular cup of tea, though it might grow on me. I'd pick it up if I couldn't decide on that last bottle and wanted something different yet pleasant.

Cave de Saumur 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