2009 Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Dark red with violet hints

Nose – Dark cherry, blueberry, brown sugar

Taste – This is a nice medium bodied Cab with an even nicer price tag. Don’t go looking for a “Big, Bold Red” in this wine. The nose has a lot of dark fruit, some sugary/jammy sweetness, and a tiny bit of spice to it. On the first sip, it feels a lot heavier than it actually is; therefore I set this aside overnight and re-poured the next morning. The heaviness had mellowed out and the flavors that came through were quite pleasant. This is much less jammy than the previous night, it has flavors of cherry, chocolate and green herbs. The mid-palate is composed of a perfect level of astringency that compliments the berry and cherry flavors. The finish is medium-to-long, which surprised me since I was expecting a very long finish based on the color of the wine. I would say this is definitely a 10-12 dollar cab masquerading in a 6 dollar bottle. It has a level of complexity, depth and character that other sub-ten dollar bottles just don’t have.

Overall, I would say pick this up before it disappears off the shelves. Older vintages of this wine have been known to clear out of Trader Joe’s in a few days, and people often pick this up by the case. If you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon this wine is definitely meant for you. It’s not a great wine in and of itself, but it’s a great QPR and that makes me happy. On a side note this isn’t the typical California Cab that I’ve come to expect; it’s not a big or as fruit explosion-like. It’s more mellow, with a tendency toward an herbaceous mid-palate and the tannins here are a little more subdued. I would advise buying this now and buying a LOT of it.

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.

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

2009 Trumpeter by Rutini WInes Malbec, Argentina

Color - Dark purple

Nose - Blackberry, black currant, sweet spices

Taste - This wine is a very good fruit forward Malbec. Upon opening it has a very powerful nose full of black fruit and sweet spices (vanilla, cinnamon, etc), a rich purple color, and flavors to match. The first sip is jam packed with black fruit that melts into a mid-palate of vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and caramel with a nice level of astringency, this fades into a medium finish that has some bite and sour, pleasant fruit skins. To sum up there's a lot going on here, but it's not distracting or confusing to my palate. As I said in my mini-review, this is like a nice rich steak with layers of flavor and texture, and this wine would be a great complement to a juicy steak.

Overall, I would definitely pay 14 dollars for this wine though you can probably find it cheaper than that. It has good texture, mouthfeel, and flavor. It's a good QPR, as this wine's quality is a notch above most Malbec's at this price point. The only fault I have with this wine is that it loses some of its depthif you don't drink it in the first day It's still good just not as intense. All-in-all, this one's a definite buy.

Rutini Wines

2010 Anakena Carmenere, Chile

Color - Inky purple, nearly black

Nose - Bell peppers, dark cherry

Taste - This is a very young while at the same time a very drinkable red wine. It has an interesting flavor transition: dark fruit, bell pepper, spice, heat(alcohol), fruit skins. It is a little fruity for my taste in Carmenere but it is far from a poor wine. I would rate it right up there with the Santa Alicia Carmenere Reserva in flavor and in price. I'd say given a few years of cellaring this will mature rather nicely. The heat and tannins can be a little much at times but there is a definite potential for the flavors to become more organized while at the same time gaining depth and character. You're not going to find too many Carmenere's at this price point that are this good.

Overall, this is a definite winner. Sure I would pay the extra 5 dollars to pick up something really good, but if I'm strapped for cash or just want something I know will taste good this wine fits the bill. It's perfect by itself or with pizza, spaghetti, meats, even cream sauce pasta. Yet another Anakena wine gets an A+ from me.

Anakena Wines

NV Santiago Station Carmenere, Chile

Color - Reddish purple

Nose - Cherry cough syrup

Taste - From the first I can taste a lot of ripe red fruit (cherry, raspberry, red currant); the flavors pretty much cover my tongue. There is some astringency though it's minimal. The wine is young and it comes through in the limited depth of the wine. This is basically a one dimensional wine, very nearly a fruit bomb which is strange for a Carmenere. I wanted to see if the usual spice and herbaceous notes would show up, but it was not to be. There is a split second burst of pepper in the mid-palate then it's gone and fruit comes back. Luckily the heat is dampened in this wine as are any offensive aftertastes, so it is fairly drinkable.

Overall, this is not even close to being a budget Carmenere, if you want that pick up the Santa Rita 120 Carmenere. I had a hard time finding any evidence of Carmenere in this wine at all. It seemed like a rather mundane, medium bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. At 4 dollars it's not going to break the bank and there isn't much else out there at this price that is better, I just wouldn't go out of my way to drink this.

On Tonight's Menu...Two Red Blends

So tonight I thought I would stray from the strict review of a single wine and review two red blends. I don't specifically seek out red blends, though I will pick them up now and again if they jump out at me. These two piqued my interest when I was shopping, both from their descriptions and their prices. Let's see how they faired.

NV Oreana ? 55% Cabernet Sauvignon/45% Syrah, California

Color - Dark red

Nose - Cherry, blackberry, spices

Taste - Be warned, straight off this has BIG BOLD FRUIT flavors. This thing is the closest to a fruit bomb of a red wine that I have ever tasted. The Cabernet Sauvignon seems nearly invisible, while what I can only imagine is the Syrah bombards my palate. Sure there are underlying tones of Cab goodness like vanilla, cocoa, blackberry and black pepper but you really have to search for them on every sip. I would love this wine if the cherry/blueberry/cranberry/gooseberry/(insert any other berry here) flavor didn't flood my mouth with every sip. The mid-palate holds all of the Cabernet Sauvignon flavors but they last for only a few seconds before they fade into a 20 second tannic and alcohol filled finish. The wine is medium bodied with a completely unremarkable mouthfeel. I don't doubt that the Cab in this wine would be a magnificent wine by itself but for this doesn't work at all. Overall, this is way too fruity for my tastes. This wine might be what some people are looking for, I'm not one of those people. It doesn't have the depth or complexity I'm used to. It's still a decent wine despite it's faults, even I can see that it's not a bad wine. I just can't see buying it again, but you'll have to choose for yourself.

Oreana Winery

2009 Thistle Dew Cabernet Sauvignon 65%/Petit Verdot 35%, Australia

Color - Purple with a dark red rim

Nose - Cherry, raspberry

Taste - There's some nice jammy, cherry fruit that jumps right out at me on the first sip. Though I will say this tastes way better a day or two after opening. The cherry hints fade into a nice mid-palate of tannins with a slight hint of heat. This wine is absolutely nothing spectacular; it's right in the middle of the pack of average, sub-ten dollar wines. It has a rather unimpressive nose, medium body, and medium finish. The aftertaste has tinges of clean fruit skins. I'm not even close to being familiar with Petit Verdot, this is only the second wine I've had that featured the grape. I would hazard a guess and say that this wine would probably be overwhelming and too young to drink if it didn't have a healthy dose of Petit Verdot. As a blend it's pretty decent. Reminds me of the Notro only this is more balanced and not as fruity. Overall, this is an OK wine. It's not too hot which is nice in a blend. I'd say it makes a nice sipping wine, food tends to run over it though it might hold up to fish, poultry and salads. Try it if you want to sip something new and don't want anything too complex, as this is a rather simple red blend.

2007 Bodega Flechas de los Andes Gran Malbec, Argentina

Color - Purple

Nose - Blueberry, spice, chocolate

Taste - This is quite dry and nicely fruity and very dense. I would suggest decanting this or letting it sit in your glass for at least 30 minutes before drinking. I like it without decanting, but it is very rich and dense without it. It's not bad. Some people will deride it for being as intense as it is and I think it's closer to a Cabernet Sauvignon or close to the Munoz de Toro Argie Bonarda I've previously reviewed. It's medium-to-full bodied with a long finish. There's a slight bite from the alcohol and a decent level of astringency though it's just on the brink of being too much. It has a rich, full mouthfeel and a lot of the alcohol hits on the end of the palate right before the finish. The aftertaste is clean and grassy. There's a hint of vanilla on the finish but it's very subtle. I missed it on the first few sips. This is a great wine to pair with spicy Mexican dishes. The fruit really jumps to the surface and the wine is big and robust alongside the heat of the chili peppers.

Overall, this is the type of wine that I absolutely love to drink. Big, bold maybe just a little overbearing and rich, but full of flavor. For 11 dollars this is a great example of really good QPR (Quality to Price Ratio). The Wine Advocate gave this particular wine 92 points. I'd agree with those numbers, buy it now!

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

2009 Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Black currant, blackberry, oak

Taste - My first impression of this wine(from this tasting, I've had this wine quite a few times in the past), is that it has a quick cherry sweetness to it which fades to a pleasant, light vegetal flavor reminiscent of grass, oak and mint on the finish. It has a decent medium-to-long finish with a mild bite right before it fades from the palate. There are subtle undertones of black pepper and spice, as well as minute flavors of green bell peppers. All of these spice/herbaceous flavors are just under the surface of the fruit and fade rather quickly. This particular wine is lighter than most Cabs I am used to drinking. It's good but uneventful, not complex at all, but not boring. It's definitely more medium-bodied, even leaning more to a light Cabernet. The wine really shines when it's paired with fatty meats or heavy cream sauces. The fats pull out the tannins and flavors of this wine that otherwise go unnoticed. It's not a great Cab, pretty ordinary, but you can pick it up at almost any supermarket so it's readily available if you need a decent Cab to go with your steak dinner.

Overall, I'd love to rate this as one of my favorite wines because I truly do appreciate Concha y Toro wines, but I really can't. It's a good wine, it's probably priced about 4 or 5 dollars too high, but if you get on sale for 8.99, it's a decent bargain. I would say pick it up for those summer grilling days, but you can just as easily find a better bottle for just a few dollars more. Try the Altera Cabernet Sauvignon for about the same price, or Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon for just a few dollars more.

Concha y Toro Wines