Head to Head to Head: Three Cabs

Being limited in my posts-per-week due to lack of internet, my next few posts will be multiple bottle reviews. We'll start with three Cabs (2 from California and 1 from Chile). This review will lay them out from least expensive to most expensive (not taking into account coupons or sale prices) and at the end I'll give a recap as to my preference of the three taking into account flavor, cost and availability. Without further ado, on to the review!

2008 Santa Helena Vernus Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Blackberry jam, blueberry, raspberry, green bell peppers

Taste – This bottle of wine showed up at my local Costco, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to sample yet another Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. After this wine had decanted for nearly 30 minutes I decided to take my first sip, and I was nicely surprised. This wine seems simple, but in reality is far from it. The attack bears lovely notes of black currant and blackberry with just a hint of bittersweet chocolate. The mid-palate is rather “warm” with firm tannins, astringency that is nearly perfect and acidity from the alcohol but not a lot of heat. The finish is long with heavy flavors of licorice, burnt caramel, tobacco and leather. This wine is full bodied, fruit forward with a finish that balances the fruit notes with “sharp” flavors and leaves a pleasant after taste on my tongue. For under 10 dollars this is a pretty good purchase as this wine holds up to a lot of different flavors (I personally tried it with burgers, steak and pizza on three different occasions and this wine went great with all three).
Overall, this wine shows a good QPR as the flavors are complex enough to allow this wine to hold up to multiple kinds of foods. This Cabernet Sauvignon is also very drinkable by itself. I was surprised that this is as good as it is. I am truly perplexed by the number of superior Chilean wines that are priced in the sub-10 dollar range is so large; perplexed but very happy. This is a must try, pick it up on your next trip to Costco because it might not be on the shelves for long.

Santa Helena Winery

2008 Dominican Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Dark red, with a near black core

Nose – Black currant, licorice, chalk dust, caramel

Taste – This was a recommendation from one of the Total Wine “Beverage Specialists” or whatever they’re called. He talked about it as if it were the best Cabernet Sauvignon for under 20 dollars, considerably better than the Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon I like so much. So at 17 dollars I went out on a limb and grabbed this bottle. I won’t say that he’s completely wrong, but his palate and mine differ quite a bit. This is a very silky, smooth red wine in the beginning that transforms into something of a mangled beast in the middle, then reforms again after the finish back to silky, smoothness. The attack is “warm” (reminding me almost of a liqueur or cordial) and somewhat heavy for my tastes. I can taste cherry, currant, raisin and licorice. The licorice holds on a long time, all the way through the mid-palate. Speaking of the mid-palate this one is a little rough for my palate; with the majority of it coming on as strong alcohol heat/acidity and puny tannins/astringency. As I said before the licorice comes through the rough but short mid-palate and right into the medium-length finish and is joined by blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla, black pepper and oak. The finish tapers off into a smooth, warm, silky mouthfeel that is full of cherry skins and red plum flesh. This is a medium-to-full bodied wine, and at warmer temperatures the medium falls right off that and this wine takes on a weight of its own that can seem rather cloying at times.
Overall, this is not my cup of tea, or glass of wine as it may be. I am sure this is a quality wine, I can tell by the mouthfeel and texture of the wine that runs throughout the entire sipping experience. It might even be a pretty good QPR, but for my palate I’d give it a fair QPR rating. I won’t be coming back here again even though this wine went well with steak and a hearty salad, it failed with simpler foods (spaghetti marinara on one night and grilled chicken breast with rice au gratin on another night). It’s just too much money for what I would consider a rather confused red wine. It starts yummy and smooth, and finishes yummy and smooth; but the middle is one big yucky “hot” mess. I’d recommend passing on this and getting the Courtney Benham I mentioned above for a few dollars more or maybe the Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon for the same amount. Either of those are just as complex and far more balanced Cabernet Sauvignons. You let me know what you think.

2008 Wheelhouse Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Ruby red with violet hints at the edges

Nose – Plum, cherry, licorice, vanilla

Taste – This delightful Cabernet Sauvignon was nearly half off at Cost Plus, and when I can pick up a 20 dollar bottle for almost 10 dollars I jump at the chance. It only solidified my decision when several employees and a customer informed me I’d made a good decision on my wine choice. I am happy I listened to them, though I’m not completely sold on this wine’s qualities. Don’t get me wrong this wine tastes good, but it’s not 20 dollars worth of goodness. There is some complexity and it starts off right as the wine passes the lips. The attack is evenly layered dark fruits and berries; plum and blackberry mixed with dark cherry and red and black currants. These fruit flavors aren’t overwhelmingly sweet but rather dark, smoky and rich with underlying spice flavors when the wine is moved along the palate. The mid-palate is full of firm tannins, bright acids and pleasing astringency. The tannins run into the long-ish finish in the form of ripe fruit skins, but the finish is also rather dark; the predominant flavors being those of licorice, leather, tobacco, cloves and smoke. This is full bodied, though it tends to feel “lighter” when it’s chilled just a little. It tastes equally well slightly chilled or at warmer temperatures, though it fares best when paired with some charred beef and at room temperature.
Overall, this is a good wine and at the price I purchased it, I would rate it a good-nearly-great QPR. But I don’t think I would pay 20 bucks for this bottle. It doesn’t give Courtney Benham’s Napa Cab a run for its money, but falls far short of the quality of that wine. I admit that this is better than 95% of any wine you will find under 15 dollars. But if you do a lot of tasting you will find those 5% bottles crop up even at your local supermarket. In all honesty I have to recommend that you try this wine because it is a very flavorful and complex wine, that being said; seek, find, and buy – but attempt to do it on the cheap!

Wheelhouse Wine Cellars


In closing, all of these wines were drinkable though the Dominican Oaks almost got cut from the trio due to it's messy and confusing mid-palate. In my opinion, the Santa Helena Cabernet Sauvignon is the best wine for the money easily containing the most complexity and depth for the price. If you can get the Wheelhouse Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon at a reduced rate (15 dollars or less) than you are getting the best of the three, but at full price this wine comes in second. It does taste good and offer considerable complexity and flavor, but 20 dollars a bottle is just a little off-putting. Coming in last is the Dominican Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon and truly this wine was close to being taken off this list altogether. If I could focus just on the attack and the finish this wine would tie the Santa Helena for first, but the sheer brutality of the mid-palate knocks this down to third place and that's not even taking into account the 17 dollar price tag on this bottle. The Dominican Oaks and Vernus are probably the easiest wines to find. Though I purchased the Vernus at Costco, I believe you can find it at Total Wine & More which is where I purchased the Dominican Oaks. I have only seen the Wheelhouse at Cost Plus and it might not be available at the Cost Plus in your region due to the purchasing tendencies of the Beverage Specialist at your local Cost Plus. In all I hope these reviews help you on your journey with wine.

2008 Zingari Toscana, Italy

Color – Ruby red with a near black core

Nose – Blueberry, strawberry, cherry

Taste – This is a recent addition at my local Costco that sells for 9 dollars, and while I’m not overly familiar with Toscana (This is a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante; I was unable to find the specific quantities of each) I figured I would try it just to see if it passed my test. First off this wine benefits from decanting, and if you have the patience it really needs to sit overnight before you drink it. I sipped my first glass of this right after opening the bottle just to see what the wine tasted like and while it’s not bad it’s very tight with sharp flavors and tannins that tend to bite just a little. When I poured my second glass of this the following day the wine had softened, the berry flavors were not as sour and the tannins had mellowed giving this wine a pleasing all around flavor. The flavors on the attack are all berries and cherries; strawberry, raspberry and blueberry with a little ripe red cherry mixed in. The mid-palate has a mild alcohol tingle to it, tannins that still bite but not nearly as much as before and subtle astringency. As the mid-palate moves into the finish semi-sour cranberry flavors begin to pop up blended with sour cherry and raspberry flavors. The finish itself is medium in length with middling complexity that only really shows up in the aftertaste where flavors of leather mingle with the berries present throughout this wine. This is a light-to-medium bodied wine with limited depth in its flavor but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the wine fares well with pizza, pasta and even salads.

Overall, I would say this is a decent-to-good QPR. The flavors are limited and they aren’t what I really seek out in a wine, but the wine itself isn’t bad rather it’s not my “cup of tea”. It drinks well with pizza and pasta as one would imagine, and doesn’t taste terrible by itself. It’s not going to win huge votes of admiration in my house, but I wouldn’t pass it up if I saw it at a pizzeria and wanted a glass of red to go with my slice of pepperoni pie. I would recommend this if you like cherry/berry reds with sour notes in the mid-palate and finish or as an alternative to your house Chianti. As for me, I’ll pass on this for now, but give it a passing grade.

Petra Wine

2009 Santa Julia Reserva Malbec, Argentina

Color – Garnet red

Nose – Blackberry, compost, forest floor, wet leaves, wood

Taste – This is another gem I found at my local Cost Plus World Market on sale for something like 5 dollars off the normal price, I think I ended up paying 12 dollars for this particular bottle. I am glad I decided to purchase this bottle, more than glad of that fact. This pours dark and heavy in the glass, with aromas to match, and I was almost giddy with excitement when I lifted the glass to my lips for the first time. I wasn’t disappointed; this wine virtually assaulted my taste buds with flavors dark fruit, oak, charred caramel and damp soil. The mid-palate is all elegant textures of full tannins, boisterous alcohol and perfect astringency. The finish is long and wandering; featuring flavors that bounce around from blackberry to smoky oak to sour dark cherry to coffee grounds. This is firmly in the full bodied category as the wine sits with a definite “weight” on the palate. The textures, complexity and depth of this wine are just shy of perfect. I would be happy had I paid full price for this wine, it’s that good in the glass. I will admit that I sampled this without pairing it, though I imagine a good steak, lamb off the grill, or savory fish would suit this wine quite nicely.

Overall, this wine is a good-to-great QPR, easily worth 15-20 dollars. It’s complex with flavors of oak, wet soil and dark fruits as well as tannins that grab hold and won’t let go. I would go out of my way to seek out another glass of this wine. It’s just that good. Sure it’s not a fruit forward Malbec, falling more into the category of a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec Blend. But it shows off some wonderful flavors and textures. This is a buy now wine, so seek it out at your next trip to Cost Plus, better yet go out of your way to make a trip to Cost Plus sometime this week, you won’t be disappointed.

Familia Zuccardi

2008 Los Nevados Malbec, Argentina

Color – Inky purple with a very dark red rim

Nose – Blackberry, black currant, minerals

Taste – This is one of a few bottles I picked up recently on a trip to Cost Plus World Market. I chatted with their “Beverage Specialist”, and after some time passing wine stories back and forth I decided we had similar tastes in red wines. He recommended this Malbec due to its level of “spicy-ness”, more akin to a Carmenere was my guess and he agreed. So I was pleasantly surprised when I popped the cork, took a first sip and found that to be a very true statement. If you don’t let this decant it does have a lot of spicy, peppery flavors that mix and mingle with dark fruits and berries (plum, blackberry, dark cherry) all of these flavors balanced with firm tannins and a decent alcohol bite. But if you let it decant, the peppery flavors soon fade away nearly altogether and you are left with a somewhat earthy Malbec. Either way this wine is a good one. Right now I am sipping the wine after it’s been open for just over a day and enjoying the flavors of blackberry and black currant on the attack, a mid-palate characterized with nice acid, tannin and alcohol and a medium-long finish personified by flavors of tobacco, dark cherry, pepper, and wet earth. I would have to say this is a full bodied effort as it feels rather weighty in my mouth and with a texture that almost feels like there is sediment, chalk or very find sand mixed into the liquid (which is not the case at all).

Overall, I would have to say this is a fabulously satisfying Malbec with a good-to-great QPR. If consumed right after opening you will be in for a treat, as this wine tastes like a decent blend of Carmenere and Malbec. If you let this sit overnight or decant it for a while this wine taste like a Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend. Neither of those are bad things as this wine has awesome flavors, is priced just right, and is VERY drinkable. I will be purchasing this again at 9 dollars a bottle, it is worth it all the way.

Los Nevados Wines

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

2007 Lost Sonnet Meritage (58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc), California

Color – Very dark red

Nose – Black Currant, black cherry, minor spice box notes

Taste – I’ve glanced at this bottle in passing more times than I can count on my numerous visits to Trader Joe’s; not a single time in the past was I tempted to pick it up. After my first journey with Meritage went so well, I finally broke down and purchased a bottle of the Lost Sonnet. I got home, let the bottle get a little chill from my wine cooler, popped the cork, poured a glass and sat down to wait for fifteen good minutes while the wine got some air. Upon my first sip I wondered to myself where the vanilla and chocolate covered cranberries from the tasting notes were, as I couldn’t find evidence of either of them. I also had a hard time picking out “Christmas spices” in the nose, was that supposed to be nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla? I finished my glass with mostly negative thoughts and let the bottle sit for a few days. When next I opened the bottle I was in for a rather more pleasant experience. The aroma actually evinced minor spice notes; though the flavor still lacked the chocolat-y cranberries. The attack is plum, black currant and sugared berries. The mid-palate is full of thick tannins and tingling alcohol that leave my tongue very much aware of both itself and the wine. The finish is medium in length with the promised vanilla taking the lead, followed closely by some chocolate tinges and finally delicate flavors of anise and black pepper. The wine is full bodied and tastes much better as it reaches room temperature.

Overall, I went back and forth on this wine. I hated it at first, and after it mellowed a little it grew on me to a certain extent; but in all honesty I can’t really get behind it 100 percent. It is a decent price, but the quality is just a little bit lacking. It isn’t as complex as I expected it to be and is far from versatile (DO NOT TRY IT WITH PASTA, though it was a perfect pair with salmon). I won’t buy it again but if I found myself in the mood for a Meritage; I’d buy the Kirkland Signature Rutherford Valley Meritage instead. This isn’t bad, but it pales in comparison and for only 4 dollars less this just isn’t the smartest buy around. Pass on this one.

Two Wines from Santa Alicia Vineyars & Winery

What follows are two reviews of Santa Alicia wines that I purchased and tasted about a month ago. Due to my lack of internet I have a sizable backlog of reviews so I figured I would post these two reviews together. Hopefully these reviews make sense and assist you on your journey with wine.

2007 Santa Alicia Anke Blend 2, Chile

Color – Ruby red with violet hints on the rim

Nose – Raspberry, strawberry, green bell pepper

Taste – This jumped right out at me as I scanned the shelves at Cost Plus World Market the other day. A blend with Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Shiraz, I had to try it. Despite the fact that this is just a little more than I like to pay for wine, I went ahead and purchased a bottle. The wine looked good in the glass after I’d poured it, it swirled nicely and the aroma was pleasant enough, but the flavor lacked what I expected. It has Carmenere leanings for sure (blackberry/black current with pepper and spice notes). But it doesn’t have a lot of other flavors. It tastes more like just another Carmenere than a blend. That’s not to say it’s a bad wine, just not a lot beyond normal. The attack is spicy blackberry/black currant flavors. The mid-palate is mild astringency, delicate tannins and invisible alcohol. The finish is medium in length with dark fruit skins, leather, green bell pepper and cut grass. The wine wants to be full-bodied but falls short only reaching medium-bodied weight and a texture that is a little watery in the mouth.
Overall, I would rate this a poor QPR, just missing out on and even rating. This doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t taste bad, but it purports itself to be something special, something a little more than your normal Carmenere. But it lacks anything that a 7 dollars bottle of Carmenere will give you and it’s twice the price. It’s not bad if you want something to sip on that can hold up to food or being enjoyed by itself; but I wouldn’t pay the price for it again there are far too many other red blends that are superior to this one and a lot of those are several dollars cheaper than this one. In short, pass on this one.

2005 Santa Alicia Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Chile

Color – Very dark purplish red

Nose – Blackberry, currant, brown sugar

Taste – A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a little shopping at Cost Plus World Market and this wine just about jumped off the shelf at me. ‘A 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for less than 10 dollars?’ I thought to myself ‘That’s got to be a joke.’ After talking with Larry the Beverage Specialist, I decided to purchase a bottle and see what this wine was all about. I expected this to be an earthy, bold Cabernet Sauvignon. Something that goes beyond the normal Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon flavors of either ripe dark berries and fruit or wet soil and green bell peppers. I got some of both of those flavors when I took the first sip. The attack features blackberry, burnt brown sugar and pepper. The mid-palate is largely a blend of alcohol warmth and ghosts of green bell peppers. The finish is medium-to-long, filled with flavors of spicy black pepper, more green bell peppers, fruit skins, coffee, and tobacco. This Cabernet Sauvignon is full bodied with subtle astringency and complex flavors and textures. As good as this wine is, I expected just a little bit more from something that has sat in the bottle for so long. But as I thought about it, this wine makes perfect sense. The flavors and textures have mellowed from what was most likely a very powerful, young red wine but the wine itself holds up nicely and is extremely drinkable.
Overall, I would rate this a near-great QPR, 10 dollars for a Cab Sauv with the complexity and flavor profile exhibited here is pretty hard to find. Drinking this wine is not only pleasant but also very fulfilling. This really pours a great glass of wine. Complex for the price, dark in color, a nose that is packed full of amazing characteristics and flavor for days you can’t miss with this one. I recommend you buy this before it clears off the shelves.

Santa Alicia Vineyards & Winery