2009 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, California

A gorgeous glass…Dark, ruddy hue fading to pinkish-red at the rim

Stunning scents…Black currant, cedar, loam, compost, syrup

Fantastic flavors…To be quite honest, this was a desperation purchase on a quick trip to my local super market. I wanted something with quality and had heard this wine had particular depth and character for a wine frequently sold in grocery stores. So I placed it in my cart and came home. Then promptly forgot about it as I had placed it in my new wine cellar. After a few months I was rearranging my cellar to organize it by varietal and ran across this particular bottle. Once again my interest was piqued and while my wife sipped on a bottle of Sparkling Wine, I chose to pop the cork on this beauty. And beauty it what this wine is. It’s not a 92 or 93 point wine, but it has defined levels of complexity that you won’t find in many wines sold in the super market, particularly at the 20 dollar mark. Be warned, this wine needs a good day of decanting before you start to sip it; it’s big, bold and very dark in flavor and texture. The attack is full of heavy black fruits blackberry, black currant, roasted black plums and black cherry jam mingling with vanilla and butter all floating atop a foundation of oak, wet leaves and peat moss. The mid-palate has a whole lot of everything; chewy tannins rise in force shoving astringency across the surface of my tongue to battle against alcohol warmth and tingle that flees from acidity and flavors of leather and dust. The mid-palate seems overwhelming and long, when in reality it merely melds right into a long finish that is full of more dark fruits and heavy savory characteristics; the first of these show up in the form of dark cherry with vanilla buttercream layered on top, this melts into a very pungent oak and tobacco taste with just a hint of sour blackberry and finally comes the wet leaves, loam, chalk and compost bringing sensory overload to my palate. This is a full bodied wine with a wonderful aftertaste of wet wood, damp earth and cooked plums.

Overall this is an excellent wine with few failings. Sure it’s not for every palate. It’s a very heavy red wine with lots of tannins and particularly deep/dark flavors. It will assault many red wine drinkers and overwhelm their “softer” palates, but for a Cabernet enthusiast this hits the spot. It’s not overly expensive or immensely complex. It shows flashes of complexity above a 20 dollar wine but provides a lot of even quality. I recommend this and award it with a solid Good QPR. If you are in a hurry at the grocery store grab this bottle, it will pair wonderfully with those steaks, heavy stews or hamburgers.

Beringer Vineyards 

2010 Trader Joe’s Vinas Chilenas Merlot Reserva, Chile

Color – Dark purple with a violet rim

Nose – Blackberry, dark cherry, green bell pepper

Taste – Having tried the Vinas Chilenas Cabernet Sauvignon and being pleasantly surprised at how a 4 dollar bottle of Cab could possibly be quaffable, I was not surprised that the Merlot passed my test as well. I will admit that this is a little less to my liking than the Cab was. First off the wine has two big flavors that come through on every sip: black cherry jam and green bell pepper. These two flavors vie for dominance through the attack, mid-palate and the finish so there isn’t a whole lot going on in the forefront of this wine. There are some subtle flavors and textures under the surface but you might struggle to find them. The first is a decent amount of chocolate and tobacco in the mid-palate and some nice oaky smoke on the finish. There is also a decent amount of heat that runs through the mid-palate, finish, and aftertaste. This taste much better right at room temperature or slightly warmer, at cooler temperatures the green bell pepper becomes nearly overbearing. The mouthfeel is fairly smooth with near invisible tannins but just the right alcohol. The wine is medium bodied with a medium finish.

Overall, this is an OK QPR. I can’t honestly say this is any better than its price tag of 4 dollars. Sure the other 4 dollar bottles are wines you are going to dump down the drain whereas this one you will actually drink, but it really isn’t worth it. I would say save up 2 more bucks and pick up the Trentatre 33 or Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon or if you are desperate get the Vinas Chilenas Cabernet instead.