Triple Your Pleasure?

Right off the bat I want to warn you that this might be a little long due to the fact that I am reviewing three wines. Also, these wines are reviewed in the order I drank them, which for the most part is spaced out by about two week overall. Now on to the reviews.

2008 Columbia-Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Color - Red

Nose - Cherry, oak

Taste - I've had quite a few wines that have oak featured in the nose and a few that had oak flavors to some degree, but this wine is VERY oak-y in both the nose and on the palate. I am of the opinion that those of you that drink this wine will either love this or hate it with no one in between. There is a nice fruit start to this wine and in the mid-palat vanilla-tinged oak comes on rather strong. I would normally dislike this but the oak isn't too strong and doesn't last too long, rather it covers my tongue perfectly. This flavor profile has me particularly intrigued. I'd say this is medium-to-full bodied with a medium finish. Not much heat to this and the tannins are rather subdued through they do show with certain foods. Day two brought hints of coconut, lessened oak-iness and more complexity. This is a keeper in my book. Nothing too complex, but the big oak flavor by itself is rather nice. I'd drink it frequently, especially for 6.99 a bottle. I think it's a winner and a pretty darn good wine. I'd recommend opening and sipping a glass on day one, then enjoying the rest on day two. Gains so much character, depth, and complexity after it is opened. Changes the wine to a must try.

2008 Columbia-Crest H3 Merlot, Washington

Color - Purple with a violet rim

Nose - Black Currant, tobacco, spice, hints of brown sugar

Taste - I can sum this wine up in one word - Intense. Merlot was the first red wine varietal I tried some 12 years ago, and I hated whatever cheap bottle my college buddy had on the particular day I decided to try red wine. Every since then I have shied away from Merlot except in blends. On a whim I picked this up from Costco and I am glad that I did. This wine has everything I've come to love about red wine. It's dry but not cloying. Has an amazing level of astringency. There is a very nice bite of alcohol. The flavor transitions smoothly from currant to spice (cloves I think) mixed with chocolate into a smooth long finish of smoke, dark cherry and leather. This is big and bold , full-bodied, a force to be reckoned with and has very nice tannins that don't hold back but neither do they overwhelm. This is a new favorite of mine. Costco's got it at 10.99 a bottle. I'd say that's great QPR and that this is easily a 20-25 dollar wine. This is a buy it now and drink it often wine.

2008 Columbia-Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington

Color - Dark Red

Nose - Blackberry, forest floor, vanilla

Taste - Nice and dry with dark cherry and hints of vanilla right out of the gate. This being the third Columbia-Crest wine I've had, I have come to expect good things even with their cheapest wines. This wine holds its own without a doubt. The fruit makes way to a nice semi-astringent mid-palate that has sour cherry hints with a tiny aftertaste of vanilla and fruit skins. There are some hints of clean herb, grass and vegetables, but it is right in the background and very pleasant. There is a slightly higher alcohol heat than I'd normally like, but it doesn't make this wine undrinkable. I paired this with meat lasagna and it brought out a lot more fruit and some buttery mouthfeel but lessened the intensity of this wine almost to the point of normalcy. I'd say leave this as a stand alone drinker or with steak, cheese, or other less acidic foods. A good wine with a good QPR. Nothing to rave about, but for the money it could become your "house Red". I'd buy it again because it's consistent and has definite depth without food.

Overall, I would rate each of these wines good to great. The H3 Merlot is a great wine with an amazing QPR. I like the slightly cheaper Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon more than I like the Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, but they are both good wines. As far as consistency of good-to-great product goes, Columbia-Crest comes in second only to Anakena. Thank God I finally found a North American winery that can compete with the South American wineries. I would say go out and buy the H3 by the case, pick up a bottle or two of the Two Vines, and a single of the the Grand Estates (just to try it in case your palate differs that much from mine). I don't think you will be disappointed.

Columbia-Crest Wines

2008 Mil Piedras Malbec, Argentina

Color - Ruby Red

Nose - Blackberry, plum, black cherry

Taste - This is a fruity wine, that's the first opinion I get of this wine. Even though it's fruity, it packs a huge herbal aftertaste, very clean and grassy. The initial flavors are of sour cherries, blackberries and black pepper. This wine has a comfortably smooth texture and a very nice mouthfeel; something silky and smooth and very inviting. I would caution not to drink this wine above 65 degrees because it gains a slightly bitter taste which is not very pleasing to say the least. There is the presence of clean, fruit skin flavors in the aftertaste which is very nice and compelling and makes this wine feel more complex than it is. This is better if consumed by itself, it doesn't fair well with particularly savory food. It can hold up but gets bogged down and gains a strong bitter aftertaste after the attack of the fruit.

Overall, This is very good though fruity by itself. This wine is medium bodied with similarities to Chianti or Sangiovese. Fruity and somewhat complex this a better wine than many at the 15 dollar mark and this is less than that. In one sentence. This is another Argentinian Wonder, buy it now!

Mil Piedras Wines

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!

A Tale of Two Cabs

A little change of pace, I figure I'll review two Cabernet Sauvignon's and we'll see how things pan out. Without further ado, on to the wines.

1. 2008 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Dark Red

Nose - Blackberries, Black Cherry, Currant, Vanilla

Taste - I get a healthy does of blackberries minus the tartness, and a lovely quick drying of my mouth and gums. This is a very young, tannic, astringent wine. Not particularly dry and it isn't very complex either. I wouldn't call this a "simple" wine just rather young. It has a TON of potential, and is my current Cabernet from Trader Joe's. There aren't many layers to this wine right now, but I bet if you cellar a few bottles for a few years you'd find that changes rather quickly. Though the wine has heat and tannic acid, neither overpower the wine. Mostly this is an early wine that's rather plain and subdued but is packed with the potential to be amazing.

Overall, the wine has a decent texture and mouthfeel, though it's only medium-bodied for a Cab. It has a medium-to-long finish and astringency that is more compelling than it's flavors. I'd say this is very nice for the price and for as young as this is it has a lot of character and a flavor that won't disappoint. Pick it up as a stand by when you run low on the good stuff or if you need a cheaper wine for a big shindig.

Santa Rita Wines

2. 2008 Montes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color - Garnet Red

Nose - Cherry, wood smoke

Taste - This wine is pretty dry, and fairly fruity when paired with strong flavored food. There is aquie a lot of bite from the alcohol, it's not overwhelming just a lot of bite. By itself it just really loses its complexity and ends up rather boring for a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's an ok wine at the sub 10 dollar ranger. It lacks a lot of depth but it finishes well with a clean feeling. The tannins are a little elusive, one sip they are very present and the next they are invisible. I think the wine is good for the price, but to be honest there are others that are just as good for a similar price(Redwood Creek for a few bucks less, Santa Rita 120 for about the same price, and Crios for just a few dollars more). It's hard t pin down this wine mostly because the alcohol bite takes a lot from the wine.

Overall, there is the potential for this wine to be spectacular. There's a lot going on under the surface, the heat masks a lot of the flavors. There is a little bitter hint towards the end of the finish that I find slightly off-putting but not enough to discount this wine. It' would benefit from a decent aeration and decanting to lessen the alcohol and bring out the flavors. Good, not great, enough to give it a try at this price point.

Montes Wines

2008 Arizona Stronghold Mangus, Cabernet Sauvignon/Sangiovese/Merlot

Color - Nice even Red

Nose - Strawberry, cherry, plum

Taste - This wine is fairly sweet and quite fruit forward. It's not unpleasant even though I don't usually like sweet reds. It's not particularly complex, has smooth round tannins, and a nice clean, even finish. The finish contains hints of smoke and apple skin. This wine is young but not biting from too much alcohol or bitter like a lot of young red wines. The Sangiovese sweetens the red, but the Cabernet Sauvignon keeps it grounded. I would have to say the Sangiovese is much more dominant in this wine even though there is a higher percentage of the Cabernet. The blends from Arizona Stronghold lean on the sweet but but also dry with a very decent structure and enough depth to keep my taste buds from getting bored.

Overall, this is a decent wine though you can find others at the same price point that are just as good. It's good and will last in the bottle. The wine might mature into something more complex. But it is really quite enjoyable as an every day drinker. I would definitely recommend this wine as one to pick and try, even to keep on hand. It's sweet, yes, but it's smooth with a medium bodied and something to keep a smile on your face.

Incidentally, this is a partnership between Maynard James Keenan (yes that MJK) and Eric Glomski (Renowned Vigneron and owner of Page Spring Cellars) to make good wine blends from Arizona grown grapes.
Arizona Stronghold Vineyards

2008 Fabla Calatayud Garnacha, Spain

Color - Garnet

Nose - Strawberry, Tannin, Alcohol, Oak

Taste - Right from the get-go, this wine strikes me as very light, fruit forward and particularly dry. As with the nose, there are definite hints of strawberry and as the wine passes over the palate it has quite along finish, which surprised me. Attacks the mid-palate, but rather softly with light berry flavors . This wine has a very clean finish, one of the cleanest I've experienced, it leaves almost no lingering tastes of anything, which I view as disappointing. The finish itself is medium compared to what I'm used to, and pleasant. It's rather one dimensional, not complex at all. I would say this is a decent substitute to Chianti or a light Merlot. After a second tasting of this, I find it does leave just a slight aftertaste of leaves (strawberry leaves or sweet tea leaves). Finally, I can't find any tannins at all, though they seem present in the nose, I can't taste them to save my life. For me this is a big minus since I love tannins in my wine.

Overall,this is much too light for my tastes. It's extremely un-complex, bordering on boring. I'm sure it would be great to serve to red wine newbies or people that like light/sweet red wines, but for me it just seems bland and a waste of time and money. It's not nearly tannic or full bodied enough which is the main deciding factor. It is drinkable by itself, but you should know that the flavors "dull" rather quickly. Find something even a little more complex and driving, perhaps a Malbec or decent Tempranillo.

Calatayud Wines

2009 Bolla Valpolicella, Italy

Color - Light red with a near pink rim

Nose - Slight cherry, clean herbaceous hints

Taste - Having never had this particular style of wine, I didn't know what to expect, but right off the bat two things hit me. One, this wine is much lighter than I am used to drinking. Two, this wine has an interesting sour cherry flavor that permeates every sip. The wine is light colored and light in body, it doesn't hang around on your palate after you've swallowed though the sour cherry flavor stays with me for several long seconds before it fades. There are hints of grass, herbs or light mint as the wine fades on the tongue and nearly a pucker factor. Though the wine is sour it is still fruity and not particularly dry. The vegetal flavors are quite pleasant in the wine almost enough to balance the sourness. The wine is very smooth as far as mouthfeel goes, the tannins are nearly lost (in my opinion due to the fact that your mouth is dealing with so much sour cherry). It's young and kind of muddled, but not necessarily bad, just different. I usually stick with Chianti or Sangiovese if I purchase and Italian red wine, I tried this out because it was cheap and the back label made it sound like something my mouth would enjoy. There is a slight bite from the alcohol, but not a lot of heat from it, nothing.

Overall, this is a difficult wine for my palate to peg. My gut instinct is to find a different brand of this wine before I discount Valpolicella altogether, but to be quite honest I don't really like the wine all that much. I'm not fond of light red wines. This wine reminds me more of a sour apple Sauvignon Blanc more than it reminds me of a Chianti or other light red. Even the aroma has more in common with the few dry/sour whites I've come to enjoy. It's not an unpleasant wine just not what I would pick. I would hazard a guess and say a person looking to transition from white-to-red might enjoy this wine as an ice breaker into red wines. For the price I'd pick up a Chianti or Tempranillo or even a decent red table wine before I'd buy this again.

Bolla 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

2007 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Cabernet/Merlot, Australia

Color - Dark Red

Nose - Plum (lots of plum), minimal blackberry and oak

Taste - I am firmly of the opinion that this wine would have been a very offensive wine had it not been blended with the Merlot. It's sweet to begin with, lots of plum on the attack, there is a slight vegetal flavor that hides behind the plum. Very nice clean finish with little or no aftertaste, but leaves my mouth with a very pleasant clean feeling. A medium bodied red perhaps even leaning on the light side of reds, especially those I am used to drinking. The cutting acidity and tannins of the Cabernet are mellowed, almost to the point of nonexistence, by the Merlot quite nicely. It is enjoyable if somewhat one-dimensional and not a very good offering of a blend of these two grapes. There are many that you can find for the same price that taste better. The wine is smooth with little or no alcohol heat to it.

Overall, This wine is good, not great. It's definitely not something I would drink often or even out of preference, but I wouldn't shun this wine if it was offered to me at a party or get together. It's far to "light" for my taste of reds. The Merlot really softens the Cabernet's heaviness, which isn't bad because I truly think this Cabernet would be a subpar offering. The few times that it broke through it was just too herbaceous and unpleasant for my palate. This would go well with food from your barbecue grill, pork chops, or fried dishes. Not nearly my favorite from Penfold's, they do have a lot of good wines, this one is not one of them.

Penfolds Wines