2008 Cameron Hughes “Lot 233” Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Purple with a ruby rim

Nose – Black and red currant, green tomatoes, celery

Taste – Right on the attack there is a lot of dark fruit but more in the way of stewed fruit with less sugar and lots of earthy characteristics in the mid-palate and finish. The flavors start with black currant, licorice, and blackberry and smoothly transition to damp soil, forest floor, and pencil lead with perfect heat and astringency, and finally a long finish personified by burnt caramel, coffee, bittersweet chocolate and a hint of green, herbaceous vegetables. This wine is medium-to-full bodied with a nice “warmth” to it that runs through the entire wine. I prefer this slightly chilled, decanted for at least 30 minutes and paired with steak and buttered, salted vegetables.

Overall, this is more balanced but also more complex than the recent Chilean Cabs I have tried. It’s both noble and accessible with warm, deep, dark flavors that don’t smother the wine but add to the overall level of complexity and accessibility of this particular wine. I’d rate this as a good QPE with the quality definitely equal or above the price. Buy this when it’s available, in bulk if you have the funds. Simply put it’s that good of a red wine!

Cameron Hughes Wines

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

2009 Tres Pinos Three Pines Cuvee Red Wine

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Cherry, cut/wet grass

Taste – This particular red blend features Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel in unknown quantities and is available at Trader Joe’s for $4.99. Does it pass the cheap wine test? Yes it does. How does it fare when measured against the previous red blends I’ve purchased from Trader Joe’s that were similarly priced? Right smack in the middle. That being said the nose is rather simple and truly the cut/wet grass really only comes out with vigorous swirling. The first taste shows off cherry, strawberry and/or raspberry and some definite heat. The mid-palate settles in with some quite rambunctious tannins and peppery flavors. The tannins flow right into the medium finish along with some tart cherry, damp soil and wet leather flavors. As far as mouthfeel goes this is a little bit watery and can almost seem like you’re drinking something other than wine as far as body goes. I would say this is light-to-medium bodied with the only real “oomph” coming from the tannins. In all a decent red wine, superior to the Chariot Gypsy but inferior to the Trentatre Rosso.

Overall, regardless of how I feel about this wine, it still has a good QPR. It’s hard to find wines that I would seek out that only cost a fiver. This is one of those wines. It’s not pretentious or complex but it is pretty darn satisfying. It needs a little time to breathe after opening it and tastes a lot better if its slightly chilled; but I would still say this wine is a decent value and one you might want to think about purchasing on your next trip to Trader Joe’s.