2009 Darien Tempranillo, Spain

Color – Smooth, garnet red

Nose – Raspberry, Strawberry, Cherry

Taste – Yet another interesting and fulfilling glass of this particular varietal, this wine shows what a simple but pleasing drink Tempranillo can make. This is the least complex Tempranillo I’ve sampled, but also one of the most enjoyable. That may sound like a contradiction but it’s not; to put it simply sometimes you really just want a wine that is going to be simple while being drinkable, this is one such wine. On the attack this wine has a nice mix of dark and red fruits; cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry and perhaps a little blueberry as well but there is also enough tannin and alcohol to tame the fruits. The mid-palate is “warm” with alcohol, the tannins firm but not overbearing and the fruits disappear except for some dark, semi-sweet blackberry flavors. The finish is medium, even on the short-to-medium side with flavors again of cherry, blackberry, but also hints of sour cranberry and dust. This Tempranillo is firmly of the medium bodied variety leaving off the “weight” that a few of the Tempranillos I’ve sampled have contained. It went perfect with grilled meat, both chicken and beef, showing off the fruit in contrast to the smoky, charred flavor of the meats.

Overall, I would rate this a good QPR as the bottle only set me back 6 dollars or so. This is another Trader Joe’s wine, but it’s also one of their winners. I’m not saying this is a bulk buy wine, but it’s a GREAT table wine (if only it came in 1.5 liter bottles). It is perfect for summer barbecues, cold cut sandwiches or just by itself. It won’t turn heads or be featured in the Wine Spectator, but it’s a solid red wine that you can sip without feeling guilty over the price. I recommend this one for your summer get together!

Bodegas Darien

2009 Blason de Bourgogne Pinot Noir, France

Color – Translucent, brownish red

Nose – Cherry, cranberry, pepper, earth, celery?

Taste – Pinot is not one of my favorite red wines. To be honest, it’s down at the bottom of my red wine list only beat out by Valpoilicella and Zinfandel. It’s not that I don’t like Pinot, I just don’t know that much about it and according to those “in-the-know” it can be hard to find a decent Pinot for under 25 dollars. But I have been slowly sampling Pinot at the sub-10 dollar mark for a few weeks now. What I can say about this wine is that it is very light, both in color and in weight. It has a strange nose (to me) with the earth, cranberry and what I can only describe as celery. And the flavor is quite mild as well. The first thing I notice when I take a sip is that this wine tastes much better served slightly chilled. As it warms the tart fruit flavors can feel overbearing and there seems to be a little too much pucker for me. When it’s chilled the flavors play well together going from sour cherry/cranberry to earth and raspberry and finally some pepper on the finish. I am hard pressed to find any tannins, though there is some nice acidity here that keeps the mid-palate interesting and follows through to the finish. The finish is medium in length and has more cranberry and this is where I can also taste what to me resembles celery (you know that clean, slightly bitter taste that celery has?). The texture and mouthfeel are pleasant but there isn’t a lot of depth or character in either the flavor or texture department.

Overall, I would call this an OK wine given my limited knowledge and experience with the varietal. It is inoffensive and subdued but that is what you want some times. It has a pretty darn good price coming in at 6 bucks at Trader Joe’s. I would advise to use this as an aperitif or maybe chilled with salad or hors d'oeuvres. It’s not going to amaze you, but it won’t let you down either. Simply put this is a pretty decent light red wine with a very humble price tag. All-in-all something that’s right up my alley.

Blason de Bourgogne Wines

2009 Kalbarri Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Raspberry, oak

Taste – The fact that the nose was so muted had me wondering if I’d gotten a dud of a wine. That and the fact that this wine features a “cute” drawing of a bird really had me wondering. But when I took my first sip, I was overjoyed to be proven wrong. The nose might be subdued, but the wine itself is not. It’s not a big, bold Cab rather this is a medium bodied Cab that features some very different flavors and textures. First off, I get some sour cranberries and sweet/sour red currants those fade to a nice mid-palate of roses and hints of mint, then there is a smooth transition to the medium-long finish that is filled once again with cranberries and some oaky black pepper flavors. The wine is a lot less “weighty” than most Cabernet Sauvignons, which works here. I was nicely surprised by the delicate flavors and textures rather than disappointed. This would go great with pizza or a burger maybe even a roast beef sandwich. It’s a nice change of pace from the “big” reds I normally favor, plus it’s priced right.

Overall, I would say this is a surprisingly good wine for the money. At 6 bucks you won’t find a lot of stellar wines and this isn’t stellar, but it is so far off the beaten path of what 6 dollar Cabs are that it’s refreshing and I will definitely buy it again. I would say pick this up for a sipping wine or as a way to introduce newcomers to red wines (though make sure to tell them that this isn’t a normal Cabernet Sauvignon). Good QPR, different enough to please my palate, and something I can enjoy just about any time of the day.

Kalbarri Wines