2009 Anakena Indo Merlot, Chile

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Plum, black cherry

Taste - This wine has nice dark fruit characteristics on the first sip, but they fade quickly into something less fruit-y and more sour fruit-y. Normally I wouldn't complain but something about the sourness in this wine is a little unpleasant. The sour cherries don't last too long, thankfully, but give way to a decent amount of heat and astringency. The wine is full bodied and a long finish that has dark fruit characters and some rather lively tannins. It's not offensive but it isn't what I was expecting. This is the first Anakena wine that I would say take a pass on. It's just not nearly as "organized" as the other wines are. It's rather disjointed and the flavor profile just does all the wrong things for my palate. The heat is present but the sour cherries really just puts me off when combined with the amount of heat there is in this wine. I think it has to do with the transition from sour to heat to astringent; it's not very pleasant. That's not to say this is a bad wine, by no means is it bad. It's great compared to most of the grocery store Merlots, it's just not what I would expect from an Anakena wine.

Overall, this wine falls short of the rather high Anakena bar. It's pretty plain and at some times rather confused. To be honest I have not tasted a whole lot of Merlot, but if I were to judge this like I judge any other red wine, than this isn't up to snuff as far as Anakena goes. If you want a Merlot, get the Columbia-Crest H3 Merlot, if you want an Anakena red, pick up any one of their other reds and you'll be happy.

Anakena Wines

NV Double Dog Dare Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color - Red

Nose - Strawberry and raspberry scented cleaner of some kind

Taste - I can tell the story of this in two words: absolutely horrible. This is quite possibly the worst "wine" I've tasted yet; the sad thing is that this isn't offensive, bitter or too hot from alcohol. The true horror of this wine is the fact that it tastes like melted jolly ranchers with a tiny heat right at the finish. This is a light-to-medium train wreck of a beverage. It's not a Cabernet Sauvignon, more like a wine cooler. Lucky for anyone that buys this wine, it has a medium finish that is pretty devoid of any flavor whatsoever. It is a bland, flat red wine that doesn't taste like anything I'd ever want to drink.

Overall, I didn't expect much from this wine seeing as I picked it up for 2.99 at Total Wine, but it was even more disappointing that I thought it would be. This wine, if you could call it that, has no redeeming values at all, unless you like your wine to taste like chemical-laced candy. That's the furthest thing from my mind when I want to drink wine. Pass this up like it has the plague, I would rather drink anything else, including box wine and probably most malt liquor before I'd drink this again.

2008 Georges Vigouroux Pigmentum Malbec Cahors, France

Color - Deep purple with a dark red rim

Nose - Wet soil and unwashed lettuce (I know, sorry, this is what I get from this wine)

Taste - This wine got me right from the first sip, actually from the first whiff. There is minimal or muted fruit in the flavor though there are hints of smoky dark berries on the mid-palate and finish. Mostly I taste the following: (in order) damp soil, lettuce and celery, wood smoke, berries, lots of minerals and an almost bitter aftertaste. This is all after decanting the wine for two hours and then again tasting a glass on day two and another glass on day three. There is a strong level of astringency and a lot of tannins. The wine is medium-to-full bodied with a quite long finish. It would probably do well to be paired with a decent steak, savory game dishes or sharp cheese.

Overall, this wine is what you get when you don't pay attention when picking out a new wine. I am familiar with Argentinian Malbec and the flavors of their particular terroir. Until this wine I'd only read about French Malbecs and how they differed from their Argentinian brethren. I now have a first hand experience. This is not a wine I would drink often. It's not bad at all, in fact, it's pretty good just not my preference. I'll stick with the Argentinian Malbcs, but I would recommend this as a good wine with a decent QPR and if you are looking for a change of pace or want to be a little adventurous, try this out.

Georges Vigouroux Wines

2010 Aberdeen Angus by Finca Flichman Cabernet Sauvignon, Agentina

Color - Purple with a red rim

Nose - Black cherry, blackberry

Taste - On first impression this seems to be yet another average Cabernet Sauvignon. While this has some fruit, it seems pretty dry with a lot of astringency. To be quite honest this wine is rather unremarkable, I had it with food and by itself. It's better with food but not by much. It's pretty much what you'd expect from an 8 dollar wine, well maybe an inferior 8 dollar bottle. There's just a lot lacking. The flavors are muted, tannins are pretty weak though they show up only to dry the mouth but without any other flavors going on the wine turns out rather bland and forgettable. I'm not saying this is a bad wine, it just doesn't work for me especially at this price. If you're taste buds work like mine, then take it from me and pass.

Overall, this would be a good-to-great wine if it were priced at 5 dollars, but at 8 it's a little bit too much money for not enough pay off. I know that's only a measly 3 dollars difference, but in the world of budget wines 3 dollars is half a decent bottle if you know what you are looking for. I wanted this to be a good wine, something I'd keep in the cellar at all times; but it just doesn't live up to what I'd expected. For the same price pick up anything by Anakena.

Finca Flichman Wines

2008 Cruz Alta 100% Bonarda Reserve, Argentina

Color - Inky purple

Nose - Strawberry, forest floor, minerals

Taste - This is my third 100% Bonarda and this one is completely different from the other just as much as they were different from each other. I get cherry and strawberry right from the first sip. This is a fruity wine but nothing close to being a fruit bomb, you can just taste the fruit in it more-so than other wines. I'm surprised at the lack of depth because the nose led me to believe it would be more complex. There is heat from the alcohol but it is minimal and fades rather quickly. The wine is medium-bodied with a medium finish. Concerning the finish, I had hoped for some some spice and perhaps more tannins. The tannins in this wine are very light almost invisible, closer to those of a few of the light Merlot's I have had. It's not a bad wine just nothing to on about and definitely overpriced.

Overall, I'd say pass on this one. The Maipe Bonarda and Munoz de Toro Argie are both more satisfying and more complex. The main thing is the flavor and this is too run-of-the-mill and lacks the depth I look for in a wine. Pass on this and pick up a different Bonarda or if you want to take a ride on a varietal that has some similarity to Bonarda try a nice Cabernet Franc.

5 Cent Sale at BevMo!

To be quite honest I don't usually shop at BevMo!. It's too expensive, has a limited selection, and their employees are far from wine experts. But their 5 cent sale is the only time I will shop their. Those of you that don't know, the 5 cent sale works thusly. Buy one bottle of wine that qualifies for the 5 cent sale at full price and get the second for 5 cents. That's a screaming deal, even for bottles that are priced much higher than Trader Joe's, Fry's or Total Wine & More. Here are three mini-reviews of the bottles I purchased during my visit to the store.

2009 Calloway Cellar Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast California
This has a bland rather subdued nose of cherry and raspberry that flows over into the flavor of the wine itself. It's fruity on the first sip, with flavors of caramelized cherries with a liberal dash of alcohol and some bouncy tannins that really don't do much to make this wine better. It's not a bad wine, just a mediocre one. Not nearly worth 8 dollars, closer to a 5 dollar wine.

2009 Challis Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, California
This has a decent nose of red and black fruit (specifically cherry and blackberry) with minimal floral notes. It tastes pretty darn good for the price (9.99), with fruit jumping right out at me (cherry and currant) the mid-palate has some wood but it's minimal, and then a medium finish. I would say this is a good wine, nothing spectacular, but it holds up to most wines priced at the 10 dollars, though this would probably sell for 7 dollars at a supermarket or Total Wine.

2009 Trumpeter Malbec by Rutini Wines, Argentina
This is a real winner, it's thick and rich. Perfect for a big, bold red wine. It's fruity, yes, but not too fruity. It's more like a rich steak, with layers of flavor, black currant, pepper, vanilla, and oak piled on top of one another. It's full bodied but with a rather short finish, but is pretty much fantastic. It goes for around 14 dollars at BevMo! but would probably go for about 10.99 if sold anywhere else. I would pay 14 for it, and would find it an amazing deal for 11 dollars. It's definitely a keeper.

I don't know if the 5 cent sale is good or bad. Yes I got a pretty darn good bottle with the Trumpeter Malbec, but the Calloway Cabernet Sauvignon is not worth the time and the Challis Lane Cabernet Sauvignon is merely average. I would say stick to shopping at Total Wine or if you want to just pick up a cheap bottle get one from Fry's or Trader Joe's. Total Wine and their employees will point you in the right direction to find a superior bottle, no matter what your price range. And the supermarkets will have a range of pretty decent 5-8 dollars bottles for you to pick up. Sure I will be buying a few bottles during the next 5 cent sale, but only because I like the treasure hunt and need more fodder for this blog. In the meantime I will be sticking to Total Wine, Trader Joe's and Fry's. You can be sure I will keep you appraised of every purchase I make at any of these wine purveyors.

2009 Cave de Saumur Saumur Champigny Reserve des Vignerons, Cabernet Franc, France

Color - Ruby red

Nose - Cherry, red currant

Taste - This has quite beautiful flavors of cherry and flowers. Yes literally something similar to rose petals that I picked off my mom's roses and ate as a child. This wine is dry but not very astringent though it does go through a lot of changes on the palate. Cherries then flowers meld into sour cherries and there is a slight bitterness in the aftertaste but it is mild and unoffensive. This is a medium bodied wine with a nice long finish and rather subdued tannins though they come alive with the right food (pizza, hearty beef stew, cheese). I like this wine though I'm not used to the peculiarities of Cabernet Franc. This is fruity but it's more floral-forward than anything else. It's like drinking potpourri or one of those "rose hips" teas. While not bad it's definitely an acquired taste.

Overall, this is an interesting wine, but something that will only please certain people. Personally I think it's easier to grow accustomed to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Merlot than Cabernet Franc. I'd say try this or another good sub-fifteen dollar Cabernet Franc, but if you're like me you'll stick ot other wines and varietals. That's not to say this isn't a really good wine, it definitely is, it's just not my particular cup of tea, though it might grow on me. I'd pick it up if I couldn't decide on that last bottle and wanted something different yet pleasant.

Cave de Saumur Wines