2009 Spiral Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Red with a pinkish rim

Nose – Strawberry, grape juice

Taste – I had read good things about this wine prior to purchasing my bottle. Not overjoyed reviews, but reviews of this that rate it a good buy in both the price and flavor department. Having sampled this wine, I don’t know that I agree with those reviews. I didn’t think this wine was terrible; it’s a drinkable, inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon. My problem is that this wine’s flavor is lacking of almost anything you can find in a good, inexpensive bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. From the pour this wine looks, smells and tastes “light”. What I mean by that is that its light in color, the nose is nearly non-existent, and the flavors (really just one flavor, strawberry) show up right away and then disappear. I am not saying this is a bad wine, far from it, it’s an OK wine, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it. The attack is made up of strawberry-ish flavors that remind me of communion wine that run for the hills immediately after they touch the tongue. They are replaced with some tingling acidic sensations that might be tannins with a meager dose of heat from the alcohol in the mid-palate. The finish is very short and the communion wine flavor comes back with some dark fruit jamminess. This wine is light bodied with a mouthfeel slightly heavier than water. It’s not an unpleasant wine to drink and you can sail through a bottle by itself, but it’s far from being a memorable wine.

Overall, I’d say don’t bother with this one. Sure it’s not bad, but that doesn’t mean it’s good either. It’s an average inexpensive wine without the nasty flavors that you find in most inexpensive wines. If you are looking for something a little more complex go for the Trentatre Rosso (even the 2009 vintage is superior to this). If you want something a little more fruit forward Tres Pinos Three Pines Cuvee is a better bet. And if you want a Cabernet Sauvignon at nearly this price but with much higher marks Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon is the way to go. You can get all of these wines (including the Spiral Wines Cabernet Sauvignon) at Trader Joe’s between 5 and 9 dollars.

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 Bonterra “Organic” Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Color – Dark red with a lighter, even red rim

Nose – Raspberry, cherry, blackberry

Taste – Based on the way that the nose presented itself, I was prepared for a fruit bomb or barring that at least something that featured fruit, in what I would consider abundance. That’s not necessarily the case here; yes there are some fruit flavors as the wine touches my palate. I can taste sour cherry, minimal raspberry, and what tastes most like tar and chocolate. The mid-palate is characterized mostly of tannins that are just a little too present and alcohol that is slightly muted. The finish is fairly long with more sour cherry added to leather, chalk and possibly burnt blackberries. The finish is also very astringent, my mouth felt like I’d taken a blow dryer to it as the mid-palate moved into the finish. The wine is medium-to-heavy bodied and not what I’d expected in the least. This wine is absolutely useless without food. It deteriorates into an undrinkable mess of tannins, alcohol and super sour cherry, so be forewarned. That being said, it tastes very good when paired well. I sampled it with a pot roast and it was very satisfying leaving my mouth quite happy.

Overall, this wine is an OK QPR. At 10 dollars there are better, or more well-rounded wines out there, but that doesn’t mean this is a bad wine. It’s just not a very balanced wine at this price. This is a good example of a Cabernet Sauvignon that isn’t too fruit forward or too “green” it’s right in the middle with some spice hints but also a decent level of fruit to it. I would advise trying this maybe as a sixth bottle if you are purchasing half a case or something interesting to try if you are in the mood for something new.

Bonterra Vineyards

2008 Kaiken Malbec, Argentina

Color – Inky purple, nearly black

Nose – Blueberry, plum, vanilla

Taste – For our eleventh anniversary, my wife and I went to a restaurant we frequented during our dating years. While sitting perusing the menu, I decided to order a bottle of wine. My first choice, a Carmenere, was out of stock. I took a few more minutes and decided on this wine that I had seen quite a few places but always put off purchasing. Yes I paid three times what I would have paid at Total Wine, but I found out just how good Kaiken Malbec is; and why I should have been drinking it since I started this blog. First off this isn’t some mediocre, supermarket Malbec. This is a great big, amazing flavor, huge depth, Malbec. I am sure you can find it in some supermarkets, if that’s the case buy it now. I tasted it the first night with a plate of gyros and tzatziki; the wine tasted warm and spicy a wonderful complement to the red onions, kalemata olives and yogurt sauce. I finished off ¾ of the bottle and left it in my wine cellar for the past 4 days. Tonight I fired up the grill for some rib-eye steaks I had laying around. I went through two other wines, a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chilean Carmenere blend, before I poured the final glass of Kaiken Malbec to sample with the last quarter of my steak. How I wished I had tried this wine first. Bursting with flavors of blackberry, black plum, vanilla and clove this wine practically jumped up and down on my taste buds when I took the first sip. The mid-palate was firm, ripe tannins, elegant alcohol heat that made my tongue tingle, and dark cherry/blueberry flavors. The finish is medium in length with more dark berry flavors, along with delicate wood smoke, bittersweet chocolate, and tobacco. This is medium bodied, nudging into full-bodied just a little with warmth and texture one would expect from a really good Malbec.

Overall, this is hands down one of the best Malbecs I’ve ever tasted if not the best representation of this varietal. It has everything I love in a wine; depth, character, flavor, heat, tannins and astringency but all of those things are in perfect proportions. Normally I would shy away from non-fruit forward Malbecs, but this is a masterpiece of a wine. I would say this is a great QPR at 10 – 12 dollars a bottle depending on the store you shop at. I would advise making this your house Malbec, as it is inexpensive and amazing. A stand-alone wine or a wine to be paired with just about any dish. Keep this one in your cellar at all times.

Kaiken Wines

2008 Graffigna Centenario Malbec Reserve, Argentina

Color – Dark purple with a black core

Nose – Black currant, blackberry, brown sugar, caramel

Taste – A word of advice before we start, decant this wine for at least an hour before you begin to sip. Once you do start sipping be prepared for very strong flavors. This wine is not a fruit forward Malbec. Instead it starts with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, dark cherry, heat from the alcohol and leather. The mid-palate comes on strong with plentiful tannins, brown sugar, and muted spice box flavors. The finish is long and can seem a little harsh at times due to the tannins and heat that run through the entire wine. There are some dark fruit flavors on the finish (blackberry, plum, currant) as well as tobacco, bittersweet chocolate, and more leather. This is a full bodied wine and not an everyday Malbec as I’ve mentioned previously. There are fruit flavors but they are more even in this wine, blending with the tannins, heat and tobacco/leather flavors rather than overpowering them.

Overall, the wine is not bad when paired well and when sipped slightly chilled. As the wine warmed in my glass the tannins evened out, but the alcohol took a big step forward and really overwhelmed all of the other flavors. If you do purchase this wine (Costco for 8.99), make sure you serve it slightly chilled. This barely makes the grade for a wine that I would recommend. It has a pretty good QPR given that this wine’s quality is definitely there with a nice level of complexity and depth. This isn’t an inexpensive Malbec, but the flavors here won’t work for everyone. I won’t be seeking this out when I want a good all around Malbec, instead I will grab Alamos or Chateau Labrande, but if I am in the mood for something a little more robust and complex I’d buy this again. Let me know what you think.

Graffigna Wines

2009 Kirkland Signature Rutherford Meritage(70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc), California

Color – Purple with a violet rim

Nose – Blueberry, blackberry, vanilla, pencil shavings

Taste – This wine provides one of the most fulfilling red wine experiences I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying since I started taking notes on the wines I sip. From the color to the aroma to the first sip, this wine is all about flavor, balance and depth. There is a decent amount of dark fruit on the palate, a mélange of black currant, blackberry, plum and blueberry. The mid-palate is a wonderful experience of firm tannins, subtle astringency and perfect levels of alcohol. The finish is long with blackberry, plum, vanilla, oak and semi-sweet chocolate. The wine is full bodied, the mouthfeel silky with an aftertaste that reminds me of clean mint and fruit skin, all of this combines to give the feeling that this wine is more mature than it actually is. Had I tasted this blind, I would have guessed an ’05-’06 vintage and a price tag between 20 and 30 dollars. Boy would I have been wrong.

Overall, this wine has a great QPR. For 14 dollars you get to experience a wine that has the complexity, depth and balance of a wine double the price. I can honestly say that I have only tasted two wines since January that compete with this; the first was the Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon and the last Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon. There were a few in between (Munoz de Toro Argie Bonarda , Bodegas Flechas de los Andes Gran Malbec and Crios de Susana Balbo) but that’s really only five wines in five months that have this superior level of complexity and depth. Sure the few Beaujolais I tried also meet these standards but they aren’t the same “type” of red wine as this is. I would recommend this as a definite buy, stock up while Costco has this in stock, you won’t regret it.

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.