All posts by Jim/VINEgeek

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

A $12 Sicilian Red With Some Attitude

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Here’s an inexpensive, widely-available wine that hits the sweet spot for my palate:

It’s worth noting that I found the 2006 a few weeks after tasting this 2007 and didn’t like it nearly as much. Look for the 2007.

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Image credit: Illuminaut via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/illuminaut/3996050349

An offering to the SEO gods: PLANETA La Segreta Rosso 2007 IGT Sicilia | This wine says f*ck you to bullshit $12 fruit punch wines from the New World. | Red berries, spicebox, dry leaves, earth, leather, badassitude | B+

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

With a Name Like Stickleback…

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Tuesday night I opened a bottle of Stickleback Red 2008 from the Aussie winery Heartland. It was a Costco grab that intrigued me with it’s mix of grapes: the back label says it’s a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Shiraz, 5% Lagrein and 4% Dolcetto.

Tastes more like 100% Smuckers.

This is a major dark berry fruitbomb. If that’s your thing, this wine is a bargain at around $10. It delivers a lotta JAM for your HAM…ilton. (groan)

It was way too much for my Taco Tuesday dinner, but actually worked pretty well with dessert — a super-sweet s’mores-like brownie thing. If you’re into drinking red wine with chocolate (me: not so much), this might be your new favorite wine.

I really wanted to like this because of the unusual blend, not to mention the oddity of Lagrein and Dolcetto in Australia at all, but this wine just isn’t a style that appeals to me these days.

Commentary

#TeamMourvedre’s New Mascot

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I was very happy to receive this little monster in the mail last week. I think #TeamMourvedre may have itself a new unofficial mascot, courtesy of Bonny Doon Vineyard.

I think he/she needs a name.

Morris?

Maurice?

Morty?

Èd? (avec accent grave, bien sûr)

Feel free to offer your own suggestions.

You may recognize the little guy/gal/beast from the label on this bottle, previously reviewed. As I said then:

I want this on a t-shirt.

(Is anyone in Santa Cruz listening?)

The bottle itself is a half-bottle of Bonny Doon 2010 Mourvèdre “Mon Doux” — a dessert wine (“my sweet”) from old-vine Contra Costa County mourvèdre.

I’m very glad I added this to my club shipment, and can’t wait to see what this little beast has in store.