Category Archives: Price: 11-15 bucks

Price: 11-15 bucks

Teira Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Dry Creek Valley

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Yes, that’s Wonder Woman’s invisible plane. Fat lot of good it does her. A woman flying through the air in seated position is pretty conspicuous, don’t you think?

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Price: $13.50

Tasting notes: Nearly invisible color. Grassy, citrusy nose, but not in-yo-face about it. Light-bodied on the palate with more citrus fruit flavors and a faint steeliness at the core. Not quite as crisp as I expect (and prefer) in a Sauvignon Blanc.

Overall impression: Serviceable Sauv Blanc, but not one I’d seek out again. B-

Price: 11-15 bucks, Price: 16-20 bucks, Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

#ChileBlends Tasting

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Way back in October, Wines of Chile held a twitter tasting of red blends from Chile (hashtag: #ChileBlends). I had signed up for the tasting and received the wine, but a family emergency kept me from being able to participate on the night of the event. That also coincided with this blog going into a coma for several months. But I tasted the wines and made my notes and am finally posting my comments.

Chile made it’s mark on the US wine scene via inexpensive varietal wines, mainly cabernet, merlot and chardonnay back in the mid-1990s. While I knew things had moved on from that, I figured most of these blends would stay in the Bordeaux mold, with various combinations of cab, merlot, carmenere, and a bit of cab franc and petite verdot here and there. So I was pleasantly surprised by the range of grapes and some unusual combinations. Syrah is a trendy grape in Chile these days and a few of these add that Rhone grape to the Bordeaux blends. A couple include mourvèdre, my favorite grape. One makes use of old-vines, dry-farmed carignan, a hidden treasure of Chile’s. One even mixes syrah, merlot and pinot noir (though this was my least favorite of the lineup).

Below are my notes and free associations. They are in order from my favorite (bonus: it’s also the least expensive) to my least favorite. (Interestingly, my least favorite bottles all had a preponderance of Syrah.)

Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere 2008 Colchagua Valley ($15)

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere

A beautiful dark fruit nose, with just-right green/herbal notes. The palate has an iron minerality at the core, draped with black cherry and blackberry flavors, ripe tannins and a touch of creamy caramel. It finishes clean and minty. This wine has a take-another-sip quality that’s singing to me. It’s just plain delicious and a great value at $15.  A-

Free association:

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Hacienda Araucano Clos de Lolol 2008 Colchagua Valley ($23)

31% Syrah,29% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Carmenere

At first taste, I thought “This is the one I’m not gonna like.”  But it started to appeal to me with time; kinda like Cougartown. The nose is like walking around the Christmas tree tent picking out your overpriced Douglas fir — including the whiffs of cigarette smoke from the carnie working there. A little mint too. Dry and tannic in the mouth with a tight core of sultry black fruit (it is a 2008) and tobacco. A wine worth spending an evening with. B+

Free association:

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Valdivieso Eclat 2005 Maule Valley ($27)

56% Carignan, 24% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah

There is a wildness to the smoky cherry nose with it’s green/vegetal notes and leather. On the palate it is medium-bodied and smooth-textured, with chocolate and black cherry flavors. Finishes cool. Nice wine. B

Free association:

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Estampa Gold Assemblage Carmenere 2008 Colchagua Valley ($22)

57% Carmenere, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot

Pretty herbal and sandalwood notes highlight the fresh red fruit on the nose. The palate’s plummy/blueberry flavors feel controlled and precise, not overblown. A dry, woody, tannic finish. B

Free association:

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Emiliana Coyam 2007 Colchagua Valley ($29)

38% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 17% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Mourvèdre

Dynamite nose of berries and a touch of cocoa/chocolate on a frame of crushed rock. On the palate, the dark berry fruit is a bit reserved behind the prominent woodiness. It’s nicely smooth-textured at the beginning then turns a bit coarse, with barky/woody tannins and a minty finish. The palate doesn’t pay off the promise of the nose, but a pleasant bottle. B-

Free association:

Image credit: seaan via Flickr

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Maquis Lien 2006 Colchagua Valley ($19)

42% Syrah, 30% Carmenere, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec

Interesting nose of modest red fruit with fresh green pepper (more the white inner stuff than the green outside) and a metal and slightly saline quality. On the palate, the initial blueberry fruit is polished, but the wine tightens up and gets quite woody and grippy. It finishes with some black pepper spice (though a touch hot). The wine improves after a few hours open, but overall it’s not a favorite. B-/C+

Free association:

Image via Accidental Mysteries

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Casa del Bosque Gran Estate Selection Private Reserve 2007 Casablanca Valley ($50)

61% Syrah, 26% Merlot, 13% Pinot Noir

As the last wine in the lineup, and the most expensive, I had high hopes. (I should know better about price/quality expectations, but it’s a hard bias to shake.) The wine is dense & figgy, but I found the fruit to come across as “overcooked” and it finishes hot (despite only 14.4% on the label). It feels like there is some interesting complexity hiding in there, but it’s been stamped out. C+

Free association:

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Additional Notes:

I misplaced my notes on the De Martino Single Vineyard Old Bush Vines “Las Cruces” 2006 Cachapoal Valley ($45), 66% Malbec, 34% Carmenere, which was also a part of this tasting. My apologies to the good folks at Wines of Chile. I suck.

Other blogger posts on this tasting at drinknectar , cheapwineratings and 1winedude.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #24: Castaño Hecula 2005

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Back to Spain for Mourvèdre Monday. This one’s from Bodegas Castaño, one of the biggest producers of Monastrell in Yecla, in southeastern Spain. This wine got 90+ points from Parker for 5 straight vintages, including this one. Let’s see what’s up.

Producer: Bodegas Castaño

Grapes: 100% Monastrell

Appellation: Yecla

Vineyards: From 30+ year old vines in two vineyards: Las Gruesas and Pozuelo. Both with soils of sand, clay and limestone.

Vintage: 2005

Winemaking: 6 months of aging. It’s not clear from tech sheet in what vessel, but I would guess tank or neutral oak.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: Around $12

Tasting notes: Dusty fruit on the nose playing second fiddle to dried flowers and a sweaty, meaty aroma. I catch a fleeting licorice note as well. On the palate there are rich blackberry and red fruit flavors with an interesting mossy background note. Finishes short and dry with a little heat.

Overall impression: Some intriguing elements that don’t quite come together into a harmonious whole as well as I would like. Still an nice bottle that I enjoyed spending the evening with. And a nice value at around $12. B

Free association:

More info:

90 points from Parker and Tanzer. Parker gave this wine 90 or 91 points in vintages 2002-2006.

Jeff over at Viva La Wino reviewed this one last year and loved it.


Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Wegeler PURE Riesling 2006

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I’ve never really gotten in the habit of drinking much German wine. Partly because I’ve always drunk more red than white. And partly because of all the uncertainty around sweetness, especially in my early wine-drinking days when I turned my nose up at any hint of sweetness, thinking that made me more sophisticated. More than most categories, I feel like I need a guide when it comes to German wine, so I took a chance at this bottle, which came highly recommended from Garagiste.

Producer: Wegeler

Grapes: 100% Riesling

Appellation: Rheingau (Germany)

Vineyards: Loess/loam and clay soils

Vintage: 2006, so it’s got a bit of bottle age on it.

Winemaking: no info

Alcohol: 11.0%

Price: I paid $11.99 via Garagiste, but this normally retails for around $20.

Tasting notes: Pale, brassy color. Pretty citrus and stone fruit aromas lead the way, accented with talc and gravel notes. There’s a little pineapple juice, too, and I keep thinking it’s reminding me of Juicy Fruit gum. Round fruit flavors with a touch of sweetness (medium-dry) on the palate, but with bright acidity that makes this very fresh, and dare I say, PURE. A little crushed rock shows as well for added interest. This wine was drinking well for several days after opening.

Overall impression: This is the Germans doing what they do. And I appreciate it. I bet you would to. B

Free association:

More info:

Imported by Rudi Wiest Selections.

10,000 cases produced.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Oddball Wine of the Week (Slovenia Edition): Marof Beli Križ

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Here’s another Slovenian wine for the Oddball series. This one blends Welshriesling with Sauvignon Blanc. Welshriesling is not Rielsing with a funny accent. It’s an unrelated (and inferior) grape grown in places like Austria, northern Italy, and a bunch of old Iron Curtain countries: Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania and Czech Republic. According to Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines, it produces round, low-acid wine. Let’s see how this one comes together with Sauvignon Blanc.

Marof Beli Križ 2007

Producer: Marof

Grapes: 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Welshriesling

Appellation: Prekmurje (Slovenia)

Vineyards: The name Beli Križ means white cross, which refers to an actual white cross that stands at the point where the three estate vineyards that produce the grapes for this wine come together. The vineyards are: Bodonci, Grad and Mačkovci. Soils, depending on the vineyard, are volcanic or sandy loam.

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation. No oak aging.

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $11.83 via Garagiste

My tasting notes: The wine is very pale in color. The nose is all stone & stone fruit aromas, with a light lemony perfume. There is also a slight nuttiness. More stone and stone fruit on the palate with a lemon-lime background note and the vaguest whiff of fresh green beans. It finishes very dry with decent length. Despite the lemony citrus notes, the flavors are soft, not aggressive. To my palate on this evening, it is a bit too soft – I could use a little more brightness and acid.

Overall impression: A very drinkable and pleasant wine. Based on the blend, and what I’ve read of Welshriesling, I can’t help but think that I would enjoy the wine more with a higher percentage of Sauvignon Blanc. But it would be interesting to share with someone who finds most Sauvignon Blanc too aggressive and see what they think. Bonus points for getting to use a new diacritical mark on the blog. B-

Free association: Slovenia is in the same group as the USA in the 2010 World Cup. Their match is tomorrow. Let’s hope their defense is as soft as this wine.

More info:

Other reviews at: CellarTracker (mean: 87.7), Cork’d and The Ancient Geek.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc 2008

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A few days before the big #SauvBlanc twitter tasting a few weeks back, I found myself without any Sauv Blanc in the house (a pretty rare occurrence). I didn’t have time to make a run to one a proper wine shop, so I picked up something on my weekly grocery shopping trip. I don’t recall why I picked this one. Must have been the only NZ option they had at my price point that I hadn’t already tried. So how was it?

Producer: Chasing Venus, from Crew Wine Company

Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation: Marlborough, New Zealand

Vineyards: I like it when producers name the specific vineyards and explain what characteristics in the wine come each. So I’ll reproduce their blurb in full:

Chasing Venus wines are produced from grapes grown on small family farms in the acclaimed Marlborough appellation. Griggs Vineyard is situated in an old riverbed against the eastern hills of the appellation. The gravelly, well-drained soils promote pronounced grapefruit flavors. The Race Track vineyard is, not surprisingly, next to a racetrack west of the town of Blenheim. The heavy clay soils contribute to the herbal aromas found in Chasing Venus. Comely Bank is just south of Blenheim in the alluvial soils of the valley. These grapes produce the layers of kiwi, lime and mineral notes.

Vintage: 2008

Winemaking: 100% stainless steel fermentation

Alcohol: 13%

Price: About $15

My tasting notes: The color is a bit yellower than many Sauvignon Blancs. On the nose, there’s…DAMN!…green peas! I hate peas. Little balls of pure evil, I say. A bit of citrus and some sort of metallic aroma. But my mind is locked on the goddamn peas. I collect myself and take a taste and I get plump orange fruit, grass and…SHIT!…more peas! A bit of soft spice and a lemon pith note. But again, all I can think of are the peas.

Overall impression: I actually think I might like this alright if it weren’t for the godforsaken peas. I think it’s pretty well made and when I could ignore the peas momentarily, some of the other flavors were kinda nice. I’d probably call it a solid B-. If you don’t think peas are the devil’s work, you might like this bottle. But I know for my palate, I would never buy it again, so I’m calling it a C-.

Free association:

More info:

6100 cases produced.

A few reviews at Grape Stories/CellarTracker (avg: 85) and one review at Cork’d (89).

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #10: Nabuko 2007

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This is the tenth installment of Mourvèdre Monday. Click here for the other posts in the series.

We return to Spain for this week’s Mourvèdre Monday post. And not only back to Spain, but back to the producer of Week 1’s wine: the Barahonda 06 Monastrell. This is another wine in their lineup – this one blended with Syrah.

Producer: Señorio de Barahonda

Grapes: 50% Monastrell (Mourvèdre), 50% Syrah

Appellation: Yecla (DO, Spain)

Vineyards: High-altitude (2339 feet)

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: A brief stint (3 months) in French oak

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $15

My tasting notes: On the nose, I get smoky wild berry fruit with aromatic herbs. A bit of cranberry juice cocktail and earthy minerality. It feels alive in the mouth with a prickly acidity, almost like your mouth feels after eating Pop Rocks. It dances across the tongue rather than coating it. The flavors are a bit richer and darker than that would suggest: plummy and chocolatey – almost like a chocolate soda. The green/herbal note from the nose sticks around here as well. On day 2, it’s drinking very nicely. That initial prickly-ness is gone and the wine has smoothed out and feels more “complete”.

Overall impression: Another enjoyable Monastrell – this one a bit more interesting and nuanced than some of the others. Not sure it’s a “No Brainer” like the label says (that’s what the NB stands for in the picture below), but worth checking out. B


Free association:

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fragmented/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

90 points from Parker: “The 2007 Nabuko is a blend of 50% Monastell and 50% Syrah aged for three months in French oak. Purple-colored, the aromatics feature fragrant blueberries and blackberry. This is followed by a chewy, layered wine with spicy blue and black fruits and mineral notes making an appearance. Long and rich, this tasty, balanced effort can be enjoyed over the next 4-5 years.”

More reviews at Johnston Spissinger Wine Blog, Honolulu Wine Scene and CellarTracker.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Shiraz Tastes Good: Penfold’s Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2006

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Aussie Shiraz is approaching Merlot-backlash territory in terms of becoming a wine style that some people wouldn’t be caught dead drinking (à la Sideways). Maybe that’s just in wine geek circles (not sure I have the most objective perspective on these things), but that’s where it starts, right?

But there’s usually a reason a wine style becomes popular: it tastes good. And that’s what we have here, folks. A Shiraz that tastes good. If you like wine that tastes good, give it a try.

Producer: Penfold’s, the Thomas Hyland series

Grapes: Shiraz (presumably 100%, though Penfold’s website doesn’t have current tech sheet)

Appellation: Adelaide (Australia)

Vineyards: It appears to be a blend from across the region, though no detail is provided on the bottle or website.

Vintage: 2006

Winemaking: They state on the website that there is some new oak used for this wine, but the latest tech sheet they provide is for the 2003 vintage, which states used French and American barrels were used. So who knows.

Alcohol: I failed to note it before recycling the bottle. And, again, the website let me down.

Price: About $12

My tasting notes: Nice, intense nose full of dark berry juice, white pepper and other spices, along with some stemmy/dusty notes. On the palate, the wine delivers dense dark fruit (spiced plum comes to mind) and soft, polished tannins. It may be a bit jammy, but there is some snap to it. It has decent length with an almost cinnamon gum finish.

Overall impression: I would happily drink this again. It may not be a cerebral wine, but it’s very tasty and a nice example of its type, in my opinion. B

Free association: You know what else just tastes good? Hot dogs.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebusybrain/ / CC BY 2.0

More info:

If you like 90-point validation, this wine got a 91 point review from The Wine News.

Other reviews at CellarTracker (avg: 88)


Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Hanna Sauvignon Blanc 2008 RRV

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Producer: Hanna

Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation: Russian River Valley (AVA, California)

Vineyards: From estate vineyards across RRV: Slusser 53%, Ricioli 11%, Brooks 11%, Gann Family 9%, Chalk Ridge 8%, Jensen Lane 3%, Crinella 2%, Mirabelle 1% and Gianquinto 1%. (I know all that vineyard detail doesn’t tell you much about the wine, but I can’t resist including it when the winery provides it on the website.)

Vintage: 2008

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation. 25% Malolactic fermentation. No oak — aged in stainless steel on the lees.

Alcohol: 13.8%

Price: $15

My tasting notes: Grass, melon and a very nice ripe pineapple note on the nose. It is quite tropical on the palate, with a good lemon-lime zippiness. Despite the crisp acidity it manages to feel slightly plush in the mouth and has good length.

Overall impression: A fruit-forward Sauvignon Blanc in the New Zealand mold. One of the better Cali SBs I’ve tried it a while. B

Free association: Pineapple and grass…

More info:

90 points from Wine & Spirits.

Other reviews at Wine Witch and Cellar Tracker (avg. 86.8).

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Oddball Wine of the Week: Côte Est 2007 Catalan

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This was just a random pickup at Whole Foods one day. The label design caught my eye, then I noticed the blend, then “Catalan” on the label. Wait, doesn’t Catalan refer to Spain… as in Catalonia? But this is French. That was interesting enough for me to plunk down my $11. I wasn’t sure when I bought it if I would use this for the Oddball series or not. “Catalan” was a new French appellation to me, but something made me think this might be more well-known than I thought. Then I looked it up in the Bible, I mean, the Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd edition) saw that there was no listing for it. That’s Oddball enough for me! I did finally find a one-sentence reference to it in the entry for Roussillon, by the way.

Côté Est 2007 Catalan

Producer: Maison Lafage

Grapes: 50% Grenache Blanc and Gris, 30% Chardonnay, 20% Marsanne

Appellation: Côtes Catalanes (Vin de Pays, France). This appellation is a region within Roussillon that sits on the other side of the Pyrenees from Catalonia, Spain. It’s a maritime terroir

Vineyards: The Grenache comes from 80-year old vines, the Chardonnay from 20 year old vines and the Marsanne from young vines. The name Côté Est refers to the fact that the vines are planted east-west, which they say keeps the grapes cooler, preserving the acidity and fruit.

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Stainless steel aging.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: I paid $10.88 at Whole Foods in Austin

My tasting notes: Really lovely nose on this wine, like a blend of pear and peach, highlighted by zesty orange and lime and floral notes. And the palate doesn’t disappoint either. More pear/peach and lime with a mineral streak. Really nice texture, too. Almost plush, though the fruit stays bright. Finishes clean and long.

Overall impression: I’m very glad I took a chance on this wine I knew absolutely nothing about. It’s a very enjoyable little bottle, and I’d definitely recommend you pick up if you see it. B+

Free association:

I can’t find the original source of this image. It’s all over the internet, but it’s not mine.

More info:

Imported by Eric Solomon.

Parker scored this 90 points.

Some reviews on CellarTracker and Corkd.