2008 Montes Malbec, $11

Okay, being that tomorrow would make two months since my last post, I decided I better get with it and get some reviews on here! As with the last (unintentional) "break" I took from my blog, I do have several new wine reviews to share with you...Six, in fact! I've been so busy lately that time has been flying by at lightning speed, and I honestly didn't realize how much I've been slacking with getting my reviews posted until I counted the ones since my last post!

So, without further adieu, here it is:

I bought this one from World Market in March for $11. Montes is a Chilean winery noted for their red wines, and their Malbec is no exception. Although their Alpha Series is the more critically-acclaimed line, its higher price matches its reputation.

Purple-hued and full-bodied with plenty of jammy sour cherry, plum, and spicy American oak on the nose, it has pleasant, supple tannins that lend a nice structure and mouthfeel.

The same notes continue on the palate, with the oak nicely complementing the cherry/plum flavors. It could use a little more sweetness to balance out the acidity, but overall, a nice wine.

My Grade: ++

2008 [yellow tail] The Reserve Shiraz, $12

I knew it had been a while since I'd posted a wine review for my blog, but I didn't realize just how long it had been until I looked at the date of my last post...Almost a whole month ago! How I let that get away from me, I don't know. Nonetheless, I have been tasting wine during the past month, if not making the actual leap of posting them on here! Anyway, I have four new reviews to post, so bear with me!

2008 [yellow tail] The Reserve Shiraz, $12

This is one of three bottles I purchased in February on Wine.com. I highly recommend their site if you want to order wine online--they have a great selection and their prices are reasonable. If you're a really dedicated oenophile, you can also pay $49 to enroll in their Steward-ship program, which includes unlimited standard shipping for a year with no minimum purchase requirement. I did just that, because due to the limited selection of wine in my area, I knew the cost of membership would pay for itself in no time.

This deep ruby red full-bodied Shiraz from [yellow tail]'s Reserve line gives off aromas of cherry, spicy oak, mocha, vanilla, and black pepper. On the palate, it has an acidic effervescence at the forefront with red berry flavors emerging and carrying through the finish.

This wine is smooth and pleasant, but lacks the richness of the Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz. It is, however, good in its own right. Its light effervescence plays on the tongue with smooth tannins and nice acidity. This Shiraz is an easy drinker, straightforward with a subtle roundness of flavors.

Grade: ++ to +++

2007 Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz, $10

Over the course of my wine tasting journey, rarely has a wine completely surpassed my expectations. Usually, I'm either simply satisfied that a wine turns out to be as good as I thought it would, or disappointed that it doesn't measure up. This one, however, broke the mold.

I bought a bottle of Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz at Walmart a while ago, towards the beginning of my quest for budget wine. It caught my eye because I instantly recognized it as one of the wines from "The Wine Trials 2010". Since I was just starting out (and didn't trust my own judgment as of yet), I was relying chiefly on recommendations from wine books for my purchases. A "Two-Time Wine Trials Selection," it was hailed as the Shiraz to go with on the cheap, as opposed to other "fruit bombs" that are cloyingly sweet.

This, however, turned out to be one of the few bottles that has sat in my wine rack for longer than a few weeks, probably because I'd never tried Shiraz...I just wasn't sure what to expect. I'll admit that I was a bit weary that I was going to hate it, mainly due to the fact that I never expected chocolate, a flavor common to Shiraz, to taste good in a wine.

I'm usually excited to open my wines shortly after buying them, but even up until the point that I uncorked this one for a glass one evening, I was just begrudgingly thinking of getting rid of it so I would have another space open on my wine rack. I don't know why I was so halfhearted about trying this one, but in the end, it turned out to be one of my favorites!

To start with, it's a dark plum-red full-bodied wine with a strong, jammy sour cherry nose and a hint of vegetal aromas. On the palate, there is acidity and astringent tannins at the forefront, with plenty of red, jammy berries dominating on the tongue. Dark chocolate, spiciness, and a slight (but not unpleasant) bitterness, come into play to round out the background, and at the end, there's a great, fruit filled finish.

Smooth and supple, Rosemount Diamond Label Shiraz has superb balance, with the perfect amount of acidity, tannins, and fruit. Its flavor profile is round and complex, but it remains easy to drink. Overall, I think this is an amazing wine for the price. This Shiraz evokes luxury, and could even be deemed sexy--it's everything dark chocolate is, embodied in wine. Everything about it, from the dark, square-shaped bottle to the dark plum-hued wine inside, oozes mystery. Speaking of the bottle, it is a little intimidating, but don't let it fool you--the wine inside is perfectly approachable.

My Grade: ++++

Canyon Wind Tempranillo, $20

A Sassy, Spicy Red

Since I finally caved and opened my "intended for a special occasion since I bought it on our honeymoon" Canyon Wind Desert Rosé (on a nondescript Tuesday, nonetheless), I decided I might as well make it two for two and uncork my Canyon Wind Tempranillo to enjoy.

Tempranillo is a grape of Spanish origin, and produces a characteristic plum-red wine. This particular bottle gives off aromas of cherry, plum, and smoky spices, along with a hint of oaky vanilla. The texture is velvety smooth, with lots of nice, balanced tannins and a medium-to-full body.

On the palate, the same richness continues: red berries and spice at the forefront, with oak rounding out the background and a hint of red plum to add interest. These flavors remain on a nice, long finish that leaves you wanting more. It's very balanced, low on the spectrum in both acidity and residual sugar, which is definitely not a bad thing--and there's still enough acid to add to the spicy "bite" of this wine.

This wine is everything I hoped it would be. It's complex, balanced, round, and elegant, and although it's more of a splurge than a bargain, I would buy this one again in a heartbeat if ever given the chance.

My Grade: +++

Barefoot Zinfandel, $7

Proof that first impressions aren't always right...

I bought a bottle of Barefoot Zinfandel (Lodi, California) from Walmart several weeks ago, and finally uncorked it this weekend.

I purchased this on recommendation from "The Wine Trials 2010", which blind-tasted and picked 150 top wines under $15 that beat $50+ bottles to feature in their book. They touted this wine as a rare find--a Zin for $7 that didn't "send you running for the hills". After reading their review, I decided I would give it a try.

I pulled the bottle from the fridge and poured myself a glass on Friday night. Upon sitting down at the table to taste it, I took a big whiff. The first thing that came to mind was that this smelled more like a Cabernet Sauvignon than a Zinfandel...It had the spicy, oak-vanilla-red berry aromas of a Cab, and was about the same color.

After taking a nice big sip, I noted that this medium- to full-bodied Zin also tasted like Cabernet Sauvignon--jammy red berries dominated, with spicy oak rounding out the background. So...It looks like a Cabernet, smells like a Cabernet, and tastes (almost) like a Cabernet, but it's a Zinfandel? I have to say, I felt pretty confused about this one. I knew there must be something more that would distinguish this as a Zinfandel, so I took several more sips.

Almost immediately, I noticed that there was something different about this one...and it wasn't very pleasant. A few sips in, I detected a weird, almost salty flavor that dominated on the palate and made it difficult to drink. After this discovery, I started writing this one off as a failure in my mind, but I also knew there was something "off" about it that deserved more investigation.

The next night, I poured myself a (much) smaller glass of the Barefoot Zinfandel, intent on finding out what "The Wine Trials" saw in this one that I was missing. Then it hit me--It was very similar in all facets to Cabernet Sauvignon, so why not try drinking it like a Cab? This time, I let the glass set out on the counter until it came to room temperature before tasting it, as you would Cabernet. I took one tentative sip, then another...And liked it. Not really liked it, definitely not loved it, but liked it. That weird salty flavor that put me off the night before was gone now, and the flavors were much more balanced as a result. I went back to my wine journal and noted my new impressions, and was glad to have given this one another chance.

I think too often we are quick to form judgments based on first impressions, and take them as our final opinion without revisiting them again. This wine is proof that sometimes, even when our first impression is decidedly negative, a little tweak in method can make a huge difference in the end result, and in our final opinion on the subject. My suggestion? If you don't like a wine (especially a bargain wine), try tasting it at different temperatures instead of tossing it in the trash can...It can't hurt, right? And you never know, you might be (pleasantly) surprised! =)

My Grade: +

P.S.--For some great direction and/or guidance in choosing bargain wines, I highly recommend "The Wine Trials 2010". Its method is completely unbiased, and the results may shock you...Gone are the days when you have to shell out big bucks for a good wine!

2006 Beringer Founders' Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $11

The night before last, I opened this bottle of Beringer Cabs for tasting. I let it sit on the counter during supper to allow it to come to room temperature (the "proper" way to drink cabernet sauvignon), then poured myself a glass.

After a good swirl, this ruby red wine gave off tantilizing aromas of red berries, spice, and oaky vanilla. According to Kevin Zraly's method of wine tasting, I took one sip to get over the initial "shock" to the taste buds before beginning my tasting impressions.

This cabs coats the mouth with a healthy amount of tannins, lending it an astringent quality at the onset. It immediately provides just the right acidity--nothing "too" about this one. The mouthfeel is rich and suede-like, with a slight "furry" quality to it. [By the way, I definitely thought that word sounded gross when I first read it in a wine review too, but you just have to experience it to know it's not a bad thing!]

The flavor is big, bold, and peppery, with an abundance of red berries and oak. It achieves superb balance in a short amount of time, and has great depth and length for a wine of this price.

As with any cabernet sauvignon, you wouldn't want to pair this one with a weak dish due to its full body and high tannin content, because it would overpower the food. This wine would pair well with red meat, pasta with heavier sauces, or even pizza. Or, of course, you could do like I did and just drink it on its own! Either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Speaking of disappointment...I poured another glass of this last night and left it on the counter to bring it to room temp, but since my hubby was much later getting home than I thought he would be, it got a little too warm, so I stuck it in the fridge. BIG mistake. I had set it on a shelf inside the door where the gallon jug of tea had been, and closed the door. After we ate supper, I went to the fridge to put some stuff away, and as soon as I opened the door, my wine came crashing down and splashed all over the floor, the inside of the fridge, and me. Luckily, my glass survived the fall, but I think that's because all of our glassware, from iced tea glasses to my wine glasses and my hubby's beer mugs (and juice glasses, and water goblets...) are all Libbey brand. I have never (*knock on wood*) had a Libbey glass break, and they're all I've used for the past three and a half years.

Anyway, I was majorly bummed that so much of my wine had gone to waste, especially since we're talking about a big glassful. Oh well...You live and you learn--and sometimes you spill your wine!

2007 Hayes Ranch 'In the Saddle' Cabernet Sauvignon, $7

"California Wines with a Western Spirit"

The tagline for this California winemaker seems to be the perfect description for the style of their wine. Everything about it screams "Western," from the label design to the stuff inside the bottle.

This is another wine from my first round of purchases last month at World Market, and it's a steal for what you get.

This dark red Cab gives off aromas of oak, vanilla, spice, red jam, and an unspecific vegetative bouquet.

It proved to be a supple, warm, jammy red wine with plenty of spicy oak flavor and just enough tannins to add interest. It has a nice complexity of flavors and is overall an extremely pleasing wine.

When I first opened it, it had a slightly chemical taste, but I think that it might have disappeared had I let the open bottle sit for a little bit before the first sip. After the bottle sat in the fridge for a few days, it seemed like the flavors only got better. As time went by, it got more complex, smoky, and I was finally able to taste the blackberry noted on the label.

Hayes Ranch 'In the Saddle' is a big, oaky wine with plenty of fruit for the tasting. It's great on its own (the way I've enjoyed it the last couple of cold winter nights), but also goes well with pizza. It has enough substance to stand up to a nice steak, but is gentle enough to enjoy with chicken.

My Grade: +++