Wine Reviews You can Use

Nice ruby hue with aromas of milk chocolate, savory spices, cherry, aged saddle leather and red berries. Palate--Lip smacking tannins assault your palate with a bright, tart pie cherry front.  This is right on opening and it is youthful (obviously) with rich cherry, and touch of smoke on the finish.  Campo Viejo makes numerous lines of the hallowed grape of the Rioja. From the low cost high production variety that this one is to their more expensive and aged premium creations CV is always reliable and always a decent value.  This is definitely a food wine so experiment with your pairings and at $10 this is a really nice buy!  Raise a glass!

  Nice black cherry hue with aromas of green fruit, grapefruit, *tire rubber, slight fruit down in the glass with black pepper, sweeter black cherry above the rim. (Not liking the way this is starting out...) Palate--subdued, harsh, unripe fruit, lip smacking tannins, slightly bitter finish with the slightest hint of fruit. Okay--this is at cellar temp which right now is about 55 degrees which is too cold to appreciate. It is also such a very young wine, it needs the help of some air but... *I'll be back and re-review this Chilean Cab. Wine mag used this descriptor and it is exactly what I could not put my finger on. Not actually what I want to find in ANY wine... Wine mag gives this an 87 which is just WOW, over the top. More like a 67!  *Review stands...

Pretty intense black cherry hue for a Barbera with nice aromas of fresh bright red fruit, finessed blackberry, and a touch of blueberry, and spice. Palate--Bright fruity flavors, nice structure, easy quaff and great with food or all alone.   After a bad run of very mediocre or bad wines, this is nice change.  I paid $12 for this and it is a very nice wine by itself or with food and cheeses.  Raise a glass!

  Inky dark purple hue with aromas of Big jammy blackberry and cherry cream bon bons, and a touch of cocoa. Palate--Bright dark cherry with big bold blackberries and a hint of blue berries. A gentle touch of rustic spice and you're done! It is a cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend.  Although it is more Cab than Syrah the Syrah tends to dominate and the two work together quite well.  It finishes quickly,  I had the pleasure of meeting Charlie Shaw years ago at a wine tasting in Freeport, Maine. He is unpretentious, straight forward and a darn good vintner. His creations over the year have never let me down. At around $13 you should open this, let it come to room temp (if it isn't) let it open for a while and then enjoy this fruit forward quaff.  Raise a glass!

  Garnet hue with aromas of rustic black berry, a touch of blueberry jam, talcum powder, and spice. Palate-Stewed dark fruit compote, robust structure with lively acidity, nice Zin flavors and integrated overall and a twinge of smoke way in the back of the finish.  This is drinking great right now and will hold for another 2-3 years, maybe more. Grab a bottle for $11 and change and raise a glass!  Bogle is one of those wineries who just seems to make their wines well regardless the price point. *Keeping this short--When you see "California" on a label like this, (versus, something like Napa, or Sonoma, Lodi, or any number of what are called AVA's, (American Viticultural Areas) it means the grapes were sourced from anywhere in California. What does this tell you about the wine? As a rule of thumb--to which there exceptions--the more specific (narrowly defined) the source of the grapes are the better the quality.  As I say, there are exceptions but they are not predictable.

  Nice rich looking deep red hue with aromas of sweet read berries, as well as spicy blackberry Palate--Bright, flavorful, savory spice, lip smacking tannins, a finish that actually hangs on for good bit.  OK, you can't make too much or too little out of a sourced varietal at an inexpensive price point, ($10-$14) and Bonterra tends to do it as well as you can with what you choose to work with. The grapes sourced from anywhere in California depends on what vineyards the grapes came from.  This economy wine drinks ok but just don't make up your mind about any varietal, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, as to whether you like that grape or not.  A $10 Cab is NOTHING like a $30 Cab on up.

  Light red hue with aromas of spicy sweet baking spices, strawberry Twizzlers, and light strawberry. Palate--Classic Pinot flavors with a touch of grapefruit out of the gate. Delicate on balance, lighter finessed presentation. Easy to drink and a lovely accompaniment to lighter fare or as an aperitif. I think I paid around $9 for this at Trader Joes and it's a decent value so raise a glass!