Wine Reviews You can Use

Inky dark nearly black looking hue with aromas of stingy, tightly wound hints of cigar ash, ripe dark berry fruit and not much more.  (Perhaps this will open up on breathing) Big fruit bombish front with supple tannins, ripe black berry and not much in the way complexity.  Again--perhaps this will open and should open up with some air. This Washington sate blend of  36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot, 10% Malbec and 10% Syrah is disappointing in that there is so much more here but it is just too young.  At nearly five years old many wines today are ready to drink and in fact probably heading a little south already. My guess is this will be drinking well for the next 5 years and I am guessing that it will mature yielding a far more interesting wine. I paid $12 for this though prices run as high as $26.  This would be a fun wine to buy several more bottles of and lay down opening them each year for the...

Crystalline, pale golden hue with lovely aromas of buttery tropical fruit melange with lemon lime, sweet stone fruit and mango with gentle pie spice. Palate--First impression is lively acidity with a burst of tropical fruity goodness with a perfect integration of structure and flavor. The finish is a bit fleeting but a buttery finish with gentle Chinese five spice.  This is a lovely Chard and is absolutely perfect right now and will last another 3 years at least. I bought this on a special buy for $10--an absolute value of which I will buy more so raise a glass! BTW pairing with baked cod almondine.

Nice black cherry hue with aromas of bright cherry and an awesome touch of minty, cinnamon cream. Palate--This is a wonderfully full flavored Barbera with minerally front and lots of fresh cherries, and a finish of light smoke. This nicely acidic Barbera would be a great pairing wine with anything Italian and a host of flavorful cheeses. I paid $10 for this delight and would love to be able to buy more so raise a glass!

Young purple hue with aromas of wild blueberry, rustic spice Palate--"Sweet" impression at first but these wines are not *sweet.  Loads of blackberry and hints of blueberry with solid structure and a decent finish! It is a common mistake to think certain wines are sweet when they are bone dry meaning there is no residual sugar.  It's a phenomena of a super fruity wine to give the impression it is fruity.  Gnarly Head is always a value Zin and at $7.50 which is what I paid, it's a definite "raise a glass"!

Nice deep dark cranberry jelly hue with aromas of dill pickle juice with a sweet cream edge to it (seriously) with beautiful sweet cream and cedar, with dark blackberries. Palate--Cranberry front palate with integrated structure with flavors of dark berry and savory spice with a finish that lingers.  Really nice! For $15, this is a great Cab!  Sonoma cabs tend be bargains anyway but this one is special.  In fact I just ran back to the store today and bought a few more. If this said Napa on the label, you'd pay 2-3 times that so raise a glass!

Hue is a mature red with aromas of spicy bright darker berries with a mix of blueberry nuance. Palate--Flavorful, spicy, integrated, deep berry flavors, with a grounded mid-palate, and fairly fleeting finish. Grabbed this reliable lower tier Zin on sale for around $8.  I just love Zinfandel and while this one is straight forward, it is full of zesty berry flavors with a presence that is just easy to quaff so raise a glass.

Darker blackish red with aromas of rustic dark black berry, with sweet berry pie and savory spicing at the edge Palate--Pleasant ripe black berry front with a spicy center beam and a savory sweet finish. This blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec and for the price of $8 (down from $16) it is a great buy!  It is fully integrated and ready to enjoy to the fullest with grilled steaks, garlicy pasta dishes and other bold foods.  Raise a glass!

Light ruby hue with aromas of cherry and red berries, with tart pie cherry and spice and a touch of cigar ash. Palate--Vibrant, big (for the grape) flavors with mouth filling liveliness and lip smacking acidity. Nero D' avola--pronounced Neh roh DAH vola is the signature grape of Sicily.  It is also one of my very favorite everyday kind of table wine that is more than an every day" yawn kind of wine.  Yes it is consistent with it varying really only at the different price points $8-$20, by the intensity of the flavors present, the more intense the higher the price generally speaking.  It is a straight forward delicious wine and is one of the relatively few wines that are "really good" even at the $8 price point. I paid $15 for this one marked down from $20 (but I see it for as low as under $10 on line) and it equals the upper price point with the requisite power and lip smacking structure I love.  So grab one, try it by itself and then with a nice Italian dish...

Lighter ruby hue with aromas of bright fresh cherry with much more spiced cherry compote with a bigger savory spice edge. Palate--Light bodied, jubilant cherry flavors with a lively mouth feel, and a nice acidity which will make it a good food as well.  Finishes fairly quickly. This is a fun wine to just sit and quaff or serve with a lighter pasta dish with a fatty component.  (This wine will clean your palate off like scraping old paint off a house.) I paid $7 for this regularly priced $14 from the Veneto (Northeastish part of the Italian boot) and I will create a chicken and bacon dish with some kind of sauce (garlic of course included), porcini mushrooms, served with a pilaf and fresh salad with feta cheese, olive oil and spiced Asian vinegar. Raise a glass!

Very light hue with a unique aroma (slight) at the side rim of dill pickle juice which is intriguing. Zin aromas of wild berries, not over powering but pleasant, with a touch of rustic zinfulness.  (OK that was cheesy!) Palate--There's a watery first impression but is quickly engulfed in big Zin fruitiness which is quickly fleeting leaving a pleasant lingering gentle berry goodness with a slightly "green" end. OK, I am the Zin maestro having had more zins in my life than possibly all other varietals combined?  Well, if not, I am getting there.  Zin is my grape. And here is the get a grip factor; this sells for $6.50 from Trader Joes, nuff said. Face it, I can't drink Turley, or Rosenblum single vineyard zins everyday (or even every week) so if you're having the gang over and want a light hearted red for those who insist they don't like red wine, give them I bit of this and see what happens.  At this price, I'll raise a glass.  Thanks MB :)