Dark garnet with lovely bouquet of cherry, cola, savory spice!
Palate--Tart first impression; constructed very nicely with juicy tannins, flavors of big, balanced and integrated cherry fruit through and through with a nice lingering finish. Drinking at its prime...
This needs to open up and will be even better than it is which is pretty darn good! For some loose change under your car seat, you can enjoy what good wine tastes like so raise a glass at $14!
Medium garnet hyue with aromas of rich plum and dark berries with savory spice
Palate--Unremarkable first impression with spicy berries maybe a touch of blueberry, and a berry pie finish.
I paid $12 for this and it is, well as I said, unremarkable. It is what you get for $12 in a Cab so I guess you can't complain but it is tiring.
I just read a review of this wine from the Wine Enthusiast and I swear, there has to be dumbing down of "wine reviews." This wine was rated 93 points which is absurd, and the reviewer defies science with 367 nuanced aromas and tastes. Yes I am exaggerating but you catch my drift. Don't believe it! This is a big reason why I stopped getting the Wine Enthusiast. Caveat Emptor...
Palate-Elegant first impression with supple tannins, balanced acidity, integrated wild berries and a rear palate of savory spices. Finish lingers a good bit and then flees.
This $10 Went creation is nice treat for the price. Pairing it with pizza tonight so raise a glass!
Palate--First impression is a tantalizing "sweet" dark berry with a mid palate of vibrant spices, and solid acidity. Tannins are mature and easy to drink. Finishes with a bitter (the pleasant kind) presence that lingers a good while.
The price posted on this is $23 but I paid $10 for this Rodney Strong Sonoma creation. I like it a lot. If I have the opportunity I will snag some more so raise a glass!
Palate-- Juicy structure, with mouth watering tannins, spice up front, red bright fruit and and a spicy finish.
This previously reviewed Nebbiolo grape is not "classic" but a good example of the varietal. Another Trader Joe's value selection at $9 it is a definite "Raise a glass!" (see previous review)
Purple hue with garnet rim and aromas of ripe plum, blackberry, a touch of cedar, woith ash and spce at the end.
Palate--Pronounced front palate with sateely front, relaxed tannins adequate fruit mid palate but short finish and nothing remarkable over all.
I had this wine about a a half a million years ago when I was cutting my teeth on all things wine. It was just "OK" then and it is just "OK" now. I don't get the 90 point rating the Wine Enthusiast gave it but oh well. I paid $15 for this marked down from $25. $15 is a good price point and it well pair well with my charcoal grilled "short cut" steak. So raise a glass at the lower price.
Palate--Silky texture with balanced acidity and tannins, even keeled fruit from beginning to end with a finish of bold black cherry pie filling.
I paid $15 for this somewhat unremarkable wine even though it is well made and rather elegant. Never-the-less it is subdued from beginning to end never really showing its stuff. It was on sale from $25 and I am glad I did not pay that for it but it is a very nice quaff for the $15 price point.
I am pairing it with a homemade pasta dish of my own creation with herbs from my wife's gardens. It will be superb so raise a glass at $15!
Pale strawberry hue with aromas of cinnamon and cherry above the rim, a touch of spice but the win is cold so it needs to warm up a touch.
Palate--Nice first impression with a very nice "nuanced bitter" first impression which is quite endearing. What follows is not exactly "classic" pinot profile but decent enough. Spicy strawberry comes to the fore with a fleeting finish.
This Aussie wine presents itself as somehow a step above non-vegan humans as if using "dairy products or fish" according to the wine's label, is somehow immoral. The label states: "Our wine is clear and so is our conscience. Join the revolution."
Forgetting the non-sense the wine is "ok" for the $8 I paid for it but comes with a $16 price tag which it is not worth. If you see it for $8 grab it; it's different, but that's about it.
Pale pink hue with tight aromas of peach...
Palate-- Hint of burnt toast(?) with very dry profile and mild presence of stone fruit.
This is an austere quaff which I opened to pair with our take out Asian cuisine. Never having had it I presumed it would have a touch of sweetness. It is bone dry but actually did it good job with our take out.
I paid $10 for this at Trader Joe's and while it's OK I don't think I would buy it again. But it is a "naturally" made wine meaning there is nothing added to it not even yeast etc. It is in fact the way wine was made for centuries. If for no other reason give it a try for the uniqueness of it and raise a glass.
Deep black cherry hue with big Zinny aromas of dark Berry fruit, a hint of licorice, fresh black cherry, plum.
Palate--Everything in the bouquet is there in the palate. It is juicy in structure, much tastier than its price point would indicate, which it is a regular offering on my dinner table.
This many-times-reviewed Zin is a go-to staple in my house whenever I find it for around $9. Tonight it will be served with left-over shells, garlic bread, and tossed salad. Raise a glass!
Palate-- Wonderfully sweet port, with deep voluptuous intense, uber-ripe plum and prune whip, with lovely structure to carry the intense sweetness without being cloying. Flavor is intense, long lasting with a lasting finish, and leaving you wanting for more of the same.
This is a $20 price point port and is a fine example of want can be done with Port wine short of full blown, expensive "Vintage Port." I LOVE port and I enjoy the $8 Trader Joes's value port and I have had a 99 point Wine Spectator vintage port and while it is extraordinary, I cannot afford such wine very often. If you have the means, do try it out; it is other worldly. But LBV ports (Late Bottle Vintage Ports) while not being "Vintage ports" are a fraction of the price and marvelous in their own right.
Drink it solo, or indulge with fresh strawberries, semi- sweet dark chocolate, rich brownies or whatever chocolate delights you. It is a match made in heaven. So raise a glass!
Palate--Lack luster first impression with a lazy profile, but loads of off dry pears and green melon and a pleasant slightly bitter mid palate which is endearing. It finishes fresh with a pleasant linger.
This delightful S. African creation is Chenin Blanc and Viognier (pronounced Vee oh Nyay!)
Lovely Chenins come out of S. Africa and have for years. This one is delicious and chilled down is a terrific aperitif on a hot summer day but I will be pairing it with my wife's homemade Swiss chard soup.
Raise a glass!
Deep purple hue as a young wine should present; surprisingly ample fruit aromas of dark berry, a touch of olive, plum and dark chocolate.
Palate--Although a little warm than ideal, palate is big fruit bomb, full of luscious Malbec, with edges of savory spice, and plum.
I think my wife grabbed this for $6 recently and thought we should try it. It is actually a decent wine hailing from the classic Mendoza (Argentina) region for Malbec. Drinks quite well even at this youthful stage.
This will pair well with robust cheeses, red sauced pasta dishes and is even decent all by itself so raise a glass.
Garnet hue with a slight opacity and aromas of Blackberry and plum with spice.
Palate--Decent Zin flavors with spice on the edges, a somewhat mellow or relaxed structure on the palate with lots of nice Zin fruit.
This is a Lodi AVA (Calif.) and I tasted it side by side with another Lodi Zin of which I have drank a ton called "Scotto." The two were basically indistinguishable from one another. If I had tasted them blind I would have said they were the same wine.
I bought this last minute from a big box store and paid $12 for it but it was the ONLY Zin they had. The Scotto I get at Trader Joe's and I pay $9 for it so I will be stocking up with even more of my favorite standby Zinfandel. Raise a galss!
Palate--Silky first impression with lively acidity and spice, and blackberries galore. (Some of the reviews I read after reviewing it myself, are a bit over the top with the myriad flavors etc. one "imagines.") But I won't go there in this review...
This "Dunnigan Hills" Malbec is a good example of the grape although this is a first I believe for my experience with "Dunnigan Hills." Listed around the $20 price point I would be disappointed at that price. I paid $10 in which case it is a good example as I said of the grape. At the lower price point, raise a glass!
Palate--Big mouth filling berry with a lackluster structure. Syrah is taking center stage with a mellowing of the overall picture thanks to the Merlot. Finishes a bit shallow but pleasant.
This Columbia Valley (Washington State) made in a popular style, this will appeal to the red wine lovers who like loads of fruit, ready to drink. It is a 50/50 blend of the two grapes mentioned.
Pairing it with home-made lasagna this evening. I see it on line for $22 although I paid $10 for it. At $10 I like it, at $20, not so much!
Interesting orange hue with aromas primarily of sweet Chinese 5 spice, and gentle raspberry.
Palate--Vibrant acidity, a light citrus note in the mid palate, tart raspberry, a lighter finish but nice.
This rosé, made from the pride of Spain (the Tempranillo grape), is a well made food worthy rosé. Tonight I will have it with Brats, four cheese tortellini, salad and fresh garden string beans sauteed in butter.
I found this for $9 marked down from $18. Raise a glass at $9!
Deep purple as expected from this grape with aromas Slight hint of ruby red grapefruit, gentle fruit above the rim not characteristic of the grape, subdued but very nice ripe berry fruits, plum and savory yet sweet spices.
Palate--Absolutely silky texture, with seductive tannins that grow while on the palate. Lots of dark and mixed berries fighting to get out; needs time to come around and open up. Fleeting finish but c'mon, read below...
Mclaren Vale is one of Australia's great wine regions and they produce gazillions of tons of grapes which means BIG production which is why they can offer this wine for the ridiculous price of $6 at Trader Joes. It is not classic Shiraz but it's a great price so...
Should improve over the next 2 years and be a value wine to be grabbed. Raise a glass!
Beautiful crystalline magenta hue with lovely aromas of sweet red berry, then more mature darker red fruit with plum and a hint of mocha and cinnamon.
Palate--Bold presentation with loads of minerality on the first impression, rigid acidity, ample plum and pie cherry underneath.
This is from the Castillon a sub region of Bordeaux and is really well made and should be holding for a number of years beyond In fact it will only improve for the next 3-5 years, If you have the discipline buy several and lay a couple down for the future and I believe you will be rewarded.
Pairing this tonight with strip steak grilled with charcoal. At $45 retail, found it on sale for $15 and it is a bargain so raise a glass.
Bright tart cherry with an nice citrus beam even if a bit unusual, with a note of mandarin orange!
Palate--Steely front with the same citrusy mid palate with cherry notes and citrusy finish that lingers.
Tavel is the only area in the Rhone Valley of France which has made a quality Rosé for decades. When the world was producing nothing but "Plonk" in many countries Teval made a lovely wine which iit is to this day. It has Character, finesse, structure and is well worth seeking out. At the $10 price point at Trader Joe's.
I will pair it with my chinese dinner and it will be great so raise a glass!
