I know it's a little late, but here's the recap of what VinCrush guzzled drank consumed tasted this year. Always fun to look back, reflect, and learn from another year of wine exploration! If you really pay attention to what you're drinking, you'll learn how to buy the right bottles for your personal taste and budget moving …
So, now I've got the cellar all framed up with walls and a ceiling. And I'm excited to start cramming insulation in every little nook and cranny to keep this place nice and chill. But there's one more critical step that absolutely NEEDS to be addressed first... installing the vapor barrier. So, what's a vapor …
Cabernet Sauvignon Challenge Results The Cab results are in! At the bottom of this post, you'll find the final rankings and basic tasting notes on each bottle. Given the ridiculous prices that California Cabernet Sauvignon can fetch (think $12,000 bottles of Screaming Eagle), I was a little skeptical of finding nice bottles in the $10 range. …
Continue reading Finding the Best $10 Cabernet Sauvignons at Total Wine & More!
Merlot Challenge Results The Merlot results are in! At the bottom of this post, you'll find the final rankings and basic tasting notes on each bottle. I was delighted to find some really great wines at really great prices in this challenge. In particular, both the 14 Hands and the Columbia Crest Grand Estates represent great …
Read this post to: Learn a little bit about Merlot See what I learned about shopping for value Merlot at Total Wine & More (including some surprises!) Find out which specific bottles will be competing in the Merlot Value Challenge Merlot Overview Poor ole' Merlot... No other grape in the world seems to have quite …
Continue reading ‘Total Wine & More’ Merlot Value Challenge Kick-Off!
Pinot Noir Challenge Results The Pinot Noir results are in! At the bottom of this post, you'll find the final rankings and links to the individual reviews. The top few bottles from this month were very nicely made and definitely deserving of your $10 investment! They have good structure, are smooth drinking, and offer up pleasant …
Price: $7.99 at Total Wine Style: The "Anna" (Medium body with fairly simple and straight-forward fruit flavors.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Skip it” Review: Completely dead on Day 1. Nothing at all on the nose. Light to medium body with a bit of acidity noticeable up front and some grippiness on the back. Very light flavors and a short finish. On …
Continue reading Five Branches California Pinot Noir 2015 – White grape juice?
Price: $8.97 at Total Wine Style: The "Tom" (Medium body with some more interesting and complex flavors.) Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: Quite good at this price with a much more pronounced nose than you can usually expect from a value Pinot. It carries more than just fruit, delivering mild smokiness, cola, and a bit of spice. …
Continue reading A by Acacia Pinot Noir 2015 – Delivering smoke, cola, and spice for under $9!
Price: $6.99 at Total Wine Style: The "Anna" (Medium body with fairly simple and straight-forward fruit flavors.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Ok... Let's get real... it's a $7 bottle of Pinot Noir. If your expectations are high for a $7 bottle of PN, I question your expectations. I personally approached this bottle with very …
Price: $7.99 at Total Wine Style: The "Anna" (Medium body with fairly simple and straight-forward fruit flavors.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Started off really well with a nice medium nose led by candied cherries. Unfortunately, the palate couldn't back it up. It came across as a bit thin and flabby with no discernible tannin or …
So, I've finally got all four walls in place and I'm ready to put in the ceiling. "Wait!", you say... "Why are you building a ceiling?! Isn't this cellar in your basement? Isn't the bottom of the floor your ceiling?" Unfortunately, for several reasons, the answer is no. The biggest issue is that there's just …
Price: $9.79 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body with some more complex flavors beyond just simple fruits.) Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: Finally, another $10 Pinot that I can actually recommend! (I have to admit... the value Pinots are not exactly blowing my socks off this month.) But this one's definitely got a …
Price: $9.99 at Total Wine Style: The "Anna" (Medium body with fairly simple and straight-forward fruit flavors.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Mild nose of black cherries and strawberry with hints of smoke. More structured than most Pinot's at this price with a bit of tannic presence to remind you that this isn't just juice. Unfortunately, …
Price: $8.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body with fairly simple and straight-forward fruit flavors.) Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: The Bogle is a very herb-driven interpretation of Pinot Noir. It serves up lots of oregano, sage, and earth, with just a little bit of tart cherry to give it a fresh and fruity …
Continue reading Bogle Vineyards Pinot Noir 2014 – “Herb-y” and yummy
Price: $8.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Anna” (Medium body with fairly simple and straight-forward fruit flavors.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: I'm giving this one a "meh". A totally average and non-descript value Pinot Noir with a pleasant structure but muted generic flavors. The little aroma and flavor that I was able to pull …
Continue reading Cloud Break Pinot Noir 2014 – Average and non-descript Pinot Noir
VinCrush 