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 …
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 …
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: $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
Just for fun, I decided to throw in a bottle that is completely out of our $10 price target and see how it compares to the value Zinfandels we've been drinking all month. I picked the Mike & Molly because it was already sitting in my cellar and, based on the cellar tracker reviews, it seemed …
Continue reading Zinfandel Challenge Bonus Post! Mike and Molly Hendry RW Moore Vineyard 2012
Price: $9.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body and power with some interesting tastes beyond basic fruits.) Rating: “Really Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: The Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel is a really nice offering that perfectly hits the balance of earthy and fruity for me. When we first opened the bottle, it was quite a bit …
Price: $11.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body and power with some interesting tastes beyond basic fruits.) Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: Although subtle, everything about the Ravenswood Napa is nicely balanced and in-check. Many of the Zinfandels around $10 are overly sweet , overly thin, or display unpleasant levels of acidity or alcohol. …
Price: $9.49 at Total Wine Style: The “Lady Edith” (Lighter body with some interesting tastes beyond basic fruits.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: The McManis offers fair value, but has some minor imperfections even at this price. First, it's definitely got a bit of tingling acidity right in the mid-palate. Great for a Pinot Grigio, …
Price: $11.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body and power with some interesting tastes beyond basic fruits.) Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: The Zabaco definitely got on my good side from the get-go. The alluring nose was earthy, fruity, rich, and full of cedar, spice, tar, blackberries, and plums... significantly more complex than the average …
Continue reading Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel Heritage Vines 2014
Price: $9.79 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body and power with some interesting tastes beyond basic fruits.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Meh... average to good for the price. A medium nose carries strong candied red fruit with some baking spices... enjoyable. In the mouth, this is smooth but too sweet on the …
Price: $8.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” (Medium body and power with some interesting tastes beyond basic fruits.) Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: The Oak Grove Zinfandel delivered one of the most interesting flavors I've picked up in a Zinfandel this month... On the back of the palate, I got a very clear impression of …
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