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: $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: $11.99 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: A really nice nose on this one, mixing smoky cherry and raspberry aromas with some earthy undertones. In the mouth, this is juicy with crisp red fruit on the front of …
Continue reading Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir 2014 – Cement truck drivers make pretty good wine
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: $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: $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 …
Price: $9.79 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 Zinfandels continue to preform quite well this month. The Peachy Canyon is no rock star, but it is a good solid offering under $10. The nose is the distinguishing attribute for …
Continue reading Peachy Canyon Incredible Red Zinfandel 2014
Price: $9.99 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: Another nice bottle in this month's challenge! A wonderful nose; strong, sweet, and more complex than you usually get at this price, showing cinnamon, spice, and, sweet tobacco. The palate builds on …
Price: $8.49 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: We're starting off the Zinfandel challenge on the right foot! The Zen of Zin gives you a great nose right out of the bottle with strong candied cherries and some buttercream frosting …
Price: $6.77 at Total Wine Style: The “Tom” Rating: “Good” Recommendation: “Grab a few bottles” Review: A really great deal at the $6.77 price at TotalWine. This wine is nicely balanced, smooth, and gives just a little more flavor complexity than the basic red blend. None of the unbalanced alcohol, metallic taste, or lack of acidity that you so …
Price: $9.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Mike” Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Well, we’re not off to a real strong start this month. Although by no means a bad wine, this certainly isn’t something I’d be excited to drink every day. Dark purple with a hint of ruby red, the medium strength nose opens with […]
Price: $9.99 at Total Wine Style: The “Mike” Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Well, we’re not off to a real strong start this month. Although by no means a bad wine, this certainly isn’t something I’d be excited to drink every day. Dark purple with a hint of ruby red, the medium strength nose opens with […]
VinCrush 