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 …
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
Price: $8.47 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: A nice moderate nose leads things off with an earthy mix of raspberries and underbrush. Palate reflects the same, but is pretty subtle and dilute. Nothing really changed with time or air. It …
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
Price: $8.99 at Total Wine and More Style: The “Anna” (Light to medium body with simple straight-forward flavors.) Rating: “Ok” Recommendation: “Have a glass or two” Review: Our first Pinot Noir of the challenge is a ho-hum offering from the Lodi region of California (due East of San Francisco in the Central Valley.) Although this bottle was smooth and …
Pinot Noir Challenge Overview Ahhhhh... Pinot Noir! The king of Burgundy! The heartbreak grape! The most elegant and treasured varietal, for only the most sophisticated of collectors! Or at least, that is, if you're willing to drop $28,112 on a single bottle of 1990 Romanee-Conti DRC. :-O Really good Pinot Noir is really expensive. And …
Continue reading ‘Total Wine & More’ Pinot Noir Value Challenge Kickoff!
Zinfandel Challenge Results The results are in! At the bottom of this post, you'll find the final rankings and links to the individual wine reviews. Across the board, the Ravenswood Zinfandel offerings did really well. They all showed more power, body, and flavor than average. I'd certainly consider any of their bottles as a safe …
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 …
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