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: $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
Zinfandel Challenge Overview After spending last month in Argentina and France (or at least in Argentinian and French bottles of Malbec), we're coming back to the US this month to explore Zinfandel. Unfortunately, many people still associate Zinfandel with the insipid (my opinion) sweet pink 1980's concoction, "White Zinfandel". I assure you that White Zinfandel …
Continue reading ‘Total Wine & More’ Zinfandel Challenge Kickoff!
Malbec 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. Overall, the results this month were mixed. I went into the month with the perception that Argentinian Malbec was an amazing value and it would be incredibly easy to find …
Price: $9.99 at Total Wine Style: The "Anna" 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 …
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