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Today we look at a 2011 sauvignon blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region which I bought for $25.
Have you ever driven an Audi A6? I have, once. It’s a great car — I mean truly great, in the most grand sense of the word — but in such a calm way. Its greatness kind of creeps up on you, over time. This is what I get from the 2011 Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a 2011 California pinot noir that costs $8.50 at Total Wine. We gave the 2010 vintage a positive review here.
Cellar No. 8 has a nice new reddish-purple label, but more importantly the juice inside the bottle Read the rest of this entry »
This is a quickie review of a malbec from Mendoza, Argentina which sells for about $15.
The 2009 Cruz Alta reserve malbec is a very welcome reprieve from today’s California reds. It tastes real. Fresh. Juicy but deep and dark, and not too sweet. A perfect Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve noticed a funny thing with cabernet this year. That being, I can’t find one that I like. So we set up a shootout and recently tried these 2010-2011 cabernet sauvignons, over a period of two consecutive nights. Listed in no particular order:
Today we look at a 2011 pinot noir from California’s Santa Lucia Highlands (“SLH”) region, which I picked up at Total Wine for $26. List price is $32.
California’s SLH grows mostly pinot noir. On the bright side, these wines are “big, fleshy and mouthfilling,” says the San Francisco Chronicle. But to me, they are too hot (high in alcohol), too fruity and tannic, and often taste burned. An example: the inexplicably expensive Siduri Sierra Mar, reviewed here.
In short: I am biased against SLH pinot.
Morgan‘s “Twelve Clones” pinot is pleasantly spicy. It has 14.3% alcohol, yet isn’t overly hot. Read the rest of this entry »
Today we check out a 2010 chardonnay from Washington State’s Columbia Valley. I picked it up at Total Wine for $12.
You’re looking at a guy who generally dislikes chardonnay, Read the rest of this entry »
Today it’s a 2009 red blend from Chile that costs $30 at total wine.
I am not going to dis this wine — at 14.5% alcohol, 45% cabernet sauvignon, 35% syrah and 20% carmenere, it is one big, spicy meat-o-ball. Read the rest of this entry »
