Sebastiani cabernet sauvignon review: No-brainer?

20 04 2012

Hi!  Today we examine a 2009 cabernet from Sonoma, California.  It’s $11 at Costco and Total Wine, and sells for up to $16 elsewhere.

Eleven bucks for a good name like Sebastiani!  A no-brainer, right?

A reasonable answer is “yes,” but for me, it’s no.  Here’s why: Generic California Red Wine Taste.  Mass-produced.  Oaky-sweet.  Actually, it’s not bad — a little spicy, smells like rhubarb pie, and has good mouthfeel with blueberry and reminders of cherry, raspberry, cocoa and cinnamon on your tongue.  At a modest 13.5% alcohol, this would work at a barbecue or with pizza.  And if you’re throwing an upscale party, but don’t have an upscale budget, you might stock up on Sebastiani cab, because it looks upscale.

Unfortunately, the taste is a little too sweetly generic for me.  Although your party guests may very well enjoy it, this competent 2009 California red is:

Not recommended.

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Categories : -----cabernet sauvignon, 1 All, 3 Reds, 6 Under $15, 7 Not Recommended

Cannonball merlot review: CANNONBALLLLL!!!

29 03 2012

Hello!  Tonight we look at a 2009 Napa Valley, California merlot that costs around $15.

Look out:  here’s an addictive light-to-medium-bodied red wine with a fun label that everybody at the party will love.  Blackstone merlot’s former winemaker is behind this.   I got a free sample from the winery, and then bought another six bottles.

A bit  on the sweet side, Cannonball merlot is fun (like your first real cannonball at the pool) and friendly, yet strangely seductive.  It smells like a sweet cabernet, and has some cabernet-ish blackcurrant flavors in addition to black cherry, apple, vanilla and cinnamon when it hits your tongue.

The 2009 Cannonball merlot is:

Cannonbal merlot reviewRecommended.

EDIT:  I recently took this wine to a blind wine tasting featuring 16 wines from around the world.   I didn’t even know if it was included in the 8 wines I tasted.

On a scale of 1 (horrible) to 5 (incredibly great), I rated everything a 1, 2, or 3.   Except one wine, which I rated a 4, and wrote “Nice!!”  Yes, it was this Cannonball merlot.


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Categories : -----merlot, 1 All, 3 Reds, 5 $15-$30, 9 Recommended, Bring to a party!

Oyster Bay merlot review: YES OYSTER!

19 07 2011

Today we review a 2007 merlot from New Zealand that costs around $13.

This glass of medium-bodied Oyster Bay merlot really reminds me of the beach.  Not a pristine white sand / blue water beach, but a fishing beach.  Lots of thick rope, metal buckets, and shellfish.

I guess what I’m saying is, this merlot is salty.  It has a hint of black olives.  It’s also minerally, and woody.   Maybe a little bitter, in a good way?  It’s interesting, and would go well with salty food, or a good book on the deck of a beach house.   But at $13, I want a little more composed and smooth delivery of merlot warmth.  I don’t think it will make most merlot drinkers super happy.  And so, it is unfortunately:

Not recommended.


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Categories : -----merlot, 1 All, 3 Reds, 7 Not Recommended

Chateau Bois Redon bordeaux superieur review: oh, MY, GOODNESS

12 07 2011

Today we review a 2009 blend of 75% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon from France.  It’s $10 at Total Wine.

If you ever wonder why some people say that U.S. wines are too sweet, this is a wine for you to try.  It’s just merlot and cabernet, but it tastes NOTHING like the merlot and cabernet that most Americans are familiar with.  Smell: pure alcohol.  Taste:

Dried cherry and coffee.  Lots of dry cocoa-like tannins on the finish.  Almost bitter, yet has a soft leathery texture.  Serious.  Elegant.  Medium bodied.  Understated.  Tastes “tight” and too reserved when first opened, gets better on day 2.  This dark burgundy-red wine from Bordeaux is absolutely killer for $10.   I say give it a try, especially if you don’t drink French wine.  Maybe pop open a Washington or California merlot to go with it.  Compare and contrast.  Let us know what you think!

Chateau Bois Redon bordeaux superieur reviewRecommended.


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Categories : -----blends / other, 1 All, 3 Reds, 6 Under $15, 9 Recommended

Barista pinotage review: coffee, anyone?

1 07 2011

Today we review a 2009 pinotage from South Africa that cost me $14.99.

John at Premier Wine in Wilmington, Delaware recommended this robust red wine to me, and he was dead on.  Barista, as he stated, is the most espresso-like wine you will probably ever taste. 

The aroma is like a hearty cabernet sauvignon combined with coffee liqueur.  In the mouth, Barista is medium-bodied, with prominent mouth-drying tannins and flavors of espresso, combined with black cherry and rhubarb, and just a hint of dusty, unsweetened dark chocolate.  Really quite amazing.

Barista is serious, yet fun at the same time because of its Starbucks overtones.  And it’s delicious.  It’s great to bring to a party, when you want a red that people will like, and will also get them talking.  This one is highly:

Barista pinotage reviewRecommended.


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Categories : -----blends / other, 1 All, 3 Reds, 6 Under $15, 9 Recommended, Bring to a party!

Hahn SLH Estate pinot noir review: THIS-IS-HOW-WE-DO-IT

5 06 2011

Today we check out a 2009 pinot noir from California’s Santa Lucia Highlands area.  Price — that’s a mystery, to be revealed below.

Whoo!!  Baby, this wine is hot.  Actually, it’s slightly chilled, for maximum enjoyment.  But Paris Hilton and anybody else with taste buds will tell you, Hahn SLH pinot is hot.  Spicy.  Bright, fruit-forward, and interesting.  Smells like caramel and rhubarb.  Tastes like spiced dark raspberries and cola.  Medium-bodied and sensual in your mouth.  Missing the floral notes of many French and Oregon pinots.

I don’t know the price, because Hahn sent it to me.  I’m going to guess.  An Oregon pinot like this would be $40, except there are no Oregon pinots like this.  Since this is from the up-and-coming Santa Lucia Highlands, I’ll say lower.  Even though its taste could easily command $30, I’ll say $23 because Hahn wines seem to be a great value in general.

Google search . . . and the price is: a range from $22 to $30.  Averaging the prices I found, this is a $25 wine.  So I was close.  Whatever price you find, I hereby decree this explosively delicious pinot to be:

Hahn SLH Estate pinot noir review

Highly recommended.


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Categories : -----pinot noir, 1 All, 3 Reds, 5 $15-$30, 9 Recommended

Chateau Ste. Michelle “Indian Wells” merlot review

1 06 2011

Hi!  Today we are reviewing a 2009 merlot from Washington State that is $13 at Costco.

OK Washington merlot is supposed to be sweet and jammy.  This merlot IS kind of sweet, because it’s very fruit-forward.  But it’s also a little spicy, and has some leather/chocolate going on.  Maybe a tiny bit of tobacco.

At $13, I give it a thumbs-up.  It’s not “great”, but it is definitely nice, and does not do anything wrong if you like warm, jammy, velvety merlot.   BUT — there’s a caveat.  You really have to let it breathe, for at least an hour.  When you first open it, the only thing you will smell is alcohol, and it will be almost tasteless.  Just takes a while to open up.

Chateau Ste. Michelle "Indian Wells" merlot reviewRecommended.


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Categories : -----merlot, 1 All, 3 Reds, 6 Under $15, 9 Recommended, Costco

Hahn Winery cabernet sauvignon review: dazed and confused; happy

24 05 2011

Today we review a 2009 cabernet sauvignon from California’s central coast that includes 10% merlot and costs $10 – $11.

OK I am a little confused about “Hahn Estates” vs. “Hahn Winery.”   At the Winery part of their website, you see both Winery and Estates wines for sale.  Also, the Estates label seems to now be called “Hahn SLH Estate”, just for fun. [EDIT: I spoke with Hahn.  For their normal, basic wines, Hahn Estates is the old name and Hahn Winery is the new name.  Hahn SLH Estate is their “upscale” label.”]

This $11 cabernet from Hahn WINERY is really good.  Right now it’s noon, and I just poured myself a little glass, after having sampled it last night.  I like it that much — willing to risk the self-loathing that comes from drinking at home, at noon, on a Tuesday.  (“What has my life come to?  Am I going to be OK?”)  This easy, medium-bodied cab tastes nice and fresh, with lovely dark flavors of blackberry and unsweetened chocolate, balanced by prominent tannins that will suck the moisture out of your mouth faster than chewing up a piece of chalk.  It tastes serious.  Not a fruit bomb.  Not a party wine, more of a steak dinner kind of deal.   

Hahn Winery cabernet sauvignon reviewIt doesn’t give much of an aroma that I can describe, but really, who cares?  Here at Wineguider, we drink wine.  At $10 or $11, Hahn Winery’s 2009 cabernet gets a strong recommendation.  Even at noon.


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Categories : -----cabernet sauvignon, 1 All, 3 Reds, 6 Under $15, 9 Recommended

La Crema Monterey pinot noir review: YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION

19 05 2011

Today we look at a 2009 pinot noir from California’s Monterey region that costs around $20.

STOP EVERYTHING – this is to announce that Monterey pinot noirs have overtaken the universe and must be bought!! — ahem, I mean, if you’re looking for pinot, and you want to spend $15 – $20.  Here’s the deal — Oregon pinot is supposed to be so great.  Well, at the $20 price level, Monterey pinot is now COMPLETELY OUTPERFORMING, NAY, EMBARRASSING, Oregon pinot.  That’s saying a lot, because Oregon pinot is my favorite thing to drink in the whole world.  To be specific, La Crema Monterey for $20 is **Far Superior** to these $20-ish Oregon pinots:

  • Erath
  • Cloudline
  • Kudos Reserve
  • A to Z
  • Acrobat
  • Big Fire

La Crema Monterey smells bright, with aromas of spicy raspberry and medium-bodied flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, red cherries, a little rhubarb and vanilla, and a slight “farm fresh” mushroomy earth.  YUMYUMYUMYUM.  This Monterey pinot noir is:

La Crema Monterey pinot noir review

Highly recommended.


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Categories : -----pinot noir, 3 Reds, 5 $15-$30, 9 Recommended