Purchased at BevMo in Los AngelesMy photos are back and hopefully to stay (I have an slightly easier system now)

Regular Price - $7.99

Sale Price - $5.99

Alcohol - 13.5%

We're back with a fresh review after a great vacation in Temecula wine country (more can be read about that here).  This cabernet, Challis Lane, is promised by Wilfred Wong to be a 90 point wine for the sale price of 6 dollars.  This is a very, very high review for such an affordable wine.  I attend to give this wine my full attention ;)

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Beef jerky, plum, cassis (aka currant), a little bit of yeast and soy sauce

It's not a 90 pointer, but there is something tasty about this wine.  It has some sweet, yet tart flavors that make me want to take another sip.  The beef jerky/steak fragrance is so appealing and very apparent on the nose.  There is less of it in the mouth, but I can taste it a little along with some tart plums and some slightly bitter raspberries.  The wine is pretty light for a cabernet, but not too much so.  It is pretty smooth with no apparent tannins.  This could be mistaken for a merlot any day, I think.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Beef steak/jerky, raspberry, plum, spice

The same tart flavors of plum and raspberries linger.  There is a fair bit of oak in this wine, which is why it is so sweet as well as being tart.  I would say this wine is actually a little too sweet, for my palate at least.  But, the spicy berry flavors are nice, even though they're a bit simple.

Summary - 87 points

I think this is a pretty decent Cabernet for the price.  Many people will like this for the sweetness, but the acid will allow it to pair very well with pizza and barbeque.  The meatiness on the nose is very nice and will allow the wine to pair very well with, say, a sirloin.  A great everyday wine.

Kind of a generic cork, but a nice design still

Purchased at BevMo in Los Angeles

Regular Price - $14.99

Sale Price - $12.99

Alcohol - 13.9%

Currently in the wine market, Malbecs are quite popular, with many people purchasing large quantities of them and seeking them out in restaurants.  As such, there are many wine aficionados (read: snobs) who shun Malbec as a beginner's wine or a simple wine.  This is simply not true.  Malbec is popular for many reasons and none of them because the grape is simple.  Hopefully we will see some of those reasons in this one.  If not, I think you may find some more Malbecs here to see if we can find some good ones.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Blackberry, pepper, grape candy, floral

Well, maybe this wine isn't the best example.  This has a big candy flavor, kind of like grape Nerds.  Blackberry flavors are there as well and that's about it.  A little bit of green flavors, like bitter stems of a plant, maybe bitter broccoli mixed with some flower petals.  I really hate wine that tastes like candy, though.  If I wanted candy, I'd buy wine coolers or Mike's Hard Lemonade.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Blackberry, pepper, alcohol, meatiness, floral

This wine tastes less like candy and is more rough and hard to drink.  I can taste some alcohol and it has become a bit bitter.  There is nothing redeeming about this wine. 

Summary - 79 points

Hot and fake wine.  It makes me mad.  At least you know which Malbec not to buy.  There is no finish on this wine.  It really doesn't even taste very good in my mouth.



Purchased at BevMo in Los AngelesFrom the Winemaker's Site.

Sale Price - $9.99

Regular - $14.99

Alcohol - 14%

Here is some more information about this wine if anyone is interested.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Red currant, raspberry, plastic toy, green plant stems, blackberry

I did find out this wine producer has already released the 2008 vintage and these types of wines are ready to drink, so this wine may not fare as well.  The description on the back is really not close to the current tasting notes.  No blueberry for me, nor plum.  I get a lot of blackberry.  In fact, this is mostly what I taste, including maybe some unripened or "green" blackberries.  Also, this plastic flavor is in my mouth and I don't like it, similar to a plastic toy or one of those rafts you blow up for the swimming pool.  The wine does have a bit of spice going for it, but not the black pepper one usually gets from a Shiraz, more mellow and ambiguous.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Alcohol, blackberry, oak

This is falling apart (similar to Tuesday's wine), even though it shows no signs of aging.  Red wine that tends to have faults gets worse as the wine warms up from cellar temperature to actual room temperature because the chill can hide some of the faults.  This wine is hot and unpleasant.  I could have easily gotten this for five dollars, or even four as we saw from the Quail Creek collection at Whole Foods.  All I taste is some blackberries and some of the alcohol.

Summary - 84 points

These last few wines bring up a really good point: wine reviews are not always correct, true, or equal.  These last few wines were all rated 90 points and up my BevMo's Wilfred Wong, yet they sure didn't agree with me and I would think they wouldn't for many people, especially for the discerning wine drinker.  Whether the bottle was mishandled, the wine changed in the bottle over time, or the wine reviewer was paid for the review, it shows that reviews shouldn't be solely relied upon when picking out wine.  I recommend going to tastings and buying the wines you personally tried and liked, especially when purchasing several bottles at a time or when purchasing wines that cost 20 dollars or more.



Purchased at BevMo in Los AngelesPhoto from Winemaker's website.

Sale Price - $9.99

Regular Price - $13.99

Alcohol - 14.2%

A lot of winemakers favor blends.  Each grape varietal has its strong points and its short fallings.  Some tend to be strong on the nose, but weak on the palate.  Some varietals tend to have no flavors in the middle of a sip or not even have a finish at all.  But, a blend can bring the high points of several varietals and make something excellent.  An example of this would be French Bordeaux's, which traditionally use a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.  This wine, Seven Daughters, is a blend of seven varietals: Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel, Carignane, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and  Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Cherry, leather, earth, raspberry, black tea

I find this wine pretty interesting because most of the varietals here tend to produce dark, heavy wines, and yet this wine is light in both color and body (relative to other reds).  I find it a little ironic because there is no Pinot Noir in this and it tastes, looks and feels like a Pinot.  This blend is non-vintage and obviously uses some wine that has been aged because there is evidence of aging: ever so slight brown tint around the edges of the wine and the translucent coloration.  Red wines tend to lighten with age as opposed to whites, which darken.  This wine is a little creamy and has nice cherry and leather flavors.  The black tea and earthy flavors show up as well on the midpalate (the part of the wine that you taste after it first hits your tongue).  The finish hangs around for a bit with flavors of cherry and raspberry tea.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Alcohol, cherry, leather

This wine is falling apart.  The alcohol is much too prominent now and would be considered "hot."  The wine has also become more simple with flavors of sweet cherry and some leather.  The black tea flavors still remain on the midpalate, but it is definitely not going to be getting any better. 

Summary - 87 points

I do like this wine, though, it just is more than ready to drink.  Don't leave this bottle open too long if you end up trying it.  It is definitely an interesting blend and deserves a shot if you want to experience other wines.  It is pretty and even a little silky.  This would a pleasing wine with grilled meats and the like, but nothing too strongly flavored.



Purchased at BevMo in Los Angeles

Sale Price - $5.99

Regular Price - $9.99

Alcohol - 11%

Valentine's Day is Sunday!  Many people may want to have wine who don't normally drink wine.  This sweet Riesling will fit the bill for them.  These "Harvest Select" or "Late Harvest" white wines are nice and sweet because the wine maker chooses to leave the grapes on the vine until they are very ripe and loaded with sugar.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Pear, apricot, peach, mandarin

O Yummy!  Although, I am happy to say it isn't too sweet.  I've had many a wine that is just so sweet it is hard to drink.  This has a nice balance to it with a little tartness to prick your tongue with.  A little bit of carbonation was saved in this wine, which is always nice.  I taste a lot of nectarine and a bit of orange blossom.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Peach, pear, lemon zest

This has a really nice body to it, full like cream.  The bubbles remain light and refreshing, but again, they are slight and an improperly stored bottle may not have the bubbles.  Flavors of thick honey covered nectarine and pears and peaches coat my tongue and hang around for a while after swallowing. 

Summary - 89 points

I think this is a very pleasing wine.  Rather balanced and delicious, I recommend it for Valentine's Day (or night if you catch my drift [wink wink]).  This wine could go very well as an aperitif before dinner and work very well as a dessert wine.  One could also have this with dinner, as long as it is a somewhat mild dish.  Enjoy.



Purchased at BevMo in Los Angeles

Sale Price - $12.99

Regular Price - $19.99

Alcohol - 13.5%

I saw some really nice wines at BevMo that got my attention, so I decided we would spend a couple weeks checking out 6 of their wines.  I feel like we haven't had much success finding some good wine, give or take a couple.  So, I tried to pick some out that had some type of acclaim.  Several of these wines have been rated 90 to 92 points by Wilfred Wong.  We'll see about that though because I've often found Wong to be wrong on many an occasion.  This Petite Sirah, Powder Keg, was given a 92 by him.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Purple candy, smoked meats, oak

I taste wood.  Drinking this is like drinking wood, like gnawing on a wine barrel.  Very sugary.  I think it might even be too sweet.  I can't really taste very much fruit in this wine; rather, I taste the grapey, purple candy flavor with heaps of oak.  This wine is smooth and all, but it just isn't real.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Blackberry, oak, coffee, chocolate, vanilla

This wine is very decadent.  You know, it's kind of like eating frosting in a way, just too rich.  I'm glad a little fruit showed its face a little, but generally Petite Sirah has an explosion of fruits such as raspberry, boysenberry and blueberry.  This wine doesn't have any of that.  Mostly just oak and all the flavors that the oak imparts into the wine.

Summary - 85 points

As you can see, different people rate wines quite differently.  I'm curious whether Wilfred Wong rates wines according to what he likes or according to what he thinks the masses might like.  I rate wines according to what I like, but I usually make a point here in the summary, if it's applicable, if I think different people might like the wine more or less.  This wine failed to a certain extent because it just had too much make-up on; it was too fake.

Frosting...just like this wine.

Purchased at Whole Foods in Los AngelesThe Barbera grape.

Price - $9.99

Alcohol - 13%

I like the Barbera grape from Italy.  'Nuff said.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Stinky forest floor, plum, bing cherry

I'm not especially fond of this wine though.  It tastes like I am eating dirt.  I mean, it really has the flavors you would expect of fresh forest soil covered in pine needles, damp even.  It is silky and has flavors of ripe cherry as well.  It lacks some of the acid one would expect from a Barbera.  Maybe it will open up, but this smell and flavor is just very displeasing to me.  Too organic.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Stinky forest floor, spicy prunes, hint of red pepper, lurking cherries

Nope, I can't even really drink this.  I honestly didn't even want to finish reviewing it. 

Summary - 75 points

This wine just makes me mad; I mean, who seriously wants to drink wine that tastes like smelly forest floor.  Where did all the fruit go?  There is more dirt flavor in here than fruit flavor.  I once opened a 1998 Shiraz from Australia that had been aged improperly (Not by me).  It was definitely aged; it had brown all around the edges, but it tasted like rotten banana and dirt.  This almost tastes like that.

Purchased at Whole Foods in Los AngelesFrom the Vinhos Borges site.

Price - $8.99

Alcohol - 9%

Vinho Verde is a very interesting type of wine.  It is typically low in alcohol and has just about the lightest color of any wine, practically clear.  It is usually very refreshing and crisp.  Vinho Verde's hail from Portugal and I know this bottle was bottled in 2009, although the grapes come from a mix of vintage years.  The winemaker's website lacks information on this wine because it is somewhat new for them to be producing, but here is their website: www.borgeswines.com

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Peach, grass, minerals

This is very refreshing.  The vintner left a little carbonation in the wine, so you'll feel the tiniest of bubbles on your tongue.  The peach flavors hit my tongue a little sweetly and transition to a dryer flavor of peachy grass.  The finish is straight up green apple skin.  This wine is quite nice.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Peach, papaya, pineapple, grass

This is pretty delicious.  I just want to keep drinking it.  The small bubbles are still there, even though the bottle has been open for an hour now.  The peachy, tropical flavor attacks my tongue now with sweetness and acid.  I also taste some sugar cane.  The finish still has that apple skin flavor that is very prominent.  It has a very nice weight to it, being so light in alcohol.

Summary - 90 points

I think this is a great example of a Vinho Verde.  Please go pick this up, even if you are a red wine drinker.  I was thinking 89, but then I realized how medium bodied this is for being 9% and I just had to give it a 90 score.  I'm going to have some more.  I better make sure to save some for the wife though :P



Purchased at Whole Foods in Los AngelesPhotograph from winemaker's website. www.cazes-rivesaltes.com

Price - $10.99

Alcohol - 13%

This blend of Syrah and Merlot comes from southern France.  It is made with organically grown grapes, which is always a nice touch.  The last organic wine I tasted did well, so I have hopes for this one.  This is typically a pretty interesting blend, as you get the punch and the jazz from syrah, while maintaining the silky, soft spoken nature of the merlot.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Black raspberry, dark chocolate, black cherry, tobacco

It is a very light wine, actually quite thin, but not flavorless.  I taste a lot of tobacco in this wine.  The black cherry flavors are there as well.  The finish is not long lasting, but sticks around for just a couple seconds for you to continue tasting the tobacco.  There is a touch of the raspberry-dark chocolate on the palate as well and it is quickly covered by the tobacco, but resumes on the close of the finish.  Definitely an interesting wine. 

After an Hour

On the Nose - Chalk, cocoa, raspberry jam

This is a pretty dry red wine.  There is a small kiss of sweetness at the front, followed by some fruit flavors of raspberry and cherry.  The chalky, tobacco flavors take over through the midpalate (the part of the tasting sequence that is before the finish, before you swallow).  It finishes very dry with flavors of cherry and tobacco.

Summary - 87 points

This is kind of hard to like.  Most people won't be very attracted to this wine I think because it is so dry and has a strong tobacco flavor, yet it is quite thin.  It has the consistency of skim milk, which was its major loss.  This is not a bad wine though.  It is quite interesting and shows some complexity.  This might be paired somewhat well with red pasta sauce.  I've seen this on sale at Whole Foods for almost half the price as well, so you may want to give it a shot.

I'm sorry, this isn't mine again. This is from the winemaker's website as well.

Purchased at Whole Foods in Los AngelesThe winemaker, Jorge Ordonez. Sorry Jorge, but I don't like this wine.

Price - $8.99

Alcohol - 14%

Grenache is a grape that is just very pleasing to drink.  It tends to be bright and smooth and can fit just about any occasion.  Many of them come from either Spain or Southern France with my favorites being the ones from Spain, as they tend to be value driven and pleasing to my palate in general.  I'm quite excited to see how this plays out.

Pop and Pour

On the Nose - Dark cherries, flowers (perhaps lilac), raspberry, flower stems

Oh that's too bad.  It seems pretty empty on the palate, in fact at first, I don't taste much at all until the bright cherry flavors take over and evolve into a cherry slash asparagus flavor.  This makes me a little sad.  Hopefully this guy will open up and bring more to the table, but it's really too simple right now.  In fact that green/asparagus flavor seems a little bitter on the finish.

After an Hour

On the Nose - Cherry, alcohol

It seems to have tightened up on the nose (Fewer aromas and weaker ones at that).  This is a complete one man show now, just cherries.  Bright cherries and nothing else.  No finish.  :<

Summary - 82 points

Wow, I'm sorry for talking about how cool Grenache can be and then review such a crapper.  This isn't worth the nine dollars.  Not at any stretch.  Hopefully we'll have better wine coming from Whole Foods, more on par with the Bonarda from last week.

I'm sorry, this isn't my photograph. I've been suffering from sleep problems and ran out of steam tonight. Expect the usual though on Thursday.