2006 French Rabbit Pinot Noir

This was in the clearance bin for $5, I think it retails for around $10.

A cherry jam quality on the nose, maybe even cherry liqueur.

While there is some cherry present, this is potent with blackberry. There's a bit of white pepper here, some very very mild woody notes, not quite oak not quite cedar, and a nice bit of dirt. The tannins are present and well integrated. Quite good, especially from a box.

Ever so slightly tart blackberry lingers on the finish.

Easy drinking and simple? To be sure. Tasty and nicely balanced? I do believe so.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes

2005 Fox Valley Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

In my visit review of this winery I declared this as one of the two best red wines made in Illinois (that we've had). I am consuming this from a three liter box that runs at just about $40.

The nose and palate on this one is strange at first pour, but it blows off after a bit of time and doesn't seem to be present in the following glasses (some lingering gas I assume).

Cherry and vanilla on the nose. After letting a glass sit for a while, cinnamon and brown spice show up.

A very nice balance of cherry, vanilla, and cedar. Very nice tannic structure that would suggest if you just grab a regular bottle it would cellar fairly well. A fair amount of spice comes through as well - clove, cinnamon - making everything really blend together well.

The finish has more cherry and vanilla.

I avoided posting this until we worked through a good chunk of the box because I feared I may be being a bit too generous since it's an Illinois wine, but after giving it a lot of thought and consuming it over a few days, I think I'm being more than fair. In fact, if you go by the box pricing, this is among the best valued Cabs out there, from anywhere.

There is a slight issue with boxed red wine in general during the summer months - I don't know about you, but I don't keep our home at cellar temperature. I think the best way to handle this is keep the box in the fridge and pour a carafe or decanter an hour or two before you're going to drink it. Mildly inconvenient, but basically worth the hassle.

A word of warning though - many estimates on how long box wine keep after opening range from four to six weeks. Right around four weeks, I found all the fruit has blown off this one and has left it basically a spicy and oaky mess, perhaps okay for cooking, but not beyond that. By all means, buy it - but drink it within three weeks.

Wine: 8
Value: Absolutely

2004 Three Thieves Cabernet Sauvignon

We're fans of the Three Thieves – the wines are good though simple, the packaging on this would be convenient for picnics, or even travel, plus the prices are right. The Three Thieves also make small one liter "jug wines" that are solid and have been reviewed on here previously.

A bit of raspberry on the nose, otherwise there's not much happening.

Smooth – mild tannins – vanilla, plums, blackberries, cherries – a bit of oak, but it's light. Fruity and a touch sweet, but not over the top.

A bit of spice – cinnamon mostly – on the finish as well as some cherry and vanilla.

At $10 for a liter, this is tough to argue with. The flaws in many mass produced inexpensive cabs – sickening sweetness and no balance – aren't here. While it may not be at the top of my list for a table wine, it's worth checking out if convenience is a priority and you don't want swill.

2005 Wine Cube Cabernet Sauvignon

We enjoyed Chateau Lhorens so much, I figured I'd grab a different box. This was $14 and is three liter box – meaning four bottles – that's about $3.50 a bottle.

Cherry, sugar, and alcohol on the nose.

Big and fruity. Cherry, cinnamon, and a bit of oak. The tannins are present, but fairly mild. Not too much depth, but I think there's enough balance here to make this acceptable.

The finish brings out some blackberry and the alcohol comes through as well..

I can see why this is popular – a fruity wine, but enough backbone to not be too flabby - but it's not exciting or interesting. Of course, what did I expect for under four bucks a bottle? This is on par with the other cheap stuff out there and ultimately a bit less expensive. Take that for what it is. If I was having a lot of non-wine drinking people over I think this would be a crowd pleaser.

2005 Chateau Lhorens Bordeaux

Look at this box...amazing. It looks like a fancy wooden case, yet that's just the box of this "box wine." Seriously, this is packaging at its finest. I paid $21 for this at World Market for this three liter box (the equivalent of four bottles).

Cherry and oak on the nose.

Medium to firm tannins, blackberry, cherry, oak, tobacco. Fruity, but not terribly sweet – very well balanced. I have to say, this is a solid wine all around - put this in a bottle at charge $12 and few would complain.

Earthy and woody notes linger for some time.

For $5.25 per “bottle” this is the way to go. In fact, this is one of the bargains of the year in terms of QPR. While it's not terribly deep and complex, there's more than enough here to really enjoy beyond a simple quaff.

2005 Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon

This is our first attempt at a red wine in a box. I've read some fairly positive things about this so I figured I'd give it a shot. This three liter box was $14.99 – which means this is the equivalent of a S3.75 bottle.

Dirt and blackberry on the nose.

Smooth – blueberry, cherry, oak, just a slightest bit of anise and tobacco, and mild (but certainly present) tannins.

Blueberry mostly on the finish though I'm getting a bit of cinammon.

Simple and inoffensive – great for burgers or pizza.

2005 Delicato Pinot Grigio

A while back we went to a wine tasting and there was an excellent Shiraz that was something along the lines of $12 a bottle, but a box which equaled four full bottles was a mere $20. The guy working the table was talking about the fact that great box wine now exists and is becoming easier to find. This one was–a four bottle box–was on sale for mere $15 so I figured I’d give it a shot. I bought it thinking it was the one we tried at the tasting.

It's not.

The whole thing just smacks of pineapple...the nose, the palate, even the finish.

The nose has vanilla, pineapple, even some butter....to me, it reminds me of lousy Chardonnay. No acid...in fact, it almost tastes watered down.

The finish has some butter and a bit of pineapple, it fades quickly.

If you are a wine drinker, I can't recommend this. Maybe it will work in a spritzer. Bland, generic, not unlike something from Sutter Home.