N/V Cristalino Brut Rose

Check that out - "not affiliated with Roederer or Cristal." Did some jackass buy this thinking it was a tremendous deal only to get mocked by their wine snob friends? Who knows. New label, new vaguely Blade Runner looking font reminds me of a friend of mine who had eyes that glowed yellow, but after four years we had a falling out and I never heard from him again - weird, no?

A little bit of cherry and perhaps some lime on the nose.

Clean, crisp, almost cherry 7-Up like - actually this reminds me of that Cranberry Twist Sierra Mists, one of my favorite sodas out there. In fact, beyond that, I'm not getting much else. When you think about it, this wine is somewhat sweet, but it doesn't really hit the palate that way - be it acidic balance or more fruity than sweet, it all really comes together nicely. A dangerous wine - half the bottle disappeared in a matter of minutes.

The finish, of Cranberry Sierra Mist, actually lingers for a reasonable amount of time.

This wine is why scores are stupid. It's simple, it's one dimensional, and it's incredibly drinkable. There's nothing here worth looking at academically, but considering that a case will set you back eighty bucks, are we really going to complain about such things? Serve it at a party or pop open a bottle with jalapeno poppers.

Score: 86

2007 Albero Bobal Rose

This was six bones at Trader Joe's - how bad can a $6 Spanish Rose be?

A very nice nose, strong with strawberry, cherry, and even cinnamon notes.

Cherry mostly with some minty things going on, as well as some light spices, along with some apple notes.

I'm getting a watermelon rind thing on the finish, as well as some somewhat unripe strawberries.

Decent, cheap rose rocks and this is certainly one of them. There are more complex and better rounded ones out there to be sure, but I doubt you'll snag one for under $10 that's better than this.

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

2007 Alma de Blanco Godello

This is around six bones at Trader Joe's.

Floral notes on the nose.

A bit fuzzy, sorta like an oaked Sauvignon Blanc – floral, lavender like notes on the palate. I'm getting some spiced unripe apricot, a little bit of vanilla, honey, lemon rind, and some orange blossom.

The orange blossom comes through firmly on the finish

Another one where the style does not work for me, but I think it's a well crafted wine that's a fine bargain if it's your sort of thing.

Wine: 6
Value: Qualified yes

2004 Juvé y Camps Cava Brut Nature Grand Reserva

I just did the ol' stab n' grab with this – I wanted a sparkler at around $15 and pulled this one.

Quite dry and fairly toasty – one of the first sparklers where I'm definitely getting a distinct oak quality. There's a turpentine thing going on on the back palate into the finish. I can't say there's all that much fruit here – some unripe apple or pear. There is some perfumey and floral qualities, maybe lavender or even a slightly turned bad chamomile quality.

Nothing by dryness on the finish.

It ain't bad, but it also ain't worth fifteen bucks.

Wine: 6
Value: No

2005 Bodegas Atteca Old Vines

I WANNA DRINK THIS WINE SO BAD I CAN TASTE IT – HUH? – ATTECA! ATTECA! ATTECA! ATTECA! REMEMBER ATTECA?

I know, I know, too easy.

Right around fourteen bucks this one is – it's been sitting in the wine fridge for quite a while, so I popped it open.

This review may be somewhat biased seeing as the last five bottles of wine we've consumed have been Yellow Tail, because right off the bat this just smells amazing. A really nice blend of light cherry, mint, and herbs. There is a garbage like component that I usually dig, but haven't hit on lately, so it's weirding me out a bit.

With a bit of airtime, this presents as a smooth cherry and cassis filled wine with quite a bit of earthy and herbal notes – sassafras, eucalyptus – and even a hint of cola. With a bit more time I get a distinct raspberry quality- almost like it was spiked with a shot of a raspberry dessert wine. I opened this without paying much attention to it and was drinking this under the impression it was a California Zin – the Old Vines thing - but it's a Spanish Garnacha. Quite interesting.

Earth and dirt on the finish with more raspberry notes.

So what do we have here? A wine that's clearly well made, certainly a good value, and overall quite tasty – that being said, if you're looking for a classic Spanish Garnacha this is probably not for you.

Wine: 7
Values: Yep

2005 Terra Alto Sexto

Continuing the pursuit for 100 grape varietals, I browsed a local store looking at blends to see if anything caught my eye – I nearly walked away before this one called out to me. A blend of Garnacha, Carignan, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah – lots of stuff, but meh. That's only five in this blend of six – the reason I snagged this one, Lledoner Pelut Noir. Awesome. This one went for around $13.

A little bit of green pepper on the nose with some cinnamon. The second day we had this one, some garbage notes came through.

A fair amount of licorice, vanilla, rotten blueberry – this is one of those wines where there's a lot of alcohol burn, so much so that it detracts a bit from the wine. There's definitely some funky Spanish qualities here, but it seems like they're trying to bring some New World sugar into the mix and it's not working. The second day, some clear oak notes come forward and plenty of spice – clove and cinnamon, as well as some orange zest.

Some cinnamon and a bit of carob linger on the finish.

Big fat meh.

Wine: 6
Value: No

N/V Albero Organic Spanish Sparkling Wine

Those who read this blog with some degree of frequency know we're on a perpetual hunt for decent, cheap sparkling wine. This was five bucks at Trader Joe's and difficult to pass up.

A little bit of lime and slate on the nose.

Rather sweet – if you're not a fan of sparklers because they're too dry, but don't quite want a dessert wine, this may work for you. If you know sparklers and like them dry but want a mildly sweet wine to pair with dessert, this wouldn't be bad either. It's mostly oranges, some orange blossom, and just a bit of pear.

Alright – it's sweet and one dimensional, but there's also nothing “bad” here, nothing funky or unpleasant, which for a $5 sparkler is a gigantic success. It's an easy quaff – perfect for a picnic, with spicy faire, or with a simple dessert

Wine: 5.5
Value: This depends on your perception of my review, if a bit of sugar in a sparkler peeks your interest, I'd say go for it.

N/V Cristalino Rose Brut

Six bucks – yep – six dollars. I enjoyed the Brut from this producer so I figured I would give this a chance. You can find the Brut at many grocery stores – this one isn't quite as well distributed but you may find it rather easily.

White bread and yeast on the nose.

Light in body, bready, yeasty, and loads of berry notes. Strawberry and even some light raspberry.

The tart strawberry notes – almost a strawberry liqueur quality on the finish – with a bit of toast lingering in the background.

No flaws, no issues, an outstanding value for the price.

Wine: 7
Value: One of the better cheap ones out there - absolutely yes.

N/V Freixenet Cava Brut de Noirs

This was $10 – the more I think about it, the more I think most cheap Pinot Noir based sparkling wines turn out pretty well, so why not try it out? I did find it interesting how dark this is – it's certainly a Brut de Noir and not a Blanc de Noir.

A somewhat bready nose.

The palate has some dough notes, some nice tartness, and red apple dominates.

More red apple on the finish.

Not bad at all – I'll give you it's rather simple, but there are certainly no “off” notes or issues. For the price, this is an easy recommendation.

Wine: 6.5
QPR: 8

N/V Codorniu Pinot Noir Cava Rose

You know the drill - summer + heat + $10 sparkling wine = good time.

Not much on the nose other than just a bit of watermelon.

Light, crisp, somewhat fruity yet still dry. A bit of the watermelon comes through, some mild strawberry notes – not a good quality farmer's market strawberry, a gigantic out of season grocery store strawberry where it's mostly white on the inside but it still sort of tastes like strawberry (consider this an indictment of the berry, not the wine).

The acid presents itself nicely on the finish along with some strange lingering watermelon notes....imagine chopping a watermelon on a cedar plank, letting the juice sit on the plank for an hour, and then licking it off....is this a good thing? I'm still not sure.

Generally, when I come up with goofy descriptions I recommend if for no other reason than it makes me think....this is no exception.

2006 Vino Sin Ley G4 Grenache

I don't recall why I bought this – it's been on the rack for a while, it either came recommended from the wine shop or we tried at a tasting and dug it...either way, this is about ten bucks.

Earthy and chocolatey notes on the nose.

Earth, cherry, and chocolate. Not a whole lot of oak or tannins – this is a very nice, smooth wine. Well made and a great value.

There's a bit of heat on the finish with some more of that dark chocolate.

For $10, this is an obvious recommendation – a solid and well-made Old World Grenache which I'm a big fan of.

N/V Paul Cheneau Cava Brut

We had planned on having a guest reviewer for this one, here's a photo from the session:



Unfortunately, Pudge felt the nose did not remind her enough of cat food and refused to continue with the blog post.*

Back to the regulars: this was about $8 at Costco and always being up for a sparkler, I grabbed it.

A bit of bread – dinner roll really – with a slightest hint of blueberry.

Yes...yes indeed. Lots of berry here, some interesting and subtle flavors – boysenberry almost. Not much in terms of citrus though I suppose I do get some apple. Not much toast, not much yeast, but some nutty qualities along with the fruit – GrapeNuts, you say? Alrighty then.

The finish has more of that interesting grapey, nutty, berry profile. I can't argue with it.

This is a no-brainer. Go for it.

*Pudge was not legitimately offered wine as she is underage. Cats, dogs, and other pets who are under the age of 21 (in human years) should not be given alcohol. Once they hit 21, it's not a good idea either.

N/V Segura Viudas Cava Brut Heredad

This is the reserve bottle from Segura Viudas – a producer's whose sparkling wines we've been very happy with. This normally goes for about $20, but it was on sale for a mere $16.

Crisp apples on the nose.

The first word that came to mind was smooth. Anjou pear, Golden Delicious apple, some yeasty notes, and as it opens, some tropical fruit notes come through, I'm getting some lychee, pineapple, and dare I even say some mango?

More of that crisp apple on the finish.

A solid bottle and another winner from Segura Viudas. High quality wine and an interesting bottle would make this a great gift or conversation starter at a gathering. Go for it.

N/V Cristalino Cava Brut

This cheap Cava is available widely and since we've been on a sparkler kick I figured I'd grab it for $6.

Oh no – that metallic scent is here on the nose with some apples.

Crisp apples, a bit of pear, some lemon, some nuttiness, and even a bit of toast – not bad. I was fearing the metal notes would be present, but no sir. Quite good.

The finish fades quickly – apples and yeast, but nothing that lasts.

Alright, Segura Viudas makes a better product and I'd go for that before this one again, but if you're at the local grocery shop this is probably your best bet in the price range.

N/V Segura Viudas Brut Rose

After the plesent surprise of the Brut, I grabbed a Brut Rose for $7 at a local wine shop. This is a blend of 60% Macabeo, 20% Parellada, and 20% Xarel-lo.

Fran and I could not place the nose – as I was browsing the winery's website I noticed grenadine was mentoned and while I acknowledge the power of suggestion, as soon as I saw that it screamed out at me.

Very clean really – some lime and tangerine notes plus a bit of minerality. The bubbles are very pronounced at first but do fade somewhat quickly.

A bit of cherry seems to come through on the finish.

Segura Viuda has three lines of sparkling wine in the US – this is the chepest, Aria is the middle (for about $12), and they have a Reserva which goes for about $20. We've had all three and have been impressed by all. This may lack some nice subtleties but it also doesn't have any weird metallic and fake sugar qualities – for the price you will not do better. While this isn't bad, my preference is for the Brut Reserva.

N/V Monasteriolo Cava Brut Rose

Another $7 bottle from Trader Joe's.

A bit of strawberry on the nose.

Tart strawberry and raspberry, a nice amount of acid, quite dry, and a touch of yeast.

More berry...straw/ras/blue....on the finish.

Another absurd value from Trader Joe's – Spain does a great job with low priced sparkling wines and this one is certainly one of them. No trace of any fake sugar, strange syrup, or metal – it's not complex by any means of course, but other than being somewhat simple, there are no flaws here.

N/V Segura Viudas Brut Reserva

It's a recurring theme here – we want something sparkling, but we don't want to spend a lot. I'm just about giving up on the regular grocery stores – all the cheap stuff they have is just not worth revisiting – but we have had luck at Trader Joe's. This was seven bucks.

A mild nose with white bread and perhaps some lemon.

Nice and crisp – lime and green apple notes. Dry – no sweetness at all really – and very good acid with some mineral notes as well.

Lime and slate on the finish.

I'm definitely buying this one again – no weirdness or fake sweetness, just an all around good and easy drinking sparkler. Highly recommended.

2003 de Marques Gelida Cava Brut Exclusive Reserva

This was in the half price section at World Market – marked down to $6. For that price, I'll try just about anything.

Bread on the nose.

Yeast, bread, and minerals. I honestly don't get a whole lot of fruit in this one - other than perhaps some unripe pear - though I do get a touch of sugar. The sweetness does remind me a bit of that Prosecco like quality I can't place my finger on, other than it's somewhat artificial tasting.

Mineral notes linger on the finish.

This isn't bad, but it is strange. I don't recall ever having a wine which I had such a hard time tasting any fruit. For $6, I won't argue, but I'd also rather grab Rotari.

N/V Aria Cava Brut

We had this at a restaurant not long ago and I enjoyed it enough to snag a bottle when I found it on sale for a mere $9.

A yeasty nose with some lemony notes.

The palate is light and crisp – nice acid, a bit of citrus fruit and a bit of a yeasty feel. The key flavor I'm getting is lime.

A lingering finish, with acid and lime.

At this price I have no gripes. Far better than any of the mass produced sparklers like Korbel out there, this is definitely worth a trip to a wine shop....a nice tasting wine though a bit simple. While I won't be grabbing this particular bottle again for a while, I wouldn't hesitate grabbing a few others in the Aria line to see what they have to offer.

2006 Marco Real Garnacha Rose

I dropped by the local wine shop as I had a hankering for a rose. This one came strongly recommended and was about $12.

A bit of strawberry on the nose.

The palate is a nice blend of strawberry, bing cherry, and just a slightest hint of cinnamon....a nice bit of acid and a touch of sweetness make this nicely balanced.

The finish has a nice spicy zing to it.

I’d put this on the list of my top three favorite roses....strongly recommended.