2005 Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Riesling/Traminer

This was $3 at Trader Joes and it was on display right next to the cash register I was at – normally, I wouldn't have considered it but as a last minute impulse buy I figured it would be no different than buying a lotto ticket.

While there's some stone fruit on the nose, it's surprisingly grapey.

The palate is somewhat grapey as well – stone fruit of peaches and nectaines comes through as well, a bit of spice, somewhat sweet, but a solid amount of acid balance it out.

Some spicy – of the pie filling sort – notes linger on the finish.

For $3 – hell, for $5 – I'd cheerfully grab this one again. I can definitely see cracking open a bottle of this sitting on the deck when it's ninety degrees and we're grilling burgers. Light, well balanced, and easy drinking - I'll be grabbing this next time we hit Trader Joe's and saving it for the summer.

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.

2005 Francis Ford Coppola Rosso

I was walking around Costco and this caught my eye – a couple years back this could've been considered our “house wine” - we bought it frequently and paired with almost everything (this was either the 2003 or 2004 vintage though). Have our palates outgrown the Rosso? Considering this is $7 – I hope not.

Cherry and oak on the nose.

Big and fruity- a bit of oak, but mainly cherry and blackberry – bold and somewhat of a fruit bomb – the oak is present and there's a bit of mild tannin, but there's some sweetness and a lack of structure make this a bit flabby. This is a blend of 51% Zinfandel, 29% Syrah and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon – I don't get any Syrah, but I feel the Cab and I definitely taste the Zin.

A bit of spice – cinammon – comes through on the finish, but mainly it's dark berries.

I want to hunt down a bottle of the 2004 – this is disappointing and there's plenty more out there in this price range that I'd return to instead of this.

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.

2005 Château Bourbon La Chappelle

The 2005 Bordeaux has been highly rated across the board – we've reviewed a couple cheap bottles and they've been solid, here's another that was under ten dollars.

Cedar, smoke, and black fruit on the nose.

A fair amount of wood- cedar and oak, black cherry for fruit, some nice spice, medium tannins, some leather, and quite a bit of tobacco.

More tobacco on the finish, with black fruit, and spice.

I wish it was just a bit warmer and I could set on the patio with a glass of this and a cigar after grilling a steak. This is a solid bottle, a tremendous value, and one easily worth revisiting.

2004 Domaine Jean-Marc Bernhard Grand Cru Mambourg Gewürztraminer

Another bargain from the clearance sale. This was severely reduced to under $8, but I couldn't tell you the original price.

A very big nose – I'm thinking canned pineapple.

Damn - this is a huge Gewurz. Honey, spiced stone fruit – peaches, apricot, even some pineapple and mango – solid acid – just big all around. Lots of floral notes, spice, and lychee. Big alcohol too – the label reads 14% - quite high.

Some nice spiced stone fruit lingers on the finish for some time.

This is good stuff – big yet balanced. It's surprisngly sweet for a wine from Alsace and there's nothing to suggest it, but I'd treat this as a dessert wine. If you tend to go for sweeter wines it may work with dinner, but I wouldn't recommend it.

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.

2001 Chateau Sansonnet Bordeaux

I sadly don't recall much about this – in fact, I have no idea how much I paid for this or where I got it – a quick search found some shops selling this for over $30, but based on the bottle's location in the ol' wine fridge I doubt I paid more than $20.

Earth and chocolate on the nose.

Quite black – black cherry, dark chocolate, and earth. Some interesting herbal notes - eucalyptus, mint, maybe some basil – cedar comes through, and the tannins are nice and silky. A fair amount of sediment means you should defnitely keep this one upright for a day or two before opening and pour it carefully.

Herbal notes linger on the finish with some cherry and plum.

This bottle is certainly worth a look – I don't know about the $30 I'm seeing online, but if this was under $20 I'd grab it again without hesitation.

2003 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Syrah

I saw this at Trader Joe's for $10 – we're fans of Gloria Ferrer's sparkling wines and have enjoyed a few bottles of the wineries Pinot Noir at tastings, so I didn't hesitate grabbing a bottle.

Cherry and white pepper on the nose.

Nicely balanced – a lot of fruit to be sure, but some nice oak and spice balance it out well. Dark fruit – berries, black cherry, plums, and the like – anise and pepper notes, and some weird, funky earthy come through midpalette. Great all around – nothing overpowers and there's solid depth.

The finish has some spice, earth, and black fruit as well.

Gloria Ferrer succeeds even with a cheap one – very nice all around and well worth the ten bucks.

2006 Gilles Bonnefoy La Madone Cotes du Forez Gamay sur Volcan

This was marked down to $8 and I thought it may be interesting to try a Gamay from outside Beaujolais. My understanding is the region of Cotes du Forez has areas where grapes are grown in volcanic soil – and if I had to guess by the “sur Volcan” - I assume this is one of those.

Earth, raspberry, barnyard, and tree bark on the nose.

Raspberry – some tartness – mild tannins, earthy notes, some cherry, and a bit of cola.

Some cherry and spicy notes comes through on the finish.

This is more along the quality lines of your standard Beaujolais (ie, not the Nouveau) – basically like a very light Pinot Noir - and for $8 you can't argue with it.

2005 Yellow Tail Reserve Pinot Noir

The Reserve Shiraz was excellent – for ten bucks, can YT pull of a decent Pinot Noir?

In the first hour: Cherry on the nose. Yikes – this tastes like sharply acidic, yet very very sweet cherry Kool-Aid. Some vanilla notes come through as well. No earth or funk or anything interesting, perhaps some soda – root beer or cola. There is a bit of tannin to prevent this from being all sugar and acid. The finish was just sugary sweet.

After three hours of air: alright, this wine needs to sit in the decanter for at least 2 ½ hours. The acid has gone from overpowering to quite reasonable. Some earth has started to come through on the nose. This is still somewhat sweet, but far more pleasant with airtime – still cherry and vanilla, but far more pleasant. A bit of oak and earth come through – mildly, mind you – as well. The finish is mainly cherry, but not sickly sweet as it was.

At $10 this is fairly competitive at this pricepoint – while I wouldn't call it great, after a few hours of air, this is quite enjoyable even though it's missing some nice Pinot qualities (that you wouldn't find in 98% of cheap Pinot anyway). That being said – it does not compare to the quality of the Reserve Shiraz.

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.

2004 Beringer Knight's Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This has been in our fridge for a while – my research tells me this goes for close to $20, though based on its location in our fridge, I couldn't have paid more than $15.

Herbal notes mostly, but also blackberry and black cherry on the nose.

Very nice – cherry, black fruit, oak, firm tannins, lots of herbal action, and a nice punch of eucalyptus.

More menthol notes on the finish, plus oak, and a slight bit of cherry – mostly earth and herbs though.

A very nice Cabernet – since I don't recall what I paid, we can just say this is a $20 bottle – and still I'll say this a solid bottle and worth recommending. If I found this on sale somewhere, I'd grab it and put it away for a couple years to see what happens. This may have some potential.

2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot

I know this wine frequently gets big points and realized we have never tried it – for $7 I'm game....especially with the good luck from The Little Penguin's Cabernet and Yellow Tail's Reserve Shiraz.

Cherry, earth, and cigar box on the nose.

Cherry pie filling, peach, spice, tobacco, earth, cedar, and a bit of mocha on the palate. A nice balance – a slight bit of sweetness, but the wood, and a nice zing of acid really balance this out.

A fuzzy, oaky, cigar like finish lingers for a while.

I tend to go into highly rated cheap wines with very hesitant optimism, but man – this is beyond solid and a phenomenal bargain at seven bucks. I asked Fran what she thought this one cost – she's got a talent for guessing within a few dollars – she estimated upper teens to $20. I plan on grabbing a few of these next time I'm out to keep on hand.

N/V Korbel Chardonnay Sparkling Wine

I felt like something sparkling and didn't want to spend much...the grocery store had this one which I don't think we've tried before. In fact, as I look back at the blog, we've never tried just the plain old regular Korbel Brut – something I'll have to grab next time I'm at the store.

A slightly metallic nose.

A touch of sweetness, green apples, and even some nice yeastiness. Quite a bit of bread – more white bread crusts than anything. The bubbles fade quickly – the bottle was all but flat after an hour.

Nothing on the finish that's worth noting other than some more notes of bread.

For a mass market, cheap sparkling wine this isn't bad. Obviously you can do better, but for the price and ease of access this is a safe bet. If you're having a lot of people over, this may be a decent thing to serve as you'll go through the bottle before the bubbling stops.

Avenues photo essay

Your friends at The Wineauxs not only love wine, but we're also huge fans of food - once a year we take in an absurdly priced meal to celebrate our wedding anniversary. While it's in May, I had heard that the chef at Avenues (Graham Elliot Bowles) is leaving in April - so we decided to celebrate a bit early this year.

One of the unique things about Avenues is the Kitchen Bar - it looks like a typical bar but instead of a bartender and alcohol - it's the kitchen. You get to see the four chefs in action - you are right there and get to chat with them.

This is mainly a photo essay - the pictures speak for themselves. Not a single dish was a "miss" - in fact, not one dish was short of outstanding. We had a six course meal - we only had one of the same thing, the other five courses were different.

Here we go:

1. Three breads and three butters - regular, truffled, and Parmesan.



2. Amuse bouche – popcorn / cauliflower cream


3. Deconstructed BLT / Roquefort / Brioche / Ranch



4. Caviar / Champagne / Caper / Chive



5. Venison tartare / Juniper / Parsley / Lingonberry



6. Scallop / Pumpkin / Maple / Allspice



7. Risotto / Apple / Bacon / Cheddar



8. Pheasant / Celeriac / Quince / Mustard



9. Ahi / Matsutake / Chestnut / Hijiki



10. Deconstructed Beef Stroganoff / Mushroom / Spaetzle / Creme



11. Lamb / Pomegranate / Couscous



12. Cake / Apricot / Mango / Orange



13. Chocolate / Banana / Oats




A phenomenal meal to be sure. While the head chef is leaving in April, the restaurant will be taken over by Curtis Duffy - the chef de cuisine from Alinea - and my understanding is the chefs and staff will remain the same - we'll definitely be back after the Bowles era.

Note: I was referring to a slightly different menu to get the names of the dishes - should the website post the newer menu (which listed more information than just the ingredients) I'll update.

We've had some absurdly good meals - I've been to Avenues twice and both meals are tied for the best - better than Topolobampo, better than Moto, and better than Trotter's. If you're coming to Chicago and want to blow a week's pay on one mind blowing meal, this is the place.

2006 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz

Here we are with another Mollydooker bottle – last year the 2005 sold out within days around here, but the 2006 is still available at most places in these parts for about $20. I read about this wine a while back and found this interesting tidbit on their website called the Mollydooker Shake: basically open the bottle, pour out half a glass, recap it, and shake shake shake.

Our first notes are before the shake:

A huge punch of alcohol on the nose, with licorice and cherry.

This is an enormous wine – big fruit, big spice, big sugar, and big heat. The high alcohol content (16%) will most likely turn some people off, but every so often this is a fun wine to indulge in. I'm getting blueberry and cherry, ultra ripe plum, a mix of spices, but almost no tannins.

Not much on the finish, though I do seem to be getting some oak notes – it's mainly heat though.

Now – I recapped the bottle, did the shake, and tried again.


Red and black licorice as well as some herbal notes on the nose, but interestingly – the punch of alcohol has disappeared.

Still huge, but the alcohol has subsided. Oak is co\ming through, as well as a fair amount of spice – pepper and clove – the fruit is still mostly blueberry and cherry. It's far more peppery after the shake.

The finish is still tame – a bit of heat, though not nearly as harsh, and some nice black pepper is now predominant.

Before the shake, I probably would've hesitated recommending this – but I feel the shake and a good four hours of air really helped this one calm down a bit and brought up some depth, and dare I say finesse? Either way, this is an outstanding value.

2005 Rudini Pachino Nero D'Avola Sicilia

We received this as a gift. I've had happy to receive it as we've had some very good luck with this varietal.

Earth, funk, berry, and even a bit of slate on the nose.

Fruity with almost no tannin – berries mainly with some cherry. There's enough acid to bring it into balance, but there's really nothing that jumps out.

Not much on the finish really – cherry and and a bit of oak comes through.

Not a complex wine, but an enjoyable one. I liked this simply because it's so balanced – it's not a fruit bomb by any means, there's no overpowering oak, it's not too acidic, nor is it too flabby - it's just a a nice, easy drinking wine that's great for day to day drinking.

2004 Domaine Bertagna Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguettes

I grabbed this for about $20. This was extremely tart on first pour so I let it decant for about two hours.

Green olives and forest floor on the nose.

Funky and earthy while quite acidic. Some cherry and blackberry – tart, dark berries.. Plenty of barnyard and dirt. Some spicy notes and wood mainly coming through as cedar.

Earth and pine on the finish.

Not bad at all. This is a finicky region and a finicky vintage, but I think overall it's a decent bottle.

2004 Domaine du Petit Barbaras Côtes du Rhône-Villages

Another bargain from the clearance sale. Unfortunately I don't recall what I paid, but I know the retail was $13 and I paid closer to $6.

The nose on this one is tough....I don't know. If I had to guess I'd say cherry, but cherry is a common descriptor here. We'll just say it's weak.

Smooth yet funky. A bit of oak, spice, funk, cherry, and a nice punch of acid with some blueberry as well. Not bad at all and a reasonable amount of depth even for the $13.

Dirt comes through on the finish, not much fruit, and it fades rapidly.

Well...it's cheap, it's French, and there's nothing to complain about. The nose and finish are weak, but the palate pushes it into the recommendable range.

2001 Markham Petite Sirah

This was $13 – marked down from $25. Even though it's a bit old, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

Licorice and earth on the nose.

Smooth tannins but bold and fruity - plum, ripe blackberry, licorice, and some sweet oak on the palate. Lots of dark fruit all around but very nicely balanced.

Cherry and black licorice on the finish which lingers for a solid amount of time – over a minute.

No arguments here for $13, but I don't know about the $25 retail price. By all means, it's a good bottle of wine, but there's not much of a wow factor.

2005 Korbel Natural Sparkling Wine

I've seen this bottle around, it's a few dollars more expensive than regular Korbel and is actually a vintage bottle....on sale it was $12 and I felt like it may be worth a gamble.

I get some sort of peach jam on the nose...candied peaches perhaps.

The bubbles keep flowing even 45 minutes after the pour – impressive. I'm getting stone fruit and tart apple – not much yeast and no toast. There's a syrupy sweetness as well.

The finish lingers for some time and brings some interesting floral and citrus notes, as well as more of that sweetened peach that presented on the nose.

Big fat meh. This is certainly more interesting than regular Korbel, though I'm not sure that translates into “better.” It's a simple, sweet – though not overpoweringly so – and an easy quaff. To be fair, most $12 sparkling wine isn't much better.

2005 Fattoria della Vitae Chianti Colli Senesi

I grabbed this one on sale and figured since I never met a Chianti I didn't like it would be worth a shot. It was under $10, but I don't recall much more than that.

No nose at first but it opened a bit to chocolate and orange.

Wow – just wow. This is one of the strangest bottles I've ever had.

At first pour – I would've said this is a fairly typical Chianti except it had a bit less acid than I'd expect.

After about 45 minutes, I felt this wine collapsed – th e acid all but disappeared, there wasn't much fruit except for some blueberry, no oak, no tannin, though I did get some earth – a strange structureless fruity, yet earthy, mess.

Here I am, 90 minutes in, and my tune is changing yet again. The acid is still milder than I'd expect for a Chianti. Blueberry and cherry is coming through as well as some nice chocolaty and earthy notes. It's still a bit too soft for me, almost watery, but it's not bad.

Some citrus notes are on the finish but it fades.

I think I need to get another bottle of this before I make up my mind. At the very least, this bottle was interesting. For under ten bucks, it's worth a gamble.

2006 Saisons des Vins Le Printemps Rose

This was heavily discounted from $13 to $5 – not a bad markdown. I view rose as a legitimate wine and go through the proper “Rite” or should I say “Sacre” with it.

I can't place the nose – I'm thinking grapefruit zest.

Quite dry, somewhat tannic, with raspberry, stone fruit, cinnamon, and spice plus a hit of alcohol. I'd almost guess this has seen oak. Certainly a unique rose.

Cinnamon and a lingering tannic feel on the finish.

I'm on the fence about this one. While I find it to be a tad harsh, it's not bad and actually quite interesting. For $5 it's tough to argue with, and even if I paid full price I don't know if I'd complain much as it brings some new aspects to rosé I haven't previously encountered.

2006 Alexander Valley Vineyards Wetzel Family Estate Pinot Noir

I had a tough time deciding what wine to review for our 300th post. I decided to go with one of my recent bargains which ran $15 – but it was on sale, marked down from $25.

Berries, coffee, and earth on the nose.

The tannins are mild, the fruit is bold, and the funky notes are excellent – a solid bottle for the price. Earth, funk, chocolate, coffee, and a solid amount of cola bring a smile to my face. Cherry, vanilla, strawberry, and oak as well.

Earthy notes, maybe some chocolate, but mainly cherry and oak on the finish.

An absurd value at $15 – I actually went back to the wine shop to get more of this but they were sold out. Even at the regular price I'd grab this again and recommend it heartily. Solid all around.

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.

2006 Weber Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen

This was $6 at Trader Joe's – I grabbed it because I don't think we've ever had Liebfraumilch.

Tart apples on the nose.

The palate is mostly stone fruit – peaches and apricot with a little bit of spice and floral notes. Very soft – low alcohol, smooth, a bit sweet, but and some acid that it's borderline drinkable. Sort of like a cheap, sweet Gewurz. This had a very peculiar musky taste on first pour, but all traces blew off after about twenty minutes.

The finish is all peach pie filling.

I'm glad I tried it, but life's too short for me to try it again.

2006 Bitch Grenache

How can I pass this label and name up? This was $10 at the local wine shop.

Strawberry and Twizzlers on the nose.

Fruity with a bit of burn. Sharp acid – almost too sharp, the alcohol also burns to a near uncomfortable level. The palate is mostly strawberries and a bit of earth and burnt coffee.

More of those burnt coffee notes linger on the finish.

If I had to compare this to anything I'd say it's like a Beaujolais on steroids. It's not bad, but somewhat atypical of a New World Grenache - as long as you know that, it's not a bad bottle. Too good to send to your ex on Valentine's Day and not good enough to buy your current sweetheart who's "taken the word back."

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.

2007 Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais Nouveau

This is one of the more expensive BN's out there - $15, but thanks to the clearance sale it only ran me $5.

Raspberry, cherry, earth, and a fair amount of banana on the nose.

If you're the type who smirks and thinks us wine fans cannot possibly “taste” dirt in a wine – I invite you to buy a bottle of this. This is a dirty bottle. Banana, berry, earth, surprisingly bold tannins, and enough zing to give it a solid balance.

No finish – if there is it fades in seconds.

I'd be curious to see if a higher quality BN exists – if so, I have yet to try it. Now – that being said – for what it is, it's good, but BN has an inherent ceiling in terms of quality.

A word of warning – this bottle has a LOT of sediment. If you want to try this one, keep it upright for at least a day or two and pour it very slowly (or decant it).

2007 Chateau Cambon Beaujolais Nouveau

Another one that was originally $11 (or so) and knocked down to $5.

A funky nose. Grape stems and earth..

Ouch. Grape stem – really, the bulk of the flavor here tastes like you ate a bunch of grapes and then put the leftover stem and started chewing. Not pleasant. I'm getting touches of herbs – oregano and mint – and perhaps some plum.

Rotten grape. Barnyard, and more stem on the finish. There's an acidic harshness that's really off putting.

Well, I'm glad it was only $5. The rest of the bottle is going down the drain.

2007 Bouchard Ainé et Fils Beaujolais Nouveau

Every couple of months one of the local wine/liquor shops has a big clearance sale – I tend to stock up when they do. There's never anything “wrong” with the wine, they usually are making room for new vintages or are just getting rid of bottles that haven't moved much. Part of the most recent sale was that every BN was cut to $4.99. I grabbed three different bottles, all regularly priced $11. I'll be cracking open the other two bottles in the next few days.

This has that typical funky berry smell that Beaujolais normally has.

Mild all around – acidic, but not sharply so – and just easily drinkable. Raspberry and cherry with some earthy notes.

Chocolate, earth, and raspberry on the finish.

BN is meant to be an easy quaff and this does the job – for $5 I'm not about to complain. Solid for what it is, but if you're not a fan, you won't be sold.

2003 Elvis Presley The King Cabernet Sauvignon

In celebration of Elvis Presley's birthday, I present you with The King's Cabernet. Of course, Elvis didn't drink so it's an odd product to make, but who am I to judge? This was $12 at the local wine shop.

Cherry, oak, and chocolate on the nose.

Simple and fruity - all cherry - and with mild tannins. A tad sweet, but there's some oak and acid to balance it out a bit.

The finish is sweet, once again mostly cherry, but there's I'm getting some herbal notes as well.

It's $12 and I'm betting the Elvis estate gets half that. It's not bad, but for the price you can get two bottles of a cheap big name Australian Cab.

2006 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Kim Crawford is a highly respected producer which we've trid at tastings and thoroughly enjoyed. I grabbed a bottle of this for $14.

A huge nose of grass and tropical fruit – pineapple and passionfruit.

Nice and crisp – bold notes of citrus and tropical fruits. Pineapple, papaya, passionfruit, and grapefruit. Slate and minerals with a touch of sweetness – perhaps some limeade – and even a taste of grass. I'm a bit surprised at just how “large” this wine is – it begs for food, I'd go with some sort of spicy Asian or Mexican faire.

Lime and grapefruit on the finish. Crisp acid leaves the mouth watering.

This was highly rated all around and certainly deserves to be – powerful, complex, and amazingly, under $15. Perhaps the finest QPR we've ever had. Outstanding and strongly recommended.

N/V Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

This was a Christmas gift from our neighbors – neighbors we didn't give a gift to and now I feel sort of weird about it. Regardless, a very nice gesture. The bottle runs about $10.

Bread on the nose.

A very soft wine, mild bubbles, with mainly unripe tropical fruit – I can't help but taste papaya - and white bread on the palate....I'm also detecting a bit of walnut.

Tropical notes on the finish linger for some time.

Almost every Prosecco we've had has had a strange quality to it. They seem to leave a mildly unpleasant, strange, almost honey like coating on the mouth. Sadly, this one is no different and it's really the big dealbreaker I have with the wine.

2005 Rheingau Edition Maximilian Pinot Noir

Germany isn't really well known for its red wine – so when I saw this one for $6 at Trader Joe's I thought it would be interesting to try.

Licorice on the nose.

Sweet....unpleasantly sweet....earth, rotten raspberry, tobacco, all mixed with sugar.

Cherry comes out on the finish and some funky notes linger for quite some time.

If a sweet red wine appeals to you then perhaps, I can't even finish a glass. The bottle does state “Medium-dry” so on the one hand I should've known better, on the other I can say I've had a Pinot Noir from Deutschland and for academic purposes that's good enough.

N/V Laurent Perrier Brut Rose

For New Year's I figured I'd grab something different – a brut rose Champagne. This one goes for about $60.

Bread and apple on the nose.

Toast, yeast, strawberry, some nuttiness, and crisp red apple on the palate. The bubbles last for a long time in the class – considering we're used to lower end stuff, it's impressive seeing a stream 45 minutes after pouring.

Poached pear comes through on the finish and lingers for quite some time.

Not bad, but little wow factor. Enjoyable, but for $60 I was hoping for a little more.