2007 KungFu Girl Riesling

I snagged this for around ten bucks because the label amused me, but now I'm wondering if I'm racist.

I can't say I get much of anything on the nose.

I'm thinking this is mostly white grapefruit - I'm detecting some red apple and maybe some pear, but the citrus thing is dominating. Sweet, but balanced reasonably well. I don't mind simple Rieslings, though simple with this profile doesn't work for me.

Some more orangey notes come through as well as an interesting sort of blueberry component on the finish.

The finish wins an extra half point with me since it's interesting, but I still can't say I'd recommend this unless you know Riesling and this sort of thing is your style.

Wine: 6.5
Value: No for me, but based on what you like perhaps...

2007 Two Lads Cabernet Franc

Here we have the debut red from Two Lads – Cab Franc, their inaugural red. The first sniff and sip of this was very tight, so I gave this one - that goes for $25 - three hours in the decanter.

As it opens I get cherry, oak, menthol, and cinnamon on the nose.

Chocolate and cherry with some distinct strawberry notes coming through on the back palate. Great acid with a blend of spices coming to dominate – clove, cinnamon, dried basil and oregano, with a dash of eucalyptus. Dare I say, this is Old World in its sensibility – a solid balance of fruit and earth with a good punch of acid.

A whole lot of earth on the finish, with just a little bit of brineyness, in an olive sort of way.

Cab Franc is a tough grape to hit the wow factor - in fact, it may very well be impossible to hit, but this is pretty close. I look forward to trying out another bottle after a few months (or years) and sampling their Reserve to see how this develops. For now, I say give it a go, but maybe sit on it for a while.

Wine: 7.5
Value: 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

N/V Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne

We had this one around two and half a years ago and dug it – a lot of wine snobs go out of their way to talk trash this bottle, so I was curious to see how our palates changed. I snagged a bottle when I saw it on sale for $35 which is a pretty good price for this particular label.

Orange and honey on the nose.

Some nice toasty notes, orange marmalade, a bit of yeast, and quite a bit of a peachy things going on. While this is sweeter than I care for (and I have no clue how this qualifies as Brut), there's something to be said about the balance – lots of acid brings it together.

Some toasty notes come through on the finish.

This is pretty damn good, but is it $35 (or $50 as some places charge) good? There's great balance and nice toasty qualities that you really only see in real Champagnes, but overall somewhat simple. It's not bad – not in the least – but I can't recommend it for more than, I don't know - $25.

Wine: 7.5
Value: No

2007 La Ferme Julien Cotes du Luberon

The quest for the wine century continues with this blend of Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, and Roussane – not bad. Another Trader Joe's acquisition that ran around six bones.

Pineapple on the nose.

At first I got vanilla and pineapple, but as it opens lemon seems to dominate....I'm guessing this has spent some time in oak.

Lemons linger on the finish as well as some generic tropical notes as well as a bit of white pepper.

Not my style at all, but for this sort of white my palate is somewhat limited. The price is certainly right for experimentation.

Wine: 5
Value: Nah

2007 Montoya Monterey Pinot Noir

Hallo! My name in Pinot Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. This was sampled to me at a wine shop and while it's not my favorite style of Pinot, it was still a reasonable offering at $15.

A slight bit of chocolate and cherry on the nose.

Fruit forward – mostly cherry and berry with just a bit of earth, not much in terms of tannin and fairly mild on the acid.

Raspberry sorta notes linger a bit on the finish.

This is an extremely easy drinking wine, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. There's not a whole lot of complexity, but it's an enjoyable bottle. If you dig the fruit forward PN then this may be alright, but I can't say it's grabbing me. In fact, I liked it a hell of a lot more in the store - perhaps the bottle was open for most of the day.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Pass

N/V Verdi Spumante

This is around five bucks or so.

Giant bubbles and almost as light as a glass of water. A mild nose of orange blossoms.

Sugar water to an extreme, perhaps with a dash of peach nectar.

You know, the start of the finish is blah but then this really unpleasant sweet and sour thing happens.

This may be alright but that finish destroys it. Down the drain. I was hoping to sing Libiamo ne'lieti calici, instead I wish I was dying of consumption.

Wine: 2
Value: No

2008 Two Lads Riesling

We are big fans of Two Lads. I feel that sounds strange, as before visiting their tasting room, I can't say we were "fans" of any wine producer. There are other producers we like, but significant issues are present which present us from geeking out. Two Lads (and L. Mawby) is (are) [a] winery ([two] wineries) that I can, without hesitation, say we're fans of - enough for me to break out bizarre, and most likely, horrifyingly improper grammar. We dig many, if not most, of their products and their pricepoints are right without qualification (as in, not "good for a Midwestern wine").

When the new releases were announced, hesitation was not an option and I made sure we got a few bottles of each varietal. This is their first Riesling offering - $20 a pop – and so limited that if you want it, it very well may be too late. The tasting notes state that this is the best Riesling that Cornel (one of the Lads) has ever made. Some may be persuaded to go into this wine assuming it will be awesome. Me? The cynic? We'll see....

A powerful nose – pink grapefruit, orange zest, with a bit of strawberry and even some lychee.

Sweet merciful crap! A nice punch of pineapple, pink grapefruit, grapefruit zest, a bit of orange, a dash of those irritatingly vague 'tropical' notes I speak of. As close to an ideal blend of sugar and acid that I've had all with great depth – loads of interesting subtle things going on that you don't see much – the slightest touch of vanilla, a hint of strawberry, all with just a touch of peach. It's been a while, but there's something here that's calling out “Crystal Pepsi” - a soda I miss to this day. The people who remember that pop as not being awesome never gave it a chance. I digress.

Fantastic length – the strawberry notes stick around along with a bunch of that grapefruit and fades away with some nectarine qualities.

I don't want to get nuts here and say "this is the best Riesling I've ever had" - I'm going to hold off for the next bottle before I make some bold declaration like that. For now? It just may be.

Wine: 10
Value: Yes

N/V Warner Vineyards Veritas

Our alma mater's motto was 'veritas,' so what better wine to drink? This was apparently nineteen dollars (at least that what it is now) and doesn't appear to have a vintage, plus I have no clue about what varietals are in this....a little mystery is a good thing, right Peggy Noonan?

A garbagey, funky, Midwesterny sorta nose.

So, my reaction to the first sip was to cringe violently at the tartness. After a while in the glass, things mellowed considerably. A bit Italian in style but a bit of that strange Midwestern feel. Lots of acid - not quite harsh but quite close - tart raspberries, and a bit of a carob thing going on. The acid fades a bit with air, and really it winds up being a quite reasonable, vaguely Italian, vaguely American, offering. Some blueberry and even some plum qualities come through as the bottle opens.

The carob notes linger as well as more tart raspberry.

You know, if this were ten bucks I'd recommend it as a curiosity, but this close to twenty bucks, you can get an excellent bottle from Italy

Wine: 6
Value: Sorry....pass.

2006 Robert Biale Zinfandel Napa Ranches

Alright, so we've had a fair amount of wine over the years and on occasion splurge on fancy ($30+) bottles of various things, today I figured we should try a Zin since we really haven't had any expensive Zins. The retail on this is $40, but you best believe the only reason why I bought it was that it was half off on a end of bin sale. Nice.

A big nose – loads of blackberry and black pepper.

Interesting....very interesting. Alcoholic burn, black pepper, and red fruit – sort of a peach/plum hybrid thing with some cranberry and a whole lot of gooseberry, even pomegranate gets in the mix. I don't even know how to describe this, it's sort of light in mouthfeel but big in body – that's contradictory, I know. It's thin, easy drinking, but if you keep it on the palate you get all sorts of stuff – fruit, spice, loads of cinnamon – almost like a Red Hot candy – and a punch of black pepper. Served blind, I would've never guessed this was a Zin.

The finish has some interesting notes of cola, bell pepper, and a bit of chocolate.

My gut reaction was “this is a joke at $40” but the more it opened, the more I thought about it, and the more I really gave it a chance – I have to say, this is a damn good Zin, probably the best we've had of the varietal (that admittedly is saying very little), and has perhaps given me a nice kick in the pants to explore a grape we've largely ignored.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Pass (it's good, very good in fact, but I can't say it's a value).

2005 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

This is one of the “top shelf” wines at the local grocery store, with them saying the retail is something like $23, yet it's always on sale in the $15-17 range.

A bold nose – chocolate, toffee, coffee, black cherry, and a bit of anise.

The palate is simpler than I'd expect based on the nose. Mild tannins, good acidic balance, black raspberry – a tad sweet – and more toffee notes. A bit of time in the glass bring some nice eucalyptus and mint notes.

I can't say there's much of a finish beyond some dark berry qualities.

So, here's the problem with this one – in this area, this is a grocery store sort of wine. Meaning the Jewels will have it, but the “serious” wine shop will not. You can do better for the price if you head over to your local wine shop, but it's one of the better wines out there if you only but your wine where you buy your potatoes.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Meh

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

Yellow Tail Round Up

The economy sucks, the wine fridge is getting empty, and when the local grocery store had a sale – Yellow Tail, $4.15 each when you buy six bottles of booze – I couldn't pass it up buying five and a bottle of bourbon (you can mix and match). I also realized that we really haven't gone over much Yellow Tail on here – some aren't terrible (Riesling), some are atrocious (Sparklng), and some are damn good (Reserve Shiraz) – so I enjoy the opportunity to go through the five red wines I've seen in this market for just over $20.

-


2008 Merlot

A jammy and somewhat funky nose.

Cherry, blueberry, a nice amount of acid, dare I say some tannins are present, as well as a bit of oak. Some nice vanilla is coming through, even some spice, and what the hell – a bit of coffee? I expected fruit bomb jammy nonsense – instead I got something that certainly qualifies as fruity, but is by no means at a W level of stupidity.

The finish drops off almost immediately.

It's Wednesday night, you're feeling cheap and eating pizza or chicken tetrazzini or burgers (though that's more of a weekend thing, Ray) or whatever sort of stew you may be eating, this isn't half bad.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes

-


2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

I'm not convinced this has a nose.

This is an oddball. If you just drink it, you'd think it's totally blah – almost watery. Keep it on the palate, as nerds like me do, and you get some life – vanilla and cherry...all sorts of cherry. Not much tannin, but enough acid to work it out to an acceptable level.

A nice finish – short – but acid and fruit balance nicely.

Two for two so far – this ain't bad at all, and for the price it's groin grabbingly fine.

Wine: 6
Value: Sure

-


2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz

The flagship of the Yellow Tail brand. Let's see how this holds up for four bones.

Some plummy notes on the nose.

Hmmm. Blackberry and peach, reasonably acidic, but no tannins to speak of.

The finish here is amusing. I'd actually say this wine – or this bottle at least – is perfect for describing a finish. Swallow a glass, for five seconds there's something – maybe some pepper, maybe some blackberry – and at the four second mark you literally feel it disappear, like water going down a drain.

It's official – I won't turn my nose up at it, but I won't be buying it again.

Wine: 5
Value: Pass

-

2007 Shiraz Grenache

Basically, I get chocolate on the nose.

Probably the worst of the batch. A distinct cough medicine taste – somewhere along the lines of blue raspberry. I can't say I'm getting much else, this is simply not good.

Plenty of menthol on the finish.

No sir – big time pass. I'll have a glass with my frozen pizza dinner, but the rest is going down the drain.

Wine: 3
Value: Nope

-

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon- Merlot blend
A weak nose that I can only describe as somewhat earthy.

I don't know about this one. An almost prune – but not in a good Port of way – quality comes through with some mint. As the bottle opens all I really get it cherry cough syrup with a bit of acid and added sugar.

I guess Yellow Tail doesn't do well with blends. Considering the stand alone Cab and stand alone Merlot are the best of the label, this one is probably the biggest disappointment.

Wine – 3.5
Value – No

N/V Cooper's Hawk Blanc de Blanc

Cooper's Hawk is, I suppose, a chain of wineries/restaurants in Illinois. There aren't many, so I hate to say "chain" but whatever. They're sorta like a brewpub, though they make wine instead of beer. Since they make it, most bottles are open and you can pretty much get a taste of everything at the winebar or by the glass in the restaurant.

This smells sweet with pear and tangerine notes.

This is a very strange one. I have no clue what to make of this, actually. When you first sip it, it almost doesn't taste like anything with the exception of some sweet orangey notes...after you let it sit on the palate, some more comes out - tropical notes, mostly papaya and even some of that fuzzy thing pineapples sometimes give off with a bit of fake green apple.

More of that tropical thing going on on the finish, leaving a trail of pineapple - and not pineapple notes, like you just ate a pineapple and your tongue hurts - that sorta thing. Way back on the finish, like when you think it's over, you get a punch - and linger of a good minute - of green apple Jolly Rancher.

This is sweet enough that I wouldn't buy it again (too sweet for regular drinking, not enough for dessert), and I'd only suggest it for those who don't really care for most sparklers...and even then it's strange enough that they may not dig it. That being said, it's not to my taste, but it's certainly done well and for fourteen bucks, this Illinois wine is nothing to bip about all things considered.

Wine: 6
Value: Try a sample.

N/V M. Lawrence US Batch #2

This was $15 at a a local wine shop – as a fan of the winery, I snagged a bottle and commented to the manager that I was excited to see it offered.

A bit of orange on the nose, some sugar, and this may sound strange, but it just smells “thick.”

Lots of orange and spice – citrusy overall with some very tart green apple. This is one of those tough wines – it's interesting, different, very enjoyable, but a bit of an enigma.

To be honest, wines like this sort of piss me off in a good sort of way. There's much more going on in the glass - I know it, I taste it, but I can't identify it. If it's intricacies presented themselves more easily I may be compelled to rate this lower, but the fact that I can't, makes this wine intriguing and interesting an an phenomenal value at $15. If your palate is more sophisticated than mine (certainly, no large feat) then you may find it less enjoyable. L Mawby hits another one out of the ballpark.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Hell yes

2006 Hashi California Red Wine

This half bottles goes for about $11, and the full goes for $20. It is billed as being blended to go with Asian food, which is frequently regarded as difficult to pair, we shall see.

A bit of mint on the nose.

Nicely balanced - cherry, oak, strawberry, spice. There is a slight dried fruit thing coming on - a slight bit of prune - nothing that dominates, but certainly present.

The only Asian foods I particularly care for are sushi and Thai curries. This would really go with neither, but I suppose if you're into things like beef stirfry, it would be an alright pairing, though it's certainly not a terribly unique or interesting wine.

Wine: 6
Value: Meh

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

2006 Luigi Bosca Malbec Reserva

You know, I grabbed this fairly recently, but have no idea where or for how much. Trader Joe's? Maybe? It couldn't have been more than $12 or so....it may have been far less in fact.

A mentholy mediciney nose.

Big eucalyptus on the palate – like really big, huge, inching very close to unpleasantness. Even with plenty of airtime, this is still a difficult wine. There is some fruit, mostly strawberry, but it's all funky and green – mint, olives,

The finish is minty with more medicine qualities.

Well, if you like a lot of medicine qualities, then sure. Otherwise, I can't recommend it.

Wine: 4.5
Value: Nah

N/V Korbel Extra Dry

Fran actually won this in a raffle, so it was free. FREE! Figure this is around $9-10.

A very strange aluminum quality on the nose.

Maybe some orange on the palate. I don't know - my initial reaction to this was, well, disgust. After some time in the glass, I'm not quite warmed over, but it's not as bad as I thought. The mouthfeel is somewhat oily and not entirely pleasant, but the weird metallic thing on the nose doesn't come through on the palate. It's somewhat sweet and I suppose reasonable acid to give it a bit of balance. After being open for two hours, this has basically gone flat.

An orange/tangerine quality comes through on the finish.

The only way this can be acceptable is if you make mimosas. There's so much decent cava for less money than this, that I can't even suggest it for that.

Wine: 3.5
Value: No

2005 Baron de Mont Plaisir Bordeaux

Here's another cheapo 2005 Bordeaux. I don't know the price, but it wasn't $10.

A nice nose with anise and cedar.

In a word – thin. Virtually no body. I'd describe this as slightly oaky water with some cherry.

Some anise and clove lingers for longer than you'd expect for such a light bodied wine.

Big fast stinking blah. It's the sort of wine you can drink a gallon of not think twice about. Perhaps alright for a hot summer day when you're grilling a steak and want something red, but not too heavy - beyond that, nah.

Wine: 5
Value: Nah

2007 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

A somewhat grassy nose – we don't drink much Sauvignon Blanc so this is a thinker to be sure. I feel like there's some coconut and pineapple going on in there as well.

I'm getting more fresh grass on the palate and more tropical fruit – grapefruit, pineapple – and a little bit of green pepper (the vegetable) all with a dash of white pepper (the spice). There's a slight touch of sweetness and a reasonable balance of acid.

The finish is somewhat vegetal – green and yellow bell pepper and even a bit of asparagus. Strange.

I'm probably being generous with my wine rating because I have less experience with SB, but this is certainly an interesting wine.

Wine: 7
Value: Definitely

2005 Mark West Pinot Noir

This was a gift from a neighbor, but I recognize it from stores at selling for more or less ten bucks.

A big nose loaded with black fruit.

On the palate, plum and cassis with some sort of miscellaneous dark berry, like boysen. Fairly one dimensional – flabby, virtually no acid, and very mild tannic structure.

Blue – or some other miscellaneous dark – berry on the finish.

Big, fruity, sweet – nothing varietally correct or terribly interesting here. For a Pinot Noir, this is lousy – for a wine, it's tolerable.

Wine: 4.5
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.

2006 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz

To celebrate post #500, I thought long and hard about what to open – settling on this one. We are fans of Mollydooker's Boxer Shiraz, this one is the “mid-range” offering which goes for around $50, and finally there is a more expensive one (Carnival of Love, I think) which we probably won't be trying anytime soon since I can't imagine dropping $80 on an Australian Shiraz (especially on this economy).

Black cherry on the nose. After a few hours, some spices really start presenting – cinnamon mostly – as well as plenty of earth.

Fairly similar to The Boxer, but less heat overall. Black cherry, blueberry, and vanilla. There's some very solid structure here as well – nice tannic backbone and some mild oak flavors as well. As this opens, some very candylike aspects come through – it almost makes your teeth hurt. Dare I say I get a bit of Dr. Pepper on the back palate and finish? After a few hours in the decanter, some new things pop up: chocolate, toffee, and coffee, with some new earthy and spicy notes.

Blueberry ice cream on the finish with some anise, tobacco, and mocha...just when you think it's gone, a bit of black pepper creeps in.

Thinking back to the 2006 Boxer (which was a disappointment compared to the 2005 and 2007), this is obviously better. Compared to the 2007 Boxer? I'm not convinced. If the quality of the Boxer gives a hint to the quality of this, then I'd be very curious to try the 2007 – but for $50, I certainly can't justify this.

Wine: 8.5
Value: No

Post #499

The next post is #500 – which I find to be pretty insane.

We've had hits from all fifty states plus DC.

We've received hits from, at last count, 53 countries, including some interesting ones: Macau, Samoa, Lebanon, Oman, Singapore, among others. I hope our Singapore visitor didn't get caned.

We've received some nice comments, some pissed off people calling us snobs, some pissed off snobs calling us idiots, some pleasant (and not so pleasant) comments from winemakers, and some excellent recommendations from people about places to visit or bottles to try.

The future will bring more of the same, so I invite you to keep reading. We'll be taking an array of local trips in the coming months to try some wineries throughout the Midwest (suggestions welcome, so please drop a line) and hope to work our way to California at some point.

N/V Lynfred Winery Vin de City

This is ten bones at the winery and we dug it at a recent tasting, so I snagged a bottle.

Strong raspberry on the nose with some earthy notes as it opens.

Decent acidic backbone, no really tannins, tons of fruit. Black cherry and blackberry with a little bit of chocolate.

Raspberry sticks around for a while.

For what is – a simple, non-vintage pizza wine – this is fine.

Wine: 6
QPR: Yep

2006 Gabbiano Chianti Classico.

I believe this was $11 at Costco, which is tough to argue with.

Earth and chocolate on the nose.

Smooth drinking – cherry mostly with a bit of blackberry. Not much in terms of tannin but reasonably acidic background. In the 2006 regular Chianti I got some cola notes, and I'm getting them here too with a bit of root beer.

A short finish of earth with a tad of garbage.

While this is fine, I'm not convinced this is worth the extra $4 over the Chianti.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Pass

2007 Tabor Hill Kerner

You don't see Kerner much – it's a grape from Germany that a couple wineries in Michigan grow - sorta like a Riesling. This winery is in southwest Michigan and one of the few in that area that we felt strongly about.

A pretty bold limey nose.

I'm not sure you'd find this to be much different from most Rieslings – good acidic backbone, a touch of sugar, and mostly stone fruit, mostly peaches though I'm getting some interesting bits of pear.

Lingering peach on the finish with a bit of vanilla.

This may not be the most complex wine on the planet, but it's an extremely enjoyable wine – very easy drinking and

Wine: 7
Value: Absolutely

2007 Bolla Chianti

We had the option of seven dollars for a bottle or eleven for a double – eh, why not?

Chocolate and some spices on the nose.

On the lighter side of medium bodied, darker than I normally expect – chocolate, ripe cherries and blackberries. Good acidic backbone and reasonable tannins.

At eleven bones for a magnum, you can't really argue with this. To my palate, cheap Italian wine are consistently solid for the price – they're typically reasonably well balanced with solid acid and funk to balance out the fruit. This one is no exception. If you want to buy a larger bottle to drink over a few days, this is certainly a decent option.

Wine: 6
Value: Yep

2006 Moselland Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Erzeugerabfüllung Riesling Qualitatswein

Ah yes, the beloved cat bottle. This was $11 at World Market. What's interesting is that this appears to be a different wine than our previous cat wine. German bottles are known as being somewhat confusing, but this has no mention of Zeller as there was last time.

A fairly simple nose – some grapefruit notes for the most part.

More white grapefruit on the palate – quite acidic and a bit of sweetness makes this a fairly balanced though somewhat one-dimensional wine.

The finish is more of the same – grapefruit and lingering acid which makes the mouth water.

While not bad, at $11 for a 500ml bottle, it's hardly a good buy. There's nothing here to dislike – it's fine, but you're absolutely buying the bottle more than the wine.

Wine: 6
Value: No – unless you have a use for the bottle or are buying it as a gift for a cat lover.

2006 Chateau Chantal Proprietor's Reserve Trio

We visited this winery a few months ago and loved the grounds, but found the wine to be just alright. I remember liking this bottle which ran $20.

A bold nose with earth, mint, and eucalyptus notes and dare I say a splash of Cherry Pepsi?

Damn – this is solid. Obviously all the Michigan wines we've reviewed are positive because we went to the tasting rooms and bought what we liked, but I don't remember digging this one so much. Cola, sassafras, earth, cherry, and menthol. Excellent acidic structure makes this beg for food, but then you almost don't want to eat anything as it'll ruin everything going on.

More of that cherry cola on the finish.

See, when I taste cola in a wine it automatically works its way up my scale – but even without it, this would still be an excellent one. I assumed this would be good when I opened it, but I have to say I'm pretty much shocked how much this rocks.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Yes

N/V Asotria Lounge Prosecco

We haven't had luck with Proseccco - including several that are highly rated and respected, which leads me to believe that, like most Chardonnay, it's just not our style. So, why are we drinking this? Well, it's been about a year, our palates have changed, and I got swanky new Champagne glasses so I'm hoping for a surprise with this eight dollar bottle.

The nose has some bubble gum notes. There's some Japanese gum you can get at most Asian groceries – it's a collection of seven flavors – orange, grape, melon, strawberry, peach, green apple, and a seventh that has a frog on it, but no assigned “flavor” (that I can tell). This smells like that mystery gum flavor.

Light bodied, crisp, pineapple, just a tad bit sweet, but nothing cloying.

A slightly bitter finish with some lingering tropical notes.

I'm still not a fan of Prosecco, and I don't see buying another one anytime soon, but this isn't all that bad. It's fine, if you are into this sort of thing, then it's certainly worth your while. Personally, I recommend you hunt down that Japanese gum before grabbing a bottle of this.

Wine: 6
Value: Pass

2006 Reserve Perrin Cotes du Rhone

This was eight bucks at Costco – a Cotes du Rhone with a screwcap? Hmmm. Why not?

Plum on the nose.

Tobacco, cedar, cherry – a bit short on acid – but overall not bad at all. As it opens, more strawberry comes through as well as some plum.

More strawberries on the nose and that's really about it.

Simple, but not at all bad and a nice value.

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

2005 Les Caves Joseph Bordeaux Rouge

I bought a bunch of cheap 2005 Bordeaux a while back and have been slowly hitting them. This one was seven bucks.

The big thing on the nose here is cinnamon.

Earthy, spicy, dirty, funky – some cherries as well, but this is a dirty, filthy wine with good acid and nice, velveting tannins. The fruit comes through as the bottle opens, but so does a strong, freshly tanned leather quality. I feel like I'm chewing on a leather jacket.

Dried spices linger on the finish – from the dark brown cinnamon and clove to the green oregano and basil.

Well - I'm in a phase where something be a bit too earthy is more forgivable than something too fruity. This certainly isn't great but for seven bucks who can complain?

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

N/V Lynfred Winery American Sparkling Wine

This was twenty-five big ones, which is a fair amount, but it's important to support local business. Unfortunately...

Some interesting melon notes on the nose.

More melon notes on the finish, but the whole thing just tastes artificial, walking very close to the line of unpleasant, but not quite making it. There's that fake sugar – aspartame – quality not to mention an unpleasant oiliness.

Some tropical notes, almost some kiwi flavors, come through on the finish.

Part of me feels bad even writing this, but this winery is established enough to take it – if they keep up the work and start refining their sparkling wine products, there's potential. Lynfred makes some good products – we'll be reviewing a shockingly good ten dollar bottle from them in the coming weeks – but this is a giant miss.

Wine: 3.5
Value: No

2007 Mollydooker The Scooter Merlot

Alrighty, Mollydooker's Merlot offering. It's freezing out, so a gigantic, alcohol fueled wine seemed like it would fit the bill – the going rate for this one is about $25.

A big fat nose – almost like a blueberry infused brandy. Giant alcohol, black fruit, and licorice.

A big fat palate – blackberry, big fuzzy tannins, almost a cough syrup like quality – just gigantic and somewhat dumb, there is a fortified sort of quality, just a big alcoholic burn. Unpleasant on a warm day, but sitting in a drafty apartment when it's literally ten below zero – it does hit the spot nicely. This is the sort of bottle you'll want to let open for several hours – some nice oak and vanilla notes come through after a few hours,

A big fat finish – cinnamon, clove, and an array of miscellaneous dried green spices all with loads of Twizzlers.

I liked The Boxer a lot – I don't mind over the top wines, but there's a fine line between huge and ridiculous. I can't say this one works for me.

Wine: 6
Value: No

2007 Two Lads Winery Off Dry Pinot Grigio

I've been sitting on this one for a while. We visited this winery over the summer and loved it – so much so that we'll most likely be heading back to the area with the intent of visiting these guys, L. Mawby, and the Bad Dog Deli – anything else we hit will be nothing more than gravy.

A mildly peachy nose with nectarines and a bit of green apple.

Fantastic – this is definitely off dry, the sweetness is present throughout but there's enough acid to balance it out. Loads of peach, red apple, a bit of spice – serve this to me blind, I'd probably guess this to be a Gewürztraminer.

Spicy peach pie filling on the finish.

The depth, my friends, the depth. I wrote not long ago that another Michigan Pinot Grigio made by Left Foot Charley was my favorite PG ever – this is a close second. Pinot Grigio from Michigan - who would've known?

Wine: 9
Value: Hell yes

2007 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay

You can snag this one for about $15 at most places, but I saw it at $13 at our local Costco.

Pineapple on the nose.

Thick, actually rather sweet, not much acid, a bit buttery with a bit of vanilla hanging out. It's not bad – this is one of those things, for a "white wine" I don't really care for it, but as a "Chardonnay" is awesome. It's big and one-dimensional but it's tasty enough.

Pineapple ice cream on the finish.

I respect this wine, but I can't say I care for it. It's a bit too rich, too buttery, too sweet, and too flabby for me to really dig it.

Wine: 5.5
Value: Not our style, but it's well made and at the very least worth a “Pass.”

N/V(?) Free Run Cellars Union

This wine intrigued me at the tasting room and thus I felt compelled to grab a bottle for about eighteen bones.

Funky garbage and carob on the nose.

Very Italian like on the palate – very much like a Chianti. Less intriguing than I remember, though by no means bad – in fact, this is pretty damn good if you're into Tuscan style wines. Tart, slightly sweet strawberry, loads of acid, and some earthy, chocolatey notes.

Chocolate, cigar box, tobacco, and cherry on the finish.

I remember this being far more unique in the tasting room – perhaps it was a different batch or the bottle had been open a while. For eighteen dollars, this definitely isn't a strong value, but it's still a perfectly good wine that I'd give the go ahead to someone who enjoys Tuscan style wines but wants something a bit different.

Wine: 7
Value: Pass

N/V Patratki Greek Rose

So....we've never reviewed a Greek wine, and we recently enjoyed a dinner at a Greek restaurant where we had a nice rose. I decided to snag a bottle of this for kicks for eight bones.

Man, I struggled with this one's nose, but I finally got it. Grapes – like the skins of red seedless grapes you get at the Jewels.

Simple and quaffable – honestly....this wine is a decent thing to just drink but now that I sit and really think about it, I can't place anything....it's definitely wine. There's some alcohol and there's some mild tannins, but I can't say there's anything else. Maybe strawberry? I'm reaching.

A bit of citrus acid lingers on the finish – it doesn't taste like anything in particular, just a vaguely citric quality.

Well, there's nothing wrong here but there's nothing really here. This would be fine with something extremely spicy to wash down, mainly because a good quality rose would almost be wasted. I don't know – consume this like water isn't a ringing endorsement, but what can I tell you?

Wine: 6
Value: Pass

2007 Colombelle Vin de Des Cotes de Gascogne

This was six bucks at Costco.

A fairly strong nose – orange, vanilla, and lemon with loads of floral notes.

Peach, pineapple, grapefruit, and a bit of spice with some lime zest.

Maybe some floral notes on the finish, but it's pretty mild.

This tastes like it could be a blend of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc but is apparently a blend of two less popular grapes – Colombard and Ugni Blanc. All this being said, while this is a fairly well structured wine, especially at the price, the combination of flavors here simply doesn't work for me. I'll rate this fairly highly because for six bones, the complexity is good -

Wine: 6
Value: Yes

2006 Pillar Box Red

I wasn't thrilled with the 2005, but for ten bones I snagged a bottle of this.

Ripe plums, leather, and some raw hamburger – maybe a blood quality - on the nose here. Did some get caught in the harvesting machine? Do they have harvesting machines? I don't think so, but now I wonder.

A fuzzy feel – cinnamon, cedar, cigar box – with some super ripe cherries and plums, less pure fruit, more jam on this – blackberry and even a bit of blueberry. I recall the 2005 having a harsh sort of burn which is not present here at all. There's some green olives hanging out in here too along with some chocolate – it all works though.

Some green spices seem to come through on the finish – dried Italian spice with some anise and a punch of black pepper.

Do note, this bottle has a ton of sediment. Keep it upright for a day or two before serving and pour slowly.

At ten bucks, it's hard to complain – in fact, this is pretty damn solid. This is definitely one of those gigantic Australian reds, so if that's your style this is certainly worth your time.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yes

N/V Incanto Rose Vino Frizzante

This was something I saw at Trader Joe's – I sadly don't recall the price but it wasn't more than seven bucks.

A mild nose, with just a bit of candied apple.

This is a slightly carbonated wine – it has a regular cork that requires a corkscrew, but it makes a pop noise when you open it. There's no real stream of bubbles – just some hanging on the side of the glass. The bubbles give it a very interesting mouthfeel – it's not quite fizzy, but you definitely feel it. Red apple and a few toasty notes and that's it. If it didn't have the fizz, I'd probably call this quite boring but it adds a layer to make it interesting.

I get some strawberry seeds on the finsh.

This is an extremely simple wine – very little is going on – but the bubbles give it a bit of depth, and there's nothing funky or unpleasant going on. For this pricepoint, that's not bad at all.

Wine: 6
Value: Yes

N/V Gloria Ferrer Brut Sparkling Wine

I used to only see this at wine shops, but lately I've been seeing it at grocery stores – frequently on sale for as low as $13.

A fairly large, yeasty nose with all sorts of lemon.

The palate here is solid and bold – loads of light berry notes, some lime, and tart green apple. The palate is large but the mouthfeel is light and crisp, fruity and ultimately quite dry.

Lemon and lime, both juice and zest, linger on the palate.

I feel fairly strongly that this is the best sparkling wine for under $15 out there – especially in wide distribution. It's better than most things closer to $20 and even some of the more basic level Champagnes.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Hell yes

2005 Girard Petite Sirah

I've been sitting on this a while, at the $25 pricetag I figured I'd save it for a special day – like New Year's Eve.

A bit of licorice – both cherry and black – on the nose with some cinnamon notes.

I don't normally comment on color, but this wine is ridiculously dark – purple/black – do yourself a favor and don't spill this one. Bold but not over the top – a nice balance overall. Black fruit – blackberry, black plums, dark black cherries – dominate. Some nice vanilla notes plus some interesting herbal qualities. The tannins are present and give some nice depth but are very well integrated. As the bottle opens I seem to think blueberry takes over.

Blueberry and some spices stick around on the finish – a bit of clove and perhaps some tobacco.

A solid wine – I rated this higher but the more I drink it and think about it, the more I think it's just a tad simple – if a big, bold, yet smooth wine sounds like your thing, this is certainly worth it.

Wine: 8
Value: Yes

New rating system

I've updated some old wines, and new reviews from here on out will have the same system:

Wine: The rating of the wine, overall. Flavor profile, complexity, etc. This will be the same as it's been - see the side bar for descriptions of each number.

Value: Yes / Pass / No

The "Value" replaces the old "QPR" system which I think was too difficult to gauge in the current system - all that really needs to be answered is: "Is this 'worth' the asking price?"

"Yes" and "No" are straightforward - "Pass" means if there's something better easily accessible then skip it, but if you're at a store with a lousy selection and can't/don't feel like driving somewhere else, then it's fine.

N/V Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut

I tend to sit on some notes from time to time - I've noticed a ton of hits lately for people searching for sparkling wines, so I figured I'd toss up all of our saved notes.

This was $19 at Costco – I knew this was a reliable producer and I recall enjoying it before so why not?

This has a fairly big nose – loads of apples and a tad of limeade.

Very nice tart green apple with a bit of pear, there's some nice toasty notes and a bit of blue and raspberry. The bubbles are tiny and lasted with strength as we finished the bottle over several hours.

Green apple lingers on the finish, a nice amount of acid leaves the mouth watering.

This is outstanding – especially at the price. If you're looking to drop around $20, this is one of the best things to snag. Personally – if you're not crazy about sparkling wines or your palate is just developing.

Wine: 8
Value: Yes

N/V Korbel Blanc de Noirs

This was purchased at a local grocery store for $8 – our options were limited, it was cold outside, and I wasn't about to drive elsewhere or spend more than $10.

A yeasty and doughy nose with a bunch of red apple.

Crisp red apple, strawberry, toast – not bad. Like some cheaper sparklers this has a strange sweet and oily mouthfeel.

More red apple on the finish.

Well...this is one of those things...it's not great, it's not worth $8, but if you're in a bind and your local grocery store doesn't carry any cheap cavas then this will probably be your best bet. Other than the oiliness - which is mild – there's nothing really wrong here but I'd still point you to Segura Viudas or Cristalino if you don't want to spend much.

Wine: 5.5
Value: Pass