Ménage à Trois 2008 White

I picked this up because of the blend – Chardonnay, Moscato and Chenin Blanc.  I was hoping for the richness of Charonnay and the grapiness of Moscato and some of the all-round deliciousness of a Vouvray that Kelly and I had recently.  Well, I didn’t quite get all that.  Instead of building on each other, the different grapes seemed to dilute each other.  It’s doesn’t have the richness of the Chardonnay, the nose of Moscato or the flavour of Chenin Blanc.  It adds up to an adequate but generic crisp white.  It reminds me of the Hermit Crab I tried a few weeks ago, even though none of the grapes are in common.  I’ll give it a 3/5 for value; I don't feel like I've wasted my money, but I won't buy it again.

Bonterra Chardonnay 2007

For immediate purposes, this is the most useful of Iron Chef’s New Year’s wines; a good chardonnay at a reasonable price that (unlike the other New Year’s wines) is still widely available.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose: Butter, Oak, Pear, Nutmeg and Cinnamon
Taste: Pear and Melon with a nice spicy edge of Nutmeg/Cinnamon and Cumin. The finish was very creamy and full.
Overall: A very dependable Lobster wine

California- Mendocino
13.5%
Price: $21.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 89
UPC: 082896780419

Firesteed Pinot Noir 2006

Pinot strikes me as a good shoulder season wine - too bad Tancred says this one is just a little over-priced to be really good value.

--- Tancred's Review---

This is an unmistakable new world pinot noir. Strawberry flavours on the nose and a fruit forward palate that marks this as new world, reminiscent of a cool climate Australian pinot. Quite dry, maybe even a bit tart on the finish. This is not a great wine, not particularly complex, but it is a well-made pinot if you're in the mood for something in this style. At $25 though, not a bargain.

Price: $24.99
Rating: 85
Value: 3/5
Region: Oregon
UPC: 753526100005

Caymus Conundrum

Welcome to Joel, a new contributor! He sent me this review with the comment that “I tune in from time to time and see what people are sipping on so I thought I would take a second and through my hat into the ring with this review.” And a good hat it is, too.

--- Joel's Review ---

As with everyone else these days it seems that whites are the order of the day. Here are my thoughts on the Conundrum.

Produced by Caymus this is one of those "everything but the kitchen sink wines" made up of a number of unnamed grapes.

Day bright moderate gold straw color with watery rim.
Intense nose of stone fruit and perfume and fresh citrus, orange blossom.
Medium plus to full body wine. Fruit forward with moderate plus acidity and moderate plus length on the finish.

Very aromatic white with what I would guess to have a good bit of Viognier and Chardonnay. I'm having a hard time to figure if there is oak or just a lot of texture from malo fermentation.

All in all a good white with lots of guts...a nice alternative to a full Chardonnay. Was great with some simple sea food and citrus flavors.

A bit on the $$ side. Also for me I tend to go towards more lean and crisp styles of white.

Price $35
Value 3/5
Score 87
Region: California
Grape: Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat, Viognier (other unspecified)
UPC: 017224707134

Gallo Family Chardonnay 2007 Box wine

Sounds like this is the perfect white BBQ wine. Now if we just get a few days of summer...

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Recession, Recession - it’s Box wine time.
Colour: Pale straw to golden with green-ish tints
Nose: Buttery oaky notes. Full on Malo treatment. Very fragrant
Taste: Butter, oak, almonds, dried apricots. Some plasticine or rubber bands deep in the palate- but very slight.
Overall: Did not guess this to be a Box wine in a blind tasting, very nice wine. Enjoyed the Malo/buttery notes. Really impressed. You have got to try this.

Price: $34.48 / 3000 ml
Value 5/5
Score 86
Alcool 13.5%
Region: California
UPC: 085000012574

2006 Fetzer Valley Oaks Merlot

I like Merlot in the traditional Cab blend, but I'm not usually a fan of the varietal, especially in the California version, which I find tends to be soft and unstructured - easy-drinking, but not really in a good way. So I'll be very interested to try this wine - if it doesn't shatter my stereotypes, at least it may shake them.

--- Vasco da Gama's Review ---

Hmmm...another Merlot posting...with a couple of good Merlots recently, I guess I am having a new appreciation for the grape. Here is another that is quite good, and yet a very different style from the Marques de Casa Concha Merlot.
Unlike the dark full body meatiness of the Marques de Casa Concha, in comparison this Fetzer is a lighter summer expression of the Merlot variety. I would guess that it's more of what I used to expect a Merlot to be. Don't get me wrong, this is no Bonarda, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais, but it is lighter than any Cab or Syrah.
This wine has a pleasing cherry, dark berry and plum flavour and has a surpisingly long finish. The tannins are below the surface, not obvious, but still there carrying the wine forward. All in all a very nice balance for a California wine at a mere $17.

Price: $17.49
Value: 4/5
Rating: 89
Grape: Merlot
UPC: 082896700394

Incognito Viognier 2004

This blog focusses on wines from ANBL, but wines purchased anywhere in the Atlantic provinces are fair game. Here’s a review from Michelle of a wine bought in Halifax, which is a nice change. The bad news is that Michelle is there because her partner Don is in the Halifax Infirmary after a nasty crash in the Halifax criterium. Looks like there will be no permanent damage (fingers crossed) but this was definitely the worst bike racing crash I’ve heard of in the 15 years that I’ve been here. Best wishes to Don and hope for a speedy recovery!

Now on to the wine...

— Michelle’s Review —

So its chilled and damn I wish I had a regular PC for this. Sorry for any strange typos..I am doing this from my blackberry. Giving u guys the low down on a 2004 Incognito Viognier (US - Lodi, CA). Bought in Halifax at Premiere Wines on Dresden.

Yes I am a V-virgin! Never tried one soley. Always blended with something.

So petrol on the nose. I admit I don't even know any typical descrips of what a V should be. Calling is V because my thumbs will be fatigued and I won't spell I right after the third time anyway.

So petrol, minerals on the nose. Yes I got gas and rocks. Sorry but my nose could be affected by "hospital" smells. So...taste..should I have had the sip before the BBQ chicken pizza? Perhaps...anyway. For some reason I get a light almost gooseberry taste with maybe a hint of...wow I am really stumped. This wine is really interesting. Although my experience in whites have only been SB's, Chard's and the occassional Pinot Grigio. This one is far different. I am really enjoying it. Not a lot of tannins..which I do not favor. Easy drinking.

I rate this, now keep in mind I have never had one before, an 88. The price was 15. Value..YES! I mean...4/5 :)
Finishing the pizza and not the bottle now. But maybe juuust one more glass.

Price: $15
Score: 88
Value: 4/5
Region: USA, California
Grape: Viognier

E+J Gallo Frei Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Here's a review I received from tancred. It turns out that Kelly and I reviewed this wine last fall (there are enough posts now that it's getting hard to keep track), but I think it is interesting to have an independent review.

--- tancred's Review ---

Lush and rich with lots of black licorice, dark berries and hints of toasted marshmallow. Spicy, almost peppery. Nice integrated oak, lots of tannins, and a very long finish. No green capsicum taste at all, a flavor note characteristic of (cheaper) cabernets. Overall a very nice wine, and a bargain at the price. I hope more recent vintages are listed.

Price: $22.50 (marked down from $28 or so)
Score: 90
Value: 4/5
UPC: No longer available

Beringer California Collection Cab Sauvignon 2006

Of course reviews of high priced wines are useful because you want to know what you're getting before you shell out. But reviews of lower priced wines are just as useful, because there are so many on the shelves (and so many bad ones) that you can spend a lot of money before you find one you like. Here's one of the latter from Peanutman:

--- Peanutman's Review ---

Tonight we opened the above. $12.99.

I saw this wine and for the price I said why not. I wasn't expecting much, but I have to tell you this would be a decent summer red to drink. I had to look at the bottle twice when I first took a drink because I taught I was drinking something from the Cotes du Rhone. It was light, tasty and peppery. I let it decant for about 45 minutes and then it became a light, tasty cabernet sauvignon. For those that do not really like Cab Sauv, this might be one of those to start with as it is light and easy to drink. It has a nice red fruit taste and the bouquet is very much blackberry and vanilla. Pretty much as described on the bottle. I also bought the Merlot therefore I'll have to see if there is much of a difference. I have to give this two different values, one for the long winter nights = 3.0, and one for the summer 4. Score 83.

Price: $12.99
Score: 83
Value: 3/5 (winter); 4/5 (summer)
Region: California
UPC: 0089819068227

Ironstone Obsession Symphony 2007

This wine is made from 100% Symphony grapes - an obscure cross between two only slightly better known grapes, Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris. Muscat of Alexandria is used mostly for raisins and table grapes - it is not the same as the related Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains that is considered the better quality Muscat for wine-making. The other parent, Grenache Gris, doesn't even have an entry in Oz Clarke's "Grapes and Wines," and all that the Oxford Companion says about it is that it is "commonly encountered in southern French whites and some pale rosés." Symphony itself was only commercialized in 1983, and is little planted.

Well, enough about the grape - what about the wine? It is highly perfumed - it could easily be a Muscat blend rather than a Muscat cross - and it has some Gewurz like scents as well. It reminds me of the Ribeauville Andante (a Muscat Gewurz cross) in flavour, though the Ribeauville has better structure.

The Obsession is off-dry and maybe a bit flabby, but it is very easy drinking with lots going on in a blowsy kind of style. A reasonable 12% alcohol helps make it easy to quaff. Quite delicious if you are not looking for elegance.

Price: $17.29
Score: 87
Value: 3.5/5
Region: USA, California
Grape: Symphony
Alcohol: 12%
UPC: 724826071227

St Francis Old Vines Zinfandel 2005

Here's a review from Tancred that I've stolen from the 'Make a Suggestion' thread. He didn't give it a value rating in his initial comment, but in a private message he said that for value "I would say 3/5, because it was quite an interesting wine and I think I am suffering from wine-price bracket creep." Hmm. From the description it sounds more like 2/5. Price bracket creep must be fought at all costs. And the Colonial Estate Explorateur is in the same price bracket, and we scored it 85 with 2/5 for value. So as blog-meister, I say the score is 2/5 for this one too.

--- Tancred's review ---

I recently tried the St Francis Old Vines Zinfandel 2005 ($35.78). I'm quite interested in new world grape varieties in new world locations, such as SA Pinotage and California Zin since I know so little about them. The Zinfandel is a genetic clone of a Croatian grape that is also the probable origin of the Primitivo grape in Italy. Unfortunately our liquor store does not stock much at all in the way of dry red Zinfandel, but the St Francis looks to be a recent arrival.

The wine had a great nose - lots of red and dark fruit - cherries, plums, blackberries - that I really enjoyed. The palate was similar although I noted quite a harsh finish that I did not think of as 'grippy tannins'. The harsh finished softened a bit by the second glass but was still detectable. At $36, I would say this wine is not great value for money, though it is certainly a solid enjoyable wine. It makes me wonder what a really good Zin would be like. I'm going to keep looking.

Price: $35.78
Score: 85 first glass - 87 second glass
Value: 2/5
Region: USA, California
Grape: Zinfandel
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 088534001434

Barefoot Zinfandel- NV

After a few days back in the upper price ranges, here we are with another value wine.

--- Review by Iron Chef ---


This is one of the first Zins that I remember really liking maybe 6 years ago. And for a while I sought out Zins wherever possible. I began to gravitate towards the expressions that were higher and higher in alcohol %, topping out at 16.5% for one of the Montevina Zins. These Port-like monsters hid the subtle qualities of the grape that I really enjoyed and I lost my taste for these wines. In a moment of nostalgia I bought the Barefoot and was happily reminded of the fun nuances of Zinfandel. The colour of the wine was bight cherry red and the nose had dried tobacco leaf- Players Light I think. Also the fruit on the wine was vibrant with some nice tannins. This was not syrupy or heavily extracted- balanced and fresh. Raspberry was the dominant fruit characteristic and there was some peachy flavors also. Very enjoyable.

Retail Price: $11.99
Score: 87
Value: 4/5
Region: California- Lodi
Grape: Zinfandel
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 018341751093

Clay Station Viognier 2006

Here's a review from Iron Chef that fits with our recent discussion regarding the tasting machine:

---

I tried this wine at the Tasting Machine at Prospect and thought it had aromas, so I got one for the weekend. Paired it up with Scallops and Shrimp with a Cilantro sauce. The wine was hugely fragrant- wild flowers and with hot alcohol. Nice scent of carmel and baked spices were the high points of the wine. But the wine was not balanced- low levels of acidity- the term is Flabby or Fat. It just was not what I was looking for in a white wine, it felt like I had drank a Scented Candle- soapy mouth finish.

Price: $21.99
Score: 77
Value: 1/5- too too expensive
Region: California
Grape: Viognier
UPC #082242229432

Loredona Pinot Noir 2005

Sometimes it seems that all the scores on this blog are pretty high. For the wines that I taste, that's because I don't just plunk down my money at random - sure I like to try different wines, but different and good is a lot better than different and bad. So I usually try to do some kind of research on the wine before I decide to buy, and as a result, most of the wines I buy and blog about are pretty good. But just to prove the good scores mean something, we'll have a couple of ... well, not exactly 'bad' scores, but let's say, not so good scores. I'll start with one from Iron Chef. Stay tuned for my own "not too great" wine pick on Thursday.

Here is Iron Chef's review:

---

I can’t remember a Monterey PN I have had off the top of my head, so it was good to try. The wine was fragrant notes of Raspberry and cranberry cocktail. Unmistakable New World PN. The taste was light and lively with a very appealing Vanilla Core. But beyond that it was very unremarkable and forgettable.

Price: $24.79
Score: 82
Value: 2/5
Region: USA, California
Grape: Pinot Noir
Alcool 13.5%
UPC #0822420323435

E&J Gallo Barrelli Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

The good news: this is a great value cab at $22. Classic cab flavour in a perfectly balanced wine. The bad news: it's all gone. Which is to say Kelly and I tried a bottle last night and we liked it so much that we went right back up to Prospect St and bought the last case. I've been trying to avoid bulk buying - with the blog going I want to try as many wines as possible. But for everyday drinking it's great to have a reasonably priced wine that is truly enjoyable rather than just drinkable.

Wine Spectator gave this an 86 when they tasted it in 2003. That's not a bad score, but I feel pretty confident that it's better than that now. It seems to have aged well - one more reason to try a wine rather than rely on WS.

This wine was on sale - it had a yellow sticker - but I'm not sure about the original price. I vaguely recall that it was about $35+. It wouldn't have been great value at that price, but it is at $22.

Price: $22
Value: 4/5
Score: 88
Region: USA, California
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasted: Jan 2009
UPC: No longer available

Gallo Frei Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

This is another one from the liquidation table. I don't tend to drink a lot of cab. (I think that might be because a lot of good cab comes from California and I tend to find US wine overpriced - but that's for another post.) In any event, I'm always on the lookout for good value cab and since the Stefani worked out pretty well, I thought I'd go back for the Frei Ranch.

To begin I should point out that Wine Spectator totally trashed this vintage of the Frei Ranch. It gave a score of 79, citing "wet cement" on the finish. No doubt that's why so much is still available on liquidation. Maybe there is bottle variation, but there is no way the bottle we had warrants a 79 - no wet cement at all.

Another point is that right now this wine needs to breathe for an hour so. It was quite harsh out of the bottle, but smoothed out considerably with some air.

With all that said, I thought this wine was pretty good, but for me it didn't have great balance or mouthfeel. There was some reasonable fruit in the middle but nothing outstanding. I'll give it an 86.

Kelly liked it quite a lot better. There's a pattern developing here - we generally agree quite closely on our scores, except about cab. So if you like cab, her scores might mean more to you than mine. Here's her note:

"Mostly stewed dark fruit on nose - cherries, plums, raisins - and also cedar and menthol; same flavours are soft on palate, with slightly sweet edge, followed by cedar and firm tannins. Long. I guessed this wine was Italian, and definitely wouldn't have thought it was a cab. I'd be interested to know what someone who likes French wines would say about this. The stewed fruit reminds me a bit of the Coudoulet de Beaucastel."

Kelly gave it an 88.5 - she didn't want to give it an 89 because she definitely likes the Stefani better, but she thought it's better than an 88 - this is our score compression problem again.

How will it develop? We had the '96 Frei Ranch cab a couple of years ago when it was about 9-10 years old and we loved it - much better than the 87 that WS gave to it. Will this one improve as well? Your guess is as good as mine - if it does, it will be a real bargain at $22.

Day 2 update: We had this wine again last night (Sat) after it spent a few days in the half bottle. Kelly thought it had suffered a bit, but I liked it much better this time - a solid 89. I'm not sure what's going on, but at the price I'll pick up a couple more.

Price: $22.29
Value: 3/5
Score: 86/89(N) - 88.5(K)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Oct 2008
ANBL UPC: 085000223055

E&J Gallo Stefani Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

What's worthwhile at the current ANBL Liquidation sale? While they don't have the 2000 rated, WineSpectator rated the Gallo Stefani Vineyards Cab consistently at about 88 from '94 through '98. At $25 even a 88 is reasonable value and occasionally (as with the Bocca di Lupa) an 88 turns out to be spectacular. So I so I thought I'd give it a try.

I thought this was a solid mature cab with soft tannins and reasonable fruit, though without a lot of complexity or striking character. WineSpectator gave other vintages about a 10 year drinking window, but I don't think I'd hold on to this much longer; it's definitely not over the hill yet, but the fruit is muted and it hasn't picked up a lot of complexity.

Kelly liked this quite a lot better than I did: "Cedar, raspberries, cherries, leather, tar, roses, and veggie lasagna follow through on palate, with addition of licorice. Lots up front on palate, and long. Very firm tannins throughout." (Veggie lasagna is her giveaway for cab). We tasted this with the Nipozzano (Friday's review) and she thought the Stefani had more complexity, while I felt the other way.

Bottom line, if you like cab, this is a wine worth picking up from the liquidation table.

Price: $24.99
Value: 3/5(N) - 4/5(K)
Score: 88 (N) - 89 (K)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 085000208076

Newton Red Claret 2003

In my "Make a Suggestion" post I threatened that if anyone wrote a full review I might lift it into its own thread. And just as I realized that I couldn't keep posting 5 days a week, Iron Chef conveniently posted a review of a current sale wine. So here is Iron Chef's review of the 2003 Newton Claret.

"It was layered with coconut, wood vanillas and sun tan lotion. Lots of extracted cherries and cassis. As a drawback there was a bit of Bell pepper astringency. Very smooth month feel- integrated tannins, at 15.2% it was not as hot as one would expect. No sediment and seems ready to drink. The tannins were rounded into form, it would be interesting to see if the Bell pepper taste would grow or disappear with time. Poor composite cork. Overall it reminded me of a Clos De Los Siete or a Mission Hill Oculus- same type of price point but maybe I was expecting more from Napa. I think WS is 88 points. Slightly disappointed- glad I only bought one. I would say 84 points."

Price: $31.49
Value: 2/5 (my value rating, not Iron Chef's)
Score: 84 (Iron Chef's score)
Alcohol: ?%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 081753801847

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2006

The characteristic cherry nose marks this as a Zinfandel - Kelly picked it blind right off the bat - but apart from that this California Zin is what you would expect from a fairly generic, inoffensive wine in the $17 price range. Think Rosemount Diamond Label or Penfolds Koonunga Hill. It has a very noticeable sweetness (even though analytically it is dry, with a 00 sugar rating) that no doubt makes the wine easy to drink and broadly appealing. Personally, I find the sweetness to be cloying - I couldn't really drink this wine on its own - but I expect it's fine with a burger. The only problem is that it costs about $5 more than it should for a wine of this style and quality.

Price: $21.99
Value: 2/5
Score: 83
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 082242294935