2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon - Apalta vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile $20. This is the best Montes wine that I've had yet. It is a smooth rich cabernet, it is very well made. There are very few cabernets from California at this price point that pack the quality of this Chilean Cabernet. I definitely recommend this wine, it should be relatively easy to find, at wine shops, and grocery stores with better wine sections. Check it out


www.monteswines.com

2005 Rosemount The Show Reserve Mudgee Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Rosemount The Show Reserve Mudgee Cabernet Sauvignon - $2, Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia. This wine generally sells for about $15, but occasionally grocery stores and retail stores will miss price a wine, drastically, and this is how I got this wine for $2. I have not had this best luck with Australian cabernets, but I think this is a decent bottle of wine. It is a bit lighter for cabernet but it still has enough tannins, and depth of fruit to be a decent cab. It's probably the best Australian cabernet that I've had, but I haven't had many. I recommend this wine, it's good but not great. It should be easy to find this wine, Rosemount wines are in most grocery stores. The Show Reserve wines are a bit harder to come by and be careful cause there are around 10 different "The Show Reserve" wines, they are made from different grapes and can come from different areas. The '05 vintage is probably hard to find because the vintage is old for the shelves. It's got a screw top and that's a good thing.

2004 Bodegas LAN Reserva

2004 Bodegas LAN Reserva - Rioja, Spain $15. The wine is a blend of mostly Tempranillo 80%, Mazuelo 10%, and Garnacha 10%. I have no idea and have never heard of Mazuelo but whatever it is it makes part of a very nice blend from Rioja. This wine is really smooth and juicy, an easy drinking wine. I really like this wine especially when you consider all this quality for only $15. Spain is the only country in the world that has legal definitions attached to the word Reserva (Reserve). In Spain wines with the Reserva designation have to have a minimum of 12 months aging in wood and 24 months aging in bottle. I like this wine on it's own but it will serve you nicely if you're looking for something different to drink, you won't find a wine like this anywhere but in Spain. A thoroughly good wine for a great price, check it out. It also goes excellent with loaded cheese fries, fried chicken tenders, and a nice sunny afternoon.

www.bodegaslan.com

2005 St. Clement Merlot

2005 St. Clement Merlot - Napa Valley, California $20. This wine is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the majority of the merlot grapes come from Los Caneros, a cooler climate for merlot. My main reaction to this wine is that it is overoaked. The nose is oakey, and on the palate it is very oakey. It seems like there might be some good fruit to the wine but the oak overpowers all, and that is unfortunate. This wine came recommended to me as a merlot that cabernet drinkers might like due to the wine having more to it than your average merlot, maybe it did but all that really came through is the oak, so I couldn't tell. It would be interesting to taste the St. Clement Cabernet to see the oak influence on that wine. I'd pass on this 'un.

2006 Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard

2006 Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard - $17 Santa Maria Valley, CA. This is a pinot you can almost always turn to. The Cambria has a wide distribution (it's part of the Kendal-Jackson group), you can find it at Sam's, Target, grocery stores, etc., and it's actually worth $20 whereas most pinots in this price range under deliver the Cambria comes through with the quality. The coastal pinot noir has aromas of vanilla and blackcherries, with flavors of blackberries and soft tannins. The Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara county is a unique geological feature in that it is a valley that runs east west whereas most valleys run north south. The benefit of an east west orientation on the coast is that the Pacific fog can run through the valley cooling the vineyards which allows for extended hangtime and ripening of the grapes. This is why cool climate varietals such as chardonnay and pinot noir thrive here. In an age of overpriced pinot noir, this wine go against the tide, this is pinot for the people, I recommend it if your a fan of pinot noir.

2008 Bodega Norton Sangiovese

2008 Bodega Norton Sangiovese - $8 Mendoza, Argentina. This wine is cheap, well made and interesting. A very young wine the Norton Sangiovese has a spicy nose and is bone dry, while you can sip it on it's own it would complete food or salty snacks nicely. I like and recommend this wine especially if you're having dinner. A cheap well made wine.


*the 2005 is pictured, I drank the '08, the label looks the same except for the vintage