2008 Altocedro La Consulta Select Malbec

2008 Altocedro La Consulta Select Malbec - $16 from Argentina. This is a wine to seek out, it might be hard to find but the search will be worth it. This is an excellent malbec. I've had other wines from this winery including the Reserva (which is twice as much as this wine), and this is easily the best wine I've had from this very good winery. A very young wine, this is an extremely smooth and gentle malbec. The nose has a bit of stink on it also known as earth smells. The finish on this wine is silky and gentle. The amount of quality for the price is way up there. This wine is why I keep going back to Argentina malbec's, I've only had a couple other malbec's that I liked this much, and this is definitely my favorite wine from the La Consulta region of Mendoza. I found this wine at Bevmo (a store remarkably similar to Total Wine on the East Coast), I don't know where else to find this wine but I recommend asking your local wine shops where to find Altocedro wines. I couldn't even find information on this exact wine on the winery's own website. Make sure to look for the Select not the Reserva. The websites for information on the winery are: www.altocedro.com.ar and www.vinodelsol.com

p.s. the label on the picture is not the exact wine, just something to look at that is also made by Altocedro. I was drinking the '08 La Consulta Select, not the '04 La Consulta Reserva

2005 Waterbrook Melange

2005 Waterbrook Melange - $13 Columbia Valley, Washington. In the never ending search for value I have turned to Washington state, an up and coming area that is expanding in vineyard acreage and quality. I hit pay dirt with this quality bottle of red wine that I picked up from World Market for $8 (it was being discontinued). The online dictionary defines melange as "a mixture of very dissimilar elements", and that is an excellent description of this unconventional blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. This is a nice departure from the usual style of wines, a New World blend that is not bound by Old World traditions and also tastes good. Often wines that are crazy blends don't work out but this one comes through. This is a soft medium bodied wine with little tannin, a hint of sweetness, with subtle aromas of brown sugar and spice. A refreshing value that showcases the quality and innovative spirit of Washington wines, a great everyday sipper.

www.waterbrook.com

2005 Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

2005 Fattoria del Cerro, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano - $12 from Italy. This is a wine is a winner in my book, a dark smooth wine with enough acidity to make you want to eat. I find my self eating a lot of pasta with red sauce these days and the wines I want to drink with these types of meals are dry reds from Italy. This one definitely delivers on the quality to price ratio. The Fattoria del Cerro estate has 385 acres of vineyards in the Montepulciano area of Tuscany. This wine is a blend of 80% Prungnolo Gentile (this is some type of clone of Sangiovese) and 20% Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo. I know and am familiar with Sangiovese, but I have no idea about Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo but apparently there good because this wine is solid. This wine is aged mostly in Slavonian oak casks and a smaller percentage in small French oak barrels. The wine will hold up to meals with lots of flavors, like pastas, casseroles, and definitely red meats. I recommend picking up a bottle of this stuff, I got mine at Costco.

2006 Montevina Amador County Barbera

2006 Montevina Amador County Barbera - $8 Amador County, California. California is not the area I look to for values, wines for $10 or under from California that are worth drinking are almost a myth. California is not the value producer it could and should be, but every so often the right combination of quality and low price do intersect for wines from Cali. This is the case for the '06 Amador County Barbera from Montevina. This is a value priced wine that is produced and bottled by Montevina and comes from a specific AVA (American Viticultural Area), Amador County, and most importantly tastes good. I think of Barbera in taste as a cross between pinot noir and sangiovese. The italian varietal is light bodied and crisp that has enough acidity to make my mouth water which makes me want to eat some food. This wine did exactly what I wanted it to, it was cheap, and it went well with my dinner. I highly recommend this value wine to accompany your dinner or munchietime. I got this wine from Costco. Check it out this light bodied red wine.

www.montevina.com

2006 Opus Juan

2006 Opus One - Napa Valley, California $180. This is the California answer to the first growths of Bordeaux, Opus One. Originally a 50 - 50 joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, that is comprised of Bordeaux varietals, with the largest percentage of the blend belonging to cabernet sauvignon. This is one of the most hyped and at times overhyped wines ever, also one of the most famous wine of the world. This is a collectors wine and one that will easily age 20 years and more. I have often been a critic of this wine. The few vintages I've had have been good but not impressive and not living up to the hype for sure, with many other wines from the Napa Valley far surpassing it, but I am beginning to think that Opus is headed in a good direction. I had the '88 vintage a few weeks ago, and it was the least impressive wine of the night, being served in company of it's peers, various Napa Cabernets from various older vintages. This being said I just had the privilege of touring the winery during harvest and I was able to see them crushing grapes. While working on a cellar crew elsewhere in Napa at the time, I was able to see and more importantly understand the processes at work. I must say Opus is doing everything they can to make a great bottle of wine, and I am impressed with their efforts and attention to detail. Opus takes every step to ensure that only the best grapes go into the wine. They have about 15 workers on the sorting tables, that is impressive and costly. The grapes come into the cellar in fyb's (fuckin yellow boxes), small plastic bins that hold a small amount of grapes, to keep the grapes from crushing under their own weight. The grape clusters then get sorted with all none grape material (such as leaves) and unripe grapes being removed. After being destemmed the grapes are then picked over for any unripe grapes or material other than grapes that may have made it to this point. The single grapes then drop into the crusher where they are gently crushed and the material falls directly in to the stainless steel fermenting tank. It is a very impressive operation that they have done since the inception of the winery. Opus is also in the beginning of a slow 25 year replanting project. I got to say they do everything they can to ensure to best goes into each bottle of wine. The spare no expense using only 100% new french oak, this is rare to use a barrel for only one vintage, most wineries use the barrels for two, sometimes three vintages. Also for using only new oak, the wine did not show too much oak, just the right amount. After having the '88 Opus a few week ago, then tasting the '06 after the tour, I think I liked the '06 better, it was a dense and concentrated, very nice wine. If you have the opportunity to taste Opus One, I highly recommend it. It is something every wine lover must experience, then decide for yourself your opinion. There is possible no other wine that elicits such wide ranging opinions. As for the '06 I definitely liked it and recommend it, look for good thing to come from this wine in the future.

www.opusonewinery.com

p.s. the '05 vintage is shown, the '06 looks the same except for the year. The label has never changed they all look the same as shown.

2007 Palo Alto Reserve

2007 Palo Alto Reserve - Maule Valley, Chile $16. The Palo Alto label is another label from the Concha y Toro winery. Apparently Palo Alto only makes red wine, I'm not 100% percent about that but I think that is the case, this is the only wine that I know of that the winery makes, this is also a new winery. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, and Syrah. The wine has a simple nose, and a nice dark colour to it. The best part is once the wine is in your mouth, the wine is silky smooth with a touch of acidity at the finish with flavor that hangs around for a good while. I like this wine, it definitely delivers. It can stand on it's own as sipper or it would complement dark meats nicely. A refreshing blend from Chile, that shows once again that you don't have to over spend on a good bottle of vino. Since the winery is owned by Concha y Toro this wine shouldn't be too hard to find but you'll probably have to look at a dedicated wine shop or a grocery store with a better selection. I got this wine at Bevmo.

2006 Vago Rojo

2006 Vago Rojo - Mendoza, Argentina $8. This is basic Argentinian red wine, a bistro wine. It is a blend of mostly malbec and temranillo, possibly with a few other varieties. It is a wine made by the Altocedro winery, the winery is known for their malbec that are sometimes blended with a bit of tempranillo. The wine is a bit light but it has pleasent flavors, it goes well with a quick pasta dinner and Monday night football. It's better with food than on it's own. I think for the money it is solid. It also has a screwtop, which is a good thing; all the more expensive wines from Altocedro have cork tops. If your looking for simple dinner wine check this out. I have no idea where to find this wine other than were I bought it. I got it at Bevmo, the west coast equivalent to Total Wine (though not the same company, but same idea).

2007 Alamos Seleccion Malbec

2007 Alamos Seleccion Malbec - Argentina, $16. This wine is grown in an area south of Mendoza called La Consulta, it is a cool climate for the malbec grape to grow in. This estate grown wine is produced by the Catena winery under their Alamos label. Alamos wines are some of my favorite value wines, for the price they are very hard to match. This wine is the high end of the Alamos label, the Seleccion. This is my first time having the Seleccion wines, and I am impressed. This malbec has a deep dark blackish purple color, good structure and a smooth finish. It has a bit more acidity than most Argentinian malbecs. The one thing you must know about this wine is that it needs to breathe. I recommend this wine for decanting and if you're too lazy to drop it in a decanter like I am, this wine needs to sit out for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Tasting it after it had only been opened a few minutes, I wasn't feeling this wine, but after a while it softened up and became a malbec I expect. I like this wine and I recommend you trying it, it should be relatively easy to find; Alamos has a good distribution. And if you can't find this one I recommend trying any malbec you can find that is grown in the La Consulta region, they are very distinctive.

2007 Trentatre Rosso

2007 Trentatre Rosso - Salento, Italy, I.G.T. $7 I think this wine might be a Trader Joe's special, I don't know but I just spent $2000 on skis and I don't have money to spend on the good vino. Lucky for me that wine can often accommodate the fiscally challenged if they are lucky. At this price range your guess is pretty much as good as mine (if not better) of getting a bottle that is not only drinkable, but actually good. This wine is a blend of equal parts Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot; one native Italian varietal and the two well known internationals. I aint got a clue who grew these grapes or made this wine but it was bottled by ICRF MI 6508, whatever that is. Anyway the wine is dark, full bodied, solid tannins, and surprisingly good, they could definitely charge double for this wine, it's a decent wine, I like it, it's worth a shot. I had it with roasted veggies, but you can have it any way you like, it is also good on it's own. Good tasting cheap wine is hard to find, at this price range I have been burned many times, but this is solid.

Sorry no picture but you can get this wine at Trader Joes, it shouldn't be hard to find.

Tasting report from Joseph Phelps Winery

Tasting report from Joseph Phelps Winery - St. Helena, Napa Valley, CA $Free This is the first winery tasting report from the southern wine report, I couldn't talk about just one of the damn good wines I had at this incredible winery. Joseph Phelps in one of the best wineries in Napa Valley (and therefore the world), they are most famous for Bordeaux style wines, and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the most famous wine being Joseph Phelps Insignia. Because I am now a cellar rat working in a winery in Napa, I am able to taste for free at any winery in Napa, it is called being in the trade. So I am trying to go to as many wineries as possible and Joseph Phelps Winery and the wines live up to the hype. The '07 Sauvignon Blanc "St. Helena" is 100% Sauvignon Blanc with the grapes coming from the vineyards right there at the winery in St. Helena. It is an excellent S.B., it is a bit creamier than an average S.B., which I like because I often find S.B.'s to be too tart. The creaminess comes from 10 months in oak barrels in which the lees are stirred often. That basically means while the wine is in barrel it gets stirred often. The lees are the sediment that falls to the bottom of the barrel, when the sediment (lees) are stirred the wine extracts more flavors from it, and the barrel itself also lends to the creamy taste. I was impressed by the wine and I liked it very much except for the price, which is $32. The next wine I tried was the '06 Napa Valley Merlot. They usually don't make Merlot, the last vintage they made was 2002. They made Merlot in '06 because the Merlot grapes didn't go into the blend that makes up the Insignia that vintage, so they made a Merlot. The Merlot is 76% merlot and 24% cabernet. It is a big, dark, silky Merlot. I aint a fan of merlots mostly but this one I liked, definitely recommend it, it's the rare good American merlot. At $40 while not cheap, it was the cheapest red wine they sell, and it was good. Next up was the '06 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and 2% Malbec, a true Bordeaux blend. This wine was excellent and my style of wine, a mostly Cabernet Bordeaux blend, Napa style. The wine has an excellent nose, and silky tannins, at $54 it is cheaper than most of the Napa Valley wineries Reserve wine, and it is better, so you can call it a bargain, I suggest picking up a bottle. The Grand Finale was the Joseph Phelps Insignia, one of the most famous wines in the world and one I have wanted to taste for many years. The 2006 Insignia was just released by the winery yesterday, so you heard it hear first, or maybe second. The blend of the wine changes every year due to what the winemaker feels will make the best blend that is why it is not called cabernet, or merlot, it is simply called Insignia red wine. The '06 is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine is ultra smooth, and the finish goes on and on. This wine is one to write about, it's damn good. And it should be, it does get an extraordinary amount of press, and it should it's great and it cost's $200 upon release, and often more. It's a great wine, but don't think it's 4 times better than the '06 Cabernet. If you are big on wine and you visit the Napa Valley you need to check out Joseph Phelps.


www.jpvwines.com

2008 Vina Borgia

2008 Vina Borgia - Campo de Borja, Spain $8. The first wine to make two appearances on The Report. And there is common reason why, I can consistently looking for good value, and estate wines (which this is). For the money this wine is excellent, it is 100% Grenacha from the Bodegas Borsao, a bodega that consistently comes through with solid grenache, tempranillo, and blends. This is the 4th vintage I've had of this wine. It is one dimensional on the nose, on the palate the wine is somewhere in between medium and full bodied. It is a dry wine with a little bit of tannins on the finish, which I like, often in wines of this price range they are too soft and bland, not this one. It is a basic wine but what it does it does well. It would go well with dark meats. It is also no surprise that this is a Jorge Ordonez selection, I go to J. O. selection wines often especially when I'm on a budget (or broke however you like to call it). I recommend this wine as an everyday solid wine, you can sip it on its own or enjoy it with dinner.

2006 Barco Negro

2006 Barco Negro - Duoro, Portugal $11 This is a wine that breaks the mold, tastes good and is very reasonably priced. The Barco Negro hails from the Duoro region in Portugal, an area that until recently was most known for the production of Port wine. Within the last few years an increasing number of table wines have begun to emerge from the area, a trend that will continue and increase. It makes sense, the Duoro has been growing grapes for hundreds of years and the area has plenty of expertise and resources to make good wine thanks to the Port industry. The 2006 Barco Negro is comprised of 30% Tinta Roriz ( in Spain it's called Tempranillo), 30% Touriga Franca, and 40% Touriga Nacional, grapes that are typically found in Port wine. It is a deep dark wine with a pleasant nose, and a dark full taste. There is a bit of complexity to this wine that is not usually found in wine for $11. I definitely like this wine and recommend it, but only for red wine drinkers. White wine drinkers would find it a bit to big and heavy, but I recommend at least tasting everything that you can. I got this particular wine at World Market.

2005 Trentadue Old Patch Red

2005 Trentadue Old Patch Red -$13 Sonoma, CA
Greetings from Cali. This is the first wine I've bought since moving here so it had to be from Cali. Sonoma is close enough, I would've preferred starting with a Napa wine but there isn't any good Napa wine for $13 but Sonoma is coming through in the clutch. This wine is an interesting blend from Trentadue, evidently it is very popular, this is the first time I've had it, but I agree it is very good. The blend is based on zinfandel with some petite sirah, carignane, and a bit of syrah. The blend changes slightly every vintage but the basic idea is mostly zinfandel, then petite sirah and carignane. They call this a bistro wine, I'm not exactly sure what that means so I guess I like bistro wine or at least this one. This wine is distinctly Californian, you won't find a blend like this from anywhere but Cali. It is a rich, smooth, fairly big wine. It starts off juicy, then peppery, with a dry finish that lasts. And it's got a screwtop, which is a very good thing. People out here in California are crazy, they like to pay a lot of money for California wine. The pride in the local wine is understandable because it is generally very good but the prices are ridiculous, it's hard to find a wine this good for this price. I highly recommend this wine. If you can get the '05 good, but they make this every year and it seems like the vintages are pretty consistent so if you find a different vintage I would still try it.

Etoile Rose NV

Etoile Rose - NV from Domaine Chandon, Sonoma and Napa Counties $40. This is a fairly decent sparkling rose. The wine has some age to it. The wine was bottle in 2001 and Domaine Chandon ages the wine in the bottle for 5 years before releasing it, so this particular bottle has been out since '06. The length of time spent aging is probably the biggest reason that American sparkling wine costs so much. The longer a winery ages their wine, the more it cost the winery, so they in turn have to recoup this money. I did like this wine, it needs to be served well chilled, when the wine warms a bit it becomes too tart. It's a nice rose but nothing special. I thought it was much better than the Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose ( a comparable American sparkler). This wine is definitely unique. For the closure there is not the traditional cork, but a cap that is best described as a beer top ( I opened the wine with the beer opener on my key chain), this might be a turnoff to many sparkling wine buyers. The benefit of such a top is that there is no cork failure or cork taint, but there is not they traditional pop, it's definitely different. If you like sparkling rose you should check out this wine.

www.chandon.com

2005 Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

2005 Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Maipo Valley, Chile $12. The nose smells of plum and dark grapes, kind of grapey smells coming through, along with some wood aromas. Not to be worried this wine is balanced, the oak complements but does not overpower. At first the wine is acceptable but a bit on the harsh side. This wine is a definite candidate for decanting, it needs some serious time to breathe, approximately 45 minutes to show it's true colors. This cabernet is straight forward, it's not going to tell you a story but what it covers the basics very well. The tannins are very smooth and soft. For the price this is a real solid value. The wine is not complex but what is does, it does well. I recommend it.

2005 Clancy's Red

2005 Peter Lehmann's Clancy's Red - Barossa, Australia $15. This is an interesting full bodied wine from one of the top producers in Australia, it is a blend of mostly Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Merlot. This is the entry level bottling from Peter Lehmann wines all of which come from grapes grown in the Barossa valley, considered the most prime growing region in Australia. The nose of the wine is a bit tart as well as the initial taste of the wine. At first the wine comes across as too tart. But the key to this wine is to let it breathe. This wine definitely takes time to open up, 30 minutes at the very least. I didn't start enjoying this wine until I dropped it into a decanter. Once in the decanter the wine definitely soften. The Clancy's Red is a rich and full bodied wine that once it has opened is soft and just a touch on the tart side. This wine is good but not great, it is worth a shot though but only if you have the patience to let this wine come around and soften up, once it softens it is quite enjoyable. This wine is easily found in grocery stores, and wine shops.


www.peterlehmannwines.com.au

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.