2005 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $36 California. This is one of my most highly recommended wines, this wine is the whole reason I got started in wine, so I am absolutely biased on this subject. This is what a great Napa Cabernet should be, a consistent wine, some vintages are great but most are good, this vintage is rock solid. The wine is full flavored and supple, with a soft finish that lasts. One of the aspects about this wine that I love so much is the balance, it is the calling card of this wine. The high quality grapes come from all over the valley, giving excellent dark fruit flavors backed by oak, and silky tannins. This wine is a real value at $36 when compared to similar quality wine from Sequoia's Napa neighbors, good quality cabernet under $40 is almost a joke in the valley, but this wine consistently delivers. I liked the '04 a bit better but the '05 is no slouch. The '06 is about to be released, no word on that yet. The mumblings coming from the Valley are that the '07's will be exceptional. No matter what I recommend this wine, if you like cabernet you owe it to yourself to pick up a bottle of this 100% Cabernet. And I've never poured this wine for someone that didn't like it.
Check it out.

www.sequoiagrove.com

2006 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills H3 Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills H3 Cabernet Sauvignon - $18 Horse Heaven Hills, Washington. With a deep ruby red color, and a nose of earth, spice, and mix of red cherries and dark berries, this wine really delivers. The H3 serves up soft tannins, a silky texture and a finish that lasts. This H3 is an excellent example of how to drink good for less, great quality for the price; a real sold cabernet. I definitely recommend this wine. It should be easy to find this wine, I've seen it in grocery stores. It might be hard to find this vintage, it might be getting low but the '05 was also a good wine, so hopefully the '07 will bring similar quality. A well done Washington cab.

2007 Achaval Ferrer Malbec

2007 Achaval Ferrer Malbec - $13 Mendoza, Argentina. On the nose of this wine you can smell must and dark cherries. On the palate this wine is straightforward and juicy, this is pretty much a one note wine. This wine is solid but it doesn't do much, it's not bad but it aint great, this is an entry level malbec. This malbec starts of a bit tart but after 20 minutes or so the tartness fades to reveal a wine that is simple, but decent. This one is for Angel Cabrera.

2005 Robert Mondavi Winery Oakville District Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville District - $45 California. The University of California at Davis has declared that Oakville, Napa Valley is the best place in the world to grow the cabernet sauvignon grape. This is debatable but one cannot deny that Oakville is a special place for great cabernet wine and this wine in particular is a solid representation of the area. The Mondavi Cabernet Oakville district is a real wine value. At $45 a bottle it might be hard to see this wine as a screamin deal but when you consider that other cabernets from Oakville can catch triple digit prices and only taste as good or slightly better, you begin to realize the real value of this wine. $40 is the "Welcome to Oakville Cabernet" price, and it only goes up from there, but don't worry because the '05 Mondavi Oakville cab is a really good wine. This wine is a blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon (%89) with smaller amounts of cabenet franc, petite verdot, malbec, and merlot; and the majority of the grapes come from the famous To Kalon vineyard (%79) with the remainder comprised from various vineyards in Oakville. The color of this wine is of deep purple, dark cherry and blackness. This cabernet has full flavors of lush dark fruits, smooth tannins, and a good bit of acidity, with aromas of tar. I really like and recommend this wine, for wines from Napa Valley it really is a good value. You can find this wine at finer wine shops, I know Total Wine carries it. The '05 vintage was the largest vintage in California history so there should be a good amount of this vintage still left to purchase. I got this bottle from the winery, and if you happen to get a bottle there as well I recommend stopping by the Oakville Grocery Store while you're in the area, the sandwiches are excellent. The rock solid cabernet goes really well with Wheat Thins Originals.

www.robertmondaviwinery.com

2006 Markham Napa Valley Chardonnay

2006 Markham Estate Grown Napa Valley Chardonnay - $16 California. This chardonnay is uniquely different from the average California chardonnay it that the wine is the perfect balance of oak, and fruit. The aromas are of butter and lemon. The flavors are of green apples simmered in butter, with acidity that cuts nicely through the butter. A light to medium bodied chardonnay. I really like this wine it is both buttery and citrus at the same time. This estate grown chardonnay is also a terrific value because at $16 it's $5 - $10 dollars cheaper than comparable chardonnays from Napa. This wine should be able to be found at better wine shops.

www.markhamvineyards.com

2007 Man Vintners Shiraz

2007 Man Vintners Shiraz - $8 South Africa. This is the first wine I've had from South Africa, and I got to say this shiraz is a real value. The aromas are a bit funky reminding me of must and wood. The flavors are soft and juicy with a touch of spice and a bit of oak. This is an everyday drinking wine that really delivers quality flavor at a low price. I recommend trying this wine, it should be easy to find, I got this from World Market.

2005 La Font du Vent "Notre Passion" Cotes du Rhone Villages

2005 La Font du Vent "Notre Passion" Cotes du Rhone Villages - $15 France. The winery is owned by the Gonnet family which also make wine in the more prestigious Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation. The Gonnet family uses the same specifications required in Chateauneuf; such as low yields, crop thinning, and hand harvesting, to make this wine. Robert Kacher Selections (the importer of this wine), calls this wine a baby Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I've heard this phrase used a lot but this time I agree, this quality in this wine over delivers for the price. This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah. The Notre Passion has aromas of earthiness and must with flavors of dark berries and dark cherries. The wine is well balanced with soft tannins and a dry finish. When I first tasted the wine it tasted scary, but after 30 minutes or so the wine opened right up and became a really good wine. I like this stuff, it's better than most of the Cotes du Rhone wines I usually have. I recommend this wine but it might be hard to find this vintage, at this point lower priced '05's are almost gone. Someone gave me this bottle so I'm not exactly sure of the price or where to buy it. I think that Total Wine carries a lot of the Rober Kacher Selections so that is where I would look.