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.