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This wine is a Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. This is our first review of a Shiraz wine. Shiraz wines are the same as Syrah (or Sirah) wines with the difference being that they are from Australia. |
| $12 Purchased at Cost Plus World Market |
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- Rich and dark with purple hues.
- Aromas of blackberries and chocolate.
- Tastes of vanilla, spice and berries.
- Would go best with big flavored foods.
- Bold and a little harsh with the alcohol taste coming through.
- I was expecting this wine to be layered with goodness and many different dimensions. Instead, this wine was more like a layer cake that sat in the sun all day, and the layers all kind of melted together. Not horrible, but I was disappointed.
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This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley in California. I picked up a bottle of this wine after having Chinese food and I wish I had it during the meal. It was great on it’s own thought and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up again. |
| $7 Purchased from Bashas. |
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- Hints of blackberries and smoke in the aroma with a touch of pepper and spice.
- Nice balance of rich dark berries and earthy tones.
- Good full bodied flavor that would go great with your favorite dinner dish.
- Slightly sweet at the start, but finishes nicely with earthy notes.
- This is a great Cab for the price. Loons always remind me of Canada, and this bottle was no exception. This is a down to earth well mannered bottle of wine that has a bit of an edge to it. It would try hard not to offend anyone that it didn’t know very well. You could serve this bottle of wine to anyone and be proud of it.
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This wine is a Carmenere from Chile. Carmenere used to be grown in the Bordeaux region of France but is now only found in Chile. Carmenere tends to be a mellow grape that produces soft tannins and it is much more mellow than a malbec or cab. |
| $9 at Trader Joes |
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- Spicy and peppery with a little bit of smoke and oak.
- A masculine tasting wine in the sense that it is more earthy rather than fruity.
- A bit harsh on the tongue at first but decanting mellowed and rounded it out.
- Once decanted, oak, and a coffee flavors came out followed by slight berry tastes.
- Not very complex but very easy and enjoyable to drink.
- A great every day wine.
- Excellent wine for the price. Much like going into a gas station and buying a $1.00 scratcher and winning $20.00. It is not going to make you rich and will not do cartwheels down the street; but non the less, you are happy you picked up the ticket.
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This is a Shiraz from California, and is the ony red varietal of Virgin Vines. This vinyard and the wine it produces is owned by globe trotting, adventurist, and multi billionaire Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines. We picked this up from Bashas when we were looking for a new wine to review. We kind of stumbled on it and were intrigued by the connection to Branson. |
| $10 Purchased at Bashas |
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- Deep dark purple hues.
- Aromas of vanilla, caramel and blueberry.
- Slightly sweet yet still dry with moderate tannins.
- Strong vanilla and caramel in the mouth with a slightly musty taste.
- This wine may not be the superstar that travels in first class; but it is definitely not the talkative, annoying, and sometimes smelly person you sit next to in coach. Go ahead and give this wine a try.
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This is a Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills in Oregon. Oregon is known for producing great Pinots but they can be a little expensive. This one is very good but will not break your bank account. The only real drawback is that it has a screw cap instead of a cork. If you can get past that then you should try this wine. It is very worth it. |
| $13 Purchased at Costco (typically $19) |
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- Cherries with the slightest hint of bubble gum in the Aroma.
- Texture is very smooth especially after decanting.
- Very light and dry.
- Not too complex.
- This pinot is very good for the price. It is versatile in the sense that it would be great with anything from pizza to turkey. Kinda like the your jack-of-all-trades best friend you have that you call when you need your oil changed, drywall hung, carpet installed, or just someone to come over and watch the game with. You never really get sick of him being around and he is always a fun.
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This is a Merlot from the Robert Mondavi Private selection. It is very common wine that can be found just about anywhere. We picked this up on short notice and had it with sausage and peppers. |
| $8 Purchased at Safeway. |
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- Hints of toasted oak and red berries in the aroma.
- Sweet off the start
- Fruity with berry flavors.
- Slightly tart with moderately high tannins.
- Mild strawberry finish.
- Simple but decent. Kind of reminiscent of watching reruns of Friends. You enjoy it but it does not excite you and you wish something else was on.
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This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from California. |
| $6 |
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- Fruity bouquet
- Middle of the road in terms of sweetness
- A little harsh right out of the bottle
- Plums and cherries in the initial taste then fades very fast
- A bit boring and run of the mill. This wine does not excite or entice you. Like going on a blind date and having nothing in common with the person you were set up with.
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This wine is a Merlot from the Columbia Valley of Washington. This wine was a great little find. I noticed that Wine Spectator gave the 2005 91 points; but the 2006 had not been rated yet. As I looked through the box containing all the Merlot I only saw the 2006….but to my delight as I was about to give up I found a 2005 at the bottom. If you can find this we would recommend trying it. We are also planning on going back and picking up the 2006; so be on the lookout for that review. |
| $14 at COSTCO |
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- Very Rich and rustic
- Scents of leather and wood
- Very masculine and earthy in aroma
- Initial burst of black cherries in the the taste fading into a more rugged woody flavor
- Nicely balanced and structured
- Moderate Tannins but decanting smoothed it out some.
- This wine is a warm fireplace on a snowy Christmas morning. Friends can gather around it while it gives off a warmth that makes everyone feel comfortable and happy to be there.
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This wine is a Malbec from Argentina. Argentina, with its sinking currency is now finally able to challenge Chilean wine for a corner of the inexpensive wine market in North America. The label has been created to replicate the colorful houses that make up the town of La Boca that is nestled at the foothills of the Andes. We do suggest trying this because for the price it is well worth it. |
| $3 at Trader Joe’s |
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- Hints of Chocolate and coffee in the aroma
- The aroma is intense
- The taste was slightly spicy witha little plum
- A bit harsher than past vintages
- Very dry wine with a lot of tannins
- One dimensional in its flavor and a little boring.
- This wine is like free tickets to a baseball game between two teams you do not have a vested interest in. Your glad you got them and not upset that you went, but were not overly thrilled while you were there. It was better than sitting around the house all night but not exactly the World Series either.
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This wine is a Gamay Noir from the Beaujolais region in east central France. Beaujolais is a sub-region of the larger Burgandy region in France, and is known for producing fruit forward and light wines. Nearly all of the wine produced in the Beaujolais region is of the Gamay grape variety. This wine is very common in the US and can be found at almost any store. |
| $8 from Trader Joes. |
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- Strawberry bouquet.
- Light and dry with moderate tannins.
- Easy to drink with a very short finish.
- Not complex, simple.
- This wine is like that song you hear and enjoy right away. After a while though it gets a little boring, because it’s not layered with intricacies that take multiple listens to hear. It still is nice to play once in a while though because it does have a good rhythm.
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(1 ratings, average: 4.00 out of 5)
