Top rated wines all under $20

May 03 2008

Red Flyer (California, 2003)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 10:20 am
Red Flyer (California, 2003) This is a red table wine from California. A blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, and Carignane. I saw this on display at Trader Joes and couldn’t pass up the $3 price tag for a review on justagrape.com. My expectations were low, considering the bottom barrel price and our past experience with “Red” labeled wines (see Cheap Red, Red Truck, Big House Red and Red Guitar), but it turned out to be a half decent bottle. We recommend it if you can find it for the $3 price, but if you have to pay closer to $9 you could probably do better.
$3 from Trader Joes
Three Trophies
  • Very dark deep purple/red hues.
  • Apples and cherries in the aroma.
  • A little sweet and jammy off the start.
  • Bold smokey berry flavors with a short finish.
  • This wine is light hearted and bold at the same time. It’s that fun lovin friend you have that always speaks it’s mind and is an all around good time when you hang out.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (2 ratings, average: 3 out of 5)
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Apr 25 2008

La Vendimia Rioja (Spain, 2006)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 2:07 pm
La Vendimia Rioja This wine is a Rioja from Spain and is a blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo.
$16 from Dish in Scottsdale
Four Trophies
  • Smells like flowers.
  • Sweet off the start but ends up being very well balanced.
  • Great for lighter dishes, wouldn’t hold up well to steak or pasta.
  • Smooth and flavorful, not overpowering.
  • Light, happy, and enjoyable all on its own…like taking a nap on a hammock in your backyard it is easy to do and so refreshing.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (2 ratings, average: 4 out of 5)
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Apr 14 2008

Joe Blow Red (California, 2005)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 6:48 am
Joe Blow Red (California, 2005) When we first looked at this bottle with it’s funky label we did not have high expectations. We have been disappointed in the past with trendy looking labels. This bottle did not just surpass our expectations….it smashed our expectations. This is a bottle that you must pick up when you get the chance. The price is right and the complexity is so much fun.
$9 from Sprouts
Four Trophies
  • Strong aromas of fresh, and crisp red berries
  • Slight scent of dark moist soil
  • Not very sweet, but has a nice balance of fruit and earthiness
  • Felt soft and velvety in the mouth
  • Flavors of strawberry and caramel with a hint of vanilla on the tip of the tongue
  • Like meeting someone that just rubs you the wrong way at first but then after a while you find that you misjudged them and they have actually become a good friend that you would not trade for the world.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (4 ratings, average: 3.75 out of 5)
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Apr 07 2008

Recoleta Blend (Argentina, 2007)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 6:43 am
No Bottle Image Available This is a Malbec Bonarda Blend from Argentina.
$5 from Fresh & Easy
Two and a Half Trophies
  • Very light scents of fruit with a predominant alcohol smell
  • Strong tastes of blackberry at first
  • Hints of pipe tobacco follow the fruit
  • A lot of body but the flavors are not defined….they tend to meld together
  • A bit unrefined and boisterous….like the obnoxious friend everyone has in their circle… You can handle him in small doses and you don’t really hate him….you just need to limit your time with him before he becomes a little too much.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (1 ratings, average: 2 out of 5)
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Mar 28 2008

Barking Sheep Malbec Bonarda (Argentina, 2006)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 6:25 am
No Bottle Image Available This is a Malbec, Bonarda blend from Mendoza Argentina.
$10 from Target
Three Trophies
  • Vanilla and blackberries with a hint of cotton candy in the aroma.
  • Moderate tannins
  • Fruit forward taste yet not too sweet.
  • Soft smooth mouth feel with a nice dry finish.
  • This wine is like a mid-summer day… in the pacific northwest.  It’s refreshing and cool in a summery way but not too overpowering.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (No Ratings Yet)
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Mar 19 2008

House Wine Blend (Washington, 2005)

Category: BlendMike, Mike and Eddie @ 6:44 am
House Wine 2005 This wine is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Franc from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Overall it was not too bad. though for the price you could do a lot better than this. It tended to ba a bit on the boring side.
$10 from Fry’s
Two and a Half Trophies
  • Aromas of sulfer and dark berries
  • Quite tart at the beginning.
  • Hints of green apple.
  • Simple, smooth and medium bodied.
  • A little generic and run-of-the-mill tasting. It did not offend but did not overly excite either…a few posts back we talked about a wine being like a plain looking librarian that when she took her hair down and glasses off you said Wow ……well….this wine is like the librarian that takes her glasses off and lets her hair down and you say….Yup…still a librarian.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (No Ratings Yet)
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Feb 19 2008

The Big Kahuna Cabernet Shiraz (Australia, 2006)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 6:56 am
No Bottle Image Available This is a Cabernet Shiraz blend from Australia.
$3 Purchased form Fresh and Easy
Three Trophies
  • Strong fruit forward aroma with strawberry.
  • Burst of strawberries right of the bat followed by blackberries.
  • On the sweet side, but not too sweet or jammy.
  • Simple thin and light with a medium finish.
  • Like a piece of candy or a slice of cake is good after a well balanced dinner….so to is this wine…Not big or bold enough to rely on to supply all your nutritional needs; but definitely something you don’t mind having every once in a while….especially considering the cost.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (1 ratings, average: 3 out of 5)
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Feb 15 2008

William Maltman’s Double Red (British Columbia 2003/2004)

Category: BlendEddie and Mike @ 7:04 am
No Bottle Image Available This wine is a blend of Marechal Foch and Gamay Noir. This wine is produced on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and may be difficult to find outside of that area. If you are on Vancouver Island we highly recommend that you try this wine if you enjoy wines that are more rich, earthy and dry. We tried our best to get a picture of the bottle but could not find one anywhere. The wine is produced at Godfrey Brownell Vinyards in Duncan British Columbia.
$20
Four and a Half Trophies
  • Flavors of smoke, cedar and plum.
  • Deep and dark.
  • Decanting is recommended.
  • Great with grilled red meats or pasta.
  • Very hearty yet very drinkable.
  • Deep , Dark, and complex…Like a mysterious women you see and talk with briefly on the subway… she gets off at the next stop and you wonder if you will ever see her again.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (1 ratings, average: 4 out of 5)
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Feb 13 2008

Ecco Domani Cabernet Merlot (Italy, 2004)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 6:49 am
Ecco Domani Cabernet Merlot This is a Cabernet Merlot blend from Italy with 53% Cabernet and 47% Merlot.
$8 Purchased from Bashas.
One and a Half Trophies
  • Notes of blackberries in the bouquet.
  • Smooth and mild tasting but also a very flat.
  • A medium finish with hints of spice and mild tannins.
  • This is the Budweiser, or Molson of wine. It has been mass produced and marketed so as not to offend anyones taste… kinda like listening to the latest boy band… You know who they are and what they sing but once you hear one of their songs you wonder why you did not change the station.
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1 Trophy2 Trophies3 Trophies4 Trophies5 Trophies   (1 ratings, average: 1 out of 5)
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Feb 02 2008

Black Opal Cabernet Merlot (Australia, 2006)

Category: BlendMike and Eddie @ 8:16 am
Black Opal Cabernet Merlot This is a blend of Cabernet and Merlot from the Black Opal wineries of South Eastern Australia. We remember enjoying the 2004 version of this wine. We also tried the 2005 and did not like it nearly as much as the 2004. Sadly it seems the 2006 is also disappointing.
$9 Purchased at Target
One and a Half Trophies
  • Very subtle bouquet of strawberries.
  • Slightly acidic in both start and finish with high tannins, decanting is highly recommended.
  • Citrus and plumb flavors (with the citrus being the dominant flavor)
  • Smooths out a bit after some time in the decanter.
  • This is definitely a wine to have with a meal, we would not recommend having it on it’s own. It may earn another half trophy or two if enjoyed with a juicy burger or steak. So essentially, this wine is like a steak sauce… it’s pretty much only enjoyable if you have it with steak.
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