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Berberana Dragon Tempranillo (Spain, 2006)

Mike — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:00:43 +0000

	This is a Tempranillo from Spain that we picked up at Total Wine and had it with homemade tortilla soup with fresh avocado and tortilla strips.
	$8 from Total Wine

Smells like bubble gum initially with dark berries in the middle followed my mint at the finish. Taste is very tart. One dimensional plumb flavors. Improved greatly with decanting. This wine is easy to drink and does not offend… Sort of like a macro-brewed beer… it feels mass produced to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

Matuco Malbec (Argentina, 2008)

Eddie — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:56:03 +0000

	This wine is a Malbec from Mendoza Argentina and available at Fresh & Easy. We got this wine as part of a three bottle twitter tasting with Fresh & Easy that we did yesterday. We were very excited to try this since the last Malbec from Fresh & Easy was so good.
	$10 from Fresh & Easy

Smells of plumb off the nose. Deep dark and rich colors. Tastes dark fruit and spice with prune at the end. Out of the bottle it was very harsh, but much nicer after decanting. *This wine is like a crazy Uncle that says a lot of outlandish things… yet every once in a while, comes up with a comment that really displays a lot of wisdom.* Justagrape.com was provided a complementary bottle of this wine from Fresh & Easy and was not compensated for this review.

Cardwell Hill Cellars Pinot Noir (Oregon, 2007)

Mike — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:50:42 +0000

	This is a Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley region of Oregon. We picked up this bottle to celebrate the recent gift of some fantastic new Riedel Vinum XL Pinot glasses and enjoyed this wine on Christmas Day.
	$23 from LGO

Aromas of wet moss, cherry, peaches. Very pleasant fruit smells. Tastes very smooth in the mouth with just the right tannins. Oak and natural wood with a hint of pipe tobacco. Black cherry finish. *Exotic and intriguing like a midnight walk on the beach with someone you just met and may never see again… sad but undeniably memorable.*

Sagelands Vineyard Four Corners Cabernet (Washington, 2006)

Mike — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:30:32 +0000

	This is a Cabernet from the Columbia Valley in Washington. We really enjoyed the Merlot from the same winery so we were really looking forward to trying this wine when we spotted it on the shelf.
	$12 from Total Wine

Aromas of earth and deep dark berries Soft and smooth in the mouth Strong tannins in the finish giving it a tart cranberry taste Interesting yet unrefined. Like a sports car that is a little too loud both in engine sound and color…it may put some people off yet who knows…in a few years it has the potential of being a classic…

Cellar No 8 Pinot Noir (California, 2008)

Mike — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:00:35 +0000

	This wine is a Pinot from California. Cellar No 8 makes a fantastic Cabernet for the price and when we saw this similarily priced Pinot from the same maker we couldn’t pass it up.
	$8 from Total Wine

Aromas of earth and moss with wood undertones Earthy taste, with toasted oak. Very similar to the Cabernet which was unexpected for a Pinot. Non-typical Pinot, but very enjoyable. Not your typical Pinot, but typical of Cellar No 8 wines. Rustic, hard and very masculine – like a Pinot on steroids. It has the feeling of a female body builder, you know she is a women but muscles are way bigger than yours!

Ambas Malbec (Argentina, 2008)

Eddie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:56:59 +0000

	This is an Argentinian Malbec that is another one coming out at Fresh & Easy. We have reviewed the 2007 before and liked it so we were looking forward to trying this year out. This wine won the silver medal in Jerry Meads’s New World International Wine Competition.
	$7 from Fresh & Easy

Aromas were complex, interesting, and inviting. Scents of ripe juicy blackberry with a slight undertone of spearmint. Fairly dry but balanced quite well with flavors of fruit. Concentrated and deep and the blackberry aromas continue in the tastes. Medium to long finish that is very pleasant. Much smother in the mouth than the 2007. Great tannins and an excellent value for this price-point. Flavorful and interesting and at such an affordable price. This wine is like walking into a store and finding a 50 dollar bill on the way in. You go in and use that bill and feel so good because it feels like such a bargain. Justagrape.com was provided a complementary bottle of this wine directly from Fresh & Easy and was not compensated for this review.

Saveurs Veritables Pinot Noir (France, 2008)

Eddie — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:45:06 +0000

	This is a Pinot that Fresh & Easy is introducing in time for the holidays. We are going to enjoy this wine after an evening out dining on Thai food and celebrating birthdays.
	$7 from Fresh & Easy

Thin, bland and watery Slightest hint of red fruits such as cranberry Very one dimensional with a finish that disappears immediately Color is very light and the aromas are almost non existent. This is not what a Pinot should be….It is boring and ordinary, bordering on undrinkable. It is kind of like being set up on a blind date and the girl that answers the door is attractive and alluring. The only problem is she says…hang on I will let my sister know you are here and then down walks the ugly duckling of the family…ya want to be nice but you know this is not going to end well. Justagrape.com was provided a complementary bottle of this wine directly from Fresh & Easy and was not compensated for this review.

Virginie Pinot Noir (France, 2007)

Mike — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:47:23 +0000

	This wine is a Pinot Noir from France that we purchased from Total Wine. Although the wine was recommended by Total Wine, we found it to be nothing like the description and very disappointing overall. You can do so much better for $12, and we strongly suggest avoiding this wine.
	$12 from Total Wine

Initially the open bottle gave no aromas after opening. After pouring the bottle into the decanter it smelled like motor oil (yes! motor oil!) Very dry, bland and watery with moderately high tannins in the finish even after decanting. A fraud and a slacker. This wine is like the guy you know that dresses up and acts like he is going to work at his high powered job… in reality it ends up changing its clothes in the car once it is out of sight and spends the day driving around the doing nothing.

Pozzi Rosso (Sicily, Non-Vintage)

Mike — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:07:36 +0000

	This wine is made from the Nero d’Avola grape in Sicily. Definitely a wine built for food, but worked great with just appetizers of pita & hummus and cheese & crackers.
	$14 from Total Wine

Rich aromas of campfire and leather. Hints of vanilla off the start. Tastes of cherry with a nice lingering finish. Real nice balance of fruit & earth. Subtle hint of chocolate. *A great* wine to have with any meal. Hard working and blue collar like a steel town man that gets up every day and provides for his family. He is not pretentious and he does not brag about the job he does…..he just does it and does it well.

Golden Kaan Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa, 2005)

Mike — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:28:58 +0000

	This is a Cab from South Africa producer Golden Kaan. We haven’t done a lot from this region of the World, so we thought we’d give this one a shot. It would be really interesting to cellar this one for a few years.
	$15 from Fresh & Easy

Strong cherry aromas with a hint of pine. Flavors of oak and smoke with the pine coming in at the end. The label says that the tannins linger – and they really mean it! Decant this bottle for as long as you can! Like the person who you think is really cool when you first meet them… but not so much when you get to know then… They are only tolerable with many other people around.

Casillero del Diablo (Chile, 2006)

Mike — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:45:04 +0000

	Casillero del Diablo Concha Y Toro is a Cabernet from Chile. This is a companion reivew to the 2007 vintage that we also did. We recommend avoiding the 2007 for 1 or two more years. We had this with steak from the charcoal grill and it was a great pairing.
	$9 from Fresh & Easy

Fruit forward strawberry aromas. Earth and vanilla smells. At the right temperature, this wine is smooth and had velvety mouth feel that is even better after decanting. Great mix of fruit and earth. Slight peach taste at the end with flavors of apples on the tip of the tongue. She is spunky yet refined and able to strike the perfect balance between adolescent charm and lady like maturity. She is an example that hopefully her younger sister will follow.

Casillero del Diablo (Chile, 2007)

Mike — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:18:17 +0000

	Casillero del Diablo Concha Y Toro is a Cabernet from Chile. We would really like to try this same bottle again after a year or two of aging. This is a companion review to the 2006 vintage of the same wine. We recommend the 2006 for right now.
	$9 from Fresh & Easy

Fruitier aroma than the 2006. Aroma of leafy greens with a bit of fruit. Abrasive harsh bite in the taste. Too harsh and minerally. The harshness diminishes any positives and overpowers everything else. Not quite as refined as her older sister. This wine seems to be stuck in the terrible twos. Maybe with some aging and maturity she will develop and fulfill the promise of her older sibling

Red Bicyclette (France, 2007)

Mike — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:31:51 +0000

	This is a Pinot from France. We have tried this wine several times over the years, but for some reason it never made it into an actual review. We do remember enjoying the earlier vintages a bit more than this one, so if you can find one pick it up over the 07.
	$12 from Bashas.

Plumb aromas, followed by a distinct buttermilk smell Tastes of strawberry and apple finish Smooth start in the the mouth but it bites a bit at the end. Mouth feel is not so much soft but slick. Like a sharp witted and slick girl who always seems to have something up her sleeve. She is quick with answers that sometimes make you wonder if she is being serious….but when she calls you have no reason not to answer because after all, you don’t really mind spending time with her.

Campo Viejo Gran Reserva (Spain, 2002)

Mike — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:34:46 +0000

	We are excited to say that this wine is our 100th review here at justagrape.com! We couldn’t have picked a more complex or interesting wine that this little Rioja gem from Spain.
	$15 from Costco

Aromas of leather, wood, citrus grove and figs. Flavors are big and bold. Earth, leather and tobacco. Toasted oak and figs. *Wild and rambunctious with a purpose… like and old west outlaw who rides into town… shoots up the saloon… steals the women… and rides out of town on a mission.*

Sokol-Blosser Meditrina (Oregon, Non-Vintage)

Mike — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:27:31 +0000

	This is a blend of Syrah, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel from Sokol-Blosser in Oregon. This is a very unique blend that we liked quite a bit. We have usually been impressed with Sokal Blosser wines, and that is how this one made it into our reviewing wine glasses.
	$13 from Costco

Smells of cherry, candy apple with a hint of tobacco and cloves Flavors of strawberry and subtle vanilla Smooth and velvety after decanting You meet a girl… she initially seems very girly and feminine… then you get to know her more later, and find that she loves cigars, scotch and is a huge fan of video games.