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Rockcliffe Family Cabernet (Washington, 2006)

Eddie — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:10:11 +0000

	This is a Cabernet from Fresh & Easy. We picked this up one Saturday night and enjoyed it with bruschetta.
	$12 from Fresh & Easy.

Slight aromas of nutmeg and other Christmas spices. Slight hint of cherry in the taste with holiday spices. A bit tart on the finish…a bit like raspberry This wine really conjured up images and feelings of Christmas….Felt like going home to family after being away for a long time and laughing together around a big Christmas dinner…..of course sine it is the middle of the summer and fond memories are all that are left we no longer remember all the Christmas fights over politics and sports with drunk Uncle “Larry”

Gnarly Head Zinfandel (California, 2006)

Eddie — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:47:20 +0000

Tap We	This wine is an old vine Zinfandel from Lodi, California. I picked this up for an end of the summer get together at my condo before heading back to work for the school year.
	$10 from Fresh & Easy

Great aroma in the glass of fresh fruit Heavy, Heavy, Heavy alcohol tastes A bit of spice and oak was noticed after decanting Slight burst of cherry at first but then masked by the overpowering flavor of alcohol. I was all excited about this wine since I was celebrating the end of my summer with friends….Only problem….the wine was not. Drinking this wine was like getting all dressed up and excited for a date you have been waiting for…..only to have the girl call you 15 minutes before you leave to tell you she cannot make it. Huge let down to say the least.

Ambas Malbec (Argentina, 2007)

Mike — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:30:46 +0000

	This wine is a Malbec from Argentina. We picked this up because we saw that it was a fairly new arrival to Fresh & Easy.
	$7 from Fresh & Easy

Aromas of ripe fruit. Masculine notes of leather and spice in the taste. High tannin content makes it a bit harsh in the mouth. Rich and robust tastes of oak and cigar with a lingering finish. This wine is not the like the weight watchers breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt….this wine is much more like a stick to your ribs country style breakfast of steak and eggs with a side of corn beef hash.

Torres Coronas Tempranillo (Spain, 2004)

Mike — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:27:10 +0000

	This is a tempranillo from Spain. This was another of our 4th of July wines that we had that day.
	$10 from Fresh and Easy

Aromas of leather with a hint of peppermint behind it Earthy and woody in the initial taste A lot of tannins, even after decanting for 1 hour. Hearty and robust - would be great with a steak. A very intensely masculine wine would be akin to fighting a bull….or running with them…neither is one you would want to do on our own. So to is this wine…it must be paired with a rich and hearty meal in order to be fully enjoyed.

Big House The Slammer (California, 2005)

Mike — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:34:12 +0000

	This is a California Syrah from Santa Cruz. This is a cousin wine of Big House Red that we reviewed earlier.
	$11 from Safeway.

Smells of cinnamon and wet earth. Hints of peach in the taste. Tastes of boysenberry. This wine would be much better with a good solid 1/2 pound cheeseburger fresh off the grill. While this wine is O.K…..I am not sure that I would be willing to go to the Slammer for this bottle.

Georges Deboeuf Beaujolais-Villages (France, 2006)

Mike — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:02:19 +0000

	This is a Gamay from France. I picked this up as part of our 4th of July celebration. I know…I know…why am I buying a French wine to celebrate the birth of America…..well it is in honor of the Marquis De Lafayette who helped our troops overcome the British. But don’t worry…I also brought some Sam Adams beer to go with the BBQ as well. Anyways…we enjoyed this as a precursor to our meal with brie cheese and crackers topped with dried cherries.
	$8.50 at Fresh & Easy

Fruity aroma with a touch of cinnamon The aroma is very inviting Citrus notes on the initial tasting You must decant this wine for about 45 minutes and it becomes very smooth and mellow Mouth feel is much softer after the decant Flavors of raspberry and strawberry come through at the end I have to admit that I was not to sure about this wine when I bought it. I was not sure that it would really be as good as it was…kinda like how the British Crown may have underestimated the will of the Revolutionary soldiers. This wine surprises you with how good it is and you really must try this.

Duck Pond Pinot Noir (Oregon, 2006)

Mike — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:52:15 +0000

	This is a Pinot Noir from Oregon. I was excited when I saw this wine in Fresh & Easy because I had the 2004 and 2005 vintage about a year ago. While I would recommend the 2004 vintage over this based on taste alone; you cannot pass this one up because of the price. Pick this bottle of Oregon Pinot up and give it a try.
	$10 from Fresh & Easy

Some strawberry and floral aromas. Quite dry and tannic. The taste was a bit earthy with hints of fresh cut wood. Minor taste of nutmeg at the finish. Very good Pinot for the price…Much like like picking up a filet mignon that has been marked down at half price. It just seems to taste so much better because you know the price you paid.

Pine & Post Merlot (Washington, 2006)

Mike — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:51:16 +0000

	This wine is a Merlot from Washington. We each had this wine on separate occasions and we both liked it a lot. I had mine with some friends from our condo while we had cigars and all my friends really liked it as did I. That being said…..the second time I had this wine was tonight and for some reason it did not appeal to us as much as it did before. It was much to light to go with the meal we had and found it was easily overpowered.
	$7 from Fresh & Easy

Very light and subtle aromas of fruit. Bold cherry off the start, but disappears quickly. Light plumb tastes in the finish. Overall mouth feel is very light and watery. A bit mundane overall but not a bad wine for sharing with friends on a summer day. It is kinda like going to the movies with your sister….sure you may have a good time with her and enjoy the show but it still is a movie with your sibling.

Primarius Pinot Noir (Oregon, 2006)

Mike — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:00:17 +0000

	This is a Pinot Noir from Fresh & Easy. The bottle states that this is an an Oregon Pinot, but it was actually bottled by a winery in Washington.
	$12 from Fresh & Easy

Very transparent and light in color. Earthy aromas. Very good mouth feel, silky on the tongue. A hint of blackberries. Black cherry tastes with a short finish. This wine is the NBA in the late 90’s… it has a lot of redeeming qualities (M.J. is still in the league after all). It is still worth your time… but really it’s too watered down with not enough going on… it could have been much better if it were more focused.

Tin Roof Merlot (California, 2005)

Mike — Sat, 24 May 2008 02:43:57 +0000

	This is a merlot from Tin Roof. We had this wine with steak on the grill to celebrate the end of the teaching year for Eddie.
	$8 from Costco

Subtle mint and smoke in the smell. Bold and robust. Tastes of prune straight from the bottle, but after decanting more of a plumb taste. More dry than sweet A bit tart on the finish Bold and in your face….like Like the drunk guy at the hockey game…he is loud but at the same time some of the things that he says just crack you up and you hate seeing him thrown out. Our recommendation is that you try this wine out. It may not be for everyone but for someone it will be a very good time.

Concannon Petite Sirah (California, 2005)

Eddie — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:04:13 +0000

	I picked up this wine because I really wanted to try something different. I had the Concannon Pinot before and really liked it so I thought I would give this a try. I was please with the purchase and would have it again.
	$9 at Frys

Strong Cherry aromas Powerful oak and cherry with the perfect amount of sweetness A little one dimensional but very good tasting Could be a little boring after a while but it is still a good wine to drink Like watching a Temple basketball game under John Cheney…pretty much all your going to see is defense. Now granted they were very good at playing defense under him but unless you understand that there will not be any spectacular offensive plays then you could be a little disappointed.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Pinot Noir (France, 2006)

Mike — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:02:37 +0000

	This wine is a Pinot Noir from France. My wife Vanessa picked up this bottle of wine and we enjoyed it with some fantastic stuffed Peppers and Chiles with Mozzarella. We always enjoy a good Pinot Noir and this wine was pretty decent for the price of $9.
	$9 from Sprouts

Aromas of cherry and flowers Simple, smooth and drinkable. Strawberry flavors. Refreshing mineral finish. This wine has many simple characteristics, is easy drinking and rather refreshing… but, like that hard to get to know friend of yours, it does have something more to offer if you take the time to get to know it.

Catena Malbec (Argentina, 2005)

Mike — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:40:17 +0000

	This is a Malbec from the Mendoza region in Argentina.
	$18 from Costco

Spicy aromas with a hint of marmalade. Oak flavors with higher tannins. Decanting is recommended. Tastes of dried cherries. Like a person who floats around from one group of friends to another group of friends….they come and go as they please and you never know when they are going to show up… but when they do show up, they are usually pretty fun to hang out with.

Bogle Merlot (California, 2006)

Eddie — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:57:47 +0000

	This is a Merlot from California. This is actually our second review of this wine… we lost the notes on the first review so in theory, this review is more refined than our first.
	$9 from Trader Joes

Earthy smells, soil and roots. Flat and one dimensional. Very standard and typical tasting table wine. Like going camping in the Pacific Northwest in the spring…While it may rain and there is something enjoyable about the way the forest smells afterwards…you really feel like you missed out on something great due to the weather.

Boarding Pass (Australia, 2005)

Mike — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:30:26 +0000

	This wine is a Shiraz from South Australia.
	$15 from Costco

Smells like green apple. Very rich and creamy mouth feel. Full bodied. Peppery and bold with a great finish. Looking at the label we did not expect much from this wine. It was kinda like going out on Halloween and expecting those little bite size candies that you usually get……but…every once in a while you run into that house that that gives you the full size candy bar….now that is exciting!!