justagrape.com » 2005

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.

Campo Viejo Crianza Tempranillo (Spain, 2005)

Mike — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:33:26 +0000

	This is a Tempranillo from the Rioja region in Spain. We have really been digging Rioja wines recently (even though not all our tastings have made it into real justagrape reviews!), so I wanted to give this one a shot when I saw it on the shelf.
	$11 from Bashas

Strong strawberry and vanilla smells; Very sweet. Smooth yet dry. Slightly woody and plumb taste with a nice long finish. Great foot wine, you can eat a solid meal with this one. This wine is a well written plot to a good movie…. it has it’s highs and lows, but in the end it all comes together just right.

Martha Stewart Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma, 2005)

Mike — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:30:03 +0000

	This is our second review of one of the wines in the new Martha Stewart line that was released last year. Earlier we reviewed the Merlot from the collection. The wine is produced and distributed by E & J Gallo Winery, of Modesto, Calif and made from grapes from the Sonoma region. The wines are so far only available in the select cities of Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Phoenix, and Portland. The wine is usually sold in the $15 price range, but we recently picked some up on clearance for $6. It will be interesting to see if they make any changes to the wines this year. Overall we think these wines should be better if they intend to sell them in the $15+ range.
	$15 ($6) from Bashas.

Aromas of mint and hickory BBQ. Tastes of oak wood and strawberry. Great food wine with a medium finish. This wine is like watching a good movie by yourself… the movie is pretty decent and you find it entertaining… but at the end of the movie, you wish you had someone else there to share it with.

Dancing Bull Zinfandel (California, 2005)

Eddie — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:46:31 +0000

	I picked this wine up because I was looking for something a little different than the traditional Chianti to have with my Penne and sausage that I was making tonight. I normally shy away from Zinfandels but for some reason I figured I would give this a try. The one I picked up is the 2005 and I noticed that they had the 2006 there as well. I am really interested in trying both of them.
	$8 From Fresh & Easy

A bit overpowering at first Sort of vinegary in the beginning Fruit flavors are muddled and hard to pick apart I could taste a bit of black cherry and this may sound weird but I detected a slight hint of kiwi on the finish After letting the wine breathe for a while I began to pick up some raspberry in the taste This is a wine that would really benefit from decanting. This wine is like the new guy at the office. He comes in and is very loud and somewhat obnoxious. You are turned off by his bad breath that smells of rotten pepperoni and you are a little upset over the fact that you have to work with him. In time his hygiene may improve to the point that it is bearable and he is slowly becoming less abrasive…but….you still may not want to have him over for dinner.

Bogle Phantom (California, 2005)

Eddie — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:57:30 +0000

	The first time we had this wine was in a wine bar and we really liked it. We looked all over for it in Phoenix and found two places that carried it. Cave Creek Wines and BevMo both carried it but BevMo was a little more expensive. The wine is a blend and it is a special edition that Bogle is known for.
	$19 from BevMo

The aroma was rich and juicy with scents of ripe fruit, rosemary and the slightest hint of black licorice Right out of the bottle it was a little edgy but decanting soften it quite a bit. Very nice mouth feel with flavors of oak. A very earthy wine with just a subtle taste of fruit Hints of pomegranate Having this wine for the second time after looking for it for so long must be what it is like to be an Arizona Cardinals fan and tasting the NFC Championship for the first time. It is a thrill beyond belief…..If you find this wine, we really recommend that you pick up a bottle and enjoy it.

Waterbrook Melange (Washington, 2005)

Mike — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:27:10 +0000

	This wine is a Melange from Washington. This Melange is a blend that contains Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. We ended up with this bottle by accident. We had another bottle of wine but when we opened it up the cork was destroyed and part of it disintegrated away. So what were we to do but go to the store and get another bottle. We found this one on sale from its original (perhaps inflated) price of $19 so we figured we might as well try it.
	$12 from Bashas.

Light aromas of spices and red berries. Mouth feel is very smooth and silky. Cherries on the tip of the tongue Dark chocolate and oak towards the end Medium finish A very good tasting and easy drinking wine. Refined and complex with enough characteristics to keep you interested. Like hanging out with the cellist of the New York Symphony. You know that you may not have a whole lot in common with her but you imagine that she would be very interesting and deep.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Vinyard 10 (Washington, 2005)

Eddie — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:01:46 +0000

	I picked up this wine because I have had Columbia Crest Two Vine series before and was never disappointed. The price is right and the quality has always left me impressed. Anyway, this one caught my eye because I did not really know what i was in the mood for and since it was a blend I figured I would give it a try.
	$7 at Safeway

Aromas of Strawberry and clove Cranberry and spice in the flavor Somewhat tart but in a pleasant way Slight taste of a really ripe and juicy plum on the finish Interesting,intriguing, and keeps you attentive…like a very good college professor that engages you with so many things that you wonder where the time went in the class….ok..ok..ok…not really…it is more like the class clown that keeps you awake in a boring philosophy class because you never know what he is going to do next…Yup…thats more like. This wine was a lot of fun!!!!!

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.

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.

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.

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!!

Joe Blow Red (California, 2005)

Mike — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:48:36 +0000

	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

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.

Foodies Cabernet Sauvignon (California, 2005)

Mike — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:36:25 +0000

	This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from California
	$8 at Cost Plus World Market

Strong floral aromas. Smooth and rounded with good body with tastes of plum and dark berries. Easy to drink with soft tannins. I was really surprised by this wine. I think the packaging lowered my expectations for some reason, but it turned out to be pretty decent. This wine was like going to a movie that you know nothing about, not expecting anything much and then being quite surprised by the quality and depth. Not a Oscar winner, but certainly worth seeing.

House Wine Blend (Washington, 2005)

Mike — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:44:38 +0000

	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

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.