justagrape.com » 2006

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.

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…

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.

The California Wine Party Blend (California, 2006)

Mike — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:29:23 +0000

	This is a blend from Paso Robles California. I picked this wine up at Trader Joes, simply because it had an interesting marketing angle, and it was only $6. Turns out it was fairly decent, although probably not capable of government leadership if it were a real person.
	$6 from Trader Joes

Fruity aromas with overtones of alcohol Flavors are a bit watered down. Short finish Tastes of blackberry Very easy drinking with good mouth feel. Overall it was not a bad wine. It was enjoyable while it lasted but it kind of fell off the map with the finish…kinda like the way Giuliani fell off the map after Florida. If this wine were the Governor of California it probably wouldn’t have much budget balancing success either… but people would still vote for it again.

Albero Tempranillo (Spain, 2006)

Mike — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:30:26 +0000

	This is an organic Tempranillo from Spain. I hadn’t browsed the wine isle at T.J.’s in a while and was intrigued to find an organic Tempranillo from Spain there. There is also a Cabernet from Albero that we want to review as well. Jason has some more insights as to the origin of this wine and a review as well. Overall we were pleased with this $6 wine and would buy it again.
	$6 from Trader Joes

Strong cherry aroma with hints of vanilla. Decent balance, with a weak short finish. Simple and pleasant, but lacks any enjoyable complexity. Chocolate on the finish. *This wine like having the Monday of a long weekend off… you’re really happy to have the day off but you don’t really do anything really exciting or very interesting.*

Martha Stewart Vintage Merlot (Sonoma, 2006)

Mike — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:15:26 +0000

	This is one of the wines in the new Martha Stewart line that was released last year. There is also a Cabernet and a Chardonnay available. 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. We have also reviewed the Cabernet and will be posting that review soon.
	$15 ($6) from Bashas.

Aromas vanilla and fresh green beans. Flavors are complex, but tend to compete with each other. Strong blueberry flavors that improve after decanting. Smooth and very dry. Very fruit forward but not sweet. This wine is like a “buy one get one free” coupon to a semi-upscale restaurant that you haven’t been to before… you are happy that you went, but wouldn’t go back if you didn’t have another coupon.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Vinyard 10 (Washington, 2006)

Mike — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:04:21 +0000

	We’ve reviewed the 2005 vintage of this wine already, and because it was such a great wine for the price we couldn’t pass up the 2006 vintage as well. Once again we were not disappointed as this wine proved to be excellent once again.
	$8 at Bashas

Sweet strawberry and spice in the aroma Tastes of vanilla and rich berries flavors Overall very smooth and easy drinking Great balance with just the right amount of tannins and sweetness This wine is the perennial playoff team… always very competitive… always able to put together a team that goes deep into the playoffs year after year. Pick this wine up, you won’t be disappointed… it’s a winner!!!

La Parra Loca (Spain, 2006)

Eddie — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:56:43 +0000

	I picked this wine up because I was having blackened salmon for dinner. I figured a nice Tempranillo would go great with this spicy fish dish. The wine is actually a blend of Tempranillo and Shiraz. The label even recommended that it be served with spicy fish dishes. The label also informed me that I would be tasting intense black fruit flavors and hints of vanilla and spice. Unfortunately, I did not taste any of these things. The wine was quite bland but it did hold up well to the spicy fish. In fact, the only reason it got 1.5 trophies instead of 1 was because it did hold up to the dinner. The only way I would recommend this wine would be with a meal that was quite hearty, spicy and flavorful. On its own the flavors were boring and muddled.
	$7 from Fresh & Easy

Muddled and indecisive Smooth in the mouth yet harsh when swallowed. Lingering bitter tastes like that of grape seeds On the tip of the tongue it was sweet like blackberries but soured towards the back of the mouth Like going to a nice Spanish restaurant and expecting an exotic and enchanting meal but ending up with fried rice and dried beef.

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.

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.
	$9 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.

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.