justagrape.com » 3.5 Trophies

Zingari Toscana (Italy, 2008)

Eddie — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:00:01 +0000

	This is a wine that we picked up from Costco based purely on the inviting description that the display had. We enjoyed this with some friends and some good food.
	$9 from Costco

Ripened fruit smells with blackberry tastes Smooth mouth feel with an anise finish Great food wine, with a shorter finish after decanting *This wine was like a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza… except it was one that started off really well but ended disappointingly with no finale whatsoever.*

WineWrights Pinot Noir (California, 2009)

Mike — Sun, 01 May 2011 06:14:57 +0000

	Picked up this wine from Fresh & Easy and had with corned beef, potatoes, soda bread and our favorite brussels sprouts with bacon.
	$11 from Fresh & Easy

This wine has herbal smells from the opening. Fruity hints of strawberry and strawberry tastes. Smooth and easy, nice mouth feel with low tannins Blackberry tastes at the end. This wine is a little like the lower end contract player that is signed for a low to mid range dollar amount and does what expected by filling a role that is needed, but does not exceed any performance expectations. It would be nice if they performed above their contract level, but they don’t so that’s what you get! Still a great bargain that does what it needs to.

Monrosso Chianti (Italy, 2007)

Mike — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:07:52 +0000

	This is a Chianti that we picked up from Costco and enjoyed with our delicious chipotle beef tacos on a quiet Monday night. Chianti’s are often such a great choice when choosing a wine to go with your meal because the Italians have designed them to be built for food. They can go very well with a wide variety of foods.
	$10 from Costco

Smells of bright vanilla and strawberry shortcake. Peppery with a sweet hint of cherry. Medium finish and smooth mouth feel. This wine was great with our meal as was expected from a Chianti, but after our food was done it seemed to fall flat a bit… like a great basketball player who is traded to a different team and never reaches the same level of productivity without their star point guard by their side setting them up for easy points game after game.

Napa River Cabernet Sauvignon (California, 2007)

Eddie — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:24:45 +0000

	I went to Trader Joe’s to find a wine but they were out. I did not want to waste a trip there and figured I would look around for something else. I came across a section where much of the wine was gone and a lady scooted by me grabbed a bottle of Napa River while exclaiming “Good, they have some left” she proceeded to tell me that it was the best cheap cab I would ever have. Well with a recommendation like that, how could I resist!
	$6 from Trader Joes

Floral aromas, bright and fresh with a slight undercurrent of coffee Decent tannins and a little sharp on the finish Hints of licorice, some pipe tobacco and strawberry on the tip of the tongue A little chocolate on the finish as well Overall it is not bad for a $6 bottle of wine, but I don’t think it is big enough to stand up to the food it says it pairs well with on the back. It is sorta like losing in the playoffs… ya knew your team was good but just not good enough to match up with the elite team. Your still happy and continue to support them though.

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.

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…

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 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.

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.

Root 1 Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile, 2007)

Mike — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:28:15 +0000

	This is a Cabernet from Chile. We reviewed the 2005 in January and thought we would compare the 2007 to that vintage. Once again this wine falls below the 04 that we really liked. It is not a bad wine but just not up to the level of the 04. Give it a try with some grilled red meat and you might find this to be a decent wine that is worth the price.
	$12 from Trader Joe’s

Hints of citrus with a strong alcohol scent Jammy aromas with spicy notes. Tastes of grapefruit A bit sharp on the tongue Overall mouth feel is a bit harsh and big with has a long finish This wine is definitely a food wine that would be great with a porterhouse steak and twice baked potato Bold and in your face like a school yard bully….taking it on by itself can be a bit overwhelming but pairing this wine with a hearty meal will take some of the edge off and reveal its softer side.

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”

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.

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.

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.