http://www.justagrape.com Simple Wine Reviews By Regular Guys Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:00:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.justagrape.com/benefactor-cellars-australia-2010/ http://www.justagrape.com/benefactor-cellars-australia-2010/#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:15:52 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=683 This wine had a huge special display at Traders Joe’s so we grabbed it as we walked by. It had a really cool label and we figured that with the price being so good and the label being so cool we would give it a shot.  The wine is very harsh out of the bottle so we decanted it in order to see if we noticed any difference. $5 from Trader Joe’s

• Harsh aromas of alcohol to the point that it burns your nose
• Very acidic at first
• A slight tart aroma similar to green apple
• Decanting opens up the aromas and we are getting hints of berries
• A bit of prune and strawberry on the finish
• High tannins and MUST BE DECANTED!!!!!!
• Harsh and cruel like death at a young age… just like the age of this wine.  You would be better off hoping that your benefactor left you a six pack!

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/benefactor-cellars-australia-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/ora-montepulciano-dabruzzo-italy-2008/ http://www.justagrape.com/ora-montepulciano-dabruzzo-italy-2008/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 04:46:14 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=643 Ora Montepulciano D’Abruzzo from Fresh & Easy.  This is a new wine that we picked up to have after a great Thanksgiving Day meal.  The price led us to not expect much but we were very surprised by the depth and character of this wine. $5 from Fresh & Easy

• Pepper and Spice smells
• Earthy with damp hay
• Tastes of sour cherry with plum at the end
• Smooths out a lot after decanting
• Intense, deep, complex, yet at a price point that is undeniably perfect… like ordering Monday Night Football tickets online and ending up with Bowl Game tickets by accident.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/ora-montepulciano-dabruzzo-italy-2008/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/chariot-gypsy-red-california-2008/ http://www.justagrape.com/chariot-gypsy-red-california-2008/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:51:50 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/?p=597 This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese.  This popular yet limited availability Trader Joe’s wine is once again available at this time (or at least it is here in Arizona).  This is our first review of a Gypsy vintage and it did not disappoint.  Overall providing fantastic value from a $5 bottle.  If you do see it your local Trader Joe’s, don’t leave without buying at least a couple! $5 from Trader Joe’s

• Smells of all spice, cedar, fire and smoke!
• Smooth texture with a great overall mouth feel.
• Sweet start with a dry medium finish.
• Tastes of charcoal, earth and wood with fruit undertones of dark berries and raspberry.
• Fascinating, deep and complex… like a book you pick up from a garage sale because you need something to read on vacation… yet once you start it you cannot put it down and it is more engrossing than the vacation itself.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/chariot-gypsy-red-california-2008/feed/ 3 http://www.justagrape.com/recoleta-blend-argentina-2007/ http://www.justagrape.com/recoleta-blend-argentina-2007/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:43:15 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/recoleta-blend-argentina-2007/ This is a Malbec Bonarda Blend from Argentina. $5 from Fresh & Easy

• Very light scents of fruit with a predominant alcohol smell
• Strong tastes of blackberry at first
• Hints of pipe tobacco follow the fruit
• A lot of body but the flavors are not defined….they tend to meld together
• A bit unrefined and boisterous….like the obnoxious friend everyone has in their circle… You can handle him in small doses and you don’t really hate him….you just need to limit your time with him before he becomes a little too much.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/recoleta-blend-argentina-2007/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/nathansons-creek-cabernet-sauvignon-california-unknown-year/ http://www.justagrape.com/nathansons-creek-cabernet-sauvignon-california-unknown-year/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:59:18 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/nathansons-creek-cabernet-sauvignon-california-unknown-year/
This is a Cabernet Sauvignon that my wife Lynnette picked up from Sprouts. She bought it so I could make a pan sauce to go with the steak she purchased as well for me to grill.  This wine is a non-vintage. $5 at Sprouts

• Light, fruity and pleasant aromas
• A rush of fresh raspberries right off the bat
• Oak undertones
• More Sweet and fruity than earthy but not overwhelmingly sweet
• This is not as big and bold as you might expect from cabernet but it is still good.
• Decent wine, but you feel a little bit tricked since it did not have the usual characteristics of a Cab…Kinda like going to a movie because of the previews you saw….Then the movie turns out to be very different than you expected….but the pan sauce was excellent!

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/nathansons-creek-cabernet-sauvignon-california-unknown-year/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:59:19 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/ This is a Primitivo form the Puglia region of Italy. $5 Purchased at Fresh & Easy.

• Smells light and mineraly.
• Black cherry aromas.
• Full bodied and dry with subtle tannins.
• Nice berry flavors with just a hint of spice.
• Take this wine for what it is…It is a 5 dollar bottle. Kinda like having a hot dog on this grill….If you are expecting an expensive fillet mignon then you will be disappointed but….if you know that you bought a package of hot dogs and know the price of them then you will appreciate it for what it is. Besides…sometime a hot dog just his the spot.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/ogio-primitivo-italy-2006/feed/ 6 http://www.justagrape.com/black-mountain-california-2003/ http://www.justagrape.com/black-mountain-california-2003/#comments Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:52:47 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/black-mountain-california-2003/ This wine is a Malbec from California by Trader Joes private label winery Black Mountain. $5 Purchased at Trader Joe’s

• Strong blueberry notes
• Good with shrimp
• Girl that looks really good, but once you date her you want someone else; not satisfying and leaves you wanting something else.

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