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/zingari-toscana-italy-2008/ http://www.justagrape.com/zingari-toscana-italy-2008/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:00:01 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=706 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/zingari-toscana-italy-2008/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/marietta-old-vine-red-california-non-vintage/ http://www.justagrape.com/marietta-old-vine-red-california-non-vintage/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:17:21 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/?p=623 This wine was a request for a review by a visitor to our site.  We heard good things about it and figured we would go ahead and give it a try.  We actually bought it once before and planned on reviewing it; but then just ended up having it with dinner and missed out on reviewing it.  Since we really liked it, we felt like we needed make a point to review it… so here we go!!!! $9 From Total Wine

• Rich aromas of vanilla and over ripe berries
• Sweet components yet nicely balanced
• Very smooth and easy drinking
• Flavors of plum on the tip of the tongue
• Subtle sweetness that leads to a pretty good finish
• A good wine that feels a little like a nice visit from your grandmother.  She is sweet and charming but not overly gushing with wet kisses.  Her stories charm you and when she leaves it almost feels as if she is still here.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/marietta-old-vine-red-california-non-vintage/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/casillero-del-diablo-chile-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/casillero-del-diablo-chile-2006/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:45:04 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/?p=495 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/casillero-del-diablo-chile-2006/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/casillero-del-diablo-chile-2007/ http://www.justagrape.com/casillero-del-diablo-chile-2007/#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:18:17 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/?p=491 Casillero del Diablo Concha Y Toro is a Cabernet from Chile.  We would really like to try this same bottle again after a year or two of aging.  This is a companion review to the 2006 vintage of the same wine.  We recommend the 2006 for right now. $9 from Fresh & Easy

• Fruitier aroma than the 2006.
• Aroma of leafy greens with a bit of fruit.
• Abrasive harsh bite in the taste.
• Too harsh and minerally.  The harshness diminishes any positives and overpowers everything else.
• Not quite as refined as her older sister.  This wine seems to be stuck in the terrible twos.  Maybe with some aging and maturity she will develop and fulfill the promise of her older sibling

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/casillero-del-diablo-chile-2007/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/georges-debceuf-beaujolais-villages-france-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/georges-debceuf-beaujolais-villages-france-2006/#comments Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:02:19 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/?p=233 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/georges-debceuf-beaujolais-villages-france-2006/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/concannon-petite-sirah-2005/ http://www.justagrape.com/concannon-petite-sirah-2005/#comments Sun, 18 May 2008 16:04:13 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/concannon-petite-sirah-2005/ 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/concannon-petite-sirah-2005/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/baron-philippe-de-rothschild-pinot-noir-france-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/baron-philippe-de-rothschild-pinot-noir-france-2006/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 03:02:37 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/baron-philippe-de-rothschild-pinot-noir-france-2006/ 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/baron-philippe-de-rothschild-pinot-noir-france-2006/feed/ 1 http://www.justagrape.com/bogle-merlot-california-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/bogle-merlot-california-2006/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 14:57:47 +0000 Eddie http://www.justagrape.com/bogle-merlot-california-2006/ 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/bogle-merlot-california-2006/feed/ 3 http://www.justagrape.com/joe-blow-red-california-2005/ http://www.justagrape.com/joe-blow-red-california-2005/#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:48:36 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/joe-blow-red-california-2005/ 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.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/joe-blow-red-california-2005/feed/ 6 http://www.justagrape.com/black-opal-cabernet-merlot-australia-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/black-opal-cabernet-merlot-australia-2006/#comments Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:16:52 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/black-opal-cabernet-merlot-australia-2006/ This is a blend of Cabernet and Merlot from the Black Opal wineries of South Eastern Australia. We remember enjoying the 2004 version of this wine. We also tried the 2005 and did not like it nearly as much as the 2004. Sadly it seems the 2006 is also disappointing. $9 Purchased at Target

• Very subtle bouquet of strawberries.
• Slightly acidic in both start and finish with high tannins, decanting is highly recommended.
• Citrus and plumb flavors (with the citrus being the dominant flavor)
• Smooths out a bit after some time in the decanter.
• This is definitely a wine to have with a meal, we would not recommend having it on it’s own. It may earn another half trophy or two if enjoyed with a juicy burger or steak. So essentially, this wine is like a steak sauce… it’s pretty much only enjoyable if you have it with steak.

]]> http://www.justagrape.com/black-opal-cabernet-merlot-australia-2006/feed/ 0 http://www.justagrape.com/red-truck-petite-sirah-california-2006/ http://www.justagrape.com/red-truck-petite-sirah-california-2006/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:52:28 +0000 Mike http://www.justagrape.com/red-truck-petite-sirah-california-2006/ This Sirah from Ukiah California is made from certified organic grapes. $9 Purchased at Whole Foods

• A sweet wine with a lot of Tannins.
• Decanting is recommended.
• Hints of pipe tobacco and maple syrup in the bouquet.
• A good after dinner wine.
• Like the bubbly little girl that is always smiling, sweet and happy… ya get a little bored and sick of her… ya need a little spice and dryness in your life. Now if you are the kind of guy that likes this… then go ahead grab a bottle… put on that happy little perm-a-grin and enjoy your time together.

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