2009 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois California Red

The menage a trois referenced here is the coupling of three grapes, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The actual blend is 46% Zin, 31% Merlot and 23% Cab, the grapes are sourced from vineyards all across California, basically wherever they can get the best grapes for the least amount of money. The wine is aged in French and American oak. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are 2 grapes that dominate most Bordeaux red wines and adding in some Zinfandel is a California twist on the Bordeaux blends. The alcohol level is 13.5%.

A deep dark, clear raspberry jello red. The nose does not give up much, a bit of strawberry, a touch of chocolate and not much else. Nicely fruit forward, soft round black and blueberry flavors, cocoa powder, raspberry and then you can sense the tannins in the mid-palate. The tannins are light, but give the Menage a Trois enough structure and body to hold the fruit together. There is a nice raspberry jam finish.

A good starter red wine for people who don’t know if they like red wine. Nice flavor, soft and approachable, but there is enough going on to please experienced red wine drinkers.

2009 Alexander & Fitch Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $7

Another Trader Joe’s exclusive. Alexander & Fitch is one of Bronco Wine Company’s (makers of Two Buck Chuck) labels. The grapes are sourced from Alexander Valley, which is located in the Northeast corner of Sonoma, California. Like almost all other Trader Joe’s wines, there is not much information concerning the making of the Cabernet available. Is it 100% Cabernet Sauvignon?, was it aged in oak? Ah, just drink the wine and don’t ask any questions. 13.2% alcohol.

Deep, dark, rich, burgundy red. Intense red berry nose, a hint of leather and a little alcohol. The flavor is strawberry, plum,  dark chocolate and then some blackberry. Light tannins, along with good fruit. The finish is blackberry, not super long, but tastes good.

A solid cheap bottle of wine. A very drinkable, everyday Cab. The lack of tannins make it a bit soft and lacking in structure, but for an everyday wine that’s not all that bad. The Alexander & Fitch Cabernet would pair well with burgers and steaks cooked on the backyard grill.

2009 Trader Joe’s Vinas Chilenas Cabernet Sauvignon $4

I think I’m getting addicted to these Trader Joe’s cheapie wines, every couple of weeks I have to try another one. I can’t pass up a new wine on display by the entrance door. The cheap wines are not always to my liking, but at 5 bucks and under, I can’t get to worked up about so-so wine. The good thing about Vinas Chilenas  is that cheap wine from Chile tends to be better quality than cheap wine from just about any other place, so Vinas Chilenas may bring more to the table than Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw wines can. This Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Central Valley in Chile. Like most other Trader Joe’s exclusive wines there is almost no other information available. Alcohol content is 13.5%

The color is crystal clear dark plum red. The nose is on the simple side, some red fruit, a little chocolate and a grassy aroma. Some strawberry, a little plum, dark chocolate and then a slight bite in the back of your mouth from the tannins. The finish is dark chocolate and berry and disappears in a hurry.

A very drinkable Cabernet, not exciting by any means, but far better than it needs to be for the price. The Vinas Chilenas Cabernet Sauvignon would do just fine with pizza and burgers and a bottle of this stuff will cost you less than either the burger or the pizza.

2008 Black Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon – $9

Sometimes, supermarket wines rise above their humble origins and really deliver the goods. There is nothing about the Black Ridge Cab that leads you to believe it is anything but average, that is until you taste it. But here it is, a nice real Cabernet Sauvignon for under 10 bucks.

Blended with a little Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah, this wine has black cherry and cassis flavors with an oaky rich finish. Steak and roast lamb would be a perfect fit.

2008 Peirano Estate Vineyards “The Other” Red Blend

Ok, I picked this wine because of the label. If I have to pick between a wine with a plain label or a wine with a naked lady on the label, I’m going with the naked lady every time. Actually, a beautiful or clever label is pretty good reason to choose a wine, the best winemakers tend to be very creative people, so it stands to reason the label on their bottle should be creative (or naked).

The Other is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Syrah all sourced from Peirano Estate Vineyards in Lodi, California. The 3 grapes were fermented and aged separately and then blended at the very end of the process. The alcohol content is 13.8%.  Peirano Vineyard Estates has been making wine for 4 generations.

The color is back cherry jello. The nose is blackberries, blueberries, cedar and a touch of vanilla. Soft smooth fruit upfront, raspberry, black cherry jam on buttered toast, strawberry dipped in dark chocolate and light oak spice. A long blueberry vanilla finish.

A very easy wine to drink, an excellent every day wine. Would pair well with burgers or pizza, or skip the food and enjoy a glass or two.

2007 Novella Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Yes, another Trader Joe’s wine and like the others there is no information available for the wine. Is it 100% Cabernet? How much time is it aged in oak? Anything? The Winemaker, EOS Vintage does not list the Novella on it’s website, though you can find reviews for vintages up to 2005 on the internet. EOS Vintage was purchased by another company in 2009, so maybe this bottle from Trader Joe’s has something to do with the sale. Alcohol content is 13.5%.

The color is liquid cherry Jello red. A simple nose, dark fruit, plums and caramel. The first flavor is tart cherry juice, milk chocolate, a bit too oaky, there is a dry taste in your mouth along with a bite from the tannins. The finish is cherry licorice. Not the most balanced wine, but it is still drinkable.

The cherry and chocolate flavors are actually very nice, though I wouldn’t pair it with food, it’s more of a back-porch sipper. At $7 a bottle you can’t get too bent out of shape if the wine has a flaw or two.

2007 A to Z Night & Day Southern Crossing Red Blend

35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 10% Sangiovese, 4% Grenache and 4% Cabernet Franc all sourced from vineyards in the Rouge Valley of Southwestern Oregon. The wine is aged in French oak barrels, A to Z’s website does not specify the length of time the Night & Day was aged, but says the wine should continue to improve for the next 5 to 10 years. 13.5% alcohol content.

Really dark opaque red. The nose is cherries, plums, dark chocolate, cigars and vanilla. Complicated and good tasting, Ripe red fruit, then cocoa powder, followed by black and blueberries, oak spice and creamy vanilla hits at the mid-palate. A long, long finish of blueberry and vanilla.

A talented Winemaker can take good grapes and blend them into a final product that is far better than the individual ingredients. The A to Z Night  & Day Southern Crossing, a bit of a long winded name, is an expertly made, well balanced, yummy wine. This would pair very well with a nice bacon wrapped filet.

The A to Z website has a list of local distributors, if you would like to find the Night & Day Southern Crossing in your area.

http://www.atozwineworks.com/distributors.html

2006 Sierra Salinas Mo Monastrall

Sourced from vineyards at the lowest slopes of the Sierra Salinas Mountains in the Alicante Provence in Spain. Made from Monastrall grapes, along with Garnacha Tintorera, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Monastrall is also known as Mourvedre and Mataro and it is the M in the GSM blends. Manual harvest (people picked the grapes, not machines) and aged 4 months in French oak barrels, the alcohol content is 14%. 90 points Robert Parker.

Deep dark, almost black red. The nose is blackberry, blueberry, pepper, vanilla and a new mown hay. Nice raspberry and blueberry upfront, then softer strawberry followed by raisin spice. Good tannins, gives the wine a nice structure, but does not give you that tannin bite in the back of your palate. A tasty blueberry vanilla finish.

Spain is producing some excellent Monastrall wines at an excellent price. I know Monastrall is not the first grape that comes to mind when you head to your local Wine Shop to grab a bottle or two, but often wines made from grapes that are “off the beaten path”  can’t command the prices of the usual suspects, i.e.…Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc.. Just the same, the Sierra Salinas Mo Monastrall is a solid bottle of wine, with good fruit and spice that would go well anything off the backyard grill or drinks well on it’s own.

2009 Coopernet Cabernet Sauvignon – $14

This wine is dedicated to the first place Chicago White Sox and their fans. As everyone knows, championship teams are built around pitching and the White Sox having a pitching coach second to none.

Don Cooper has been the best pitching coach in the majors for several years, and now in his honor we have a wine in his name.

Don Cooper’s “Coopernet” 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is a tasty treat. It is fruit forward with plum and cassis. It is a bold, chewy Cab with a nice long finish. But the best part of this wine is that all proceeds go to one of our favorite charities, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. At St. Baldrick’s events, men and woman shave their heads in solidarity with children with cancer, raising money for childhood cancer research.

So go buy this delicious Cab and help the charities as well. And GO SOX !!

2005 Conn Creek Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon $19

The majority of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are sourced from Conn Creek’s Collins Vineyard in Napa, with grapes from 8 other Napa sub regions rounding out the mix. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine is aged for 26 months in 40% new and 60% 1 year old French oak Barrels. Alcohol content is 14.8%. 30,000 cases produced.

Dark burgundy red in color. The nose is more vegetable than fruit, green pepper dominates, and then flowers along with oak. This is no fruit forward wine, blackberry, figs, prunes with cocoa powder and oak spice. The tannins and the oak are evident but not out of balance. A lengthy tart berry finish.

A dark brooding wine, European in style, not the fruit driven Cabernet’s you usually see in this price range. A well made wine with quality Napa fruit, that is a change of pace from the usual wine available for under $20.

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