2007 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon $13

A California Cab by the Three Thieves and Rebel Wine. They don’t own vineyards, they source the grapes from wherever they can get the most bang for the buck. In this case, the Central Coast, Mendocino, Lodi, Napa Valley, Lake County and Sonoma. The 2005 Vintage got huge buzz as the best low price Cab around. Since they are at the mercy of the market to get the best grapes at the right price, this wine can fluctuate in taste from year to year.  85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petite Sirah, with the other 4% split between Merlot and Cab Franc. Aged in French and American Oak.

Well, they got the color right, deep dark cherry red with strawberry highlights. Not a lot going on with the nose, some red fruit, some vanilla and not a whole lot more. Nice mouth feel, almost oily, it really brings the flavor to all points in your mouth. The taste is intense cherry softened by vanilla, not super complex, but good tasting. Good cherry cola finish.  The tannins are very light, I don’t think you want to age The Show, definitely a drink it now wine.

A lighter style Cab, this won’t turn the heads of the Silver Oak crowd, but a good alternative to Shiraz or Malbec. A tasty sipper, drink this while playing Xbox360, it will make any game a little more interesting.

2005 Erasmo Vina La Reserva de Caliboro

Estate grown and bottled in the Maule Valley Region of Chile (The Maule Valley is near the epicenter of the recent earthquake). A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot, this is the classic blend of the French Bordeaux grapes, but grown in Chile, under the direction of Francesco Marone Cinzano, a top Italian producer. Aged 18 months in French Oak barriques (barrels to you and me), the Erasmo has aging potential and should continue to improve for several years. The grapevines  were imported to Chile from France especially for this project.

The color is black cherry with a light red halo. Loads of spice on the nose, dark ripe fruit, dusty autumn leaves and whiffs of oak. A light mouth feel, but big on flavor. The first taste to hit your tongue is ripe blackberries, blueberries and silky french vanilla, and then you feel/sense the tannins at the back of your mouth. A huge, long lasting finish of cherries, tea and butterscotch. Still a young wine, with a nice firm structure. This is a wine that you want to buy several bottles of, drink one now, another in a couple of years, and another in a few more years. The tannins will soften and the level of flavors will become more complex with the passage of time. The Erasmo has a classy sophisticated flavor now and will pair well with steaks and chops.

Wine Courtesy of Palm Bay Imports

2008 Big Woop Red Wine $13

A full one liter bottle, makes this Grenache, Shiraz and  Petit Verdot Red blend a Big Woop. Ben Riggs is the winemaker and he also makes our favorite $8 Red Wine, Woop Woop Shiraz. Sourced from McLaren Vale, Riverland and the Limestone Coast of Australia, with a 14.5% alcohol content.

The color is a deep dark red with crimson highlights. The nose is unexpected, pencil shavings, cedar moth balls, light menthol, leather and red fruit. What’s going on with cheap wine, all these aromas used to be the exclusive right of the expensive stuff. The mouth feel is very full, a bit of an explosion of taste. The flavor is ripe dark fruit with a dose of the Shiraz spice at the end. Nice long finish of raspberry iced tea.

The Big Woop Red Blend is a tasty little wine. You don’t expect a whole bunch from something called Big Woop, but this wine delivers beyond expectations.

2007 A to Z Oregon Riesling – $12

Sourced from 4 vineyards, two in the higher altitudes of Southern Oregon and two of the oldest vineyards in the Northern Willamette Valley. No malolactic fermentation (Wine Fact: Malolactic fermentation gives the wine a full lush mouth feel and imparts a buttered popcorn nose and a green apple flavor to the wine.) Fairly small production of 2,733 cases.

The color is a very light golden wheat yellow. The nose is tangerines, mineral dust and key lime pie. The flavor is soft orange blossom honey, delicate, not tart citrus. The finish is soft ripe peaches, again very delicate. A seductive wine, it does not hit you over the head with flavor, but it sneaks up on you, it wraps itself around your taste buds.

The A to Z has nice acidity, but don’t pair it with food that is too spicy. The soft honeyed citrus and fruit would better accompany lighter meals and dessert.

2005 Costano Solanera – $14

91 points Wine Spectator, 90 points Stephen Tanzer and Robert Parkers’ Spanish Wine Bargain under $20. Imported and custom blended by Eric Solomon, which is always a good sign, wines with Solomon’s name on the back label are usually a very good bet. A  red wine blend of 65% Monastrell, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tintorera sourced from the Yecla Region of Southern Spain, an up and coming wine region that does not have a trendy name yet. Unfiltered and unfined, ten months aged in oak.

The color is a dark plush deep blood red. The nose is smoke, red twizzlers and dry autumn leaves.  Big and chewy with noticeable but smooth tannins . Tastes of silky dark chocolate truffles with liqueur centers, figs and blueberries. The finish is exactly the same as the initial taste that slowly fades into oblivion. A lush and I dare say, classy wine. Not fun and fruity, but deep dark and thought provoking. Another case of a under $20 wine that can compete with the big boys.

2008 Cotes Du Rhone Signargues La Granacha – $13

I was wandering thru the wine shop looking for a bottle to purchase, nothing on sale interested me.  I saw a Granacha (why the Spanish spelling for a French wine, I don’t know) from the Cotes du Rhone, I checked the back label and saw that it was imported by Eric Solomon, that was a good sign. I have had good luck with Eric Solomon wines, he has a knack with finding good “off the beaten path”wines.

I hit the internet to find a bit of information and found this is sourced from 80 year old Grenache vines from the Signargues region of the Rhone Valley. Organic and sustainable farming, unfiltered and unfined (that means they do nothing to get solids out of the wine). Half the wine sees 6 months in French oak, the other half aged in stain-less steel vats. The Signargues is not a well known wine area, so the wines do not command a high price. The 2007 vintage got 91 point in Wine Spectator.

Opaque purple with a contrasting red halo. The nose is French funk, black  licorice, the smell of coloring Easter eggs and raspberry jam. The taste is bright fresh fruit mixed with jammy fruit, blackberries and blueberries with a late splash of spice in the back of your mouth, a bit of acidity can be felt on the tongue. The finish is chocolate milk, berries and a touch of spice. A well structured wine, not just a ton of fruit, layered and nuanced. This is a versatile wine that can be paired with many different dishes and still be a good back porch sipper.

2007 Taz Santa Barbara Pinot Noir – $13

This California Central Coast Pinot is sourced from two vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Grapes from the North Canyon Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley that are soft and delicate are added to grapes from the Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills that are big and bold. Two different sides of Central Coast Pinot blended into one bottle. 1/4th of the juice saw French oak barrels the rest was aged to neutral oak, so a bit of oak for flavor but not much for aging, a drink it now wine.

The color is a rich deep see thru purple. It has that funky Pinot nose, mushroom, forest floor and then strawberries and spice. Medium mouth feel, not lush, but not watery. The taste is cherries and chocolate covered strawberries, but not sweet, there is a good deal of acidity. You can really feel the acidity on your tongue and the back of your mouth. A nice blueberry and cherry juice finish.
A $13 complicated, interesting and tasty Pinot, be still my heart.

2008 Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha – $16

Grenache is THE GRAPE of Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape – you know – the Rhone blends. It’s a grape that gets you lightly colored, soft yet FULL wines chock full of strawberry and raspberry. While not particularly rich or complex, Grenache is one of the world’s most widely-planted grapes, and it gives up a unique character wherever it’s planted.

Well, in the up-by-Rioja “Campo de Borja” region (no, not Victor Borge, he was the Great Dane, not the Great Spaniard) of Spain (well, all of Spain), it’s known as Garnacha. This one from Borsao’s Three Peaks (Tres Picos) is deep violet in the glass, insanely smoky in a good way – like someone lit a Cohiba full of black pepper and flowers dipped in Indian spices right next to you.

Taking a sip (or nibbling on Jillian Michael’s shoulders), you get awesome body in your mouth (apologies to Jillian, had to give Megan Fox a break). Blackberry, raspberry and strawberry give way to a long silky finish of cocoa. I have no doubt this thing would be $50 if it came from France and was called Grenache.

Drink by itself or with turkey chili or pork chops.

2007 Les Traverses de Fontanes – $15

This is a delicious and unusual bottle of wine, and an amazing deal at under $20.  Although it is Cabernet Sauvignon, it pours out bright purple and has a lot of vibrant fruit.  It has raspberry and strawberry and a hint of cocoa.

It honestly is one of the most unique Cabs we have ever tasted, and we really liked it.  It is a must try.

2006 Oakwood Hollow Napa Pinot Noir – $14

I thought I was done with the end of the bin series, but I found one more. In Chicago,there used to be two large liquor stores, Sam’s and Binny’s. Binny’s bought Sam’s and all the Sam’s specific Wines are now on cut out. This Napa Valley Pinot is made by the same people who made the ne-go-ciant Syrah, it is comprised from 6 barrels purchased from some unknown Napa vineyard. It once retailed for $28, but Sam’s is gone, it is now an orphan and sells for $14, I don’t expect you to find this exact same wine, but equal deals are available out there, you just have to explore and find them.

Ok, Oakwood Hollow is a fake name and it sounds way too much like the place Winnie the Pooh lived, but a $28 Pinot made from Napa fruit is very likely to be better than a $14 Pinot sourced from vineyards all over California. The color is see thru ruby red. The nose has whiffs of alcohol but also chocolate covered cherries and mint. The taste is sour cherries at first then dark fruit, cranberries and vanilla, the tannins are light, but you can sense the oak on the back of your palate. A long somewhat nondescript finish, a little too sour to be delicious. A tasty wine but with the sour cherries and cranberries it is very tart . This is definitely a food wine and not an afternoon sipper.

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