2007 Charles & Charles Red $9

Charles & Charles are Charles Bieler (Three Thieves, among others) and Charles Smith (K Vintners). This is a 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend. The grapes are all grown on the Wahluke Slope in the Columbia Valley, Washington in vineyards owned by the Milbrandt Family (for more on these vineyards http://tinyurl.com/2g7ja6k ). The Cabernet Sauvignon is aged in French oak barrels, while the Syrah is aged in stainless steel vats.

Now this is pretty cool, an American wine sourced from a single appellation, with some of the grapes seeing expensive French oak, all for under ten bucks. You see these types wines coming from South America or Spain, but it’s not easy for American Winemakers to pull this off. It’s safe to say Charles & Charles know what they are doing.

Dark clear ruby red in color. Dark fruit, leather and bitter dark chocolate on the nose. The blend of the oaked Cab and the unoaked Syrah works really well. The dark fruit and chocolate of the Cab hits first, then the bright fresh ripe fruit of the Syrah jumps out. The tannins are soft and there is crisp acidity present in the midpalate. The finish is chocolate covered blueberries.

Try this wine in a blind tasting with a $20 wine and a $30 wine, see if you can figure out which wine is the nine buck wine. The Charles & Charles Red will fool alot of people.

2009 Charles & Charles Rose’ Volume 2 $10

A joint effort involving Charles Bieler (Three Thieves and Rebel Wine; their The Show Cabernet Sauvignon is reviewed on this site) and Charles Smith (Charles Smith Wines and K Vintners; Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Eve Chardonnay and Boom Boom Syrah among others are also reviewed on these pages).Sourced from Syrah grapes grown in a single vineyard, the Talcott Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope area of Columbia Valley, Washington. The 2008 vintage recieved 90 pts in Wine Spectator.

Rose’ wines are made from red wine grapes, but with white wine-making methods. The red grape skins are removed from the grape juice after a short period of time, giving the Rose’ a much lighter color than traditional red wines. In the Charles and Charles Rose’ the grape skins are removed as soon as the grapes are pressed.

The color is peach fuzz pink. The nose is huge, strawberry shortcake and rose petals. The flavor is not sweet, but tart, crisp, refreshing. Tart strawberry dominates, then some rounder smoother melon kicks in. Tart light berry with a hint of lime finish. Good acidity and structure, a well constructed wine.

Rose’ wine is huge in Europe, in countries that have a Cafe’ culture. People sit in Cafe’s all night long and visit with friends while drinking wine. They need a crisp, light, but good tasting wine with a low or moderate alcohol level, and a good Rose’ fills the bill.

2009 Kung Fu Girl Riesling $11

We reviewed the 2008 vintage of Kung Fu Girl and were impressed by the quality of the wine. Sourced from a single vineyard, the Evergreen Vineyard, located in the Columbia Valley region of Washington State. The label does not take itself too seriously, but the wine is a serious Riesling.

Real pretty nose, fragrant, delicate aromas of peaches, apricots, cut flowers and slate dust. A light oily mouth feel, tons of flavor exploding in the front of your mouth. Tastes of tangerines, apricots and a bit of minerality up front with lemon/lime in the back of the palate. A solidly constructed wine, not sweet at all, has the nice initial burst of fruit flavors, then the slightly tart mid-palate then a smooth long finish. Very well balanced, has enough acidity to stand up to asian food, but with enough fruit to make this a wine to drink on it’s own.

I was a big fan of the 2008 vintage and the 2009 is even better. Made by Charles Smith Wines, this is a Winemaker to take note of, he is making some really excellent wines in the under $20 price category.

2006 Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon – $16

I am a fan of the wines made by Charles Smith Wines.  He is doing some really cool things with wine at a affordable price. This Cab is sourced from a vineyard in Columbia Valley, Washington. 85% Cabernet, 10% Malbec and 5% Cab Franc, kind of low alcohol for a Cab, only 13.5 %.

Now this is a cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon, if you are going to measure this against a Napa or Sonoma Cab you are going to be taken aback. Not oaky and with smooth tannins, tastes of black and blueberries and chocolate covered cherries. Tastes smooth, not thick, has a nice finish that is nuanced. Charles Smith says that this is not a Bordeaux wine this is a Washington wine, which I take to mean he is turning the terroir thing around on the French.

This is a Cab that would appeal to Barossa Valley Shiraz lovers. Very fruit forward, but still has some complexity. Untwist the screw-top and your ready to go.

2007 Boom Boom Syrah

This is a Syrah from Charles Smith Vineyards with grapes sourced from Columbia Valley, Washington State. Charles Smith is arguably the hottest Syrah winemaker going today. His high-end wines have a huge buzz, and the Boom Boom is his entry level Syrah.

This is a well made wine, it drinks way above it’s price range. It tastes good. It is smooth, the fruit is rich and spicy and the finish lingers. If you want a full bodied wine that tastes great and can be had for under $20 (I paid $15.99), this is an excellent choice.

A tip: check to see if a high-end winemaker you follow makes a “budget” wine. If a winemaker can make a wine that would inspire someone to spend $100 on a bottle, they can usually make a wine that rocks for under $20. Follow the winemaker and great wines can be found. Not all of the expensive guys care to make a budget wine, so support the ones that do.

2007 Eve Chardonnay Charles Smith Wines

Picked up this Columbia Valley, Washington State Chardonnay for $11.99. The first thing that hits you is the smell of apples, it’s as if you are standing in an orchard.  The apples come through on the palate, crisp juicy fresh apples, not cider, also some pear and on the very end a touch of butter.

This is more fruit driven and less oaky than your typical California Chardonnay. If California Chards are not doing it for you or you just want a change of pace, seek the Eve Chardonnay out. This is winemaker makes wines worth looking for.

2008 Kung Fu Girl Riesling

Single vineyard, estate bottled Riesling from the USA all for $10.99. While there is nothing wrong with wines sourced from different areas, many excellent wines are made this way, it’s pretty cool to get a single vineyard Columbia Valley, Washington wine at this price range.

 Kung Fu Girl has a very fragrant nose and tastes of apricots with a bit of lime, The finish is nice and long, fruity but not too sweet. This is a good wine to offer to the person who is new to wine or does not think they like wine, it’s very tasty and easy to enjoy.