Archive for category Red
Calistoga Cellars – 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Posted by Jeff in 91-95, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, Wine on 6 September 2010
Long gone are the days when I could get awesome wine for $30 dollars. Now, sadly, it costs me quite a bit more. But I did have one holdover from the good old days – a bottle recommended by my old local wine guy: a Calistoga Cellars 2006 Napa Cab. $30 Napa cabs are generally above my typical price point for a bottle of wine, but it was a special treat, and the first cool day of fall seemed to be occasion enough.
Lisa summed up the bouquet quite well: “If you really stick your nose in it, you feel like you might get drunk from smelling it.” This isn’t to say it has a heavy alcohol hint, but rather that the flavor of the wine comes across in its aroma as much as its taste. At first the Calistoga seems rather normal, perhaps masquerading as a simple wine that is exceptionally well controlled, but the longer you hold it in your mouth the more you begin to appreciate the complexities in the palate. The simple fruit of the first stage progresses to a slightly sweet but intense berry middle, with hints of tobacco, chocolate and faint spice at the end. It isn’t a heavy, gentleman’s wine, but rather has a bit of lightness to it, while still managing to be coy and somewhat distant.
We’ve said this before about some of the more expensive wines we’ve reviewed, but the bottom line of the Calistoga is this: there’s nothing particularly remarkable about the bottle, but it is, simply put, extremely well executed. For $30, it is a very solid wine, and certainly a clear improvement over the $20-25 range. For $50, I might want more, but at this price point, the value is definitely there.
Score: 93
Don David – 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Posted by Jeff in 86-90, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, Wine on 5 August 2010
I’m trying to branch out and get new things. It’s easier to do this, of course, because many of the wines I would purchase at home are no longer available to me, thanks to the state-instituted lack of availability. No matter. Maybe we can find something decent.
Don David is an Argentinian label that doesn’t come from Mendoza, interestingly enough. It’s part of the rather large and rather international Michel Torino estate of wineries, which means that at least somewhere up the food chain someone knows how to make a decent bottle of wine. This particular version was about $17 at my local wine store, which means those of you who live in normal jurisdictions can probably pick it up for about $3.50.
I’ll just start by saying this: I like the Don David. I really do. It isn’t really what I expected, by which I mean it isn’t a typical South American Cab, or really even a typical Cab. If anything, it feels more like a Cabernet Sauvignon / Cabernet Franc blend, with powerful, tart flavors instead of the typical subdued, controlled feel you get from Chilean or Mendoza wines. That isn’t to say that it’s not controlled – it is – but it has more of a cranberry feel to it than any wine I’ve ever had. Its beautiful dark color and silky feel make it rather difficult to compare to any other Cab from the region – indeed it might be mistaken for a slightly less bold Malbec than a Cabernet if you were having a bad day.
Unfortunately, the Don David’s novelty is also where it falls short. There are certain expectations of what a South American Cab should be, and this just doesn’t fit. It isn’t that it’s a bad bottle of wine – in fact I will probably buy another. But when you buy one thing on the label and get another in the bottle, it somehow changes the whole experience. Good bottle? Yes. Good Cab? Not really. Good purchase? As long as you know what you’re getting.
Score: 88
Clos Du Bois – 2006 Zinfindel
I’ll be honest. I didn’t mean to buy this wine. I was picking up a Zen of Zin, and didn’t notice that this was misplaced in its rack until I had already paid for it. No worries – worth trying, right? In a normal jurisdiction with sane wine laws, the Clos Du Bois is a $12 wine. In mine, it isn’t. No matter. How bad can it be?
The Clos Du Bois label is promising – raspberry, strawberry, cinnamon – sounds great right? In some measure the label’s promise does deliver. There is good fruit flavor and a reasonable amount of spice, giving a fairly reasonable flavor profile that you would expect from a Zin. Unfortunately, this flavor is also accompanied by a watered down feel that might be the inspiration for Ravenswood’s “No Wimpy Wines” slogan – more than anything this particular Zin example just feels weak.
Zinfandels in this price range are not known for being… good. The Clos Du Bois is no exception. While it exhibits the characteristics you would expect in a Zin, they’re just not there in bold enough fashion to make you happy with your purchase. For a similar (or even cheaper) price, the Zen of Zin I wanted is a far superior wine.
Score: 80
Catena – 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Posted by Jeff in 86-90, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, Wine on 27 July 2010
Catena first came on our radar because of their collaboration with the Rothschilds on their CARO line. They’re also the winery responsible for Alamos – a very respectable value label that we’ve previously enjoyed quite a lot. So it’s with quite a bit of anticipation that I’ve been looking forward to their mid-range Catena line. Since it was one of the few bottles of wine I had left after the move, I decided to open the bottle and give it a try.
The Catena has all the marks you would expect from a South American wine in this price range. Refined, controlled, with full dark fruit flavors, and a medium tannin profile, the Catena is a pleasure to drink. This is a bright cab, but it still maintains the cool character that seems to characterize so many Argentine wines we sample. If there is anything to complain about, the Catena does seem to suffer a bit from a slight tartness that you don’t expect to find in a middle range South American wine. Whether I just got a bad bottle or it’s a wider problem I can’t say, but even with a bit of pucker, this is still a wine I enjoyed.
At $23 a bottle, the Catena cab is not an inexpensive wine. While the Catena is certainly good, it just isn’t up to par with other $23 wines, and really isn’t on par with less expensive labels from Chile. I would easily pick a Santa Rita Medalla Real, or Los Vascos Reserve over this wine, and would without hesitation select the less expensive 50/50 Cab/Malbec blend from CARO instead. The Catena Cab is good – just not quite as good as it should be.
Score: 86
Lake Sonoma Winery – 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
A trip to Jeff’s house almost always comes with some interesting wine, and my most recent visit was no exception. Though I feel a bit like I might be adopting Lisa’s method of traveling to places for good wine instead of simply visiting my local store, I’ll certainly take a good bottle any way I can get it: and the Lake Sonoma Winery 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel certainly counts.
Color-wise, there’s little to support the fantastic reviews that this vintage receives from various publications – a deep red, sure, but with a sort of thinness usually reserved for something a bit more industrially produced. A smell will leave you feeling a bit more optimistic: not much fruit, but plenty of the spicy notes you would expect from a good Zinfandel.
On your first sip, you’re greeted by everything – and nothing – at the same time. That may be a bit hard to understand, so let’s back up and say it this way: this bottle has everything you could want from a Zin, from fruity notes of black cherry and plum to nice and fresh spicy overtones. The problem – if this is one – is that everything is incredibly well controlled. Nothing feels out of place, but nothing really stands out. The end result is something that is fantastically easy to drink, but, at the same time, is rather uninteresting. When you combine the fact that we rather enjoyed this as a sipping wine with the near-bargain price, you have something that we would certainly purchase again.
This Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel may not stand up to a few of its high-class ratings, but don’t let that keep you from enjoying a bottle.
Score: 89
Lapostolle – Casa 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Posted by Jeff in 76-85, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, Wine on 28 March 2010
Lapostolle may be a familiar name for those of you who drink Grand Marnier – the founder of the winery is the great-granddaughter of the inventor of the famous liqueur. There isn’t a shortage, though, of famous French names who have set up shop in South America, so how does the Casa stack up against other bottles?
Lapostolle’s Casa offering slides in at around $11 – in other words right in the middle of the scale on inexpensive Chilean Cabs. What it needs to do, then, is either be significantly better than Los Vascos and Santa Rita’s $8 bottles, or a better value than their $15 bottles in order to be a real player in this market. That’s a somewhat tall order, though, given the quality of the other wines.
The Casa is a perfectly straightforward and drinkable wine. Dry, tart, and a rather strong tannin profile make this wine one you might not consider bringing to a dinner party. Certainly there are those who will appreciate its character, but it’s not a good all-rounder like many other Chilean cabs. The flavor profile is rounded out slightly by a vague hint of sweetness, but nothing so specific that it grabs your attention. The real problem, however, is control. This wine is too loud, too brash, and too out of control to be something I can honestly recommend. It’s fine to drink, but it’s not something you want to buy another bottle of.
The real killer, then, is the price. At $6 a bottle, this would be a no brainer. At $8 a bottle, it would be something I might occasionally pick up, if I were in a particularly brooding mood. But at over $10 a bottle, it just seems out of place – there are no shortage of better wines for less money, and wines that are significantly better for not much more. What it is, then, is a C student among geniuses, priced too high, and leaving me wanting more.
Score: 80
Amancaya – 2007 Malbec/Cabernet (Rothschild/Catena)
We reviewed the CARO Rothschild/Catena collaboration on this site a while back, and found that the $50 wine was one of the best bottles we’d ever opened. Fortunately for us, this is not the only joint effort between these two vineyards. A much less expensive version of the CARO called Amancaya can be found for between $15 and $20. Is it worth the money? Absolutely.
Let’s just get this out of the way: the Amancaya is a fantastic wine. While I don’t have the CARO sitting next to me to compare, the Amancaya feels its equal in every way. Smooth and creamy, well balanced and absolutely full of flavor, it is a wine that is to be savored. Deep, dark fruit flavors with plenty of chocolate and coffee accents, the Amancaya is excellently controlled, with no one flavor dominating, and no off flavor ruining the experience – it is, simply put, an excellent blend where both the Cabernet and Malbec come together in an exceptional way.
To me, there has to be something special about a wine in order to give it a score higher than a 92 – either it must offer something new and unexpected, or it should be of such an amazing value that I simply can’t score it lower and be fair. In this case, the Amancaya has done both. It has matched the excellent characteristics of its more expensive cousin, while at the same time redefining what an excellent blend can be.
Score: 95
Penfolds – 2007 Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet
Posted by Jeff in 86-90, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, Shiraz / Syrah, Wine on 9 March 2010
This is one of those rare inexpensive wines that’s actually made a reasonable amount of critical attention for being more than decent. At circa 8 dollars a bottle, it seemed like it was worth a shot, and on a recent trip to the store I decided to grab a bottle.
First, it’s worth noting that Penfolds is not like Yellow Tail. While the much larger, much more industrial winery doesn’t produce a bottle that can be had at Specs for over 10 dollars (750ml), Penfolds offers a wide range of wines up into the $80 price point. Thus while this particular Penfolds bottle may cost less than 10 dollars, Penfolds does know something about making a decent bottle of wine they can charge people real money for.
So how does it hold up? While the Koonunga Hill lacks the refinement of a more expensive bottle, it does manage to avoid what so often is the fate of wine in this price range – tasting watered down or overly sweet. While it is sweeter than I’d like to see out of a Cabernet Shiraz blend, the sweetness isn’t distracting. Perhaps my biggest complaint about this wine would be that it ends up not showing me the character of either of its constituent grapes – not as bold as a good Shiraz, not as complex as a good Cabernet, and in the end I find myself feeling that the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the Koonunga Hill, but somehow the particular blend lets me down in a way I can’t quite explain.
If you’re looking for a perfectly drinkable wine that has some of the character of a Shiraz and Cabernet, this is a great pick. It’s cheap, it’s good, and it’s worth the purchase. What it isn’t, however, is something I personally plan on buying a lot of. As my first experience from Penfolds, it has certainly been good enough that I will purchase another bottle from the vineyard. But it probably won’t be this one.
Score: 86
Yellow Tail – 2008 Shiraz Reserve
Posted by Jeff in 76-85, Red, Shiraz / Syrah, Wine on 14 February 2010
I have plenty of wine, but that never stops me from taking a stroll down the wine aisle at the grocery store, looking for things I haven’t tried. My most recent purchase was the 2008 Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz. Yellow Tail’s Reserve line generally slots in close to the $10 range, though slightly cheaper than the generally well reviewed Reserve offerings from Jacob’s Creek. Given that they’re a little cheaper and near universally available, a strong showing for the Yellow Tail would be a great thing. So how does it hold up?
Yellow Tail is a mass market wine – one of those vineyards that’s available literally everywhere wine is sold. As such, their wine often feels like it’s been produced without care or soul, and from the start that’s what this Shiraz feels like. Its subdued aroma and flavor profile make it feel like a wine that’s more in the $6-8 range, rather than slightly over $10. A good Shiraz is often bold and full of powerful flavors, but there’s no hint of that in this Yellow Tail. This isn’t to say that it’s a bad wine – there is some depth and complexity, particularly in the sweeter chocolate notes that come out. But in the end it feels like an industrial wine rather than a refined one. This might be forgivable in Yellow Tail’s lower line, but not in the Reserve.
While I didn’t review it, I loved the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz I picked up several months ago. It’s been a while, but the Yellow Tail just isn’t as good. While the Jacob’s Creek offered bold and powerful flavors well controlled, the Yellow Tail is muted and dull, mass produced and unoriginal. This isn’t the worst wine I’ve had by any stretch of the imagination, but when a fantastic bottle can be had for only a dollar or so more, it’s impossible to recommend.
Score: 83
Le Dix de Los Vascos – 2004 Cabernet Savignon
Posted by Jeff in 96-100, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red, Wine on 5 February 2010
If you’ve read much on this site, you’ll no doubt be aware that Los Vascos is one of our favorite vineyards. At the entry and reserve level, wines from Los Vascos are an excellent value, rivaling significantly more expensive Californian varieties. Le Dix de Los Vascos is the vineyard’s most expensive offering, at slightly over $50 a bottle. This is not an easy bottle of wine to find – even in a large city with high end wine dealers, you’ll be lucky to find a bottle. So if you have the fortune to find one, should you buy it? Absolutely.
Le Dix is one of the most fragrant wines I’ve ever encountered. Richly floral with tobacco and smoke overtones, my sister described the bouquet as, “smelling like something I would really want to eat.” Produced in limited quantities and oak aged for 18 months, Le Dix certainly exhibits strongly oaked overtones with significant tannins and spice, though perfectly balanced. In short, it is a prototypical cab. Excellent mouth feel, dark fruit flavors, and wonderful body – there’s really nothing bad to say about this wine, but neither is there any one thing that stands out.
What this is really, is an excellently refined Cabernet that isn’t loud or flashy, but rather makes a name for itself in doing what it does well and letting other things take care of themselves. As an analogy, this wine is not a Lamborghini, but rather a Rolls Royce – truly what a great cab should be. It doesn’t shout or make a name for itself by being brash or flashy, but in trying to achieve perfection – and coming quite close in the process.
Score: 96