Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Excelsior Wine & Spirits
What They Said:
Per wine.com: “Notes of dark plums and spice, generously framed by toasty American oak with a soft and well structured mouthfilling texture. Excellent with fresh light dishes based in meats, vegetables and fresh herbs. Also a good accompaniment to ripe cheeses such as Gouda, Gruyere or a dry goat cheese.”
What I Think:
Quaffability has a nice write up here and I likewise enjoyed the 2005 version and considered it a work of perfection at the price point. So as you can expect with a new vintage in stores I approached a new bottle with a healthy dose of skepticism.
In a nutshell? A notch below the ’05. That said it had a lot of room to work with. You still get chocolate, mint and spice on the nose. The tongue greets you with the smokiness and fruit that you may remember well before finishing on a spicy, cocoa backbone that lives on in the mouth. It may be splitting hairs but the ’06 version seems less integrated, less fruit on the nose and throughout, a hint of green/farmyard on the nose and palate. This may sound like a downer so let me lift it back up, this is still a winner. I’ll be buying bottles at a time all year long until the ’07 arrives and we repeat this exercise.
Rating: Buy It
Old reliable. I opened another bottle of this with pizza the other night and it just never disappoints. I always have at least a few of this one around.
Quite agree.
Great bottle of wine from the price. A nice change from the standard cabs, merlots, and pinots.
I was reading your blog and if you think 2006 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere” is a very good wine, here are a few wines you might like to try under $10.
Santa Ema cab and merlot about $5
Monte Alpha cab Carmenere blend $11 (2006, 2005 best)
Opolo, Summer Creek Zinfandel under $15
Monte Alpha Sharaz,2005 91 pts. WS, 2006 92 pts. WS, $16
Santa Ema Amplus One, cab blend, 2003-04 best, $20
Hey Roland, I am familiar with the Montes Alpha and Santa Ema labels but not the Opolo. Perhaps I will try and track that one down. Thanks for the recommendations!
I agree with Roland on Santa Ema–their ’04 Reserva Merlot @ $7.99 was dreamy.
Memories of that wine still haunt me (in a good way).
@Danny Thanks for the second on the Santa Ema, added that to my quick recall list should it make an appearance at Trader Joe’s…