Jason’s Wine Blog

Price: $7.52 @ BevMo imported by Wilson Daniels (retails at $14.99 a bottle)

What They Said:

Per Wine Spectator “Ripe in flavor, but not too hearty, achieving a nice balance of focused plum and berry fruit against fine tannins and not too much alcohol. Drink now through 2009. 7,500 cases imported.” - Harvey Steiman, May 01, 2006 (87 point, $14)

What I Think:

Another from the 5c sale. After having a few of their wines recently while down under I was hoping for a bit more. Wine Spectator gave the 2002 vintage a 90-94 point score but I don’t see this as anywhere near that. I would certainly disagree with the assessment of explosive. This is a ho-hum effort. Drinkable but not memorable, thank goodness I didn’t pay full price. Will try it again with the 2nd bottle soon.

Rating: Skip It

Price: $5.02 @ BevMo imported by Quintessential LLC (retails at $9.99 a bottle)

What They Said:

Per BevMo “Explosive and impressive, the bold, black-fruited ‘04 Valentin “V” Malbec is a first-class red wine; packed and long on the palate, this one deserves a big, spicy beef dish.”

What I Think:

Yip, 5c sale again. Would have to disagree with the assessment of explosive. This is a ho-hum effort. Drinkable but not memorable. Will try it again with the 2nd bottle soon.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $4.52 @ BevMo (retails at $8.99 a bottle)

What They Said:

Per BevMo “A soft-spoken Syrah, the ‘05 Pepperwood Grove is fine example of this varietal; grapey and easy on the palate; perky yet smooth in the aftertaste; a fine choice with hamburgers.”

What I Think:

Another from the 5c sale. Pepperwood Grove always hasa soft spot in my heart from their days of Zinfandel at TJ’s for 3.99. This one disappoints, couldn’t imagine paying full price. Maybe the second bottle will show me something, my expectations will certainly be lower.  At full retail prices this wine wouldn’t be worth having again.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $7.52 @ BevMo (retails at $14.99 a bottle)

What They Said:

Per BevMo “Close to saturation, the generous ‘05 Zynthesis Old Vine Zinfandel delivers fully ripened flavors that approach the nuances of sun-dried raisins; excellent with savory stews.”

What I Think:

Again this was part of the 5c sale and at retail price this isn’t a pleasant discussion as for me the difference between $15 and $7.50 is quite monstrous in terms of expecations.  The first thing I remember about this was sensing syrah.  Sure enough turned around the bottle and found that there was both syrah and petite syrah blended into this.  It claimed to be from 100 year old vines which seems difficult to believe at this price.  I have another bottle waiting in the wings and if it matches the effort of this one I would be happy to grab a few more bottles at this price point.

Rating: Buy It (the 2nd bottle could put it on the Bulk Buy list)

Price: $7.99 @ BevMo imported by Negociants Napa

What They Said:

Per BevMo “The 2005 Oxford Landing GSM possesses herbal, peppery, red cherry, spice, and earthy notes, light tannin, and ripe, round fruit. Drink it over the next 12-18 months.”

What I Think:

This is a wine that we had while traveling through Australia a few months ago.  I enjoyed it there and have enjoyed it again here.  This wine made me keen to try more of the Aussie blends.  Generally blends outside of France were on my list of things to avoid.  As an aside this wine cost more in Australia than in the US.  In Australia they have a wet tax of 25% added to the cost of all alcohol.  This blend was 56% Grenache 33% Shiraz and 11% Mourvedre.  Put this one on the 5c sale and I’ll grab a case.

Rating: Buy It (this one borders on Bulk Buy for me)

Price: $7.02 @ BevMo (retails at $13.99 a bottle)

What They Said:

Per BevMo “An almost elegant effort, the smooth yet flavorful ‘03 EOS Zinfandel offers rustic, ripe fruit flavors that play well on the palate; a good choice with grilled pork chops.”

What I Think:

Got this as part of the 5c sale, so list is 13.99 which would make this a completely different write up (in a bad way).  Remember this being drinkable but not memorable.  As it was part of the 5c sale we have another bottle nearby, we’ll go for some more details then.  Post again soon.

 Rating: Skip It