Jason’s Wine Blog

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the bottle “This delicously affordable red table wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Verdot, from the Central Coast of California. This wine pairs nicely with grilled steaks or lamb chops, but is a great compliment to any fine meal.”

What I Think:

This red blend from the central coast was opened as a second bottle following pizza and Aglianico then finished the following day after carne asada and Carinena tinto.  After night one I wasn’t disappointed nor was I impressed, perfectly quaffable. Night two it showed me more. Given that this seems like a nice 12th bottle to me. Next time I’ll make it the main event with dinner and see if it can flourish.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Guaranteed Google #1 search result as I could find but a mere mention of this wines existence…

What I Think:

Here’s one for more recent times. I was down in Santa Cruz to do a triathlon last weekend and hit the local TJ’s while in the area. They had this one featured with an end cap placement. Seeing Paso Robles on the label I was game for $5. I’ve always seemed to think there were bargain gems to be found from the Central Coast.

Taking a look at the bottle I initially thought that it was Chalk Hill which is a designation used in Sonoma. Adding to the confusion the vinter, Windsor Vineyards, further indicated it may be from north rather than south. It took me a full hour or so to realize the label was Chalk Creek. On checking the winery site I quickly confirmed they weren’t interested in claiming it. This is traditionally not the best sign. On opening the bottle and taking the first sip my initial thoughts were that the wine was unremarkable. As I continued through the bottle this feeling grew on me. Upon level setting my expectations on what a $5 of Cab should be that initial thought changed. The wine showed good depth and fruit while not appearing overly manufactured or “plonky”. Though not many varietal characteristics were apparent this would still qualify as a textbook quaffer. My initial thought was to “Skip It” which if you don’t care for Cab is still the way to go. Give that I do this will be the “12th Bottle” in my cart until I find something better under $8.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $8.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Not a peep on this one. I did find a Pierce Ranch Tempranillo, this cab is from there, acknowledged by the winery bit nothing for a cabernet…

What I Think:

I bought this as my favorite TJ’s down at the wharf here in San Francisco, the place is empty! Have to love that in a TJ’s. I was there looking for this Santa Ynez Valley Winery Cabernet Franc but couldn’t find it. Instead I grabbed a hodgepodge of others including this one and the Pope Valley Cabernet. I tried them both over the same weekend side by side.

As mentioned in “What They Said” above, no help from anyone here so I am on my own, same as the Pope Valley Cab. Google #1 search result here I come. Now to the wine; I have often coveted wines from Santa Cruz Mountain winery and had previously seen the Merlot. Seeing the Cab though was truly exciting as TJ’s experiences go. This excitement started to wane when I saw that this bottle had been disowned by the winery. Perhaps not disowned but anytime I can’t find acknowledgement on the winery website I begin to think the worse. Then the $9 price tag gets me excited and overall I am expecting good things…and all this before the bottle is open.

Now with the cork out, I am looking forward to enjoying myself. Looking at my notes it must have been almost better than I remember. Starting from the end and moving forward it must have been complex. It seems that I couldn’t peg anything. All my notes seem to be maybe this but hedging in another direction. Big, but not really. Subtle but dark. Fruit seems lighter but dark bing cherries. Chewy on top, with mint underneath. Overall this wine is what I would call elegant compared to most cabs. If you want to be clobbered over the head this wine is not for you. This wine requires some patience and a definitive focus on enjoying the wine. Have it at a dinner party and you won’t even notice it. Give this time to impress you and I think you will appreciate it. I did and I plan on doing so again.

Rating: Buy It

Price: $8.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per quaffability “Having spent a good chunk of the past week putting together an email blast for winery that ruffled a few feathers by selling their first release of Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Franc for $100, I was very interested when I spotted this Cab Franc at TJ’s , for $7.99 (I think). Folks don’t think of this Santa Barbara County appellation as a source for CF, as it’s known for Chard and Pinot Noir, of course, as well as Syrah. I had never heard of this winery before - the back label says it’s a new second label of Kalyra.

This wine is hot on the nose, but after the alcohol blows off there are some good leafy mineraly aromas overlaid by dusty cassis. The mouth offers nice silky texture, medium body, and good balance, with a short but tasty finish. Not much oak here. This is a lighter style of CF, more Chinon with some added fruit than Saint-Emilion. If I remember the price correctly, it’s a good value.”

What I Think:

Just opened this tonight and haven’t finished it yet but get this one if you see it. In fact add the label to your all stars category. Whenever you see something new from this winery get it. They produce a lot of bang for the buck…I’ll post a complete review later.

Done now and still smiling, this is good stuff! As mentioned on quaffability I was somewhat curious about Cab Franc from the Central Coast. Given that it is relative rare to find this bottled as a varietal offering at all in CA this was about the last place I would expect to see it. Checking the Kalyra site I find no mention of this wine but no worries it is a winner. On the nose I found some mineral notes overshadowed by mint or some similar leafy/aroma notes. In the mouth the wine is smooth. For Cab Franc the weight seems normal, the fruit is nice and the finish while not long is pleasant. Got another one of this sitting in the rack, looking forward to it…

Rating: Bulk Buy

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “Spicy notes of clove and black pepper enhance blossomy aromas of cherry and blackberry. The flavors of freshly picked raspberries and blueberries explode in the mouth leading into a lingering finish of smoky oak with hints of tobacco.”

What I Think:

Not sure what led me to grab this bottle. Most likely I saw it, knew it was a newer label at TJ’s and wanted to give it a go in case it was a gem. Getting home I find a whole new world. This wine is made by EOS. I had a few bottles of their Zinfandel during the BevMo 5 cent sale. I found that the blend was mainly based on Petite Sirah (62% Petite Sirah, 19% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and minute amounts of others). Not sure how this adjusted my expectations but found it all interesting while the cork was in the bottle.

The notes are a bit sparse. On opening the nose seemed hot and spicy. On the tongue it started the same with cloves leading the way. Towards the middle it showed some darker berry flavors that were on the weak/flaccid (when is the last time that has been used when not discussing ED) side before ending even a bit tart. After a few days it showed a bit more. The fruit was a bit richer, a bit bolder tending towards chewy. The nose still seemed hot with some subdued dark fruit lingering. On the palate the fruit was apparent but the overall profile tended to the generic side.

All in all a typical manufactured type red, trying hard to please everyone which while usually making a decent wine also limits the upside as it can only be so good. At $7 it is tough to reconsider. At $5 it would be worthy. Even with all that this is a wine that someone else could love. Give it a go if it suits your style. For me at this price I am buying Carmenere.

Rating: Skip It

Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “Many of you remember the old Rabbit Ridge Allure. It was a Rhône style blend made from various grapes we found that particular year that we thought would make interesting wine. It was very good, was a great value, and was like a wine from Cotes du Rhône or Provence.

We have not produced an Allure since 1998. Now however, a dream comes true for Rabbit Ridge with the release of our Allure de Robles. Our vineyards in Paso Robles are in the ideal climate for Rhône varietal wines. Allure de Robles is an estate grown wine that is a Chateau Neuf du Pape style. This wine is primarily a blend of Grenache, Counoise, Syrah and Mourvedre. The clones of the grapes are predominantly from Tablas Creek Winery and Vineyard Nursery, meaning they are cuttings from Chateau Beaucastle in Chateau Neuf du Pape. The wine is from 2003 and 2004 vintages. We made Allure de Robles a non-vintage wine in order to keep it in true Chateau Neuf du Pape style.

Allure de Robles is priced extremely moderately at one-third to one-half of what similar wines are selling for from the Paso Robles region. 1,994 cases produced.”

What I Think:

Again, TJ’s gets accolades for getting the prices they do, however it is that they do it as this wine cost double direct from the winery. I found myself opening this after dinner one evening as I didn’t want to finish the Rosenblum Petite Sirah nor the Navarro Pinot that were the open and available options. First off, this is never the ideal situation for opening a bottle of wine you’ve never had before. You want a known commodity. Something that when you pop the cork you know it is ready to drink. It doesn’t need air or food to be at its best, something like this Nero d’ Avola. Since I had nothing of the sort on hand I pulled the cork and hoped for the best.

This wine is made out of a mixture of grapes from 2003 and 2004 and was the first of this label that they had produced since 1998. Try as I did, I couldn’t find anything specific on why it had not been made over the years or a blend percentage by year. The wine is primarily a blend GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre). GSM’s can have quite a different look and feel based on which grape is dominant. I would never think of the Australian version as elegant or the French as a bold offering. Since no blend percentage was readily available and the name implied a leaning towards Europe my expectations were set accordingly.

Even as I was opening this bottle I was thinking that it looked very light in color. I had a misconception that lighter color always meant lower alcohol content. This was quickly erased when I saw this one measured in at nearly 15%. I guess darker only means stronger when it comes to beer… Initially, I was getting more floral notes on the nose than fruit. With some time it seemed to get a bit fruiter and familiar on the nose. When I say familiar over the two days I was drinking this wine there was something nagging my mind that I should know based on what I was drinking, alas it has yet to come to me. On the palate there were loads of light, forward fruits with raspberries being the most prevalent. This held quite well through the mid-palate before giving way to a slightly peppering, simple finish. This was certainly a pleasant effort. With the loads of raspberries and hints of strawberries I came around to thinking of it as a poor man’s, fruit-driven Pinot Noir. This realization really came to the fore when I paired a glass with some turkey tacos which easily overpowered this wine. To recap, everything about this wine is light; perhaps almost even a bit rosy (is that what was nagging me). If this appeals to you I recommend giving this one a go. Given that it is light and refreshing It could be perfect pre-meal wine for a summer barbeque. I wonder if it would work chilled?

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Couldn’t find anything. All I know is that it appears to be made by Canyon Ridge. To be honest I’m not sure how much I paid, though I know it was on the lower end. Next time I am at the store I will check to see if they have something similar.

What I Think:

To be honest I had zero intention of writing this one up. I found it opened, but sealed, while cleaning out my fridge where it must have been for a minimum of 6 months. I was sure that it must be completely spoiled but figured in the interest of science I should at least find out. Given that my wife was making peach cobbler as dessert for my Father’s Day dinner there was clearly an opportunity on the horizon. I must say we were both astonished at how nice this was, when considering the circumstances of this bottle it was downright amazing! It still had nice texture and forward sweet, fruity flavors without being syrupy. Again dessert wine is not my specialty, not that any others are but in this case I don’t even care to pretend. If you like white dessert wines, and TJ’s still has anything like it, this would definitely be worth giving a try. Since my wife really enjoys these efforts I am guessing one may be appearing in our house again soon.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $6.52 @ BevMo (retails at $12.99 a bottle)

What They Said:

Per the winery “The grapes for our Echelon 2003 Shiraz were carefully harvested at night to preserve the freshness of the fruit. After destemming, the fruit was fermented for 9 days in stainless steel, followed by 12 days of skin contact. The wine was racked three times before being transferred into small oak barrels, where it was aged for 12 months, then filtered and bottled.

Our 2003 Shiraz is medium garnet in color, with luscious aromas of dark cherry, blueberries, jam and oak. The wine is medium- to full-bodied, with big, soft tannins on the palate; and mouthfilling, with a long, luscious finish. It is a ripe, deep wine that is very enjoyable upon release, but will also cellar well for several years. Pair it with pizza, pasta and red meats.”

What I Think:

Talk about luck of the draw in a bad way, I opened this bottle because I was enjoying the Holbrook to much and wanted to savor it a few more days. Since I still had the urge for another glass I pulled the cork on this one….

Given that we should probably take this with a grain of salt but again I was not impressed. Had some fruit on the nose and at the front of the palate but as we got towards the middle the tannins were fighting through leaving a bitter taste leading to an almost tart finish. To top it off it had a little bit of the mass produced for mass consumption manufactured taste making it seem void of any varietal characteristics. I still haven’t really recovered from the fact that I thought I was buying Syrah here so perhaps it is the Shiraz factor. I am guessing there is a good reason we don’t grow/make it here. I wish I could remember what Echelon bottlings I have had in the past because I do remember them being better. I may give them another try but it certainly won’t be this Shiraz.

Rating: Skip It

Price: $12.99 @ K&L Wines

What They Said:

Per K&L Wines “Cory Holbrook, former winemaker and proprietor of Bridlewood Winery, makes this intense, richly fruited syrah. Full of freshly picked boyenberry, slathered in vanilla-y oak and spiced lightly with just the slighest pinch of lavender this is a wine for any fan of domestic or Australian Syrah. (Bryan Brick, K&L) 90 points

“Smart Buy” in Wine Spectator: “A forward, ripe and fleshy style, compelling for its supple mix of wild berry, boysenberry and blackberry fruit and pretty toasty oak shadings. Drink now through 2011.” (3/31/07)”

What I Think:

So K&L convinced me to buy this one when they highlighted it in their monthly news letter. I had never heard of the winemaker nor the winery mentioned so what was it that drew me to this one? Two things, I always want to try (and further more) to like wines from the Central Coast and two, I really want to like Syrah. Hmm, looks like it is pretty easy to catch my eye. So we cracked open the screwtop on this one and were hit by loads of light fruit on the nose with some woody overtones adding some spice and tannins to the bouquet. In the mouth it showed a nice, polished round structure balancing the fruit and tannins of the barrel nicely and lingering on the tongue through the finish. Finished with it that night we twisted the screwcap back on and let it sit for a few days. Wow! By day three this showed great layers of complexity! I was amazed by how a good wine had become so much more. Does it need to aged? Or does it just be open for a while? For the next three days I had small sips of this lamenting the day when they would come to an end…I even shared the last sip with a friend who likes to spend money on his wines and he was a bit surprised as he does not tend to care for syrah. Sadly that night the bottle ended.

I would love to compare this to the Columbia Crest Syrah they had at TJ’s a while back for $6.99 that I enjoyed so much. I am pretty sure this would blow it out of the water but it is always nice to have it side by side with something you consider your base line. Wish there was a way you could easily save taste of these wines so I could pull it out of the cabinet and have them side by side now….

Not sure if I will really buy this one as it is at a tricky price point for me but if the stars align I certainly wouldn’t mind finding it in the rack again…

Rating: Wow!

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

What They Said:

Per the winery “Aromas of earth, cedar and black cherries backed up by soft, smoky notes of leather lead to rich smoke on the pallet with bright fruit flavors of black cherries and plumbs, and hints of raspberries. The wine finishes with lingering tannin, earthiness and spice.”

What I Think:

Must not have been expecting much as I opened it when I knew my taste buds were pretty much shot. That sentiment pretty much carried over to the next day as well. Thank goodness I didn’t pay retail. This was drinkable but don’t think this label will find its way into my house anytime soon. All that said, this wine hardly had a fair or impartial showing this time around. I could see doing a blind tasting and pulling this out of the bag with a very different opinion. Then again maybe not…

 On a side note I am going to watch Paso Robles a little more, don’t think I have had a Zinfandel from that area that I cared for much.  Wonder if my research over time will prove that out.  Hold a sec…yeah scratch that.  I’ve had some nice Rosenblum efforts out of that area.

Rating: Skip It