NY Times $10 wines

eric asimov - "nowadays, almost every bottle that is sold is at the least is palatable...the question is how interesting is it?"

eric also suggests that "character" is more likely to be found at the $10-20 price point. don't expect more than "good, pleasing" wines at the sub $10 price point. i could'nt agree more. that is why i have loosened my price target from "under $10" to "around $10". $20 is around $10, right?

new york times - happiness for $10 or less

check out his blog here: the pour

2004 rodney strong sonoma county cabernet sauvignon

http://www.rodneystrong.com/

the bottom line - a light fruit forward cab with balanced oak. the bitter tannic finish is a problem.

alcohol - 13.8%
residual sugar - .02%
total acid - .60 g/100 ml
final pH - 3.54
blend - 93% cabernet sauvignon, with merlot and cabernet franc

aroma - oaky, cherry and dark fruit.
flavor -lively cherry fruit and a nice acid on the pallet. moderate and balanced fruity, oaky finish but unripe bitter tannins ruin the finish.
price - $15.99
verdict - 84

2004 14 hands cabernet sauvignon

http://www.14hands.com

the bottom line - a nice label but the wine is wimpy, wimpy, wimpy! This is possibly the weakest cab i have ever experienced. This wine left me wanting my $9.56 back and wondering why they made the effort to slide the 1% merlot into the mix. this wine is an embarrassment to the state of washington.

alcohol - 13.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .60 g/100 ml
final pH - 3.70
blend - 99% cabernet sauvignon, 1% merlot

aroma - oaky, cherry nose
flavor -watery mouth feel with hints of cocoa. an all too brief finish of oak, chocolate, watery fruit and unripe tannins.
price - $9.56
verdict - 78

2004 chateau ste michelle indian wells cabernet sauvignon

http://www.ste-michelle.com/

the bottom line - the indian wells series is produced from fruit sourced from vineyards throughout the wahluke slope in washington state including chateau ste michelle's own indian wells vineyard. I found this cab lacking in complexity, with little up front to balance the overly tannic finish.

alcohol - 14.0%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .59 g/100 ml
final pH - 3.68
blend - 91% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot

aroma - strawberry, cherry, pepper
flavor -fruity medium bodied somewhat flat on the mid pallet. the fruit battles vanilla oak and moderate unripe tannins through a long finish.
price - $16.00
verdict - 84, WS85

2005 longview single vineyard adelaide hills devil's elbow cabernet sauvignon

http://www.longviewvineyard.com.au

the bottom line - nice complexity in this australian cab. i found the herbal aroma a bit off putting, but the silky smooth chocolate finish is something special.

alcohol - 14.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 40% cabernet sauvignon, 60% shiraz

aroma - sweet cherry with some herbal and cocoa notes
flavor -fruity medium bodied, nice acid with a creamy chocolaty oaky lightly tannic finish.
price - $19.96
verdict - 88, WS85

2005 montoya cabernet sauvignon

no web site as far as I can find. I couldn't even find a cabernet label image!

the bottom line - i picked this up because it was advertised as the #1 selling wine at total wine in norfolk, va. It is a nice medium bodied cabernet. a nice flavor profile if oak is your thing.

alcohol - 14.2 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a
production - n/a


aroma - cherry, cinnamon, pepper, oak, green
flavor -sweet. cherry, vanilla, slightly bitter on the mid pallet with a chocolate cherry vanilla oak finish. medium body, nice acid structure, a bit too much oak.
price - $12.99
verdict - 86

2005 cline red truck

http://www.redtruckwine.com/

the bottom line - more like a green scooter than a red truck.
alcohol - 13.5 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - green pepper, asparagus, oak and vanilla nose
flavor -light body, flat on the mid-pallet with an oakey vanilla finish
price - $10.46
verdict - 83

2003 peter lehmann barossa cabernet sauvignon

http://www.peterlehmannwines.com.au

the bottom line - a rather unremarkable cab from southeastern austrailia.

alcohol - 14.0 %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - offputting aromas of green pepper and spice.
flavor -light body, flat on the mid-pallet with an over oaked vanilla finish
price - $12.46
verdict - 82, 86 ws

2004 nederburg cabernet sauvignon paarl

http://www.nederburg.co.za/

the bottom line - a south african cab. there is a lot going on in this wine. Over the top bacon, smoke and black cherry on the nose. a fruity fizzing, mid pallet with a lingering fruity, smoky, dirty finish.

alcohol - %
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - smoke, bacon, cherry
flavor -black cherry, sweet, with moderate acidity on the midpallet with a lingering finish of dark fruit, smoke and tannin.
price - $10.99
verdict - 83

2004 powers columbia valley cabernet sauvignon

http://powerswinery.com

the bottom line - i could not find specific release details on the 2003 vintage, but their website indicates that the 2004 vintage "once again" includes a measure of syrah in the blend. this wine is moderate in body, has some nice flavors but falls apart a bit on the finish where some unripe tannins take over.

alcohol - 13.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a

aroma - raspberry, chocolate, woody spice
flavor -fruity, nice raspberry, chocolate with and acidic spine on the mid-pallet. the finish is overly oaky and tannic.
price - $13.29
verdict - 84

2004 clos du bois north coast cabernet sauvignon

http://closdubois.com/

the bottom line - this was really disappointing for a $16 bottle. some interest on the nose, but one dimensional and flat on the pallet.

alcohol - 13.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a

aroma - strawberry starburst, cherry, green pepper
flavor -fruity flat forward with a moderate tannic finish.
price - $16.49
verdict - 84

the vinturi !

o.k. I admit, this gizmo appeals to my engineer self.
better cab through techno-aeration?

the idea is to accelerate the process of aeration. according to the folks at vinturi an undependent double blind taste test has established that...

"the same bottle of wine treated with vinturi was higher in overall flavor intensity and mouthfeel...higher in red color intensity and overall aroma intensity...more true to type and of higher quality."

the vinturi has attracted a considerable following including:

eric asimov of the new york times
w. blake gray at the san francisco chronicle

i haven't tried it myself, but it is intriguing, and marketed with all of the sex appeal of the iphone.

check out the web site at vinturi.com.

one concern...this kind of reminds me of those "tornado" fuel saver infomercials. is this a $40 placebo or the real deal?

sam i am

2003 thorn-clarke shotfire ridge curvee barossa

http://www.thornclarkewines.com

the bottom line - according to thorn-clarke, "the shotfire ridge range has one key goal - to build consumer loyalty by over-delivering in quality". I admire the goal and the words held true for this $20 blend.

alcohol - 14.1%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - 7.18
final pH - 3.54
blend - 43% cabernet sauvignon, 29% shiraz, 13% cab franc, 11% merlot, 4% petit verdot

aroma - cherry, vanilla, spice, green pepper
flavor -fruity black cherry, chocolate, full and balanced, nice acid structure with a smooth lingering earthy finish.
price - $19.99
verdict - 90, WS87

the prince of pinot on the health benefits of red wine

www.graperadio.com - a-review-of-the-health-benefits-of-wine/

i found this to be a thoughtful balanced overview of the potential health benefits of red wine in reducing risk for heart disease. dr. rusty gaffney is a retired ophthalmologist who is also the self acclaimed "prince of pino". the above link is his summary of the information presented at the 4th international wine and heart health summit that was held in napa valley, ca. the good news is that moderate consumption of red wine can reduce your risk of heart disease by 70%. the other news is that it is still important to exercise, not smoke, stay lean, and eat a high fiber/low fat diet. drink every day in moderation (1 to 2 six ounce glasses). a word of warning - anyone using riedel glassware might want to calibrate their six ounce pour.

2004 greg norman cabernet merlot limestone coast

http://www.shark.com/gnestates/

the bottom line - australian cab/merlot blend with fizzing raspberry and citrus notes.
alcohol - 14.0%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - 81% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot

aroma - raspberry, orange, dusty
flavor -fruity raspberry and grapefruit with a smooth lingering earthy finish.
price - $9.99
verdict - 87, WS88

2004 charles shaw cabernet sauvignon california

I was at trader joe's today and picked up a bottle of two-buck chuck aka charles shaw cabernet sauvignon. Apparently this wine retails for $1.99 on the west coast but in virginia expect to pay $3.29.

the bottom line - sugar bomb. sweet cherry, flat, light finish with lingering sweetness. barely drinkable.

alcohol - 12.5%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - n/a
final pH - n/a
blend - n/a




aroma - alcohol
flavor -fruity cherry, berry
price - $3.29
verdict - 65

wine spectator v. wine amateur

several of the wine reviewed to date have also been tasted by the pros at wine spectator. here's how the ratings stack up.

2005 little penguin - sam i am 86, ws 88
2003 chateau ste michelle - sam i am 85, ws 84
2005 excelsior - sam i am 83, ws 84
2003 columbia crest grand estates - sam i am 89, ws 83
2003 snoqualmie whistle stop red - sam i am 79, ws 85

impressions:
- i am somewhat surprised at the close agreement on the little penguin, ste michelle, and excelsior.
- sam i am 86 and ws 88 are impressive ratings for the $7 little penguin cabernet.
- after retasting the columbia crest grand estates cab, i still find in complex for a wine in the $10 price range. maybe i was a little high at 89 points, but this is definitely better than an 83 point wine.
- I should try the snoqualmie whistle stop again.
- wines $10-20 averaged 86.5 points.
- wines $00-10 averaged 83.5 points.

2004 red diamond cabernet sauvignon washington state

http://www.reddiamondwine.com/

the bottom line - washington state cabernet blend. unchallenging and uncomplicated, but very drinkable.

alcohol - 13.8%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .58/100 ml
final pH - 3.30
blend - 93% cabernet sauvignon, 3% merlot, 2% petit verdot, 1% cabernet franc

aroma - cherry, fruity, spice, leather
flavor -fruity cherry soda with a smoky, earthy mild tannic finish. Slight bitterness.
price - $8.49
punt - 19 mm
verdict - 84

2005 excelsior cabernet sauvignon

http://www.excelsior.co.za/

the bottom line - south african cab. nothing but alcohol and light sweet dark fruit on the nose. flat up front with fizzing black cherry on the mid pallet with a lonnnng tannic, oaky, fruity finish. the finish alone is worth the $9, but loses marks for the one dimensional nose and flavor profile.

alcohol - 14.5%
residual sugar - 3.1 g/l
total acid - .60/100 ml
final pH - 3.63
blend - 100% cabernet sauvignon

aroma - alcohol, cherry
flavor -black cherry, sweet, carbonation sensation on the midpallet with a bold tannic, oaky finish with lingering fruit.
price - $8.99
punt - 23 mm
verdict - 83, WS84

2005 fetzer valley oaks cabernet sauvignon

http://www.fetzer.com/

the bottom line - california cab blend. unoffensive, but somewhat lacking in coherent structure. not great, but a very good value at the $7.49 price point.


alcohol - 13.7%
residual sugar - n/a
total acid - .62/100 ml
final pH - 3.50
blend - cabernet, merlot, syrah, carignane

aroma - green, oaky, starburst
flavor -light, fruity, blackberry soda, a bit flat up front, warms up in the middle with a nice (although somewhat bitter) long black cherry soda, oaky, tannin finish.
price - $7.49
punt - 35 mm
verdict - 83