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Cork:Real

Name:Martin Ray - Meritage
Type:Meritage
Vintage:2000
Region:Napa 55%, Mendocino 23%, Sonoma 22%
Country:USA
Producer:Martin Ray Winery
Price:18.99
Purchased at:Wine’s Best Buy
Date:10/20/2005
Served With:Chips & Queso
Appearance:Plummy, looks a little thin, legs are OK
Aroma:Smells Strong…maybe a little fruity
Taste:ummm…very good! Very smooth with a kinda fruity aftertaste.
Comments:I’m very impressed. I really thought when I opened it that this was a $9.99 bottle but I was completely wrong. I guess you can tell my tastes! If this smooth, fruity robust taste is typical in the “maritage” blends from Martin Ray then I’ll be buying much more of it. I’m a little disappointed at the price as I was hoping to add one to the $11 and under list but only for that reason. The taste of this wine is “approachable” and can appeal to many simply because it’s not overpowering and probably won’t offend anyone. Nice Job Martin Ray!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Ok, I waited as long as I could. You don’t know how difficult it is to have a bottle of Le Volte on the shelf for a week. All I did was look at it! Until today…

Cork: Authentic

Name:Le Volte
Type:Meritage - Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot (exact percentages not given)
Vintage:2003
Region:Tuscany
Country:Italy
Producer:Ornellaia
Price: $22.99
Purchased at:Wine’s Best Buy
Date:10/12/2005
Served With:Ala Carte
Appearance:Thick and juicy, robust. Excellently spaced legs
Aroma:It smells GOOD! I’m kind of at a loss for a good description.
Taste:The moment of truth…drum roll please! Smooth. Oh, yes…I’ve had this taste in my mouth before! (bonus points if you know what movie that comes from!). It has a very even taste. Great tannins and acidity. Seems a perfect fit for my tastes as the flavor spreads evenly throughout the tongue and cheeks.
Comments: Many times the taste of a wine or a food is influenced by the surroundings that one finds themself in, both good and bad. I believe that very thing applies with this wine as the first time I ever drank it I was out with friends, in a quaint Italian restaurant and the wine was flowing very nicely. However, during the 2 times I’ve had it since then it has continued to live up to the original great taste! It seems to be a perfect fit for my palate and because I like this wine so much I’m forced to create a new “The List” and it will be for wines uder $25. This one is the first to make it!

Incidentally, when I was creating this post I originally picked the Red Wine/Meritage category but upon further review, it can ony be called a blend. Thanks to an article in the Washington Post from September of 2004 by Ben Giliberti,

“So the requirements for Meritage were set forth: A red Meritage wine must be made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the classic Bordeaux grape varieties. The proportions may vary, but at least three of the grape varieties must be used.”

Since Sangiovese is an Italian grape this wine could not be considered a Meritage. Oh, well. The name has a nice ring to it but it will have to fit into the “Blends” category!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Cork:Synthetic
Name:Sfida
Type:Blend: 60% Primitivo (Zinfandel), 20% Sangiovese & 20% Cabernet
Vintage:2003
Region:Motta Baluffi
Country:Italy
Producer:Vinicola Decordi
Price: $9.99
Purchased at:Wine’s Best Buy
Date:10/11/2005
Served With:Before Supper
Appearance:Medium Body, Plummy toward red, Great legs!
Aroma:A bit musty…I can definitely smell the Vanilla that is typical in a Zinfandel even if it’s not as strong as in an old-vine Zin.
Taste:Reminds me of the gel-type stuff that my grandma used to put in her thumbprint cookies. I think it was originally jelly but after the trip to the oven it never tasted (nor looked) quite the same. The after-taste is very fruity yet subdued. Easy to drink.
Comments:You know…this wine is pretty good. It’s not quite as robust as I typically like and that’s why it doesn’t make The List. If it had just a little more bite to it - it would be on the list. However, that’ s not to say that it’s not a very good wine. So, SFiDA gets 6.5 corks. You’ll just have to trust me because I don’t have a 1/2 cork graphic!

Popularity: 8% [?]

Cork: Real
Name: Cancelli
Type: Red Blend: 70% Sangiovese, 30% Syrah
Vintage: 2004
Region: Tuscany
Country: Italy
Producer: Coltibuono - www.coltibuono.com
Price: $9.99
Purchased at: Wine’s Best Buy (my local wholesale wine joint where prices are typically 1/3 of the restaurant price and $3-$5 less - per bottle - than the local grocer, H.E.B.)
Date: 10/05/2005
Served With: Chips & Salsa (what else do you eat for appetizer in south Texas?)
Appearance: It looks nice and thick…just the way I usually like it. Nice legs if you have patience.
Aroma: Though usually attributed to taste, this blend smells smooth with very little alcohol smell
Taste: It has a nice even taste even if it’s not one of my favorites. Hints of oak with the alcoholiness of the syrah offset with the smooth (if not thin) taste of the Sangiovese. Somewhat fruity but easily overcome with the spiciness. In other “redneck” terms, tastes like red wine. It’s just a little spicy for my tastes.
Comments: Hey, this isn’t bad at all. Not as stringent as I usually like but full of flavor and easy to drink. Beats the hell out of Mad Dog 20/20. It’s a great everyday wine for the price but it’s not going to make “The List” (though my wife thinks it should go there). But it gets 6 corks…so that should give you a clue.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Cork: Real (and cool designs on it too!)
Name: Bodega Norton - Reserve
Type: Malbec
Vintage: 2003
Region: Mendoza River Valley
Country: Argentina
Producer: Bodega Norton
Price: $12.39
Purchased at: H.E.B.
Date: 10/04/05
Served With: Before Supper with fried potato smells wafting in
Appearance: Very purple/plum. Good legs…a little thin
Aroma: Smells like a dusty oak tree
Taste: Surprisingly full-bodied! This is one of those wines that hits the taste buds throughout my entire mouth. It doesn’t just go down the throat…it spreads out and leaves the cheeks and back of the tongue tingling. Also has some prevalent fruity vibes. Very nice.
Comments: I figured I’d be looking at another 5-cork review here but looks can be deceiving and they are in this case. It looks very similar to grape juice but delivers a robust, flavorful, rewarding taste. It somewhat reminds me of a Le Volte meritage in the overall flavor that it delivers (but that wine is certain to score higher in my book). I’ll say this much, for $12 bucks (and probably much less in any decent wine store) it’s a great bottle of wine.

Bravo Malbec!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Cork: Real
Name: Castillo De Molina
Type: Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2003
Region: Lontue Valley
Country: Chile
Producer: Vina San Pedro S.A.
Price: $10.49
Purchased at: H.E.B.
Date: 10/04/05
Served With: Before Supper
Appearance: A little thin around the edges but looks fairly robust
Aroma: Sharp & Strong
Taste: This reminds of a Carmenere in that it has a bit of a kick to it. While I do like the spice in a Carmenere this Cab Sav doesn’t follow-up with much flavor. It’s very reminiscent of a shot of 151.
Comments: It’s not bad. After reading several reviews now you may think that there aren’t many wines that I do like. Truth be told…there aren’t many wines that I wouldn’t drink these days. As an acqaintance of mine said to me several weeks ago, “All wine is good. Some wines are better!” I’ll get to some better ones soon…I hope.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Cork: Real
Name: Bogle Vineyards
Type: Old Vine Zinfandel
Region: Clarksburg, CA
Country: USA
Producer: Bogle Vineyards,
Price: $10.99
Purchased at: Cost Plus
Date: 09/30/05
Served With: Chips & Salsa
Appearance: Medium Body, not very leggy
Aroma: Stinks like a rotting tree with a hint of vanilla
Taste: Too thin for my tastes. Not very bold…yet distinctive. This is the first time I’ve ever had “old vine” anything and I’m not impressed. The slight vanilla taste is nice but not enough to overcome its lack of body.
Comments:I suppose it’s enough to say that my wife and her friend enjoyed this wine. We have different tastes as I like the bold, bitey wines and they like the spicy stuff. This old vine zin doesn’t qualify as spicy but it has a distintive enough taste that I’ll remember it for a while. It’s not really bad it just doesn’t suit my tastes.
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Coming soon…reviews of Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile and Bodega Norton Malbec from Argentina!

Popularity: 7% [?]