Redwood Creek Zinfandel

Summer is quickly approaching, and that means grilling season.  And grilling season means it’s time for zinfandel.  While summer is a great time to try some cool, crisp white wines, if you’re looking for a wine to go with your burgers from the grill, then it’s zinfandel you should be grabbing.  I’m not talking about that disgustingly sweet white zinfandel, I’m talking about red, bold, spicy zinfandel.  To get you ready for the season, I’m going to present a number of zinfandel reviews over the next couple weeks.
This one from Redwook Creek is a bargain-priced Lod zin, at only $8.00.  I don’t have a whole lot of story to go behind this wine.  It’s an E&J Gallo brand — one of many.

My first impression of this wine is that it’s pleasant, but not extraordinarily exciting.  The nose has aromas of vanilla and berries, with moderate intensity.  The palate is a fruit bomb, with very concentrated black cherry and raspberry flavors.  It leans toward being sweet, without being jammy.  A bit of spice comes into play on the finish, but it dances with the sweetness from residual sugar.
It’s an approachable, easy-drinking wine.  But it doesn’t scream “zinfandel” to me.  I expect wine snobs would turn their nose at the residual sugar, but most average wine consumers will find it pleasant.
Wine: Redwood Creek
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 83
Price:  $8.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

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Brazin Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel

We review a lot of wines here, but surprisingly only a handful of them end up on my personal list of trusted favorites.  This is one of those wines.
Brazin if fairly young as a brand, although the winemaker behind it, Sue Hofmann, has plenty of experience.  We first discovered it with the 2007 vintage, when there was just one wine offered by Brazin.  Now they produce four different zinfandels under the Brazin brand, including some single vineyard releases.  But their Lodi Old Vine Zin is the most widely available, and the most affordable of the bunch.
Although it’s only $15.00, this is a serious zinfandel.  It’s big, it’s bold, it’s fruity and it’s spicy.  The wine is matured in oak barrels to give it a bit of spice.  And at 15% alcohol by volume, it has a kick.
We did a mini-review of this Brazin back in March, when I met up with Sue Hofmann before the Cincinnati International Wine Festival.  But I didn’t score the wine then, as I wasn’t tasting it in my typical fashion.  So, I thought it would be good to do a formal review of it.

The first thing to stand out about this wine is the intensity on the nose.  When you pull the cork and pour it, it instantly has outstanding intensity without decanting or giving it time to open up.  It has plenty of fruit aromas, like cherry and raspberry, but there’s more to this wine than fruit.  The nose is also a touch smoky and it shows some coffee aromas.  The palate it bursting with spiced fruit flavors.  It’s like a blend of plums and black cherries sprinkled with nutmeg.  The concentration is outstanding.   It has good acidity and a pleasant mouth feel.  Mid-palate brings a bit of a black tea flavor and it finishes with cherry and black pepper flavors.  This is an extraordinary zinfandel for the price.
Wine: Brazin – Lodi Old Vine Zin
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 15%
Rating: 90
Price:  $15.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

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Eight Cool Climate Red Wines from Chile

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to take part in a Chilean wine tasting with several other wine bloggers around the country.  It was a virtual tasting, meaning that we were connected “virtually” not that we virtually tasted… we really did taste the wines.  But we were connected via a web conference with all the other bloggers participating and with the winemakers in Chile.  I’ve done a few of these before, and it’s always an interesting way to taste and learn about a few new wines.
The theme for this tasting was “cool climate reds,” which means red wines produced in cool climate regions.  You see, some grape varieties perform better with cool conditions versus hot.  And some just perform differently.  In this tasting, it was pinot noir and syrah.  Pinot noir is exclusively a cool climate variety, as too much heat ruins these grapes.  Syrah, on the other hand, can be produced in cool or warmer climates, but the results are different.
Some of the best wine growing regions are coastal, like Chile, and the cool, maritime influence is big part of what makes these regions good for growing wine grapes.  But there is a lot of variation in climate within these regions, creating some areas that are better, consistent cool climate regions as well as some warmer micro-climates.  For a number of years, Chile has had a good reputation for producing exceptional cool-climate white wines, but it’s really only been within the last five years or so that they’ve done well with cool-climate reds, like pinot noir.  And there’s certainly more to come.
Given the setting for this tasting, these were not tasted blind.  Here are my notes.
Valdivieso 2009 Pinot Noir Reserva

The nose is pretty powerful on this wine.  Spicy cherry and strawberry aromas are the first thing that stand out.  It also has some bacon fat and cola aromatics.  The palate provides a good amount of fruit, without being at all jammy.  It’s kind of a cherry/cranberry thing with a touch of smoked meat on the palate.  The acidity is just right and the soft tannins provide a nice mouth feel.  The finish is relatively long, with a strong cranberry note.
Wine: Valdivieso Reserva
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 88
Price:  $16.99
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Viña Casablanca 2009 Nimbus Estate Pinot Noir

This wine shows the smoky and spicy side of pinot noir on the nose, with nutmeg, cocoa, and toasted aromatics.  There’s some fruit under all that too, but the spice is what makes the music on this one.  Unfortunately, there’s also a touch of sulfur/egg on the nose, which isn’t a good thing, although it’s not overwhelming.  On the palate, the fruit comes out to play, offering plum and raspberry flavors.  But there’s plenty of spice on the palate, with a nice black pepper characteristic.  There’s some cocoa on the mid-palate too.  The acidity and tannins are good.  Aside from the sulfur, is a fun pinot.
Wine: Viña Casablanca Nimbus Estate
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 84
Price:  $19.99
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Veramonte 2009 Ritual Pinot Noir

This is a nice, earthy pinot noir with intense tree bark and truffle aromas.  It also shows plenty of cherry and a touch of cola fragrance.  The palate is filled with cherry and cranberry flavors with vibrant acidity.  The palate also gives a touch of spiciness. The tannins are slightly velvety in the mouth.  The finish is long, with lingering fruit and spice.  This is a great wine.
Wine: Veramonte Ritual
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 90
Price:  $19.99
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Cono Sur 2008 Ocio Pinot Noir

The nose of this wine is screaming with intensity.  The fruit on the nose is a bit darker than a lot of other pinot we’ve had, favoring cassis and blackberry.  There’s some red fruit in it too, cherry.  It has a nice smoky quality on the nose too, with notes of sandalwood and tobacco.  The palate offers concentrated cherry and blackberry flavors, with outstanding acidity.  It borders on jammy.  The finish is lasting with the powerful fruit and spice from the palate taking you for a long ride.  This is an exceptional, although somewhat pricey, wine.
Wine: Cono Sur Ocio
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 94
Price:  $65.00
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Tamaya 2009 Reserva Syrah

The first impression I got from the nose of this wine is bubblegum.  But it’s not overly sweet/artificial, there’s just a hint of that fragrance in the nose.  It also shows some red currant, pepto bismol and licorice aromas.  The palate has plenty of ripe cherry and raspberry flavors and a good bit of spice.
Wine: Tamaya Reserva
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price:  $16.99
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Loma Larga 2006 Syrah

This wine has a nice, deep red color.  The nose is very earthy, with aromas of eucalyptus, leather, chocolate, grilled meat and raspberry.  The mouth feel is really nice.  Very velvety.  The palate offers loads of ripe blackberry and currant flavors, that are slightly jammy.  It gives a little white pepper kick in the mid palate and finishes with more of the fruit.  This wine is begging to be served with lamb.  I like this wine, but the eucalyptus aroma may be a turn off for some consumers.
Wine: Loma Larga
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 89
Price:  $29.00
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Undurraga 2009 T.H. Syrah

The “T.H.” on the label of this wine, stands for “terroir hunter” and this is a single-vineyard syrah, produced with the goal of featuring the terroir in the expression of the wine.  The intensity on the nose of this wine is outstanding.  It has loads of red fruit, raspberry, cherry and red currants. It also has some black pepper and soy sauce characteristics adding to the complexity.  The palate has a vibrant acidity with concentrated cherry and raspberry flavors.  There’s plenty of spice on the palate of this one too.  It also has some soft tannins, rounding out the mouth feel.  It’s a tasty wine.
Wine: Undurraga T.H.
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 90
Price:  $24.99
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Hacienda Araucano 2009 Reserva Syrah

Cherry, raspberry and grilled meat aromas make up the nose of this wine.  The intensity on the nose is good, but not overwhelming.  This is a big wine on the palate, filling every crevasse in your mouth with flavors.  Plum, chocolate and leather all combine to make a interesting palate.  The mouth feel is very good.  This is a big wine with a lot of flavor, but it’s not refined or integrated.  Still, it’s a tasty wine.
Wine: Hacienda Araucano Reserva
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price:  $13.00
Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

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MontGras Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

We go through a lot of wine in our household.  Now before you get the wrong idea, let me add that it’s usually no more than a glass (roughly 6 – 8 ounces) a day.  But between my wife and me, we can easily consume about 4 – 5 bottles a week.  And as you can imagine, the neighbors just love to hang out at our place, particularly with all the great wine.  So 4 -5 bottles can easily turn into 8 – 9 a week.  That can add up, particularly if you like the expensive stuff.  But having a restaurant in the family has it’s advantages, and none better than being able to buy wine at wholesale!

So, recently we were running a little low, which prompted me to begin searching for good, high value reds to stock the cellar with.  My dad, who now handles all the wine buying duties at the restaurant, had actually just sampled the latest MontGras Cabernet, the 2009; and, he recommended that I pick up a case to replenish our stock.  So I splurged, solely on his recommendation, having not tasted the wine.  But I wasn’t too concerned.  I figured that if he thought is was good (and he has great taste), that, most importantly, my wife would love it.

So, as I finally got around to tasting the MontGras, and reviewing it here for Cheap Wine Ratings, I noticed that what was once a stock of nine bottles (MontGras Cabernet Sauvignon comes in a nine bottle case) was now only two!  Where did all the MontGras go?  Well, let’s just say my wife really loved it.  But how good was it really?  Let’s find out.

On the nose the MontGras offers rich currant, vanilla and traces of other black fruit, but I was also picking up heavy levels of must.  Is this what my wife was loving so much?  Or, could I have gotten the one corked bottle that’s presumably in every case.  Well before I began seriously doubting my wife’s taste in wine, the mustiness had cleared.  Maybe it was me.  Maybe there was some taint, but the wine wasn’t the worse for it after a bit of breathing.

On the palate the wine offers up fine, yet lush tannins with a deep dark fruit core on the mid-palate.  This fruit is cradled in roast coffee bean and peat, but it’s not harsh at all.  On the contrary, this is a very smooth wine for as much as it has going on.  The MontGras is actually quite complex, and offers great balance for the money.  Ok, now I know why my wife loved it so much.

The MontGras is a crowd pleaser.  It will provide something for those looking for some character and complexity, but it will also satisfy those who are looking for an easy drinking red, and quite nicely I might add.  Which reminds me.  I need to order another case.

A  Salute!

Wine: MontGras
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 88
Price:  $11.00

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The Little Penguin Pinot Noir

When you think of wine from Australia you probably think of Shiraz first, as well you should.  Shiraz is Australia’s most planted variety, and it ranks second to France in shiraz/syrah in vines under cultivation.  But I’d be willing to bet that when Australian wine gets mentioned, the last varietal that you think of is pinot noir.  I mean, when was the last time you had a pinot noir from Australia?
The challenge of growing pinot outside of Burgundy has been well published, and Australia is no exception.  The southern portions of the country are very well suited to hardier varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon and the aforementioned shiraz, that aren’t as picky about climatic conditions as pinot is.  But Aussie wine-makers are becoming a little more adventurous with this variety, particularly in the cooler, southern portions of Victoria, like Yarra Valley and Mornington Penninsula.

But The Little Penguin is not sourcing their pinot grapes from these regions.  You have to head a little west from Victoria to the state of South Australia to locate their plantings.  The real estate there may not be as prestigious as in southern Victoria, but the conditions are similar, and I’m sure the lower rent helps The Little Penguin keep such an attractive price.  We’ve reviewed their 2006 offering, and while we weren’t that enamored with the 2006, the 2010 vintage came recommended by one of the trusted wine shops I frequent.

The nose of this wine is actually quite pleasant, if a bit jammy for a pinot.  It’s a far cry from the 2006, and that’s a great start.  The nose offers rich ripe strawberry and rhubarb, with hints of vanilla and allspice.  While I wouldn’t exactly say that The Little Penguin hits the mark in varietal character, it is certainly an enjoyable nose.  On the palate the wine offers light, yet smooth strawberry fruit.  Through the mid-palate the wine maintains it’s soft fruit and transitions abruptly to rich acidity, bordering on actually being slightly sour in the finish.  But it doesn’t upset the balance or the experience.
Overall, I enjoyed this simpler expression of pinot noir, even if it isn’t the most complex of wines.  But to be fair, at this price point, you would be hard pressed to find a better value in pinot, in my opinion.  So give this pinot-on-a-budget example a try.
A  Salute!
Wine: The Little Penguin
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 85
Price:  $5.99
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