Shenandoah Vineyards Chenin Blanc / Viognier

Name: Shenandoah Vineyards
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Chenin Blanc/Viognier)
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: California
Region: Amador County
Price: $15
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

I was hoping for a little more from this wine since it was a blend of two of my favorite white varietals, Chenin Blanc and Viognier.  The wine was rich and full, but the flavors were lacking for me.  I picked up on some peach and pear, but that's about it.  It was OK, but I'd probably pass on it in the future.

Concannon Central Coast Cab

Name: Concannon
Color: Red
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: California
Region: Central Coast
Price: $8.50
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was a really good wine and a great bargain (less than $10).  It's really balanced with dark cherries and other dark berries in the nose and mouth, as well as some chocolate in the finish.

Green Truck Petite Sirah

Name: Green Truck
Color: Red
Varietal: Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: California
Region: Mendocino County
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was a nice Petite Sirah that we enjoyed last night after dinner. It featured big, bold dark fruits with a bit of pepper and spice. The nose was excellent and powerful. The was juicy and delicious and had a pretty long finish. Plus it's organic, which is a nice bonus.

Kitchen Sink White Blend

Name: Kitchen Sink
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc/Gewurztraminer)
Vintage: NA
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $9
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

This was a terrific little white blend for less than $10...Very fruity, with pears, melons, citrus, and honey really present in the mouth. The finish was pretty short, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this was a delicious, refreshing, lively wine. Especially excellent for the summer!

Louis M. Martini Cabernet

Name: Louis M. Martini
Color: Red
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Sonoma
Price: $14
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

This was a nice California Cab that we enjoyed with pizza and later on its own. It was dry and smooth, with flavors of blackberry and dark cherry and a little bit of spice. Nice tannins with a medium body and medium finish. It's a good value for a well-made Cabernet from California.

Conundrum White

Name: Conundrum
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon/Viognier/Muscat)
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $18
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We enjoyed this terrific white blend while spending a relaxing night away at the Innisbrook Resort, just up the road in Palm Harbor...Krista and I polished off the entire bottle before cutting through one of the golf courses to eat dinner at the Salamander Market Grille. The wine was delicious and featured tropical fruit, peaches, pears, honey, and vanilla. It was off-dry but still had great acidity to keep it in balance.

After reading more about Conundrum online, I learned that it's part of the Wagner Family of Wine, the same group responsible for the Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir that we like so much. Both the Meiomi and the Conundrum are amazing wines that would please many palates. Both are less than $20, making them excellent values, too.

Bogle Phantom

Name: Bogle Phantom
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Petite Sirah/Zinfandel/Mourvedre)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $19
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

After our disappointing experience the night before with the Durigutti Bonarda, we redeemed ourselves with this nice red blend from Bogle, known as the Phantom. I had been meaning to try this wine for awhile, so when I stumbled across it as I was looking for a wine for my Father's Day dinner (steaks on the grill), I jumped all over it.

It was very good, but not exactly what I expected. I'm a big fan of Bogle's Petite Sirah, especially its combination of dark fruit and chocolate. The Phantom, however, seemed to be dominated by the Zinfandel, at least to my nose and palate. It was a nice, big bodied wine that went really well with the steaks and was also good on its own. I just wish I was able to taste more of the Petite Sirah, which is one of my favorite varietals.

Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir

Name: Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $22
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


Wow...this is a juicy wine full of red berry and blackberry goodness. I've had this wine by the glass at Carmel Cafe & Wine Bar, but this was the first time we've had a bottle at home. It was delicious. Very fruit forward, but with depth to be taken seriously. It had a bigger body than a lot of Pinots, which I really like. Krista and I both really enjoyed this wine and can't wait to have it again.

Belle Glos has a couple of other Pinot Noirs that sound delicious as well. I'll keep an eye out for those.

St. Francis Red

Name: St. Francis
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Merlot/Syrah/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: California
Region: Sonoma
Price: $7
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We had this wine before and really enjoyed it, so when it was on sale at Ed's Fine Wines for about $7, I bought another bottle...It was still very good...fresh and fruity and a little bit spicy. Very enjoyable, especially for the price.

Apothic Red

Name: Apothic Red
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot)
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $10 (on sale)
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We've had the 2008 vintage of the Apothic Red blend before and really enjoyed it...This bottle was the 2009 vintage and it was excellent as well...Dark berries, mocha, and vanilla dominated the taste of this one. Nice wine.

Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Bonterra
Color: Red
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Mendocino
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this tasty organic California cab last night with burgers that I grilled. The Bonterra cab is very fruity and juicy with red berry flavors and a smooth feel in the mouth. It was a little hot at first, but after some time in the glass it mellowed out rather quickly to allow the flavors to shine through. We really enjoyed this affordable cab.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel

Name: Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel
Color: Red
Varietal: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: California
Region: Lodi
Price: $8
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel this weekend and really enjoyed it...For the price, less than $10, it is an extremely good bargain. It's nothing to get too excited about but it definitely fits the bill for a great value wine. We remembered liking this wine when we tried it at the Safety Harbor Wine Festival. The flavors and aromas are of big, dark fruits, with cherry and vanilla. The tannins were smooth and the finish was medium in length...All in all, a very good wine.

I also just realized that it's been quite awhile since we've had wine at home to post about. We've had a few glasses at restaurants, most notably a terrific Pinot Noir at Carmel Cafe & Wine Bar that I really need to track down. But our drinking at home has slowed down a bit...We need to fix that!!!

Cupcake Petite Sirah

Name: Cupcake Petite Sirah
Color: Red
Varietal: Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Central Coast
Price: $10
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

We had the Cupcake Petite Sirah earlier this week and it was just OK...It wasn't nearly as big and bold as I was hoping from a Petite Sirah. Because of this, it fell a little flat for my taste. It was very fruit forward, featuring red berries and some vanilla. There was nothing really wrong with it, but it just didn't hit the spot.

Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot No. 91

Name: Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot No. 91
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Syrah/Grenache/Petite Sirah/Mourvedre/Cinsault/Carignane)
Vintage: NV
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $11
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We had the Frontier Red Lot No. 91 last night with pizza. It was very good, very smooth, and had some complexity for such a low priced wine. The flavors were dominated by dark red and black fruits, and it had a little spice from the Syrah and Grenache. It also showed some smoke and herbs that made the wine interesting.

I will definitely buy this wine again. It is a great value and is a delicious blend.

McManis Petite Sirah

Name: McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah
Color: Red
Varietal: Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We drank the McManis Family Vineyards Viognier in March and really enjoyed it. So I had high hopes for their Petite Sirah, which happens to be one of our favorite varietals. The McManis Petite Sirah did not disappoint. We drank it last night after dinner. It was a deep purple color in the glass, and featured aromas of dark fruits. It's a big, smooth, full-bodied wine that tastes like blueberries, blackberries, and plums with a hint of chocolate on the finish. The tannins were nice - they really created a tingly, mouth puckering sensation.

I love Petite Sirahs and this one by McManis Family Vineyards is no exception. Great value, great wine.

Coppola Presents Rosso

Name: Coppola Presents Rosso
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Zinfandel/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $8
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


We've had this red blend from Francis Ford Coppola before and really enjoyed it. We tried it again last night with pizza and it was still very good, especially for the price. It's a medium-bodied, juicy, smooth, easy drinking, fruit forward everyday style of wine that features cherries and strawberries.

It may be that my tastes are changing (hopefully evolving), but I wasn't as impressed with this wine as I have been in the past. It's a dry wine, but the up front freshness of the fruits made it taste a bit sweeter than I like. I wish the Syrah elements were more pronounced, but as it is, this wine is still a great value that pairs well with pizza, BBQ, or similar meals.

Mirassou Pinot Noir

Name: Mirassou
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $8
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)



We've had this bargain Pinot Noir from California before and liked it for what it is -- a nice mid-week easy drinking wine that bursts with cherry and strawberry flavors. It's not going to blow you away with its complexity, but it is very enjoyable, almost like drinking cherry pie.

We had this wine last night with some pasta, but it was best on its own. It's very smooth, juicy, and tasty.

Apothic Red

Name: Apothic Red
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $9 (on sale)
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

The Apothic Red is a big, juicy full-bodied red blend that I drank last night on my own, and then finished tonight with Krista. This one was mostly dark berries, raspberries, chocolate and a touch of vanilla. It had a bit more sweetness than most of the wines we drink, but it wasn't enough to turn us off. It was velvety and smooth with nice firm tannins...I was really pleased with this one and would definitely buy it again.

Pine Ridge Blend

Name: Pine Ridge
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Chenin Blanc/Viognier)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $16
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was a very good wine that we enjoyed tonight with dinner (chicken and vegetables). It was our first wine made primarily from Chenin Blanc and we really liked it. It had a touch of sweetness and featured citrus, pear, and grapefruit flavors. It was a medium bodied wine and it had a fairly decent finish.

Coastline Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Coastline Cabernet Sauvignon
Color: Red
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Paso Robles
Price: $9
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We drank the Coastline Cabernet Sauvignon last night after dinner and were very pleased with how good it was for the price (less than $10). After a busy Saturday of going to Jackson's football game in the morning and doing lots of yard work, it was nice to kick back, watch a movie, and pop the cork on this nice medium-bodied, smooth Paso Robles Cab. Good nose and taste...mostly dark berries and raspberries. A little bit of chocolate came through in the mouth, which I really liked.

This Coastline Cabernet is an excellent value and a great everyday type of wine.