Anakena Carmenere

Name: Anakena
Color: Red
Varietal: Carmenere
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: Chile
Region: Rapel Valley
Price: $8
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

Good deal for the price.  This wine was smooth and fruity, dominated by blackberry and some pepper.  I would prefer it to be a little richer and bigger in the mouth, but for the price it served its purpose as a good wine to pair with pizza.  It was also nice on its own.

Maipe Reserva Malbec

Name: Maipe Reserva
Color: Red
Varietal: Malbec
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Price: $15
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

Nice Malbec with very good aromas of blueberry, blackberry, flowers, and chocolate.  Big, rich, and full-bodied mouthfeel with taste similar to nose.  Very silky and smooth.

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.

Chateau de la Tour de L'ange

Name: Chateau de la Tour de L'ange
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: France
Region: Burgundy
Price: $14
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We enjoyed this white Burgundy last week...The nose was a bit limited, but the flavors were great.  Mostly pears, apples, some citrus, and lemons.  It had great acidity and was quite juicy.

Sepia Reserva Pinot Noir

Name: Sepia Reserva Pinot Noir
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: Chile
Region: Casablanca Valley
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this wine for the first time last night with Kentucky Hot Browns...It was good with dinner, but really opened up and tasted much better a couple of hours later.  This wine definitely benefited from a little air time.  It was very rich, with berry fruits and some earth.  A nice, light bodied wine for a change of pace.  For the price, it's a very good deal.

Burgans Albarino

Name: Burgans Albarino
Color: White
Varietal: Albarino
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: Spain
Region: Rias Baixas
Price: $15
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this wine last week with scallops, and it was delicious.  We've had several Spanish Albarinos before and have really enjoyed them all.  This one from Burgans was no exception.  It featured peach, lemon, and citrus flavors and was round, ripe, and coated the mouth.  We really can't go wrong with an Albarino from Spain. 

Bougrier Famille Vouvray

Name: Bougrier Famille Vouvary
Color: White
Varietal: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: France
Region: Vouvray
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this Vouvray a couple of weeks ago and thought it was terrific.  A little on the sweet side, but still crisp and refreshing.  Good fruit flavors with a generous amount of honey.  Chenin Blanc is quickly becoming one of our go-to white varietals.

It's been awhile....

I kind of fell off the posting wagon for the past several months...Since my last post in August, we have had several bottles of wine, but they have primarily been repeats (wines we've had before) with really no surprises.  We have had a few new ones, so I'll post those today.

Don't sleep on these guys this year...They look ready to cut down the nets in April...

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.

Yalumba Shiraz-Viognier

Name: Yalumba
Color: Red
Varietal: Shiraz (w/ Viognier)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Australia
Region: South Australia
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was first Shiraz we've had in a long time, even though we both love a good Shiraz from Australia...The Yalumba was mixed with a touch of Viognier, similar to the d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie that we love.

This wine was good, though not as great at the Magpie. It was fruity, but with a good tannic structure. It featured dark red and black fruit and had some good spice to it. The finish was medium in length and the wine was nice with and without food.

Kemblefield Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Kemblefield
Color: White
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: New Zealand
Region: Marlborough
Price: $10
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This was a nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region that we bought in place of our usual go-to Sauvignon Blanc from Kim Crawford...The Kemblefield is a couple bucks cheaper, but it still had the citrus, grapefruit, and tropical fruit flavors that you'd expect from New Zealand. It's a very good, light-bodied, summer sipper.

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.

Bougrier Vouvray

Name: Bougrier Vouvray
Color: White
Varietal: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: France
Region: Loire Valley
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


This was our first bottle of Vouvray (made with the Chenin Blanc grape), and we completely enjoyed it...It was a delicious, medium-bodied wine, with flavors of sweet fruit like peaches, pears, and pineapples, with some kiwi and green apples. It's an off-dry wine, but it had enough acidity to keep it balanced. We drank this wine on its own after chilling it, and also had it with a dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables. It was terrific with and without food.

For about $10, we will definitely keep this one on our list of favorites.

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.

Durigutti Bonarda

Name: Durigutti Bonarda
Color: Red
Varietal: Bonarda
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Price: $11
Stars: 3 (out of 5)


We had our very experience with the Bonarda grape last night, and it left a little to be desired. Neither Krista nor I really enjoyed this Bonarda from Durigutti. It was a little flat or flabby, and was a bit too soft for our tastes. It lacked the spice that I expected it to have based on what I had read online about it. It also seemed to be really grapey, without any dark fruit taste.

All in all, I would probably pass on this wine in the future.

Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Clifford Bay
Color: White
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: New Zealand
Region: Marlborough
Price: $9
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


Krista bought this wine earlier this week to go with a dinner of fish and crab. It's been awhile since we've had a Sauvignon Blanc, which is unusual since it's one of our favorite grapes. We usually buy the Kim Crawford, but this one was a few dollars cheaper and pretty good. It was a fairly typical Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand -- dominated by grapefruit, citrus, and other tropical fruits. Not bad at all for less than $10.

Palazzo Della Torre Allegrini

Name: Palazzo Della Torre Allegrini
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Corina Veronese/Rondinella/Sangiovese)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Italy
Region: Veneto
Price: $17
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We really loved the 2006 vintage of this wine, and the 2007 was excellent as well. This is a great wine with a really nice nose featuring dark fruits, a bit of chocolate, coffee, and leather. It's a smooth, elegant, full-bodied wine for less than $20. You can't beat that. We both really liked this wine, yet again.