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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pierre Amadieu Gigondas Romane Machotte

Name: Pierre Amadieu Gigondas Romane Machotte
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache, Syrah)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Gigondas
Price: $22
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We took this wine with us last night to dinner at Cello's CharHouse in downtown Safety Harbor...The dinner and the wine were both terrific. The wine was very smooth and we quickly finished the bottle...It was highlighted by blackberries, plums, and vanilla, with a nice black pepper spice. I highly recommend both the wine and the restaurant.

(We've also enjoyed the red blend from the Vacqueyras region by this same producer, and would like to taste them both together to compare and contrast...either way, both wines were excellent!)

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.

Prima Voce Super Tuscan

Name: Prima Voce
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Syrah)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Price: $15
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


We had this mini-Super Tuscan blend last night and it was OK. It definitely needed some air, so I poured it in the decanter for an hour or so. After that, most of the heat blew off, but it still was missing something to me. I picked up on some cherry and vanilla flavors with some earthiness, but it was really too oaky for my taste. The tannins were nice, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to find this one again.

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!!!

Vini Nobilis Hellenico Aglianico

Name: Vini Nobilis Hellenico Aglianico
Color: Red
Varietal: Aglianico
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: Italy
Region: Campania
Price: $16
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

Last night we watched the Super Bowl and enjoyed our first ever bottle of Aglianico, a grape grown throughout Southern Italy. This one was from Campania and we drank it with a supreme pizza. The wine was big, bold, and fairly rustic. The tannins were gripping, but the dark red fruits came across, along with black tea and earth. It was better with the food than it was on its own...I liked it but didn't love it. Still, it's always fun to try new wines and new varietals.

Unfortunately, on the second night the wine had fallen off pretty drastically and was practically undrinkable.

McWilliam's Pinot Noir

Name: McWilliam's Pinot Noir
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Australia
Region: SE Australia
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


This was our first Australian Pinot Noir, and it definitely won't be the last...It was big and juicy with a much bigger body than I expected from a Pinot. It featured red berries, cherries, and some spice. It was very smooth and a bit more complex than I thought it would be. Overall, I was very pleased with the McWilliam's Pinot Noir. Good stuff!

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.

Catena Malbec

Name: Catena Malbec
Color: Red
Varietal: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Price: $17
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


The Catena Malbec is a juicy, delicious, silky smooth wine from Argentina's Mendoza region, known for its incredible success with the Malbec grape. This one features raspberries, dark berries, some spice, and a bit of black pepper. The tannins create a nice mouth puckering sensation. The finish was very long on this wine and the nose was really expressive.