COLOR: Cranberry juice cocktail with a little added thickness. This stuff even looks tart.

NOSE: Cranberries coming through along with a backbone of overripe cherries. Smells very fresh for a six-year-old wine.

TASTE: Those overripe cherries have corrected themselves and become stewed. We’ve also got some plums making an appearance, underscored by a nice shot of chocolate in the mid-palate. Since when does that happen in a Zinfandel?
This sucker is big and beefy. It’s like seeing a 5-foot tall 130 lb. dude walk into your garage and lift up your car. Then some black pepper finishes things off and lasts for days.
Come to think of it, this wine is pretty freaky. I’m going to stop talking about it now.

WITH FOOD: I’m too frightened at this point, so I’ll make this quick: Duck, steak, buffalo, venison and maybe even turkey (runs out of the room).

WHERE TO BUY: $13.99 at PacificWineClub.com!

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COLOR: Good but not solid. A little on the pale side for a Chardonnay, but it still counts as golden.

NOSE: Good lemon, no trace of vanilla which means they either went light on the oak or fermented in stainless. Some pecan actually came through along with some cut concrete. Weird.

TASTE: Ok, my mistake: no almonds. This thing tasted like green apple and lemon all the way through. No oak whatsoever. The wine kind of makes an appearance and then vanishes before the applause. Great crisp mouthfeel, but not much else. Still, it’s a Chardonnay for under $15 and it doesn’t suck.

WITH FOOD: Another great seafood wine. Lemon chicken would work, too. Basically, treat this as you would a Sauvignon Blanc or that Vinho Verde we just reviewed.

$12.99 at your local BevMo!

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So last week we left off at Ortman Vineyards in downtown Paso Robles, and for the conclusion of our little 2-day sojourn to Paso Robles, we’re going to get past the blur that was Saturday night (after Ortman) and jump straight into our Sunday tastings. However, I would be remiss not to mention where we ate dinner on that Saturday night, a fantastic place called Villa Creek, right in the heart of downtown.  Since this is a wine review site for the poor, I won’t go into too much detail concerning the meal. I will only mention three things:

1. My wife had the rabbit, which was outstanding.

2. I had the brisket-stuffed poblano chile, which was for some reason even better than the rabbit.

3. I spilled an entire glass of wine on myself (If you remember where we left off last time, we were at Ortman and I’d lost my sense of taste. Add a visit to a nearby pub to that just before dinner, and it was really partytime).*

Cut to the next morning. A brilliant start at Margie’s Diner (also near downtown) with the biggest plate of breakfast I’ve ever seen, and it surely did the trick. This place was serious. There had to be like an entire bag of potatoes on that plate. Anyway, onto the wines!

Pomar Junction Winery

This was a great place. A former railroad junction (go figure) the place boasts a great old tasting room, and out back you can climb into an authentic caboose car and admire the view of what was once a fairly busy California crossroads of sorts. Besides Pomar’s awesome website, they had some pretty good stuff for a new winery. Their under-$20 standouts are as follows:

Pomar Junction Syrah Rose

COLOR: A nice strawberry juice. Dare I say that it looks like a hearty white zinfandel?

NOSE: Strong strawberry, metal, cheese rind. All good signs of a great rose. A good nose for a cool summer wine.

TASTE: Here come the strawberries again along with the the cheese rind. The metal dissipates among a strong mid-palate of hard candy and a hint of marsala. Absolutely delicious and unfortunate that this has to come in the form of a rose when such a wine is difficult to market to the general public with their current perceptions of rose.

WITH FOOD: Like I said, a good cool summer wine with barbecued chicken and a strawberry salad.

WHERE TO BUY: $12.00 from the winery itself.

Pomar Junction “Picnic” Chardonnay – Canvas Series

COLOR: Pale. Almost too pale. Usually I look for at least some semblance of straw color, but this looked like a Sauvignon Blanc.

NOSE: Green apple, caramel corn and a nice shot of minerality.

TASTE: Good mouthfeel. Rich for a Chardonnay at this price. Good acid, strong finish, a little empty on the mid-palate, but the green apple is there for the most part throughout the whole movie.

WITH FOOD: Honestly? Keep this solitary. No sense in pairing this with food that will most likely destroy it; even lemon chicken. It’s on the cheap side, so treat it as such.

WHERE TO BUY: $12.00 from the winery itself.

So we had soaked our stomachs in the first wines of the day with Pomar Junction, and now it was time on to some even more serious wines.

Wild Horse Winery

We were lucky to have stopped at mostly wineries I had never heard of before or seen on store shelves. Wild Horse was the only exception. You will recognize the label immediately and I think I have even seen some of their wines in grocery stores. While everything we tried here was absolutely delicious, take note of the “Unbridled” Merlot and the Cheval Sauvage, there were only a couple that were under the $20 mark, and among those there was one standout:

Wild Horse 2008 Malvasia Bianca

COLOR: Rich gold but not to the apple juice level. Looks very calm in the glass. What did that even mean?

NOSE: Strong, strong aromatics here, even though it was chilled. Once you plow through the initial honeysuckle smells, you get into some tangerine and cantaloupe and some ruby red grapefruit juice.

TASTE: The melon is strong with this (*cue Darth Vader breathing*). Great lychee flavors (go out and by some, their nuts) support a very rich mouthfeel and strong honey flavors. It feels like it would be too rich for even a hot day, but once you get to the finish, which stays but doesn’t really make it’s presence felt, you will know that this stuff will be good all summer long. Plus, I should point out that my brother bought an entire case.

WITH FOOD: This is a tough one, but I can’t see anything wrong with fish or even some spicier foods. It’s not going to really cut through the buttery dishes, since the acid is not the lead here.

$20 from the Wild Horse Winery

And finally, we reach the grand finale of our trip, wherein I experienced the best California red wine I have had thus far in my life. This will be a tough one to beat because the flavors were wacky and the varietal is Italian.

Bella Luna Winery

This place was the spitting image of an Italian home, right down to the half-dead dog in front and the custard paint. Run by two old fellas, both veterans of the Vietnam conflict, named Kevin Healy and Sherman Smoot. Kevin served us that day in the “tasting room” which was basically their enormous garage. The most interesting thing, other than the taste of the wine I’m about to go over, is that their Sangiovese vines are head-trained, meaning no trellises (those T-shaped things you normally see holding up the grapevines). this makes the vines grow, well, everywhere. Sort of like your lazy neighbor’s bushes.  Also interesting is that all of their fruit is dry-farmed, meaning no water unless it rains.

Bella Luna 2008 “Lot One” Barbera – San Benito County

I’m not going to go through the whole spiel here since this isn’t an under-$20 bottle, so I’ll give you the gist of my thoughts on this wine.

BUY IT IMMEDIATELY, EVEN IF IT IS $38

Basically, if you like red wine or have even the slightest interest in Italian varietals, this is a wine worth checking out. The fruit is definitely there but it doesn’t explode, and there are strong vegetal characteristics like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, and green bell pepper. Great firm tannins that don’t muscle their way in. Everything is perfectly, PERFECTLY balanced. I can’t wait to open this thing again. I even asked Mr. Healy for another try of it at the tasting room, which I’m not used to doing.

$38 at Bella Luna Winery

So that concludes our little Paso Robles Wine Country adventure here at Wine Welfare. Other trips are coming, including a number of trips up to the Edna Valley region, Santa Ynez, including Los Olivos, and a trip up to Napa, so stay tuned. AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS SERIES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

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Cheers!

*My wife will probably repeat that I have obsessed over this embarrassing accident since it happened nearly three weeks ago.

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Unlike Napa, the douchebag factor is low in Paso Robles (though there are still some nesting there) and you can really find some fantastic bottles of juice for under $20. I hit about seven wineries on my weekend jaunt and was able to come up with a pretty solid list of under-$20s, most of which are available online. I’m going to go through all of them in this series of posts and hopefully not bore you to tears.

So here we go.

Justin Vineyards and Winery

My first royal tasting room. It’s a pretty high-end place to mention on a cheap wine review site like this, but Justin was a beautiful location and one that I definitely want to return to. However, it did have a few “unusual” charms. As we drove up to the entrance, I noticed we were not slowing. “That’s the entrance for the regular customers,” said my brother and his wife.

We continued a bit further before stopping at a rusted, wrought-iron gate straight out of Eyes Wide Shut. A code was entered by my brother and the gate screeched open. We drove up and I half-expected to see a masked and be-cloaked gentleman make his way down the steps of the structure with a naked woman linked to his arm. “Password, please?” Instead it was a basic parking lot.

The stucco building towered like a Masonic temple, and I don’t doubt that a few of the owners/workers/members indeed based a lot of their branding on that secretive lot. An atmosphere of privilege and creepy ritual emanated from the property. I felt I did not belong.

Inside it was geometry-chic. I say that because Justin’s logo and label iconography is based on geometric shapes and principles. Marble fireplace, chrome and glass tables, opulent sofas and chairs, well-dressed people chatting as a very kind French gentleman (we would meet him later, though I forget his name) poured them their next taste. Plates of cheese, chocolate, crackers, and of course numerous vintages of Justin wine were scattered about. It was warm, but I felt like I had to be a member of Mensa just walking in.

Directly through this lounge was a pair of enormous double-glass doors that led into a giant limestone cave. This was their barrel room (cellar, if you will). I learned that years ago, when they decided to expand and be more green-friendly, they had blown out the entire side of the mountain to be used as their barrel room. After all, nothing says environmentally friendly like blowing up a mountain.

It required no heat or air conditioning. Naturally climate controlled, no matter what the weather outside. Hundreds of barrels lined the floor and several catechesms leading deeper into the mountainside seemed untraversable what with the staggered barrel stacks.

We were even privy to a barrel sampling by the previously-mentioned French guy whose name still escapes me. It was great to actually taste the latest vintage of a particular wine straight from the barrel and be able to compare it to it’s older, vinted and bottled brother. You notice things like more tannin and fruit since the younger wine has not found it’s balance or calmed down yet. The wines were over-rated and over-oaked but fascinating thanks to the legend the Justin Winery has created for itself. To look at the gorgeous vineyard, the educated experts working the tasting room (all from various parts of the world, including France) and the general buzz within the exclusive tasting room, you would think that Justin was a century-old chateau. In reality, you’re still in beautiful little Paso Robles, drinking wines from a house that only released its first vintage in the mid-eighties. 1980s, that is.

Justin Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc

COLOR: Lemon water, but it darkens a bit towards the rim, making it look like something more than…well, lemon water.

NOSE: Not bad. Lot’s of grassy, rosemary scents along with some honey and caramel.

TASTE: Delicious all the way through. According to the Justin people, the wine “never touched wood” (heh heh) yet the flavors suggested that there was oak involved. It was caramel-ly and somewhat creamy, not too acidic. Most Sauvignon Blancs are supposed to be acidic enough to cut through buttery white foods like cream sauces and fish, but this one was big and had a heavy mouthfeel. A lot more rosemary came through along with some melon. Very, very well made, and at this price, a white wine this structured should not be passed up.

WITH FOOD: Like I said, while the acid is there, it’s not taking the lead, so don’t expect this to cut through super-rich foods. You may think differently once you try it, but lemon chicken or simple white fish might be best.

WHERE TO BUY: $12.79 at DrinktheGrapes.com!

LINKS: Justin Winery and Vineyards

Paso Robles City Site

Stay tuned for more wines from Justin and other Paso Robles wineries!

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The Zaca Mesa Z Gris is a Rhone Rosé play, and it is pretty stellar, despite the pretentious popularity of the Zaca Mesa Tasting Room in Santa Barbara Wine Country. I made my inaugural visit a few weeks ago and am now stained for life. Let’s just say that most people were either hitting on one another, buying copious amounts of $10 jarred olives, or simply claiming that the wines “tasted like shit.”

To put it bluntly, it was a Douchebag Pit Stop, no doubt a mistaken rendevous on the way to Douche Mecca: Las Vegas. It almost pains me to tell you how much I enjoyed this wine, because I almost want the tasting room to burn down. Anyway, we’re not here to wax poetical on what’s wrong with the young wine industry today. We’re here to tell you about this delicious rosé.

COLOR: Well, it’s pink. Deal with it, sissy.

NOSE: Unlike any wine I have ever had. Oranges, 50/50 Bars, more oranges, dirt, and finally a sharp shot of strawberry. Someone tell me a white wine that smells like oranges, strawberries and dirt. It can’t be done. This wine defies all logic. AHHHH!

TASTE: Great structure and mix of flavors. Very complex flavors of strawberry, sharp minerality, peaches, a little poop perfume invading the nose as you drink, and finally: ORANGES. The oranges won’t go away. By the way, by “poop perfume” I mean that there is a very Old World, earthy barnyard scent that invades your senses as you drink. The wine is made from Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Counoise and Cinsaut. Caramel finish that is so common among rosés.

WITH FOOD: Great with a firm-fleshed fish or a barbecued chicken. Don’t use BBQ sauce. Instead, season whatever the white meat is with some simple salt and pepper. Try it with a spinach, avocado and strawberry salad tossed with a homemade vinaigrette. Preferably for a hot day.

WHERE TO BUY: $13.69 at CheaperCigars.com!

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Ahhh, Christmas time. When you’re a kid it’s all about presents. When you’re a teenager it’s all about presents and no school. When you’re an adult, it’s all about no work and food.

Which is where we come in.

That’s right, we’re reviewing some Christmas wines for you at Wine Welfare. These two reds and two whites are sure to pair perfectly with whatever fattening grub you’re throwing on that table this year. So light a nice warm fire, cozy up next to that Christmas tree, and enjoy your family becoming slightly blurry as you polish off a bottle of one of these wines with your favorite uncle.

Neyers 2006 Zinfandel Pato Ranch – $17.98 at WineLibrary.com or available at most wine stores or BevMo!

The Holidays are not complete without a delicious California Zinfandel. Sure, you could go with a Primitivo (basically Zinfandel in Italy), but American Thanksgivings and Christmases tend to call for the big, juicy California fruit bomb that is Zinfandel.

Neyers is one of California’s best wineries, working out of Sage Canyon in the Napa Valley. They are consistently earning 90-point scores and astounding wine-lovers everywhere. Their Pato Ranch Zinfandel is no exception, with delicious tobacco and cherry flavors swirling around a foundation of moist, stinky soil. Sounds good, right? Trust us, this should be on your table with that turkey or prime rib, especially at this price.

Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend – $11.99 at WineAnthology.com or at BevMo!

Never even heard of this one before we tasted it, but the Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend is both delicious and available in most wine stores. Deep, dark opaque color, like ink-infused Welch’s grape juice. The grapes keep coming as well, in the form of Nerds candy flavors. This is an Australian Bordeaux blend: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Chocolate and plum jam come through like gangbusters, but the acid fights back to balance it all, leading to a cakey, long finish. Delicious with duck.

Big House White – $6.99 at WineLibrary.com or available pretty much everywhere!

Shockingly good for less than seven bucks. The Big House White is a rather odd blend of Malvasia Bianca, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Rousanne. We’d never had any blend like it before, but this didn’t mess around. The funny thing is, you can taste elements of all of those varietals, but you taste more flavors of varietals that are not in the wine. Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay (big time, buttery and creamy) and the like. Big pina colada flavors and spiced apples. Serve this one only slightly chilled before the meal or with appetizers. Might not hold up to the likes of turkey, gravy and stuffing.

Fleur Des Pins Graves Sauternes – $12.98 at WineLibrary.com!

If you’ve never had a Sauternes, now is the time to try one. Holiday sweets go magnificently well with Sauternes, no matter if they’re cookies, cakes or candy. Sauternes makes everything better. We’ll go into more detail about Sauternes later on, but for right now, if you can’t find the Fleur Des Pins Graves, just pick up any one you can find. You may find it difficult to locate one under $20 (we did), but rest assured, even a $30 375ml bottle of this stuff will put a smile on your face. This is solid 50/50 Bar, with delicious lemon picking up as well. Very sweet, but with that smokey characteristic often found in botrytis wines (moldy grapes; again, more on this later). The result is you enjoying a magnificent flavor explosion and then passing out on the couch watching A Christmas Story. ‘Tis the season.

One last thing and, we didn’t really want to mention anything because we’re so embarrassed, but…well, this is post number 100 for us here at Wine Welfare. That’s all we’re going to say. Feel free to maybe, we don’t know, leave a comment, compliment or congratulate us. Whatever you like. Really. We don’t need validation or anything. But one last time, just to clarify:

100 POSTS!!! WOO HOOOO!!!!

So that’s it. We sincerely hope you check out at least one of these four bad boys, and slap some serious enjoyment onto that Christmas of yours.

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Happy Holidays and Cheers!

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Color

Beautiful gold color. Rich and oily. Apple juice with a shot of olive oil.

Nose

Buttered popcorn, poached pears and…..OAK. Lots and lots of oak.

Taste

So, we’ve been reviewing wines for awhile. If you’ve kept up (and we hope you have), you should have an inkling of our palates here, and the type of wines we tend to enjoy over others. At the same time, you also probably know that we tend to not give too many bad reviews here. Oh sure, we will occasionally review a wine that we may have enjoyed, but point out that the majority of palates out there will not like it, but that’s about it.

Keeping all of that in mind, please understand when we say that this wine is terrible.

Seriously, we don’t know how one would go about grinding down an oak board into sawdust, soaking it in varnish, adding a little butter, dropping in an apple Jolly Rancher, and then putting it in a bottle to serve – but Tolosa has found a way.  You could build a table with this wine. Big pass on this.

We often enjoy oaky Chardonnays because of the light, buttery vanilla accents they can add, but when it is overdone it gets really bad. Besides, there are a good number of other Chardonnays that are much better and at a better price point.

With Food

Maybe a beaver would enjoy it with something…

$12.00 at Central Coast Wines (ccwines.com).

Also, we should note that there is a Tolosa “No Oak” Chardonnay out there as well. Apparently they realized their mistake at some point.

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Color

Pale green. Sprite-like since there was a touch of bubble to this. Let’s just say “lime water.” Who knows? We see what we see. It’s been a long few days.

Nose

Air, light, herbs. Pure New Zealand. As some of you may know, we’ve extolled the many virtues of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. With their herbaceous noses and tropical grassy flavors, they are New Zealand’s flagship wines, and with good reason. The Kim Crawford smells of pulled weeds and broken dandelions. Very green and very bitter. Good sign.

Taste

Think of a castle made of fresh-cut piles of grass, mangoes, pineapples and some very fresh orange peel. Then surround all of that with a strong, stalwart acid that matches perfectly. Chill it down a bit and add a little stink of earth. There you have it. Perfectly balanced and very, very well-crafted for the price.

Food Pairing

Good shellfish or regular fish in a lemon butter sauce. Would also work well with some fresh tropical fruit and mild white cheeses.

$12.49 at RyeBrookWines.com

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Castellani La Cattura – Our First Super Tuscan

Super Tuscans are rebels. Back in the day in Italy, the DOC (Denominazioni di origine controllata), which is basically the Wine Police of Italy, said that Chianti always had to consist of no more than 70% Sangiovese and at least 10% of  a local white grape. As time passed, Chianti sales started to suck, so some of the winemakers decided to break the DOC rules by blending the Sangiovese with other varietals like Cabernet. The Castellani La Cattura, for example, is made from Teroldego and Syrah grapes. By breaking DOC regulations, these wines could no longer be called “Chianti,” but that didn’t matter to these new winemakers of the Rebel Alliance. They decided to give these wines a new name, one that best described the kind of wine they were creating and where it came from.

Thus, the “Super Tuscan” was formed. Though it has never taken on an “official” status, it stands to this day as the signifier of some of the best wines Italy has to offer.

Color

Inky red withe purple tint. Much darker than most Chiantis you may have seen. Think of a thick-looking Hawaiian Punch.

Nose

Wood. Pure oak all the way. A bit too much if you ask us, but some might dig it. Letting it breathe for an hour or so may help. If the oak dissipates enough, you will find scents of dark raspberries, rich cherries and soil. Early morning forest, dead leaves, and…despite all of the scents we just described…peaches.

Taste

The oak stays put and doesn’t fade much on the palate. Since the wood/vanilla elements the oak brings forth are so prominent in the front of the wine, the mid-palate is flabby. Basically, you get a nice expolosion of vanilla and then it’s like there is water on your tongue. Swallow and then you will find the fruit, and it’s raspberry all the way; nice and tart, but a little late to the party. We were going to sleep by the time the cherries or anything else even bothered to appear.

This wine received an overall 90 point rating from some wine dudes, but…nope.

With Food

Pasta with red sauce. Not much more you can do with this because it’s not as full-bodied as we would like. Ironically, it would not go with rabbit.

$12.98 at WineLibrary.com!

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Francis Coppola 2007 Syrah

The first Coppola wine we’re reviewing, and it’s a pretty good one.

Color

Good, stiff purple all the way through. Slightly cloudy, which makes it even more appetizing for some reason. Boysenberry syrup, once again.

Nose

Tight nose. Ethanol, which probably won’t be too appetizing to many people. Cherries, smoke, tight blueberry, and still-hard blackberries.

Taste

The finish on this wine is spectacular (we’re even talking about it first!). Great acid. Also, that ethanol on the nose was confirmed by the extra dose of booze. Delicious, bursting dark cherries and then you’re suddenly gnawing on a freshly sawed cedar 2×4. The mid-palate of this wine is perfection. The oak is not overpowering, but not understated. It makes you lick your chops and take another drink. Last comment: while we were enjoying the cherry and wood elements, we were hoping for a bit more variety in the fruit; it is a bit one-sided.

With Food

As usual, Syrah is great with BBQ, and since we’ve got about a month or so left of summer, light those coals and pour a glass of the Francis Coppola Syrah.

Only $12.97 from LittleBrosWine.com!

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You’re Recommending a Non-Chardonnay Kendall-Jackson?

Indeed we are. Kendall Jackson Chardonnay is how a lot of people first started drinking that was higher quality than the jug wines or White Zinfandels they were used to. Kendall Jackson still makes a killing with their Chardonnay in every vintage, and is one of the best-selling Chardonnays in history. They practically mailed samples of the stuff to suburban homes back in the nineties as a requirement to drink. So because of this, we feel like we don’t really have to say anything. To us, it would be like recommending gasoline for your car.

Therefore, without further or do, we bring you the Kendall Jackson Meritage 2003. This is a plush blended wine (“Meritage” means “Blend”) in the Bordeaux style. Remember, a Bordeaux wine can only consist of the following five grape varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Frank, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Kendall Jackson Meritage contains three out of the five: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

Bad News First

The wine tastes fake. That’s as bluntly as we can put it. Kendall Jackson has been around for so long and has to bottle such large amounts of their wine to get them into thousands of grocery stores, that some of their wines taste “rushed.”

There were flavors in this juice at some point in time, but we’re guessing that they ran out of time and so had to fake a few tastes to make the wine more tasty, palatable and pleasing to the public. One such method would be to over-oak the wine, as this certainly is. If you are not into the super-California-style wines or vanilla oak elements in red wine, stay away.

Basically, there are better, hearty red wines available for less money. the Hahn Syrah for one.

Good News

Color: Rich, red garnet. The color is pleasing and makes you want to get to drinking.

Nose: Very dark cherries and oaken vanilla. The oak really does bash you right in the face here. You might also pick up hints of earth; wet earth. Rainy mornings on a redwood deck.

Taste: We have the oak again, and man oh man is it in the front. It dominates every other flavor, turning this wine into a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped off with some cedar chips and some vanilla extract. Did we mention vanilla? The deep, dark cherries complete themselves from nose to taste here, it’s virtually the only fruit you will get, depending on what you might be eating. Weak tannins, so there is the slightest hint of dryness, but given the varietals blended here, there should be much much more. So if you are into New World styles, and especially California New World, you might want to give this a whirl.

With Food

Strong cheeses or fruit, perhaps red berries or cherries. Normally, blends such as these work well with red meats or even red sauces, but given the weak structure and tannins, it just won’t hold up. Take it easy with this one.

Only $12 at Winerz.com! (Yes, we know it is slightly cheaper on other sites, but this one looked like they could actually ship it to you rather than tying it to a pigeon and hoping for the best. We’re always looking out for you.)

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Spanish No. 1

Our first Spanish wine ever here at Wine Welfare, and what a deal from the BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale! We are still not sure how long this thing is going on for, but who cares? Just grab as many bottles as you can while it lasts! Now let’s get into the Hoya de Cadenas Tempranillo.

Good News: The nose on this wine is weak, despite its age. Faint raspberry and a touch of cedar. Think morning in the woods, but with a stuffy nose. The wine tastes weak structurally, but the flavors are there: Blackberry, smoke and a bit more of that raspberry. Spanish Tempranillos are not known for being huge, in-your-face reds, but rather they are more subtle and understated. That said, this one lacks even a tap, much less a punch. You might want to give it an hour or two out of the bottle to let it thicken up.

With Food: While it is a red and most reds, by and large, can handle BBQ, we would not recommend pitting this one against your grilled steaks. Try grilled chicken or even Ahi tuna. Not a wine for cheese or fruit either. If you aren’t grilling (which we don’t understand given that it’s summer time) then just enjoy it alone.

$13.04 for 2 bottles at the BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale!

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Well, now that all of the 4th of July hoopla is over with, we can get back into some good ol’ deals on delicious wines! Let’s start this middle of summer rally with another great BBQ wine. This is a French red, specifically Bordeaux, with a lot of heart: The christian Moueix Merlot 2005, which is pretty much known for being one of the best vintages in history for Bordeaux wines.

Most people would not think of a Bordeaux as a BBQ wine, but, let’s face it, when it comes to barbecue, nothing says it like steaks.

Good News Only: So there you sit, munching on your T-bone or Porterhouse or Filet Mignon or Flank Steak and you’re drinking a beer. Try that steak on with a glass of this stuff instead! The Christian Moueix Merlot comes at you with great blackberry, raspberry and roasted plums (bet you never thought of doing that!). The nose is what it should be from a Bordeaux wine: manure. Now some people might be put off by a wine that smells like…well, poop, but just try it with a bite of your grilled steak. It doesn’t matter what cut of beef it is, if it’s from a cow, it will work beautifully. The wine just drinks very well, even for hot weather. The fruit comes through and the alcohol is there to back it up with a nice finish that is not too warm. Leather and prunes finish off the taste, and the wine will last long enough in your mouth to merit two bites.

With Food: Steak, steak and more steak. Did we mention steak? This will also work with hamburgers, particularly if you like mustard on them (something just happens when you add a little mustard flavor on your tongue with this wine).

$13.04 for 2 at the BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale!

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Please Light the Fireworks BEFORE Drinking These

Since today is the 4th of July, we here at Wine Welfare decided to just give you a barrage of great deals still available at the BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale!

So without further or do, here are 2 great whites (we know that it’s most likely warm, wherever you are) and 2 great reds (we know you also may be barbecuing). So go pick up these great wines!

Whites First

Mezzacorona Chardonnay 2006 – $9.04 for 2!:

Creamy, with a bit of apple crumble and vanilla ice cream, but not nearly as filling. Medium-bodied, and just dry enough to make you want another glass. Enjoy it with grilled chicken or fish, only slightly chilled.

Query Sauvignon Blanc 2008 – $15.04 for 2!:

Limes, kool-aid and Fruit Loops with milk on the nose really helps with these hot summer days. Very unlikely scents for a California Sauvignon Blanc, which tend to be pretty bland and over oaked. Nice grass on the finish and extremely refreshing. Fish or chicken will work, but enjoy it by itself too. Chill it a bit more than the Chardonnay.

Now The Reds

Challis Lane Cabernet 2007 – $8.04 for 2!:

A wine deal list just doesn’t seem complete without another mention of Challis Lane. We reviewed their Sauvignon Blanc last week and found it an astounding wine for the price. The Cabernet is no different. Stiff, leathery nose accompanied by wonderful red fruits like cherries and blackberries. The taste is an explosion of black plums, boysenberries and tree bark. That last one doesn’t sound so appetizing, we know, but it translates to “good with barbecued steak.” So have at it.

Hedges CMS Red Wine 2007 – $12.04 for 2!:

A very European-style red wine blend from the Columbia Valley of Washington. Now, you might be thinking “European-style wine on the 4th of July?” but we really feel like this can bring something to your table full of barbecued hamburgers, steaks, chicken, ribs or pretty much anything else. It’s a “Meritage” wine, meaning a blend, that shows a lot of strong coffee, licorice and blackberry flavors and smells. Open it when you light the grill to give it time to breathe, then enjoy once the food is ready. Trust us, anything char-broiled is going to go perfectly with this bottle.

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We hope you have a fantastic 4th of July holiday weekend!

Cheers!

Wine Welfare

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Pinot Blanc might be a name some of you have not heard of, so I will explain. Pinot Blanc is a genetic mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. Pinot Blanc is both weird and cool but always interesting. Often, a Pinot Noir vine will grow its usual amount of black grapes for red wine, but will also have one vine that is all white. This is where Pinot Blanc comes from.

Bad News First: For those expecting a light white wine, this might not be for you. This is not to be confused with a Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc at all. This is a FULL white wine. Almost as much as Chardonnay. Do not chill this and set it out for a light appetizer. This wine can handle a lot.

Now The Good: This is a wine for eating mostly with food, because it can handle a lot, and should basically be treated as a though it were a red. It shares many of the flavors of Chardonnay but much more…..delicious. Overall, this is an absolutely beautiful white wine. Laetitia oaks it so it carries heavy vanilla and toast flavors. That’s right, we said “toast.” If you are a Chardonnay lover, this is your chance to break some new ground. Normally I don’t like the over-oaked California whites, but Laetitia is one of the legends of the Central Coast, and this is no exception. I highly recommend you try all of their other varietals as well as visit the winery, but the Laetitia Pinot Blanc should not be missed. The last trip we took up to the Laetitia Winery, they were trying their best to get rid of this vintage (We assume to move on to the next) and were selling it at $7 a bottle. Might be worth checking out.

With Food: Like we said above, this is a heavy duty white, and should be treated accordingly. This is not an aperetif and should be enjoyed with any white meat, shellfish, etc. Remember, don’t chill it too much. Condensation on your glass should be light because you will really want to enjoy the flavors.

$13.08 at CheaperCigars.com

You may be able to find it cheaper (around $8 a bottle) at the Laetitia Winery here.

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Note the “2006″ before you say we just launched the site and already we’re repeating ourselves. We’re just trying to offer a little compare and contrast.

Bad News First: The ’06 Edna Valley Paragon Vineyard Chardonnay is not a typical California Chardonnay, simply because it lacks the vanilla punch that most have (due to the over-oaking). People buying California Chardonnays typically expect a good shot of vanilla, but this one might not deliver as much as you were looking for. The alcohol also gets a bit overpowering as the wine warms up.

Now The Good: I, for one, don’t like too much vanilla or oak, but I do like the butter-flavors that come through when Chardonnays are oaked. This wine has just the right amount of butteriness I look for, making it roll around heavily in the mouth. It should be savored, not chugged.

With Food: Thanks to the butter, this is tailor-made for shell fish; particularly crab or lobster with drawn butter.

$12.99 at The Wine Specialist

Edna Valley Vineyards

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