This wine is a definite Best of 2010 contender, not just for the taste but for the ridiculous price they’re selling it at.

Okay, we’ve done the Liberty School Cabernet, the Liberty School Chardonnay and told you all about the Hope Family Wines story. These awesome people found the Cabernet review I did a couple of months ago and decided that in order to be revered as one of the most awesome wineries to ever exist, they had to get on WineWelfare.com. Rightly so. I even have a page for applicants!

That said, you all know the story, so I’m not going to go into it anymore. I just can’t keep explaining every little thing to you people. My time is far too valuable and there is just too much vino to drink out there.

The Liberty School Cuvee is a rock star blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenach, Mourvedre and Viognier. Just think about all of the possible combinations you can get out of those, then think about the resulting wine being under $15, and you can see what we’re dealing with here.

Color

Bright and not heavy. The nose and taste were rich but the color was not, despite the blend.

Nose

Very floral and bright. Every bright red fruit pops up here. Currants, cherries, raspberry, strawberry and smoke.

Taste

Far and away one of the best wines I’ve had in my life. I shared it out at dinner with my wife, step-dad and his wife, and let me tell you that I’m glad I did. For some reason, good wine just kicks more ass when you’re sharing it with people you care about. Bright red fruits and a real back-of-the-throat smoke come through, followed up by a stiff, velvety mid-palate with a shot of vanilla, finished off with firm but benevolent tannins, a little little leather, and a stewed prune notes. Out of this world structure, complexity and class. I still can’t believe the price.

With Food

As usual when I share wine with my family, we ate it with kabobs, gyros, hummus and the like. I’d recommend it with either nothing or a roast meat and game. Nothing else.

Where to Buy

$10.83 at GrapeDiscounts.com!

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The Foundry Viognier 2006

Yellow-green and very bright. Looks very refreshing. Lot’s of honeysuckle and citrus with a strong burst of apricot. Good rockiness on the back-end that leads to a crisp finish. A good hot summer white to enjoy with the TV outside.

WHERE TO BUY: $8.99 at WineLegacy.com!

Fair Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Apple freshness with very bright acidity. Good creamy lime flavors come through once it’s not so chilled, making this great for grilled chicken or fish with lime and some salsa.

WHERE TO BUY: $7.01 at FineWineShop.com!

Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz 2004

This is a weird one. There aren’t a lot of sweet red wines out there that aren’t fortified or taste like spiked Kool-Aid, but this one was actually pretty tasty. It fits into the summer heat thanks to the sweetness. But don’t let the name or my use of “sweetness” throw you. This isn’t sugary or syrupy, but only slightly sweet. Not a regular Shiraz, but not a straight-up dessert wine. Great juicy plums and maraschino cherries. Still a few tannins in there, but I would leave this for after the meal.

WHERE TO BUY: $11.89 at TheWineStoreRI.com!

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The only problem was, Denner is not home to many cheap wines. Couldn’t find a single bottle under $20. Oh well. After eating a perfect homemade lunch (prepared by my sister-in-law), we went in to taste. Since the focus here is cheap wine, I’ll just briefly recommend two Denner wines that you should absolutely splurge on:

Denner Vineyards 2008 Theresa (Roussanne and Viognier)

Holy crap, it’s like a pina colada mixed with french toast. $27.35 at WebWine.com!

Denner The Ditchdigger 2006 (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault)

This wine will destroy your face. That is all that needs to be said. $39.90 at WebWine.com!

I cannot describe this country to you due to the overwhelming chances of my failure in doing so. My wife and I have now explored a great deal of California’s central region, and its landscape is always beyond jaw-dropping. Endless rolling hills, some clotted with gnarled trees while others are vast, brushed with wildflowers of orange, yellow, purple and support only one stoic, paint-worthy tree per hill every mile or so.

The landscape is so stunning that the one thing that keeps recurring in my mind whenever I see it is, “Is this really in the same state as Los Angeles?” The contrast is planetary in scale.

Then it was off to downtown and Ortman Family Vineyards, home of one of the best Pinots I have ever had: Ortman Santa Rita Hills 2006 Pinot Noir. My brother and his wife had given it to us for Christmas.

I will be blunt: At this point I could not taste anything. I was smashed. I remember tasting the wines, I remember them tasting like something, I remember asking/slurring a request for the 06 Pinot Noir I’d had a month earlier, but I failed to remember the name. The pouring dude took pity on me and poured me a reserve Pinot of theirs, which was almost as good despite being more expensive. I even remember buying a bottle of the Syrah after my wife’s emphatic endorsement: “And it’s only $22!”

Still, $22 is too high to do a somewhat more intimate review of a wine here on Wine Welfare, so I’m going to go with another wine I tried at Ortman:

Ortman Cuvee Eddy 2007 Rhone Blend

COLOR: Nice purple but with some clarity.

NOSE: This was what I remember most about this wine. Nice big blackberry and plum smells with a little bit of licorice. After a minute or so it started to give off some of that gold ‘ole grandma’s basement scent.

TASTE: Not the most balanced wine in the Ortman portfolio, but at less than $20, you could really enjoy this anytime. Good black fruit again and even more licorice, but it kind of lags towards the end, leaving you with only the heat. Just a good, solid Rhone blend. Nothing leaning too far one way or the other.

WITH FOOD: You could enjoy this on it’s own or with pizza, red sauce or even a steak. It should hold up fine. Don’t get to crazy with the fancy foods and multiple ingredients. This thing asks for you to keep it simple.

WHERE TO BUY: $15.99 at KLWines.com!

Denner Vineyards

Ortman Family Vineyards

Paso Robles Wine Country Information

Stay tuned for more wines from Paso Robles wineries!

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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

Nice and golden. Near apple juice, which is surprising, because the wine is fairly young.

Nose

Huge nose. Blasts into your face with great minerality and floral notes. There is also, and we have to be blunt here, cow poop. There is no other way to say it. It’s French so it is to be expected. It does not detract from the taste so don’t worry. Also, for some reason, there is a great blast of green vegetables. That might not work for some, but trust us, it’s good.

Taste

Delicious flowers, rich baked apple with vanilla ice cream. Very light tartness, if any. The acidity is great and balances brilliantly with the fruit. The heat is there as well, which adds to the length and creamy finish.

With Food

Fish, shellfish and cream sauces. Like many of the wines we have reviewed lately, you can also enjoy this alone, as it is absolutely full and flavorful.

$9.99 at WineLibrary.com

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Color

Deep yellow straw; almost apple juice. Extremely rich yellow; not bright, but just very deep. Unusual for a wine this young.

Nose

Peaches, lychee nuts, citrus blossom and wet hay. These smells are present, before fading into nothingness. Not what I would call a tight nose, but not an explosion.

Taste

Peaches again, bathed in some butter and cinnamon. Good balance here between fruit and alcohol. The pears on the nose are missing, but the richness of the color is definitely here. This is an unctious Viognier. Lip-smacking like chicken stock. Great mid-palate, and the wine is still going strong with peach and a bit of clove on the finish. Not a hint of dryness. Amazing value.

With Food

Chicken, cream dishes, mild cheeses and nuts. Fish might not be the best. We’d go for something more dry like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

$8.09 at Varietal Wines and Spirits!

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No More “Recession Wine”

If you are into wine, then you have heard this term by now. Heck, you’ve probably heard if you don’t care too much for wine, because the term “recession wine” is everywhere. We here at Wine Welfare are determined to help stop the use of this term because we feel it causes negative thinking when it comes to finding good wines under $20 (though it would be a good name for a wine website). We are doing this for a number of reasons:

1. By labeling a wine with the word “recession,” you are immediately invoking negativity. We don’t care if the wine is made from table grapes found in your local grocery store and fermented in an abandoned L.A. school bus. If it tastes good, it tastes good.

2. Wine is either good or bad, and neither has to do with how much it costs.

3. You should not drink wine you do not enjoy just to save a few bucks. If you have always liked that $10 bottle of Merlot but now it costs $12, spend the extra $2 on it.

4. Think about how stupid you would feel if we were living in boom times and people were calling that same $12 bottle of Merlot “Wealthy Wine” (another good website name).

You get the picture. Now onto the Pepperwood Grove Viognier 2006.

Bad News

Not the most structured white, but when we picked up the Pepperwood Grove Viognier, we weren’t expecting a hearty white Burgundy. The wine is a bit too crisp and tart for our liking. We usually prefer Viogniers that roll along like a red carpet: softer and more silky. This one kind of hits you in the face and moves on; a drive-by Viognier. Imagine someone fires a green apple at your face, then dumps a blob of honey on you when you’re bleeding on the ground, and then leaves you, wondering what the heck just happened.

Sorry about that, we’ve been off for about a week and had a Tangent Attack there…

Good News

Uh….$6.99 and it tastes good?

Color: Golden and clarified. Very pleasing and looks syrupy, which is deceiving because it is not at all.

Nose: Booze. Seriously, just booze. You might find a flutter of honey or maybe some pear, but this baby is as noseless as Michael Jackson. Wow. Too soon? We just lost some readers.

Ahem.

Flavor: The flavors really are the best thing about this wine, which, let’s face it, is the most important factor. Good minerality, which is kind of odd for a Viognier. Again, not too syrupy. Good apple, peach, lime, clover, a touch of honey, very faint butter, and a touch of cinnamon. The flavors are concentrated just enough, but the tart really comes through and is almost too much to bear. Your mouth clenches, but thankfully the finish is brief and the wine is gone before you know it. So basically the pros and cons balance out.

With Food

Seafood, chicken, this one runs the whole board. Don’t get too buttery with the shellfish, though. This baby can’t handle it. We would also suggest it with some strawberries or peaches and a mild cheese.

Only $6.99 at GreatCorks.com!

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Bad News First: Ahem, it’s $4 and tastes good. There is nothing wrong with that.

Now The Good: Friends brought this one over for dinner one night. Once this was chilled and sipped, they weren’t ashamed to say they had bought it at Trader Joe’s on the way over for $4. We couldn’t believe it. Ridiculous tropical fruit scents (papaya, guava, lime), moving onto a light butter and pure pineapple, remaining chewy the whole way but drying out just as a Viognier should in the end. Melon is normally a flavor in Viognier, but this one is weak on that. Not that it matters. $4? Who cares? We haven’t seen it at BevMo, but definitely get it now before people realize its beauty and the price goes up. By the way, if you notice, this is the 2006 Bear’s Lair Viognier, and if it’s any indication, an older vintage or the 2007 Bear’s Lair Viognier should be just as good.

With Food: We would not recommend eating a damn thing with this, but if forced, we can’t think of anything as good as the ingredients of our dinner that night: chicken, apricots, thyme, lemon. It was a kind of Moroccan night.

$3.99 at Trader Joe’s (hard to find online, head over to TJ’s)

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Bad News First: Can’t find anything bad. We suppose if you hated white wine then this would be bad, but that’s not how we roll here at WW.

Now the Good: Delicious and a party wine? This can’t be! It’s true; this wine can be enjoyed anytime and with practically anything, though a decent steak deserves a red. This Sicilian white is a five way blend of 20% Chardonnay, 5% Fiano, 60% Grecanico, 5% Sauvignon and 10% Viognier. Smells fantastic (you can smell the oranges that grow so well on the island), but once you roll it around in your mouth, you’re taken away to the tropics. Pineapple grilled over a charcoal flame, with small bit of coconut at the end. Closest wine to a pina colada we’ve ever had, but not sweet or over the top. The wine is not dry, so even newbies will enjoy it in favor of the oft-served Riesling.

With Food: Like we said before, this wine is versatile, but we suggest having it at the beginning of a meal, with finger foods, etc. Try seafood or fried items with it (shrimp cocktail, fried artichokes), or combine the two by serving crab cakes with it. If you aren’t moving on to bigger, bolder reds at some point during the process of your meal, then by all means, drink this in the beginning, middle and end.

11.67 at Petrock’s Liquors

Check out the Planeta Winery.

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