Christian Moueix, Bordeaux, 2005
Here's another one in our "decent (and cheap) table wine" series. Really smooth for such a cheap wine. Certainly not "great", but definitely easy to drink. All that for $8. Not bad.
Smell: Nectarine, straw, yeast, baked bread, cucumber and green bean.
Taste: Prune, black cherry, huckleberry, pomegranate. Wood. Celery and lettuce.
Finish: Prune and cherries. Peaches (very subtle). Green bean!
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Abacela, Vinters Blend #8, Red Table Wine (circa 2008)
Here's another in our quest for a decent table wine. This one is really smooth, though the nose has a bit of a bite. Very good for the price ($15). I went back to the store to get more, and it was all sold out. Drat!
Smell: Bark, oak, raisin. Fall leaves on the forest floor.
Taste: Red cherry, plum, currant. Fuji apple. Tastes like wood.
Finish: Cherry and currant.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
Eola Hills Reserve, 'La Creole', Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Bark, green tree branch. Vanilla (oak). Gasoline fumes (no, not overly noxious); onion. Faint strawberry and currant.
Taste: Plum, currant, huckleberry. Cantaloupe and red cherry -- both a very subtle. Vanilla again (also subtle). All the flavors are muted, and the texture is soft and silky -- especially for one at this price.
Finish: Blueberry and blackberry (without the sourness). Red delicious apple (a bit of that dryness).
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
Wetherell Vineyards, 'Barrel Select', Pinot Noir, 2002
We had this the same night as the Willakenzie 'Pierre Leon'. This followed the WillaKenzie, and it was noticeably lighter and less complex. The predominants here are: plum and vanilla.
Smell: Vanilla/oak, gasoline. Violet. Cinnamon. Peat. Anise.
Taste: Plum and raisin. Something bitter. Liquorice.
Finish: Plum and lemon grass. And the bitter returns.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5Willakenzie Estate, 'Pierre Leon', Pinot Noir, 1999
The nose is spectacular -- definitely the best part. It's peaked, but it's still quite nice. Definitely more of a Burgundian-style: floral, elegant with more subtle fruit for an Oregon Pinot.
Smell: Maple. Ginger bread. Rose hips. Oak/vanilla. River rock, and that smell of dry pavement before the rain. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and oregano (like spaghetti sauce).
Taste: Bark. Really dry. Blueberry and red cherry. Green grass, or hay.
Finish: dry river rock. Blueberry. Vanilla. Rose.
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
Patricia Green Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc, 2006
Smell: Lime/citrus, sage, grassy, pine, dirt (subtle and good, not bad).
Taste: Grapefruit and lime. Pine. Cucumber and a hint of asparagus.
Finish: Lime and cucumber.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Domaine Le Colombier, Cotes de Ventoux, 2005
Smell: Hay and straw. Musty; that pre-rain smell in the air.
Taste: At first, this was way to sweet -- I'm not a big fan of Grenache, and it had that sweet-Grenache taste. However, after about 20-30 minutes, this wine changed a lot. It lost that really sweet taste, and mellowed out. Quite nice. Plum and red cherry.
Finish: Red cherry. Musty, earthy. And a bit (slight) of that granny smith apple dryness.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5This is another pretty good table wine. Again, I'm no fan of Grenache, but since this one looses it's sweetness fairly quickly, I'm giving it the old "thumbs up", especially at $9!
El Coto, Rioja (Crianza), 2004
This is wine is the start of a number of less expensive wines that we'll be reviewing. We can't afford to drink expensive wines regularly, so I've gotten a number of bottles that are in the $7 to $15 range. We'll likely review these over the next few weeks. Yes, this is the eternal holy grail of wine: cheap and good. We'll see what we find.
Smell: Bark, saw dust, pomegranate, motor oil ... no not in a bad way, but chemically. Very slight citrus, like a kiwi.
Taste: Pomegranate again, red cherry, blueberry.
Finish: The bark is back, and prune. Fiji apple and unripe cantaloupe.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5Generally, I think this is a pretty good "table" wine, but then, I'm pretty partial to tempranillo. I will be buying more of this.