Chateau Petit Courret 2009 Bordeaux

i have to admit it is difficult for me to not open a bordeaux when i only pay about $10 for the bottle. no sense laying it down for several years when i can go pick up another bottle if i like it well enough. this one falls into that zone. the nose was a not too over the top with nice red and black cherry notes, some cocoa and earth notes. the palate was a nice black cherry, slightly dusty earth and some spice notes. potential on this one is very much there if you have the patience to wait several years for this one to improve. because of the soft tannins, this is good with most red meat dishes.

Indaba Sauvignon Blanc 2008

i wrote about a couple of varietals (chenin blanc and merlot) from this south african producer a while back and had the opportunity to try their sauvignon blanc recently. for a maker of wines at this price range ($8), these folks know how to do it right. i have not had anything from indaba that has been disappointing. the sauv blanc is no exception. the nose had citrus, some pineapple and a little spicy pepper. the palate was an interesting combination of citrus and spice. nothing like the new zealand grapefruit bombs. this had a juicy mouth feel and a little zing in the finish. good summer time patio pounder. try it with seafood or sushi.

St Francis Red 2005 Red Wine

at the suggestion of my sibling, shorty, i picked up a bottle of this red blend from sonoma. the blend is 58% merlot, 25% syrah, 9% cab franc, 6% cab, 2% zinfandel. the nose had some nice red fruit and spice and a touch of chocolate. the palate was a bit heavy on the spice at first but it mellowed into a nice fruit forward taste as the wine opened up. lots of raspberry and red currant, some plum and spice. there was a little earth and some chocolate notes. this one will work with pizza, pasta, grilled foods or a stand alone glass by itself. sells for about $10.

Oak Spring Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

this is the final pennsylvania wine i have in my collection. in my opinion i saved the best for last. selling for about $20, this cab is aged in stainless steel with oak chips added to the mix for about 6 months if i remember correctly. the results are very interesting. the nose is fruity with black cherry, blackberry, spice and some bell pepper. the palate was very fruit forward, with black currant and blackberry flavors. the were some nice tannins and spice, along with plum and some vanilla in the finish. much more to my liking than some of the sweeter offerings that i tried in pennsylvania.

Styring Vineyards "Wit" Ridgecrest Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006

i have had the pleasure of tasting quite a few vintages from styring, and this might be the last of the 'wit' line. it comes from one of the oldest ribbon ridge vineyards, ridgecrest vineyard. the same area in oregon that styring is located. the nose is loaded with blackberry, black cherry, raspberry and spice notes. a little earth on the nose also. the palate has black cherry, spice and vanilla flavors in a long finish. excellent for sipping alone, but try this with the obvious choice of salmon or maybe some grilled tuna. sells for $55 and worth every penny. and this will lay down for some time.

Viking Vineyards Chambourcin (NV)

i opened this bottle that was purchased at this northern ohio vineyard this year for about $15. chambourcin is a grape that does very well in colder climates and some ohio wineries use it solo as well as a blending grape. the nose was plum, blueberry, some nice earth notes and i also got some floral (violet) aromas. the palate had lots of fruit with black cherry, some strawberry and an interesting spicy clove note in the finish. easy drinking red that went well with cheese and crackers and the next night by itself. the vineyard is well worth the visit near kent state. very nice setting and lots of nice wines to taste.

Apaltagua Envero Gran Reserva 2007

a blend of 90% carmenere and 10% cabernet sauvignon, this fun red from chile is a real pleaser for me. beautifully complex nose with aromas of blackberry, spice, some nice tobacco notes and a little coffee. the palate is full of dark fruit, like blackberry and black currant, with lots of spice at mid-palate and in the finish. almost a minty finish to this. good firm tannins. there is also some sour black cherry notes and a little chocolate on the palate as well. selling for about $14, this wine begs for a filet mignon or a red sauce pasta dish. nice, big, fruity red.

Produttori del Barbaresco Vendemmia 2005

we recently enjoyed this beautiful red with a grilled filet mignon and smashed potato dinner and it was an excellent dinner companion. the nose was blackberry, black cherry, floral aromas of violet and a little raspberry. the palate was very spicy and tannic when the bottle was first opened. as the wine opened up, the fruit flavors started to come through. black cherry and blackberry, with some nice anise and leather notes. sells for about $30 and is an excellent red meat wine.

Casa Marguery Malbec 2008

looking for a fruit forward malbec in the under $15 price point? i had this one with the comely brunette and our good friend, brooklyn, with a filet mignon potato and salad meal. the wine sells for about $12 and has a nose of blackberry and a little spice and earth. the palate was full of ripe blackberry and a little bite of peppery spice. the spicy bite did ease after the wine opened up, allowing more fruit flavor to come through. i got a little earthy note in the finish as well. medium tannins and a nice finish. good with steak or other grilled meats or pasta dishes.

Gato Negro Malbec 2009

i wrote about the 08 vintage a while back and revisited the 09 to see how it compared to the 08. it is pretty much on the same level with the 08. the nose was very fruity, with black currant aromas. also got some spicy notes and a little inky aroma as well. the palate was black currant, blackberry and some spicy pepper flavors. the body was a little thin but it is a 2009 so maybe time in the bottle? but this is meant to be consumed now. the finish was not very long but not bad. good pizza wine. i had a few comments about other malbecs in this price range but quite frankly, there really aren't any at the $3.99 that this sells for. i will mention a few others that are slightly more expensive and a bit better flavor, most notably alamos and notro, which sees no oak but was very tasty. once again,the gato negro is about what you would expect for the $4 price, nothing too special but very drinkable.

Styring Vineyards "Wit" Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2004

on to the second offering from styring, the 04 pinot noir. this red's grapes are from the forest grove area of the willamette valley in oregon. so how did the 04 compare to the 03? the first thing i noticed was the nose, which had little of the earthy quality of the 03. the 04 was very spicy on the nose, with fruit was of raspberry and blackberry. on the palate the first thing i got was very gripping tannins and spice. much more spice than the 03. black cherry fruit was very evident. this is not a wimpy pinot. it hits you right in the mouth. on the second day the tannins had relaxed quite a bit allowing the fruit to come through. i got some blackberry as well and a little less spice. i also picked up some subtle vanilla notes from the french oak. sells for $38.

Styring Vineyards "Wit" Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2003

i actually opened all three wines at the same time, pouring a glass of each, smelling and then leaving them site for about 20 minutes, then going back and swirling smelling and tasting them in order. the first one i will write about is the 2003, from the dundee hills region of willamette valley. the nose was very nice, with an immediate earthy tone of wet forest floor, followed by some black cherry, plum and spice notes. i am a big fan of earthy nosed wines and this came through nicely on that front. on the palate, the wine had a spicy wood and blackberry quality. the spice was a little stronger than i remembered it being the first time a tried this wine, but this is not a delicate flower. it had a very nice mouth feel and medium tannins. i sampled the wine again after a day and the tannins had mellowed quite a bit, allowing the blackberry fruit to shine through more and there was a nice earthy and mocha notes in the finish that i didn't get the first day. overall a very nice pinot. this vintage is no longer available, but sold for about $38.

Domaine Chêne 2007 Bourgogne Pinot Noir

i wrote about the 2005 vintage on this wine some time back and decided to do a comparison with the 2007 vintage. very similar nose on the 07, with strawberries and spice notes. i picked up a hint of the earthy aroma, but the spice was a little stronger this time. i also picked up some nice rose petal notes as the wine sat in the glass. the palate was also very similar to the 05 vintage. strawberry flavors were very strong up front. i wasn't getting as much red raspberry as before, but the spicy clove notes was there, along with some nice floral notes. nice medium tannins and once again a good overall impression. sells for about $12 and works well with salmon or a good roast.

Maipe Malbec 2008

i follow ratings on wines to a point. i am always amazed at wines that get rated very high that i may not particularly find as spell-binding as the reviewer. this malbec falls into that class. selling for about $11, it got 90 points from robert parker. i tried it at a tasting and we either had a bad bottle or maybe the taste buds were off this night. or maybe parker was off. the nose was decent enough with plums and some spice and violet coming through. but the palate seemed a bit weak with flavors of blackberry and black pepper. the wine was a bit thin, green and tight. it opened up a little with time in the glass, but wasn't as bold as i would have hoped for. i will revisit this at some time in the future to see if it was me that was off that night or the wine.

Le Lapin Paso Robles Petite Sirah (NV)

wine number three from rabbit ridge. the petite sirah is another nice find and sells at the same $7-8 price. the nose is full of plum, blackberry, spice and earthy notes. the flavor is fruity and tannic, with plum flavors, followed by lots of spice notes. i got some really nice earth notes as well. this is an easy drinking red that will work well with a wide variety of foods, including hearty cold weather meals like stews and roasts.

Matteo Braidot Pinot Noir 2007

pinot noirs are a real love and finding a good one at a $10 price point like this is rare. when you take into consideration that this pinot comes from italy, it makes it even more rare. i tried this one at my local wine merchant at a recent tasting. thanks t! nice selection. the nose is black cherry, raspberry, vanilla and a little cocoa. a little floral note at the end after the wine had opened up. the palate was fruit driven with flavors of black cherry, but there was also some nice spice notes leaning towards black pepper mixed in with medium tannins. the finish had some chocolate and tobacco notes. all in a well balanced, beautifully structured wine. very impressive at this price. enjoy this with red meats or a nice dish with mushrooms.

Legado Munoz Merlot 2006

merlot has gotten an unfortunate bad rap since 'sideways', but i have always found it to be an nice food wine. i have heard that it is making a little comeback and this offering from spain is a good reason to try merlot again. the nose is raspberries and cherries and some spice. on the palate, a good burst of black fruit, like black raspberries and a little black cherry. i got some real nice pepper and smoke flavors as well. very smooth with a medium length finish, this wine sells for about $10 and will go with a wide variety of foods, including steaks and even the simple pizza or burgers. cheers!

Kings Ridge Pinot Noir 2007

i recently had dinner while traveling with the comely brunette and tried this pinot noir from oregon. the nose was spicy with hints of earth and fruit aromas of strawberry and raspberry. the flavor was an excellent mix of raspberry and spice, with some subtle hints of herbs and earth. this is a bit different than other oregon pinots i have tried, especially in the spice area. more like root beer than most. very tasty with the lobster ravioli i enjoyed for dinner. sells for about $16 and is a very worthy red at that price.

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2007

interesting sauvignon blanc from new zealand. melons, grass, and lime on the nose. the palate was in many ways very typical of new zealand with lots of tropical fruit flavors, especially grapefruit and pineapple, but the interesting part was the spice note. usually you get the tart, citrus finish. this one had a white pepper note that was a different and enjoyable change. gave the wine a really nice zingy finish. good summer deck wine that will go with most summer fare. sells for about $15.

McManis Zinfandel 2007

when is a zin not a zin? try this one from mcmanis and you will see. most of the zins i have tried are big, bold wines. this one has a really interesting subtle character to it that i really found enjoyable. the nose was a beautiful mix of raspberries and blueberries, with spicy clove notes mixed in. the taste was very fruit forward. flavors of blackberry and cherry, with some nice cinnamon and mocha notes mixed in at the back. very well balanced with medium tannins and a very long finish. this is not an over the top zinfandel. it has a very nice, refined character that i found very appealing. and the price of about $12 makes for an excellent buy.