14 Hands 2009 Hot to Trot Red Blend

this nice red blend comes from washington state. it is predominantly merlot, with some cabernet sauvignon, syrah & petit verdot. it sells for the very nice price of about $10-12. we tried one of their whites some time back and enjoyed it, so this was a no brainer for us. and i love red blends. the nose had lots of blackberry and sweet jammy black cherry notes. the palate was a nice juicy mouth full of blackberry and black cherry notes. this is not a big, bold red. more fruit up front and very soft tannins and some great mocha and toast notes in the finish. great to just sip on a chilly evening, or with your favorite stew or meat dish.

2004 Mad Housewife Cabernet Sauvignon

had a glass of this at the blondies house. at a price of about $7-8 a bottle you never know what you are going to get. nose was not very complex. black cherry, a little spice and oak. nothing to intense. palate was cherry and mocha, some spice and soft tannins. not a big cab at all. drinkable, but not great, especially compared to the covey run i had about a week ago. on a budget, give it a try and let me know what you think.