| The Best Red Wines Under $15.00 Tasting Report |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Well, it’s been a great year! As we look back and reflect on 2004, our
little wine society has grown to over 100 members and we have had some
amazing events this year. It has really been fun. I want to thanks
everyone that participated in our events, it has been a blessing to get to
know you all.
It’s the holiday season and of course the busiest time of the year for most
of us. Keeping that in mind, we decided to forego the business of
reviewing a particular wine grape style and go with something a little more
practical. We decided to review some red wines that are out on retail
shelves currently that are under $15.00. It made sense to us and for you,
well at this time of year, who couldn’t use a helpful hint on a great wine
bargain.
We reviewed a total of seven different wines; a Shiraz, a Merlot, a
Zinfandel, a Malbec, two Cabernet Sauvignon’s and an Old Vine
Grenache. Although one wine was clearly everyone’s favorite and one
taster gave it a perfect “100” score (that’s never happened before), most
of the wines we tried in our tasting were met favorably with the exception
of one, which I believe, no’ one cared much for. As a whole, everyone was
pleased and thought that the wines from this grouping were some of the
best overall that we have had at our monthly tastings.
We of course taste all of these wines blind. That’s where you put the wine
in a bag, assign it a number and drink them out of a bag in a random
order, so that no’ one knows exactly which wine they are drinking. Now
sometimes, some of us get kind of cocky and like to try and pick out which
wines are which as we taste them. I won’t mention any names, but one of
the cockiest individuals and so-called “Know it alls” on our little tasting
panel proclaimed that he could guess the identity of each of the wines we
tasted last night and in particular one wine that he swore up and down was
a Cabernet Sauvignon. When others in the group challenged his claim
that this wine was a Cab, he beat his chest loudly and protested that “If
this wine is not a Cabernet Sauvignon, I’ll eat my shorts!”……Well,
imagine his surprise when we revealed the wines only to find out that the
wine was in fact a Malbec from Argentina.
Okay, a deal’s a deal, right!!!
little wine society has grown to over 100 members and we have had some
amazing events this year. It has really been fun. I want to thanks
everyone that participated in our events, it has been a blessing to get to
know you all.
It’s the holiday season and of course the busiest time of the year for most
of us. Keeping that in mind, we decided to forego the business of
reviewing a particular wine grape style and go with something a little more
practical. We decided to review some red wines that are out on retail
shelves currently that are under $15.00. It made sense to us and for you,
well at this time of year, who couldn’t use a helpful hint on a great wine
bargain.
We reviewed a total of seven different wines; a Shiraz, a Merlot, a
Zinfandel, a Malbec, two Cabernet Sauvignon’s and an Old Vine
Grenache. Although one wine was clearly everyone’s favorite and one
taster gave it a perfect “100” score (that’s never happened before), most
of the wines we tried in our tasting were met favorably with the exception
of one, which I believe, no’ one cared much for. As a whole, everyone was
pleased and thought that the wines from this grouping were some of the
best overall that we have had at our monthly tastings.
We of course taste all of these wines blind. That’s where you put the wine
in a bag, assign it a number and drink them out of a bag in a random
order, so that no’ one knows exactly which wine they are drinking. Now
sometimes, some of us get kind of cocky and like to try and pick out which
wines are which as we taste them. I won’t mention any names, but one of
the cockiest individuals and so-called “Know it alls” on our little tasting
panel proclaimed that he could guess the identity of each of the wines we
tasted last night and in particular one wine that he swore up and down was
a Cabernet Sauvignon. When others in the group challenged his claim
that this wine was a Cab, he beat his chest loudly and protested that “If
this wine is not a Cabernet Sauvignon, I’ll eat my shorts!”……Well,
imagine his surprise when we revealed the wines only to find out that the
wine was in fact a Malbec from Argentina.
Okay, a deal’s a deal, right!!!
| Markham Merlot 2001 – Napa Valley, California |
Nose – Ultra complex with boundless waves
of mocha, licorice, anise, dark berries and
green olives.
Taste – Very invigorating and masculine.
Rich, balanced and complex with
unwavering tannins and a smooth lingering
finish full of cherries and tobacco.
I had not had a Markham Merlot since the
1999 vintage and it was a stud too! In fact,
I’ve not had a bad wine from Markham, red
or white. We were all very impressed and
to most on the panel, it stood out greatly
from the rest. This is a romantic wine and I
envision you drinking it with that someone
special in front of the fireplace this holiday
season. Get a case, you’ll need it!
of mocha, licorice, anise, dark berries and
green olives.
Taste – Very invigorating and masculine.
Rich, balanced and complex with
unwavering tannins and a smooth lingering
finish full of cherries and tobacco.
I had not had a Markham Merlot since the
1999 vintage and it was a stud too! In fact,
I’ve not had a bad wine from Markham, red
or white. We were all very impressed and
to most on the panel, it stood out greatly
from the rest. This is a romantic wine and I
envision you drinking it with that someone
special in front of the fireplace this holiday
season. Get a case, you’ll need it!
| Around $15.00 |
| Score A- |
| Felipe Rutini La Consulta Malbec 2002 – Argentina |
Nose – A racy spicy nose with mint, pepper
and dreamy black cherries and dark
chocolate.
Taste – A big, full-bodied wine loaded with
enough tannins, so much so that you would
swear it was a Cabernet Sauvignon. Really,
you would! Rich black cherries persist
midpalate and sail along into the finish.
I’m still convinced that they mislabeled this
bottle at the winery! I was positive that it
was a Cab. A very solid wine with a little
aging potential. A definite if you plan on
serving beef fajitas or flank steak.
and dreamy black cherries and dark
chocolate.
Taste – A big, full-bodied wine loaded with
enough tannins, so much so that you would
swear it was a Cabernet Sauvignon. Really,
you would! Rich black cherries persist
midpalate and sail along into the finish.
I’m still convinced that they mislabeled this
bottle at the winery! I was positive that it
was a Cab. A very solid wine with a little
aging potential. A definite if you plan on
serving beef fajitas or flank steak.
| About $15.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 – California |
Nose – Cherry, chocolate and vanilla,
everything you’d want in a fine dessert!
Taste – Delicious and well done with deep-
rooted mocha flavors and smooth cherry
accents with a long rich finish. Subtle, but
superbly done!
This wine actually tied scores with the So
Zin, so technically there was a tie for third
place. The second place wine only scored
three quarters of a point higher than the two
third place wines. So in other words, they
were all equally very good. I liked this wine
the best of all and it was my highest scorer.
I think its quality far surpasses its modest
price and for that, you certainly can’t go
wrong with buying this wine.
everything you’d want in a fine dessert!
Taste – Delicious and well done with deep-
rooted mocha flavors and smooth cherry
accents with a long rich finish. Subtle, but
superbly done!
This wine actually tied scores with the So
Zin, so technically there was a tie for third
place. The second place wine only scored
three quarters of a point higher than the two
third place wines. So in other words, they
were all equally very good. I liked this wine
the best of all and it was my highest scorer.
I think its quality far surpasses its modest
price and for that, you certainly can’t go
wrong with buying this wine.
| Score B+ |
| Right at $13.00 |
| Schuetz Oles So Zin Zinfandel 2001 – Napa, California |
Nose – Strong and assertive with coffee
notes and a bit of earthy aromas to boot.
apparently), and raspberry on a velvet
Taste – A fair amount of tannins that
texture.
This wine was the winner of our Zinfandel
Shoot Out earlier in the year. It has long
been one of my wife’s favorite libations.
These guys never send their wines to trade
magazines to be reviewed, but I guarantee
that they sell out every year. They make a
$30.00 bottle of Zin called Vesuvium that is
one of my favorite wines ever.
notes and a bit of earthy aromas to boot.
apparently), and raspberry on a velvet
Taste – A fair amount of tannins that
texture.
This wine was the winner of our Zinfandel
Shoot Out earlier in the year. It has long
been one of my wife’s favorite libations.
These guys never send their wines to trade
magazines to be reviewed, but I guarantee
that they sell out every year. They make a
$30.00 bottle of Zin called Vesuvium that is
one of my favorite wines ever.
| $14.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Norman’s Old Vine Grenache 2002 – McLaren Vale, Australia |
Nose – Tempting mocha dark chocolate, a
little smoke and plenty of strawberry jam.
Taste – A whale of a fruit bomb with a rich
and syrupy full-bodied frame that gives
credence to its old vine origins. Big red
fruits persist all the way thru to the finish.
We were wondering which wine was the
Grenache, but once we tasted this, we knew
it was the one. Grenache wines can be a bit
earthy, but this was quite the opposite, very
fruity. What gave it away was the thick
syrupy texture that indicates wine made
from old vine grapes. A nice change of pace
wine.
little smoke and plenty of strawberry jam.
Taste – A whale of a fruit bomb with a rich
and syrupy full-bodied frame that gives
credence to its old vine origins. Big red
fruits persist all the way thru to the finish.
We were wondering which wine was the
Grenache, but once we tasted this, we knew
it was the one. Grenache wines can be a bit
earthy, but this was quite the opposite, very
fruity. What gave it away was the thick
syrupy texture that indicates wine made
from old vine grapes. A nice change of pace
wine.
| About $15.00 |
| Score B |
| Green Point Shiraz 2002 – Victoria, Australia |
Nose – Raspberry aromas peek through the
layers and waves of menthol and cedar.
Taste – This wines bright red color tips off
the strong fruity raspberry flavors that grip
your tongue followed up with judicious oak
flavorings. The wine turns hot with alcohol
on the finish.
Here’s something interesting to note. This
wine recently made the Wine Spectator’s
Top 100 Wines of 2004. I believe it was
number 28 with a score of 93. We gave it
about an 85. So much for wine scores. I
have two bottles in my cellar and I plan to
give them a few years of aging to see what
develops. Right now, I think we all were a
little disappointed.
layers and waves of menthol and cedar.
Taste – This wines bright red color tips off
the strong fruity raspberry flavors that grip
your tongue followed up with judicious oak
flavorings. The wine turns hot with alcohol
on the finish.
Here’s something interesting to note. This
wine recently made the Wine Spectator’s
Top 100 Wines of 2004. I believe it was
number 28 with a score of 93. We gave it
about an 85. So much for wine scores. I
have two bottles in my cellar and I plan to
give them a few years of aging to see what
develops. Right now, I think we all were a
little disappointed.
| Starts at $15.00 |
| Score B |
| Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Coonawarra, Australia |
Nose – Feint sweet cherry aromas that are
all but buried by more herbal accents from
leafy vegetables and green olives.
Taste – Thin-bodied and quite frankly a
little watery. Some interesting cool weather
cab vegetal aromas and an inkling of cherry
fruit thrown in for good measure all on what
amounts to being a very short finish.
Okay, no’ one liked it! Just being honest.
Not even the person that brought it. Do you
remember our California vs. the World wine
event were California lost by a score of five
to two? Well in this tasting, California
kicked Australia’s proverbial butt!
all but buried by more herbal accents from
leafy vegetables and green olives.
Taste – Thin-bodied and quite frankly a
little watery. Some interesting cool weather
cab vegetal aromas and an inkling of cherry
fruit thrown in for good measure all on what
amounts to being a very short finish.
Okay, no’ one liked it! Just being honest.
Not even the person that brought it. Do you
remember our California vs. the World wine
event were California lost by a score of five
to two? Well in this tasting, California
kicked Australia’s proverbial butt!
| Almost $13.00 |
| Score C+ |
