I can’t help but wonder how meaningful the “Meritage” name is to wine consumers.  I mean, I don’t hear many people saying, “I’d like a glass of Meritage.”  I suspect a lot of consumers don’t even know what it is.  In essence, Meritage is a name for Bordeaux-style wine that’s made somewhere other than Bordeaux.  You’re really not supposed to call a wine a Bordeaux if it’s not made there.  So some clever folks came up for another name for it, Meritage.  It’s actually a trademarked name, owned by the Meritage Alliance, and anyone who wants to create a Meritage wine needs to license the name.

The idea makes sense, creating a common name for this type of wine.  And I enjoy Bordeaux-style wines.  But I just haven’t noticed a groundswell of consumers clamoring for Meritage.  Maybe the awareness just isn’t there yet.  Or maybe I just run in the wrong circles.

By the way, Meritage is pronounced like “heritage” with an M instead of an H.  So, don’t try to get all fancy with your French accent and call it mare-i-tahhhzh.

The nose is a pleasant on this Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage, albeit rather unmoving, blend of blackberry, plum, cedar and vanilla aromas.  And while those are all aromas we love in red wines, I characterize it as “unmoving” because it’s just not harmonious, in other words, the right aromas are there, but there not optimally balanced.  The palate has plenty of cherry and plum flavors with moderate tannins and decent acidity.  And again, while it’s enjoyable, it’s not mind-blowingly good.  It finishes a bit on the tart side, with sour cherry flavors and a medium length.  This is a decent wine for the price, but nothing extraordinary.

What’s your take?  Are you a Meritage fanatic?

Wine: Robert Mondavi Private Selection
Variety: Meritage
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $11.00

Find Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

We’ve been reviewing a number of cabernet sauvignons lately, but one wine we’ve come across that we really like is not quite a cabernet sauvignon, but rather is a red blend that is dominant in cabernet sauvignon.  Anka is a blend of 57% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, 15% cabernet franc, 7% carmemere, 4%  syrah, and 1 % petit verdot.  While a number of wines labeled as “cabernet sauvignon” have more than just that grape in them, technically than can be labeled as a single varietal if they have a minimum percentage of that one varietal.  In Chile, where this wine is from, the minimum is 75%, so clearly this one is a blend.

Another thing you might notice on the label of this one is that it is “made with organically grown grapes.”  It can’t technically be labeled as “organic wine” because they use sulphites in the winemaking process.  And actually, as I look at the wording I have to raise an eyebrow.  ”Made with organically grown grapes” not made “of” or made “from” organically grown grapes.  I’m not quite sure what they’re saying.  Are there a few organically grown grapes or are they all organically grown?  It looks like some careful language to me, but I’m just pondering questions here… I haven’t had the opportunity to talk with them to confirm how they made it.

So, you can label me as a lazy journalist

This is a rather small production wine too, with less than 2,500 cases produced.  And regardless of all the stuff written on the label I can tell you one important thing about this wine that’s not on the label.  It’s really tasty!

When I first poured this wine, the oak was the only thing that came through on the nose.  And it came through like walking into my wood shop.  But after letting the wine breath for a moment the fruit came out of its shell and brought together a solid and well balanced nose.  Black cherry, blackberry, cassis, chocolate and nutmeg aromas blend beautifully and make smelling this wine really enjoyable.  The palate has a silky smooth feel with loads of deeply-concentrated, ripe fruit flavors, such as blackberry, plum, cherry and chocolate.  The finish is long and tastes like a chocolate covered cherry.   This is a lovely wine.

Wine: Anka
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 90
Price: $20.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

When I first started this website a lot of people commented that I must love Trader Joe’s because of all the bargains they have on wine.  And as much as I wanted to love Trader Joe’s, I just never became a big fan.  Most of the wines I tasted from them were nothing special, albeit they were dirt cheap — which is something I always love.  Plus there’s something about the folks working there that just seems inauthentic to me… they’re way too happy and remind me of flair-clad servers at TGI Fridays.

Anyway, while it seems like everyone I meet associates Trader Joe’s with dirt cheap wine, they are not the only one in that game.  The folks from Aldi sent a few of their wines our way to taste and I’d say they’re giving TJ’s some competition.  I’ve never been an Aldi shopper, so I had no idea they were carrying wines and I was a little surprised when they showed up.

I’ll admit that I was a little bit skeptical at first.  But as I looked them over, I saw a few things that were both intriguing and reassuring.  First, I was surprised to see the regions on the wines, Chianti, Napa Valley and Mosel.  Then I was reassured when I checked the alcohol levels and found them to be appropriate for the styles.  Sometimes I’ve found that really cheap wine will have an alcohol level that’s lower than normal, resulting in thin, bland wine, but that wasn’t the case here.  I also liked the backside of the labels, which has helpful graphics for folks who don’t know their wine well yet.

Now I will say that none of these wines absolutely blew me away, but none of them were bad either.  And for the dirt cheap prices, they are some bargains!

Gonfalone Chianti 2009

I’m a big fan of Chianti, but if I have a choice I’m usually going to select a Chianti Classico versus a Chianti.  I expect that a lot of wine consumers aren’t clear on the differences between Chianti and Chianti Classico and that’s an unfortunate circumstance of the names being so similar.  And I could confuse you even more by going into the other sub-types of Chianti.  But basic difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico is the region of production.  While Chianti comes from a rather broad region in Tuscany, Chianti Classico comes from a more limited region, selected for the quality of its grapes.  There are some other differences too, but I’ll leave it at that for now.  And while I tend to prefer Chianti Classico, I was pleasantly surprised by this Chianti from Gonfalone.

The nose on this wine is nice.  It shows well balanced raspberry, nutmeg, strawberry and perfume aromas with moderate intensity.  The palate is dry and offers plenty of ripe fruit flavors, like raspberry, plum and sour cherry, plus a little bit of spice.  Where it misses is on the acidity, which is more restrained than I would expect for a Chianti, although it’s not terribly off the mark.  The finish is decent, with lingering raspberry tea flavors.  Overall, it smells and tastes nice, but lacks some vibrancy due to the restrained acidity.

For the price, this is an extreme value.

Wine: Gonfalone Chianti 
Variety: Chianti
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $5.99

Walker Napa Valley Red Wine 2007

The color is a brownish, brick red.  It doesn’t have the bright red color of most young red blends, but then as a 2007, it ‘s not so young anymore.  I was actually a touch surprised to see them carrying a 2007.  Although it doesn’t say this anywhere on the bottle, this wine is a blend of merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon.

The nose on this wine shows cherry and plum aromas, as well as quite a bit of oak, which takes on nutmeg and cedar characteristics in this one.  The oak is a little heavy, but not offensively so.  The palate is medium bodied, which is exactly what the label says.  It does have some nice fruit flavors on the palate that give a touch of sweetness and touch of tart, such as raspberry, plum and strawberry.  There are some subtle tannins too.  The finish is a continuation of the fruit flavors with a bit of residual sugar leaving a slightly sweet flavor on your tongue.  This isn’t a wine that I’m going to rant and rave about, but it’s OK for what it is and still quite a value.

Wine: Walker
Variety: Red blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $7.99

Landshut Riesling

When I saw this wine I cringed a bit because I’ve tasted far too many bad, sweet rieslings in the past and I was skeptical.  But then I saw that it was from Mosel, which gave me some reassurance.  But the proof is ultimately with what’s in the bottle and I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

The nose is a little tight, but shows expecable aromas for a riesling, like honeysuckle, apple and lime.  The palate is sweet, with peach, apple and lime flavors.  It has enough acidity to bring it to life on your tongue, although a little more acidity would help the overall balance with the sweetness.  It finishes long, with lingering sweet apple flavors.

Wine: Landshut
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 9.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $4.99

Disclosure: These wines were received as a media sample.

Today we’re taking a look at another Californian red blend.  This one is a blend of 46% syrah, 31% malbec and 23% petit verdot from Ancient Peaks Winery in Paso Robles.

This wine is a deep, dark purplish-red color with incredible density.  It’s almost inky in appearance.  The nose is just as powerful as the wine is dark, with intense aromas of nutmeg, cedar, plum and chocolate covered cherry.  The palate continues the bold theme of this wine, with jammy fruit flavors, like cherry and plum.  And I do mean jammy.  Wowee, this wine is so dense it’s almost chewy.  There’s plenty of spice on the palate to make this interesting too.  The acidity and tannins are good, and the wine finishes with intense cherry flavors, almost like a cherry cough drop.  It’s a very big wine, which won’t be everyone’s thing.  But if you’re into bold, rich wines, this one is a winner.

The suggested retail price comes in just north of our typical $20 limit, but I’ve seen it for sale as low as $16.00.  And at that price, this wine is a steal!

Wine: Ancient Peaks Winery Renegade
Variety: Red blend
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $23.00

Find Ancient Peaks Winery Renegade with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Some of the most interesting wines I’ve been coming across lately are blends.  Pure varietal wines are fine, but putting together a blend allows winemakers to leverage the characteristics of different grapes to create balance and complexity.

The Concannon Conservancy Crimson & Clover is a new release from Concannon and is a petite sirah blend.  Concannon has quite a history with petite sirah as they were the first to produce it in America.  The blend here is 50% petite sirah, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 15% syrah and 10% zinfandel, which sounds to me like a uniquely Californian blend.

The “Crimson & Clover” name isn’t an homage to Tommy James & the Shondells or to Joan Jett.  Rather, it is meant to represent the Concannon family history with wine (Crimson) and their Irish heritage (Clover).  And if you didn’t know, the “Conservancy” name, which is part of a portfolio of wines at Concannon, comes from the fact that the land where the grapes are grown is part of a conservancy.  Specifically, the grapes come from the Livermore Valley in the Tri-Valley Conservancy, which is an area of over 3,100 acres protected from urban sprawl by a conservation trust.

The nose on this wine is absolutely beautiful, with licorice aromatics leading the experience.  It also shows some plum, candied fruits and cedar on the nose.  The palate is very nice too, with a perfect blend of abundant, ripe fruit flavors and spice.  The fruit shows expressions of plum and cherry, while the spice is a combo of nutmeg and black pepper.  The spices really come out on the finish, which also brings out the tart side of the fruit.  The mouth feel is slightly silky.  This is a very approachable and exciting wine.  Good stuff!

Wine: Concannon Conservancy Crimson & Clover
Variety: Petite sirah blend
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13.7%
Rating: 90
Price: $18.00

Find Concannon Conservancy Crimson & Clover with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Oh, and just in case you have a certain song rolling around in your head after reading this, here you go…

Today we’re reviewing yet another wine from the bargain wine mega-producer, Bronco Wine Company.  This one is from their Fat Cat Cellars brand.

It has a somewhat fun label, which kind of reminds me of Keyboard Cat.  Who knows? Maybe that’s what inspired the label.  I have a feeling that’s probably the case.

The oak on the nose of this wine overpowers the fruit.  I’d say it’s a touch out of balance, but if loads of oak is your thing then maybe you’ll dig it.  It offers a nutmeg spice aroma, along with cedar and cherry.  On the palate it actually has some quite lively fruit flavors, like cherry and plum.  But it also has rather heavy oak flavors, particularly on the finish.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-oak.  But it just doesn’t come across as balanced and well-integrated with this wine.  Still, for $10 I’ve tasted worse.

Wine: Fat Cat
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $10.00

Some others have had a slightly more favorable read on this wine than me.  It did get a gold medal at the 2011 SF Chronicle Wine Festival and Wine Enthusiast gave it an 85 and gave it a “Best Buy” classification.

Find Fat Cat Pinot Noir with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to taste a short flight of wines from Spanish producer, Camp Viejo.  This Rioja-based winery has been producing wine for a good 50 years and produces three different wines, each a specific style as regulated by the Rioja DOC.

Rioja, for those who don’t know, is the leading wine region in Spain.  It’s located in the northern part of Spain and they are predominantly known for red wines.

Campo Viejo 2007 Crianza

Wines labeled as Crianza must have spent at least 12 months in oak casks.  This particular wine was oaked in a combination of French and American oak, but the majority of it was in American oak.  The wine was also given 5+ months of bottle aging before being released.  The blend in this wine is 85% tempranillo, 10% garnacha and 5% manzuelo.

Cherry, plum, smoke aromas and a touch of vanilla give this wine a complex and exciting nose.  It has really nice acidity on the palate.  There’s plenty of tangy fruit on the palate too, with characteristics of cherry, raspberry and plum.  It finishes nice and spicy.  It would be a nice wine to pair with turkey.

Wine: Campo Viejo Crianza
Variety: Red blend, mostly tempranillo
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price:  $10.00

Find Campo Viejo Crianza with Snooth

Campo Viejo 2006 Reserva

Rioja DOC wines labeled as Reserva are required to have spent at least 18 months in oak.  This wine spent that time in a combination of French and American oak.  It has also had an additional 18 months of bottle aging.  The blend is 85% tempranillo, 10% graciano, and 5% manzuelo.

This wine shows a nice balance of fruit and earth on the nose, with aromas of coffee, plums, blackberry and tobacco.  The palate has a medium body (i.e. not too big) with flavors of plum, blackberry and spice.  It finishes spicy too.  It’s a tasty wine.  Pair this wine with grilled pork.

Wine: Campo Viejo Reserva
Variety: Red blend, mostly tempranillo
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price:  $14.00

Find Campo Viejo Reserva with Snooth

Campo Viejo 2003 Gran Reserva

Rioja DOC Gran Reserva wine must be oaked for a minimum of 24 months.  This one was oaked in 80% French oak and the remainder was American.  The wine was also given 36 months of bottle aging.  The blend is 85% tempranillo, 10% graciano and 5% manzuelo.

Chocolate aromas slap you in the face with this wine.  It’s loaded with spice aromas too, like cloves and allspice.  And it also shows some plum and smoke aromas.  There’s a lot going on in this wine.  The palate offers deep plum, blackberry and raisin flavors up front, with dark chocolate on the mid-palate and raisins and coffee on the finish.  This is a very nice wine.  Break out the red meat for pairing with this wine.

The suggested retail price is $21, meaning that you can most likely find this wine for less than that.  And at that price, it’s a steal!

Wine: Campo Viejo Gran Reserva
Variety: Red blend, mostly tempranillo
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 91
Price:  $21.00

Find Campo Viejo Gran Reserva with Snooth

Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

When I first launched this site, nearly four years ago, Spanish wines were what I was excited about, especially garnacha.  But since the first few months of the site, I find myself tasting less and less Spanish wines.  I have nothing against them, in fact I still have some trusted favorites in the Spanish section.  I just seem to be coming across Spanish wines less often these days.  I’m sure some of that is due to the outstanding bargains coming out of Chile, which are really overshadowing some other value regions.

Nonetheless, I still love a good Spanish wine and I was glad to have the opportunity to taste this one.  I should note that I did not taste this wine blind, as I generally prefer to do for reviews.  But without a lineup of a few different Spanish blends, it just wouldn’t work.

This wine comes from Rioja, which is probably the most well-known of the Spanish wine regions.  But it’s not one I generally think of for “value” wines, and at $20 this one may not be considered a bargain by some consumers.  Although, that is the “suggested” retail price and you may find it as low as $12.

The wine is a blend of 60% garnacha, 35% tempranillo and 5% manzuelo — a very Spanish blend.  There are a couple other things that make this wine interesting to me too.  It was bottled unfiltered, for one.  When it comes to inexpensive wine, I actually find this to be rather rare.  Probably due to the fact that this can leave some sediment in the bottle, which can be a turnoff to some consumers.  But others think the wine is more true if it’s bottled unfiltered.  I’ll let you be the judge of that.

The other thing that caught my attention is that the wine was fined using egg whites.  Fining is a process in which winemakers add “fining agents” to a wine in order to clarify it.  Think of it as the egg whites grabbing a hold of solid particles in the wine and pulling them to the bottom, leaving a clear wine at the top.  It’s not that big of a deal, really.  But there’s something natural (i.e. non-chemical) about using egg whites to do this that I find appealing.

While all of that’s interesting, we all know that it’s the smell and taste that really matter.  So, on with the tasting.

This wine shows a combination of fruit and earthiness on the nose, with some plum and blackberry aromas contrasted with tree bark, herbs and allspice.  On the palate, it offers sour cherry and a hint of strawberry flavors up front with a black tea quality in the mid-palate—which has a touch of bitterness.  The finish is relatively long with soft fruit and leather flavors.  The tannins are soft and the acidity is strong.  This is more of a food wine than a sipping wine, to be paired with red meats, perhaps with game.

Wine: La Montesa
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 87
Price:  $19.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

As a guy who is into value wines, I’ve found that there are a few regions you can count on for consistent values.  Chile and Spain are two regions that are on that list, but one that I don’t see enough of is Portugal.  There are some incredible bargains to be found in Portuguese wines, but unfortunately I don’t find many of them on the shelves in my region.  Distribution seems to be spotty, unless you’re in New York City.

Given the fact that I don’t come across many Portuguese wines, I was glad for the opportunity to taste these.  I was glad, and also slightly challenged.  One of the things that makes these wines interesting is that they are produced using grape varieties that are unique to Portugal.  But that also puts me in a position where I’m reviewing wines made with varieties I’m unfamiliar with.  An important factor I kept in mind when evaluating these wines is that stylistically, these are “old world” wines, so I evaluated them as such. With all of that said, take my notes and scores on these with a grain of salt as I’m admittedly in new territory with these wines.

Both of these wines come from the Alentejo region of Portugal.  This is a region in the south of Portugal with a Mediterranean climate and over 22,000 hectares of vineyards.

Finisterra Vinho Branco

This is a white blend made with grapes I’ve never heard of, much less tasted.  These include Antão Vaz, Síria, Rabo de Ovelha and Perrum.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel vats and hasn’t seen any oak.

This wine has a pleasant nose, with aromas of honeydew melon, lime, mild stone fruits and a touch of mineral.  Based on the nose I thought this would be a pretty nice wine.  But it didn’t quite carry through on the palate.  It does have good flavors of melon, apple and citrus, but it’s a bit flabby.  That is to say it lacks acidity, making the palate a bit dull.  It’s not horribly flabby, but that’s where it gets dinged a bit.  However, let’s keep things in perspective, this is only a $7.00 bottle of wine and that’s “suggested” retail, so you’ll probably find it for less.  It also has some varieties you’ve probably never tasted before.  Even though it may not “blow you away” it’s worth checking out for the adventure, if nothing else.

Wine: Finisterra Vinho Branco
Variety: White Blend
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating:  81
Price: $6.99

Finisterra Vinho Tinto

This one is a red blend, and again has some grape varieties that may be new to you, including Aragonez, Castelão and Trincadeira.  Like the white blend, this was fermented in stainless steel.

This wine is an old world style wine, and as such isn’t necessarily a wine for everyone.  It’s very different from the inexpensive, fruit-forward wines many people drink.  The nose doesn’t have much intensity and is rather earthy, with aromas of chocolate, sage, tree bark and a very soft blackberry.  The palate is also fairly earthy, with a slight bitterness.  There is some fruit on the palate, which I would describe as plum and wild cherry (differentiated from non-wild by a touch of bitter and sour).  It’s fairly tannic on the palate and into the finish, which has a tea tannin quallity to it.  This is more of a food wine than a sipping wine.

Again, similar to the white wine I think this one is worth checking out for the adventure.  But be prepared for something different from your typical cheap juice.  Keep an open mind and you may find that you like it.

Wine: Finisterra Vinho Tinto
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating:  80
Price: $6.99

Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

The wine world is paying close attention to Colchagua Valley.  Topographically and geographically, it’s quite similar to Napa in many respects.  Many fine producers have, and continue to emerge from this growing region.  Recently we had an opportunity to taste an example from Colchagua – Calcu’s 2008 red blend.  Calcu (Magician in the native Mapuche language) is a Meritage-style blend consisting of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Carmenere, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Petite Verdot.

The first thing you notice with Calcu is the color.  It’s a beautiful and brilliant ruby, just translucent enough at the edge to give the wine a rich sheen.  This is actually a pretty wine that looks delicious.  Fresh out of the bottle the nose if very candied with vanilla and some tropical notes.  With a little air the nose subsides to cassis and cherry with some char notes weaved throughout.   It settles into a very integrated nose.

On the palate, the wine is decently balanced with good fruit and a solid backbone of lush tannins.  The tannin levels here offer a really nice mouth feel up until the wine finishes and the aftermath of all that tannic acid unfolds.  It doesn’t spoil the experience, but it does seem like a flaw on a very appealing wine.   So it’s not the perfect quaffer, but with it’s nice balance of acid, fruit and oak, it’s actually very good with food, particularly proteins like beef and cheese.

So serve some Calcu at your next dinner or cookout.  And, impress your friends with your discovery of Colchagua Valley before the secret is completely out.

A  Salute!

Wine: Calcu
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating:  86
Price: $12.00

Find Calcu Red with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.