Made of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, this wine comes from the southern part of the Côtes du Rhône region near Orange, Vaucluse in France, and more specifically just outside the village of Camaret. This is not far from the famous Chateauneuf du Pape appellation. Domaine du Vieux Chene produces a number of wines from […]
I avoided the French aisles of wine shops for ages, mostly because I was intimidated by names like this one: Château Beauchêne Vignoble De La Vialle Côtes du Rhône Villages. And in addition to being a fairly hefty name, many of the French producers use the fanciest scripted fonts they can find, making it totally […]
The price on this bottle of wine can’t be beat for a decent Côtes du Rhône. Before I opened this bottle I was worried that it might be flabby, but that wasn’t an issue. The nose is a little tight, but much more intense and interesting than I was expecting from such a bargain wine. […]
It’s time to begin our next series of reviews, and as promised it’s red blends from the Côtes du Rhône region, and I’ll highlight a couple wines from the Côtes du Rhône-Villages appellation. First let’s explore what this appellation is. Côtes literally means, “hills.” So, think of these wines as from the hills of Rhone. […]
Cheers! It’s my favorite day of the month, Wine Blogging Wednesday! For those who are unfamiliar, Wine Blogging Wednesday is a monthly event when wine bloggers from around the globe all write about a common topic. And it’s not just another Wine Blogging Wednesday, it’s the 4th anniversary of this monthly event and as such […]
The series on California Zinfandel is complete—finally—and here is the summary of 25 Zinfandels under $20. Zinfandel tends to be a love it or hate it variety, and those that love it find themselves paying more and more for it lately. Yes, the better Zinfandels are ticking upward with their prices. So, we thought it […]
This is a wine that I hadn’t even heard of until I saw it on the shelf and I picked it up on a pure whim, but I’m glad I did. While I hadn’t heard of this wine, I did have some confidence in giving it a try because of the distributor, Hand Picked Selections. […]
Mandolin is a small California winery run by Philip Zorn and Matt Shortbridge. It appears that they are no longer producing Zinfandel, but you may still come across this 2003 Lodi Zinfandel from them, as I did. There’s a nice intensity on the nose of this Zin. It has a bit of cedar, plum, cherry and oddly enough […]
At $19, this is one of the more expensive Zinfandels I’ve reviewed in this series—but it’s also one of the best. I am often critical of more expensive wines, as they are frequently no better than other wines at half the price. In this case, if you’re willing to splurge a few extra bucks (over […]
The Hayman & Hill brand comes from Cellar Door/Pacific Wine Partners, who manage a number of different wine brands. Cheap wine aficionados are probably familiar with their Red Guitar brand, known for tasty and affordable Spanish wine. Hayman & Hill is focused on single varietal, appellation designated, Californian wines produced by David Hayman and Dennis Hill. 2003 Dry […]
