Penascal Estate, Tempranillo-Shiraz $6

Spain (Castilla y Leon)

I must apologize for not having postings over the past few weeks.  Life, work, travel and such has got in the way.  Non-the-less, I’m back!

It’s not often you think a six dollar bottle of wine is going to do anything for you but I’m never shy to give it try.  Worst case is I use it for a London broil marinated if I don’t like it.  Well this Tempranillo-Shiraz never made it to a marinated!  It was quite the surprise given its price point!

With aromas of cedar, leather and black pepper spice, I had an idea this wine wasn’t going to be boring.  Flavors of blackberry, plum and a hint of strawberries gave this a nice fruit forward taste.  On the finish I’d say it had medium tannins with a trace of black pepper.  The blend is 85% Tempranillo, 15% Shiraz.  It’s definitely an easy drinking wine to go with Italian or Spanish foods.  I found this wine at Sam’s club.

Forefathers Shiraz ’05 $16

McLaran Vale, South Australia

I hadn’t heard of this wine and as many of my purchases are based on trying something within a reasonable price point, for most average wine drinkers, this one fit the bill. There are so many Shiraz wines available these days from different countries and regions. Given this scenario, I’m not sure on my thoughts yet for this varietal’s differences coming from these various regions. Either way I like it as a stand alone wine or in a blend.

With aromas of dark berries, plum and black pepper, this resembled a true Shiraz. On the first taste, a tart fruit sensation touched the outside edges of my tongue. Plum and vanilla followed although drying out quickly. On the finish, a spicy pepper and silky feel with mild oak rounded flavors out.

This wine definitely smoothed out and opened up its flavors after 30 minutes in the glass and resembled a wine at twice the cost. It’s wine maker is Nick Goldschmidt who was involved in a wine called Fidelity which was a blend I posted here last year.

Wine Quest

I wanted to take a moment and share with you a event being held for a wonderful cause which I'll be attending. The Wine Quest Annual Wine Tasting & Auction, June 11-13 in Orlando, FL. I hope to have many new wines to share with all of you from this event which is dedicated to helping about 1,000 people per day in our community. Quest helps people with disabilities achieve their dreams of going to school, having a job, living on their own, and experiencing summer camps.

This is a fantastic way to both help the community and taste some great food and wine. If you're local to the area or in town then, don't miss this!

Event site - www.winequest.org/events.html

Organization site - www.questinc.org

Quest is a United Way agency and CARF-accredited service provider.

Brancaia “TRE” 2005 $26

Tuscany, Italy

I generally don’t rush out to purchase wines listed as “tops” in any category, unless there appears to be something noteworthy and moderately priced. In this case it was the #10 wine in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list and being priced below $30, it was worthy of a trip to hunt down locally in one my wine stores.

This is a nice blend of Sangiovese (80%), Merlot (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). With the majority being Sangiovese, you’d think this would resemble strong characteristics of a Chianti. And not that I don’t love my Chianti, but don’t be fooled. The Merlot & Cab. balance out the general sweetness of the Sangiovese and make this much less of a “fruity” arrangement than a typical Chianti. The boldness of the Cab is my guess on balancing the other two varietals.

Aromas of cherries, black currants and a hint of dust (probably from the oak aging) setup for wonderful medium body flavors. Plums and blackberries along with a mild vanilla essence balanced the fruit in this wine well. Mild tannins with a slightly dry finish leave you wanting more. It’s dark purple color, pleasing bouquet and balanced flavors make this a winner! The 2007 is out now and I’m off to find it.

Wine Maker Note:

TRE stands for the three grape varieties Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and for our three Tuscan estates – the basis for this wine. This elegant and well structured wine ages in oak casks, is easily accessible and matches every cuisine.

Villa Mt. Eden, Cabernet Sauvignon ’05 $15

Napa Valley, CA

I bought this wine completely on the experience I had with the Villa Mt. Eden, ’05 Zinfandel (see March 2009). After trying the Zin and going back to buy up as much as I could afford, I felt not trying their Cab might leave me missing out. I recommend everyone try out something new from time to time and use whatever knowledge base you want including your own tasting experience with other varietals, from the same winery.

So my Zin experience was great and I must say this Cab didn’t disappoint me. It started out with aromas of black pepper and ripe dark fruits such as plum and blackberry…kind of giving off a bold characteristic. Upon the first tastes dark cherries and an earthy, mineral sensation came on. So I decided to decant it for 20-30 minutes and WOW what a difference. Tasting it now took on a whole new group of flavors. Fruit forward with dark currants and a subtle hint of cocoa. The mineral characteristics softened leaving a nice, medium oak nuance. I’d give this wine a medium body rating and possibly light for a Cab. The blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec and 2% Merlot. It definitely was easy drinking and went great accompanying a new Guy Fieri recipe of braised beef short ribs with a chipotle & dark cherry reduction.