2012 Block Nine Pinot Noir Caiden’s Vineyards

2008 Water Wheel Shiraz Plus (+)

2003 Château Potensac

2003 La Carraia Fobiano Umbria IGT

2009 Syncline Grenache-Carignan

2005 Cosentino Winery M. Coz Meritage Red

 

 

 

2012 Block Nine Pinot Noir Caiden’s Vineyards – $12.82

I grabbed a bottle of this wine from the local store as part of my search for an acceptable under $15 Pinot Noir to accompany a casual week night dinner.  I’ve actually been able to find a few keepers in the price range but I’m always on the lookout for more.

 

This has 13.1% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright red, almost transparent.  The slightly shy nose eventually shows cherries, earthy underbrush, strawberries, wild flowers and a little spice.  The wine has medium body, soft to moderate tannins and decent acidity.  This is much more open on the palate with tart cherries and nice earthiness up front with some spice and a faint herbal note coming in on the back end.  The finish is a touch short but with nice red fruit and a reappearance of the herbal note.  The wine offers no complexity but is crisp and clean with no flaws and no lingering sweetness.   For under $15 this isn’t bad for a week night family dinner, but not much more.  (86 pts)

 

 

2008 Water Wheel Shiraz Plus (+) – $10.44

The Plus in this wine’s name comes from 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon being blended in with the Shiraz.  This is usually an easy drinking Aussie wine that pairs nicely with comfort foods on a week night.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is closed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby color.  The very nice nose has cherries, blackberries, baking spices, dried herbs, vanilla, dried flowers and some earthy underbrush.  This has medium to full body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate spicy cherries and juicy berries jump out first with some vanilla and spicy oak coming in later.  The finish has decent length with some earthiness coming into the picture.  This is a nice, easy going wine that is not very complex but tasty.  (88 pts)

 

 

2003 Château Potensac – $19.99

This is one of my favorite economically priced Bordeaux wines.  In good vintages this wine usually represents a great value.  In this vintage the wine is a blend of 43.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 23.5% Cabernet Franc.

 

This wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby to purple color. The very open and inviting nose has cassis, minerals, tobacco, licorice, baking spices, leather, dried herbs, cherries, and cedar. This has medium body, moderate tannins, and very nice acidity. Nice fruit, spice and minerals take center stage on the palate with some spicy oak coming in on the back end. The finish has decent length but the oak does pop out a touch and the tannins get a touch chalky. This is a nice value priced Bordeaux.  (89 pts)

 

 

2003 La Carraia Fobiano Umbria IGT – $19.99

This wine is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Umbria region of Italy.  The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in a mix of old and new oak barrels.

 

This wine has 14.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The classic nose has cassis, tobacco, leather, cedar, cherries, baking spices, cocoa powder and minerals.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the fruit and cedar jump out initially with baking spices, cocoa powder and cherries coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with a bit of earthiness coming into the picture.  The tannins do get a touch chalky on the finish.  This is probably as good as it will get with this one, which isn’t too bad.  (89 pts)

 

 

2009 Syncline Grenache-Carignan – $19.94

If you’ve been reading my posts for more than just a couple of weeks, you’ll see I love just about all wines.  That said, my heart belongs to the grapes from the Rhone region in France.  I think these are some of the most versatile grapes in the world.  These grapes seem to be able to adapt to where ever they are planted and can produce many different styles of wine.  I found this specific wine when a  friend tweeted he had this in his glass one evening.  I was able to track down a few bottles from a store in Washington.  A few days later, they were in my cellar.

 

This is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Carignan from the Columbia Valley in Washington.  I’ve had a couple bottles of this wine last year, but felt it would be better with a bit of cellar time.  I guess it’s time to check in to see how it’s going.  As an added bonus, the wine is closed with a glass stopper.  In my opinion the best stopper for wines that will be consumed in three to eight years.  I need to see some research before I can extend the top end of that range.  I think these stoppers are a bit too costly to use on wines meant to be consumed not long after release.

 

The wine has 14.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a glass stopper.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a shade lighter than a medium ruby red color.  The bright and cheerful nose has raspberries, cherries, minerals, baking spices, licorice, wild flowers, and just a touch of underbrush.  This has medium body, moderate to solid  ripe tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate this has nice red fruits, spice and some earthiness with no rough edges.  The finish has decent length and again features the red fruit, spice and a touch of earthiness.  This should hold for a couple more years, but is very tasty today.  (90 pts)

 

 

2005 Cosentino Winery M. Coz Meritage Red – $39.99

This was the “flagship” wine from Cosentino and was priced accordingly.  The release price on this wine $150.  As you can see, I was able to grab several bottles from Invino for about 25% of that price.  This is a blend of blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, and 2% Petite Verdot from Yountville, St. Helena, PopeValley and Oakville.

 

This wine has 14.6% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The enticing nose has cassis, cedar, mocha, dried herbs, minerals, licorice, leather and dark chocolate.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  This still tastes a bit young.  The palate features sweet, ripe fruit  and spicy oak up front with minerals and dried herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with the rich fruit and spicy oak carrying the load.  This should drink nicely through the end of the decade.  (91 pts)

 

 

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You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2013 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

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Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!