2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Indian Wells

2009 Benovia Pinot Noir Bella Una

2007 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses

2009 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termes

2011 Austin Hope Grenache Hope Family Vineyard

2000 Château Gloria

 

 

 

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Indian Wells – $12.99

I’m always on the look out for good, under $15 wines for week night dinners.  I’ve had this in the past and it was always drinkable but lacked anything approaching must buy status.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol by volume and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The inviting nose has cassis, tobacco, cedar, vanilla, eucalyptus and wild flowers.  This has medium body, soft tannins and good acidity.  This has nice up front fruit with spicy oak and a touch of vanilla coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with a some eucalyptus coming into the picture.  An acceptable week night Cabernet for south of $15.  (88 pts)

 

 

2009 Benovia Pinot Noir Bella Una – $40.84

The local store brought time in and put it on the shelf at a great price.  On Cellar Tracker, the average cost for this wine was close to $55.  Not one to question great values, I grabbed a few bottles.

 

This has 14.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The very approachable nose has cherry, raspberry, baking spices, licorice, violets, minerals and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body, soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  This offers up nice juicy red fruit and spice up front with  minerals and some subtle earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish has very good length with tart cherries seeming to last forever.  (93 pts)

 

 

2007 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon – $19.00

Here’s another wine that was purchased at the local store for an outstanding price.  You don’t see too many Napa cabs on a store’s shelf for under $20.  I grabbed 6 bottles and unfortunately this is my last bottle.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby red color.  The very comforting nose has cassis, warm baking spices, tobacco, dried herbs, plum, licorice, and a touch of smoke.  This has medium body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate features bright and juicy berries, baking spices, dried herbs and a touch of oak.  The finish has nice length with the berries and dried herbs joined by a touch of excess spicy oak.  It would be nice if the touch of extra oak would integrate, but I really don’t see that happening.  No hurry on this one, enjoy it over the next several years.  This was a steal for $19.  (90 pts)

 

 

2011 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses – $12.82

I haven’t had this particular wine in a couple vintages but it used to be one of my go-to values priced wines.  This is a lend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah.

 

This wine has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The very outgoing nose has raspberries, cherry, warm baking spices, cocoa powder, minerals, white pepper and dried flowers.  This has medium body, soft to moderate tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate jammy fruit and spice pops out first with minerals and white pepper kicking in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with a touch of dark chocolate joining the party.  Not one to hold onto for too long, open this one over the next few years.  (89 pts)

 

 

2009 Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termes – $18.99

This is a wine that I generally like in almost all vintages but it’s not a wine I hunt down.  If I can find it at a good price I’ll grab a few bottles.

 

This has 15% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is an inky ruby red.  The sexy nose has black cherries, tobacco, blackberries, white pepper, dried flowers, mocha, vanilla and a touch of earthy underbrush.  This has a fairly full body, moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  Intense red and black fruit grabs your palate slowly allowing pepper and mocha to slip in.  On the back end vanilla and some building earthiness enter the picture.  The finish has good length and veers solidly into the earthy spectrum with just a touch of an herbal note coming into play.  (90 pts)

 

 

2011 Austin Hope Grenache Hope Family Vineyard – $28.49

I’ve had the Austin Hope Syrah a few times in the past, so when I saw their Grenache on a local wine store shelf, I had to grab a bottle.  I’m generally a pretty big fan of the Rhone Ranger wines coming out of Paso Robles.

 

This wine has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red color.  The slightly reserved nose has cherries, raspberries, baking spices, white pepper and wild flowers.  This has a fairly full body, moderate tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate spicy red fruit hits first with some white pepper and a touch of earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length but loses a bit of its intensity and focus.  (88 pts)

 

 

2000 Château Gloria – $33.24

This was one of my first “go to” bottles of Bordeaux.  I feel they produce a very nice bottle of wine at very consumer friendly prices.  I bought this wine just as it was released, so it has been sleeping untouched in my cellar for over 10 years.

 

This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  The classic nose has cassis, cedar, baking spices, dried herbs, tobacco and a touch of smoke.  This has medium body, mostly integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate spicy fruit leads off with dried herbs and spicy oak coming in on the mid-palate.  The finish has very good length with the sweet fruit and spicy oak sharing the spotlight.  I was hoping for a bit more complexity, but this tastes outstanding.  (92 pts)

 

We didn’t make anything fancy to pair with the Austin Hope Grenache and Château Gloria, but Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and cream gravy is always welcomed on our dinner table.

 

 

Connect with me

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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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!