Graffigna Wines is part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio of brands, although it has a rich history as a family-owned winery going back to 1870.
The Centenario line of wines was added in 1970, marking the centennial anniversary of the winery (in case you didn’t figure out the translation.) And while many consumers are just excited about malbec from Argentina, this wine proves that Argentine cabernet sauvignon is something to get excited about too.
Beautiful is the first word to come to mind when smelling this wine. It exhibits well-concentrated cherry aromas supported by blackberry, coffee and cocoa aromatics. The palate offers ripe cherry, blackberry chocolate and black tea flavors with silky tannins. It finishes exceptionally long with more of the cherry flavor, but also an earthy note from the tannins. It’s a well-balanced and structured wine.
Wine: Graffigna Centenario
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $13.99
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Last week, Cheryl Indelicato from DFV Wines was in town for the Cincinnati International Wine Festival and I had a chance to meet up with her for lunch and to taste the lineup in her new brand of wines, Handcraft. I had previously tasted the cabernet sauvignon, but this was an opportunity to revisit it and check out her other wines.
Cheryl is from the third generation of the family that owns DFV Wines and she’s worked at the company for 22 years, yet this brand is her first personal foray into the winemaking process. The majority of the work Cheryl has done at DFV has been on the business side, in marketing, PR, human resources and hospitality. And for her first vintage, I’d say she did a stellar job at creating some damn good wines for the price. Of course, she didn’t do it alone. She partnered with winemaker Alicia Ysais on this project.
In creating this new wine brand, Cheryl had a couple things in mind to make these wines unique. First, she wanted to include some Italian varietals in the blends as a nod to her heritage and to give the wines a unique expression. The red wines have a little sangiovese while the whites have some malvasia bianca. She also wanted to make a wine that particularly appeals to women. Well, let me put a dress on because these wines appeal to me too.
The label on these wines is fun too, where they have a “wine profile ribbon” in the design. All the elements in the graphic represent characteristics of the wine. Some represent flavor characteristics, like the cherries and nutmeg graphics. And some elements represent the care taking of the wine, like the birds which represent the sustainable agriculture on their vineyards.
Spice is the name of the game with this wine. Nutmeg and rose petal aromas give it a unique twist. It also shows some black currant on the nose. The palate offers black currant, cherry and plum flavors up front supported by plenty of chocolate and spice on the mid-palate and into the finish. The acidity is near perfect and the tannins are firm. The finish is long and luscious.
This wine gets a solid thumb’s up. At this price, it’s an outstanding cabernet.
Wine: Handcraft Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.99
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
When you’re into bargain-priced wines, it’s good to find some reliable names. While one of the fun things about wine is trying different ones—since the number of options is nearly limitless—sometimes you’re in a rush, or you don’t feel like mulling over the options and you want to just grab a bottle you know will be OK. Irony has become one of those brands for me. It’s reasonably priced, it’s always good, sometimes it’s great, but it’s never let me down.
This cabernet is no exception. While it’s not mind-blowing, it’s still pretty darn good. And unique enough to stand out from the crowd of average cheap cabernet on the shelf.
The nose of this wine has a somewhat subtle intensity, but offers light aromas of cedar, black currant, tobacco and black cherry. The palate is soft and approachable, with black cherry and plum flavors up front. The mid-palate and finish bring a little bit of black licorice into the mix. There’s also a tarragon note on the finish, so break out this one with the bernaise sauce. The acidity is sufficient and the tannins are moderate. It’s not as big and jammy as a lot of California cabernet sauvignons.
Wine: Irony Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Concannon is a California wine brand that’s been around for a long time. In fact, it’s roots go back over 125 years. That’s a long history for an American winery, particularly when you factor in prohibition. And with such a long history, Concannon has pioneered a number of things in California wine. They’re best known for introducing petite sirah, but they also have a history with cabernet sauvignon for which they pioneered some now widely-planted clones.
I generally like Concannon. They’re one of those brands that’s dependable and very reasonably priced. And while we’ve reviewed a number of their wines here it’s been a while since we’ve reviewed any of their cabernet sauvignon. So, let’s see what this one has to offer.
Tomato leaf, plum, black olive and herbal aromas give tis wine a nice and complex nose, which moves beyond just fruit. In the mouth, it has a very nice feel, which is almost silky. The flavors are led by a very ripe blackberry note, supported by black cherry and chocolate. The acidity is sufficient. It finishes relatively long with ripe blackberry and black tea flavors. The mouthfeel and ripeness of the fruit on the palate make this wine stand out in this price range.
Wine: Concannon Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $10.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Last week, when we reviewed the Ancient Peaks cabernet sauvignon, I was singing the praises of cabernet sauvignon from Paso Robles. So, I thought it would be good to highlight yet another fine Paso Robles cabernet.
This one comes from Villa San-Juliette, a brand we’ve tasted before. This brand is owned by the producers of American Idol, and many other shows. But thankfully, they’ve hired a professional winemaker to do the actual wine making, rather than having television executives play vintners in real life.
The good news is that this wine continues the theme of awesomeness from Paso Robles cabernet sauvignon. The bad news is… well, I don’t really have any.
The nose on this wine is soothing and beautiful. It has a softness to it, and by that I don’t mean that it’s soft as in lacking intensity but rather it’s soft in texture. I know that may sound weird to say a smell has texture, but it does in a way. Some wines can smell harsh and rough, but the aromas from this wine are soft and and gentle on your nose. There’s a lot going on aromatically too, with fragrances like licorice, vanilla, cherry, cassis and tobacco. The palate is brimming with ripe fruit flavors like plum, cherry and blackberry. It’s a little on the sweet side up front, but becomes more tart on the midpalate and finish. The finish also brings a splash of black tea, which is a touch on the bitter side, but not offensively so. The acidity is sufficient and the tannins are enough to give a richness to the mouthfeel. Overall, it’s a tasty and satisfying wine.
Wine: Villa San-Juliette Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $17.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Sometimes people ask me, “what wine goes with chocolate?” I usually respond by fumbling my way through some vague answer. But now I have a better response, “this wine!” The fruit flavors on this wine are beautiful and are a perfect match for dark chocolate.
As a part of Wyndham Estate‘s BIN series, this is one of the entry-level selections from the brand. And it’s quite a bargain at under $10 a bottle.
The fruit for this wine comes from South Australia, a rather broad area rather than a specific appellation. The wine was partially matured in French and American oak.
This wine is quite bright on the nose, showing vibrant red fruit aromas, like cherry, raspberry and plum. It’s also a little smokey. The palate is also quite vibrant, with near perfect acidity and plenty of ripe fruit flavors such as raspberry, plum and black currant. The tannins give this wine just enough texture to give it a pleasant mouth feel. It finishes with a touch of spice and long-lasting raspberry flavors.
While the producer recommends it with pasta or red meat, I think it would be good with dark chocolate. What do you think?
Wine: Wyndham Estate BIN 444
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 87
Price: $9.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
While Paso Robles seems to have a reputation for producing great wine with Rhone varietals, they also seems to produce some great wine from Bordeaux varietals, Spanish varietals, Italian varietals and the list goes on! But one varietal that I highly suggest checking out from Paso Robles is cabernet sauvignon. Sure you can get a cabernet sauvignon from just about anywhere, but there’s something about Paso Robles that makes this grape shine. Someone once commented to me that cabernet sauvignon is THE grape of Paso Robles. I can see why some would think that. And this cabernet from Ancient Peaks is a great example of why.
This isn’t the first wine we’ve reviewed from Ancient Peaks. A couple months back we reviewed their Renegade red blend and it was stellar. This cabernet continues that trend.
I can smell the vanilla on the nose of this wine from three feet away. It’s very aromatic. It also shows some blackberry and black licorice aromas, as well as some earthy notes. The palate is super juicy, with blackberry, plum, and black cherry flavors. It offers a touch of chocolate on the mid-palate. The mouth feel is almost creamy, with is really pleasant. It finishes nice and long, with blackberry flavors. It’s a nice wine.
Wine: Ancient Peaks Winery
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 91
Price: $17.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
We’ve reviewed a number of Concannon’s wines here at Cheap Wine Ratings, and aside from a disappointing, and rather out of character showing from their 2007 Merlot, we’ve been impressed with their wines. As Tim mentions in his review of Concannon’s 2007 Central Coast pinot noir, Concannon Vineyard has a long, rich history of producing quality wines. So when it came time to review their petite syrah, a varietal that I’m quite fond of, I jumped at the chance.
Petite sirah is a wonderful varietal offering rich, powerful fruit, often in a heavier bodied, yet smooth and lush style. The wines are often a deep ink color, and completely opaque. With that intense fruit can come higher alcohol levels and some robust tannins, so it’s not exactly a no-brainer for winemakers. We’ve reviewed the 2007 Conservancy petite sirah and found it’s characteristics to be spot on the varietal, as well as somewhat spot on in exhibiting some of the challenges winemakers have with this varietal. We scored that wine an 87. Let’s see how the 2008 stacks up.
The first thing you notice about this wine is the deep brilliant purple color. The wine just looks delicious. The nose offers deep berry with mild toast, and the mild alcohol is kept better in-check than the 2007. On the palate the wine is all petite sirah, showing lush deep berry with well-integrated toast and soft tannins, leading to a smooth finish. It’s a full-bodied wine but it doesn’t overwhelm with oak and tannin. This style of wine often serves as a good starter for wine-lovers looking to branch-out from full-bodied whites or light-bodied reds, to something with more power.
So, we have an improved showing on an already well-crafted 2007 Concannon Conservancy petite sirah. Even more exciting is Tim’s review of Concannon’s 2009 Crimson & Clover petite sirah blend. This should be an indication of even better showings from Concannon’s pure petite sirah moving forward. Keep this wine on your watch list.
A Salute!
Wine: Concannon
Variety: Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 89
Price: $15.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
The other day we reviewed a Vinho Verde from Great Sense and tonight we’re checking out another one, this one from Casa de Vila Verde.
Like many European vineyards, Casa de Vila Verde has a long history, going back to the mid-17th century within the same family. And like many European producers, the winery was modernized within the past 20 years — in this case it was in 1996. While in the US it’s fascinating to learn about vineyards with such a history, the story is so prevalent in Europe that when I speak to wine writers there they find it cliché. Maybe it is, but I still appreciate the family heritage that goes into many wines in the region versus the corporate heritage we find on many of the shelves in the US. That’s not to say there aren’t family wineries in the US, there are many of them, but very few with the extensive history of those from other regions.
The aromas on this wine are like fresh squeezed lime over green apples, with a whiff of honeysuckle in the background. The palate has really nice, vibrant acidity with flavors of fresh apple, lime and a touch of mineral. The finish is nice too, with plenty of citrus and mineral flavors lingering on. This one doesn’t offer the fizz you would find in many Vinho Verdes, but the acidity gives plenty of life to the mouth feel.
Wine: Casa de Vila Verde Vinho Verde
Variety: White blend
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $10.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
I’ll be honest. I went into this review a little biased. Having already reviewed a few of their wines, including their 2009 cabernet sauvignon and 2009 pinot noir, I’m somewhat familiar with the story behind this winery. They’re relatively new on the block, and still cutting their stylistic teeth on their first few vintages. And while working with power reds like pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon offers some margin of error, pinot grigio does not.
But I’m here to report that this wine pleasantly surprised me. Pinot grigio is not a complex wine, and examples from Napa can come across even more muted than more genuine, Italian versions. But this wine offered vibrancy, along with complex fruit that one rarely sees in this varietal.
On the nose, the wine is a bit vegetal, with hints of grass and celery. But it also serves up a soft lychee-like fruit that is pleasant and somewhat exotic. Overall, the nose is far more potent than I would have expected, and quite inticing, too. However, it doesn’t offer the same level of crispness that Italian versions would normally offer.
On the palate the acidity in the wine takes time to show, but once it does, the wine offers up a slightly sweet and vibrant style, if only slightly off-balance. The winemaker’s notes tout tropical citrus, but I failed to pick up any tropical fruit. There is plenty of sour apple and a touch of sweet lime as well. Still, the wine offers more complexity than I’ve found in other pinot grigios at even twice the price.
This style will appeal to most lighter-bodied, white wine drinkers, but I expect that most pinot grigio purists won’t find this wine appealing. If your tastes appeal to more exotic sauvignon blancs, but you’re looking for an even better value, the Flip Flop 2010 deserves a try.
A Salute!
Wine: Flip Flop
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price: $7.00
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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
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