I love reading wine labels, particularly when winemakers take the time, and make the investment to tell you a little about their wine. Gnarly Head, takes the time. And if you’ve read my post on Gnarly Head 2009 Chardonnay, you know how I feel about the Gnarly Head Brand. I’m a fan. I’m also a fan of Old Vine Zin’s from Lodi.
Wow, just like that, a lead-off triple……but hold on a second. What’s with the love fest? I haven’t even tasted the wine. Ok, quick side note – the day I received this wine, my wife literally comes home from the grocery with 2 bottles of Gnarly Head 2008 Old Vine Zin. I smell bias, don’t you? Well before you start thinking it, let me assure you that when it comes to reviewing wines, it’s what’s in the bottle that counts. So let’s see what is underneath the label, shall we?
This Zin has a really nice, rich nose indicative of Old Vine Zin. It’s complex, starting off with cherry jam and vanilla, revealing darker berry fruit, white pepper and mild coffee with hints of anise as the wine opens up. Label accuracy – check. On the palate, the wine offers a good balance of dark cherry fruit, toasted vanilla oak and acidity, with a good backbone of tannins leading to a long, if only slightly astringent finish. I am, however, having a difficult time discerning any influence from French oak as the label suggests. The wine lacks some lushness in fruit, and intensity, but honestly, it’s hard to expect that at this price range.
Overall, Gnarly Head has produced a really good value here with this Old Vine Zin. Which makes me wonder – could my wife actually be spending our money wisely. That, my friends, would be a home run.
A Salute!
Wine: Gnarly Head
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $10.00
Find Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
After taking a few days off to enjoy the holidays — and recover from a cold — we’re back at it with at least a quick review tonight.
We’ve reviewed a number of wines from X Winery in the past and we’ve never been disappointed. With tasty wines, cool labels and a commitment to sustainable production methods, what’s not to love about them? And this Carneros – Napa Valley pinot noir continues the trend of wines we love coming from X Winery.
Black cherry and red raspberry make the backbone of the aromas from this wine, but there’s something floral in it too and that’s what makes it stand out from other wines. On the palate this one is full, with big black cherry, berry and plum flavors. This is a pretty potent wine, with 14.9% abv, but the alcohol is well-integrated and not as noticeable as you might expect at this level, which I attribute to the winemaking. The mouth feel is nice, altough I would have liked the tannins to be a touch heavier. The finish is full of plum, with a hint of tree bark. Overall, it’s a very nice pinot noir.
There is one thing that some folks might not love about this wine, and that’s the price. At $24.99 it’s a little more than our typical bargain bottles. But that is the suggested retail price, so if you shop around you may find it closer to $20.
Wine: X Winery
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.9%
Rating: 89
Price: $24.99
Find X Winery Pinot Noir with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
The Chardonnay grape deserves respect. The king of white wine has earned it. But with that earned respect comes great expectation, and these days low to mid-tier producers of Chardonnay face unprecedented levels of competition from varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Viognier, particularly from up and coming foreign producers. So when I recently had an opportunity to taste Gnarly Head’s latest Chardonnay offering, I too had expectations. Not just because I’ve been tasting value priced Chardonnays for over 15 years, searching for high quality examples in the price segment for my customers, but also because I’m a fan of the Gnarly Head brand. I love their light-hearted and mildly irreverent approach to wine making. And, of course, I love the name…..I mean come on who doesn’t like the name Gnarly?
But back to the task at hand…..how’s the Chard? Well if you believe the back label it ought to be pretty good. “This mouthwatering wine takes you headfirst into tropical flavors of pineapple and citrus, followed by a zingy ginger accent and hints of graham cracker and vanilla on a creamy finish.” It goes on to claim “full bodied”, “waves of flavor” and “well-balanced”. That’s some bold language. I like that bold language. This SOUNDS great. Let’s see how it tastes.
I actually spent some time with this wine, tasting it alone and with food, allowing it to breathe and reach mildly warmer temperatures to see what it would reveal. I found that the nose delivered on the bold language, offering the tropical notes, including some mild ripe banana, and some mineralization. However, the wine didn’t quite deliver on the palate. While there is the zingy tropical fruit, the wine is too linear, and not as balanced as I would prefer. That’s not to say there’s too much oak, on the contrary, this is a fresher interpretation of Chardonnay, which I like. It’s just that the fruit on the palate belies what the nose, and the label, would indicate. Some may like the creamier finish, but I would prefer a bit more acidity and length, particularly if you are going to pair this wine with food.
Don’t get me wrong. This is a good Chardonnay for the money. But it’s not exceptional. I guess it’s all about expectations.
A Salute!
Wine: Gnarly Head
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 84
Price: $9.00
Find Gnarly Head Chardonnay with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Note from the editor: We’ve added a new reviewer to the Cheap Wine Ratings team and this is the first of what will hopefully become many reviews from David Germano. And now, on with his review…
This is my first official post on cheapwineratings.com, and my first assignment, ironically, has brought me right back to my roots. It seems like only yesterday that, literally, on a daily basis, wine rep after wine rep would have me sampling dozens of Italian whites as I searched for distinguished, yet affordable examples of traditional Italian varietals.
In the mid 90’s that task was challenging, as Italian wine making was unfortunately mired in old-world thinking. But that’s another discussion. Over a decade later, I find myself impressed with the selection and quality of Italian white wines, and the newfound progressive approach to wine making, particularly with stalwarts like Pinot Grigio and Soave.
Recently, I had an opportunity to sample two new Soave examples, Prime Brume Soave Classico 2009 D.O.C. from Cantina Di Gambellara, and Capitel Al Pigno Soave Classico Superiore 2008. As I tasted and rated these wines, I expected to write up two independent reviews. But as I looked back through my notes and compared my scoring for each wine, I realized that while the scores were fairly similar, the wines were anything but. There are important nuances to these two wines that can’t be adequately conveyed without some explanation about how the wines classifications affect their different interpretations of the varietal.
First of all, these two wines are both good quality examples of Soave, a wine that I’ve always been partial too. But they go about things a little differently. While some of that can be attributed to the obvious differences – winemaking and vintage, much of that can be attributed to their classifications – Classico versus Superiore.
The name Soave not only represents where the wine comes from, in this case the Veneto region in northeast Italy, but what varietal(s) are used to make the wine. Garganega is the predominant varietal used to make Soave, but some wine makers will use other white varietals in small percentages, such as Trebbiano Veronese, or even Chardonnay. While Cantina Di Gambellara’s Classico uses around 15% Trebbiano Veronese in the blend, the Capitel Al Pigno’s Superiore is 100% Garganega. Further, the Superiore is released no earlier than 1 year after harvest, with a minimum of 3 months of bottle aging. This typically translates into Soave that’s more complex and mature, but in some cases, a wine with less forward fruit.
I sampled the Prime Brume first and found the initial aroma and bouquet to be indicative, and actually pleasantly intense, showing signs of honeycrisp apple, turning to crisp bell pepper as the wine opened up. On the palate the wine was well balanced offering floral and mineral tones and crisp acidity, along with a long, lingering finish. Overall the Prime Brume is a good, modern example of what Soave can be.
In contrast the Capitel Al Pigno was a bit more subdued on the nose with more muted tropical hints of banana, and honey. The Superiore, not surprisingly was a little fuller in the palate, but lacked the intense finish of the Prime Brume. I couldn’t help but feel a little de ja vu while sampling the Capitel Al Pigno. While I think the Capitel Al Pigno is a good example of traditional Soave Classico Superiore, I believe there is an opportunity to make this wine even more appealing by breaking from tradition, something that many progressive wine makers in Italy have already found success doing.
So, it really comes down to style preference. Both wines offer a good Italian white wine experience. Both wines pair well with lighter fair, such as seafood, and pasta. The Capitel Al Pigno would even do well with dishes like veal scallopini, while I think the Prime Brume would make a great aperitif. Or here’s a thought – don’t choose. Serve both for your next Italian wine dinner, and impress your friends with your knowledge and good taste.
A Salute!
Wine: Prime Brume Soave Classico from Cantina Di Gambellara
Variety: 85% Garganega/15% Trebbiano Veronese
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 85
Price: $16.00
Wine: Capitel Al Pigno Soave Classico Superiore
Variety: 100% Garganega
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $10.00
Disclosure: These wines were received as press samples.
We’ve been reviewing a lot of pinot noir over the past several weeks and we’re getting toward the end of this series. In the lineup, we’ve only reviewed one from Argentina so far, the Humberto Canale from Patagonia. And the Trumpeter makes it two, this one coming from the Mendoza region.
Trumpeter is produced by Rutini Wines, a winery with a history going back to 1885. Although it was run as a family winery for four generations, it was acquired by a group of investors in 1994 and has gone through extensive modernization since then. The winemaking at Rutini is currently let by Mariano Di Paolo, who joined Rutini back in 1995.
This wine is a slightly darker than I expect from a pinot noir. The nose is a little bit tight at first, making it difficult to get any distinct aromas. But once it opens up, it shows raspberry, cherry and floral aromas, but it’s still rather soft. The fruit is much more lively on the palate where strawberry and cranberry flavors show up with good concentration. The mouth feel is nice and silky, which is one of the things I like most about this wine. And that strawberry flavor sticks around on the finish for some time.
This is a good wine and at ten bucks, it’s a great deal.
Wine: Rutini Trumpeter
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price: $10.00
Find Rutini Trumpeter Pinot Noir with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Yesterday, we reviewed a Prosecco — which is a great sparkling wine option when it comes to QPR. Another good option is Cava, which is a sparkling wine from Spain. Traditionally Cava just referred to a particular style of Spanish sparkling wine, but since 1986 it also means that wine is produced in a specific areas designated as DO Cava.
This Cava from Marques de Gelida uses the traditional Cava grape varieties of Macaubo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada, plus some Chardonnay is in the blend. As a “reserva” it was aged three years before being released.
The color of this cava is a deep straw, showing just a touch of age—which is what it has. The nose of this wine shows a touch of age too, with a butterscotch aroma layered over yeast and apple. The aromas are fairly powerful too. The palate offers crisp acidity with apple and plenty of yeast flavors. It finishes with a citrus acidity, butterscotch and more yeast. This is a nice bottle of bubbly.
Wine: Marques de Gelida Brut Exclusive Reserva
Variety: Cava
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $16.99
Find Marques de Gelida Brut Exclusive Reserva with Snooth
In general, I’m a big fan of prosecco. When it comes to sparkling wine, I think you get more bang for your buck with prosecco than pretty much any other option. And this is a great example of that. Although the suggested retail price is $14, I’ve seen this wine for sale at a super-bargain price of only $10. And given how much I like this bubbly, that’s an outstanding QPR!
Valdo was started in 1926 by the Societa Anonima Vini Superiori and was purchased by The Bolla Family in the 1940’s. The vineyards are in Valdobbiadene, a town in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy.
This wine is a “brut” but it’s at the upper limit of sweetness for that classification with 12 grams of residual sugar per liter. That’s not to say that it’s a sweet wine, it’s not. But is sugar level is high enough to border on the “extra dry” classification. In fact, they could have used that classification if they had wanted to do so.
The nose is delicate, but it shows pear and yellow delicious apple aromas. There’s also a light, flowery perfume. The yeast is noticeable, but subtle. The palate has a nice pear flavor up front, accompanied by a less prominent apple flavor. The mid-palate brings crisp acidity and some yeast flavor, which carries into the finish along with pear and mineral flavors.
Wine: Valdo
Variety: Prosecco
Vintage: Non-vintage
Alcohol: 11%
Rating: 88
Price: $13.99
Find Valdo Prosecco Brut with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Regular readers here should know that I’m a big fan of Chilean wines. But this wine is from California, so why am I talking about Chile? Because the founder of Estancia, Augustin Huneeus, was born in Chile. I’m not sure if that has any relevance to my appreciation for this wine or not, but I found it an interesting fact.
Huneeus purchased the former Paul Masson vineyard in Soledad, California in 1986 and established the Estancia winery there. I can still remember the famous Paul Masson commercials with Orson Welles from when I was a kid. The tag line was, “we will sell no wine before its time.”
This Monterey County land is a cool climate region and Huneeus appropriately planted it with chardonnay and pinot noir. This land was named the Pinnacles Ranches vineyard for Estancia, and while it’s the first land Huneeus purchased for Estancia there have been subsequent acquisitions that have expanded the footprint of their vineyards.
This has a nice, well-rounded nose with black cherry, plum, berry and leather aromas. The palate is exactly what you would expect from the nose, an explosion of black cherry, blueberry and plum flavors. The tannins and acidity are good. The finish is a little short, but it’s still a very enjoyable pinot noir at a bargain price.
Wine: Estancia – Pinnacles Vineyards
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.99
Find Estancia – Pinnacles Vineyards with Snooth
Pinot Nero sounds like it might be a unique wine variety that you’ve never tried, but it’s actually just the Italian name for pinot noir. The Peter Zemmer winery is located in the northernmost part of Italy, Alto Adige, just south of the Austrian border. More specifically, it’s just southwest of the city of Bolzano. This is a region with both Italian and German influences, as many of the area’s inhabitants speak German as their primary language.
This is a mountainous region with valleys created by the Adige and Isarco rivers, which merge at Bolzano forming excellent conditions for vineyards. The most prominent red wine variety produced in this region is a light-bodied wine from the schiava grape. Lagrein is the second most planted red variety, putting pinot nero in third. There is also a good quantity of white wine produced in this region, with pinot grigio, chardonnay and pinot bianco being the most prominent.
The suggested retail price of this wine is slightly over our typical $20 limit, but I’m sure it is sold in places for under 20 bucks.
This wine is absolutely beautiful on the nose, with with soft cherry, plum, and rose petal aromas. There’s a touch of earthy tree bark underneath the floral and fruit aromas. In the mouth it has the perfect amount of fruit with soft tannins and slightly crisp acidity. The flavors are cranberry, cherry and plum. There’s a bit of spice to it also. The finish is long with cranberry, spice and mineral. It’s a lovely pinot nero, and one that I would highly recommend.
Wine: Peter Zemmer
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 90
Price: $20.99
Find Peter Zemmer Pinot Nero with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
The Naked Grape is a new wine brand from the Grape Valley Wine Company in California, which appears to be owned by wine-giant E. & J. Gallo. The winemaker of this pinot noir, 30 year old Hillary Stevens, is also one of the two winemakers behind another new E. & J. Gallo brand, Bear Flag Wines.
Although this wine is labeled as pinot noir, that’s not the only grape you’ll find in this bottle of wine. Yes, that’s allowed as long as 75% of the wine is the variety on the label. There’s also tempranillo, grenache and alicante bouchet. Now that’s not a grape you come across every day. But I have a hunch that it’s a variety that Stevens likes to work with, as you’ll also find this variety in the two red blends she produced under the Bear Flag brand.
It’s a non-vintage wine, which means there is no year listed on the label. I always prefer to have a year on the bottle. But given that this is a new wine on the market, if you buy a bottle within the next few months you can be pretty darn sure you’re getting the same “vintage” as I’m reviewing.
This is a light, jewel red colored wine with gads of ripe red fruit on the nose. The aromas are primarily cherry and red plum, but there’s also a Diet Coke characteristic to the nose. The palate is fresh and fruity with ripe cherry and pomegranite flavors. The tannins are a little too light, in my opinion, but the acidity is good. The finish, short. Very short. But, if fresh and fruity is what you like, then you may enjoy this pinot noir. It doesn’t have the depth or elegance to make it a rock star, but for the $9.00 price it’s a tasty wine.
Wine: The Naked Grape
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: Non-vintage
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 83
Price: $9.00
Find The Naked Grape Pinot Noir with Snooth
Here’s what others thought of this wine:
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
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