Category Archives: Under $50

Meerlust Rubicon Review | Meerlust Estate Winery

Meerlust Rubicon 2007 | Meerlust Estate Winery

Meerlust Estate Rubicon

Since 1756 and under the stewardship of eight generations of the Myburgh family the Meerlust Estate has been producing world-class wine in Stellenbosch, South Africa – namely the Meerlust Rubicon. It’s predominantly clay soils engender vines that are cooled by evening ocean air in the summertime, allowing for optimal growing conditions and slowly ripening fruit.

The idea to craft ‘Rubicon” on the estate, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, was inspired by Nico Myburgh’s time in Bordeaux. He identified that the terroir of the Eerste River Valley in South Africa was similar to that of Bordeaux’s Gironde River, being composed of clay and granite soils cooled by sea breezes.

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Tin Roof Merlot Review | Decent Merlot for $5?

Tin Roof Merlot | Tin Roof Cellars

Tin Roof Merlot

Sometimes you need a no-nonsense, wallet friendly wine that doesn’t require too much thought but still tastes good. Whether it be your weeknight wine or a great bargain red to pair with pizza, it can be challenging to find quality reds in the $10 and under category. Enter the Tin Roof Merlot 2009!

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Swanson Vineyards Napa Valley: 2008 Oakville Merlot Review

Swanson Merlot Review

Do you drink Merlot?

Probably not if you’ve seen the movie Sideways.  Let’s assume that most wine drinkers have both seen the blockbuster movie Sideways starring Paul Giamiatti and Virginia Madsen and that they have had a glass of Merlot at least one time in their life. Those who saw Sideways might recall that the movie was not at all kind to this specific varietal.

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Bodegas Alta Pavina Citius Pinot Noir 2009

Alta Pavina Pinot Noir 2009 | Bodegas Alta Pavina

Bodegas Alta Pavina Citius Pinot Noir 2009

What do you get when you grow the revered and fickle Pinot Noir varietal in the now overachieving wine growing region of Spain under the auspices of legendary wine consultant Claude Bourguignon? I present to you the Bodegas Alta Pavina Citius Pinot Noir 2009.

Spain is a wine producing region that was once known more for the volume of wine it produced rather that the quality of the wine it produced. Fortunately for us wine consumers, that has significantly changed and Spain has been a consistent source of high quality values for years.

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Espelt Garnacha Old Vines Emporda 2010

 Espelt Garnacha /Espelt Grenache Old Vines Emporda Review

Espent Grenache Review

I’ve been thinking that I want to share more wines around the $10 price point that I feel offer great value. While some of the wines I’ve featured in recent posts have represented value in their own respect, they may have been a little out of reach as an everyday drinker. Wines around the $10 price point don’t have to be insipid and uninteresting, but sadly they often are.

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Waterstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Waterstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Waterstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

I have to admit that I am a sucker for a good mystery, especially when it relates to wine and where the fruit is sourced. It’s always exciting to find a wine that is relatively inexpensive yet made with fruit from well pedigreed growers or producers that charge considerably more for their wines. Take the Pine Ridge Encantado Red Blend I recently reviewed for example.

I feel like these opportunities are few and far between in the wine world. As a consumer we usually have a good idea where the fruit used to make the wine was sourced (particularly when estate grown), or we have little to no idea (the winery sources their fruit from various growers). But with the Waterstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, it is rumored that the fruit was sourced from declassified Harlan Estate lots!

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Terrazas Reserva Malbec Review | Terrazas Winery

Terrazas Reserva Malbec 2009 | Terrazas de los Andes

Terrazas Malbec

The Terrazas Reserva Malbec hails from the province of Luján de Cuyo, located in Mendoza, Argentina, far away from Malbec’s origins in the south of France. Not far off, however, is some serious French influence. It turns out that in the 1950s the French Champagne producer Maison Moët & Chandon commissioned their wine analyst, Renaud Poirier, with the task of exploring the possibility of South American wine production. Renaud’s conclusion: That Luján de Cuyo was the best location in South America for fine wine production.

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Bodega Monteviejo Lindaflor ‘Petite Fleur’ 2009 Red Blend Mendoza

Lindaflor Petite Fleur Review

While I really enjoy single-varietal wines, like a 100% Cabernet or a 100% Malbec, I find that they sometimes lack something or that they can be one-dimensional. The Cabernet might be too tannic and need to some age to soften and the Malbec might lack the underlying structure to withstand cellaring. They don’t benefit from the harmonization that blending can bring to a wine. But today’s specimen has been fashioned by none other than Laura Catena: the Bodega Monteviejo Lindaflor ‘Petite Fleur’ 2009 Red Blend from Mendoza, Argentina.

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Costco Kirkland Signature Malbec 2011 Mendoza

Costco Kirkland Signature Malbec 2011 Mendoza | Costco Wine

Costco Kirkland Signature Malbec Review

Who doesn’t love Argentinian Malbec? It is softer and less tannic than its French sibling from Cahors. Lauded for its generous texture, inky violet colors and fruit forward flavors, most entry-level Argentinian Malbec is ready to drink now and won’t bust your wine budget.

It’s no wonder it has become a go-to staple in households everywhere. I am always excited to try a new Malbec as well as any of Costco’s Kirkland Signature wines so when I saw Costco’s Kirkland Signature Malbec 2011 Mendoza I simply had to try it.

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HALL Merlot Napa Valley Review | HALL Winery

HALL Merlot Napa Valley 2007 | HALL Winery

Hall Merlot

Yesterday while perusing my local Costco wine selections I came across one of my favorite combinations: a great vintage from a great producer at a great price and the icing on the cake was that the Hall Merlot  had scored particularly well.

Now in general my theory on critic’s scores is that they are best used as a guideline rather than a rule. With that being said, if 93 points from the Wine Enthusiast is any indication, then the Hall Merlot Napa Valley 2007 is at least worth some serious consideration.

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