We will rate wine here based on our belief that one can get four decent-sized glasses of wine out of a single regular bottle. The better the wine, the more glasses of it we want to drink! Thus, a rating of 1 glass is not so good, 4 glasses is great, and "whole bottle" is our very best rating. My husband and I often differ in our opions, so we'll put them up side by side here for comparison. Enjoy! (Note: I wish we got paid to sample wine, but we don't...these reviews are unsolicited and unpaid!)
Pepperwood Grove: Our current favorite wine is Pepperwood Grove, either the merlot or cabernet sauvignon. We have had both the 2006 and 2008, and they are delicious! On this one, my hubby and I agree. We give this a "whole bottle" rating.
Two Vines Columbia Crest: We have tried the merlot, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, from at least two different years. All excellent. Almost our favorite, we'd drink these any time. We both give this between a 4 glass and "whole bottle" rating.
Concannon Vineyard 2007 Merlot: a delicious wine - lots of berry and cherry, bright but smooth at the same time. Not quite substantial enough to stand up to pairing it with dark chocolate (which is always a test of the very best reds, I think!!!), but nevertheless very nice on its own and it makes me think it would be good with a hearty French bread and probably brie, as well. Yum - now I'm hungry! In any case, I'll give it rating of 4 glasses. My husband was sick this week so while he enjoyed the small glass he sampled, I'm afraid any rating he'd give it would be informed by the decongestants, so I won't add his rating here.
Wild Rush 2009, South Africa, Chenin Blanc: Racquel brought this bottle to us last weekend. My husband is not much interested in white wines, but this was not a bottle of wine that had anything to do with him. It was feminine and friendly - and I don't mean overly sweet! It was a gracious, drinkable wine, with notes of butter and citrus, dry but not too dry. Definitely suitable for giving to someone who you do not know very well but have reason to believe will become a friend. Overall, I give this wine a rating of 3.5 glasses; no rating from my husband, who did not sample it.
HRM Rex Goliath Merlot: Absolutely delicious! I was so taken aback by the pleasure of drinking this wine from the first sip that I am having trouble describing it. The label on the back says "big, fruit-forward flavors" and I certainly agree with that. But even more than that, this wine has a buttery feel on the tongue, has a smooth but crisp finish, definitely calls to mind flavors of berries and it was great with chocolate. Oh, AND it was still terrific on the 3rd night ater I opened it. This wine is worth a lot more than the $10 that it is retailing for!!! I can't recommend this one enough - I give it a rating of "whole bottle" with no reservations at all (my husband has not rated this yet, though thought it was delicious from the one sip he took out of my glass).
Trentatre Rosso (no vintage and it's a blend of reds): We picked up a bottle of this wine at Trader Joe's over the weekend. When I first opened the bottle, it seemed a bit too fruity and bright for my husband, but our tastes are different and he prefers a much more mellow red. I enjoyed it: the forward berry, clean and bright finish, the way it made my taste buds kind of perk up, though it was a bit too acidic for me. However, by the second night, this bottle had taken on a richness and depth that was far superior, so I guess it needed to breathe. I think it would be great with a spicy marinara sauce, but since I didn't try it that way, I can't be sure! I'll give it "3 glasses." Good but not the best.
Alexander Valley Merlot 2006 (Alexander & Fitch Winery): this is a wine that I would like to like. The label sounded so promising, but I should have been more wary that it only told the story of how the winery was founded and said nothing about the actual wine in the bottle. This is certainly not the worst wine I've ever had, but if I opened a bottle of white that was this poor quality, I'd put a bunch of ice in the glass to dull the taste. This wine is just too astringent - nice berry notes and bold flavors, but I expected the acidity to dissipate as I let it breathe and that just didn't happen. Disappointing. I give it "2 glasses" and I didn't even ask my husband to taste it, because that would just launch a gripe session focusing on this being the reason that a lot of people can't stand to drink red wine...
