Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

L: Uh oh. This wine is dangerous. It is mellow and drinkable enough to make me want to gulp rather than sip and it is interesting and tasty enough to make me want to go back for more. Just what I want in a wine in the $12-$15 range. The internet says that "On the nose black cherry, dutch chocolate and currant complement the spicy, peppery notes and hints of toasted sweet oak. The wine greets the palate with opulent dark fruit, soft velvety tannins, ending with a long, rich finish." And, most of that description fits pretty well. It isn't terribly fascinating, but it tastes yummy. A former alcoholic at my work today told me that her former "drug of choice" was wine. This sobering statement just may keep me from overdoing it tonight on Estancia. 7 out of 10

Lopez Panach Tempranillo 2006

R: It has berry flavors, and it's a bit spicy.

It's also thin and irritating. I couldn't even finish one glass of it, and smelling it later made me wince.

2/10

L: Um... I'm inclined to agree.

Barberani Orviéto Classico Superiore Castagnolo

R: I used up the majority of this bottle making a poached pear dessert, but the two glasses that remained in the end made me regret consuming so much in the cooking. Light, sharp, and fragrant. I'm generally not a fan of white wine, but this was pleasant. 7/10

L: Boo Ryan. Those pears were gosh darn tasty, but I wanted to drink my wine! Oh well, I'll just buy more. :-) 8/10

Casillero del Diablo Carménère 2006 Chile

L: This wine is dark and sinister. It has a picture of the devil on it. That alone makes me want to spend $9 on it. When you open up the bottle you smell wine and you're like, Yeah! Then you taste it and its all winey and you're like, Yeah! Overall, it's pretty nice to drink. It's a bit sour, but I'm in a sort of sour mood so that's OK. I thought Carménère was some special kind of Chilean grape, but it turns out that it's originally from Bordeaux, but now is mostly grown in Chile. At least that's what wikipedia told me. 5 out of 10.
R: I liked this a bit better than Lauren apparently. I didn't find it sour so much as tart. It was a bit heavy, and definitely winey. Winey wine. 6/10

Penfolds Shiraz Cabernet Koonunga Hill 2006

My friend, Erin, introduced me to the fantastic San Diego Wine Company last Saturday. After a fun, do-it-yourself wine tasting (10 for $10!), we stocked up on low priced, high rated wines from around the world. One of the wines I selected was an Australian blend of Shiraz and Cabernet. What drew my eye was both the high, 90 something rating and the low price of $7.99. I think we got a mini bottle of this as a wedding present, but I drank it when I was stressed out and was paying attention more to alcohol content than flavor.

L: I am impressed by this wine's flavor for the price. It is deliciously briny like all good cabs should be. Yum. My Internet research suggests that Aussies are big fans of mixing Cabernet and Shiraz. I think I approve. 7 out of 10

R: I didn't care much for this. I think the mixture diluted the best qualities of the Cabernet, and emphasized the Shiraz a bit much. I'll take these varietals separately please. 4/10

Trevisiol Prosecco, Italy

I haven't enjoyed prosecco in the past. Too sweet. I like my champagne dry as a bone and crisp as a winter wind. Wow, those are crappy metaphors. Anyway, I found Trevisiol to be surprisingly tasty. It had a sort of apple-y, pear-y taste but it wasn't TOO sweet. Very good with salty snacks. My research tells me that it costs about $13 a bottle. No bad at all for a tasty treat like Trevisiol. For bubbly, I give it a 6.

Toso Vino Espumoso, Mendoza, Argentina

A little Spanish lesson for you... vino = wine. espumoso = bubbly. You can probably infer what kind of wine, si?

I tried this sparkling wine last night at a local wine bar and was impressed by it's flavor and price. I'm always looking for non-nasty, non-bank breaking sparkling wines. I found Toso to be exactly as it was described in the menu, "crisp," "clean," with a finish that hinted of "citrus." I could have made up my own adjectives, but these did nicely. It wasn't the best champagne-type-beverage I've ever had, but a little research showed that I could get a bottle for $10! My teacher's salary finds that price muy sabroso. 5 out of 10.