Fuerza Malbec 2003

Vineyard: Fuerza
Location: Mendoza, Argentina
Type: Malbce
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol Content: 15.0%

Purchased: 2/25/09 - Trader Joe's, San Gabriel, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 5.0/10

Wines not bad but not as good last night. 15% is pretty strong, and you can smell it (not necessarily a good thing). Of course all of the same comments about Argentina and the label from last post apply to this wine as well.

Other thing is that this is a 2003 and the previous wine was a 2006. Makes you wonder why they are both the same price?

Fuerza Tempranillo 2006

Vineyard: Fuerza
Location: Mendoza, Argentina
Type: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 14.7%

Purchased: 2/22/09 - Trader Joe's, San Jose, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 5.25/10

I recently introduced my mom to this blog. I was a little worried, which is why I waited so long before sharing with her, but she totally loves it! Productive drinking!

So, mom has me over for dinner on Sunday, and I feel that I should act grown up and bring a bottle of wine to dinner - you know, let her contribute to the blog. She, however, has the same idea, so goes out and gets a $5 bottle from Trader Joe's herself. Did you guess right? Yes, you did! The same bottle! Well, almost - she got the Tempranillo (Malbec post coming soon). How funny is that?

To make everything better, the wine is pretty good. As I comment in the notes, the label is pretty cool. Plus, who doesn't like thinking about Mendoza and eating lots of red meat when drinking wine. I'll also be able to comment on the other Fuerza variety soon.

These trends (varietals, blends, multi-vintages) come in spurts, randomly. They aren't planned at all. Seriously!

Wild Hare Zinfandel

Vineyard: Wild Hare
Location: Paso Robles
Type: Zinfandel
Vintage: n/a
Alcohol Content: 14.4%

Purchased: 2/19/09 -Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA
Cost: $4.99 (gift!)
Rating: 5.0/10

Two comments about this wine:

1 - It was a gift which makes it taste all the better. Please, everyone, feel free to donate wines to the idontdrinkwine stock. I will be certainly be gracious. I'm also very open to suggestions on what wine's to drink, where to get them, and I'll even put your notes up on the blog if you stay within the criteria: idontdrinkwine@gmail.com or @idontdrinkwine on twitter.

2 - This is the second installment in the Wild Hare vineyard line. I like the idea of going back and drinking other varieties from labels I've already had. What are your thoughts? Is a label going to be overall better than another, or are they going to focus all their energy in one to the detriment of the others. Both of these Wild Hares were decent enough, tonight's slightly winning out to the Petite Sirah.

Zarafa Pinotage 2008

Vineyard: Zarafa
Location: Paarl, South Africa
Type: Pinotage
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol Content: 14%

Purchased: 2/12/09 - Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA
Cost: $3.99
Rating: 4.75/10

I was overjoyed when I found this bottle at Trader Joe's on the way home today. $4 is pretty cheap for a bottle of wine coming all the way from South Africa. My one time visiting the country I was able to make it up to Stellenbosch (Paarl is just north of there), which is where I went wine tasting for the first time in my life. Something about drinking wine next to a cheetah that I could pet really made my day.

This wine, while not bad, was a little weird. I have to say it smelled pretty bad in the first place - hint of rubbing alcohol. It just tastes different than other wines. (And unfortunately, the trip to SA was too long ago to be able to claim whether it was similar to other SA wines or not). You can't really go wrong with wine from SA with a giraffe on the bottle, though. I recommend picking up a bottle, despite not being on the top of the taste list.

Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Vineyard: Trellis
Location: Sonoma, CA
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol Content: 12.5%

Purchased: 1/16/09 - BevMo, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $3.99
Rating: 5.0/10

I'm still trying to figure out the subtitles between vintages - while I can't quite make them out, I don't think that tart aftertaste is supposed to be on the list. It's too bad, really, cause the wine tastes pretty good until you swallow it. This contrast makes the experience rather interesting, but the strong (and rather bad) aftertaste is going to leave you not wanting more.

That being said, I did realize something about myself today drinking this wine that most of you have probably already figured out about me: I kinda like drinking bad wine. I know its bad - and I think I rate it appropriately - but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. I like pickle juice, too. Weird.

epicuro Aglianico 2006

Vineyard: epicuro
Location: Beneventano, Italy
Type: Aglianico
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 13.5%

Purchased: 1/16/09 - Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 7.0/10

This is actually a really good wine. It is very full, which I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume is a very Italian quality. Smells good, tastes great, and aftertaste doesn't ruin in.

The problem about these good wines is it doesn't leave me much room to rant. The blog is more useful the more good wines I find but is more humorous the more bad ones I have to endure. Maybe this is a good place to make fun of all of the people who have spent more than $5 on a wine recently and went home with something equal to or worse than this wine. HA!

Maybe I'll make a pay site for my blog. No one will trust my reviews if I'm giving them out for free, right?

Old Moon Zinfandel 2006

Vineyard: Old Moon
Location: Manteca, CA
Type: Zinfandel [Old Vine]
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 14.0%

Purchased: 1/28/09 - BevMo, Mountain View, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 6.25/10

This wine is pretty good, I must say. I'm enjoying a good run!

It's a rather mellow wine, with a rather mellow label. The 14% is a surprise - and it adds a slightly unpleasant smell of nail polish remover to the glass. Just slightly, though - not enough to put you completely off. The taste is nice and fruity with an aftertaste that has a bit of a kick but is OK.

Panilonco Merlot Malbec 2007 Reserve

Vineyard: Panilonco
Location: D. O. Colchagua Valley, Chile
Type: Merlot 60%, Malbec 40%
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol Content: 13%

Purchased: 1/28/09 - Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA
Cost: $3.99
Rating: 5.75/10

Lot's of blends lately. There must be more on the shelf, because I'm definitely not seeking them out on purpose. As you can see from previous posts, I haven't had the best experiences with blends, however, this one isn't all that bad. I have to say though, I think the Merlot is holding this Malbec back.

Beautiful label, although simple, for this cheap wine. Impressive, even. I think that you could surely pull this wine off as a nice gift. From Chile, a reserve, fancy label! I'm not sure if blends are considered better or worse than non-blends, but if better - a blend!

Unfortunately, this wine is one of those that scores all over the place. The nose and aftertaste are really not that great, even to the point of undesirable. The taste is enough to bring it to the 5+ side overall. I swear that is the Merlot's fault though.

The California Wine Party Franc/Merlot 2006

Vineyard: The California Wine Party
Location: Paso Robles
Type: 70% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot, 4% Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 13.0%

Purchased: 1/28/09 - Trader Joe's, Menlo Park, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 5.5/10

The California Wine Party! What a name! There is an old dude on the label screaming something - and it must be important because there are 4 microphones recording him. There is a logo which reads "For the Independent Wine Drinker." Stars everywhere. On the back, there is even a quote from none other than a famous wine pundit, "This bottle's integrity speaks for itself." I don't know who this famous wine pundit is, but he is correct.

I'd like to see more of these Independent wine drinker logos. I think they could be a big hit. It's a good way of saying, "I don't need someone to tell me this wine is good in order to enjoy it." Perfect that it is under $5, too.

I was at TJ's picking up a couple bottles after work (or before work, if you consider this my job) today, and I found myself with about 7 that I wanted to try. I figured I should try to narrow it down to 5, so I took all of the bottles out to examine them and make a decision. A very helpful man who worked there came to help me out with my decision - and he was clear that this is one of the bottles that should make the final cut. Best part was that a woman came by to listen to our discussion and figured she should grab the bottle that we were discussing. I pointed it out to her, and her response was, "This one? But it's only $5!?" I responded that price is not always the best indicator of taste.

I need a business card.

Wild Hare Petite Sirah

Vineyard: Wild Hare
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Type: Petite Sirah
Vintage: n/a
Alcohol Content: 14.9%

Purchased: 1/26/09 - Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 4.75/10

The rating on this one was tough. Doesn't taste all that great, let's be honest. But it doesn't taste that bad, either. It's cheap, though, and friggin' strong! It also has no indication of vintage on the bottle, and the blurb on the back of the bottle claims that it's better newer. I don't know the type of wine that is generally better newer than older, but I but there is a pretty strong correlation between quality and ability to age. Definitely doesn't taste as bad as it could considering that.

Can't really think of the right occasion for this wine. The bunny on the label is drinking a glass on the beach - I can't really think of a better setting than that. Certainly not for dinner with grandma; she'd fall asleep in her dinner after telling some story that was probably better left untold.

Black Oak Zinfandel 2006

Vineyard: Black Oak
Location: Petite Sirah
Type: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 13.5%

Purchased: 1/24/09 - BevMo, Marin, CA
Cost: $3.99
Rating: 5.5/10

Well, it is nice to get a decent wine after a pretty bad run. The other two wines I picked up at BevMo were the ones I was excited about and expecting to be good. This isn't anything all too special, but at least it was drinkable.

Just boring enough to not have much else to say about it.

Stonehaven Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Vineyard: Stonehaven
Location: South Eastern Australia
Type: Shiraz 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol Content: 13.5%

Purchased: 1/18/09 - BevMo, Marin, CA
Cost: $3.99
Rating: 4.0/10

0 for 2 on the night. Maybe I should avoid blends. Is the thinking that if it doesn't taste good - why not add a little Cabernet Sauvignon to it? Why would that possibly make it taste better?

I dare you to claim that you can taste the combination...

Lodez Syrah Grenache Carignan 2003

Vineyard: Lodez
Location: St Felix de Lodez, France
Type: Syrah 50%, Grenache 30%, Carignan 20%
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol Content: 12.5%

Purchased: 1/18/09 - BevMo, Marin, CA
Cost: $3.99
Rating: 4.0/10

Further proof that making wine expensive doesn't make it good. I (regrettably) assumed this wine was going to be really good because it was a) originally $12.99, b) from France, and c) aged since 2003. I hadn't had any French wines before, but I just figured it had to be good because French people drink so much wine which they wouldn't do if it didn't taste good. Also, because it was rather pricey before being on sale - I thought it would have a good chance of being good. I've never said that expensive wine shouldn't taste good, just that there must be some good cheap wines.

But, no. Nope. Didn't taste good. And to add insult to injury, there were dregs in the bottle. Take my advice and avoid this one - even though it looks like such a good deal.

Mas de Caralt Penedes 2005

Vineyard: Mas de Caralt
Location: Torrelavit, Spain
Type: Penedes
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol Content: 13%

Purchased: 11/30/08 - BevMo, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 4.25/10

And another sub-par wine. It's not bad enough to quit before the bottle's empty, but it's also no where near good enough to think about a second one. It's flavorful, which I prefer to the tasteless wines that fall into the not-so-good category, but nothing unique about it.

Aquila D'Oro Chianti 2007

Vineyard: Aquila D'Oro
Location: Tuscany, Italy
Type: Chianti
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol Content: 12.5%

Purchased: 12/17/08 - Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 3.5/10

There is something wrong with this wine. I choose the word "wrong" carefully here; I didn't say "bad." However, there are certain things that you don't want to taste like something else. This wine is a good example of that. If you told me I was about to drink a new Gusher's fruit juice, I would have told you that it tastes great. Drinking a wine, however, this flavor is not what I was hoping for.

This idea makes me think about the whole expensive v. cheap wine paradox. Studies have shown that people can't tell (or in fact prefer) cheap wine to expensive wine when the label is covered, but at the same time prefer the expensive label to the cheap label when the same wine is in both bottles. When you are expecting great and you have a positive result, you might respond "great". Whereas if you were expecting good, and you have the same positive result, you might just respond "good". In this case, were I expecting something tart, I would have responded "great", but with wine, I'm gonna just have to go with "tart".

Maybe there should just be a "Drink By" date on the label....

Lindemans Shiraz 2007

Vineyard: Lindemans
Location: South Eastern Australia
Type: Shiraz
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol Content: 13.5%

Purchased: 12/31/08 - Save-Mart, Tahoe City, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 3.0/10

Well, not much positive to report about this guy. Starts pretty bad with a smell of alcohol, and it finishes with something I can't put my finger on - but it's definitely not something one would want in wine. Too bad, cause I thought you could always count on a Shiraz.

One tip off might be the label - most of the Aussie wines I've had the good fortune of trying for this blog have had fun/goofy labels. This guy, on the other hand, is trying to be serious, which makes me think (and unfortunately, after the fact) that it is trying to hide something from us. Yeah, next time I'm going for something with funny font and a kangaroo on the bottle.

Estrella Red Table Wine 1.5L

Vineyard: Estrella
Location: Napa, California
Type: Red Table Wine
Vintage: N/A (I'm gonna guess 2008 though) - it says Lot No. 3 on the Bottle
Alcohol Content: 12.5%

Purchased: 1/5/09 - Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 5.25/10

Well, to start off with - it's a big bottle. You can see this in the picture. In fact, it's two bottles in one, which makes it twice the deal! Make sure you know what you are in for, however, before attempting a feat such as the 1.5 L Estrella! I know what you are thinking: "I've had two bottles before. It's no biggie." Sure you have, but usually you have the option of opening a second bottle or deciding that tonight should really just be a one bottle night. Not with this feller. With this one you have to commit to drinking two bottles before having a single drop. But hey - I say do it, live on the edge.

The wine is surprisingly not bad. Full of smell and taste that I tend to enjoy - namely a little spicy and non-offensive. No idea why they named it star as this is as earthy of a wine as I have tasted - but I also realize that my job is rating wine not coming up with names for vineyards. I do have a slight urge to get out of my comfortable, warm bed and go to the cold outside where I can fall asleep in an awkward position under the stars....

Archeo Nero d'Avola 2006

Vineyard: Sicilia
Location: South-western Sicily
Type: Nero d'Avola
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Content: 13%

Purchased: 12/17/08 - Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA
Cost: $4.99
Rating: 6.5/10

While the cork proved to be a quite worthy opponent, the wine itself is really quite good. It is interesting enough to sit around and play the whats-it-taste-like game and still be interested to play the whats-it-smell-like game afterwards. Of course, I'm no where near good enough at those games to publish my results, but I'd love to hear yours.

Definitely up there with the best I've had so far. There are distinct tastes, unlike some of the crap that I've opened lately. No one could accuse this wine of being weak or timid. Someone who likes spicy food and their meat cooked rare is probably going to like this more than others. Enjoy.