Vino Keeno, The Grapevine for the Recreational Wino

2001 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Tapestry
$29.99

Wine blend:
81% Cabernet, 13% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc

Wine Doc says:
This is the classic French wine done the California way. At this price point it tastes much better than any French wine I have been able to find. It is smooth with chocolate flavors and a long finish. Tapsetry is great with a steak dinner and would pair well with foods requiring a wine with body. I’ve had this wine over multiple vintages and it is always consistently fantastic.

WebWino notes:
The MSRP on this wine is $50. If you can find it at $29.99, then snap it up. Especially if it’s as good as Wine Doc says!

Falesco 2003 Vitiano Umbria
$12.99

WebWino says:
The other night I enjoyed a Viva Italia! night as I sat eating pizza, watching Torino’s Winter Olympics and drinking an Italian red wine. I have always loved the pizza and red wine duo and adding in prime time Olympic competition made for a winning combination.

Vitiano was recommended to me years ago for being a great inexpensive red. I found my old wine notes, and for the 2001 vintage I actually wrote “good inexpensive red.” Notice how much potential I showed early on as a wine reviewer?

The wine had a super-sharp bite right out of the bottle, but the decanted version was much improved and far more enjoyable. The wine is simply labeled as a “Red Wine” and I would have guessed by the tannic nature that it was primarily Merlot. However upon a wee bit of research, I learned it was actually 34% Sangiovese, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 33% Merlot.

While I wouldn’t say this wine possesses a flavor of Olympic proportions, I would recommend it. Especially if you like a tarter, more tannic taste. It does come highly recommended by those in the know, especially for its price. Eh, I give it a bronze.

2002 Léal Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
$27.99

Vineyard66 says:
This was suggested to me at a wine bar as one I should try. I had never seen it before, but so glad that I followed the suggestion. It is a tight Cab that opens up with breathing to a fruity, extremely smooth classic Cab. There is a flavor of chocolate, coffee and black cherry.

Since trying this wine I’ve read several reviews that refer to it as a “chewy Cabernet,” and I couldn’t agree more. I liked it so much that I have bought several bottles to gnaw on… er… drink at home.

On March 8, 2006, Vino Keeno will be jumping on the Wine Blogging Wednesday bandwagon. WBW is when wine bloggers follow a theme for wine tasting, post their findings on their blog on the chosen day, with a round-up posted by the host of the event shortly thereafter.

The WBW #19 assignment is “When in Rhone” hosted by Jathan at Winexpression. His is a far more extensive writeup (educational too!), but the basic gist is to try and review a wine containing of a blend of some of the following grapes that originated in France’s Rhone region:

Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Syrah/Shiraz, Viognier, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Carignane Noir, Marsanne, Cinsault Noir, Ugni Blanc, Muscardin, Picpoul Blanc, Picpoul Noir, Bourboulenc, Camarese, Clairette Blanc, Vaccarese, Grenache Blanc, Terret Noir, Muscat a Petits Grains, Clairette Rose, Counoise Noir

I’ll be posting a review that day, but I’d like to invite you send in your reviews as well. You needn’t have a wine blog to participate in WBW! And I’m off the the wine shop…

If it’s a little well-behaved political activism aimed at increasing your wine purchasing power you crave, then you might want to check out Free the Grapes!

Free the Grapes! is a national, grassroots coalition of consumers and wineries who seek to remove restrictions in 20 states that still prohibit consumers from purchasing wines directly from out-of-state wineries.

You can send letters to your state representatives with their easy-peasy form, or sign up for the wine lovers club (complete with t-shirts). Well worth a visit and signing on. Especially if you live in one of those 20 states, like yours truly.

Marquis Philips 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
$18.99

WebWino says:
This Cab from Australia is pretty darn good. And since both Wine Spectator and Robert Parker gave it high marks, I’m not alone in thinking that. The nice, smooth, grapey flavor is “fruit-forward,” meaning you taste the fruit first. And since it’s not a high tannin wine, it does not have a long finish. See, it’s an educational site here, folks.

Take Robert Parker’s word for it:

The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is a much smaller scaled, more evolved Cabernet than the 2002. Its dark ruby color is followed by classic notes of tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, and a touch of toasty, smoky oak. With a medium-bodied, supple finish, it should drink well for 3-4 years.

Just like I said, grapey! Bottom line, this is a great price for a great bottle of wine. Party bonus: it has a clever little “Roogle” on the label which is half eagle, half kangaroo. Can’t beat that!

Because we must proudly proclaim our wino status in any way possible, I present to you the essential footwear for the wine lover.

The Winery and El Vino socks for men by Nicole Miller. Available at a store called “The Joy of Socks.”

I am not making this up.

2002 Meeker Merlot, Winemaker’s Handprint Collection
$30-$36

WebWino says:
To know me is to know I love all things art and wine, especially a combination of the two. So it comes as no surprise that twice I have been gifted a bottle of Meeker Merlot from the Winemaker’s Handprint Collection. The bottle is wonderful. On it is a colorful handprint, not a label or sticker, but a genuine dipped in paint and smacked on the bottle handprint. Great stuff. Too bad you can’t say the same for the wine.

My first bottle was a 1999 Meeker Merlot from Mendocino County. When I tried this wine, I was not into decanting wine. Or really appreciating it, for that matter. All I drank was Merlot and quantity was key. But even that limited insight couldn’t get me past the fact that the wine was awful. Fantastic bottle (a great conversation piece I still keep on my mantle) but lousy wine.

Fast forward to last night, when I decided to crack open my latest gift bottle with friends. I was eager to give the wine a fair shake, this time by decanting and applying my new and “matured” (no snickering) tastes. Plus, the 2002 Meeker Merlot was from Sonoma County, and all good things come from Sonoma, right?

Much of the discussion surrounding this wine was an attempt to describe the flavor that dominated the undertaste on the finish. Words being thrown out were metallic, raisiny, acidic, and “tastes like linseed oil.” All in all, a mediocre bottle of wine that needs to be dumped from the decanter since we didn’t even finish it.

Interesting I should find this write-up online credited to the Winemaker’s Notes:

Produced only in select years, our Winemaker’s Handprint is what all Merlots strive to be. It has deep, dark color, and its full-blown cherry nose is surrounded by toasty French oak. On the palate you’ll find sweet fruit of cherry and plum, with hints of leather, cola and vanilla. And the lingering finish hangs on like a jumper who’s changed his mind.

Huh. My advice? Dude, just jump. Linger no more. Just save the empty bottle for your mantle.

Hogue Late Harvest White Riesling
$10

Old Jag says:
We went to a restaurant recently that doesn’t serve wine. However, in the same building was a liquor store so we wandered in to find something to try. We picked this—as much because I liked the design of the bottle label as anything. Hogue Late Harvest White Riesling has flavors of apricot, tangerine, and orange, among others. It’s sweeter than most rieslings but before we knew it I was out of the restaurant and off buying a second bottle. If you’re a fan of a wine with a little sweeter taste to it, try this one. At $10 a bottle, it’s almost as cheap as Ripple.

In case you were wondering what wine Brad Pitt was pouring for Angelina Jolie in the “if I drop the wine and you catch it then with reflexes like that you are obviously an assassin” scene in the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, wonder no more. The fine folks over at Drink Some Wine have unravelled the mystery. Apparently it was a spendy bottle of Caymus Cabernet. Anyone up for a review (of the wine, not the movie)?