A Wide Variety of Wines for Review (12-1-11)

Who says no one makes a great $11 wine? Well, sometimes I do. But sometimes we find one that works at the price point. Sometimes, you find three that make some sense!

Lots of Italian wine tonight and no real stinkers in the group.

I'm writing tonight while sipping on some Paso Robles Ortman Cuvee Eddy - a great $17 bottle of wine. Unfortunately, the Ortman's have announced they will be ceasing operations later this month. It goes to show that a great product, growing sales, and a dynamic wine story isn't always enough. It's tough selling wine out there!

Here are some you might like:

Banfi Centine 2009 Rosso - The Centine label is generally very easy to find and value priced. The Rosso is 60 percent Sangiovese, 20 percent Cabernet, and 20 Merlot.

This wine has big red fruit and spice but not a lot of balance but the finish is not off-putting. Wine Spectator gave this value bottle a very respectible 87 points. A lot of people may like it for its low 12.5 percent alcohol. It's not unusual to find this bottle under $11.

(Banfi Centine 2009 Rosso, $11, Trade Sample, Recommended)

Banfi Centine 2010 Bianco - This nice white is 40 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 30 percent Pinot Grigio and 30 percent Chardonnay.

I liked the white and the Rose (which I have reviewed from previous vintages) better than the red. The white was a little on the fruity sweet side for my palate but it's clearly a wine many would enjoy.

It had tons of pear and lime for my palate and similar low alcohol at 12-12.5 percent.

(Banfi Centine 2010 Bianco, $11, Trade Sample, Recommended)

Domaine Chene 2009 Bourgogne - It's hard to find drinkable Burgundy under $14 but the Chene makes a run at it. I bought this bottle on the recommendation of a sales person at Indianapolis' Kahn's Fine Wine.

This was typically Burgundian with a very light and earthy mouth feel. If you're used to California Pinot or even Oregon, you might not like this one for its nearly non-existent fruit. This Burgundy is about terrior.

Unless you just really want to try Burgundy at a cheap price, there are plenty of other Pinot Noir choices in a good wine shop. Save a few dollars and buy your first Burgundy at a little higher price point.
(Domaine Chene Bourgogne, $14.95, Not Recommended)

Scagliola 2010 Barbera - A great bottle of $18 wine! I've never consumed much Barbera but I'm ready to buy more after this one bottle.

This Italian red from Piedmont had bright fruit and acidity. I liked the somewhat lighter mouth feel for an Italian wine. You still get some rich dark fruit on the plate without the heavy after taste so many red wines will give you.

This is not a wine for your pasta and red sauce but it would be great with salami, crackers, and Italian cheeses.

The wine can be found in the $13-$18 range.

(Scagliola 2010 Barbera, $17.99, Highly Recommended)

Masi Modello Delle Venezie - Here is an Italian blend that most wine lovers will really embrace.

This is a blend from Veneto, Italy, that can be found under $12 but up to as much as $16 or $17. It's made moslty from grapes most aren't going to be familiar with - Refosco and Raboso. It has a beautiful ruby red color in the glass and a nice pleasant nose of ripe fruit. This wine is another lighter style wine that's dry but quite fragrant with cherry and red raspberry fruit.

(Masi Modello 2008 Delle Venezie Rosso, $11.99, Highly Recommended)

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Mondavi, Clayhouse, and Graffigna - Oh My!

Same old song - I have some catching up to do. So tonight I'm going to try to get current on a bunch of "trade sample" wine I've recently tasted.

Yes, people send me wine to review. There is a whole disclaimer process - including 'no promises I'll review it' and more important 'no promises I'll like it.' But I've written that before and would hope there has been enough credibility established for the skeptics.

Someone once asked why I don't write much about real stinkers. Well, there are two answers to that one. First, I don't go looking for real stinkers. I also consider that some wines I might not like, others might. With those wines, I try to review them for what they offer and how well I think they're made.

I'll throw in what I thought was a real stinker in tonight's reviews just to make the point! How's that?

Let's start off with three wines from the legendary Robert Mondavi. It starts with an example of price point and style.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Sauvignon Blanc - The grapes come from the Central Coast and make a nice light and lean Sauv Blanc. There are no big flavors or acidity clobbering your palate but still nice enough zest and fruit for the price point. This is nice wine for $11 and widely available. (Mondavi Private Selection Sauv Blanc, $11, Trade Sample, Recommended)

Mondavi 2009 Fume Blanc - Most people think of Cabernet when they think of the most iconic name in California wine. But this Fume Blanc has been a favorite of wine drinkers for a long time. It's 90 percent Sauv Blanc and 10 percent Semillon. For those unfamiliar with Semillon it's often used in blending and provide a very nice fruit and softness to any grape combination. The fruit is mostly Napa Valley in this one. This wine enjoys some time in oak and offers up a richness many Sauv Blancs often miss. If you love the strong citrus and acidity of Sauv Blanc but like it with a softer edge, you'd love this wine. (Mondavi Fume Blanc, $20, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended)

Mondavi Pinot Grigio - This is like a bad movie that starts with a disclaimer. I'm NOT a big Pinot Grigio fan in general. I just find it uninteresting. I opened this wine on a hot Hoosier afternoon after doing yard work. It was ... okay ... not a lot of fruiit on the palate .... the acidity was okay ... it was good wine for $11 ... just not memorable. (Mondavi Pinot Grigio, $11, trade sample, No recommendation)

Now some samples from marketing friend Rusty Eddy who represents Clayhouse Wines in Paso Robles. I visited the Clayhouse tasting room in downtown Paso when there in October 2010 and loved them. Rusty had the marketing arm send out their Adobe line of wines. Very good stuff!

Clayhouse 2009 Adobe Red - This blend of 32 percent Zinfandel, 25 percent Petit Sirah, 13 percent Malbed, 11 percent Cab, 10 percent Syrah, and 9 percent Petit Verdot sounds like a kitchen-sink blend - and it might be. But I found it had a wonderful dark fruit, cherry flavor with soft tannins and extraordinarily drinkable. You won't find this in every state - but ask! (Clayhouse 2009 Adobe Red, $14, Trade Sample, Recommended)

Clayhouse 2010 Adobe White - Have you ever opened a bottle of wine that you are "not supposed to like" by all standards - but you just loved it? Well, I'm not sure if the "not supposed to like" standard applies here but I loved this simple, rich, and soft white wine. It's a lovely blend of Viognier, Sauv Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Princess, and Chenin Blanc. This has orange, lemon but above all it has a rich and smooth feel in the mouth that I think many wine drinkers would just fall in love with after a taste. This is damn fine juice. (Clayhouse 2010 Adobe White, $14, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended - nah, make that my second 'Very Highly Recommended" wine of the year. Snobs won't like it. Porch drinkers like me will love it!)

Graffigna 2008 Malbec Reserve - This great Malbec surprised me as it opened up. At first sip I thought 'Okay, so-so Malbec and a nice little wine for the price.' But as the wine opened up it really became a rich and interesting wine for the price. There's pepper, spice, and maybe even some coffee. It was delicious! Robert Parker gave this wine 90 points! (Graffigna 2008 Malbec Reserve, $12-$14, Trade Sample, Recommended!)

Baker's Dozen Wines - Okay, I promised! I was sent these four samples from a marketing firm representing the winemakers who were introducing non-traditionally sweet wines ... sweet Chardonnay, sweet Pinot Noir, sweet Cabernet (you read that right), and sweet Pinot Grigio. Indiana was a test state for the wine, which makes some sense considering Hoosiers taste for sweeter wines - particularly our homegrown ones. I just tasted the Pinot Noir and Cabernet - and to say they were an undrinkable mess would be an understatement. Cabernet should be dry - Concord is sweet. I like trying new things and respect people trying new things. This was a bad idea from the beginning. And don't get me started on the labels which look an awful lot like a famous jelly and jam company. (Baker's Dozen wines, Cheap, Trade Samples, Absolutely NOT Recommended, don't think about it ... buy local sweet wines from your state winery instead!)

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com