2007 Coastline Cabernet

I’m sure we’re all guilty of this, you see this wine everywhere, it’s in your price range yet for some reason you just never seem to give it much thought. That was my experience with Coastline Cabernet by Adler Fels. But on a recent wine shopping trip I decided to check it out and pretty glad I did.

Colors in the glass are a deep purple with lots of legs. Aromas consist of cassis, red berries and a hint of vanilla. Layers of flavors boasting ripe berries and spice hit mid-palate with a smooth mouthfeel and an oaky finish. There’s a subtle dryness that sneaks up in the finish, meanwhile your brain is still mulling over the mid-palate berry explosion.

Adler Fels winery was founded in Sonoma Valley in 1979 by David and Ayn Coleman. David Coleman developed innovations in production that became industry standards. Along with creating the first gold foil label to be used on California wine bottles, Coleman also is credited with inventing the adjustable top fermentation tank as well as developing a unique program of custom winemaking so their clients could contract bottle their own proprietary wine blends and brands. The winery is currently owned by Adams Wine Group and consists of a collection of premium wineries.

Technical stuff:
Varietal composition: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec, 1% Merlot, and 1% Mixed red varietalsAppellation: Paso RoblesAlcohol: 13.4%Total Acid: 0.59 g/100mlpH: 3.98
I must confess the only reason I picked this wine up is because Total Wine had a shelf talker stating this was their best selling Cabernet. This wine lover thought it to be a great value at $8.99 and once again, I’m a happy wine drinker.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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Forget the birthday cake, pass me the Layer Cake Primitivo

Enough birthday celebrating, it’s time to get back to talking about some inexpensive wines. I celebrated my birthday with Layer Cake Primitivo a.k.a Zinfandel 2007. It along with two others was sent via Wine.com from my father-in-law. The wine is priced at $15.99 and while that is a tad over my typical $9.99 budget, some occasions call for a little higher price tag. And this wine is truly an affordable luxury.

Bold aromas consisting of black cherry and vanilla. Well balanced flavors of plums, blackberry and espresso swirl around the palate. A creamy lingering finish abounds with wonderful fruit flavors. This wine is better than any birthday cake I’ve ever tasted. Almost makes me want to have a birthday more than just once a year. Ok, so maybe I’ll just stick to the one a year (I can barely handle the one) but definitely will pick up this little gem through out the year.

The Layer Cake name comes from owner, Jason Woodbridge’s, grandfather who described the soil as a layer cake. Taken from the Layer Cake website, ”The wine, if properly made, is like a great layer cake, fruit, mocha, chocolate, and hints of spice and rich, always rich. Never pass up a good Layer Cake.”

Jason Woodbridge and his winemaking team are located in Napa Valley, but the vineyard sources grapes from multiple AVA’s and countries. Layer Cake Primitivo lable is grown in Puglia, Italy and harvests their fruits in early September. The grapes come from ancient vineyards, some of which date back to Roman times. The soil is an iron rich clay mixed with rocks, coral and ancient sea beds. Using DNA analysis, the Primitivo grape is found to have identical DNA to Zinfandel. These findings allowed Layer Cake vineyards to receive the first Certificate of Label Approval allowing the vineyard to use Primitivo and Zinfandel as synonyms on the label.

Wine Facts:
100% Pure Old Vine Primitivo from the area of Manduria
Alcohol 13.5%
Fermented in stainless steel tanks then aged in French barrels

So as another birthday passes I think it’s time to go above the $9.99 price point on occasion. Don’t worry I’ll still pass along plenty of good wines and those to avoid falling under $9.99 but sometimes it’s good to spend a little extra for a little extra luxury.

2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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Anything but the Kitchen Sink wine please

While perusing at the Total Wine circular, I see an unfamiliar wine within my price range, Kitchen Sink Red Wine. While at the store, I see the wine at all the registers also, hey this must be some good wine. Well, sometimes my wine experiments do not live up to the potential I thought or hoped they would. I’m not saying the wine was horrible, it just didn’t seem to have much character.

I detected a very faint fruity flavor with a heavy oak aroma. Fruit forward with lots of blackberries but the wine lacks the complexity, never allowing the wine to reach any potential. This doesn’t make it a bad wine, it just wasn’t what my palate was looking for that particular night. I may or may not give this one another try.

I wasn’t able to find a website for the wine but a lot of other reviewers seemed to enjoy the wine. Just goes to show, wine like many other things in life is a matter of personal taste and perception.

If you happen to be at Total Wine, you can pick this up for $8.99. If you do, tell me about your experience with the wine.

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I’m feeling Dynamite Merlot tonight

Ever have one of those rare moments in your life where you get to say exactly what’s on your mind? Not the occasional opinionated passing but the one where you’ve been waiting for 25 years to let someone know exactly how you feel about them. Then after you have a release that either leaves you with explosive emotions or leaves you feeling dynamite. Well I felt the latter after my confrontation and that puts me in the mood for some 2006 Dynamite Merlot.

The glass is a deep dark purple, black currants and a touch of toast. Lush and soft at the front of the palate with swirling flavors of vanilla and chocolate. Bold tannins and a vibrant astringency. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this wine, I also had it at The Vine a few months ago and fell in love with it then as well.

Dynamite Vineyards began with a Cabernet Sauvignon varietal in 1991, choosing the rocky slopes of California’s North Coast for their vineyards. In 1994 a Merlot varietal was added along with additional vineyards. When ready for harvesting the grapes are picked and then fermented in tanks holding 10-20 tons of grapes. After the appropriate amount of fermentation, the grapes are barrel aged for one year prior to being blended with other varieties.
The winery uses only environmentally friendly farming methods. They also use local artists to create a vineyard scene for each vintage’s label. The website states their goal is to craft wines that are full flavored and immediately approachable. For someone who is impatient like me, that’s a good goal to keep.

Not sure if it’s the release of 25 years or if it’s this wine but right now I feel like J.J. Evans, Dyn-o-mite!

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2005 Marietta Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes a wine has all the perfect components making it a truly enjoyable experience. Other times, the wine has totally missed the mark and can really put a damper on your evening. Then there are other times when the wine is lacking complexity and subtleness but is still very enjoyable, that was my experience with Marietta Cellars 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Toasty oak and blackberry aromas float out of the glass. The flavors are sweet yet avoid that jammy flavor that usually turns me off from a wine. Firm tannins and high acidity are present but the wine is still lacking a lot of complexity. While the wine is lacking complexity it’s still a nice wine for everyday drinking.

Marietta Cellars, founded in 1978 in a converted cow barn, is located in Sonoma County. After decades of producing wines, Chris Bilbro still approves all wines before bottling but the day to day operations are handled by Bilbro’s two sons, Jake and Scott. The winery currently produces 7 labels with vineyards in Alexander Valley and Mendocino. Bilbro stresses they don’t put a lot of emphasis on what appellation a wine comes from or what score a wine received. They instead concentrate on a wine that tastes good and makes life a little better.
I think that sums up my feelings for wine, I just want a wine that tastes good, is affordable and makes me happy.
2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.

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Stellar Sterling Merlot

Generally Sterling is a little out of my price range but a few weeks ago, I happen to find it on sale at ABC Fine Wine & Liquor for $9.99. The 2007 Sterling Merlot did not disappoint and I will gladly seek out this sale price again.

The color in the glass is a brilliant ruby red with purple hues. Aromas are bursting with berries, oak and vanilla. The toasty oak, black berries and vanilla carry over to the flavors. Nice mouthfeel, bold tannins and a nice fruity finish.

Technical stuff:
Varietal: Merlot
Appellation: Central Coast
Aging: One year in small oak barrels
Alcohol: 13.9%

Sterling Vineyards was established in 1964 by Peter Newton. Located in Napa Valley, they began cultivating Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc releasing the first vintage dated Merlot in the region in 1969. The winery uses a variety of California regions allowing them to cultivate from a wide variety of soils, climates and growing conditions. This allows them to choose the proper region for the appropriate grape. With more than ten vineyards and 1,200 acres the winemakers are given more flexibility and control over the quality of the harvest and wine production.

I’m crossing my fingers I’ll be able to find this one on sale again in the near future and if I do, I’ll let you know.

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2007 Hahn Estates Central Coast Meritage

While there are times when my inexpensive wine experiment falls flat on its face, Hahn Estates Meritage is one that is definitely standing tall. In one word…Yum!

The color in the glass is a deep dark red with aromas of toasty oak and vanilla swirling around the glass. High intense flavors of spice and blackberry flavors combine perfectly with high tannins making the wine dry and delectable and me a very happy wine drinker.

Technical stuff:
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Meritage
Appellation: Central Coast
Acid: .62gm/100ml
PH: 3.68
Alcohol: 14.5%

Located in Montery County, CA, the Hahn Estate vineyards were originally a horse ranch called Smith Ranch and a cattle ranch called Hook Ranch. Taking advantage of the optimal location, the neighbors started Smith and Hook winery releasing their first vintage in 1980. In 1991 Nicolas Hahn created the Hahn Estates brand. In German, “Hahn” means “Rooster” and for this reason a rooster represents the Hahn Estates. The winery is now known as Hahn Estates / Smith & Hook Winery as a tribute to the early years of the winery.

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2008 Elsa Bianchi Malbec

I truly enjoy Malbec wines and rarely find one I don’t like. While tonight was not an exception to this rule, the 2008 Elsa Bianchi Malbec while drinkable was in this wine drinker opinion, well, just average.

Aromas full of oak and black pepper and flavors boasting with high tannins and a lot of jammy flavors upfront. I think it was the overly sweet jam flavors that killed it for me. Mid palate and you’re hit with spiciness followed by a nice smooth finish.

Technical Stuff:
Alcohol: 14.1%
Appellation: Mendoza
Sub-Appellation: San Rafael
Varietal: 100% Malbec

The Argentine wine industry is currently the fifth largest wine producer and Malbec is certainly the most widely planted grape.Under Argentine wine laws, if a grape name appears on the wine label, at least 80% of the wine must be composed of that grape variety. While Malbec began in Southwest France it’s now king in Argentina and is most often associated with that region. The Argentine Malbec differs from its French relatives as the Argentina grapes have smaller berries in tighter, smaller clusters. The varietal is typically deep in color and intense fruity flavors with a velvety texture. As of 2003 there were over 50,000 acres of Malbec.

While an average wine isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I think I’ll skip this wine in future purchases. If you would like to experience for yourself, I found this wine at ABC Fine Wine & Liqour for less than $7.50.

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