I have to admit, I purchased this wine based on its label — one of my best friends became a father recently, to a son named “Dante”. So it was an added bonus that the juice behind the label turned out to be pretty good — and well worth the price.

Dante is made by the Michael Pozzan Winery, and ironically (to me, anyway), is named after Michael Pozzan’s eldest son. The wine itself is purportedly inspired by Michael’s trips to Italy — per the the Pozzan website, the wines labeled with “Dante” are: “hearty but approachable wines are reminisant [sic] of your fravorite trattoria in Italy”. At around ten bucks, that’s enough story for me.

I’ve enjoyed the soft, supple, accessible wines from Pozzan for several years, and this bottling fits in with the winery’s style. Unlike other wines from Pozzan, the grapes come from outside Napa — but again, when I’m spending about ten bucks, vineyard location is a moot point. Just give me a decent wine I can enjoy with a simple meal and make me feel like I got my money’s worth. For that, this wine delivers.

Tasting Notes: Dante Merlot

The nose is full of ripe red raspberry, ripe strawberry, and black cherry, with hints of vanilla, spice, earth, and smoke. In the mouth it is borderline jammy upfront, with lots of ripe red berry fruits, vanilla, and white chocolate flavors. The finish is pleasantly tart, with ripe black cherry and red raspberry notes. Acidity is mild to medium, tannins are mild to medium, alcohol is just a touch warm on the finish. All three elements are in good balance with the high fruit level. Enjoyable alone, also good with a variety of foods. Drink it with lean meats, Mexican fare, lean sausage, mild cheeses, vegetarian dishes.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points

Bottom Line

A soft, warm, approachable Merlot that is enjoyable alone or with simple dishes based on lean meats or mild cheeses. Fine as an everyday drinker and a great value.

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Learn more by visiting the Michael Pozzan Winery website

Kaiken is a somewhat unknown wine brand from Argentina, which is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s a good thing, because it hasn’t yet been discovered and “taken off” in popularity, so the prices are still affordable (around ten bucks or less). It’s a bad thing, because 1) it can be hard to find on retailer’s shelves; and 2) since people don’t see it at their retailer, restaurants are able to mark it up ridiculously. For example, I paid $9.99 for this bottle at my local wine shop, after tasting it at $11 per glass at a local restaurant. Hey, I’m all for restaurants marking up wine to make money — they do have to store it, provide glassware, educate their staff, and make a profit. But there’s a point where markup can become obnoxious.

Anyway, on to the review:

Tasting Notes: Kaiken Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich nose of ripe black berry fruit, spice, touch of earth, leather, and something slightly meaty, animal / barnyard — which, to me, is appealing. Very smooth, almost creamy texture in the mouth, with plenty of ripe berry fruits: blackberry, plum, black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry. Hints of spicy vanilla, earth, sweet tobacco, chocolate licorice. Acidity is mild to medium, tannins are medium. This has a bit of rustic character in the nose, but is obviously new world on the palate — wide open, fruit forward, and inching toward jammy. Tasty on its own, better with simple red meat dishes — meatloaf, burgers, swedish meatballs, skirt steak.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-7 v-10 ~ 91 Points

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By the way, Kaiken also makes a great Malbec.

At one time, Chile was a great place to find fantastic values. Then the secret got out, and Chilean bottles went up in cost — allowing Argentina to arrive as an affordable area for the adventurous. But of course, eventually enough people discovered Argentina, driving the prices up. While the see-saw continues today, I’m happy to report that nicely priced daily drinkers are still available from both countries — but they take a little more time and effort to unearth.

In this case, you need to look away from the better-known producers and toward the Rapel Valley, an area which has a history of producing fine red wines based on the Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The winery is “Rayun” and it’s not always found on the eye-level shelves of the wine shop — so stoop down and check the lower levels and the bargain bins (use your knees, so you don’t hurt your back!). At around seven or eight bucks, it’s a good value.

Tasting Notes: Rayun Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Open nose of dirty earth, tobacco, green bell pepper, some black fruit (cassis, blackberry). Smooth texture, almost creamy mouthfeel. Good ripe black fruit flavor — blackberry, cassis, black raspberry — with a hint of spice and mild earth. Acidity and tannins are about equal, both mild to medium and in fair balance to the fruit level. A nice, soft, red wine that is a decent choice as an everyday drinker. About what you would expect from an under-$10 Chilean Cab — tastes more like a Merlot. Enjoy it alone or with mild cheeses, pasta in marinara, turkey burgers, simple “bistro” fare.

a-7 t-7 b-9 fc-9 v-8 ~ 90 points

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Even a fairly well educated geek like me has trouble deciding whether an unknown imported wine is worth the few ducats in pocket (and those spare dollars are dwindling by the day!). As protection against buying a dud, I tend to rely on specific importers that have, over the years, consistently delivered wines with a strong price:quality ratio. However, it takes some time to find wines from specific importers — most of them stamp their name in small print on the back label of bottles. As a result, I often spend far too much time in wine shops pulling out my reading glasses and scrutinizing back labels, one after the other.

To save my eyes, Pannotia Vineyards has instituted a somewhat novel idea: to put the importer on the FRONT label; in fact, to make it the brand name. Because you see, there are no vineyards anywhere in the world called “Pannotia” (OK, maybe there are, but wines from such a place won’t be labeled as such). The literal meaning of “Pannotia” (puh-NO-shah) is “all the world is a single continent”. In other words, a wine with the Pannotia label can come from just about anywhere.

It’s an interesting concept brought forward by founder John Fawcett — find quality wines from different parts of the world, and brand it with the importer name, rather than the winery. Of course, this type of branding is not new — Opici comes to mind as one of the obvious, as does Ole Imports — but it is nonetheless intriguing (and saves my eyes).

Helping to establish the Pannotia brand are the distinctive, artsy, colorful labels, created by artist Gary Kelley. The bottles are indeed an attractive package, and the juice inside is pretty good, too. This particular wine is from Castilla, Spain, and made from the Garnacha (aka Grenache) grape.

Tasting Notes: Pannotia Vineyards Garnacha

Black and bell pepper aromas mix with black fruits and earth on the nose. Flavors of black raspberry, cranberry, and black cherry, and hints of vanilla and earth. Texture is glassy smooth. Tannins are mild, acidity is somewhere between mild and medium. The acid, in fact, is slightly tart when this wine is drunk alone, but is the perfect level to match with most mild dishes. For example, it was a good pairing to pasta with sausage marinara, and it would be equally complementary to leaner dishes such as turkey, chicken, and vegetarian. A good daily drinker. At around ten bucks, this is a good value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-9 v-8 ~ 89 Points

Website: Pannotia Vineyards

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This particular rose comes from an importer I respect highly — I have yet to be disappointed with the price/quality ratio of an “Eric Solomon Selection”. Finding his name on the back label of a wine I’ve never seen before is often the deciding factor in whether I’ll purchase the bottle.

But in fact I’ve already enjoyed roses from Artazuri in the past, so seeing this was a no-brainer. It’s made in Navarra, Spain, from the Garnacha grape — a.k.a., Grenache. If you’ve never been to Navarra, you might want to consider taking a trip one July for the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, where you can see “encierro” (the running of the bulls). Don’t look for me, though, I’ll be watching it on youTube from the safety of my home.

But I digress … how about we discuss the wine, which (how timely?) would be a nice match for a spread of bagels and lox, among other things.

Tasting Notes: Artazuri Rose 2007

Ample fresh strawberry on the nose, with hints of red raspberry, cherry, and vanilla. Smooth, almost creamy texture on the palate, with fresh, clean watermelon, red cherry, and strawberry flavors, accented by a touch of zesty citrus and a hint of vanilla. Acidity is on the low side, but there’s just enough to help the wine pair with mildly flavored appetizers or hot and spicy dishes. Drink it alone (chilled) as an aperitif, with spicy sausage sandwiches, barbecued chicken, spicy Indian cuisine, salads, cold cuts / antipasti, smoked salmon. Don’t over-chill it or you’ll miss a lot of the flavor.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points

US Importer: European Cellars – Eric Solomon Selection

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A few years back, Pinot Grigio replaced Chardonnay as the number-one selling white wine in the USA. As a result, prices for established, reliable Pinot Grigio skyrocketed, and a slew of unknown Pinots — of varying degrees of quality — flooded the market. The popularity of the wine became so great that many California wineries have renamed their wines made from Pinot Gris as “Pinot Grigio”. Today, there are shelves filled with that popular Italian white wine, some very good, some not so good, most of them overpriced. Which is too bad, because Pinot Grigio tends to be an easy drinking, food friendly wine.

But hey, there’s plenty more white wine flowing in Italy that tastes great, matches well with a variety of foods, and can be had at reasonable prices. One of them is this wine from Tuscany, Antinori Bianco.

This Bianco (Italian for “white”) is a blend of four grapes: Malvasia, Trebbiano, Chardonnay Toscano, and Pinot Bianco. You may have heard of some of these grapes before, as they are commonly found throughout Italy. If you are not familiar with them, don’t worry — you don’t need to know anything about them to enjoy the wine. All you need to know is that if you like Pinot Grigio, you’ll probably like this wine as well.

Tasting Notes: Antinori Bianco

Clean, simple nose of citrus and white fruit. Clean, fresh, and zesty with citrusy flavors of lime and lemon. Also touches of pear, apple, and mineral. Acidity is medium to medium-high, plenty for food matching but not too much to enjoy alone. This is a simple white that has advanced polish and a surprisingly lengthy finish. Have it as an aperitif, match it with all kinds of apps, pair it with simply broiled or lightly battered / breaded white fish, chicken breast, sushi, pork. A fine alternative to Pinot Grigio. The suggested MSRP is $12, but I’ve seen it at less than ten bucks in some stores — which makes it a great value and a good everyday drinker.

a-7 t-7 b-9 fc-10 v-8 ~ 91 Points

Website: Villa Antinori

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Autumn is almost upon us in the US, but it’s still warm enough to enjoy pink wines. This one comes from the Cotes-du-Rhone in France, an area that’s better known for red wines that some describe as “bistro wines” for their ability to match with a variety of dishes found on traditional bistro menus.

Similarly, this rose is made from the same grapes as its red wine cousin — Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault — and shares its versatility.

Tasting Notes: Chapoutier Cotes-du-Rhone “Belleruche” Rose 2007

Nose is mildly aromatic, expressing citrus, strawberry, and a hint of cherry. Very clean on the palate, with mild strawberry and citrus flavors. Acidity is somewhere between mild and medium. The finish is pleasant and balanced. This is an enjoyable, refreshing wine on its own, with enough structure to match with food. I matched it successfully with spicy turkey sausage with sauteed peppers and onions; it should be equally good with other lean and spicy dishes, as well as chicken and pork, and vegetarian cuisine. At about ten bucks (under ten in some places), this is a great value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-9 v-9 ~ 90 Points

Imported by Terlato Wines International

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Ever since “Sideways” came out, everyone and their brother became a Pinot Noir snob, and the wine suppliers reacted by flooding the market with all kinds of swill labeled with that classic French varietal. Four years after the movie, wine shops can’t keep enough Pinot Noir stocked on the shelves — from all areas of the world and at all price points. Some of it is good, much of it mediocre, and too many are awful. The problem is that you can’t force production of the wine anywhere you want, anytime you want — Pinot Noir is a fragile grape, easily affected by temperature changes and representative of the quality of its soil. The reason it wasn’t a big deal in the mass market before is because of its fragility — it’s difficult to make good-quality Pinot Noir, period, never mind trying it year in and year out.

If you’ve ever had REAL Pinot Noir — the stuff that costs a minimum of $40 per bottle and has all kinds of French words that 95% of the population can’t comprehend — then you know that most of the affordable wines labeled “Pinot Noir” from outside Burgundy are, well, pretenders. But that’s not to say you can’t find a decent drinker.

For a while, I turned my nose up at these pretenders, then realized how dumb it was of me to do so. It was a matter of managing expectations; previously, when the label said “Pinot Noir”, I was expecting sheer bliss in a bottle. Now, I look at the price tag — if it’s under 25 bucks, I’m just hoping the wine is drinkable, and judge it as a “red wine”, rather than against the glories of Burgundy.

As it turns out, there are valid quaffers and good table wines labeled as Pinot Noir in my cheapskate price range, and I’m constantly on the lookout for well-made bargains. I found one recently from the Fleur winery in Carneros, California — for about $13.

Tasting Notes: Fleur Pinot Noir 2006 Carneros

Bright, open nose of fresh sweet strawberry, red cherry, maraschino, red raspberry and a distinct floral character – hence the name “Fleur”. In the mouth you get upfront, forward fruit: ripe strawberry, red cherries, red raspberry, and cranberry. Acidity is mild to medium, tannins are mild. This wine drinks similarly to a soft Beaujolais Cru (Fleurie?), and is enjoyable on its own though better with food. Have it with roast chicken, pork chops, turkey, vegetarian cuisine. A good value.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-9 v-8 ~ 90 Points

Fleur de California winery website

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Ever since reading the novel Sideways(and watching the movie), I’ve been obsessed with finding quality Merlot wines — so forgive me if I post too many reviews on them.

This one comes from France, from the southwestern part of the country (officially, “South West”) — a region that is often overlooked by the wine snobs because of its history as an area of high-volume production. However, there are many, many, tiny producers strewn throughout the South West, from places such as Languedoc-Roussillon, Costieres de Nimes, and Provence — which is where Domaine de Gournier is situated.

Luckily, there is an American importer by the name of Bobby Kacher who knows this area pretty well, and brings in some high quality bottles at more than fair prices. This Merlot is no exception.

Tasting Notes: Domaine de Gournier Merlot

A bright, ripe, open red wine. On the nose is black fruit, tar, tobacco, earth, and black pepper. . Luscious and jammy upfront, spilling over with black and red raspberries. Smooth as glass texture, almost creamy, carrying the ripe fruit into a well balanced finish of mild acidity, medium tannins, and plenty of berries and spice. Match it with burgers, chili, sloppy joes, tacos, and cheesy dishes. A full, fruit-forward, classy wine that over-delivers on its price. At about nine bucks or less, it is a great value.

a-8 t-8 b-10 fc-8 v-10 ~ 94 Points

Importer: Robert Kacher Selections

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It’s autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and that means it’s time to start transitioning from the heat of summer to the cold of winter. Oh, and from the light, crisp, cold white wines to the heavier bodied, warm red wines — to match the richer, warmer dishes and “comfort foods” people tend to enjoy more as the weather gets chilly. One wine that seems to go hand in hand with the fall season is Cotes du Rhone, a hearty red wine from the southern Rhone region of France.

Cotes-du-Rhone (COAT- duh – RONE) — or “CDR” for short — is found under many brand names, and usually a blend dominated by the grapes Syrah and Grenache (although several other grapes can be contained, including but not limited to Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Carignane). The grapes can be harvested from all over the Rhone region, though most come from the southern part of the region. Many wineries make both a red version and a white version (the white usually includes Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, and/or Grenache Blanc), but the reds are much more popular in the States.

It used to be that CDRs were heavy, fairly tannic wines that would match well only with high-protein foods. However, the Cotes-du-Rhones on the shelf today are for the most part more lively, fruity, and fun compared to their ancestors. You may hear some Frenchmen refer to CDR as a “bistro wine”, because it will go with a number of simple dishes you might find on the menu of a French bistro — such as hamburger, mac and cheese, meat pies, stews, braises, roast chicken, etc.

Tasting Notes

This particular bottle is from Domaine d’Andezon, which is a 25-acre estate in the village of Estezargues, situated on the southwestern edge of the Rhone Valley delta. Included in the vineyards are low-yielding Syrah vines that are up to 100 years old (that’s a big deal; old vines mean longer roots, which many people think deliver more complexity to the fruit).

Fresh, bright, ripe red berry flavors dominate the nose and palate, along with some black berry, earth, and pepper. Red raspberry, black raspberry, black cherry, a touch of red licorice are some of the flavors I get. Very clean, with a smooth texture. Acidity and tannins are equal, and somewhere between mild and medium intensity. This wine is rich and mouthfilling enough to be very appealing on its own, and is even better with food.

Drink this with burgers, stews, shepherd’s pie, pot roast, and similar “bistro” dishes.

A solid wine, a good choice as an everyday red for the dinner table. At less than ten bucks, a good value.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 88 Points

Importer: Eric Solomon Selections / European Wine Cellars

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