Category Archives: Great Values

Cabernet Review: Kaiken

Kaiken Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

kaiken_cab.jpgKaiken 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.

Red Wine Review: Penfolds Shiraz-Cab

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet 2007

Every once in a while I get in the mood for a big, jammy, New World style red wine — something bursting with sweet red and black berry fruits — but at the same time, something that I don’t have to think much about. In other words, a bottle that I can pick up for around ten bucks or less and not feel guilty about drinking with a hamburger or cheap cut of steak.

When those moods strike me, I usually go either for a Ravenswood red or an Aussie Shiraz. In this case, I went down under, to Penfolds, which offers a nice range of jammy reds that are easy to find anywhere and won’t hurt your wallet. For the ten-buck budget (give or take a ducat or two), I recommend their Rawson’s Retreat, Thomas Hyland and Koonunga Hill lines for their consistency from year to year. In other words, you don’t have to be a serious connoisseur or have a vintage rating chart in your wallet to wonder what the wine will taste like. And often, even a geek like me doesn’t have the patience to put a lot of thought (or money) into a wine purchase.

Tasting Notes: Penfolds Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon

Open nose of ripe black and red berry fruits, along with some tar and earth. Similar elements on the palate: black raspberry, black cassis, plum, black cherry, sweet tobacco. Good weight in the mouth. Smooth texture. Tannins are ripe and medium, but not overbearing. Acidity is at an appropriate level for food matching. This is OK alone, but better with food. Drink it with protein — a burger, cheap steak, or cheese.

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

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Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz

Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz wine bottleYowza. And I feel it’s OK to use “yowza” as a descriptor for a wine called “Jip Jip Rocks”.

When I spend 12-13 bucks for an Aussie Shiraz, I expect to get a fruit-forward, jammy, flabby, cocktail wine which may or may not have a quick finish. And that type of wine is not necessarily a bad thing – in fact, it’s a profile that I occasionally am in the mood for. So when I picked up this bottle for $12.99, I wasn’t expecting much other than a big glob of black berry fruit.

Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

This under-$15 surprised me because it is a beast. It’s huge – huge in nose, huge in flavor, huge in structure. I call it a beast because it is surprisingly big and has a distinct feral or animal character – something you generally don’t get with an inexpensive Shiraz. It reminds me more of a Rhone Syrah or a South African Pinotage, than a typical Australian Shiraz.

Tasting Notes: Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz

The nose exudes a complex aroma of ripe black fruits, tobacco, menthol, tar, earth, eucalyptus, and band-aid. In the mouth it is meaty – in weight, texture, and flavor. It has a smoked meat element, along with dried or cooked fruit (prune?), black cassis, tobacco leaf, and blackberry. Tannins are bold, acidity is medium. There is a bit of expected hotness in the tail end of the finish – but that’s what you get with a wine of this ripeness. Finishes bone dry with dried black fruit and spice flavors lingering. Tasty on its own if you like bold wines, better when matched with protein – burgers, cheese, roasted meats.

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

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Rocca delle Macie Morellino “Campomaccione”

Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano “Campomaccione” 2005

Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano wine bottleDo not be intimidated by the long, somewhat threatening words on the label of this wine. It’s nothing to be afraid of — in fact, it’s something with which you’re likely very familiar.

Morellino di Scansano seems difficult to pronounce on first glance. It’s not — it sounds the way it looks, just say it slowly the first few times (alone, in a dark room, of course). And remember Vino Joe’s general rule of thumb: any wine with five or more syllables HAS to be good (and this one has eight!).

Seriously now, a little background. Morellino is a grape grown in Scansano, which is a hilly village inside an area called Maremma, which is sits partly in the Italian region of Lazio, and partly in the southern part of Tuscany. Geography lesson complete, and we mentioned Tuscany, a place you may have heard of before.

It gets better. Morellino is what the people of Scansano call Sangiovese, which you may know is the main grape of Chianti wines. That said, if you enjoy Chianti, there is a good chance you will also like Morellino di Scansano.

Since it’s not a trendy wine (yet), it doesn’t make sense for an importer to bring in any old plonk from Scansano — so if you see a Morellino di Scansano on your wine shop’s shelf, chances are very good that it’s a quality bottle. This example is no exception. It comes from an estate called “Campomaccione”, and is made with 90% Morellino, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot.

Tasting Notes: Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano “Campomaccione”

Nose is open, rich with ripe black cherry, some stemmy vegetal or herbal aroma, earth, and a hint of vanilla spice. On the palate the texture is glassy smooth, carrying ample black cherry and red raspberry fruit. Tannins are mild but firm, acidity is medium. The wine finishes with good red fruit flavors mixed with earth and hints of bell pepper and spice. This is a wonderful alternative to Chianti – at about 14 bucks it’s as good or better than most Chianti at five dollars more. Don’t drink it alone – have it with pasta in marinara and meatballs, sausage and peppers, pecorino, grana padano, or anything else you’d normally eat with Chianti. At around twelve bucks, a great value.

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

Importer: Palm Bay Imports

Winery: Rocca delle Macie

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White Wine Review: Clean Slate Riesling

Clean Slate Riesling wine bottleToo often people walk right by that section of the wine shop where all the tall and skinny green bottles are shelved — also known as “Germany” and/or “Alsace”. Those confusing-looking labels with long, unpronounceable names like “Trockenberenauslese” and “Gewurztraminer” are too intimidating for the average wine buyer. And if that description fits you, don’t feel bad — those foreign marketers could do a much better job of making it easier for you.

One importer who is doing a pretty good job of making German wine more accessible is Peter Click. Thanks goodness, because there are some wonderful white wines from Germany that would otherwise be undiscovered by the masses in the USA. For the uninitiated, allow me to enlighten you: not all German wines are “sweet”, and not all Riesling is sweet, either. In fact, many of the better wines from Germany (and Alsace, for that matter) are bone-dry, and fantastic for food pairing. Case in point: Clean Slate Riesling from Mosel, Germany. Not only is it tasty, but it’s easy to say, easy to spell, and comes in a more common-looking, clear white bottle.

Tasting Notes: Clean Slate Riesling 2007

Nose is — you guessed it — clean, with sharp, pleasant aromas of ripe granny smith apple, pear, and spice. In the mouth it is similar, with flavors of ripe, bright granny smith apple, honeydew melon, sweet pear and peach. Acidity is about medium, with a mild tartness pushing the fruit through a longer than expected and flavorful finish. Texture is creamy smooth, perhaps described as oily. It’s like biting into a fresh apple, with some fruit salad elements finding their way into your mouth as well. A refreshing quaff on its own, is also a great partner to an array of dishes — particularly spicy foods and Asian cuisine. I matched it successfully with sushi, general tsao’s chicken, shrimp fried rice, barbecued ribs, lamb rogan josh (Indian), and buffalo wings. I imagine it would be equally successful with other Indian and Chinese dishes, Thai cuisine, similarly hot and spicy foods, pork loin, pork chops, and fresh ham. Of course, it’s a no-brainer with traditional German dishes such as bratwurst, knockwurst, and weisswurst, or anything in sauerkraut or red cabbage. At $12 — in some areas closer to $10 — this is a great value. Try this on your beer-drinking friends.

a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-9 v-10 ~ 94 Points

Importer: Click Wine Group

Brand site: Clean Slate Wine

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