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Red Wine Review: Hob Nob

May 13, 2011 By 7 Comments

Hob Nob wine wheelA full line of Hob Nob red wines were sent to me for review: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. They came in stylish, modern packaging including those dandy new artificial corks that are spongy and easy to remove. There’s even a snazzy website with a clever “spin the bottle” navigation format (though, being an old drongo it took me a few minutes to figure out how to find details about the wines; as it turned out, the details weren’t terribly useful to me — there were “matches” for “Mood”, “Music”, “Books”, and “Social Mastery”, as well as foods. Again, the drongo that I am can’t understand why Shiraz is “loud” and a match for the book Running with Scissors. But I digress …)

Instead of spending much more time letting the HobNob website make me feel old and un-hip, I moved on to the actual wines. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Under $10, Wine Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Red Wine Review: Estancia Meritage

August 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Estancia Meritage 2004

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Year in and year out, Estancia consistently delivers a strong quality – to – price ratio across its breadth of bottles. Because I am never disappointed with their “entry” level of wines, Estancia is one of the brands I will consider when spending “big bucks” (hey, to me, $25-30 IS big bucks!) for a gift or special occasion. Their Meritage is an example.

Made from Paso Robles fruit picked in Estancia’s Keyes Canyon Ranches Vineyard, the blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot.

Following are notes for the 2004 vintage, which was released in October of 2008 and is drinking very well now — so uncork it if you have a bottle in your cellar. From what I understand, the latest release on retail shelves is the 2006.

Tasting Notes: Estancia Meritage 2004

Nose is rich, ripe, and full of black fruit, spice, hints of earth, pepper, and licorice. In the mouth there is a medley of flavors: blackberry, black raspberry, black licorice, boysenberry, and plum, with hints of sweet tobacco and vanilla. Tannins are firm, acidity is ample – well structured. Smooth, almost creamy texture. Finish is long and enjoyable, with plenty of black fruit. This wine needs food, so be sure to have it with cheese, grilled beef, or a roast. At just under thirty bucks, this is a good value.

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

Bottom Line

A rich, ripe, complex, well structured red that warms the palate with a plethora of black fruits and spice. Perfect pairing for roasts and stews. A good value and fitting gift bottle.

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap

Learn more at the Estancia Estates website

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Merlot Wine Review: Dante

August 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Dante Merlot 2006 · Michael Pozzan Winery

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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.

Find this wine at a retailer near you using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap

Learn more by visiting the Michael Pozzan Winery website

Filed Under: Everyday Wines, Great Values, Red Wines, Under $10 Tagged With: , ,