92 Points – $16
Purple ruby red in color with a nose of black fruit, jam and licorice. Flavors of dark smoky fruit, vanilla and chocolate. Long plush finish.
Grape: Malbec
Region: Mendoza Argentina
Maker: Trapiche Broquel
Alcohol: 14.5%
Red Wine: Tintonegro Malbec Mendoza, 2012, Argentina
89 Points – $17
Floral blackfruit nose with a earthy dry blackberry, tobacco and oak flavors. Grown at 4000 foot altitude and aged 9 months in French oak.
Grape: Malbec
Region: Ugo valley, Mendoza Argentina
Alcohol: 14%
Red Wine: Beringer Founders Estate Chardonnay, 2013, California
88 Points – $17
Light golden yellow in color with a nose of vanilla and light oak. Flavors of green apple, pear and citrus fruit. Balanced finish.
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: California
Maker: Beringer Founders Estate
Alcohol: 13.9%
Red Wine: Gnarly Head, Old Vine Zinfandel, 2013, California
90 Points – $17
Dark red with a jammy nose. Flavors of jammy black berry, plum and pepper spice. Spicy finish. Very good under $20 Zinfandel.
Grape: Zinfandel
Region: California
Maker: Gnarly Head
Alcohol: 14.5%
Red Wine: Carnivor Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, California
88 Points – $16
Dark red with a nose of coffee and blackberry. Mouthful of roasted espresso bean, chocolate, caramel and blackberry.
Hot toasted oak finish. Good Cabernet but young. Could age. I decanted this and it was much better 6 to 24 hours later.
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Maker: Carnivor Wines
Alcohol: 14%
Red Wine: Menage a Trois Midnight, 2013, California
91 Points – $17
Purple red in color. Black cherry, plum, mocha and spice. Smooth vanilla finish.
Name: Menage a Trois Midnight
Grape: 44% Merlot 42%Cabernet Sauvignon 11%Petite Syrah 3% Petite Verdot
Region: California
Maker: Trinchero Family Estate
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rye: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Blended, Canadian Whisky
90 Points – $33
The color of new oak. Nose if oak and clove. Spicy clove, anise, pepper and apricot fruit mouth. Oily and spicy. Best served neat. (Not a mixer). Given 97.5 points by whisky expert Jim Murray in his 13th Annual Whiskey Bible.
Much better than regular Crown Royal which suffers from a harshness from its corn mash origin. This is more like the more expensive XO Crown Royal.
Alcohol: 45% alcohol
90% rye mash whisky
Region: Canada
Red Wine: Tommasi 2013 Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy
92 Points – $27
Ruby red with a nose of cedar and cherry. Raisin, tart cherry and black pepper notes. Spicy finish. Good for red meats and cheese.
Ripasso is the unique re-fermentation of Valpoicella Classico Superiore on the warm dried grape skins from which Tommasi Amarone has been pressed.
Name: Valpolicella Ripasso
Grape: Corvina/Rondinella/Molinara
Region: Veneto, Italy
Maker: Tommasi
Alcohol: 13%
Red Wine: Menage a Trois, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, California
90 Points – $19
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from 3 wine regions. Sonoma, Lake and Napa. Barrel aged in French and American oak. Garnet color with a cedar and dark fruit nose. Dark berry, cedar, leather and chocolate flavors. Long dry finish.
Name: Menage a Trois
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Maker: Trinchero Family Estate
Alcohol: 13.5%
Red Wine: Santa Carolina, 2012, Chile – My Second Try
89 Points – $20
My second try of this great Wine. You can find my first review here http://www.drjimswinereviews.com/entry/red-wine-santa-carolina-2012-chile/
Oak barrel aged for 14 months. Garnet color with cedar, oak and black currant nose. Concentrated flavors of black currant, fig, cedar and bitter chocolate. Long dark finish. Aged. Great for beef.
Name: Santa Carolina
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Chile
Maker: Vina Santa Carolina
Price: $20
Alcohol: 13.8%