Casa Nuestra

Cabernet Sauvignon
California
2007

Casa Nuestra is a small, family-owned winery that was established in 1979.  They have supported a lot of progressive values over the years, including holding a few music festivals.  They only bottle a very limited number of cases each year - because of that, their wine is top notch, but it is also rather expensive.  They only made 199 cases of this Cabernet.

Colin:  It's hard to be biased when you like a wine so much, but what's great about this exclusive wine is that you can almost taste the Napa Valley soil with it's oaky, warm embrace.  Probably the richest Cabernet I've had yet, some who do not enjoy tart flavors of a Cab will not enjoy this.  It pairs amazingly well with Italian good - this is a brilliant wine.
Rating:  10 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  It smells and tastes equally delicious.  It has a rich oakiness, a smooth finish, and the bold flavors of a Cab without any of the lasting sourness.  There is also such a smoothness to the finish.  I love Casa Nuestra's winery (they have two awesome goats) and I love their wine.   I would choose their wines again and again, even at the expense.
Rating: 10 out of 10 glasses

Aerate: Colin - No // Rachel - No

Where can I find it?
Unfortunately, Casa Nuestra is so small they don't distribute.  The 2007 Vintage is actually sold out.  You can look at all their other varieties here:  casanuestra.com.  Their Meritage is also really good, as is their Riesling.  You can't really go wrong with a bottle from here.

Cost: $55.00

Lost Sonnet

Meritage
Napa Valley, California
2007

This Meritage is a mixture Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (20%), and Cabernet Franc (20%). It has the bold flavors of a Cabernet Sauvignon, but the light finish of a Merlot. If you like a bold red wine, but hate the lasting, deep finish this is a good wine for you.  Interesting Meritage wine fact:  A red Meritage must be made from a blend of at least two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot or Carmenère, with no varietal comprising more than 90% of the blend.  There are also white Meritage wines.

Colin:  This wine requires a meal, so do not attempt to drink without. Once a nice, garlic and heavy Italian taste is in your mouth, this wine compliments nicely with its meaty juiciness. However, the finish is where the wine loses points. If it was a little more oaky, it would be perfect. Otherwise, it's worth the money.
Rating: 8 out of 10 glasses.

Rachel:  Since this wine has been aged so long, there is an initial chalky feel to it. After drinking a few sips, it loses that feeling and instead becomes spicy, bold and flavorful wine. This wine has a bite to it and is delicious for its price.  Definitely a good buy, especially for those that don't like the lasting finish of a strong Cab.
Rating: 7 out of 10 glasses.

Aerate: Colin - No // Rachel - No

Where can I find it?
Trader Joe's

Cost:  $6.99

Pourtal: Stewart, Kopke, and Lioco

Stewart

Caberet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California
2007

Colin: It's almost perfectly balanced between oaky and fruity.  This is definitely in my top cabernets.

Rating:  9 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This cabernet is delightful.  It entices all of your taste buds.  It has sweet and sour notes, along with a super smooth and lasting finish.  This is one for your entire palette.

Rating:  9 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  You can get this wine on Stewart Cellars' website.

Cost:  Directly from Stewart Cellars is $62.00  You can also shop around - we found it at allstarwine.com for $47.99

Kopke
Tawny Port
Portugal
10 years old

This wine would qualify for a 15 year Tawny Porto category, if one existed - but alas, there is not a category.  If you do purchase this port, know that you are getting more aging for your money - and with dessert wines, the longer it is aged, the better it typically is.  It is a rich, honey red color and is very sweet.

Colin:  This tawny port is warm, rich, and delicious.  Not too sweet, which is kind of nice, but I wish the flavor was a little deeper.

Rating:  8.5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel: Ports are a little too sweet for me.  They have this bold sweetness, which this one stands up to.  And they tend not to be too fruity.  But, that being said, this port was easy on the palette and good dessert wine.
Rating:  7.5 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  It's on sale at Vine & Table, but they cannot ship to all states.

Cost: $21.99 for a 375mL bottle.  And $41.99 for the 750mL bottle.

Lioco: "Charles Heintz"
Late Harvest Chardonnay
Sonoma Coast, California
2006

Rich, golden dessert wine.  Full of fruit flavors, and strangely, hints of oak and vanilla.  We say strangely, because this wine was not, in fact, aged in oak barrels like most Chardonnays.

Colin:  There's a nice apricot and pear combination in this Late Harvest.  I don't know if this is as good as the Raymond's Vineyards Late Harvest.  It is a little more acidic than that dessert wine, but this is still ultimately delicious.

Rating: 7 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This Late Harvest is very sweet and fruity, but it does have a bit of a sharpness to it.  It's still really nice, regardless.  I think Late Harvest Chardonnays tend to be my favorite, thus far, out of the dessert wines.

Rating:  8 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  That's a good question too.  Lioco's website has it labeled under their "wine list," but if you click in the link, it says the product isn't found.  They have plenty of other Chardonnay's available, including through their website.


We hope you all enjoyed getting a small taste of what Pourtal has to offer.  We will be back to our regular style of reviews starting next week. 

Three Knights

Merlot
California
2007

A deep, rich purple/red wine that is bottled in Sonoma, CA.  It has a very pungent aroma, full of dark cherry and oak notes.  It is under $10 dollars, and we highly recommend giving it a try.

Colin:  I really enjoyed this Merlot and would recommend it for any occasion.  Without aeration, it has more of a kick to it, which I like.  The kick is complemented by the fruity body.  Alone, it is a bit on the strong side, but with my steak and potatoes, it was perfect.  Finally, a Merlot that doesn't make me feel cheap while drinking it!
Rating:  9 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  For such an inexpensive bottle, I wasn't expecting much.  This Merlot has a bit of a kick to it, but a very smooth finish.  It's initially sour with a fruit flavor that lingers on your taste buds.  This is one of the first Merlot's I've really enjoyed.  There's also a very subtle hint of vanilla in it - great body and flavors.
Rating:  7.5 out of 10 glasses

Aerate:  Colin - No, but aerated has less of a bite to it, so it depends on your taste // Rachel - No

Where can I find it?
Trader Joe's -- Three Knights is owned by the Bronco Wine Company.
Their website that has a "wine finder" is:  here

Cost: $6.99 -- great find for under $10

Castillo di Amorosa

Sangiovese
Napa Valley
2007

Another winery exclusive wine (sorry, but we did travel up to Napa after all).  This is a very dark and rich ruby red.  It smells as rich as it tastes and has many bold flavors.  Though we are both fans of this wine, we do not recommend it for people that like "light" red wines.

Colin:  This is the best of Castillo's wine I've tasted by far.  It is a very warming, full-bodied wine.  his Sangiovese lacks nothing.  I love the taste, and it finishes as well as it starts.
Rating:  9 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  When we tasted this in Napa, we both knew we wanted a bottle.  It's a very bold, but nicely rich red, with a kick to the finish.  For some reason, even though this is flavorful, like all Sangioveses are, this still has such a wonderful, smooth finish.  Slightly tart, bold fruits, and a hearty flavor, this stands up great with rich pastas (and probably meat, though I wouldn't know).
Rating:  8 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
Online only through Castillo's website.

Cost:  $29.00 - and definitely worth the money.

picket fence

Chardonnay
Russian River Valley, California
2007

This is a balanced, but acidic, chardonnay.  Not too buttery or sweet, filled with lemon notes.  Has a kind of sweet and sour taste - as the lemon suggests.  The buttery taste in a chardonnay comes from the aging process.  If it was aged in toasted French oak, it will be more buttery and sweet.  This wine was in a moderate French oak.  Note:  This wine does not hold up well in the fridge.  If you choose to buy it, do your best to drink it in the same day as opening it - we had to throw half the bottle out because of how stale it had become in just two days.

Colin:  I believe whites are growing on me, because Rachel makes me drink them more often than I would like.  As I usually prefer a dry chardonnay, this one surprisingly  balances the dryness with the buttery notes that chardonnay's are known for.  It is not my favorite, but because it has a sharp bite, I could see enjoying this with cheese or other appetizers.
Rating:  5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This is a weird one for me to put my finger on.  I like it, but I don't.  It has a harsh, very alcohol-y smell.  The initial taste is pure lemon, and it sours your taste buds.  But it tapers off to a great, smooth, and lasting finish.  It's not my favorite, but it's not a bad choice for under $10.  The more I drink it, the more I like it.  (After one more glass, it might be rated higher - ha!)
Rating:  4.5 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
Trader Joe's --  picket fence vineyards

Cost:  $8.99

Rutherford Hill

Malbec
Napa Valley, California
2007

A deep, dark, and rich red - this wine is beautiful in more ways than one. It has the initial smoothness of a merlot, but a nice bite to the finish. Less on the fruity side, but still really great for people that like a nice, rich red.

Colin: Hadn't heard of this wine grape until we visited Napa. It's hardy where it counts and pairs really well with garlic heavy meals. However, it is juicy enough to drink by itself. I only wish that the initial taste of the wine be a little less fruity, for me to give it a higher score.
Rating: 8 out of 10 glasses

Rachel: I love this wine. It was the first red we tried in Napa, and probably one of the best ones we had. I love how smooth it is, but still containing the rich, bold flavors of a red. It doesn't have a long finish, but I think that's part of the charm of this wine. All the brilliant flavors and none of the aftertaste.
Rating: 9 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
Rutherford Hill Malbec - Unfortunately, it is exclusive to their winery - though, they do distribute some of their other wines. You can't really go wrong with Rutherford Hill.

Cost: $36.00