Fish Eye - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2012

This Cabernet is from South Eastern Australia

From the bottle: "Cherry and blackberry with a hint of pepper on the nose."

Colin: It's hard to find fault in this Cabernet - even with its screw top.  This wine is a perfect, fruity cab. There's a earthy tone in the finish, which is the only downside for me. Great glass to have with food; recommend having it breathe a little before drinking. 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel: I was blown away by this wine. It has a bold, fruity flavor with a lasting finish. Lately, I feel like we've been striking out on cabs. This one definitely hit the spot, with overall nice tones. 

Rating: 9 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  We got this at our local grocery store for under $10. You can find more information on Fish Eye's website.

Darkhorse - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2011

From California

From the bottle: "Darkhorse Cabernet showcases bold flavors of blackberry and black cherry, supported by firm tannins brown spice and dark chocolate espresso finish."

Colin: From the initial pour, seeing the lovely, rich color of the wine that this would be a decent bottle. However, I was surprised at how truly delicious it is. Perfect for a steak dinner - you can't go wrong with this full bodied cab.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel: I'm not usually the biggest fan of smokey wines, but this wine also has the bold, fruitiness that I tend to love. While the espresso finish is a little strong for my palette, it's definitely good for the price. Complemented our maple vinaigrette salad and grilled veggies nicely.
Rating: 7 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?  We got it at Trader Joe's for $7.99.  You can visit their website here for more information.

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

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. 

Pourtal: Miguel Torres, Damien Coquelet, Edmunds St. John

Miguel Torres: "Las Mulas"
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chile
2008

Wine Enthusiast gives this wine 89 points, saying that it's very good for the price.  There's some bold, black fruit flavors and a very peppery side to this wine.

Colin:  Very fruity for a Cabernet. The oaky finish saves it for me.

Rating:  6 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  I don't really like this wine because it has a very sour taste.  It becomes ash-y soon after.  Too many pepper notes for me, but strangely, it has a very smooth finish.

Rating:  6 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
K&L Wines has a pretty good deal 

Cost: $11.99


Damien Coquelet: Beaujolais-Villages
Gamay
France
2010

Beaujolais is known for their Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc grapes (the full name of the wine).  Gamay's tend to be a purple-colored variety.

Colin:  First time tasting this kind of wine, little underwhelmed.  I feel like I'm drinking a diet wine.  Good for someone that doesn't like wine. 

Rating:  4 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This is a strange wine because while it is still bold in flavor, it has an aftertaste like water. It is a weird sensation, but it is still decent.  I think this is a good starter red for people who don't like reds, since it doesn't have a very strong finish.

Rating : 5 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
Best bet is to search the internet... It's easier to find the 2009 Vintage than this one.

Cost:  2009 Vintage ranges from $16 - $25.


Edmunds St. John. "Bone-Jolly"
Gamay Noir
El Dorado County, California
2009

Edmunds prides themselves on building the best wines with the best grapes.  The company only uses vines that they got from Beaujolais, France, so it gives it the original French flavors, but still is an American fine (and thus, much easier to find).

Colin:  The Gamay Noir is much more palatable than just the Gamay.  Though, I'm still not a fan of this kind of wine. 

Rating:  5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  This wine has a solid flavor to it.  It is very warm, looks almost rose red, and is fruity but not too sweet.  I think this was one of my favorite tastings at Pourtal - and I had never had a Gamay Noir before that day!
Rating:  8 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
Edmunds has a list of distributors on their website.

Cost:  Premier Cru has it on sale (four bottles left in stock) for $14.99

Beringer

Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California
2008 

A fun fact about Beringer:  They were the only winery in Napa Valley to stay open legally during prohibition.  They were able to do this because they sold their wine for religious and medical purposes.  They have a lot of history, being the only winery operating legally during that time, and even their cheaper wine tends to have a decent, sophisticated taste.  Their 2008 Cab is typical for a cabernet; it is a deep red with some very strong, sour notes.

Colin: I think this is a very light wine for a Cabernet Sauvignon.  It has a very low acidity, and is nice on the palette.  It's not bad, but it does have a bit of an alcohol-y finish to it.  It fits well with food, being on the lighter side of a red.  It can probably pair well with almost anything.
Rating: 5 out of 10 glasses

Rachel: This Cabernet has a very bold finish, but it is a little too sour for me.  It doesn't smell like it has a nice finish, but instead you can really spell the alcohol.  It is, however, rich in flavor and is a decent wine overall.  There are some nice, fruity tones and it does have a bit of a hint of vanilla.  Definitely a wine for a red/Cabernet lover, though a casual wine drinker can still probably enjoy it.
Rating: 6 out of 10 glasses

Aerate:  Colin - yes // Rachel - yes

Where can I find it?
Vons (or your local supermarket).  Beringer is a big distributor, because they've been around so long.  We definitely recommend a tour of their vineyards if you ever get a chance to go to Napa.  All the people that work their are knowledgeable, down to earth, and enthusiastic about what they do.
Beringer's Website

Cost: $6.99 (got it on sale, was originally listed for $10.99)

Firefly Ridge

Cabernet Sauvignon
Central Coast, California
2008

The winery is named after the firefly's that are present on the ridge.  This cabernet is a dark, super rich wine - with black cherry, currants, and (as the bottle says) violets.  Though - we didn't really taste anything floral in this wine.

Colin:  This is a very crass wine.  Smells okay, but without food, there's just something off about it.  It's very smokey, and the flavors that it boasts about are not accurate.  The finish was okay, which is why this isn't rated a one-glass wine.
Rating:  1 out of 10 glasses

Rachel:  After running this through our aerator (you can see the ones we use in our amazon store), it still wasn't all that great.  It's very sour initially, but has a smoother finish.  When paired with a mac and cheese, the flavors in the wine were downright awful.  When paired with tomato, garlic rich bruschetta, the notes were more delicate.  Still too sour for my taste.  Recommend only with the heartiest of Italian meals.
Rating:  2 out of 10 glasses

Where can I find it?
Vons, supermarkets -- Vons had it on sale for ten dollars off the original price, which makes Colin and I wonder if they left the bottles out in the sun.  We don't really want to bother trying another Firefly Ridge wine, but if you have a different experience, please post it (and if you think we should give it another shot - tell us why!)


Cost: $5.99, originally $15.99