The wine has a deep, rich ruby color with nice silky ‘legs’.  The wine opens with a smooth, mellow nose initially followed closely by cherry cola, black licorice, black cherry, and candied fruit.   As the wine opens more berry aromas appear.  It is a very smooth with intense jammy blackberry, cherry and dark chocolate with a toasted oak finish and good levels of acidity.

I give it a solid B and at under $7 that makes this a great deal.

Red Diamond 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Cabernet Franc 10%,Merlot 7%, Syrah 3%. AVA: Washington State. 13.5% alcohol. Case Production: 165,000

A blend of 57% Shiraz and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2006 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz Cabernet is a deep, vibrant red with crimson hues in the glass. There are sweet aromas of blueberry and dark cheery supported by a nice backdrop of oak and clove. The palate is full bodied and rich; there are smooth flavors of blueberry, plum and mint with just a hint of green pepper. The finish is soft with nice flavors of oak and leather.

Overall this is a quality, affordable wine; I rate it a very solid B.

This wine is very nice and smooth.  To quote the Bogle Winemaker:

Head-trained, dry farmed old vines continue to be the source for Bogle’s Old Vine Zinfandel. These gnarly old vines produce concentrated fruit of unsurpassed quality and intensity. This supple and full-bodied vintage begins with brambleberries and raspberry jam. Summertime ripeness and richness integrate with hints of black pepper and a touch of dark chocolate. The finish of toasty oak, tobacco and spicy cloves creates a wine of both structure and sumptuousness.

This affordable wine offers a very jammy taste and bouquet of cherry, raspberries and plum. There is a wonderful mid-palette flavor of earthy dark fruit, chocolate and bell pepper.  The flavor lingers for several minutes afterwards with a nice hint of clove, nutmeg, and leather. The bottom line is that Bogle Old Vine Zin has all those nice Old Vine Zinfandel flavors I’ve come to enjoy.

This is definitely a VERY good value offering a pleasant wine drinking experience. I rate it a solid “B” or higher.

Oak Leaf Vineyards does not really exist as a vineyard;it also has No Vintage!. It is simply one of the labels produced in The Wine Group’s, Ripon, Calif. wine production facility. Oak Leaf wine is a private label non-vintage wine sold by The Wine Group (the same folks who make box wine) exclusively to Wal-Mart stores. The Wine Group’s other labels include such well known brands as Corbett Canyon, Inglenook, Mogen David, Franzia, Almaden and Glen Ellen wines. The firm recently relocated their operations center from San Francisco to Livermore, California.

Oak Leaf Chardonnay is an ultra-inexpensive wine designed to take on Two Buck Chuck and anyone else. Surprisingly, it is very drinkable, even if could be better— I doubt it could be at its price point! The nose is mild, with pineapple, green apples and a touch of oak; a nice light gold color.  Medium to light bodied with a nice crispness (especially if it is consumed at the right temperature). On the palate, there’s more oak than fruit, with weak pineapple, citrus, pear and apple notes. This Chardonnay has a spicy finish with an acidic bite. The finish is pleasant and lingering.

I think everyone would be surprised to find the Oak Leaf wines as cheap as $3. For its price, Oak Leaf Chardonnay is a truly extraordinary value. It may not be what you take to impress your friends, but it is certainly an unpainful drink! A good B-/C+.

This is a very nice wine, it has good body and pleasant blue & purple berry aromas. The flavors are primariliy raspberry and plum flavors, echoing gently on the polished finish of tobacco, earth tones and dark cherry flavors. The finish ends on a distinct up-note, bright and clean. Drink it now- it just tastes so good.

WineSpectator reviewed the wine at an 87… I have to agree. This is an amazing – almost unbelievable – value.

This spotlight wine is actually 2 wines… a 2006 and 2007.  This vintner (Bodegas Borsao) has proven, to me at least, remarkable consistency and excellence in a bargain wine.

The 2007 just like the 2006 that preceded it are a blend of 75% Garnacha (Grenache) and 25% Tempranillo.  Both offer nice aromas of leather and blackberry. There are interesting tastes of dark sweet cherries, currants, and raisins with a slight hint of strawberry, clove and a touch of oakiness.  It is a true fruity wine, just how I like them!  The body is nice and the wine is smooth.

This wine offers wonderful flavors and value!

Lastly, it is worth noting that both wines over-night well, if they are vacuum sealed.  I truly recommend those little seal pumps!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to try another Columbia Crest Wine.  This one  was a 2003 Shiraz Grand Estates.  Although this wine is a bit scarce, due to its age;  it is magnificent.

This elegant Shiraz provides a rich perfume of black raspberry, honeysuckle and rose petals. The complex, fresh, and voluptuously textured palate leads to a supple, silky finish. It compares favorably with many wines over $25/bottle. There are lots delicious black raspberry flavors and cherry “forward”, with a wonderfully smooth, almost creamy, finish that lingers on the palate.

Wow!  Buy it if you can find it! (btw. I paid less than $10 per bottle… on a good sale.)

…mark

In a slight change in our site usage, I have decided to “spotlight” value wines with a regular BLOG posting rather than simply and entry in our review database.

The first wine to go under our Spotlight is the Columbia Crest Two Vines- Merlot 2004.  This wine is simply exceptional for the price.  On a good sale it can be had for under $7 a bottle.  The wine not only tastes good the first night; but if you are like me and it takes you two evenings to drink a full bottle (750ml), it is still good on the second evening (assuming you vacuum sealed the bottle on evening one).

The vintner has a rather accurate and complete write-up of this wine as well. You may even buy a bottle (case?) from their site.

About the only things I can add to their review are:

• the wine holds up well, if vacuum sealed over-night
• the body is medium… perhaps just a tad light for my preferences
• the berry notes on the palate and in the finish are very nice are the earthy ‘coffee-like’ flavors.

This wine is a real winner; especially given its flavors and its price point.