The Gourmez

2011 Green Fin Cabernet Sauvignon California In the tradition of Trader Joe’s wine, the exact region in California these grapes hail from is murky, but that’s all part of the mystery, right? This Cab smells of berry and nothing else. Thin- to medium-bodied, barely there sweet anise and leather notes come out right away then [...]

Pepperwood Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Valle Central, Chile This wine smells of sandalwood and blueberries. It’s medium-bodied, and the taste of wood is the first on my tongue. It’s a dry wine with mild fruit that is more prominently plum than the blueberry I smell, though there are notes of both. This wine has a cool [...]

Maniña Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Valle Central, Chile The Maniña Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 tastes prominently of cigarettes. Leather and smoke may be a better approximation. Think of it that way— it’s more appealing. On drinking, piquant berry is the first flavor. Apricot, gooseberry, and sandalwood are also present. The smoke is dominant; I’d wager that it’s [...]

Col di Sasso Cabernet Sauvignon & Sangiovese Blend 2009 No photo this time! It was a casualty of my trigger finger. It smells mildly of fig and tastes of fig, too, with plum notes also. Besides the healthy portion of fruit, it’s dry, leathery, a bit bitter, and abundant in allspice.  Overall, it was too [...]

VINTJS Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Napa Valley, CA A pleasant wine with a good amount of flavors mingling together–the spices are in one corner and the fruits in another. Boysenberry, lots of boysenberry, with a little currant to give it a kick. The spice flavors swirl through it like a cinnamon roll, consisting of cinnamon (who [...]

Gallo Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Other words on the label: Sonoma 2006 This wine has a full aroma of black raspberries. It is mellow when sipped. The flavor of pluots rises to the top.

Kingfish Cabernet Sauvignon Other words on the label: California 2005 This wine was a delight to drink. It is one of those rare light-bodied cabernets that drinking doesn’t feel like swimming upstream against the current. Plum featured most prominently on the palate, with a gentle hint of chocolate and brown sugar. This mixture was mildy [...]

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Other stuff on the label: Chatham Hill, NC The aroma was full of pepper and tobacco. This is a rare cabernet that is full-bodied, smooth, and also lacking acidity. It’s warming to drink, which is very nice after spending 30 minutes waiting for the bus ride home. The wine’s texture was visually [...]

Casa La Joya Reserve Other stuff on the label: Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, Colchagua Valley, Chile This cabernet smells of tart raspberries, coffee, and blueberry syrup from IHOP. It tastes of plum and leather, which calls to mind Fruit by the Foot. There is a little raspberry as well.