J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chardonnay 2006

Price: $15.95 @ Macy's (W. Roxbury, MA)

Recommended by: Curiosity

Comments: We don't drink a lot of Chardonnay, and when we do, we typically talk about how much we don't like it. But lately, we've been trying more and enjoying it (at least the oaky ones). This wine exhibited some of the traits we've been looking for lately. It is rich, smooth, and oaked. The nose is apple, lime, and pineapple. The flavor is dominated by apple and caramel with a little spice and a long smooth finish. If we're in the mood for an oaky chardonnay in the future, this is one we'll seriously consider (along with the Matua Judd Estate).

Rating: 7/10

Bodegas Tomas Cusine El Vilosell 2005

Price: $15.99 @ Vinnin Square Liquors (Swampscott, MA)
Recommended by: salesman at store
Comments: This is a really good Spanish blend. It is 50% Tempranillo, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Garnacha, and 5% Syrah aged for 9 months in new French oak. It has a nice taste of pepper, cherry, and some blueberry. The flavor is long-lasting and the wine is quite smooth. The only drawback is the price. The wine is good, but we've had a lot of good Spanish wines in the $10 range. Spanish wines are a great bargain in general. Perhaps we would get this wine again for a special occasion, but we wouldn't have it again with pizza!
Rating: 7/10

MÄHLER-BESSE Jumilla Taja Reserva 2003

Price: $10.99 @ Gary's Liquors, W. Roxbury, MA
Recommended by: 90 points by Wine Spectator
Comments: We have been drinking mostly whites this summer, but decided to switch to red tonight. We normally enjoy Spanish red blends, and this one is no exception. It was very good! It is a blend of 50% Monastrell (Mourvèdre), 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tempranillo, and 10% Merlot. It is a dry wine but has a nice, bold fruity flavor; the variety of grapes integrate with the tannins quite nicely. We would really enjoy this with pizza!
Rating: 7/10

Hess Lake County Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Price: $12.99 @ Luke's Liquors (Rockland, MA)
Recommended by: we love Hess wines
Comments: Given that we're huge fans of Hess's reds, we wanted to try their Sauvignon Blanc. What a perfect evening to try it ... with sushi! It has a wonderful pineapple, peach flavor with a bit of a grassy finish. It had a bold citrus flavor but in a different way than our beloved Marlboroughs (New Zealand). And it might not be as smooth as the NZ wines, but we enjoyed it (and it got better the more we drank it). I don't think you can go wrong with Sauvignon Blancs with sushi -- it's really a perfect match. And it does have 14.5% alcohol, so it will add to your happiness, especially on a Friday evening ... with sushi.
Rating: 7/10

2 Brothers Big Tattoo Red 2005

Price: $9.99 @ Gary's Liquors (W. Roxbury, MA)
Recommended by: display at store and charitable cause
Comments: Our wine rack has been empty lately (oh, the horror!), so we stopped by the local wine store tonight to stock up. We probably went overboard, but our wallets' loss is our blog's gain, right?!? Among our purchase is this interesting Cabernet/Syrah blend (50% each). We weren't expected to be blown away, and we really weren't, but it's a great value wine. It is a deep, fruity wine with a heavy cocoa flavor and very dry finish. We wish we would have tried it with food, because it would go very well with meat or pasta dish. Some of the proceeds (50 cents per bottle) are donated to the Hospice of Arlington, Va., and other breast cancer research foundations in the name of the vintners' mother. We look forward to trying this one again.
Rating: 7/10

Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Price: $10.99 @ Blanchards (JP)
Recommended by: Sunset Magazine's Steal of the Year ($15 and under)
Comments: I don't know if we agree that this is a "steal of the year," but this wine was very enjoyable. Listed as a Cabernet, Louis M. Martini Sonoma County is actually 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 8% Merlot and some other stuff for the rest. Flavors of cherry, plum, currant, and spicy pepper conclude with a smooth, if short finish. We have had better red wines in this price range (Columbia Crest Merlot, Michael Pozzan Cabernet, Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz), but it was pretty yummy with pizza tonight. Our review might be a bit more upbeat if the Red Sox hadn't sucked tonight.
Rating: 7/10

Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Price: $9.99 @ Trader Joe's
Recommended by: Sunset Magazine's Steal of the Year ($15 and under)
Comments: This wine came highly recommended by one of our favorite magazines, and it's one California Sauvignon Blancs that we have not tried. We thought maybe it would be bland, considering it's under $10, but we really enjoyed it. It's a well-balanced wine--not in-your-face with fruit and grass and has a nice acidity. It's bright and crisp-- a bit lemony and grapefruity, with some gooseberry. We had it with homemade tacos, but it would be wonderful with seafood. We would probably get it again if we were in the mood for a SB lighter than a Marlborough.
Rating: 7/10

Big Red Monster Red Wine

Price: $9,99 @ Gary's Liquors (W. Roxbury, MA)
Recommended by: the cheesy B-movie label and price
Comments: We fell for the advertising and had no idea what we were getting with this non-vintage mystery bottle. Actually, we were surprised. This wine (a syrah, zinfandel, and petite sirah blend) will remind you that you don't need to spend a lot of $$ to get a decent wine. After decanting it for about 30 minutes (which the label recommends), it has a nice, fruity flavor (black cherry and plum) with some spice and a longish finish. And at 14.8% alcohol, it packs a punch. It's not an over-the-top wine, but if you are looking for a good wine to bring to a casual party, this would be a good one. It's also a nice pizza or burger wine.
Rating: 7/10

Coopers Creek Riesling 2004

Price: $12.99 @ Wine shop near Charles/MGH
Recommended by: Wine shop employee
Comments: We typically drink (and love) the Sauvignon Blancs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and, oddly enough, this Riesling bears noticable traits of that grape. This wine is crisp, steely, and grassy, exactly as we have grown to expect of the wonderful Sauvignon Blancs of this region. Indeed, I'm not sure I can identify a single aspect of this wine that suggests it is a Riesling! Perhaps one can attribute this to the unique attributes of the terroir from which this grape is taken or perhaps one would attribute this to the fact that I am blogging about it after having consumed most of the bottle by myself (Karie being away with the family). Either way, this is a wine to enjoy with sushi (as I just did) or with spicy foods that similarly highlight the wine's strengths. I personally look forward to getting Karie's more balanced opinion when we share a bottle after she returns. Cheers!
Rating: 7/10

August Kesseler "R" Riesling 2004

Price: $10.99 @ Wine and Cheese Cask (Somerville, MA)
Recommended by: Our wine blogger friends at Wine-O-Rama recommended Rieslings from the Rheingau region.
Comments: In fairness to the folks at Wine-O-Rama, they recommended Rieslings from the Rheingau region that were over $13. However, this less expensive wine is surprisingly good, particularly for the money. Our first sips revealed flavors of apricot. As we drank it, however, flavors of green apple and lime dominated. It's not too sweet, but it is definitely a Riesling. This wine probably goes great with spicy food, but we're just pairing it with a bad movie on a relaxing Sunday evening!
Rating: 7/10

Rojo Mojo Shiraz 2005

Price: $7.99
Recommended by: nice lady in Portland, Maine, who has had several bottles.
Comments: Well, we just got back from Portland with 6 new bottles in tow. We're not going to bother reviewing the mediocre merlot we had last night (so mediocre that we don't even remember the name). However, this Spanish (La Mancha) red is muy bueno! It's got a great, happy, fruity flavor -- with raspberry dominating -- and nice hints of pepper. It also has a nice, smooth finish, which we think distinguishes it from Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz (Australia).
Rating: 7/10

Laboure Roi Bourgogne Rouge Maximum Pinot Noir 2003

Price: $14.99 (@ The Wine Gallery)
Recommended by: The Wine Jukebox tasting carousel of happiness
Tasting notes: This is a bright, fruity smooth wine (the winemaker says "an aroma of mixed red berry fruit dominated by strawberries and black currants"). The mixed berries dominate the palate. We only drank one bottle, but we're sure that the third bottle would taste just as smooth and delicious. One of the better pinots we've had.
Rating: 7/10

Panarroz Jumilla 2004

Price: $7.99 (Blanchard's)
Recommended by: Wine Gallery (Brookline, MA), and Wine Advocate gave it a 90.
Tasting notes: We have heard that there are some great Spanish reds for affordable prices, and this wine was certainly one of them. Bursts of fruit flavor -- tastes of blackberries, cherries, and chocolate -- and it was much smoother than we thought it would be, with a nice finish. We tasted it with chocolate brownies, and it was a very nice pair! Because of the price, this is definitely a wine that we will purchase again.
Rating: 7/10

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz 2003

Price: $8.99 at Trader Joe's
Recommended by: Sunset magazine
Tasting notes: An explosive burst of berry flavor; very nice, but didn’t finish quite as well as it started. This wine, along with Bogle Petit Sirah, can always be found on our wine rack! (We have also tried the Gold Label, but it costs around $35.)
Rating: 7/10