Tag Archives: $10 wine

Wine review: Benziger Sauvignon Blanc 2011

2011_NC_SB_FPeriodically, the Wine Curmudgeon will wax nostalgic about great $10 wines that are no more ? the old Big House Red, when Randall Grahm owned it, for example, or the legendary Hogue Fume Blanc, which once got me out of a wine bar fight (a story I ?ll have to share one of these days).

Benziger ?s Fume Blanc, which the winery stopped making four or five years ago, was one of those wines. It was a regular in the $10 Hall of Fame in those dark, pre-recession days, when I wrote that ?wineries, producers, and marketers seem to be spending their money on packaging and advertising instead of what ?s in the bottle ? and I worried that great cheap wine was going to go away.

This, as near as I can tell, is the successor to the fume (which is just another name for wine made with sauvignon blanc), though I haven ?t tasted it in a while. The 2011 ($8, purchased, 13.5%) is a previous vintage, which is why it cost so little; suggested retail is closer to $15, though the 2012 may be available for $10 or $11 in some places. This is classic California-style sauvignon blanc with grassy aromas, but also a very refreshing tropical pop in the middle. Very well done, and a steal at this price.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame ? as it should be, if the past is any indication.

Wine of the week: Maxwell Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Maxwell Creek Sauvignon BlancMaxwell Creek has been one of the great mysteries of the wine business ? incredible $10 wine from Napa Valley, but no one is quite sure who or what Maxwell Creek really is.

The Wine Curmudgeon, using post-modern technology (in the form of a federal government website that matches producers and wine labels) can confirm the rumors: Maxwell Creek is a second label for St. Supery, long a consistent and quality and expensive Napa producer.

Whatever possessed St. Supery to do Maxwell Creek, the Wine Curmudgeon is grateful. The sauvignon blanc ($10, purchased, 13.5%) is $10 Hall of Fame quality wine, and the only thing that will keep it out of the hall in January is limited availability. Apparently, it ?s only sold at World Market (and maybe Bed Bath & Beyond with wine departments), and World Market has stores in just 30 states.

This wine has a little more citrus (grapefruit and lime?) than a traditional California sauvignon blanc, but it ?s not quite as overwhelming as similar wines from New Zealand. There ?s even a little tropical fruit in the middle, and it ?s not nearly as simple as a lot of other sauvignon blancs at this price. And yes, the adjectives fresh and clean and zingy apply here.

Drink this chilled with an end of summer picnic or barbecue (grilled chicken, perhaps?) and hope that St. Supery will continue to do us this favor.

Mini-reviews 51: Bolla, Grechetto, Chinon, Vouvray

Reviews of wines that don ?t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month; for August, some surprisingly disappointing wines.

? Bolla Soave Classico 2011 ($8, sample, 12%): Ordinarily, I don ?t review wines that are spoiled. But I mention it here, because the Soave had none of the flavors it should have had (white fruit, almonds) ? just a musty, booze-ish feel to it, probably from being shipped in the summer heat and is no reflection on the producer. So if you taste a wine that has a musty, booze-ish feel, throw it out. Unfortunately, since the wine business pays so little attention to educating consumers, hundreds of thousands of people will buy this and assume that ?s what Soave tastes like.

? Scacciadiavoli Grechetto 2012 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Bland and boring, with almost no flavors of any kind, and apparently targeted at the pinot grigio crowd. Otherwise, very old-fashioned — the kind of wine people drink and say, “I don’t like wine.”

? Pierre Archambault Chinon 2011 ($13, purchased, 12.5%): Disappointing, but probably because I love cheap Chinon (cabernet franc from the Loire in France) and expect more. Lots of violet on the nose and subdued black fruit, which is a Chinon trademark, but the middle was a little empty, and $13 makes it a problematic value.

? Sauvion Vouvray 2011 ($10, purchased, 12%): White wine from the Loire in France made with chenin blanc that is sweet without any acid to balance it, though it does have a little flowery chenin character. Another disappointment; cheap chenin is usually much better than this.

Wine of the week: Domaine de Nizas Rose 2011

domaine_de_nizasLabor Day marks the end of summer, which traditionally means two things: One can ?t wear straw hats anymore and one has to stop drinking rose. It ?s a good thing the Wine Curmudgeon isn ?t hung up on tradition. Because where I would be without my straw and my rose?

The Nizas ($10, purchased, 13.5%) is one more example of the general, all-around brilliance of rose. For one thing, it ?s a previous vintage, and it ?s still fresh and crisp and refreshing, something that ?s not easy for cheap rose to do. Look for cranberry and raspberry fruit and a long, satisfying, fruity finish.This is another standout effort from an excellent producer from the south of France; serve chilled and drink on its own or with any Labor Day weekend festivity, from barbecue to picnic.

Speaking of which, I ?ll be back at the annual Kerrville Labor Day music extravaganza this weekend, talking about Texas wine and plugging The Cheap Wine Book. Stop by and say hello if you ?re there. I ?ll be the curmudgeonly fellow with the straw hat.

Wine of the week: Dibon Brut Reserve NV

101462How much did this Cava impress me? The bottle had a neck hanger with a Winestream Media blurb, but I bought it anyway.

And why not? The Dibon ($10, purchased, 11.5%) is a sophisticated sparkling wine with layers of flavor that is made more in the style of Champagne than Cava — creamy and caramel-like with candied pineapple in back and not as much tart apple. In this, it's got more winemaking going on than I like, but you can't argue with the results. This is an incredible value for $10.

My guess is that this wine, made by the largish Spanish producer Bodegas Pinord, is a one-off ? made because there were so many quality grapes available, thanks to the euro crisis and the collapse of the Spanish economy and its 25 percent unemployment rate. Cava sales in Spain were down six percent in 2012, so it makes sense that some producers would re-label bottles or make wines especially for the export market. The Dibon is not listed on the Pinord website, and even Robert Parker had not heard of it when he reviewed it.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame. Drink this chilled on its own or with Sunday brunch or something like a crabcake appetizer.

Wine to drink when your tree falls down

2013-08-06 07.10.27The picture pretty much tells the story. The biggest tree in my front yard finally succumbed to old age and the Texas heat last week, leaving a gaping spot on my lawn.

So what does one drink while commemorating the yeoman job the tree, a Bradford pear, did over seven years of blocking the sun and doing what it could to keep the house cooler? Obviously, nothing with oak:

? Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Bernkastleler Riesling Kabinett 2010 ($21, sample, 7.5%). The high temperature was 104 the day the tree fell, so it was a trifle warm when my neighbor, Dave Hangar (perhaps the best plumber in Dallas) sawed while I gathered most of the branches out of the street. The Dr. Pauly was everything German riesling should be — lovely and balanced and off-dry, with low alcohol, candied lemon fruit, and a little petrol. A beautiful wine.

? Bodegas Valdesil MonteNovo 2010 ($18, purchased, 12.5%). I bought six bottles of this Spanish white (made with the godello grape) for $4 each at a sale, little knowing how handy it would come in over the past couple of weeks of 100-degree weather. It ?s still fresh and lively, with enough lemon and citrus to be noticeable and refreshing. More sophisticated than less expensive Spanish wine, and more of a food wine — seafood paella, perhaps?

? La Fiera Pinot Grigio 2012 ($8, purchased, 12%). The Wine Curmudgeon ?s antipathy to pinot grigio is well known, but I also have tremendous respect for La Fiera, which makes some of the best $10 wine in the world. In this case, the producer won out: This is quite possibly the perfect pinot grigio — a little lemon fruit and a restrained, quinine-like finish, three flavors, and not overdone in any way, Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame.

Wine of the week: Tractor Shed Red 2010

The Wine Curmudgeon is always looking for $10 red wine that tastes like it costs more than $10. These are the most difficult cheap wines to find, though I ?m not sure why. Yes, it ?s easier to make quality cheap white than red, but not easier to make cheap quality sparkling. And there is plenty of the latter.

So I ask a lot of people if they can recommend a red that ?s worth serving as a wine of the week. Many of the people I ask are retailers, and their choices are spot on more often than not (which is one reason why the forthcoming cheap wine book spends a lot of time discussing how to find a good retailer).

That was the case with the Tractor Shed Red ($10, purchased, 13.5%), and a tip o ? the Curmudgeon’s fedora to Jeff Stuart at Spec ?s in Dallas for the suggestion. It ?s a California red ? from Napa Valley, no less — that combines an old-fashioned field blend with modern winemaking to produce a fruity wine with character and qualities other than just the fruit. Most of the fruit (sweet cherry?) is in the middle, surrounded by spiciness in front and earthiness and pleasing tannins on the finish.

This is a red wine to keep around the house and open as needed. It will pair with most red wine foods, but is also pleasant enough to drink on its down. Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame.