My Rating 90 Points. Price $25. Deep inky in color with a purplish rim. Sweet fruity nose with black currants, blackberries, sweet cherries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, alcohol, peppercorn, spices and mocha. Full bodied, bold, jammy and syrupy, with medium plus acidity and long long legs. Extremely fruity on […]
via Conundrum Wines Red Blend 2014, California — Odedi’s Wine Reviews Blog
My Rating 90 Points. Price $25. Deep inky in color with a purplish rim. Sweet fruity nose with black currants, blackberries, sweet cherries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, alcohol, peppercorn, spices and mocha. Full bodied, bold, jammy and syrupy, with medium plus acidity and long long legs. Extremely fruity on […]
via Conundrum Wines Red Blend 2014, California — Odedi’s Wine Reviews Blog
My Rating 90 Points. Price $25. Deep inky in color with a purplish rim. Sweet fruity nose with black currants, blackberries, sweet cherries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, alcohol, peppercorn, spices and mocha. Full bodied, bold, jammy and syrupy, with medium plus acidity and long long legs. Extremely fruity on […]
via Conundrum Wines Red Blend 2014, California — Odedi’s Wine Reviews Blog
This bold, full-bodie
d wine delivers a rich fruity aroma with prominent flavors of blackberry with a hint of pepper yielding to a lush, velvety finish.
Pairing Suggestions: Beef bourguignon, pasta bolognese, creole cuisine and fontina or gouda cheese.
Krunch Rating: 90 points
Price: $12.98
Now that we are blessed with the occasional sunny and warm afternoon, I find myself starting to move towards the lighter reds and heavier whites. I have always been a seasonal wine drinker, for the most part, sipping on whites throughout the summer and almost only drinking the big reds when it’s uncomfortably cold outside. So, what I want lately is a big white with some body and oomph to it.
If The Arsonist bottle isn’t a clear enough indicator of the style of wine that’s inside, perhaps the bold label and name are. The bottle is heavy, with a deep punt, wide body, and thick lip. I love the bottle.
I love the wine as well. This 100% chardonnay from the Dunnigan Hills AVA is golden yellow with slow legs. The nose brings honeysuckle, Bartlett Pear, coconut, and toast. I immediately noticed the smooth and round body, soft on the palate with pineapple, melon, and honey.
There is a nice undertone of minerality in the wine as well, creating balance so that it isn’t an oak/butter bomb. The finish is coating and creamy with good length and a very subtle smokiness. I would pair this with shrimp alfredo, rotisserie chicken, or grilled salmon. I tried it with a slice of almond pound cake which I think worked very well. The sweetness of the cake really brought out the subtle minerality of the wine.
Frequent stirring of the lees, known as bâtonnage, is what gives this wine the smooth and creamy roundness that I so enjoyed (along with malolactic fermentation, of course, but that’s another post). Lees are a by-product of fermentation, specifically when yeast cells are destroyed by autolysis. These cell particles precipitate in the bottom of wine vats while aging, and are sometimes left to rest so that the wine can age “on the lees,” or sur lie in order to extract yeasty aromas and flavors.
Other times, winemakers will frequently stir these lees in order to extract more flavor and to create the creamy, buttery mouthfeel. If you like this quality in a wine, look for “lees” somewhere in the wine description. This is one method that some Pinot gris Producers in Oregon use in order to make a different style of wine from the grape than you would typically find in Italy, where it is known as Pinot Grigio instead.
Wine Enthusiast gives this wine 91 points and an “Editor’s Choice” designation. Vivino users rate it 3.9 out of 5 points with an average price of $22.
Cost: $14.99
Krunch Rating: 90 points
Costco SKU #: 1135136
When I first noticed this wine in my local Costco club, I read the name and immediately pictured Josh Brolin’s face. You may remember that he played an antagonist in the Revisionist Western Film by the Cohen Brothers, True Grits. I can’t say for sure if the wine and the movie are related, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed both.
This is a “Reserve” Cabernet from Mendocino that has been aged for around one year in oak barrels, 30% of which are new French Oak. A minute amount of Petit Verdot (2%) was added, likely to boost the color of the wine.
On the nose I picked up vanilla, blue fruits, cola, and cedar. The palate was full and rich with baking spice, black cherries, and a subtle hint of black pepper. There was a good balance in the body of sugar to alcohol while the oak tannins were prominent in this younger wine. You can always detect oak tannins when the area under your upper lip feels like sandpaper against your two front teeth (grape tannins are felt more on the back of the tongue). I think that in a few years these tannins will mellow a bit.
This wine is currently a $12.99 super-value in the Costco stores that I have seen it (many stores are currently carrying the ’14 vintage too). Vivino users report an average price of around $20 and the wine is listed at even higher than that when ordered directly from the Parducci Website. While Vivino subscribers give it an average rating of 3.7, Wine Enthusiast designated it a “Cellar Selection” and gave it a score of 91. I give this wine an 89. At this price point, I will definitely be lassoing another bottle before it’s all sold out.
14.5% ABV
Krunch Rating: 90 points
Costco SKU #: 1029458
Straight from the Bottle 
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