Red Wine Recommendation!

[Midpack]

I’ve never done this and probably won’t again, but we stumbled on $10/bottle Cabernet that we like better than some $100/bottle wines we’ve had. It’s easily the best $10/bottle of wine we’ve EVER had. I bought a case, and may buy another. What we bought is the 2017 vintage at $9.97/bottle, we got 10% off buying a case. Superb to our tastes. Sorry for the tangent, but too good to not share.

For you non drinkers, apologies. This thread isn’t meant for you.

https://www.robertmondaviprivateselection.com/california-wine/bourbon-aged-cabernet-sauvignon/

 

[OldGrady]

I’ll have to give it a try!! Always looking for a good inexpensive red. Thx

 

[Souschef]

I have always been happy with Robert Mondavi wines, both red and white Enjoy!

 

[CardsFan]

Looks like it is available at several places nearby. We will give it a try.

Here is one we stumbled on during our trip to Key West: https://juggernautwines.com/

A little pricier (about $17/bottle), but very smooth. Some Cabs have too much tannin taste for my liking.

Cheers!

 

[USGrant1962]

Been buying it by the case at Costco for at least 6 months. It is our current house red.

 

[ERD50]

Aged in Bourbon Barrels?

I don't doubt it could be a very enjoyable drink. But that sounds like it really isn't a wine anymore, but something else. Or is the bourbon very subtle?

I may give it a try, sounds interesting. Last year, I brewed a doppel-bock with our club, it turned out amazing, and the plan was to age it in a bourbon barrel. So now it's an amazing bourbon-barrel aged doppel-bock, but most of us felt it was better as a straight doppel-bock.

-ERD50

 

[COcheesehead]

You had me until I saw the bourbon barrel aging. It’s no longer wine, but a beverage.

 

[Winemaker]

Us winemakers make wine to appeal to taste buds everywhere. Anything to tweak something different, and to appeal to someone somewhere. That being said, about 3 years ago, I made several different wines aged in a 10 gallon peated bourbon (Scotch) barrel. All had a different blend, and they all turned out fairly well. When you use a small barrel, the flavor absorbed into the wine has to be done over a shorter period of time, due to the surface area ratio. After about 8 different batches, I became tired of that flavor profile, and took the barrel apart, sanded off the char ( whiskey barrels are charred, not toasted), retoasted, and put back together. I surprised myself when it didn't leak.

I currently still use that barrel, and also acquired a 5 gallon bourbon barrel that has very little whiskey influence. I put 2 Scotch ales through the barrel first, before I put a Merlot in it. It now has a Syrah in it now.

I like 14 Hands Zinfandel aged in a whiskey barrel, myself.

 

[CaliKid]

You had me until I saw the bourbon barrel aging. It’s no longer wine, but a beverage.

I doubt you can even taste the bourbon. Just a guess....

 

[COcheesehead]

I doubt you can even taste the bourbon. Just a guess....

I’ve had bourbon barrel aged beer and it’s noticeable.

 

[Time2re]

Beringer Brothers has a nice red wine blend, also aged in a bourbon barrel that is my new favorite. I believe they have a Chardonnay also.

 

[Midpack]

You had me until I saw the bourbon barrel aging. It’s no longer wine, but a beverage.

Technically correct (link below) but we’re talking about a $10 bottle of wine, not a Petrus. If you’re not interested, so be it. Do you have a $10/bottle red to recommend?

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/bourbon-barrel-wine/

 

[golfnut]

I’ve never done this and probably won’t again, but we stumbled on $10/bottle Cabernet that we like better than some $100/bottle wines we’ve had. It’s easily the best $10/bottle of wine we’ve EVER had. I bought a case, and may buy another. What we bought is the 2017 vintage at $9.97/bottle, we got 10% off buying a case. Superb to our tastes. Sorry for the tangent, but too good to not share.

For you non drinkers, apologies. This thread isn’t meant for you.

https://www.robertmondaviprivateselection.com/california-wine/bourbon-aged-cabernet-sauvignon/

Thanks for the tip here. I do not drink much wine but I do like a decent wine which are inexpensive. One of the big advantages of not being a wine expert (although I have my doubts about some people I know who claim to be one)

 

[COcheesehead]

Technically correct (link below) but we’re talking about a $10 bottle of wine, not a Petrus. If you’re not interested, so be it. Do you have a $10/bottle red to recommend?

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/bourbon-barrel-wine/

$10 is generally a price point where you get blended wines that may not be really just all grape juice. They contain additives that add color, sugar, concentrates, other flavoring, etc. Since there are no wine labeling laws, yet, you don’t know what you are really drinking. With that being said, some lower price wines I would recommend that are readily available are:

Shebang https://www.shebangwines.com/

Kirkland Gigondas https://www.reversewinesnob.com/kirkland-signature-gigondas


A really great database for wines is Cellar Tracker, a crowd sourced tasting note site that allows folks like you and me to post notes on wines. It is sortable by cost as well. https://www.cellartracker.com/

 

[audreyh1]

I’ll have to keep an eye out.

We don’t drink much cab sav, but we do really enjoy it with steak dinners at home. Our go to good value cab sav has been Château Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s usually $10 something at Costco. We buy almost all of our wine at Costco.

We drink mostly Italian and Spanish reds, and occasionally French whites and rosés. After our recent trip to southwestern France we’ve been picking up some Bordeaux and Médoc wines at Costco. Boy, those French reds sure are dry - especially the Bordeaux! For some reason our Costco carries a huge selection of Provence region rosé wines. Most are excellent including the Kirkland brand. It started small, but has kept growing and growing! Must be popular with our locals.

Costco Wine Blog is a nice sources of reviews of wine available at Costco. Independent reviewer.

I also occasionally read Reverse Wine Snob.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We like Rodney Strong Cabernet or Merlot, we pay on average $12.95 for a bottle and always buy it on sale or in bulk.

 

[Aerides]

There's a beringer "founder's estate" pinot noir I favor, about $10 at publix. Nice and light and better than some 3x that price.

 

[Ginny]

Just found this list of wines at Costco:

https://www.reversewinesnob.com/search/label/costco/

Our house red is Tinazzi Opera No. 3 which we purchase at Costco. I like dry Italian reds. Online I found it for $30, but is is under $20, closer to $10.

 

[ERD50]

Technically correct (link below) but we’re talking about a $10 bottle of wine, not a Petrus. If you’re not interested, so be it. Do you have a $10/bottle red to recommend?

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/bourbon-barrel-wine/

I think the point some of us are making/questioning is - once you've done something like bourbon barrel aging, can you really compare that wine to a 'normal' $10 red wine, or is it a different beverage altogether?

I found this review (bold mine):

https://www.reversewinesnob.com/rob...ection-bourbon-barrel-aged-cabernet-sauvignon

The 2017 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon begins with a strong, pleasing aroma of dark berry fruit along with lots of vanilla and caramel plus cocoa and coffee. Taking a sip reveals the wine to be smooth, quite tasty and loaded with vanilla. This is pretty much the vanilla Coke of wine, not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s definitely a good one for the bourbon barrel lovers.

The wine is just slightly sweet at 4 g/L of residual sugar.

That doesn't really sound like what I'm looking for in a Cab. To each their own.

-ERD50

 

[geeky_grrl]

I like the Vivino phone app for looking up wines. I buy a lot of my wine at Grocery Outlet sales because there are a lot of great wines under $10. I find more bargains in imports than US wines but I can't complain about a good bottle of Barbera for $7.

 

[Midpack]

$10 is generally a price point where you get blended wines that may not be really just all grape juice. They contain additives that add color, sugar, concentrates, other flavoring, etc. Since there are no wine labeling laws, yet, you don’t know what you are really drinking. With that being said, some lower price wines I would recommend that are readily available are:

Kirkland Gigondas https://www.reversewinesnob.com/kirkland-signature-gigondas

From the same source you've chosen
https://www.reversewinesnob.com/rob...ection-bourbon-barrel-aged-cabernet-sauvignon

When we drink Cabs, more often than not we're looking for a robust, full bodied red. The RM BB Cab fills that bill at a bargain price. "...a bold, flavorful wine, unlike any other Cabernet."

And it's a very long list, but the 2017 Mondavi BB Cab is on your sources "Best Cabernet Sauvignon Under $20 - The 2020 Reverse Wine Snob Picks!" list
https://www.reversewinesnob.com/search/label/cabernet-sauvignon/page/5/

 

[Dalmore]

My nephew stumbled across this wine and really liked it a lot. I haven't tried it yet. I am heading to Costco today, so maybe I'll pick one up if they have it.

 

[Markola]

$10 is generally a price point where you get blended wines that may not be really just all grape juice. They contain additives that add color, sugar, concentrates, other flavoring, etc. Since there are no wine labeling laws, yet, you don’t know what you are really drinking. https://www.cellartracker.com/

Just what I was going to say. You buy a $10 California wine and you will be ingesting Mega Purple designed to standardize taste across lots of blends, and other additives for other commercial purposes. See this article on Mega Purple, as well as other additives: http://blog.lastbottlewines.com/education/additives-in-wine/

The only California wines I’ll buy are $25+. Simple ways to avoid most chemical additives are to buy Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (Oregon), where they have a winemaking culture of sustainability, or buy South African wines due to that country’s pioneering sustainability practices (Chenin Blancs, great sparkling and fortified wines, etc. Buy old world (European) wines and pay $15+, because European wine quality laws, including additive disclosure, are much stronger than our non-existent ones. Try these tips and see if you enjoy the taste more and feel more refreshed the next day vs. drinking the domestics you’ve been drinking for $10 or less. I find the difference very noticeable.

 

[Midpack]

The 2017 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon begins with a strong, pleasing aroma of dark berry fruit along with lots of vanilla and caramel plus cocoa and coffee. Taking a sip reveals the wine to be smooth, quite tasty and loaded with vanilla. This is pretty much the vanilla Coke of wine, not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s definitely a good one for the bourbon barrel lovers.

That doesn't really sound like what I'm looking for in a Cab. To each their own.

That's fine, by all means don't risk your $10. You probably wouldn't like this $365/bottle Opus One either since a short description is all you need to critique a wine:

The Opus One 2016 is remarkably elegant and bright offering sumptuous aromas of fresh red and blue fruit, baking spices and vanilla, and a delicate fragrance of spring florals. The initial bouquet is augmented by more nuanced notes of sage, rosemary, and black olive. Juicy flavors of black cherry, blackberry and cassis flood the palate and creamy, fine-grained tannins deliver a delightfully round structure. Harmonious and lively, the flavors linger to create an enduring finish with touches of dark chocolate and espresso.

Over the top descriptions are a hallmark of wine tasting at every price point. Very, very few people "get" all the flavors professional tasters [-]do[/-] claim.

 

[Midpack]

Just what I was going to say. You buy a $10 California wine and you will be ingesting Mega Purple designed to standardize taste across lots of blends, and other additives for other commercial purposes. See this article on Mega Purple:

https://greatnorthwestwine.com/2016/10/27/mega-purple-podcast/. “... In fact, she believes that the vast majority of wines that sell for $15 or less per bottle probably will have a grape concentrate added to it.”

The only California wines I’ll buy are $25+. Simple ways to avoid most chemical additives are to buy Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (Oregon), or buy South African wines due to that country’s pioneering sustainability practices (Chenin Blancs, great sparkling and fortified wines, etc. Buy old world (European) wines and pay $15+. Try these tips and see if you enjoy the taste more and feel more refreshed the next day vs. drinking what you’ve been drinking and how you feel due to the additives.

More power to you.

I'm a cheapskate, and not a supertaster anyway. $25+ is more than we want to spend for an everyday wine. We usually stay under $20 so I guess we usually drink "Megapurple." Shame on us.

We've had several $200-$300 bottles on special occasions. They were outstanding, but not 10-15 times better. YMMV