CLEVELAND, Ohio – Our tasting panel worked overtime this month, sipping 21 wines from eight countries and four vintages. None cost more than $24. We offer flavor profiles of each wine, which should be available on store shelves in Northeast Ohio. We list our favorite at the end. Email what you like or don’t.
Tres Picos
Tres Picos Borsao
Bodegas Borsao, Spain, Garnacha, 2018, $18
Smoky with notes of soft cherries and blueberries, along with some milk-chocolate flavors. We found this went well paired with salad and grilled mortadella and provolone sandwiches. The Garnacha (also Grenache) had some guts to it, despite its softness. Nice one. The grape is indigenous to Spain but common in France (and even used in Châteauneuf-du-Pape). It is a popular grape for both blending and as a stand-alone.
Alma de Cattleya
Alma de Cattleya
Alma de Cattleya, Sonoma County, California; Rose of Pinot Noir, 2020, $22
The European-sounding name actually is a California wine. (Winemaker Bibiana González Rave was raised in Columbia, trained in France, and makes wine in the United States.) A bit floral, a smidgen spice. Not too acidic, smooth, very easy to drink, and finishes with a dry raspberry flavor. Rose lovers, this is for you on a hot day.
Cameron Hughes
Cameron Hughes Zinfandel
Cameron Hughes Wine, California, Zinfandel, 2018 (online-only seller)
We had a fun side-by-side comparison of a pair of Zins from the same vintage. Our four-member tasting panel nailed a blind tasting on these affordable, and not-jammy, wines:
Lot 730, Lodi, $13: Tobacco, blackberry, chocolate and baking spices. Slightly more acidic.
Lot 744, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, $17: Strawberry on the nose and palate with some raspberry on the taste as well.
Jax Y3
Jax Y3 Chardonnay
Jax Vineyards, Napa Valley, California; Chardonnay, 2019, $19.99
Peach on the nose with apple and orange on the palate along with a bit of tangerine. The finish is a bit acidic to make this a good food wine. Well balanced, fruity but not sweet, and definitely not a buttery oak bomb.
Yalumbia
Yalumba Barossa Bush Vine Grenache
Yalumba, Australia, Grenache, 2018, $21
Spice and berry mix well together here. With lavender in the nose, it drank like a quality Pinot Noir. Our tasting panel gave a unanimous thumb’s up.
Balletto
Balletto Teresa’s Unoaked Chardonnay
Balletto Vineyards, California, Chardonnay, 2019, $20
Apple, lime, white peach all combine to create a nice, clean summery wine. It really tastes more like a Riesling-Char blend. Great balance to satisfy those of us who like a bit of oak and butter in our Chars and those who prefer more citrus. The citrus comes through without being overly acidic.
Vento di Mare
Vento di Mare Nero D’Avola
Vento di Mare, Nero D’Avola, Sicily, 2019, $11-$13
Blueberry is dominant in this delicious organic wine with vanilla in the backdrop. A little spicy (nutmeg) with a bit of cherry and a dry finish. Very sippable, went well with burgers.
Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi Chardonnay
Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, California; 2018, $24
Very little oak, melon on the nose, slight acidic finish. Balanced, good as a stand-alone but went well with mustard-coated chicken. Pleasant creaminess.
Argiolas
Argiolas Costera
Argiolas, Sardinia, Cannonau, 2019, $18
Smells like vanilla and cherry. Herbal and lavender notes come across as well. Spice up front and on the palate; cherry follows on the finish. Loved the food-pairing suggestions on the label: “Pasta with Bolognese, roast suckling pig and lamb, Sardinian Pecorino cheese, medium or ripe.”
Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc
Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, California; Fume (Sauvignon) Blanc; 2018, $23
Pretty subtle for a Sauvignon Blanc, easy to drink. Some acid on the finish. Definitely citrusy, with lemon and a little grapefruit, and some herbal notes to keep it honest. California Sauv Blancs are gaining in my imbibing repertoire; I (usually) do not care for the overly acidic, grassy, grapefruit bombs from the likes of New Zealand, but American winemakers – especially veteran ones like Mondavi - are doing justice to this varietal.
Bread & Butter
Bread & Butter Pinot Noir
Bread & Butter Wines, Napa, California; 2019, $15.99
Plum and chocolate-cherry cross the palate in this very smooth and smoky wine that has low tannins. Slight sweetness creeps in but not enough to distract. Was a fine after-dinner sipper with tasting-panel pals on a patio. Love the minimalist label design.
Like wine? Option for buying wine vary. Online retailers offer chances to choose what you want, curate cases and find discounts.
Like wine? Option for buying wine vary. Online retailers offer chances to choose what you want, curate cases and find discounts.
Here’s a selection to consider:
brightcellars.com: Monthly club matches you with wines after you take a “palate quiz.”
cellarswineclub.com: Club allows you to choose the number of bottles you want.
splashwines.com: Choose a curated case or build your own.
winc.com: Four wines tailored to your tastes are shipped monthly. Has review component.
wine.com: Large online seller often offers new-customer discounts.
wineawesomeness.com: Three- and six-bottle curated shipments.
wineenthusiast.com: All-encompassing site for wine accoutrements - racks, glasses, openers, storage, gifts, more.
wineonsale.com: Allows you to select by varietal or region.
zachys.com: Includes a variety of ways to search/shop, plus has info on auctions.
Waipapa Bay
Waipapa Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Rossendale Winery, New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc, 2020, $14.99
This wine, from New Zealand’s Marlborough province, has strong grapefruit – as you would expect from the area - and lime. It starts fruity and finishes very dry. A great hot-weather wine. While I am not a huge fan of NZ Sauv Blancs, I enjoyed this one, which isn’t grassy or harsh. A crowd favorite among our tasting-panel members. Marlborough is in the middle part of the country, or the northern end of its southern island.
Little James' Basket Press
Little James’ Basket Press
Château de Saint Cosme, France, Grenache, 2019, $16
Love the label description, touting this as a “gateway wine for those who want to discover the ‘flavor’ of the Rhone.” The traditional barnyard notes blow off for the most part, leaving a clean-tasting black-cherry flavor, a bit of spice and some tannins on the finish. Our tasting panel thought this was about twice the price. It’s made in the solera method, a blending technique often used for different vintages of Sherry.
Casillero del Diablo
Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc
Casillero del Diablo, Chile, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, $12
We detect lime mixed with grapefruit and herbal / green-pepper notes. The latter brings a distinctive, acquired taste.
Trivento
Trivento Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Trivento, Mendoza, Argentina; Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, $10.99
For fruit, we detected Maraschino cherry and blackberry. Menthol on the nose, with some cedar. More fruit than floral notes here. Not very tannic, so it’s a Cab that can be drunk as a stand-alone or with assorted meat dishes. Very good value for the money. Mendoza is a huge wine region known for its Malbecs, but that varietal is not the only one grown here. Cab Sauv is popular, too.
Joel Gott
Joel Gott Rose
Joel Gott Wines, California, Rose, 2019, $15
Strawberry on the nose, and a little cranberry pops it head through on the palate. Apple comes out as well. Reminiscent of Jolly Rancher watermelon hard candies without the sugary feel. Its extremely dry finish makes this a good food wine. Grapes: 86% Grenache, 7% Cinsault, 5% Counoise, 2% Grenache Blanc.
Poggio Anima
Poggio Anima
Poggio Anima, Siena, Italy; Sangiovese, 2019, $15
Cherry for sure, but not a smack-you-in-the-face cherry bomb. Slight cola, fresh tasting, with a little strawberry coming through. (Our description differs quite a bit from the label notes, which suggest rosemary, brambly red cherries and clove with supple tannins.) Tannins emerge on the finish. Would be good pizza, burgers or meat-sauce accompaniment.
Meiomi
Meiomi Chardonnay
Meiomi Wines, California, Chardonnay, 2017, $21
Creamy, not super oaky, with notes of lime, buttered popcorn, a hint of honeysuckle and some butterscotch. The grapes come from three counties. A popular menu find. The conglomerate Constellation Brands bought Meiomi in 2015.
Luke
Luke The Companion
Luke Wines, Columbia Valley, Washington; red blend, 2018, $20
This smooth blend – 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah – is not jammy at all. Vanilla on nose and palate, and cherry on the finish. “This is one of those wines I want to drink and keep smelling the glass,” one tasting pal said.
Lopez de Haro
Lopez de Haro Rioja Crianza
Lopez de Haro, Spain, Tempranillo, 2017, $10
This is from the Rioja region and made in the Crianza style, which has minimum aging requirements for the wines produced in the area. Tart cherry, bramble and soft vegetal notes mesh well. Dry on the palate and finishes dry as well. Amazing deal.
Favorite of the month: Balletto Teresa’s Unoaked Chardonnay
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I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. On the air: Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. And tune in at 8:05 a.m. Fridays for “Beer with Bona and Much, Much More” with Munch Bishop on 1350-AM The Gambler.
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June 13, 2021 at 08:13PM
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21 wines to sip in June, all under $25 - cleveland.com
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