The Cheap Wino

… or at least a Boarding Pass.

I regularly loiter in the wine section of Costco because their price to performance ratio tends to be relatively high.  During my last stroll I crossed paths with the 2006 Boarding Pass Shiraz.  My first thoughts were of cheap gimmicky wine.  Its label is that of an airline boarding pass.  With a $15 price tag, no indications of “First Class” and a screw cap to top it off I nearly passed on this flight.  Then I noticed that The Wine Advocate had given this bottle a favorable review and decided to give it a chance.

Directly after opening the bottle the wine was a bit harsh and screamed Shiraz nouveau.  I suppose that I should have known the wine would need some air after opening, but still I tried.  After an hour the wine had mellowed significantly and transformed into somthing quite yummy.  My nose detected a well balanced combination of oak, and blueberry with a subtle hint of chocolate.  In the end my preconceptions of this wine were wrong and it turned out to be well worth the fifteen dollars paid.  If you’re a scorehound you might want to pick up a case.

I’ve long been a fan of Lava Cap Winery, ever since falling in love with their 1994 Reserve Zinfandel at a lovely dinner with family (at Ravenous in Healdsburg). Okay, “fan” is putting it too mildly, but we’ll leave that alone for the moment. Flash forward a few years and I find the Lava Cap label on a bottle called “American River Red”. It must have been a 1999 or 2000 vintage at the time, and it was simply delicious. Priced at around $10, I was floored by the value offered by the wine and I bought several bottles. Well, as often happens, I grabbed a bottle here and a bottle there and soon enough it was gone. No longer available, I moved on to other wines and kinda forgot about this gem.

A couple of months ago I found myself at BevMo after a long hiatus, and lo and behold, there’s a Lava Cap label in the “Other Reds” section. It’s the Amaricen River Red, 2004 vintage! The bottles are a bit dusty, but at $11 I think “What the heck!” and into my basket they go. Well, I’m here to tell you that this wine did not disappoint. A little brown sugar and vanilla on the nose, plus a little something like nutmeg; in the mouth, fruit flavors of plum and subtle blueberry flourish but peak gently, and trail off in a similar manner. I’ve barely set down my glass before deciding it’s time to have another swig sip.

I opted to have a glass of this wine with dinner; the main course was pan-fried coho salmon with a mesquite rub. The American River Red paired very well with this dish. I’m hard-pressed to come up with a more enjoyable blend; this marriage of Syrah, Zinfandel and Merlot (with a small amount of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Charbono) is well-balanced and it certainly exceeds my price/performance threshold. At $11, how can you go wrong? Answer: you can’t, unless you’re looking for a nearly impossible value. And if so, might I suggest the lottery?

I just got back from a fun evening sailing with some friends.  The kids are in bed and I’m ready to relax.  Recently I bought a few bottles of wine from Costco and now is as good a time to try them as any.

Both bottles are from South America.  One from Chile and the other From Argentina.

The first bottle  is the 2006 BenMarco Malbec from the Mendoza district of Argentina.   It has a lightly fruit forward nose with hints of oak and vanilla.  Immediately on the tongue is that forward black cherry flavor smooth in the middle and a clean, slightly acidic, finish.  The smoky oak lingers for a few minutes on the tongue.  On the street you’ll pay between 16 and 20 dollars for a bottle.  For that price it’s a solid buy.  It’s worth that and probably a little more.

The second bottle is the 2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvingnon from Chile.  An entirely different wine from the BenMarco Malbec this Cab has a strong oak nose with subtle fruit and a very subtle vegetative aroma common among Chilean wines, though this one is not at all offensive. Its flavors are not overly complex, playing back those same oaky notes but stronger fruit all in a good way. I’d be proud to serve this wine with any great steak.  At about $16 this Cabernet is a bargain.

In the past I’ve found that tasting one wine after another often reveals flaws.  A mediocre wine’s flaws may not be readily aparent until you taste it against something better. The mediocre becomes undrinkable swill   In the case of these two wines, they stand up to each other well. Each has it’s strengths and neither shows any real weakness. I’m still enjoying both quite happily.