The other day I picked up a bottle of the 14 Hands Hot to Trot red blend for something inexpensive to sip in the evening with my wife. It had been awhile since I last sampled a wine from 14 Hands Vineyard, and if I remember correctly, I was not overly impressed with their Merlot. But I decided to give their red blend a try. This wine is produced using Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bit of Mourvedre. On the nose the first aroma that was prevalent was cherries, followed by red berries and spice. The flavors followed the aromas with the cherries being predominate, followed again by the red berries, and nutmeg. This was an easy drinking red blend with little complexity or structure, something that one would expect form an inexpensive red blend that retails for around $10.

Jon

I recently picked up a bottle of the 2010 The Dreaming Tree Crush red wine to enjoy with my wife one evening. This was my first go around with the a Dreaming Tree wine, and I enjoyed this red blend. The winemakers used the Merlot, Syrah, Zin, Petite Sirah, Malbec, and Cab Sauv grape varieties for the production of this blend. On the nose the wine smelled “hot” which is an indicator that it has a higher alcohol content, this one coming in at 13.5%. The aromas were of berries, cherries, spice, and a slight hint of smoke. The flavors followed the aromas, with red berries, ripe cherries, a bit of nutmeg, smoke, a nice jammy mouthfeel, and moderate tannins. I liked this blend, with the Syrah, Zin and Petite Sirah giving it a big mouthfeel without overly heavy tannins. For a retail price of around $10, this is not a bad buy.

Jon

At a recent wine dinner that my wife and I hosted for some of our family and friends, we pulled out a bottle of the 2009 Luce Della Vite “Luce” IGT from Montalcino, Italy. The Marchesi de Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi families were the first winemakers in Montalcino to blend the famous Sangiovese grape variety with Merlot (Super Tuscan). This marriage of Sangiovese and Merlot has resulted in an incredible wine, with many layers of complexity, and wonderful aromas and flavors that show the depth of this wine.
In the glass the color of this wine is an intense, concentrated ruby red. The aromas are of dried black fruit, blackberries, cherries, spice, black licorice, and a hint of wood. The flavor profile echo’s the aromas with black currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black plums, anise, notes of leather, nutmeg, and cedar. For a wine with such a deep, dark color, the tannins were medium, and the finish was long and extremely enjoyable. I allowed the wine to decant for approximately 90 minutes before serving, and I paired it with beef Carpaccio, which complimented one another well.

Jon

The Roussillon region is located in the south of France, and it borders northeastern Spain. The vines that grow in this area grow on terraces on stony soil, with a rich geological background and a warm Mediterranean climate. The three primary red grapes that are grown at Domaine de Bila Haut are Syrah, Grenache and Carignan. These varieties are a popular blend of three dark-skinned grapes used extensively in Southern France and northeastern Spain. The blend is differentiated from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend by the inclusion of Carignan, which is not one of the permitted grape varieties of that appellation. Wine made from Syrah, Carignan and Grenache is noted for its inky-dark color. It is generally regarded as a full-bodied red wine that is easily capable of delivering generous tannins with the ability to age gracefully. On the nose this wine had wonderful aromas of dark cherries, plums, dried black fruit, and warm spices. The flavor profile was of dark cherries, black plums, black currants, minerality, nutmeg, and black pepper. This was a luscious red blend, with a silky mouth-feel, moderate tannins, and a lingering finish. This is a fantastic wine that would pair well with beef or wild game.

Jon