Category: WIne Blog

Origin:  Lodi. CA

Grape:   Petite Sirah

Year:  2011

Alcohol:  11%

Price point:  $10

Year Reviewed:  2019

Some of my favorite Petite Syrahs are in the price point of around $20, so you should have seen how ecstatic I was when I found this Lodi Petite Sirach for under $10.  Clear dark garnet in color, this Petite Sirah comes from a winemaker who does a lot with zinfandel.  Chocolate and mocha burst in the glass upon your nose.  I thought I was smelling some Ghirardelli dark chocolate and some chocolate coffee blend.  Upon tasting, it was lighter than most Petite Syrahs I have had and seemed younger than a 2011.  Lots of sweet cherry and currant flavors.  For those who want to try a different grape and not spend a load of money, this would be a good adventure for you.  This wine didn’t stain my teeth purple as the more stronger tannic Petite Syrahs have.  I am rating this under 90 points, but for $9.99, give it a try if you want to see what this grape is all about.

History: Petite Sirah (or Durif, the grape’s original name) was created by botanist Francois Durif in Montpellier, France around 1880. The grape is a cross between Syrah and the even more rare: Peloursin. It was imported to America by Charles McIver in the mid-1880s where it got it’s new name: Petite Sirah.

Petite Sirah is one of the deepest, most opaque red wines with very high levels of anthocyanin (an antioxidant).   There is at least one reason to try it!!!

https://winefolly.com/review/petite-sirah-wine-guide/

The Maggio family is moving toward more sustainable agriculture.  Check out.

Origin:  Bordeaux, France

Grape:   60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Year:  2015

Alcohol:  13%

Price point:  $12

Year Reviewed:  2019

What an extreme value from World Market of this well blended, easy drinking Bordeaux.  Clear medium + ruby wine.  Great nose of mushroom, vegetal and cherry and think I smell cab franc.  (before I found out it was mainly cab franc)

On the palate, wow, get a dry medium acidity, medium tannins, and medium to full body wine.  This wine needs to open up and I know it will even get better in 1 hour.  The flavors are a sour cherry, earthy, leather and a bit of smoke.  I also get a bit of wet leaves, oak, barnyard and earthiness.   I paired this with a fettucine spicy shrimp dish, which held up fine, but this would work with any pastas or red meats.  After 1 ½ hours, this wine opened up even more, to experience even more smoothness in your mouth.  I will definitely be purchasing this one again for that price. The wine finishes long and gentle.   Amazing value and amazing quality for this price.

Saldo, made by the Prisoner Wine Company has a unique richness and elegance you will want to try.  Grapes are sources from premier vineyards throughout California.   Saldo’s grapes come from Dry Creek, Lodi (of course), and Amador.  This deep ruby wine smells amazing upon opening and just gets better after the hour passes.  Aromas of blackberry, deep red cherry and cranberry with a bit of mocha and medicinal or anise spice is apparent.

On the palate, this velety rich blend opens up with some herbal flavors of fennel and some vegetal expressions of green olive and lavender.  A nice chocolate flavor, instead of mocha, as in the aromas coats your entire mouth with a long lingering, velvet tannic finish and leaves you with a bit of a spicy, light sweetness. 

Aging in French and American oak barrels, 25% being new.

Okay, what about the label…very unique.  Rumor had it was that Orin Swift had some friends over and wanted to bring up from his cellar a great bottle of wine to enjoy with them and was quickly looking for ideas to name his experimental wine.  So he took his old label maker and “Saldo” was labelled, brought up out of the cellar and tried and loved by his friends.  Hence the birth of “Saldo.”  Look up the meaning of Saldo in Spanish as it has several interpretations….one of them being “balance on hand” and “from here and there” as that is representative of where his grapes came from in California.

Origin:  Champagne, France

Grape:   Chardonnay 45%, Pinot Noir, 40%, Pinot Meunier, 15%

Year:  NV

Alcohol:  12%

Price point:  $39

Year Reviewed:  2018

So WinesbyRenee.com had to have a real champagne for New Year’s Eve.  We never have a party; we just have family and stay home where we are safe.

I discovered this demi-sec champagne at a Binny’s holiday sparkling wine/champagne tasting. Very rarely would I get overly excited about a Champagne, but when I placed this one on my palate, I knew he was coming home with me.  Not sicklingly sweet like Asti’s, but well balanced between some sweetness and spritzy.  Since 1812 Laurent-Perrier has been created some excellent champagnes. He had one of the bestselling rose brands in 2005.

Laurent-Perrier has over 400 employees and exports to more than 120 countries.   This one is getting more recognition in the past several years. 

Most great champagnes can run around $80 a pop….get it…”pop the cork.”

Well work the Dry (Sparkling): A misleading term, which designates a fairly sweet Champagne  or sparkling wine. In Champagne, the scale from driest to sweetest is: Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra-Dry (or Extra-Sec), Dry (or Sec), Demi–Sec and Doux.

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Demi secs are between 32 and 50 grams of sugar as compared to an Asti that has 90-100 grams of residual sugar.

I paired this with a shrimp tempura appetizer with a soy sauce dipping which brought out the buttery flavors in the Chardonnay.