The Desert Wine Guy - 2014 Courtney Benham Sauvignon Blanc

  
Today I am going to be doing a short review of the 2014 Courtney Benham (Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery) Sauvignon Blanc from the California Central Coast. From the very beginning of this review I will lay out my feelings very simply.  I hoped for a lot more. I spent $15 for this wine and I was not impressed at all. From the beginning I will also tell you that this is a very light White. There we are, review done now back to your regular scheduled program. Alright, alright, let me get serious now.  Upon first tasting this wine I noticed that there was indeed a pretty nice note of Tart Green Apple that clearly stood out on my Palette. Unfortunately this nice note of Green Apple was followed by an also noticeable note of Alcohol that I did NOT care for (who would). 

While there are some fair notes to this wine, none of them except the Green Apple truly make you want to step up and take notice of them. To be fair, some do come close but overall they fall just short. There is a note of lemongrass very prominently and that displays itself decently but the wine is overall sort of acidic along with those notes and when blended with the Lemongrass AND the Alcohol note is also slightly on the harsh side. Another negative is that the wine finishes with a watery note on the end.  Although the other notes mentioned come along with it, the watery note is what is remembered for whatever reason. I think, as anyone would that watery notes on wine are always thought of as bad because.....well because they are. Any lover of wine is expecting a lot more than watery finish. Look, $15 isn't exactly cheap for a wine so there really is no reason that a consumer should have to deal with such a lame finish. There is some good parts to the wine such as Honeysuckle and Honey notes and yes, they are tasted BUT....they are just not enough for this wine to pull through for me. The acidity I mentioned earlier sort of tarnishes the other notes as well. You know, I am aware that you might reading this review and thinking to yourself that the wine sounds pretty nice as far as notes despite the Alcohol note and a few other drawbacks and being on the outside I might think the same thing I mean wine is subjective after all.  Let me tell you guys, please don't think that way. The acidity along with the Alcohol note and the acidity really do this wine in. Add to that the watery note which is a put off and the over done Lemongrass the wine is lacking in some areas and overpowering in others. The other notes such as Green Apple, Honeysuckle & Honey are indeed nice but nowhere enough to pull the wine past it's negatives in my book. The wine also literally leaves a bad taste in my mouth because of the previously mentioned Lemongrass that lingers. The wine could have been nice but some of the notes just hit me wrong and they put me off.

   Let me see if I can break this down in closing it a little better. Forget the overly acidic note. Forget the Alcohol note. Forget the watery finish. Forget the Lemongrass that blends with the previously mentioned notes I just mentioned, what are you left with? Honeysuckle, Honey, Tart Green Apple. Now if you simple had these notes the wine would be nice but unfortunately I just can't forget about those notes, they exist and are not all subtly. In finishing this review I will tell you that the wine try's to be liked but falls short of that goal, it doesn't try hard enough in my opinion. To astringent / acidic / overpowering. A very strange and mixed wine indeed. My initial taste of this wine I think did it in for me, that was really all I needed to know that this wine simply wasn't cutting it. While drinking some more I of course started breaking the wine down further and noticing that while my Palette was picking up more flavors there were good as well as bad. Legs (Alcohol) galore in my glass if that means anything to you but overall the wine was simply O.K. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am putting this wine at an 82 which is "Acceptable Can be employed in casual, less-critical circumstances".

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2012 Gravelly Ford Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - Private Reserve

 

2012 Gravelly Ford Cabernet Sauvignon - Private Reserve

   So today I am reviewing the 2012 Gravelly Ford Vineyards (http://www.oneillwine.com/) Cabernet Sauvignon - Private Reserve that I received from the Wine of The Month Club (http://www.wineofthemonthclub.com/).  I have received many wines from them and some of these wines have even gone on to be some of my favorites such as the 2013 MSH Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, which I have reviewed (http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2015/05/msh-cellars-exceptional-2013-sauvignon.html) previously. The interesting thing about the wine club is that they sell small and virtually unknown wines from small vineyards around the world so a lot of times it seems as if I am the only one reviewing these particular wines which is always interesting since I don't have any idea initially what I am tasting (talk about unbiased tasting). That is the case here with this wine guys. All I could find is that O'neill Vinters and Distillers (http://www.oneillwine.com/media/16661/OV_FactSheet_03302015.pdf) distributes the wine. Here is another small vineyard / winery that you can barely find any information on. I have to tell you readers before we move on that I love it when I open a wine that is from a small unknown vineyard and get to experience what I consider to be a treasure or as it is referred to in a movies as a "sleeper". I love and feel sort of privileged in a way when I have the opportunity to review an unknown wine (spoiler alert) and I find it to be a treasure. That is the case here with this wine folks. O.K, now let's get into the heart of this review and I'll tell what this wine is all about. Oh, one other item of note. I can promise you that there is a surprise waiting for you guys in this review and one that I found pretty cool and perplexing. Well folks let's go ahead and get into this review and see what I thought about the wine as well as just what that surprise at the end is.

Jeff O'Neill - Owner of O'neill Vinters & Distillers

   On the pour we are looking at a medium Burgundy in appearance with a nose of incredible Graphite that struck me immediately as simply..... AWESOME. Here is an interesting note on this wine. If you have ever read a review where a nose of wine was described as having a note of "graphite" but have never experienced it, this wine is a prime example and it is truly something that must be experienced for oneself. Prior to going on with this review I feel it is incumbent on me to remind you to keep in mind throughout the review that this note of graphite is heavenly influencing the other notes that I will be discussing. What would normally be a simple note of Blackberry for instance is no longer a simple note of Blackberry, it is a note of Blackberry that is meshing with that awesome Graphite to form a super Blackberry note that coats your tongue with smoothness of pure pleasure.  Please keep this in mind because there are a lot of wines that carry the same notes as this wine does but few that I have found that are able to move to this level of brilliance in a wine. There is the note of Tannin's as well that are still rather pleasantly noticeable and still have room to tone down some even after the few years the wine has been bottled and also as I just mentioned, definitely still at a level you would not expect with this age on the wine and from such an unknown wine.

Mark Rasmussen- Winemaker

These Tannin's are bold and straight up in your face way. With an Alcohol level of 12.5% which is not bad, this wine is maintaining itself superbly which speaks to the ability of the winemaker as well as the quality of the grapes grown. Some other notes that are invited along for the ride are a super deep Currant and Cassis that scream their presence and definitely make themselves known on your Palette throughout the wine. Whatever you do here guys, don't shy away from this wine folks. True (as you will soon see) the wine is not for the weak hearted or the medium bodied Cabernet Sauvignon drinker and as we go on further with the description of the notes you will see exactly what the surprise is and what I mean. Despite all these powerful notes the wine also exhibits a sense of velvety smoothness as well that the Tannin's, Cassis & Currant can't cover up or dominate although they do surely try. Just as the Graphite note brings this wine to another level so does the smoothness of this wine in it's own way which also does indeed take the wine to another level.  You would think that the smoothness note would sort of diminish the power notes listed above especially with that Graphite that is mixed in but it doesn't it simply adds sort of a free flow on your Palette. So now is the time to present to you the surprise or dilemma that I mentioned in the opening paragraph. The note I am speaking of is that of a lovely and super deep / dark Black Pepper that reminded me way too much of a Syrah than a Cabernet Sauvignon. Yeah, there is the surprise. An unusually powerful Black Pepper that once again raises this wine to a place you would have never thought it would be. It is not normal for the varietal known as Cabernet Sauvignon to expose such a note to this extent. I'm not done though because the next note elevates this wine past the varietal standards of the Cabernet Sauvignon  to a place it is not supposed to be. The note of Black Pepper joins forces with a note of Leather as well. I feel compelled to say that if I was originally unaware of the fact that I am reviewing a Cabernet Sauvignon I would bet that I was sampling an expensive and aged varietal of Syrah here folks. If your mouth is watering right now as you read this review you should stop right here and go buy a few bottles because it gets even better and I don't think you can take it :) Not being satisfied with itself, the wine exhibits further notes this time of dark earth that is overflowing in my glass folks. This wine is certainly an in your face, bold, spicy and impressive wine. That is it, it's as simple as that.

Mark Federighi as Senior Vice President / Chief Sales Officer

   I am not sure why this wine didn't take off when it came to market perhaps the winery didn't have the financial resources to pay for advertising, I don't know but I guess this does show the power of the establishment wine magazines as well. I have read a few reviews of this wine and honestly they score around 89 points. I think that the reviewers are stuck in the fact that the wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon. I forced myself to jump out of that box as you will soon see. Another great aspect of this wine is that it is also one of those wines that I can describe as almost a meal except for the fact that it is not super rich and the richness that it does have is complimented rather nicely by the Graphite and the other notes that bombard your palette in a superior way. Your Palette is mostly distracted from the fruit forwardness that is present but is layered deep beneath. Spread evenly across your tongue there are notes of a deep and not sharp too Cranberry as well that is assisted in it's toning down of it's usual sharpness by that graphite I mentioned earlier that also appears by the way elegantly on the Palatte. I can't tell you enough folks just how impressed I am by the notes of Graphite, Leather, Tannin's, Cassis and Currant among the others. Five key notes that not just pull but forcefully and steadily push this wine away from the pack of not so much Cabernet Sauvignon lovers but Syrah lovers and wines Syrah that cost more than double what this wine does.

O'Neill winery - View #1

This wine costs $12.99 at the time it was sent if I wanted to buy more. If you love the deep note of pepper (as well as the other notes previously mentioned) in your reds (Syrah anyone) you MUST, absolutely MUST find this wine if it is available. I recommend three bottles since you will be drinking one right away.  A little more (sort of a warning actually) on the surprise I mentioned. If you love the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal and the things it is noted for, you might find it very hard to enjoy this wine and probably won't like it and if that is the case I certainly can't blame you. On the other hand, if you love the full bodied Cabernet AND the Syrah varietal you will absolutely love this wine. While this wine came from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, when it grew up it evolved and became a VERY serious Syrah type wine. I myself am lucky because I happen to love both varietals (as well as the Spanish Tempranillo) so I am lucky in that sense and extremely pleased with this wine other than the issue of it seriously not meeting varietal standards. With all this being said now I believe it is time to wrap up what has become a rather perplexing review.

O'Neill Winery - View #2

   So, we are at the end of another great wine review but as you can problem guess I have a issue. Here is a wine which is presented in reality to be a Cabernet Sauvignon yet mirroring and presenting itself as an absolutely incredible Syrah. I would pay anything to have a Sommelier review this wine blindly and be informed it is a Syrah and see what their rating was. I guarantee that particular review would bring the winery, vineyards and wine maker to the wine worlds attention. I personally have reservations rating this as a Cabernet Sauvignon because it really doesn't have the characteristics of a Cabernet on one hand yet it is an awesome Syrah on the other. Another interesting item of note here is if this wine can sustain itself like this from a small unknown winery and winemaker since 2012 and not skip a beat AND appear to still be on the upswing than you are looking at least another 10 years in proper Cellering life. I will be researching purchasing this wine because my wine cellar is screaming for this. In another life this wine would have surely been born from Syrah grapes and not from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Unfortunately that is not the case, so what to do, I am left with a problem. Here is what I have decided to do and I may be wrong for doing it but what the heck. I am going to give this wine 86 points as a Cabernet Sauvignon varietal and rate it as a Syrah instead, at 94 points on the Desert Wine Guy rating scale. I highly recommend this wine if you love Syrah but suggest you might want to think again if you are in the market for a Cabernet Sauvignon varietal.
   One last item and I feel that I have to say the following. While searching for some information on the Gravelly Ford label from O'Neill Vinters I found it impossible to uncover any information on it including the technical aspects such as if the wine is a blend or not. This was extremely frustrating as a consumer let alone a reviewer. Why a company should insist on hiding useful information on a product they make is beyond me and bothersome. Hopefully in the future this will change.

                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy
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The Desert Wine Guy - My Recent Experience With The "Wine Of The Month Club"

  

   Today I want to just do a quick little article concerning a recent experience I had with the Wine of The Month club (http://www.wineofthemonthclub.com/). On November 19, 2016 I ordered three (3) bottles of their 2012 Supper Club Cabernet Sauvignon. One night shortly after receiving these bottles I retired upstairs to my study to do a review on the wine and just get to the point.....I was terribly disappointed. The wine was so bad that I could only take a few sips of it before heading downstairs to the Kitchen sink which was the final stop for this wine. It's not often that I cannot find a use for a wine but in this case I had to make an exception. The wine was so bad that I didn't even want to waste my time or yours in doing a review. Moving to my wine (only) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy/) I posted a picture of the wine and simply posted the following "Heavy note of Prune and acidic....THAT'S IT! Ultra light in glass. No need to say anything more let alone waste time on a review." A couple of days later I sent an E-Mail to the Wine of The Month Club requesting that they substitute the three bottles of Supper Club for three bottles of the 2009 Rioja Vina Eguia Tempranillo (OUTSTANDING WINE) which was the same price. So, I waited for approximately 4 days and to my disappointment I heard nothing back from them. Looking at their "Frequently Asked Questions Page" I noticed that the first question on this page was the following:

"Q. What if I get a wine that I don't like or just doesn't taste right?
A. We guarantee your satisfaction with every wine you receive from WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB. Occasionally, you may discover a bottle which has not traveled well. Tell us. We'll replace it or reimburse the purchase price."

2012 Supper Club - Cabernet Sauvignon

   Aside from this question and answer, Paul Kalemkiarian, the owner of the wine club is quoted on a Vimeo site (https://vimeo.com/181801536) as saying the following "Here is my guarantee: You never pay for a wine you do not like. If for any reason at all you don't think the wine is for you, call or email us and we will send you something you do like… no questions asked." Well that settled it I wanted three bottles of different wine. I have never had cause to check out this aspect of the wine Club of The month previously (which is a good thing) and now was as good a time as any. After waiting approximately four (4) days I decided to call them instead. Looking at their main page I noticed two (2) phone numbers and called one (1) of them at 626-303-1690. I was given the run around there by a computerized voice prompting me to punch in the directory of the person I was trying to contact, there was no other option available (yes I pressed 0). Now I was starting to become a little irritated but noticed another phone number (1-88-949-9463) and I called that one. This time a very pleasant Lady answered and I informed her of my displeasure with the wines and inquired of HER if I could substitute the three (3) bottles of the 2009 Rioja Vina Eguia Tempranillo. The employee on the other end gave what sounded like a very sincere apology for my experience with the Supper Club wine and agreed instantly to my suggestion. She informed me that the wine would go out in the Morning as their mail had left for the day and that I would get the wine Friday.

2009 Rioja Vina Eguia Tempranillo

   I have to say that while my E-Mail was unanswered I am willing due to my past experiences with the wine club to chalk this up to possibly heavy volume due to the holiday season. I have dealt with the Wine of The Month Club many times in the past and have been always very happy with their wines and customer service, that included this recent experience.  I have even written an article on the club (http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-desert-wine-guy-review-of-wine-of.html). If you are looking for a very reasonably priced wine club that offers great deals on mostly very good to great wines I highly recommend you give the Wine of The Month Club a shot.

                                                                                                                 The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - What's all this about Resveratrol?

    Today I will take a break from reviewing wines in order to do an article on a specific aspect (actually a benefit) of Red wine in particular. I will also attempt to write this article in plain English and avoid any scientific talk in order so that you (and I) can understand what is being discussed. Today I will discuss the topic of  "Resveratrol".  I want to begin by telling you what Resveratrol is and where it comes from. Resveratrol is available in peanuts and other berries but for the purpose of this article I will limit discussion to wine grapes.  Resveratrol is a compound found in large quantities in the seeds, stems and leaves of the Red grape. Resveratrol levels are highest in the skins of Red wine grapes (Vitis Vinifera) with the varietals of Malbec and Muscadine having the highest level of all the red grapes. So what is Resveratrol claimed to be able to  do? Resveratrol is an antioxidant like Vitamin C and Vitamin E and is believed to also be an anti-inflammatory as well as provide anti cancer benefits by preventing their proliferation and mutations. It is  produced by plants in order to protect them from things such as ultraviolet light, infection, drought and inflammation.  Resveratrol assists in elimination oxidation which effects our body's cells and helps repair these cells as well. The compound is a great protector of our DNA as well. Resveratrol has also been studied for around 20 years and has also been found to protect heart the heart and circulatory system. The antioxidant is absorbed and put to use rapidly by our bodies.  Now that we have the claims that the wine and supplement industry has spouted, what do the medical doctors and independent research say?

    In the November 2011 issue of Cell Metabolism (http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(11)00386-X) it was shown that taking 150 mg of  Resveratrol once a day for 30 days significantly lowered mean Systolic (top number) and arterial blood pressure. Systolic by the way is the amount of pressure in your arteries during contraction of your heart muscle. The study also showed a lowering of blood sugar and insulin concentration  just to name a few benefits. Oregon State University also did a large study (http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/resveratrol) of Resveratrol that showed major benefits in taking the supplement.CBS News also did a report  (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/resveratrol-does-provide-anti-aging-benefits-study-shows/) on Resveratrol that discussed a Harvard Medical School report establishing the compound provides anti-aging benefits. From what I have researched there isn't much if any evidence that Resveratrol does not have significant benefits to it.

   It is now time to wrap this short little article up. I have learned all that I feel that I need to know about the antioxidant know as Resveratrol to in my mind , make a decision as to whether or not I feel it is a supplement I will be adding to my daily routine. As far as I am concerned the health benefits are amazing and not only will I be continuing (yes I said continuing) to take the supplement. I have decided through my research that I will up my dosage from 100 mg a day to 500 a day.  I purchase all my vitamins from Vitamin World (https://www.vitaminworld.com/) and no, I get NOTHING from the company for this plug. I really do purchase from them regularly.

I hope you have enjoyed this article but before I go I feel that I have to put the following out there. I am not a Doctor and I am not giving any medical advice to you. Before deciding to take or not take this supplement I recommend that you see your Doctor FIRST.








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The Desert Wine Guy - Iron Gate Winery - 2013 Instant Gratification Chardonnay

  

   Before starting out here On my review of the 2013 Instant Gratification Chardonnay I feel that I have to suggest to you that this particular wine should be left off of the "must impress list". This wine is simply not  a wine that I would present to anyone as a serious attempt at trying to impress them with a quality Chardonnay. Simply said, the amount of carbonation present throughout the win is really a distraction to the Palatte, it reminds me of a wine cooler in that sense but without the overwhelming sugar. One other drawback to this wine is the fact that you must wait almost a minute  after pouring before you can taste this wine due to the overwhelming fault of that carbonation and even then the carbonation is sensed as an intruding tingle and never really seems to go away. I am totally put off by these two factors and I also don't think I can bring myself to put these factors factors aside. Now it is very unusual that I start off a review with the major negative to the very wine that I am reviewing but in this case I could not help it. With that being said here is my review.

Iron Gate Winery Barrel Room

   Today we are going to review the 2013 Instant Gratification Chardonnay from I.G Winery in Cedar City, Utah (http://igwinery.com/). This wine is made from grapes grown on the Central Coast AVA of California. So....what can I say about this wine? Well.....let's get into into this review real quickly because it will be a rather short review indeed.  On the opening of this wine there is a large note of carbonation. Both in the glass and on the Palatte this carbonation is at the least moderately annoying and at the most at offensive levels. When I first tasted the wine I remember almost being jolted back with surprise because the carbonation was that noticable. Somewhere along the wine making process there was either a second fermentation or perhaps the wine maker ran into what is known as "stuck fermentation". Sometimes during the making of the Chardonnay varietal the second fermentation process is used in order to bring about a softer, butter like note. I do not know. What I do know is that the amount of carbonation in this wine did it in in my book. The wine does have some nice qualities however to it so let's now move into that. There is a semi nice, semi dry note of Kiwi. I thought the note was nice on one hand yet slightly subdued on the other hand. As an opening note it did it's job and brought you along for what was to follow. The Kiwi was followed up with a nice and rather lively Pear note which was developed rather nicely and is rather unusual for a Chardonnay grown in a cooler climate. Both the Kiwi and the Pear notes compliment one another nicely and present themselves on the Palatte with confidence.  What is missing? Theirs no "buttery" mouth feel whatsoever present in the wine that would have possibly cut the carbonation to an acceptable extent or been the reason for the secondary fermentation.  There are however fairly simple yet sufficient notes of Peach and melon notable which is uncharacteristic of Chardonnay grown in cooler climate (such as the California Coast) the grapes were grown in. A slight higher note of Alcohol (14.5%) is also exhibited on the Palatte but to my surprise it is a note that works to attempt to bring this wine (almost) into balance. Look folks, I don't really feel that bombing this wine is in order. I just really wish that the carbonation was not as prominent, offensive and did not always linger in my mouth that is all.The wine did have saving graces in the levels of notes listed but that darn carbonation just killed it in my book.

Iron Gate Bed & Breakfast

   So it is now time. Time to wrap this review up and put this information all together for you. Yes, this review was fairly short but I believe that I have said all that there is to say about this simply mediocre wine. I just did not feel inspired and in that aspect this wine also failed. Do my thoughts of not presenting this to someone you want to impress still stand? In a simple answer, yes, you bet they do. If you like carbonation that persists in your wines or distracts from the rest of the wine than you will indeed like / love this wine. If you however are like the folks I know, that carbonation note will not sit well with you. Are there redeeming qualities? The simple answer as you can probably guess is....it depends on what qualities you are talking about having to about redeem this wine with. If you want me to redeem the wine into the "Very Good - 86-89 - Has character, Well balanced, & distinctive" rating then you will have to keep on wanting because that is not going to happen. If you are talking about a rating of a wine that I would rate an "83-85 - Fairly drinkable, Semi-distinctive, Does not hold to varietal standards, Might have some undesirable notes that prohibit elevation to the next rating" than you are in line with me. On The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale I am placing this wine at an 85. As a pool wine or a wine that is for friends who are not real knowledgeable on the subject of wine or like what I would call "so so" wine this will fit the bill. If you are presenting this as a Chardonnay to people who know anything about Chardonnay or the wine making process I would do some more searching folks because this is not the wine.

Iron Gate Winery Entrabce

   One last item here guys. I have reviewed an I.G wine previously (http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-desert-wine-guy-2005-iron-gate.html) giving it a rating of 90 points so Doug does make some rather nice wines but I feel that this is not one of them. Aside from the NORMALLY decent wine that Doug makes there are other reasons to visit the winery and Cedar City, Utah. When you do visit the winery go ahead and sit outside at the tables and enjoy the wine they offer. While you are sitting at the tables you will also notice the wonderful Apple Tree that sits right along side the Bed & Breakfast on the property. I hope it is Apple season when you go because the Apple Tree grows Apples that will blow you away. The apples will also be a distraction should you bring your children since Utah has what is known as the "Zion Curtain" (http://le.utah.gov/~2013/bills/static/HB0228.html) law which prohibits anyone under 21 from watching Alcohol poured. No one under 21 is allowed in the winery.  By the way right across the campus of Southern Utah University (which is literally 1 block away) holds the annual Shakespeare Festival (https://www.bard.org/plays/2017) as well as other theater events that is unbelievable to experience.

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2015 "Little Black Dress" Cabernet Sauvignon

   Hello folks and welcome back to my wine blog. I want to start off by by refreshing you guys on what I am all about. "This blog is dedicated not only of course to wine but to wine that someone from a middle class point of view would be interested in." Today of course is no exception. Today I will be discussing a wine that sells for around $8 at your local store, now THAT'S middle class I would say. Approximately two weeks ago I received an E-Mail from Stephanie Fray of Conundrum Marketing (http://www.conundrummarketing.com/) inquiring if I would be interested in sampling some of the varietals from Little Black Dress wines (http://www.lbdwines.com/). I responded back letting her know that I was very interested and would like to taste both the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the 2015 Chardonnay varietals. Approximately two weeks later I received a package in the mail with my wines of choice. On my next days off of work I enlisted the videography skills of Mrs. Desert Wine Girl and had a short YouTube video produced (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rw7rq3F_x0&spfreload=10)

Gabrielle Bonheur - Coco Chanel

where I introduced the wines and talk a little bit about them. A little research on the company taught me that LBD is a wine label marketed toward Ladies. Simply the mere name of the company should have told me that but I guess I am a little slow sometimes :) It is a good thing that I have a mystery (Female) wine reviewer on staff who will describe her thoughts concerning this wine. Let me go on now and talk a little more about LBD themselves and their marketing strategy in reference to this label of wines. 

   Little Black Dress (LBD) is actually a label that is owned  by (parent company) Excelsior Wine Company (http://www.excelsiorwines.com/) and backed by Concha y Toro (http://www.conchaytoro.com/?lang=en_us). The marketing strategy of LBD is rather simple and  gears their label and therefore their wine toward Women which to me is a great idea. I think that done correctly this is a market that is looking to be filled. Doing the research and investigation into this strategy they are right on track to accomplish this goal.  It appears that research shows that a wine marketed toward Women is usually geared toward the 21-34 year old age group. I am unaware of whether there is a specific age group that LBD itself is geared for but I see no reason why it would be any different. According to research 26% of  Women say that they like to purchase a wine that is specifically geared toward them.  LBD appropriately hit the shelves in 2006 to mark the 80th anniversary of the introduction of its iconic namesake, Coco Chanel’s (Bagrielle Bonheur) Little Black Dress. Mrs. Bonheur is more famously known for her perfume line of Chanel NO. 5.

Coco Chanel - 1920

   Well now that we have gone a little bit into the company and it's marketing strategy's lets move into the actual review of this Cabernet Sauvignon. I will now turn this over to the "mystery" reviewer for her thoughts on this wine. Good evening everyone. Before you ask the answer is yes, I actually do have a little black dress that is reserved for the times I feel spontaneous myself. Now that I have set your mind at ease as to my qualifications to rate a Little Black Dress I wish to thank The Desert Wine Guy for offering me the opportunity to taste this wine and tell you what I think about it seeing that I have never reviewed a wine before. So the first thing of interest is that LBD still maintains the

closure of a cork on both the red and white wines (even in the white varietals) and I like that. It seems that a lot of inexpensive wines both red as well as white are going away from cork and to screw caps. Both the Desert Wine Guy and I are in agreement here that this is a negative. As for the actual wine itself the first thing I tasted is a taste of Bing Cherry, you know like the cherries you buy at the supermarket when you go shopping. This was like one of those cherries but the ones the ones that are almost kind of like have one more day before they are inedible. This is a different taste from what most would call "fresh" cherries but when it comes to wine, a taste that is superior in my book. So, you say this wine is $9? What I say is good for me because my girlfriends and I will be buying more once I introduce them to this wine. This wine is not what I would consider a "light" Cabernet by any means ALMOST on the medium tasting side. Moving on with the taste of this wine you will notice that there is almost a slight bit of acidity and (believe it or not) some Tannin's that I felt on my

tongue. I know huh? I don't know about you guys guys I cook for the kids a lot and I happen to love Green Pepper and there is a taste of that in my wine along with the super tasting Cassis which kind a sort a really add to the depth of the wine, and yes there is indeed depth to this $9 wine. Girls, let me tell you something. If you have a last minute party or any party really that your friend(s) have just invited you to and you and the girls are "warming up" for the night than this is the wine. A couple of bottles of this wine (around $20 with tax) and my girls and I are set on a good note for the night.  There is a taste of a semi bright tasting cherry, nowhere near as deep as the first cherry that I was talking about but at the same time certainly not a bright, overbearing cherry. I really liked that the sides of my pretty wine glass I was drinking this wine from was just enveloped by this wine and that the sides of glass spread the wine evenly and I thought what wonderful eye candy indeed. I noticed that when I first looked at the wine when I poured it the wine was so pretty but yet very light at the same time. I think that my girlfriends and I could drink this wine for a while as we get dressed and finalize plans while still being able to have a few more drinks at the club

without any worries. To my friends and I this is important because the last thing we want to do is be out of control while trying to have fun. You know girls, on one hand there is the taste of a really deep supermarket cherry that you can only get at the very best organic type store but also seems to be combined with a Brown sugar or Molasses taste which truly mixes it up radically. You know what I also like? I sent a picture of this wine to my best girlfriend and asked her what she thought of just the bottle. She text me back that the "Little Black Dress" name brought memories of what she called a special night between a guy friend of hers and a night (of course) that she actually DID wear that "little black dress" which she never wore again after that night. She also said (after I described the wine) that we had to "warm up" with a few bottles of this wine this Friday. I concur with my friend. Well I think that I did the best that I can do for my first time so I am going to pass the torch to The Desert Wine Guy to finish this off. I really enjoyed the opportunity to do this and yes, I will be buying the wine for this Friday so my girls and I can start off our Friday in style. I also want to thank him for the crash course in wine and terminology used for wine. 

   Well I want to thank the "mystery" writer for her input and for doing this review. If you guys like her writing style please do let me know and I can invite her back. I guess there are times when a Ladies perspective can be more fitting for my audience especially on wine geared toward the Ladies. As far as the wine goes now I must say that I generally agree with her. I think that the cherry note is indeed one of an overripe Bing cherry and of one that is of an almost overdue and time to eat cherry. A deep and yes Molasses type sugar is here and presents itself rather nicely. A deep Cabernet I would not say it is but a light Cabernet it isn't either. This wine does fit the bill rather nicely for kind of a mix of people who are either caught in between a "real" Cabernet and one of not a beginners Cabernet but moderately advanced Cabernet lovers Cabernet Sauvignon. As I am sure you already know, the holidays are almost upon us and with that there are invites to party's, some to dress up in a little black dress for and some to "come as you are" but to me this wine is simply perfect for both and crosses over extremely well. I would differ from our "mystery" writer in the fact that in my opinion that I thought the Alcohol content was initially noted (not negatively) and therefore is certainly capable of sneaking up on you while you are putting on that little black dress so do be careful because the Alcohol content is about average in this wine.

   O.K everyone it is time to wrap this review up now. The very first item of business in the closing is the same as the very first item in the initial part of the review and that is thanking Mrs. Stephanie Fray of Conundrum Marketing. Her contacting me and sending me and my staff this wine to sample really introduced me to a red that I will definitely buy (or have bought for me :) While not a wine that I think will age for more than 5 more tears it is a wine that will certainly surprise any wine lover, both Ladies and guys who is expecting a light wine from looking at the label as well as any real Cabernet  lover who enjoys a fairly decent and medium bodied Cab. I commend also the Excelsior Wine Company,  Concha y Toro, Fetzer vineyards and of course Conundrum Marketing for going the marketing route they did and targeting what appears to be the young to middle aged female professional market. Mrs. Fray I believe that your sense of marketing is right on here and that the direction you are headed with this wine is where you need to be. Now, while our "mystery" writer didn't place a rating on this wine I most definitely will. Before I do though I want to let you know and understand. This wine does indeed crossover between a true medium bodied Cabernet and is very serious an slightly fruit forward but yet powerful nonetheless Cabernet Sauvignon. So......with all this being said now, I am very happily placing this wine at 91 points on The Desert Wine Guy point rating scale.   

                                                                                                          The Desert Wine Guy


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The Desert Wine Guy - 2015 Markham Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

2015 Markham Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

   Good Afternoon wine lovers. Today with the weather still hitting 80 degrees here in Las Vegas (as of November 6) I figured it was still permissible to indulge in a Sauvignon Blanc :) Today's review will be on the 2015 Markham Vineyards (markhamvineyards.com/) Sauvignon Blanc from the Napa Valley, ST. Helena to be exact. Today we are talking about a wine that comes in at 13.8% Alcohol and is 100% Stainless Steel Fermented and finishes with 2.5 months sitting in neutral wood tanks to age. Pretty nice for a Napa Valley wine that costs $12 (https://winelibrary.com/) I would say. On viewing the bottle that held this wine I have to say that it really caught my attention. With a labeling that is an off Yellow / Gold in color and well thought out  fonts of script, this bottle was sharp looking. Adding to what I have just now said is the fact that the actual color of the wine appearing a semi light Golden when viewed thru the bottle standing out against the label, the presentation was rather enticing to say the least. On the pour and in the glass the wine when seen thru a solid white piece of paper displayed itself an ever so slight Golden in color which differed slight from the presentation observed in the bottle itself. A nice presentation for a white that is a blend of mostly Sauvignon Blanc (92%) as well as Sauvignon Musque (a Sauvignon Blanc clone designated as FPS 27) and the varietal of  Semillon at 8%.

Markham Vineyards Stone Cellar

FPS 27

Read more at: http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=69775
Copyright © Wines & Vines) at 18%  and a small amount  (8%) of the varietal, Semillon.

   Moving now to how well the wine presented itself on my Palatte. Upon tasting the first bit of this Sauvignon Blanc I will tell you that this white is very flavorful yet at the same time very light bodied. This is not a "heavy" wine. All of the different notes that I will go over in a minute are very potent yet surprisingly mellow at the same time. I am tasting some sugar here but the structure enforced by the minerality of this wine are really nice and keeps that sugar largely in check only allowing the proper amounts to show thru (no sugar bomb here). I am also noticing that this wine is more appreciated by the sides of your tongue rather than from the main part of the tongue. This is not to say that your entire tongue will not get to appreciate the wine because it will it's just that the wine is better sensed on the sides or off center of the middle. Now, let's dig into the various notes that I promised you. The note I want to talk about now is that of minerality that I have previously mentioned. To me this note is a very forward note to the opening of this wine. This note is almost a stone one and when combined with the next note are exquisite.. The other note that I want to discuss is that of Honeydew Melon that you will taste toward the back of the Tongue and it is sweet but that sweetness disappears quickly and therefore is simply recognized as the varietal of melon that it is. This wine is a wine that makes your mouth water for more. The Kiwi in here is outstanding as well and almost like tasting a mouth watering, fresh Kiwi that you just picked. There's nothing

Markham Vineyard

in here that I would say is "acidic" so to speak and it is the note of Grapefruit that I think ensures that to an extent. It is really amazing just how certain notes (or flavors) seem to hold sway on the levels of other the other notes. As an example the Pear note present helps to maintain the Honeydew to an extent so each note prevents the overdoing of the others. A note of Grapefruit is certainly present as I said and blended expertly with the other notes as well. A very slight hint of Alcohol is noticed on the Palatte but here it is used here to sort of subdue the stone or minerally notes that this wine contains. If you think the discussion of the notes here are done you are wrong. An awesomely placed Lemongrass makes it's presence know here as well. What is so awesome here and I hope not overlooked by you, my readers is that all of the notes are superbly blended with one another at precisely the right point and they exhibit themselves at once. This wine will not cause a pucker in your mouth either as there are no offensive notes whatsoever. Your Palatte seems to say "oh there is.... Oh there is..... and Oh there is..... To me this is a rather unique experience as usually the various notes will sort of line up one behind another in order of appearance or dominance and there will sort of be a noticed break on your Palatte, that is not the case here however. All of the flavors in this wine are equally presented and I like the fact that these types of notes can be presented without any undue acidity. I am not saying that acidity is always bad or can always alter a wine in a bad way, I just thought the talent to present all the notes in the fashion that they are resented without developing a an acidic wine is simply amazing. Now, I am going to admit to you something. There are times when I will look into other reviewers opinions to see what their opinion is of a particular wine. With this wine there isn't any so called "professional" reviews that I could find. There are armature reviews

Our Winemaker - Kimberlee Nicholls

however and they seem to feel that this wine would be rated in the 88-89 point rating. While I will not give away my rating just yet I will tell you that I think they miss the part I mentioned about how lovely the levels of the notes are matched and to exactly what extent on the Palatte they present themselves as well as mesh together. If I have mentioned this previously it is because it is so rare and important and I am truly impressed, job well done guys. This wine presented itself to me more like a Sauvignon Blanc that is grown in cooler climates which exhibit green flavors as opposed to one one that is grown in warmer climates Grapefruit (it is from grapes grown in the Napa Valley). I guess you could say that in reality this is the best of both worlds in reality. One item I would like to add her is that the wine at times APPEARS close to developing some acidity but if you really take the time to examine it you will really see that it never quite makes it to what you can call acidic.

Gewürztraminer is an example of a Musqué grape

   O.K guys, now its that time. Time to wrap this up and put it all together. What a nice and refreshing wine this has indeed been. From the opening straight through to the finish, this wine maintained its consistency, boldness without being ever near being over the top and held to what it was. There was no softening or loss of notes as the wine was opened and exposed to the air. All types of notes that you would classify as "mineral" are present without making the wine too close to or wrapped around minerality. A superb job here by the wine maker I say. If you are looking for a style of food that would go with this wine I would suggest some Sushi that has a nice spicy sauce or perhaps some Chicken that is on the Peppery side but not the lemony side. Perhaps a pasta dish with a sweeter sauce with Italian Sausage would go nicely as well here. So, it is time, time to reveal my score of this wine. While some others have placed it as high as 88 points, I believe that the jump should be made to the next level which is 90 points (Excellent - 90-94 - Wine just blows you away. Just makes you yearn for more) on The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale.

Front of Markham Vineyards

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                             The Desert Wine Guy


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The Desert WIne Guy - 2012 Franciscan Estates Merlot

   Today I want to talk about a winery and vineyard that has always remained one of my favorite wine locations to visit while in the Napa Valley. The winery / vineyard that I am talking about is the Franciscan Estate Winery (https://www.franciscan.com/). Ever since my very first trip to the Napa Valley (my visit of discovery as I call it) in the mid 90s and way certainly way before The Desert Wine Guy was born or even thought about, the Franciscan has been one of the winery's that I till this day, believed produced a wine that really stood out on my Palatte as something special. Along with Sawyer Cellars (http://www.sawyercellars.com/)  and a few other select wineries like Peju (http://www.peju.com/), the Franciscan was instrumental in the very early formation and development of my future wine enjoyment as well as the beginning of my basic introduction to wine. To put it simply, visiting the Franciscan Estate was when I fell in love with wine. The winery continues to this day to make some incredible wines in my opinion.
   The Franciscan was originally established in 1973 and began producing it's wines in 1975. Today the Franciscan is owned by Constellation Brands (http://www.cbrands.com/home) and is still known in the world of wine for it's amazing Cabernet Sauvignon but as you will see in this case, also makes a heck of a Merlot as well. From the beginning the winery was graced with some pretty big names in wine such as Justin Meyer who is famous for the Silver Oak Winery and made the first Cabernet Sauvignon for the Franciscan. Another noteworthy person who the Franciscan owes a deep gratitude to is August Huneeus (the owner of Quintessa Winery) for developing their proprietary Bordeaux blend of Reds.  You would think that after feeling this way about the winery that it would have always been a favorite or a go to wine for me but for some strange reason it was actually simply forgotten about by me. Many years later I re-discovered it when I was at Costco here in Las Vegas. Costco is one of those places that has a really nice wine selection and one that has at times some forgotten vintages and wines. On one particular trip they actually had the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon which I rated (http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-desert-wine-guy-2012-franciscan.html) extremely well at 96 points, the highest I have ever rated a wine. Having now re-discovered the winery I vowed never to forget about it again. Well, true to my word I have just completed a review of another Franciscan Estates wine, the 2012 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot. How does this wine hold up in it's tradition of impressing me? Read on and find out.

  This wine is being reviewed against the previous Franciscan Estates wine and is not in an envious position. This wine will be held to an even higher standard. Without any more delay let's get into this review. Opening your Palatte here  is a wine that truly bathes your tongue with a dark delight. There are Cocoa notes abound on the initial mouth feel of this Merlot. Matching up rather incredabely might I add with this Cocoa is the fact that it is blended super nicely with the note of a not to  overly sweet but deep, dark, fruit of ripe Blackberries. As these notes are entertaining your Palatte, super nice and definitely lively and not shy medium Taninns and Current really help to make this wine very pleasant on the entire Palatte. While this wine is sitting in my mouth it is being bathed in a complexity of the likes of which I can only begin to enjoy. To me it's as if I went into a chocolate factory and was appreciating the bouquet of my surroundings only through my Palatte. The Blackberry note was right on par as far as depth so as to not allow the chocolate to take a dominating hold and cancel out the Blackberry. Well folks this wine did not stop here thankfully because there are some other notes as well. I guess I don't have to tell you that I am pretty impressed here in the early going of the tasting of this Merlot. Moving on and tasting further now I came across a smooth but yet fairly noticeable and deep dark Cranberry note. Franciscan Estates has released a Merlot that is really impressive here folks. Here is a wine that I feel is a top shelf wine is selling for $25 that I feel the winery can get a lot more for. The mentioned note of cranberry seemed to come together expertly when blended with that note of Cocoa and is moved to change and adopt some of its own  characteristics to become similar but not the same, as the very Cocoa that precedes it while still remaining able to stand on its own. What I enjoyed as well, and what truly added to this wine was that this wine was in a way smooth on the notes it should be but yet not too smooth on the notes that it should not be. This referenced smoothness was also not interfered with by any acidity or harsh or overdone notes of any kind. A wine like this can sometimes be ruined by harsh Tannins or a note of a sour Cranberry but that was not the case here.Though this wine was powerful where it need to be powerful and and smooth and sleek where it was required to be smooth and sleek.  One thing I would like to add is that this is not one of those "mellow" Merlots. This particular Merlot is not meant for the weak of heart as I like to say so be warned. The wine is without a doubt more geared thanks to the power end of this wine for the person who learns more toward a Tannic Red and certainly more toward the fans of a richer, deeper and darker Merlot. This is more along the lines of a quality, medium bodied and semi complex Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a real Merlot in my opinion as I don't believe that the varietal must be wimpy or weak on deeper notes.. If you have ever heard the term "chewy" in reference to a wine, this is more along that line of Red. Don't allow the word "chewy" to scare you away as this wine is drinkable right now in my opinion but can also be placed in a cellar for a few years to come. One other thing that this wine has going for it is that this is also a very consistent wine all the way across the tasting spectrum. There is no place this wine lacks fairly serious power or where it falls off on the Palatte. To say that this is a full bodied Merlot is an understatement folks. This is a Merlot that crosses over to the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal side and not just barely but does it fairly well and consistently.
   O.K, lets move on now and follow up with the review. On the sides of my Palatte I tasted a note of Cassis that bathed the sides of my tongue with it's presence totally (like to the max:)  So far this wine has been opened for a total of 3 hours. Between helping The Desert Wine Girl Jr's with Homework and reviewing spelling words with them, attempting to read a popular wine magazine and write this review there has been a total of around 3 hours. This wine is still going strong and while it has not developed anymore (which is perfectly fine with me) aside from the note of a more developed Blackberry that seems to have gotten darker in its presentation without increasing its sweetness level. To me the wine establishes itself within its 1.5 hours of decanting but could have been extended to 3 hours this wine does not need to do or accomplish much more in my book. So, you think that I am done and ready to wrap this up huh? Well you are almost correct in that assumption but there is one more note to discuss. How would a really super note of Molasses strike you?  Well, that is what I experienced. That note is present and is simply superb and also assists in providing the available sweetness (or as I came to think of it as) a fruit forwardness note I briefly mentioned earlier. This particular note of fruit forwardness does seem to be a result of the Molasses and it is something to be expected. Because the Molasses note is present it does provide that medium level of sweetness but in the Mollasses form. Did I mention that the Molasses note is spectacular? Forgive me if I neglected to mention that little bit of information , please do forgive me as it is a terrible important item here and a note that is of ultra importance to the outcome of this wine and this review. There is a big difference I believe in the taste of a simple sugar and the taste (or note) of Molasses. To me a note of sugar can make a wine fruit forward enough to destroy it or create a sugar bomb (see my review)(http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-desert-wine-guy-keep-your-sugar-out.html) which I am certain we have all experienced before at some time or another. A nice Molasses note is on the sweet side but disguises that sweetness as Molasses which in a Red wine is surely more than acceptable in my book.

   So, we are at the point of wrapping this review up. What I rate this wine will remain a mystery for a little while longer but I will tell you again that I am indeed impressed. Here in my glass is a wine that I had Decanted for 1.5 hours prior to its tasting and it was a well deserved and productive time for sure. Do yourself a favor and give this  wine the time (3 hours) to open up as you would with any expertly made made red.  It is hard to simply lay out my feelings on such a full bodied and complex Merlot and you will have to forgive me to for elaborating so extensively but I did want to be able to persuade you that you must buy a at least three bottles of this wine. A peppery steak is begging for this wine to accompany it at Dinner. Black Tie event coming up in December and you want to impress the wine lover who invited you or has been a great friend of client? This wine is a fine choice. Bottom line here serious Merlot lovers is pick up at least three bottles of this wine. Why three you ask? Well, one bottle you must drink right now. Now you are down to two bottles of this wonderful wine. A special event takes care of another bottle bringing you now to one sad bottle left. You get my point? O.K, it is time for my rating of this wine. On The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale I am putting this wine at a comfortable ........ 94 points.

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