The Desert Wine Guy - A Review Of The Wine Reviewer - An Update

   Today I want to re-visit or update an article that I wrote about a couple of years ago. Today I want to revisit an article about the wine reviewer / critic. Many of you out there actually rely on these individuals in order to choose the particular wines that you are going to buy. What people fail to also realize however is that these wine reviewers are also very important to wineries and wine businesses as well. Let me give you an example. If a famous wine critic happens to say that a particular wine is bad, the sales of that wine can be negatively effected. There was a movie entitled "Sideways" that had a particular line in it by the character named "Miles" that said "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving, I am NOT drinking any (expletive) Merlot!". While Merlot sales dropped simply because of the movie, sales of the varietal Pinot Noir (which was praised in the movie) actually went up 16%. Some wine reviewers hold a lot of sway as to whether a wine sells well or not. If these wine critics happen to say that a particular wine is great, the sales of that wine can be positively effected and a lot of money can be made. The money side again also includes not only the winery but the wine establishments that we visit to buy out wine. On the other hand, these wine critics can also single handedly destroy a wines potential for sales. While this may seem like common sense to some, to others it isn't something they really think about. Some people will simply read that wine critic "A" loves a particular wine and they will go out and buy that wine. If enough people go out and buy that particular wine of course, up go the sales and therefore profit for all involved except for the consumer of course who might not benefit if they don't like the wine. At the bottom line there is one reality. Wine critics critique wine and get paid as their living to do so, they make money. Now, with that understanding let's move on.
   How long would a wine critic be around if he bombed wines from a winery, vineyard, magazine or store that he actually worked for or was getting paid either officially or unofficially by ? The answer of course is, he wouldn't be around long at all. Let me give you an example. When was the last time you read about or went to a winery who was just releasing a particular wine or their wines in general and advertised that wine or their other wines it to be of the worst vintage or wines they have ever experienced or made? Yeah, me neither.   Here is another example. If a certain wine reviewer works for a particular popular wine magazine do you think that there might be a chance that there are (unofficial) incentives involved in giving high acclaim to particular wines who in turn give (unofficial) incentives to the magazine? How many of you have ever heard of the term "pay to play"? For years record companies were paying radio stations to play their music or promote performers more often than other music or performers, this is illegal and the government stepped in and SUPPOSEDLY put a stop to it. Go ahead right now and Google the term (pay to play) and see if you are convinced that the practice has indeed stopped. How about wine distributors? Have you ever gone to a wine tasting in a store or elsewhere and been told that a particular wine that they have available for tasting that day is not good and that it is suggested that you don't buy it? Once again, yeah me neither. Did you also know that there are investors and collectors who just wait for wine critics to rate a particular wine before deciding whether to go buy the wine? Let's break this down now. What this means is that if a particular wine critic loves a particular wine there are tons and tons of people who will go buy that wine solely because 1 person whom they never met says it's great. I hope you also know that that particular wine will jump in price as well. A particular vineyard that had a huge hit (review) on last years vintage will boost the price of the next years vintage through the roof. Let's take a particular Champagne as an example for a second. We have all heard of Dom Perignon. When was the last time you have read a review on that particular Champagne? I haven't seen that particular Champagne rated well in a long time. What if I told you that I had a bottle of the Champagne that has been kept chilled and out of the Sun for 5 years and I wanted to sell it to you for $10? I bet many people would take me up quickly on that offer solely based upon the name. What if I told you that that particular champagne in the 2003 vintage was rated only at 91 points by two big wine magazines yet sold for $159.99? Does that sound like a great deal? What if I told you that the 2003 Don Perignon "Kooms" Brut Rose Champagne was rated at 94 points by a famous wine critic yet sells (http://www.totalwine.com/wine/champagne-sparkling-wine/champagne/rose/dom-perignon-brut-rose/p/12558750?s=1204&igrules=true) for $419.99?

To me that is outrageous. Can you now see how a vineyard or winery name or a particular review / reviewer can carry a product (good or bad) sometimes for many years? As with all products that become "hot" it all comes down to marketing or advertising. Do some wine reviewers get paid for their positive reviews? That I cannot answer for you. My opinion is, yes they do.What I can tell you though is what I always tell you in my reviews and that is my opinion. I firmly believe that there are reviewers of all different products including wine that get "benefits" for reviewing certain wines or products in a positive light. I once had a wine Dinner with a winemaker from a prominent wine vineyard and when my Wife and the winemakers handler went to the bathroom I was finally able to talk to him one on one. His answers to some of my questions along the lines of this article reinforced my views and beliefs that there is indeed a lot of "pay to play" in the wine industry. I guess the old saying of buyer beware still holds.

   O.K so your next question should be, what about you there Desert Wine Guy? You review wines. That is a good question and here is my response. Without giving away too much personal information I will tell you that I have had my job for the last 24 years. My family and I are comfortable. I really  do this whole wine thing (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and this wine blog) in my spare time because I enjoy it and it helps keep me and my kids in shape in the garden. As I have said previously many times, I don't do this for money. I also do this to tell you about good wines, bad wines and what is going on in the wine world. I hope that you guys do notice that when I get an invite or a wine that is comped I do disclose that fact to you, the reader, right away, Now of course it is still left up to you to believe me or not believe me but I guess you could also assume that I have an ulterior motive behind all this. I have a way around all the doubts though and I'd like you guys to think about this. If you read an article about a wine that I have reviewed and liked or loved, say for instance the 2009 Vino Egui, Tempranillo Reserve (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-desert-wine-guy-2009-vino-egui.html) and the description that I give you as far as the wines notes what you can do is read the review first and see if what I am describing in the wine is what you would like in your wine. If the description sounds good than go buy the wine as a test. In this case the wine costs $4.99 which is a very small price to pay to see if you have found someone who has your taste at least in that particular varietal. If you determine that your tastes match mine than you might have found someone that you can follow and trust, again at least in that varietal. If on the other hand your tastes do not match mine that you know that you know at least on that varietal that our likes do not match and move to someone else on that particular varietal if you so choose.
  

   So that's about all for this article, it's pretty straight forward but I have discovered that for some people they aren't thinking along the lines I have laid down in this article. I hope however that I have opened some eyes with my thoughts today. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this article.

                                                                                                             The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2009 Vino Egui, Tempranillo Reserve

2009 Vino Egui, Tempernillo Reserve

   Today I am excited to once again be reviewing my absolutely favorite varietal of wine. For those of you who aren't regular readers of this wine blog I'll go ahead and tell you that the varietal I am talking about is that of  the Tempranillo, which means "early one" due too it's early ripening. Today's wine review is on the 2009 Vino Egui, Tempranillo Reserve from Spain. Let's now go ahead and discuss a little about this varietal as well as it's growing in Spain. By the way this wine was purchased at Costco for $7.99.

Tempranillo Grapes On The Vine

   The Tempranillo (Tem-prah-nee-yoh) grape is native to Northern Spain with the area of Rioja being the preferred area and further South the area of Ribera Del Duero being the preferred area. Tempranillo is the most widely planted grape in Spain and is used in blending other varietals such as Port. Tempranillo makes up for approximately 75% of Riojas Vineyards. Although Spain is famous for their Tempranillo, California has been growing the varietal since 1996 and originally named it Valdepenas up until 1996 when the BATF officially chose the name of Tempranillo. So, that is a little bit about the grape and I hope I was able to she some light on it for those of you who might develop a sudden interest in the grape after reading this review. It is now time to move on to the main body of this review. 

Different Styles Of Tempranillo

Valdepeñas

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Copyright © Wines & Vines

Valdepeñas

Read more at: https://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=features&content=50428
Copyright © Wines & Vineshas been planting this varietal for around 100 years the grape is best known and grown in Spain. There are usually three different labeling requirements for Tempranillo, here is a breakdown of the three. The first one is "Vin Joven" These Tempranillos are released while they are young and meant to be drank right away. These are usually not seen outside of Spain. The second is 'Crianza". This Tempranillo requires 2 years and 6 months in Oak. The third is "Reserva" our review wine). These Reds are aged for 3 years with 1 year in Oak. The last is called "Gran Reserva". These reds are aged for a minimum of 5 years with 18 months in Oak. The Tempranillo varietal is also known for it's strong Tannins and high acidity that add to the wines complexity and body.

   From the beginning I will put it out there and tell you that this wine is seriously impressing me. I gave the wine no time for Decanting due to the fact that I originally had no intention of actually tasting this wine but was sort of forced into doing a tasting of it as this was actually a substitute bottle that I opened in place of another wine that I had originally planned to review. That wine I originally had opened and intended to review was the 2012 Supper Club Cabernet Sauvignon. That particular wine was Decanted for approximately 1 hour and tasted. The wine didn't last 5 minutes in my glass before the entire bottle went down the sink, good bye!. Thankfully the replacement bottle is our review wine because simply put, this wine is great. This wine is why my preference / appreciation for a Spanish Tempranillo (especially from the La Rioja region) has developed and why I would choose the Spanish version over an American version which to me seems a light lighter and does not seem to have as much complexity nor that peppery note that I have grown to appreciate and look for in the varietal. So, let's go ahead now and discuss the Bouquet of this wine because this is truly where the greatness begins. A super and intense note of  dark spiciness on the nose makes your senses come alive. Simply by what I am getting from the nose is making my mouth water. The nose also presents a good amount of French Oak and lively dark Licorice. An ultra wonderful note of earth is incredibly blasting its way to the mouth of the glass but stopping just short enough to allow for complimenting of the other notes without overpowering them. There are notes of black fruit that are escaping the

La Rioja Wine Map

glass as well and the overall result is a Bouquet that seems to never want to stop showing the wine off. There very simply is a lot going on here folks and just enjoying this Bouquet could almost be enough to satisfy me. Continuing on the nose is also a superior note of smoke as well. Once again I cannot say enough great things about the nose on this $7.99 (later to be $4.99) wine. In fact I'm going to go on about the great Bouquet if you don't mind. The notes of Vanilla and rich berry across the nose really made me breath deeply in the glass in amazement. Topping it all off is a smoky Tobacco note. Folks I am telling you that this wine delivered an aromatic meal to the nose in a simple breath. If this wine review ended right here it would simply be a tease and I wouldn't do that to you. The wine deserves to be explored fully not only for it's own sake but for you, the readers sake. You don't want to miss this wine.
   Well, now it's time to dig a little further and go beyond the Bouquet and allow you to discover what I am discovering and that is just how truly amazing this wine is. As you read this please keep in mind that when I review a wine I will move between wine magazines to music DVDs and than back to writing notes on the wine in review. Between these things there might be 20 minutes that lapses. Of course these times will give me time to really taste a wine. O.K, let's move on now. I have been hoping for some time now since I first experienced the Bouquet that the wine, when on my Palatte wouldn't disappoint me. I have previously had wines that had really nice Bouquet but unfortunately simply failed miserably in presenting themselves well after that point. I am left wondering and

Varietal Characteristics

worrying, could that be the case here?  It's time to now find out. On the Palatte this wine is straight forward a true Spanish Tempranillo. Spice galore, Oak galore, Earthy galore, Tannins / acidity galore here even though this wine is 7 years old at the time of this writing and sold fairly recently for $7.99 and at this minute for $4.99, this wine has held up beautifully. On the pour I had (and you might have as well) some reservations due to it being a fairly light Red in the glass. I know I was somewhat concerned that this wine might fall flat on it's face.  I have previously tasted wines that do not show well in the glass only to turn out to be a wonderfully surprise when it came to the Palatte. I can tell you after tasting this wine that you should have no worries because this wine is in deed a powerhouse of a wine guys. This also is one of those wines that exhibits on the Palatte all of what it exhibited in power and finesse on the nose and more! Sensory overload here anyone? There is almost too much to talk about. I just want to scream out  "just get the wine" but I know that simply wouldn't suffice nor do any justice to this wine so lets move ahead. Dark spicy Oak on the Palatte is to be noted here and is expressed in a simple yet effective and straight forward way. Actually all the notes in this wine express themselves in a simple and effective way and that way is to simply blast those note onto your tongue and say "here we are" and they simply leave it at that for you to accept or not accept. Ripe, spicy, dark fruit are in abundance as well. To me the spice (peppery, earthy) in a Tempranillo is a must and decides whether the particular wine lives or dies in my view. The originators of this varietal designed the Tempranillo that way, this is a big component of the varietal and once you taste it you will understand. Simply said,  I can't have as Tempranillo without spice, lots of spice. The Oak in here when blended with the dark and earthy spice is, as Ralph Kramdon of the T.V show The Honeymooners always said is "to the Moon", not with Alice (his Wife on the show) this time but with flavor. This is a super dark (on the Palatte) Tempranillo and if you are not into this kind of wine don't waste your time. If however, you are into this type of Tempranillo than you have to hope you can still find a bottle. Folks the smoky Tobacco note that is on the nose displays itself here on the Palatte like a juicy steak.

A serious note of baking spice also envelops the Palatte along with the other dark notes mentioned to create a wine here that is almost as close to perfection as I have ever found. If you are wondering where the Tannins are don't worry because along with a crazy note of acidity come are the Tannins. The Tannins are powerful and very serious and they mean business. One last note I must talk about is that dark Cherry that is almost to the point of being no good BUT hasn't really gotten that far and is still at the height of flavor. Those of you who love Bing Cherries like the stores sell in the produce section at certain times of the year know what I am talking about. To me I don't like those cherries in that context when they are at that particular point mentioned of being ALMOST overripe HOWEVER, when I taste them in this nice deep red I loved it and feel that it really sets the wine off and in a way also gives it that smooth type note of powerful cherry. This wine is like a meal in a bottle folks with all that it has to offer. No shyness here in this wine at all. I think that the wine forgets that it sells for $7.99 instead of $100 wine and is not supposed to get this kind of a review. If you thought I was done with what this wine has to offer you would be wrong. This wine exhibits probably the darkest, purist Blackberry that I have ever tasted. Now I don't know if you are putting this all together in your mind as to what this wine is offering but let me tell you this, this wine is over the top in boldness, flavor, complexity and body. With all this being said, and I know it is a lot, let's go ahead and wrap it all up for you.
   Let's me start off this wrap up by telling you that as mentioned earlier I paid $7.99 for this wine. About 1 year later I came across it at Wine of The Month Club (http://www.wineofthemonthclub.com/product/c0816r1is/wine-shoppe) for $4.99 if it is still available when you read this. You read that correctly, $4.99. Needless to say I purchased 6 more bottles of the wine and three ended up in my wine cellar. In answer to your next question, yes, I do believe that this wine will continue to develop and only get better. With acidity levels at above average for the varietal. With a Blackberry note that is the deepest and purist level that I have ever tasted. With an earthiness that is unmatched. With Tannins that manage to stop just before the point of over doing it. With the darkest of dark Bing Cherry that you have ever tasted. With dark spices that take claim and ownership of the wine as they should, this expression of the Tempranillo classic is what all other Tempranillos should strive to beat. An expertly crafted Tempranillo from Spain that will make you stay away from all other countries versions of this wine forever. In closing I will tell you that the highest rating that I have ever given a wine is 97 points for the 2011 Peju Cabernet Sauvignon (http://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2014/05/2011-peju-cabernet-sauvignon.html) but I have to tell you guys that this wine came super close to tying that rating. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am putting this wine at a big, bold 95 points.

                                                                                                                 The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2014 Trader Joe's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

   So today I want to talk about the 2014 Trader Joe's Growers Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. This particular wine claims to be grown with organically grown grapes. Now whether that makes a difference in taste remains to be seen. I was at Trader Joe's (TJ)  a few weeks ago and while Mrs. Desert Wine Girl looked for Lettuce and Organic Tofu I was in the wine section. I have always liked TJ's for wine because they seem to have those wine labels that no one has ever heard of. Whether it is small producers that the big warehouse stores don't carry or wine from small countries that are just starting to come up into the wine world, they seem to excel at finding interesting wines. TJ also has their own label of wine as well. Aside from their own label they love to sell the ahhh....famous, "Two Buck Chuck". While the TJ's own label wines have come under some hard times as far as ratings I was actually unaware of this at the time I purchased our review wine. Well here is what I have to say about one of their own label wines.
   So let's get straight to this. While holding the TJ Sauvignon Blanc to a White piece of paper I didn't see too much color in the wine. The wine was almost clear like water. On the nose the wine showed a little more impressive. The bouquet was filled with loads of Pear, Nectarine and the ever so slight but nice hints of Grapefruit and Peach. A nice job on the nose here folks and I am looking forward to seeing how this will be on my Palette. For the mouth feel of this wine there is the slightly dominate presence of Grapefruit and Lemon blended with Honey Dew. There is an Alcoholic finish that some might find harsh however that is on the finish. Now, let's put this all together and see whether it fits into being a wine worth buying or not.
   When the Cork was first removed my nose was swarmed with with scent os Pear, Nectarine, Peach and Honeydew but unfortunately the Bouquet does not materialize in the mouth to the extent that you would think or expect. The Nectarine and Honeydew are there but the other fruit notes have all but disappeared. Everything that the Bouquet leads you to believe this wine to be is not translated very well onto the Palette. If you go into this wine thinking you are in for a complex tasting Sauvignon Blanc you will be disappointed. This wine is extremely dry. There also is not even a hint of Sugar which you would think might be there since there is all that fruit on the nose. If you love a very dry, very lightly fruited, Grapefruit dominate wine then you might like this wine but this doesn't seem like a wine that will have broad appeal at all. This also isn't very characteristic of the varietal of Sauvignon Blanc either. The wine is lacking any form of Pepper or Grassiness that the varietal is known for. The wine is Crisp but flat.

   Well there you have it folks, my first review of a Trader Joe's self labeled wine. Unfortunately this first review was not of a wine that I could recommend to you. Whether this is a representation of all of TJ's own label wine is hard to say and not fair since this the only review of them I have done but right now what I can say with assurance is stay away from this particular wine.

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