The Desert Wine Guy - 2017 Tuatea Sauvignon Blanc

   Today was a busy day in the Vineyard as I had some Pruning to do on the first year Tempranillo vines as well as a lot of general cleanup. After that it was time for a trip to Sam's Club to purchase some Cotton Candy Grapes (yum) and now it is time for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which will (hopefully) be enjoyed while sitting out back by the the Pool. So, what wine am I reviewing today? Well guys, today the wine that I am reviewing is the 2017 Tuatea Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand but first, I have a confession to make folks. I have found ny last few wines from the Marlborough region of New Zealand to be rather disappointing. I hope this wine can break that pattern and meet the expectations I have for what is supposed to be the best region in the world for Sauvignon Blanc. So here we go, let's get into this review and see what's up.
   Let's begin with th fact that this wine cost me a mere $5.99 at my local Trader Joe's and the alcohol percentage comes in at 12.6%. The wine is straight 100% Sauvignon Blanc and is not blended with any other varietal. Now I know that you may be asking yourself (or me), what can he be expecting for that price? Let me tell you something, keeping it real here as always with you guys, I am honestly sort of up in the air as far as what to expect from this inexpensive wine but, in the past I have received a lot from certain wines bought at this price point and hopefully this wine will be one of those wines, we will see.

   In my glass this wine presented itself an ever so slight golden in Color with lots of thin legs running down the sides of my glass. As I said, the alcohol is at a fairly low 12.6% and those legs represent that rather well.
   As for the Bouquet I am picking up notes of Honey Dew, nothing overpowering on one hand but yet not exactly shy on the other. Let's just say that this note was rather pleasing. A Note of Guava which was similar in strength to the Honey Dew appears and it is very welcoming. Last but not least is a Note of ripe Nectarine that helps add to the overall tropicalness of the Bouquet. Overall the wine exposes a rather simple yet tropically appealing Bouquet and one that is lively and is truly begging to be enjoyed at the Pool.
   Onto the Palette we go now and here is where the wine expresses it's further attributes nicely. Upon first sipping the wine you will notice an initial note of Lemon Zest that jumps right out at you and while not screaming, it is here and definitely speaking loudly. Subduing this Lemony Zest note just a bit is that note of Honey Dew that was on the nose. Both notes here are about at the same level of presentation and are welcomed by a strong bit of zippy Acidity that begins at mid-palette and simply doesn't end. If you guys are lovers of Lemongrass, you are in luck because as expected, that Note is really present here probably due to where the grapes are grown. The Lemongrass is very effective in the overall Palate presentation of the wine and helps in keeping the wine so lively and spirited. Up front and fruity as well as slightly vibrant, this lemongrass certainly does let you now it is there and it is actually instrumental in steering the direction of the wine. All you lovers of an in your face Sauvignon Blanc, you are in luck because this is not a wine that I would is in any way soft.

This is also an expression of the varietal that knows what crushed stone is and it is more than happy to offer it up freely here on the Palate. As I get further into tasting this wine I have to tell you that brightness & Palate clarity are Notes that this wine also offers up. So far, this $6 wine is really impressing the heck out of me people, I just hope it continues. There is one weird thing that I noticed that the wine exhibits and that is on my Tongue there was a slight fizz that I don't think came from Carbonation as there was none visible but it was almost that type of tingle that I picked up. The good thing was that this feeling actually helped in keeping the Palate lively and continuing on without any down time. Now, I know that I mentioned that the Bouquet of this wine was tropical however the wine itself is a bit restrained in that aspect so if you are expecting a really tropical Sauvignon Blanc you might be a little disappointed. To me, the Sauvignon Blanc varietal is so versatile that it can be good in so many different expressions including this one, it is not locked into being super dry or super tropical. Another thing this wine also brings to the table is a bit of sweetness and this bit of sweetness is just right as it is not overdone and does not take anything away from the rest of the wine. Folks, in case you haven't picked up on it yet, this is a very concentrated white wine, perhaps a hair bit too much actually as I found myself having very slight issues with the acidity on the Finish. Aside from that, this wine is a super tight structured wine for sure and in describing it overall I would certainly have to describe it as a Sauvignon Blanc that exposes a massive greenness to it. If you have ever heard the term "green" used to describe a white wine but never actually experienced it, then you absolutely must try this wine because it is the epitome of the phrase. I actually couldn't think of a term to describe this wine any better.

   Let's go ahead and break all this down as I close this review out. If you love the Marlborough interpretation of this varietal than you found Heaven. This wine (finally) is why the Marlborough region of New Zealand has it's reputation. Vibrancy, acidity, some tropicalness, bright, lively and spirited, this wine has it all and at a superb price as well. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I give this wine 93 points.

                                                                                                                                   The Desert Wine Guy


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The Desert Wine Guy - 2016 Josh Cellars, North Coast Reserve - Cabernet Sauvignon.

   Have you ever had the thought that if you see a wine too often and on the shelves of everywhere you go, that it must automatically be junk? What if Walmart even carries it, would that now cause you to think twice about buying it? If you do think this way and you answered yes to both (me) or either of these questions, don't feel bad guys because rightly or wrongly, I think the same way. As a matter of fact, that was the attitude that cropped up as I was looking on the stores wine shelves today. I saw the usual Tan label, Josh Cellars - Cabernet Sauvignon and thought, nah, I see that everywhere. Luckily, it just so happened that right next to that wine was this wine, the 2016 Josh Cellars, North Coast Reserve - Cabernet Sauvignon. Before I go on with the review I want to ask you guys one other question. What does the word "reserve" really mean when it is applied to a wine? The answer is.....nothing, absolutely nothing. I guess I shouldn't say "absolutely nothing" because it does actually mean something, it means the winery can charge more for that particular wine as the average consumer will believe the wine just has to be something special. What I am getting at is that the word has no legal meaning when it comes to a wine and can be applied to any wine, for any reason and without any justification. Guys, you know I'm The Desert Wine Guy and as such, I am above falling for the "reserve" thing. I am above that......right? In reality, I would like to think that I am but yet my curiosity got the best of me, it still led me to question if this wine behind this label would be different than the wine behind the other label. Is the wine really different though, let's find out.

   So, as I said. today's review is on the 2016 Josh Cellars, North Coast Reserve - Cabernet Sauvignon. I bought this wine from my local Supermarket for $17.99 as compared to $12.99 for the tan label Cabernet. The wine comes in at  14% on the alcohol scale and the grapes for this wine are from Napa, Sonoma, Lake County, Mendocino, and Red Hills.
   I will continue now and talk about the label on this wine. If this weren't the normal step in my reviews, I certainly would have made an exception for this particular wine. Just amazing, that is what my first thought was in relation to the label when I saw the bottle on the shelf. Eye catching is another thought I had and that I also believe fits this label as stunning Fonts and their colors exist in combination with one another. Look at that Gold and it's relation to the rest of the label guys, wow! If this wine isn't screaming elegance, I don't know what other wine is. On the shelf my eyes were just locked onto this bottle and I had to have it, and of course, because it was a reserve :)

   Let's move onto the Bouquet of the wine and see how it holds up to the labels silent promise of elegance. As I bring the wine to my Nose I have to say that I am certainly getting at least some immediate confirmation in reference to the labels  promise. Right away the wine is presenting a Cinnamon Note that is not exactly soft as it is certainly leading the way in the wines expression of perceived classiness. Helping this Note is a sense of what seems like a warm Cocoa Note which also seems to mix expertly with a bit of an alcohol Note. Together these three notes are simply all telling, teasingly delicious and together they present an awesome, incredible sense of perceived plushness as well. Slight oak mingles itself in here but is far from being dominate or even trying to dominate this wines Bouquet. Adding to this is a Cigar Box Note which is thankfully slightly more prominent than the oak and adds a bit more power to the wines Nose presentation. When everything is put together this wines Bouquet is very expressive and tells it like it is without being shy or pulling any punches.
    Let us go ahead and actually look at the wine now. On the Pour, I will tell you right now that the wine is very dark. Holding a white piece of paper below the wine the wine was just barely visible. There was an ever so slight clarity to the very edges but the wine was amazingly close to being completely dark red in totality. Massive and long Legs were ever-present on the sides of my glass and they ran quickly down the sides.

   Whew boy, I am excited to taste this wine folks. Looking at all that has been presented so far, what a shame it would be if the wine fell flat on its Palate presentation. Let me go ahead and get to that right now. When the wine hit my Palate and I swallowed it, I felt a slight alcohol burn that  lingered onto the Finish and slightly beyond. This actually isn't a negative as it not only went well with the Cocoa on the Bouquet but here on the Palate as well. After a short bit, this Note disappeared and left a lot of other Notes that this wine has to offer up and it certainly does have a lot to offer up. As I continue on here, Cinnamon & Cocoa Notes transferred on over from the Bouquet to the Palate nicely and they were rather upfront as well. The plushness, that the label seemed to promise is really evident here and is very forward as well. I don't want you thinking however that these Notes block the other Notes that the wine has to offer up because it certainly does not so don't worry. These Cinnamon & Cocoa Notes are present from the Opening all the way to the Finish (which is long). What really jumps in and helps these Notes be even more effective is that ability to create that awesome plushness, it's incredible. Massive ripe black fruit is so very in your face in this wine as well. There are spicy accents that seem to come in and out rather quickly all the while keeping the Palate in a constant state of juiciness & liveliness. Fresh and ripe Black Cherry just explodes onto the Palate combined with a roasted nut Note as well. These Notes are so super forward and also mesh so very well with a bold, Black-Current Note. The Black-Currant doesn't come close to presenting itself as Tannin's sometimes can. In this case, the Note adds a sense of depth & a bit of Tannins as well to the wine which is really nice. Speaking of Tannin's, they are present but are really fine-grained in this wine and are not Tongue coating. Let's talk about a juicy Blackberry now. I find this note coming in just after Mid-Palate and it is ripe. Here is where I begin to find fault with the wine. This ripeness the wine loves so much is where an issue crops up concerning the wine for me and leads me to telling you that this is unfortunately a rather fruit-forward wine with a good bit of jamminess to it.

 Let me talk for a second about the jamminess for a minute. Some of the Notes in the wine such as the Cinnamon do their best to try to lessen the impact of the jamminess and make it a bit more palatable but in the end, it is in a fight where it is in way over its head because jamminess & fruit forwardness is really over the top. As I move away from this big fault, the other Notes seem to know their place in the wine and they come in at just the right point on the palate. Let's go ahead and talk about a Mid-Palate Note of Clove because there certainly is one. This Clove Note is like I said at Mid-Palate but it is like a transporting vehicle of sorts as all the rest of the Notes seem to ride on it which in the end is almost but not quite a sort of saving grace for this jammy, fruit forward wine. Topping all this off are light Mid-Palate Notes of Toast & Tobacco. Both of these Notes shine through very nicely and are also a prominent part of why this wine excels to the point in which it does. There is an intensity to the wine as it harnesses all of its flavors in order to present to you everything it can.
    Alright folks, so we are at the conclusion paragraph of this review. I have to begin here by coming back to my warning that this wine is big time fruit-forward & jammy? Normally, this would immediately kill a red wine for me but in this particular case, I sort of don't mind it. The wine has a lot to offer in the way of a decent level of complexity and that certainly helps. The wine brings a richness along with it but certainly has more than enough to elevate it beyond the usual fruit forward & jammy red which is so very common today. Folks, the wine is juicy, semi-complex and lush, all at the same time. It is hard for me to rate this wine as I am normally very hard on these types of wine as I find most of these types of wine really have noting going for them but in this case, this is not your normal wine. The wine manages to pull it out though but overall this is one of those wine where I am going to give it two ratings. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I am giving this wine 90 points BUT I can certainly see the newer generation of Cabernet Sauvignon lovers giving it 93 points so take your pick as Old School says 90, New School says 93

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                                                                                                                 The Desert Wine Guy

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