2017 Chateau Ste Michelle, Chardonnay

   Today certainly is a humid one here in Central Florida and after working a bit in the garden, completing my daily workout routine & finally crawling to the pool :) I think I deserve a bottle of Chardonnay. As fate would have it, the other day Mrs. Desert Wine Girl was kind enough to actually surprise me with a bottle of Chardonnay, and luckily for me, it's been chilling in the fridge for the past few days. Hold on a minute please while I get it, I'll be right back.

   Okay, I am back now and as you already know, today's wine review is of a Chardonnay, the 2017 Chateau Ste Michelle, Chardonnay (https://www.ste-michelle.com/) to be exact. The wine sells locally for around $11 and is cork sealed. The alcohol percentage of the wine is 14% and even though the winery does own two different vineyards, as with the other wines in this series of offerings, Chateau Ste Michelle says that the grapes for this wine come from "world-class vineyards in the Columbia Valley". In plain English, that means they source their grapes from different vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State which they might own or have control of (Estate grown) or might not own or have control of. This can be either a good thing or a bad thing as it can at times be in certain instances a sign of a label or offering where not too much effort was put into the wine. The vines for this wine are 100% Vitis Vinifera Rootstock as the dreaded phylloxera bug has thankfully not been found in the vineyards probably due to the area's weather in the winter months. The wine is 100% Chardonnay, sat Sur lie, and aged for more than six months in a mix of both French and American oak barrels (10% new) as well. In order to further affect the tasting profile of the wine, 42% of the grapes were tank (think Steel) fermented.                                                                        

    Moving on now to the label of this wine, I like it. I think the design is perfect and goes so very well with the color of the bottle as well as with my knowledge of the varietal of wine that is in the bottle. I love the picture of the Chateau on the label and think it is in proper proportion to everything else on the label. I also think the gold label around the neck of the bottle adds a nice touch.
   Taking a long look at the wine now there is an incredibly nice looking large gold lip too it. The rest of the wine is a very super light pale straw in color but also possesses a sort of clarity as well to it. As for the Legs of the wine, there were select areas where there were numerous skinny Legs but other large areas where there was more of a coating on the glass that appeared to be prohibiting them. These areas have a clear almost oily type coating to them.
   Now, onto the Nose of the wine we go. Right off the bat here, there is a modest Buttery sense or perception to the wine that I am getting. This perception is intermixed with a nectarine Note as well as a good bit of peach on the back end. Topping off this Bouquet is some rather nice cream & spice Notes.
   As for the Palate now, I must start off with the fact that there is a very noticeable flatness to the wine when really chilled which begins just after the Mid-Palate and continues through to the Finish. It's really unfortunate how that flatness is so successful in injecting itself in the wine, it seems as if it is fighting the wine in some ways and is another Note which is purposefully hindering the wine from excelling. As the wine warms a bit that flatness thankfully seems to lessen to a great degree and is thankfully much less of a drawback. Also right away as well I need to warn Chardonnay lovers that a good bit too much of the feared Malolactic Fermentation is present in this wine, at least for my liking.
This Malolactic Fermentation which is in reality not really a Fermentation at all as it doesn't use yeast, is usually tasted in this varietal as a sometimes oily/buttery type Note and in this wine, it is a good bit overdone for my liking. Many times expressions of this varietal are known for this oily/butteriness when allowed to sit for a long time in oak, some like it and others such as myself, do not, especially when presented to the extent it is here. As I continue on now, I am getting a slightly sugary Golden Apple and a nice bit of Stone Fruit as well. A big-time spice Note is present on the Palate and is one of the few positive aspects of the wine. The wine also exhibits a type of creaminess on the Palate that is instrumental in its presentation and is rather nice and enjoyable as well. The wine, unfortunately, however, fails in its presentation overall as it does not possess any level of crispness or acidity nor does it poses any amount of lemon or grapefruit to it, I think the varietal should exhibit these Notes as a given. As I continue here I have to tell you that the wine displays an overdone level of sweetness/tropicalness that is certainly a fault and out of place to be a good representation of the varietal.

   On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I am giving this wine 85 points as I am not impressed. I have seen other so-called "professional" reviewers issuing scores for this wine at 89 or 90 and I am not exactly sure why. The wine is "off" and unbalanced. The wine is missing quite a bit of the very basic Notes for which a Chardonnay should be displaying. I guess the bottom line is what do you yourself expect from the Chardonnay varietal? As you can probably tell, I myself expect an awful lot more then this wine is able to offer up. When I review a wine in general, I rate it based upon the established criteria of that particular varietal. In the case of this wine, I expect the wine to come as close as it can to the full range of what a Chardonnay is supposed to exhibit. I ask you guys, how much fairer can a wine reviewer be? I think that I have said more than enough when it comes to this wine. The bottom line is that I do not recommend this wine if you are in the market for even a halfway decent Chardonnay.

                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy

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2017 Buck Shack - Cabernet Sauvignon

   Guys welcome back to my wine blog. Today we are going to be talking about a fairly inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon that I bought at my local Supermarket. It seems as of late that I am finding all my wines at the local Supermarket actually. I guess I like the convenience of doing my shopping and picking up some wine at the same time. I will tell you that the pickings, however, are getting rather slim as there are some wines they carry that I simply have no interest in such as Barefoot & Sutter Home to name just two. Well anyway, there I was having a rather hard time finding a wine that I might want when my eyes suddenly locked onto this particular one due to its striking label. Although I wasn't really looking for red wine, I simply couldn't resist it. So, here I am a few days later now sitting out back by the pool and for some reason, I am dying to taste the wine so let's get right into this review.
   So as I was saying in the opening paragraph, my eyes locked onto this wine as the label is that enticing. If there ever was a wine whose label needed to be talked about this is definitely this one. At first, I thought this wine was one of those new-fangled "fad" type reds that are being made in old Bourbon Barrels but after reading the label a little closer I realized thankfully that was not the case although the winery does make a Cab that does sit in Bourbon Barrels for a time.

   Let's begin by finding out a little about this wine. I'll start off by telling you that the alcohol percentage for this wine is slightly higher than normal for the varietal and comes in at 14.9%. The wine is part of the Shannon Ridge (https://shannonridge.com/our-wines/) line up of wines and the Winemaker for the wine is Joy Merrilees. The grapes for this wine come from the Red Hills in the AVA of Lake County, Ca and there were only 11,000 cases of this wine made. The wine is a small blend being 80% Cabernet Sauvignon & 20% Petite Sirah and sat in both American as well as French Oak for 12 months. The bottle is also thankfully Cork sealed, no screw cap here. Let's move now to discussing the label on this wine bottle.
   Folks, in my opinion, the label absolutely SCREAMED "classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, I do think the name on the label is rather odd and taken by itself, I wouldn't care for it but combine it all together into this package and WOW! Guys just look at the Fonts and the size of those Fonts which are used for the name "Buck Shack", is that not crazy great? I love the drawing of the Buck to go with the name as well. As I continue to look at the label (and as I have already said) I see that this is another wine from the AVA of  Lake County, California and I have to say that I have been rather impressed with that area as of late at least as far as red wine goes. The way everything is placed on the label has been so well thought out folks. Admittedly, this is a busy label and there is a lot going on here but it all tells you something cool about the wine. As for the back label, It is very well designed as well although a lot less busy and there is actually an explanation of where the "Buck Shack" name came from, it is an old Bourbon Shack located on the property.

Joy Merrilee, Winemaker, Shannon Ridge

    Let's talk about what this wine looks like for a minute. On the Pour, the wine displays a fierceness of sorts as it displays itself a nice dark Burgundy. As I look further at the wine as it is sitting in my glass now, I can just barely see through it to the white paper underneath it. There is the tiniest bit of a clear edge to the wine but just the tiniest bit. As far as "Legs" go there were a lot and they were fairly thick and dripped rather quickly.
   Now I get even closer to tasting the wine. Here is where I talk about the Bouquet of this wine. First up and extremely nice is a good bit of a rustic Cigar Box Note. This was actually rather a surprise to me as I just didn't expect that Note to come from this fairly inexpensive a wine. Following this Note up are the Notes of both Raspberry & Cranberry and they are attempting to convince me that this wine could possibly have some complexity to it but they also bring some hints that this could possibly be a wine with rather nice depth to it. As a final Note here on the Bouquet I must include a nice bit of Cocoa which is rather apparent and most definitely enjoyed yet certainly is not overdone. I have one final thought here and that is, on one hand, nothing on the Nose of this wine rushes out in what I would call "attack" mode yet, on the other hand, these Notes are very effectively presented and I am certainly enjoying them.

   Now, folks, I get to tell about what the wine tastes like because you can have the most beautiful label and the nicest smelling wine but if the wine itself is badly made what good is it all? So, let me take a few sips of this wine and I'll get back with you....... Okay, I'm back and......WOW!! This is a $15 wine guys, who would have thought? I am truly at a loss for words here and I don't know where to start. I'll just cut to the chase here and let you know that I want....no....need to tell you my rating of this wine right upfront. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I am giving this wine a straight to the top 96 points. How about that for cutting to the chase? I'm not going to play any games here guys, the wine very simply, rocks. At this point, I have had the opportunity to have taken quite a few sips of this wine and have had time to sit back and think about what I was tasting as well, and what I have tasted is a true powerhouse of a wine. Now even though I have given so much away so early, I guess I will back this review up a bit and start from the beginning of the tasting. Leading off here are two simply phenomenal notes of both Cassis & rustic Cigar Box. These Notes coat the Tongue wonderfully but not so heavily as to hinder you from tasting everything else the wine is ready to throw out at you. For all of you "Old School" Cabernet Sauvignon lovers, this is your wine. That rustic Cigar Box Note that I got on the Nose translates smoothly right over onto the Palate and nicely intermixes with that Cassis to thrust both Notes out front as the lead Palate Notes of the wine. Following very quickly on the heels of these Notes is a robust and effective Black Pepper spice, I guess it would be fair to go ahead and add the Note in with the other two as Notes which lead off this wine and form the dominant Notes which steer the Palate presentation of this wine. These Notes envelop your Palate with that classic Cabernet Sauvignon power that made the varietal famous in the first place and shows why it earned the title "The King of Reds".

Big Valley AVA Lake County

Just as your mouth is taking these three Notes in and enjoying them there is another Note which comes into play and that Note is one of fresh Blackberry and it is almost as prominent but still just as amazing as the first three Notes are. Amazingly there is no clash of flavors here so don't think that your Palate is pulled or tugged in different ways as it is not. When combined, all of these Notes are just very simply classicly amazing as well as ripe, juicy & delicious. So, $15 huh? I'm sorry guys but I can't get over it. Please allow me to continue. A wonderfully smooth bit of Cocoa is present and also brings with it just a tad bit of richness however it is so very properly placed. Have you ever tasted a wine and picked up a Note in it that would be so much better if placed at another point in that wine? If you have then rest assured, that is not the case here. Getting back for a second to the word "richness" that I used, I don't want to scare anyone who loves a real Cabernet Sauvignon (me) as this Note of richness is not able to overpower any of the other Notes nor does it gain any traction in doing what it normally does to a red wine which is to drag that wine into a fruit-forward, sweetness type Hell. I say all this because I don't want you guys to shy away from this wine thinking that it is a fruit bomb because that is definitely not the case. Yes, the wine does present the ever so slightest bit of fruit forwardness but I do mean the ever so slightest bit and it acts as more of an opportunity to add a certain level of juiciness then anything else. As I said, the wine is not sweet nor is it a Generation Z (21-23-Year-olds) type of red wine. It is not for the new to drinking generation who is just so happy to be getting drunk that they will drink a Boones Farms type wine or something along that line and love it, no, this is a class act. As I continue to experience this wine I am without a doubt enjoying a tremendous succulence and juiciness that makes that previously mentioned black peppery spice even better, the wine has this opulence to it and I'm in Heaven. Guys, I'm not done by any means describing this wine. As I continue on here I can't forget to mention some rather fairly big-time Baking Spice that jumps right out at you and it is wonderfully delicious beyond belief. Okay folks, I have to tell you a bit of an insider secret. While reviewing this wine I had to stop but NOT because the wine was bad, perhaps it was due to the alcohol content and the fact that I hadn't eaten recently, I don't know but I did not find it a drawback in any way. The wine was left with a stopper in the Mouth of the bottle to prohibit any air from ruining it and today I am back to complete this review so let's pick up where I left off yesterday. Getting back to the Baking Spice, I just love how that Note intermingles with the Blackberry I mentioned above, it is to the point of being outstanding without a doubt. I wish you folks could just taste this wine right now. Alright, guys, one last thing I want to discuss and that is Tannins. Did you say, Tannins there DWG? Yes, that is what I said. These are not the Tannins of a wine that was just created and can sit for another 20 years but they certainly are the Tannins of a wine that can be cellared and was superbly made with a future in mind as well as a wine which is deadly serious about itself. These Tannins also bring a dark astringency of sorts to the wine but not to the point where you will be scraping them off of your Tongue. This astringency blends just superbly with everything else this wine has to present to you especially that Black Pepper. Guys, I could probably go on here but I think you have got the point. With that being said, let's get to the conclusion of this review as I realize it is a rather long one.

Shannon Ridge Winery

   This is a powerful and complex wine indeed and presents a great sense of attitude in what it brings to the Palate. I have to say though that I am rather disappointed but not surprised that this wine is not reviewed more then it is. I have only found one wine magazine/reviewer talking about and reviewing this wine, perhaps there was no money paid (oops, did I say that). When I drink this wine I get the feeling of enjoying a Cab from the likes of the Peju, BV, or even the Stags Leap Wineries, Yes, the wine is that serious. I bet you if you put a paper bag around the bottle and presented it at your next wine tasting party against any one of those Napa Valley Cabs I mentioned asking your guests what they thought of it and how much they think the wine cost, they would be in amazement of the wine and give price guesses of at least $75, guaranteed. This wine, especially at the price of $15 makes me think that it was made by a new Winemaker who truly knows their stuff and hasn't been picked up by a Napa Valley Winery just yet. I suggest that Shannon Ridge hold on to Mrs. Merrilee because she is going to bring great things to the winery in the future, in fact, she already has as evidenced in the creation of this wine. The wine very simply rocks, it is outstanding, it is the real deal, it is what a Cabernet Sauvignon should be. Don't let the price fool you because this is a "sleeper" and will eventually come to people's attention as will the Winemaker. I have already given my rating on this wine so I will end this review with the fact that I am going out tomorrow to buy at least two more bottles.

                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy

P.S - Just prior to the posting of this article I was able to pick up only one bottle of this lovely wine as that was all that was left (even the winery is sold out) and it is currently happily aging in my Wine Cellar.

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2019 Los Vascos - Sauvignon Blanc

2019 Los Vascos - Sauvignon Blanc

   As I sit down to write this review, America as a country is pretty much Locked-down. As always, I will stay out of politics here on this channel but I will ask that everyone please keep in mind the following....." power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Now, onto wine.
   Before I start off into this wine I must thank Dana Bruneau of Cuvee & Co. (http://cuveeco.com/) for sending me this wine. Cuvee & Co. is a digital and social marketing firm specializing in enological and viticultural pursuits of all kinds. Mrs. Bruneau has sent me wines from Barron De Rothschild Lafite (such as this wine is) in the past and for the most part other than for one wine, I have to say that they have all been simply wonderful. When Mrs. Bruneau presented me with the invitation to once again taste some wines from the same Producer I was very excited and couldn't resist, especially to taste a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay under Barron De Rothschild ownership. Let's go ahead now and get into this wine now.

   Today's wine review is on the 2019 Los Vascos - Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca Chile (http://www.lafite.com/en/the-domaines/vina-los-vascos/the-wines/los-vascos-sauvignon-blanc/). Let's start off here with the following facts concerning this wine. The wine is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The bottle is Cork sealed and the wine comes in at 13% Alcohol. The vineyard (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gqii4adhxguffxo/AADy2o8XUrln0vIgIC9nmfppa/Los%20Vascos/Press%20Kit?dl=0&preview=Los+Vascos+Sustainability.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1) the grapes come from is very much into sustainability, like to the max. Looking at their website, it really appears as if they take that idea to heart and completely embrace it. The production of this wine is limited to only 25,000 cases and the wine retails for $10.
   Let's go ahead and check out the label on this wine now. Guys, I am really liking what I am seeing right now. I absolutely love classic labeling. I am also getting the impression at least of a super classy and prestigious white wine being held within the bottle but I guess what else would one expect from a wine produced by Barron De Rothschild Lafite, right? I like the back label as well here as it is really informative and provides quite a bit of useful information, thankfully overshadowing the Surgeon Generals warning.

Sauvignon Blanc Grapes Hanging

    So now I want to get to the Bouquet for a bit. Upon bringing the glass to my nose now I get a light yet sufficient Note of Gooseberry. This Note is not as in your face as it can be at times from the New Zealand expression of the varietal but nevertheless is still present in a nice way. I am getting faint yet effective Notes of both semi-ripe Nectaurine & Peach as well here. These Notes are not at what I would consider to be dominating on the Nose but they are appreciated and nice. I am also enjoying a Lemon Note which is at the same presentation level as the other three Notes. Before I move on now I have to tell you that the Bouquet leaves the perception firmly rooted in my mind of a wine possessing the varietally, non-traditional, extreme crispness & boldness Notes of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal. If this wine shows itself off on the Palate as it does on the Nose, I am in for a unique experience.
   Now I am excited to actually look at the wine and tell you what I am seeing. Stunningly, as I look at the wine while it is held over a white background I see a sharply presented silver in color liquid sitting in my glass. The wine exhibits a brilliance or clarity to it that is almost unmatched. Now as I remove the background and look straight at the wine as it sits on the table in my glass I get a wine that switches to a nice light gold in color but still maintains that brilliance/clarity to it. I can't help but think of the words "classy", "clean", "brilliance" & "delightful" as I look at the wine. As I move to the wines Palate presentation now I will see if any of these descriptions continue to hold true.

Cellars at Chateau Lafite Rothschild

   On the Palate now I have to first tell you that my feelings on what the Nose was showing as far as "classy" & "clean" absolutely do translate over onto the Palate. Folks, my Mouth is almost bursting with acidic citrus flavor. The wine is weird in the fact that the first Note I get though is a bit of semi sweetness from that Peach and Nectarine combination but very quickly (almost immediately actually) this seems to reverse itself and is overtaken by the citrus Notes of both lemon along with a hair bit of lime. Wow, this wine is truly throwing out what I would definitely say is quite a lively, fresh & clean Palate guys. A small bit of Honeydew sweetness is present here as well and I think now that this, as well as the Peach & Nectarine, is where that initial bit of sweetness comes from that I previously mentioned. As I sit out back and sip on this wine I can't help but to appreciate the boldness and overall Palate cleanness of this wine. Following these Notes up is one of ripe pear which interjects itself rather nicely at Mid-Palate as it helps the other tropical notes sort of steer the wine away being too acidic or bright due to the Lemon & Lime acidity. I have to address the word of "sweetness" for a moment. These normally sweeter fruits do create a permanent presence in the wine but because they themselves are restrained, they can't even come close to altering the direction of this wine to that of a wine whose grapes were grown in hot weather. Continuing now, Lychee also creates a nice presence here and while on one hand, it is not exactly what I would consider to be subtle, on the other hand, it is not what I would consider to be overwhelming either, it is good though. This Lychee makes no attempt at taking the lead and seems to be very content on being in second or perhaps even third place knowing that it can be just as effective. The wine displays a substantial bit of minerality as well on the Palate and is not in the least bit shy in exposing it. Mixed into the wine is also a bit of an Orange Zest type Note that is present towards the Finish of the wine but is rather low key and well placed nonetheless. As a last Palate Note here I must add that the wine throws in a hint of a slight peppery Note that is dispersed throughout the presentation of the wine and I love it as I feel that it truly completes the package. This is a rather complex Sauvignon Blanc folks and is not the typical offering from the likes of California nor for that matter Marlborough, New Zealand that we all (including myself ) seem to love.  One last thing now, I have to let you know as it is something else of importance, a heads up of sorts I guess you could say. The wine possesses a bit too much of a sharpness at the Mid-Palate as it warms a bit so be vigilant on the ice bucket. I am glad that up until the end I was able to maintain the temperature of the wine. Well, guys, it is indeed time to conclude this review.

Eric Kohler, Technical Director of the Bordeaux Châteaux,

   As we are now at my final thoughts I will straight out tell you, warn you that if your Palate preference is locked into the New Zealand or California expressions of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal then this might not be a wine for you. This wine carries with it a very unique expression of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal and while it does hold to some similar common characteristics of the wine from those mentioned areas, it is unique in its dryness and its Lemony Acidity & minerality. All of those other interpretations are wonderful in my opinion, don't get me wrong and fortunately, I am open to all of them as I believe the varietal itself is amazing. As a reminder, when you buy this wine I highly, (I said highly) recommend that you keep it chilled as the sharpness that the wine normally exhibits really increases as the wine warms up and it is not desirable in my book. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I am giving this wine 93 points which means that the wine is "Outstanding: A wine of superior character and style." Thank you once again, Dana, for sending me this super nice wine, I really enjoyed it.
   For those who are interested, here (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gqii4adhxguffxo/AAApzmO-nzien7J3xHaG5INBa/Los%20Vascos/Tech%20Sheets?dl=0&preview=Los+Vascos+Sauvignon+Blanc+2018+Tech+Sheet.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1) is the Tech Sheet on the wine.


                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2019 Matua Sauvignon Blanc

   A few months ago I reviewed (although have not posted) the 2016 Matua - Sauvignon Blanc which I enjoyed tremendously. Today I am back to review another Matua Sauvignon Blanc only this time it is the 2019 Matua - Sauvignon Blanc. I guess you could say I was so impressed with the 2016 vintage that I could not resist this one. I purchased this wine for $14.99 at my local Supermarket however it was on sale as a buy one, get one which made its final cost, in reality, $7.50. Let's go on ahead now and get into this wine and see what it is all about.

   To begin with, the Matua Winery (https://www.matua.co.nz/) was founded in the early 1970s by Brothers Bill and Ross Spence. The winery claims to be the first winery in New Zealand to have produced the Sauvignon Blanc varietal way back in 1974. Although Matua doesn't appear to actually own any vineyards, they do source their grapes from New Zealand’s most renowned wine regions such as Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, and Central Otago. Aside from the Sauvignon Blanc varietal, the winery also produces the varietals of Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Rose which I have just recently reviewed. The winery was bought out in 2001 and is now owned by Beringer-Blass Wine Estates (https://www.beringerblass.com.au/) which also owns the Stags Leap Vineyards & Winery as well as the St. Clement Vineyards both located in the Napa Valley. Rounding off this paragraph, this wine has a Screw Cap closure and comes in at 13% Alcohol.

   Let's now take a look at the label at this wine bottle and see if it helps in selling the wine or not. This label is identical to the 2016 Matua - Sauvignon Blanc as well as the 2017 Matua Pinot Noir Rose. As I said in the reviews of the Rose, I like the label better on the Sauvignon Blanc varietal as I think the color of the wine better shows it off and is, therefore, more appropriate. In general, I absolutely just love the blue color of the main label as well as the Fonts used for the wording. I also liked where the wording on the label is placed. The label is also rather interesting in that it acts as a "Chill Check" according to the winery. In reference to this "Chill Check", they say "Once the wine is chilled to perfection, a small snowflake will appear in the bottom right-hand corner." I tried it and it does work.

   Now I am going to take a look at the wine itself while holding it over a white background and see what I can tell you about it. The wine is a nice light in color gold and it looks very appealing. The "Lip" of the wine where it would pour is pretty wide and also a bit darker than the body of the wine. The wine has a wonderful clarity to it as well. As I look at the wine sitting in the glass on the table with the white background removed, it still holds that lightish gold appearance in the Body as well as the darker "lip". The wine also maintains its pleasingness to the eye. As far as "Legs" go, they are few and far between. The few "Legs" which are present, however, drip rather slowly down the sides of my glass. What I am mostly seeing is that for the most part, the wine seems to coat the glass with a slight viscosity.

   Now, as far as the Bouquet goes, I feel forced to tell you that it is rather forward and super nice. Yeah, guys, for sure the wine presents itself on the Nose as a very in your face wine. Super big time Gooseberry is completely rushing forward and might even cause you to sit back in your chair for a few seconds. Just after this Note is a big Note of grass as well as a bit of Kiwi as well. Wow, guys, the Nose is rocking right now and I am in Heaven. On the backend of the Nose, I am getting some ripe melon and it is well placed here as it gives off the unspoken promise that the wine might perhaps exhibit a bit of sweetness to it. I have to tell you that I am dying to get to the Palate of this wine to see how or if this Nose translates over.

   Sure enough, folks, right away I have to begin here by letting you know that the big time Gooseberry Note that I got on the Nose translates right on over to the Palate. I have to repeat myself by telling you that again that you will just sit right back in your chair and say. wow! Following this Note up is a good bit of Grapefruit & a tad bit of Lemon to go with it. These Notes when combined together let you know (or should) that this is a Sauvignon Blanc from the New Zealand, Marlborough Region. A strong Note of Quince is everpresent on the Palate and is in your face as well. The bright acidity that is expressed by this wine is just amazing and the Palate just explodes with it. As the tasting goes on the flavor as well as the power of this wine does not dissipate, both insist on staying through to the Finish and what seems like slightly beyond as well. Guys, how about some Passion Fruit? If you want that Note in a Sauvignon Blanc you have certainly got it as this wine is exploding with this it. My Palate right now is just being attacked by everything this wine is offering up and there doesn't seem to be any letting up. As with any Marlborough expression of the varietal, this wine has a good bit of Tropicalnees to it but just not in a sweet way. There is a hint of sweetness that seems to be sort of in a hidden layer of the wine but I don't want you getting scared as this is not a sweet wine by any means. In my humble opinion, that bit of sweetness causes the wine to sort of take a slight turn and mellow just a bit. Let me talk for a second about Green Melon. This Note is there but it is more of a Note that you sort of feel.

Now, don't misunderstand me, you do taste it but it is more of an underlying yet certainly effective Note then anything else. The melon does indeed make an impact on the wine as it creates another sort of slight "break" from the direction it was currently going in. These deviations while not major ones, are good enough to have me (or you) cheering for them. All of these Notes culminate into a vibrancy that just rocks the Palate without question. The wine simply energizes the Palate and does not let it rest. Guys, I think I have said enough, the wine simply rocks. It is time to complete this review and that means moving to my conclusion. With that being said, let's do just that.

   Here is a wine that some might not care for as it is very in your face and certainly not subtle on its presentation. If you enjoy a more....." watered down" expression of the varietal then this is not your wine as the wine is in your face, vibrant and full of expressive acidity. I promise you guys, allow the wine to swirl around your mouth and you will see that it will simply burst with that unique classic Marlborough flavor. The wine possesses a crispness and refreshingness that makes it a PERFECT Spring/Summertime/Pool wine. Now I want to talk for just a second about something that in my mind might sort of ....cheapen the wine. The wine is available in a large 1.5 L Cardboard container as well. For the life of me, I can't understand this at all. Why would such a great wine who has everyone raving about it, cheapen its label?

Whatever the reason I have to admit that if the wine in this container holds to its bottle presentation, it might just be worth it. What is my rating on the wine? Well, folks, on The desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine a solid 93 points. Please do remember what I said though, this wine is NOT for everyone as it has some astringency to it, and can be perceived as being overdone in the acidity category. For those who do want the Marlborough expression of the varietal I say, buy a few bottles of the wine and enjoy them.

                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2013 Nevada Ridge, Barbera

   Today I am going to be reviewing a wine from the Southern Nevada town of Pahrump which is about 40 minutes North of Las Vegas. To most people, the state of Nevada isn't the first place that pops into their mind in reference to wine however there are hopes to change that in the future. Let's go ahead now and talk a little bit about the Winery that this wine comes from.
   The Pahrump Valley Winery (http://www.pahrumpwinery.com/) and its affiliate Nevada Wine Cellars (same company, same address) generate just over 3 Million Dollars a year with the latest figures that I have seen at the time of this writing. For a state that is not known for wine, I would say that this winery is doing fairly well. Remember that this is not the Napa Valley. The Winery was founded in 2004 when it was bought from Jack Sanders who owned the property prior to the current owners of Bill & Gretchen Loken. By the way, Jack has since moved on to develop the Sanders Family Winery (http://sanderswinery.com/) which is also located in Pahrump and makes awesome wines so is a must-visit. The Winery about a year ago went through an expansion phase where they added 7,000 square feet to the facility. The Winery grows it's own (estate) Zinfandel as well as Syrah grapes and they are pretty cool to see in the middle of the desert. The grapes for this particular wine, however, come from the School Lane Vineyards which is located in the Amargosa Valley, around 30 minutes from the Winery. As a matter of interest, all the grapes used for the "Nevada Ridge" series of wines are grown in Nevada and are Produced & Bottled here as well.
   To many people, this grape varietal of Barbera might be a bit of an unknown so let's discuss it a bit. Northwest Italy is the ancient home of the Barbera Varietal. When wines are made from young grapes of the varietal, the notes can range from Cherries & Raspberries but as the wine ages, the notes of Black Cherry & Blackberry come into play. The wine also loves to show off nice Acidity if it is allowed to develop, 

   On the Nose this wine is definitely filled with Hibiscus notes galore. There is also a strong Caramel & Cocoa Nose to the wine that alludes to potential sweet darkness on the Palate but we will see about that. There are a cherry oak note and Molasses note as well and these Notes present themselves rather straight forward as they are not shy by any means.
   Switching quickly to the Palate now, it is very clear that the Molasses Note which was on the Nose of this wine translates right on over to the Palate. This Note also heavily contributes to a lot of the overbearing sweetness/darkness that the wine presents on the Palate. As a matter of fact, the darkness of the Molasses Note contributes to creating such sweetness that there is just simply no getting away from it. The further Notes of Caramel & Cocoa rush through as well and do nothing to cut that sweetness only adding to it. Following this up, the wine also displays an Oakey under texture of sorts. Contributing to these Notes and just as evident on the Palate is a note of ripe Fig that arrives around Mid-Palate and also does nothing to change the direction of the wine while continuing to raise the sweetness level of it. To make matters only worse, an astringency of sorts presents itself shortly before the Mid-Palate and continues through to the Finish of the wine.

  Alright guys, let me start off by telling you that this expression of the varietal is not meant for aging. This wine has about another year (perhaps two) and it will be past its prime so if you have it and you like wines on way sweeter side with both a heavy Molasses and Fig Notes, I suggest you drink it now. For me, I find it a good bit too rich for my blood. This is also not a wine that I can even finish folks. At this point, I have consumed a little less than half of a bottle but I simply cannot go on any further. To me, I can almost feel my sugar level rising (weird I know) but I am experiencing the big-time concern of a Hangover in the morning and I am too old for that guys. So as a wrapup I will say that the wine is pretty consistent with what its varietal is supposed to be. It is a "juicy" wine and it does have some Tannins but these good things are certainly entirely killed by the overall sweetness of the wine. I have to end this review right now so here is my rating of the wine. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale, I give this wine 84 points which means that this is "A wine that is not worth mentioning. A wine that needs to be relegated to the dumpster." My suggestion is if you have friends who love sweet red wines then, by all means, give this wine to them. For those friends of yours who are into decent wine, please do your friendship with them a favor and open a real bottle of wine instead of this.

                                                                                                                          The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2018 Ondine Chattan - Chardonnay

   I have to come clean with you guys, this is bad. I'll just go ahead and put it out there and you can certainly judge me if you feel the need. The other day I was sent a box of wines from Naked Wines (https://us.nakedwines.com//) so that I could review them and well........it seems that I opened the box to drink a particular wine (this one actually) before I did the actual video review of the box opening. There, I said it, I hope you can see it in your heart to forgive me :) All is not completely lost however as a few days after this terrible deed I did actually record the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI3PburklPA) of the box opening and today I will talk about the wine I picked out of that box.

Winemaker - Ondine Chattan

   Today I am reviewing the 2018 Ondine Chattan - Chardonnay. Folks, I have to begin here by telling you that I was kind of impressed with the winery itself right out of the gate due to the simple fact that this small-production wine is Cork sealed. You might start thinking now that I am rather easily impressed but Cork sealing of white wine is not too common these days and I am glad to see that the Winemaker (Mrs. Ondine Chattan) has stuck with tradition rather than follow along with the new fad of the day which is Screw Caps. The wine comes in at 13.5% on the Alcohol scale and its grapes come from the Russian River AVA. If you are an "Angel" (a club member) the wine will cost you $9.99 if not it will run you $33.99. As far as Mrs. Chattan herself is concerned she has worked for big wine institutions as well as famed wineries such as Ridge Vineyards, Cline Cellars, and spent decades running the famed Healdsburg winery Geyser Peak. As of January 2019, Mrs. Chattan is now running Share A Splash wine co. (https://www.shareasplash.com/)
   You already know the next step here guys. For those of you who follow me regularly on this wine blog, you know that at this point in my reviews I discuss the label on the wine bottle. Guys, I really like it. Look at the shape of the label and the way it looks like it was cut semi erratically with Scissors. I love the color of the label as well as the Fonts and design that the designer chose to use. Guys, seriously, just stop reading for a second and really take a look at the label, nice huh? Taking a look at the back label now, I like the color used on this label as well and what is written on it. I thought it was really sincere and a nice touch from someone who in this case is a small Winemaker.

   Onto the Bouquet, I go now. Immediately I am getting slight notes of both nectar and a small bit of ripe Granny Smith Apple. Both of these Notes mesh wonderfully together and seem to also be working in cooperation with one another as well. Following these two Notes up are the tropical Notes of both light Pineapple and Quince, just delightful. I will say here that while overall, the wines Bouquet does not necessarily attack the Nose, it does present itself as a very nice, semi-vibrant, semi-tropical wine and one which could perhaps also transfer those Notes onto the Palate as well. The wine also manages to give off the perception at least of exhibiting a potential Palate vibrancy that seems to scream that it needs to be tasted, now. Overall, this is not a wine whose Bouquet itself will blow you away but overall when you place the glass to your Nose it certainly accomplishes its job. If I were sitting outside at the pool or even on the Patio overlooking the Vineyard on a hot day, I would be intrigued as to what else this wine might be getting ready to offer up.
   Speaking of what else the wine might be offering up, it is now time to get to the Palate presentation of this wine. First up I will tell....no, I must tell you that there is just a really big Note of fresh Acidity to this wine. Holy cow guys, like really. To me, in my opinion, this is the dominating Note of this wine and I truly don't mind it a bit and I don't think that you will mind it either. I don't want you to worry though because this Acidity is not overbearing nor is it offensive in any way thankfully. The Acidity brings such a Palate clarity and a sense of concentration to this wine, I am just in awe. As I continue to taste the wine my Tongue is just bathed with the taste of these Notes but the others come right along and prevent those Notes from becoming overdone or overbearing. As I continue with Palate presentation now I have to ask you if you are into a nice Note of Lemon when it comes to your Chardonnay? I hope you are because this wine has a bit of it. I don't want you to get scared here either as the lemon Note isn't astringent or anything, it just adds the first bit of fruit to go on top of that acidity and help keep it in check as well. Throughout the wine neither Note ever fully gives way totally but they do yield a good amount to easily accommodate the Note of Pineapple that I got on the Nose and which is very content showing itself off here on the Palate as well. This Pineapple is more of a Mid-Palate Note and is very enjoyable in that position. Together, all of these Notes are simply rocking the Palate yet the wine has some more to offer so watch out. Minerality is also very clearly evident in this wine and it quite simply flows smoothly across the Palate only adding to the immense notes the wine is already bringing. As I sip the wine I am forced to sit back in my chair, take a deep breath and take it all in as I believe I am in Heaven now. I am amazed by all the power the wine presents on the Palate. This is definitely a full-bodied and semi explosive wine. Chardonnay lovers, this is an aggressive wine without any doubt and I would venture to say that you have never had a Chardonnay quite like this, ever. Weirdly, even though this is a White wine there is a sense of Earth incorporated in here that really works quite well and is simply another Note which is consistently exposing itself on the Palate. Let me go ahead and add in a decent touch of Grapefruit which lies just before Mid-Palate and intermingles so lovely with everything else that this wine has to offer. Throughout the wine's entire presentation there is never a sense of conflict between the different Notes and they all flatter the palate in a very pleasing manner. Everything works so wonderfully together and nothing gets in the way of a fabulous presentation. What is presented on the Opening is what needs to be presented on the opening. What presents itself at Mid-palate and the Finish belongs there as well and all are appreciated for being where they are.

That Quince that I picked up on the Nose comes barreling through into the mix here as well and does not wish to be overlooked as it is just as in your face (or Palate) as those other notes are which is nice and straight forward. The Granny Smith Apple that I got on the Nose is noticeable here as well on the Mouth but thankfully does not bring a lot of sweetness to this wine as the wine in its entirety is not a sweet fruit bomb of a wine, the wine has class, carries itself appropriately and is very representative of a great Chardonnay. The Granny Smith Apple does bring a slight tang to the wine which works just amazingly with the Lemon.
   As I wrap this review up guys I must tell you that this is a BIG wine, make no mistake about it. In my opinion, Mrs. Chattan has created an absolute masterpiece folks. As I stated earlier, I promise you, you have never tasted a Chardonnay quite like this Chardonnay. The Notes of tropicalnesss are ever-present yet diffused in a proper way that limits their overall sweet presentation in a much needed and necessary way. This diffusion doesn't allow the wine a chance to become overdone with sweetness and I would have to say that overall as far as sweetness goes the wine does a great job with allowing just a bit to get through while still maintaining its integrity. Simply put, the wine is great Ladies & Gentleman and one that is worthy of you buying at least four (4) bottles of, especially at $9.99 a bottle. Remember that Spring Time is coming very soon even though some of you may still have snow on the ground right now so keep that in mind. This is a small Boutique wine guys and as such I know they don't create large amounts of it so I would recommend that you buy those bottles right now. I do need to issue a word of caution however, this is not a gentle or soft Chardonnay. This is not a wine which is just content being "liked", or simply enjoyed, it wants to be loved and I for one did love it. As I like my Cabernet Sauvignon I like my Chardonnay, full-bodied and in your face so to speak. I love wine which pushes the envelope and this wine certainly does push the envelope while still holding true to its varietal. In closing, I want to say that should Mrs. Chattan choose to she can go right back into making wine for the elite, as a matter of fact, she could easily rebrand this wine, triple the price of it and still be successful. I think that as wine lovers we should be glad that Mrs. Chattan has chosen to make small-batch wines and sell them at the prices she does. The bottom line here is I think we should just sit back and enjoy this wine. On The Dessert Wine Guy rating scale, I am giving this wine a very solid 93 points.

                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2018 J Lohr, Chardonnay

Ahhh J Lohr......yeah. Before you guys get on me for my choice of producer, please let allow me to  first explain. Ya see I was at Walmart today and I wanted to get home quickly but I also wanted a wine to review tonight. As I carefully looked over my choices I noticed that there were wines on the shelves that I would NEVER choose no matter what, wines on the shelves that I could possibly choose, in a pinch (hello J Lohr) and wines on the shelves that I had at one time or another already reviewed. I decided to choose a wine that based on my past experiences with the winery I knew already was likely to be bad but I was hoping that this particular offering would begin to change my feelings about them. Anyway, I bought the wine and when I got home, quickly threw it in the Freezer for about forty five minutes in order for it to chill and now here I am.
   Today's review is on the 2018 J Lohr, Chardonnay. The wine is 100% Chardonnay and the grapes are from their Riverstone Vineyard in the Arroyo Seco area of Los Angeles County. The winery brags about the many different Clones that are used in the making of the wine and says that these Clones bring out complexity of flavors, textures and acidity in the wine. Once again, based on my previous experiences with the winery, we shall see. The wine is Cork sealed and comes in at 14% Alcohol.

   As I check out the label now I rather like it. I love the Crest and how it is wedged into the main label. I think it is unique and presents the wine in a sharp & classy way. The back label is even something to talk about. This label appeared big and said a lot as it told about the family and the vineyards. Font or Script wise the label has it nailed down for a white wine with no complaints from me. I have to say that whomever designed the label is talented indeed.  
   Let's get to the Bouquet now. Ripe Nectarine and oak come screaming through onto the Nose. Following these two notes up is one of White Peach and a slightly more then moderate Note of an at least perceived butter/oily texture which when mixed in with the other Notes right away had me screaming "danger Will Robinson". I am getting the perception here of a sweet & overly bright and fruity tropical wine. If what I get on the Nose turns out to be exposed on the Palate perhaps the producers should rethink calling this a Chardonnay or perhaps throw it into a big Jug to be mixed at a later date with some sort of juice, it is too early to tell for sure however. Legs were fairly thick yet dripped quickly.

   Right off the bat as I first taste the wine I have to tell you that I am getting big time evidence of Malactic Fermentation (MLF) which of course means that the wine presents a pretty big buttery/oily Palate presentation. I am also getting more then a good bit of the feared fruit sweetness on the Palate as well as some moderate oak. Alright guys, thanks for reading this review and I will see you next time. In all seriousness guys this wine is .......I guess...... Okay, I should stop and back this review up a bit huh? Let's tackle that Malactic Fermentation first. Malactic Fermentation is not really a Fermentation because it doesn’t use yeast. Instead of yeast the Winemaker uses a special kind of bacteria called Oenoccocus Oeni along with a few other Lactobacillus strains that eat the Malic Acid in the wine and poop out lactic acid. This is where a wine can get its buttery/oily like texture in the Mouth. While that may sound gross, if done correctly and in moderation it can help create a great Chardonnay. Where it seems a lot of people differ is in their interpretation of what "moderation" is. My tolerance for MLF is not too high at all and thankfully the Chardonnays I have reviewed recently (2018 Ondine Chattan - Chardonnay) have not even come close to pushing that limit. In this wine the buttery/oily type texture is unfortunately very in your face. As I said earlier, the wine also expresses a BIG time note of sweetness on the Palate and neither is a good thing here as this is supposed to be a Chardonnay and there is no way the varietal should be putting off any of these overdone notes. Guys as I sip further on this wine I'll tell you that the buttery/oily notes comes across from just after Mid-Palate and follows through all the way to the Finish and it seems even after. In my humble opinion the level of the Notes the wine presents are all overblown and all offensive. I believe that if you have any sense of what the varietal is supposed to taste like, you will feel the same way as well. Moving on now, there are big sweet notes of over ripe White Peach & sweet Apricot as well and they simply just add to the wines overpowering sweetness and overall overly fruity Palate brightness. The wine also presents a really big note of crème brûlée as well and overall I didn't appreciate it. There was absolutely no crispness, dryness or minerality to the wine and I thought these Notes were very much needed due to the varietal. Come on folks, this is a Chardonnay and I don't want, need, nor should there be any overly bright, ripe, sweet, tropical fruit, dominatingly buttery/oily Notes present. in it. I also don't need any crème brûlée in my Chardonnay thank you. What little there was that was good to say about the wine was indeed very limited and short lived. In one sentence I'll tell you what the positive was. The wine had a big note of Stone. There I did it. What was good ended up bad as that Stone Note it is like.....coated by that darn MLF and what it offered up. Another thing which killed the Stone was of course the overall big time sweetness. On the back end is a sudden bit of acidity which just hits me as being out of place in the wine and therefore on the Palate, like for real. One last Note that is exposed just as the Finish completes is a slight burn of Alcohol, not good.

   Look guys, it seems that everyone loves this wine from the reviews I have read as well as the J Lohr line of wines themselves as a whole. Perhaps I am wrong but I think the wine SUCKS, there, I finally said it! I have to end this review as I have already spent way too much time on a J Lohr wine and the sink is waiting. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 81 points which means "Not recommended, drink water instead."

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The Desert Wine Guy - My Review of Naked Wines

   Today I am doing a review of the online wine club, Naked Wines (https://us.nakedwines.com//). I don't know about you guys but I absolutely love searching for and tasting wines from small or "Boutique" wineries. By the way for those who are wondering, any winery which produces less then 50,000 cases of wine a year is considered to be a small, or Boutique winery. This is where a wine club such as Naked Wines, comes in. From what little I know about wine clubs in general it seems that they all for the most part deal with wines from Boutique wineries that most people have probably never heard of and would continue to never hear of if it weren't for these wine clubs.

Winemaker - Matt Parish

Now, let me say something here, simply because a winery is small does not mean the wine(s) they produce is in any way bad, they are just very simply from small wineries and therefore probably don't have the money for advertising and hiring fancy Public Relations companies to help in promoting the wines they produce. In today's review of Naked Wines, some of the questions I will try and answer are how is their Customer Service? What are the prices like? If I don't like a particular wine can I get my money back and, do I have to actually join the club in order to make a purchase? In the end I will determine based upon all the different factors presented whether or not I can recommend Naked Wines to you. Let's go ahead and get started now.

2017  Matt Parish - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

    On December 30th I sent out an email to Naked Wines inquiring as to whether or not they would be interested in participating in my review of various wine clubs. The following day I received a response back from Micaela Green who is the "Community Manager for the marketing team", saying "We'd be happy to have you review a sampling of our wines." A few days later I received a half a case of wine for review in the mail. For those of you who are interested, I also did a video of the box opening of the wines here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI3PburklPA) on my YouTube channel.
   My initial thoughts - The outside of the box was pleasant looking and when the box was opened I thought the bottles were packed very securely in order to ensure they arrived intact. The one thing I was a little disappointed in and that I did miss was that there were no Tech Sheets from the wineries or the club itself which in my past experience with wine clubs are usually included. These Tech Sheets would describe the making of the wines and contain information such as is the wine blended with any other varietal?  Did the wine sit in oak or Stainless Steel and if so, what kind and for how long? Where were the grapes grown etc;  I have to say that even though it does not appear the company spent tons of money on a super fancy, wonderfully designed box, that is fine by me as I don't need a pretty box, I need good wine and in reality therefore would much prefer them offering that rather then offering fancy Cardboard. I guess all of this this should really come as no surprise though because the company themselves says that they do not invest in "Fancy packaging and other things you can't taste." They are indeed transparent and I can't fault them here. 

Typical Money Wasted For Marketing Of A Wine

   Customer Service - From my very first email all the way to my last email I had been in contact with Micaela and she has been absolutely wonderful to deal with. Micaela has answered all of my emails in a timely manner and made herself available to me even up to the point of her inviting me to actually give her a call to discuss any other questions I might have. While I never did call her, to her credit she continued to allow me to pepper her with emails and she continued to answer them. I also have to say that Micaela appeared extremely enthusiastic in her responses. These emails with Micaela are my only experience as far as the companies Customer Service goes. While on one hand I admit that my Customer Service interactions with Naked Wines was rather limited on the other hand that is a good thing as there were no issues for me to complain about. I would say that as far as Customer Service goes Naked Wines passed with flying colors.

Naked Wine - 2017 Stefano Di Blasi - Toscana

    Who is Naked Wines? - Naked Wines is a U.K based company which was founded in December of 2008 by Rowan Gormley. In 2015 the company was bought out by a Brick and Mortar store named Majestic Wines (https://www.majestic.co.uk/) which is also located in the U.K. The company was just again recently sold and was purchased by an equity firm named Fortress (https://www.fortress.com/businesses/private-equity) and therefore the companies wine section is back to being an online only business.
   Naked Wines Business Model - Here is how the wine club works. In order to actually join Naked Wines you just agree to have them debit a minimum of $40 a month from your account and at that point you become an "Angel" which is what they call a club member. There are no membership fees and you can stop (leave the club) or even increase this deduction at any time. The money they debit can either accumulate in your account without a cap or you can use it immediately to purchase wines or other items that the company offers.

Majestic Wines Storefront

  
By the way, you do not have to belong to the club in order to purchase wines from them however if you choose not to belong you will pay retail price for the wines. Naked Wines says that they take the monthly debited amount and invest it in small Winemakers and small vineyards in order to fulfill these talented peoples dreams to create great wine(s). In their own words they invest in "Winemakers who have a proven track record of making great wines." Some of the Winemakers are fairly new to the actual wine making business but have been in the wine industry for a long time but the other people they work with have worked for big time prestigious wineries at one time and decided for whatever reason to back off so to speak and move towards creating their own wines only on a much smaller scale. In Naked Wines own words again, their Winemakers create "indie" wines.
   Pricing, Winemakers, Selection - What is their pricing like, who are their Winemakers and how is their selection? Once you become an Angel you get to purchase some great wines at great prices. As an example take the 2017 Matt Parish, Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa valley for instance. As an Angel you would pay $21.99 which is a complete steal. If you were

Winemaker - Ondine Chattan

not an Angel you will pay $41.99 for the wine. Go on ahead and research this wine for yourself just as I did and you will see that it does indeed sell for at least $40 elsewhere. Just to reinforce my earlier statement that the club deals with some big time Winemakers I will talk about Matt Parish for a minute. Matt oversaw the wine making of brands like Beringer, Stags’ Leap and Etude decided to begin his own label thanks to Angels. In case you have never heard of Matt Parish (neither did I) here (https://www.vivino.com/wineries/matt-parish) is a page from an unrelated and reputable wine site concerning Matt's wines and how they rate. One more example of a great Winemaker and a great wine as well as one which is available for purchase at Naked Wines is the 2018 Ondine Chattan, Mendocino - Sauvignon Blanc. The wine costs $12.99 for Angels and $14.71 for non Angels. The wine is made by Mrs. Ondine Chattan. Who is Mrs. Chattan, perhaps this (https://webpages.scu.edu/womenwinemakers/view.php?id=34) will help explain exactly what her background in the wine industry is. I will tell you though that Mrs. Chattan worked for such wineries as Ridge Vineyards, Cline Cellars, and spent decades running famed Healdsburg winery Geyser Peak. I happen to know so much about these two wines because I received them as part of the six bottles sent to me and I also reviewed them.

Actual Naked Wines Customer Case Wine List

Both of these wines I thought were simply stunning. For those of you who follow me you already know that I am not easy on the wines I review and I call em as I see (or taste) em, free or not. Now as far as wine selection goes there are plenty of wines to choose from and this page (https://us.nakedwines.com/wines/index) on their website will show you just to what extent you can fine tune how you search for and choose those wines so you can get exactly what you are after. As an example you can pick a wine based upon it's Alcohol percentage, the style, ratings, country of origin of the grapes & even by the Winemaker. These are just a few examples and I have to say that almost any way you can think of searching for a potential wine is accommodated here. The only varietal I did not see was Champagne although they do sell sparkling wine. Naked Wines also allows you to purchase future vintages, yeah, that's right, you can purchase vintages which haven't even come into being yet. Let's talk about their many different options for purchasing a case of wine. There are also many different types of cases of wine you can purchase (https://us.nakedwines.com/cases) and again they are really diverse in their options to choose from and if you don't see one that you like you can even create your own.

Naked Wines Office Space

Here is an example of some of the different cases available. One case option is the "Cabernet Around The World" which consists of six bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from countries such as Chile, Argentina, Africa as well as the state of California. The cost is $68.99 plus $9.99 for shipping. That's a total of $78.98 for the case or about $13 per bottle. One of the wines currently being shipped out in that particular case is the 2017 David Akiyoshi, Cabernet Sauvignon and from the few reviews I was able to come across the wine is supposed be very good indeed. Let me go ahead and talk about one more case for you. How about the "All American Sauvignon Blanc 6 pack"? In this current 6 pack offering is that 2018 Ondine Chattan Mendocino, Sauvignon Blanc which I talked about earlier. As an added bonus, for every case you buy Naked Wines throws in an extra bottle of wine for free (Bakers Dozen).

No Club Membership Needed

   What Else - Becoming an Angel also allows you to join in on the different groups (https://us.nakedwines.com/groups/list) they offer. In these groups you can talk with other Angels as well as the actual Winemakers and compare notes on the wines or just chat with them and yes, the Winemakers DO actually answer as they are appreciative of you purchasing their wine(s). There is a group dedicated to helping you pair your wines and even a group for posting and talking with others while you are drinking (oh boy). If you don't care for the established groups you can even create one of your own. If their wines weren't enough, Naked Wines also has a little gift shop where you can buy wine related items as well as items unrelated to wine such as the Bahue Valle, Olive Oil. By the way, if you are an Angel you pay $13.99 for this Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If you are not an Angel you will pay $26.99.
   Let's talk about shipping now as this is where online retailers usually get you. Naked Wines charges you only $9.99 to ship any amount of wine up to $99. If you order $100 or more shipping is free. That means as an example you can order six wines and if the total is less then $100 the shipping cost is $9.99 to have them delivered to your home. I don't know about you but I think that is an absolute steal! I get e-mails all the time from the likes of Napa Valley wineries such as BV or Peju about their great deals on wine and most times the sale prices are indeed very good however when you add in the shipping costs I can get the wines cheaper at my local store or live without that wine.

Another Naked Wines Office

   Now that you know about the good things concerning the club I want to talk about the only negative comments that I have been seeing on line. Keeping it real as always, there seems to be a lot of complaints concerning peoples accounts automatically being debited monthly and them saying these debits were done without their permission. To Naked Wines credit I saw every complaint addressed by the company and the customer told that they should check their Spam Folder and that their account has been closed and all monies refunded. People also said that they used the Voucher and somehow got signed up for the company. Here is my take on these issues. As far as being able to purchase wine as a NON Angel or using the Voucher I provide below and NOT joining the club goes, I looked all over their pages and I did NOT see anything which said that when you do order as a non Angel and/or use the Voucher as a non Angel that you are agreeing to a monthly deduction of any amount of money unless of course you sign up for that. What I did see specifically (see photo) see as a matter of fact is that you DON'T have to become a member in order to use the Voucher they are offering up. The companies exact language in reference to this is "No membership is required — you are not required to join any type of wine club to redeem!" I have two other items of interest with the first being how can you the pay non Angel price and someone claim that you joined the club? The last item that I thought should be included in my review is the fact that during my research I also found (https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Naked-Wines-Reviews-E667926.htm) that people working for the company loved working there and felt they were treated with dignity and were valued as employees.

Naked Wines Founder - Rowan Gormley

   Now it is time for my overall opinion on Naked Wines. Wine lovers I have to tell you that I have completely bought into Naked Wines business model as I find it to certainly be cost effective for me as a Customer to purchase what turned out to be great wines at great prices and I also truly believe in what they are doing with the small Winemakers & vineyards. After researching the club and tasting all six of the wines sent to me I have to say that without a doubt, I am for the most part very impressed. I say most part because five of the wines were very impressive and only one was something I would never purchase. If I had purchased the wine however, I could return it for another though. Here is my recommendation to you. I highly suggest that you join the Naked Wines, become an Angel and enjoy the wines they have to offer. I would also certainly use this (https://us.nakedwines.com/desertwineguy) special Desert Wine Guy Voucher for $100 off of a total of $160 or more in order to get a feel for the (indie) wines Naked Wines deals with. Remember you do NOT have to join in order to use the Voucher. I think you will be just as impressed as I was and come back for more great wine. One last item of note. I currently belong to two different wine clubs and so it is not financially feasible to join a third however if I do ever decide to drop one I would become an Angel in a Heartbeat.

                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy



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