2018 David Akiyoshi - Ink Ink Ink

 

2018 David Akiyoshi - Ink Ink Ink

  What I am about to say is kind of meant in a semi light hearted way folks so please don't take it too seriously as it is really not meant to be. Are you guys big on commitment? I'm talking here in reference to a winemaker in general and their choosing to not commit to a particular grape varietal when creating a wine. Yeah, I know I might be very well off base here but I really do like people who commit. Have I had some very nice red or white wine blends in my time? Yes, I certainly have but it is always is in the back of my mind that somewhere along the lines, people were either bored and wanted to experiment (which is cool) or they just didn't, or couldn't commit to a single varietal. I would think that as a winemaker, you either create a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot, a Pinot Noir or a Tempranillo etc; Yes, I know that red blends have been around for some time and they are popular but I like commitment nevertheless. Give me a varietal that I can have a decent standard of reference for and I can then have some framework for a review. I think that without varietal standards as a framework we are left with one aspect of reviewing which is very simply, did I like the wine? While I certainly do believe that question is important to answer, it is not (or should be) the end all, be all of a wine review. I completely understand if you believe that my thinking is wrong but it is something that I wanted to share with you guys. Okay, I feel better now and so it is time to move onto the wine itself:)

David Akiyoshi - Winemaker

   Today I am reviewing the 2018 David Akiyoshi - Ink Ink Ink. I paid $12.99 for this wine at Naked Wines (https://us.nakedwines.com//) as a member and it is cork sealed. The alcohol percentage for this wine comes in at a fairly high, 14.8% and the wine is a blend of  three different grape varietals which are Tannat, Teroldego & Petite Sirah.
   After completely reviewing this wine and giving it my Desert wine Guy rating, I simply had to come back here and add this section because I believe Mr. Akiyoshi deserves to be talked about. Who is David Akiyoshi and how is he qualified to make wine? These are two very good questions and I have the answers. David has worked as Director of Wine making for 25 years at Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi. Not only is David creating wines for Naked Wines but he currently is also working at LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards (https://langetwins.com/) which is located in Lodi, California. If this doesn't qualify Mr. Akiyoshi to create wine, nothing does. Alright, now to the wine.
   As I get closer to taking a look at this wine I want to do a little education for myself as well as you readers concerning the two uncommon grape varietals of Teroldego (teh-ROHL-deh-goh) and Tannat. Let's start off with the Teroldego grape varietal. This grape is in the species of Vitis Vinifera and is native to northern Italy in particular the regions of Südtirol and the Trentino-Alto Adige DOC. About 98% of this grapes production comes from Italy and the grape is believed to be the sibling of the Syrah variety crossed with either Pinot Noir or the Lagrien grape (northern Italy as well) varieties.

Tannat Grape

As for the Tannat varietal, this grape is also of the Vitis Vinifera species and is native to the country of France, the Basque region. Today the varietal is actually the most planted variety in Uruguay. The varietal also has some serious health benefits as well as the fact that it contains the highest polyphenols (antioxidants) of all red wine grapes. The varietal does very well with oak aging as well although there is also some wine from this grape being made without any oak. Okay guys, let's get into the wine now.
   Let's begin where I always begin and that is talking about the label on the wine bottle. This label was actually created by a Tattoo artist whose name is Zhou Dan Ting, Ting is also known as China's "First Lady of Tattoo". According to David Akiyoshi, it was actually the members of Naked Wines who chose this design for the label which I think is really cool. Okay so my feelings. I most definitely get the "Ink, Ink, Ink name based upon the artists background and I do think it is really pretty and well designed. Normally, without the knowledge of the artist, I wouldn't have seen any connection between the label and the wine inside the bottle but in this case I do believe that the fact that a tattoo artist created it certainly does allow the freedom for the label to be more abstract.
   Now I actually get into the wine. On the bouquet now the nose starts off with a smell of a sheet of Bounce, you know the sheet of fabric softener that you throw in the dryer to make your clothing smell nice.....even though....they are already...clean. The nose also possesses a nice brightness to it of lively and certainly fresh, red fruit. There is the slightest bit of black pepper and it is on the end of the bouquet and is on the ultra light side.

Zhou Dan Ting

 Such an incredibly well presented note of oak is available here on the nose as well and it is very integrated with everything else the nose offers up. The slightest bit of vanilla is also another note the wine exposes here and as with the other bouquet notes, it is nice. This vanilla gives up just a hint of softness but the notes in the end, don't seem to be having any of it and the bouquet in the end actually maintains a nice entertaining boldness overall.
   Now, we are going to discuss the palate characterization (presentation) of this wine. Pepper. Right off the bat I want...no, need to let you know that if you do not enjoy pepper in your red wines, do not buy this wine. The peppery aspect of this wine is very simply totally awesome. I have had many red wines in the past that presented a peppery note but nothing as delicious as this. This peppery note spreads itself throughout the wines entire palate presentation and is not overpowering and certainly not willing to take a back seat to any other notes the wine brings out. While I am on the topic of spice, I kind of find it funny how while the percentage of the Teroldego varietal isn't listed and I have never tasted the varietal prior to this, there is a part of the wine that in a soft way I feel can be identified as coming from that grape. My research on the grape also shows that it is known for this spice note. This particular spice note that I feel comes from the Teroldego varietal comes in at the mid-palate and makes the wise decision not to try and overpower the original spice note. What I have to say next might scare some folks as I know it would scare me as well had I not actually tasted the wine but don't be alarmed. There is some decent fruit forwardness to the wine and it is to the point where I have to even use the dreaded word.....jammy. While the wine does exhibit some jamminess to it, I have to tell you that it really works very well here as alll of that spice I mentioned would never (could never) work as well as it does without it. Control folks, control. That control I speak of was rather obvious to me as I have normally found that usually when a wine shows a decent bit of jamminess it usually progress as the wine develops and that was not the case here. For those of you who do not follow this blog, you should know that I absolutely hate jamminess in a wine, like.......hate it so if I am saying the jamminess works, it truly does work and I actually wouldn't want to imagine the wine without it. Moving on now, there is an incredible refined, tightly bound intentness to the wine, it is a refindness & power which the wine (and my palate) truly embarrasses.

Teroldego Grape

This tightly bound intentness is rather amazing and is another really instrumental note in this wine which exceeded my expectations and helped in allowing that previously mentioned jamminess to excel in making the wine rather incredibly. How are tannings sounding right about now? If you said "great", you are going to be happy. The tannins here in the wine guys are plentiful but not abrasive by any means. These tannins are another note that I would certainly recommend that you enjoy in a red wine prior to buying this particular one because they are indeed instrumental in the wines overall presentation. I completely enjoyed these tannins as I do all tannins in reality but these again, really exceed my expectations as to keep it real, I didn't expect any at all. Moving on now I want to let you know about a brightness to the wine as well as the fact that here again is another note which I think makes this wine so great and while I know I am repeating myself, I don't believe the wine would be what it is without it. This brightness seems to come partly from the jammines the wine puts out as well as the fruit forwardness. Have no worries guys because I promise you, this brightness note remains very well under control at all times. Let's talk now about Black Currant. Yes guys, black currant, a roaring, lightly palate coating, Black Currant is displayed throughout the entire wine and it really coats the palate especially when a black cherry note is presented which is just after the opening. Oh, I didn't mention black cherry? Well, I certainly do apologize, allow me correct that error. The wine puts out a very nice black cherry note and that note becomes instant best friends with the black currant and the two work amazingly well together, like, really amazingly well guys. If you get a chance to taste this wine (you should) you will see just how well. Firmness, structured & expertly done, those are the perfect words for this wine especially after it is given a period to develop.  Last but certainly not least is the perfect presentation of an oak, an oak that is not heavy and is happy right where it is as far as palate presentation is concerned. Too much more of a palate presentation and it is overdone, any less and the wine would be lacking a certain something. Well folks, that's it. Let's get to the conclusion of this review now. I will see you in the next paragraph.

Charcuterie Board

   Guys, now that we are onto the conclusion paragraph I really have to put this out there. This wine is able (and does) take two notes that I normally really shy away from in my reds and manages to have me love them. The two notes I am talking about is fruit forwardness and jamminess. Yes, the wine is a bit jammy as well as a semi fruit forward driven one. Each of these notes is tamed to an extent (especially after the wine is opened a bit) and therefore presented in such an amazing way that they really work, extremely well together without being offensive. The wine has some very serious structure to it and not one bit of flabbiness, I promise you that. There is no subtlenness to the wine as it is in attack mode from the minute the first drop hits your tongue it goes on the attack. Folks, I recommend that if you do not enjoy jamminess or pepper in your wine that you stay away from this wine, it is not made for you. I would give this wine at least 2 hours to decant because while the wine was really nice prior to the 2 hours, it really opened up afterwards and was amazing. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine 96 points. If you want an old world, red wine presentation this is it. 

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

P.S - After this review was completed, I went back to the Naked Wines website and purchased three more bottles of this wine for......me and only.....me :) Yes, the wine is that good. By the way, I am a member of Naked Wines and pay them $40 each month to be a member so this is not a push to join.

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2015 El Prado Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon

 

   So today I was at a "big box" wine & beer store and I purchased this 2015 El Prado, Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a blend of two of my favorite red varietals which are Tempranillo 70%  & Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, the wine also has a pretty reasonable alcohol percentage of 12.5%. Topping this all off but scaring me nonetheless is the fact that the wine costs a mere $6.59 and that begs the question, why would I buy a $6.59 wine in the first place? Here is the answer to that question. When I saw this wine on the shelf in the store I was immediately interested in it as I thought it sounded like a nice combination of varietals since I believe they both can/should go superbly together providing of course that both wines were made decently to begin with. Honestly, I am really excited to be tasting this blend and I truly hope it turns out to be a great wine and that both varietals are expressed as they should be. Now, let's gets into this review by starting off talking about the wines presentation in my glass.
   Starting off here the wine in my glass showed itself with the appearance of a cherry cough syrup type red and was slightly on the watery side around the edges as well.
  On the nose the wine was mostly peppery (typical of both red varietals) but did have a slight nose of caramel as well as coco. Overall however, the nose was (unfortunately) nothing really special and all three notes faded rather quickly.

   On the Palette now the wine initially presented what came across with an ugly and definitely overly acidic and peppery dominance. Now while the peppery dominance note is also common for both varietals and I love it, the overly acidic part however should not be happening, for either varietal. Let me say this straight out right here, right now before I even get any further into this review. You would benefit greatly by allowing the wine to decant for at least a couple of hours prior to drinking. When I first opened this wine and tasted the first couple of sips I almost threw it away and had it not been for the fact that I was too lazy to get up, ( I know huh:) that is what I would have done. Thankfully however I took a break to hang out with Mrs. Desert Wine Girl who graced me with her presence in my Loft and when we got done hanging out two hours later, the wine had definitely opened up quite a bit and softened...a lot especially in the area of acidity thankfully. That overpowering acidity that ran over all the wines other notes had now toned down and was actually useful. As any worthy Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon should, this wine maintained a pretty moderate but palate leading, black pepper note after it had a chance to open up. A really nice palate note of cocoa that to me always goes hand in hand with mostly the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal but can be present in the Tempranillo varietal as well was picked up and I was certainly able to appreciate it as well. As a side note I want to tell you that I believe this cocoa note was actually instrumental in helping to tame down that over the top acidity. As I continue on with that cocoa, it also allowed for a note of black cherry to interact with a note of a cranberry type acidity which was being presented very gracefully here on the palate. Another note that I believe was effected positively by the cocoa note is one of that black pepper mentioned briefly earlier.

This cocoa note also has the ability to stand on it's own and is only complimented by the pepper. Yes folks,the pepper is number one on the palette but close yet not too far behind is indeed that Cocoa and it appears thankfully to be more than happy to take a back seat. Right about here is where the acidity that is left in the wine really begins to as it is at a level this time where it goes great with all of the notes this wine has to put out. Let's talk black cherry now because this is another note that the wine presents very nicely and that I enjoyed. Here is another note that is more than happy to take a back seat to the notes already presented. As a matter of fact none of the notes here fight one another and each sip is consistent in their agreement as to who takes the lead and what the others purpose really is which is to act as support of sorts for the each other. If you want some tannins you are looking in the wrong place because while there is a note of Black Currant the tannins are for the most part non existent. If tannins are a must in a red wine for you then I have to advise you to look elsewhere. If however you will suffice with a Black Current note instead then you are in luck because this wine is full of that and in my book this is more then good enough. There was also an ever so slight background smoothness to the wine that I think was much needed and placed in just the right place here in this wine.

This wine is in some ways what I would consider to be a big wine and the bit of smoothness actually helps out. A spice that is not of black pepper but just as nice and just as in your face in apparent throughout the wines presentation. If you are thinking the wine is overly on the peppery side, don't be as that bit of smoothness manages to work it all out.
   Well now it is that time, time to wrap this review up. After drinking this wine I want to lay out some points for you. Before I do however I would like to tell you that I very well might be biased. The Tempranillo is as I said indeed my favorite varietal and one that I gladly run to when I am looking for a red wine that is in your face, spicy and robust. To me there is no substitute however Cabernet Sauvignon can give it a run for its money.

By the way, in my opinion you can forget about the American version of Tempranillo, to me the Spanish have it down pat. Keep all this in mind as you read this review, Having layed all this out, here are my points that I would like to get across to you.

1) Both varietals as expected work nicely together.
2) As also expected the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal is dominated by the Tempranillo due to the very natures of there being more of the Tempranillo then the Cab as well as the very nature of both wines characteristics.
3) The Cabernet Sauvignon does influence the wine by presenting an underlying though nicely presented sense of smoothness & cocoa but this does not in any way deter from the Tempranillo.
4) Decant this wine for at least two hours.

 On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 91 (90–93 Excellent highly recommended, holds to varietal standards.) points. This is certainly not a bad wine, especially for the price.

                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy


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2016 Annabella - Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection

2016 Annabella - Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection

   Yesterday, I was searching for a nice restaurant to take Mrs. Desert Wine Girl to Dinner at and when I finally came across one that sounded interesting, off we went. While at the restaurant I was presented with the wine list (of course:) and as I searched that list I came across a winery name as well as a wine that I had forgotten about probably because I do not see the winery nor the wine name them for sale all that often. The wineries name is Michael Pozzan Winery (https://www.michaelpozzanwinery.com/Wines/Annabella) and the wine that I am talking about is the 2011 Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection. I actually ended up reviewing (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-desert-wine-guy-2011-annabella.html) and buying a few bottles of the wine as well. Before I get into today's wine review, please allow me tell you the story about that first interaction I had with an Annabella, Cabernet Sauvignon.
   Back in October of 2015, Mrs. Desert Wine Girl and I were invited to participate in a special pre-grand opening of a ritzy restaurant here in Las Vegas and of course we couldn't be rude and not go, so off we went. After we were seated and introduced to our waiter, I asked him to recommend a good Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mochael Pozzan - Wine Barrels Aging

Immediately the waiter suggested that I try a bottle of the 2011 Annabella, Cab, Special Selection which as I said, I ended up later reviewing (see above link). I figured that since I was getting comped in exchange for a review of the restaurant that I could (and would) throw caution to the wind and I ordered the bottle without even checking the price. As I already said, I ended up loving the wine so much and I began immediately to wonder just how much this wine would cost if I were actually paying for it. The next day I did some research on the wine and discovered that it actually sold for around $18 retail. That was great in my book and while I did have a very hard time tracking that particular vintage down, I finally was able to manage to find it and bought four bottles, one to review, one to give away and the two others to cellar.
   Now, we get to our review wine, the 2016 Annabella (after Michael's grandmother), Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Selection. This is indeed one of those wines that I am so very excited to review, I just hope that this vintage can at least come close to the greatness of that magnificent 2011 vintage. Let me go ahead and provide you with some background information on today's wine. Starting off here, I am pretty sure that I don't have to tell you that the wine is cork sealed. The wine comes in at 14.5% Alcohol and as I previously said, is made by the Michael Pozzan Winery which is located in the Oakville AVA of the Napa Valley. The grapes for this wine are sourced from the Napa Valley and the wine is made up of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot & 2% Merlot. The wine sat in French Oak for 12 months.

   Let me continue on now by talking about the label of this wine. Alright so I am going to begin by saying that I have never (and I do mean never) seen such an impressive looking label on a wine bottle......PERIOD! Folks, you need to look at the photo of the label above. Tell me that the label is not just......outstanding. If you have never thought about just how much a label can convey about a wine or have just blown off the label as just another piece of paper, you should now be aware of just how important it is. Take a look at the scripted fonts and the gold color of those fonts. Take a look at the placement of those fonts as well, amazing. When I very first saw the bottle presented to me at the restaurant my mind went immediately to thoughts of this wine probably has a huge price tag and, thank goodness this is free. These thoughts were followed by the absolute need to try the wine. This is part of the power or the mystique that a label can hold in general. As I pour the wine I am actually scared to get this label stained guys, that's crazy huh? As weird as it sounds, I want the bottle when it is empty to have a spotless label even as it does go into the trash. Now, this is just the front label so now I want to talk about the back label for a moment. I haven't even read the back label yet but I will tell you that I can almost bet that everything it says is important. Give me a second as I read it and get back with you. Okay so I was so right. Loads of useful information as well as a the actual meaning of the name "Annabella" which means "easily lovable and disposed to please". As I end this section of the review I want to ask you something, what are you are expecting from this wine just based upon of the label? Alright, I do believe that I have said enough about the label and it's now time to move on to the bouquet of the wine so let's get to that.

Michael & His Son, Dante

   Right off the bat I want to tell you that the wine is exposing what seems to be a super refined black cherry note and it is picked up right away as the glass is brought to my nose. A slight hint of spice as well as some cassis (Black currant) is noted here as well. The bouquet continues on with some more awesome notes, the first is of a light yet seemingly complex one of old & well worn leather, the second is of what appears to be a moderate, yet not strong note of cocoa. I certainly can't forget to mention a nice bit of blackberry that is here is well. Both the black cherry as well as that nicely presented blackberry are both coming across with what seems to be an air of confidence. All of these notes in total really contribute to the fact that I have my hopes set even higher now for a great wine and only reinforces the fact that I am super anticipating actually tasting this wine.
   Let's talk about how the wine is trying to sell itself visually now. Presentation of this wine in my glass was very simply nothing short of amazing. Visually this wine appears to be a mix of black cherry & blackberry in the glass. With a white piece of paper held underneath the glass, the writing on the paper was just barely able to be seen. The wine once again gave off the impression that it had cost a lot of money. As I continue on here, there are massive amounts legs running down the sides of my glass here and the wine actually leaves a sort of coating on the glass as well that is rather intriguing. I am left with the impression due to the combination of both the labels appearance and the wines bouquet that the wine is both inviting as well as a high class power house of a wine. These assumptions will now be either confirmed or denied as it is now time to finally, taste the wine.

Michael Pozzan - Vineyard

   I now finally get to move to the Palate presentation of this wine as I want....no, need to see what is this wine is really all about? Okay so after tasting this wine I will first tell you what this wine is not. This Cabernet Sauvignon is not about being fruit forward. This Cabernet Sauvignon is not about being jammy. This Cabernet Sauvignon is not about catering to Generation X wine lovers, and last but not least, this Cabernet Sauvignon is not about being a blackberry, blueberry dominated, jammy expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal. Now that I have said all of that, let me tell you what this wine is about.This wine at first presents complex notes of both Cassis & leather right up front and seems to hold nothing back. This leather brings with it both a rustic note and is really expressed so very nicely in this wine although it actually came as a surprise even though I did pick it up on the nose. Black Pepper is presented wonderfully yet is also controlled here and this wonderful trio is simply outstandingly powerful and vibrant on the Palate. The wine is what I would certainly consider to be a juicy wine and one with an edge of enjoyable tannin's to it as well These tannin's are brambly and although they do assist in bringing about a refinness to the wine they also bring with them a bit of a palate roughness that comes into play at the Mid-Palate and is once again simply.....outstanding. If you are a Cabernet Sauvignon lover who demands tannin's be in their wine, look no further as this is that wine. This is a big & complex wine and it's flavors are really just taking control and exploding all over my palate and I am loving it like crazy. There is also a warmth of sorts to the wine and it is not a warmth of alcohol but rather of a refineness, a feeling that the juice in this bottle was aged and intended for another, much higher priced label.

Michael & His Wife, Mary Ann

   This warmth over the palate feel meshes just wonderfully with everything else this wine is throwing out. There is a blackberry note here but it is not a ripe blackberry note and as such, it does not bring any overdone sweetness or jamminess along with it which is a great thing considering how so many of today Cabs are overdone in these aspects. This blackberry note simply presents itself for what it is and what it is a note that does not wish to be in the spotlight yet also at the same time, doesn't want you to forget that it is there. If you believe that I am done describing this wine you are certainly wrong, there is so much more as the black cherry I got on the nose is rather evident here but it also comes across without it's normal sugar which is exposed in so many red wines. In this wine, brings just it's flavor. Can you imagine the fruits of both black cherry and blackberry with all their fruit taste but without what would normally be overpowering sweetness? Combine this with a note of some rather nice acidity that is apparent on the sides of the tongue and you are now getting the point of what this wine is all about. Did I mention a refinness that this wine also brings with it? Yes, I did but it does bear repeating (a few times:) because this wine simply exudes that feeling all over your palate.
   Guys, as I move to close this review, I certainly hope that I have expressed my feeling on this wine and that you give this wine a try, I do not believe that you will be sorry. If you are lucky enough to be able to find a bottle of this wine I highly recommend that you give it at least a couple of hours to decant and you will be floored at just how amazing it is. Folks, $20 for a Napa Cab at this level of perfection is simply unheard of. Ladies & Gentleman, this is what a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa or anywhere else for that matter should taste like. You can keep the jammy, fruit forward, red liquid that so many today love to call wine, As far as I am concerned, I need a real "old world" expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal and this is it. I'll cut to the chase guys, this is a wine that I am cellaring. I have two bottles left and they are headed straight to the Cellar. On the Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine an amazing 96 points.

My recommendation is that if you can find it, you buy three bottles of this wine and enjoy one now and put two away for the future, I promise that you will not regret it. Please do not judge this wine by its price as $20 seems really inexpensive for a Napa Cab but have no doubts, this is the real deal. One last thing, if you are a Generation X type wine lover, look elsewhere because this is an old school, old world, Cabernet Sauvignon and will not be to your liking.

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2018 Cannonball Eleven - Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley

 

2018 Cannonball - Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley

   Alright folks, welcome back to my wine blog. Today I need to just get this review out because I want to ensure that if you should happen to come across this wine, you stay far away from it. I am sure that this last statement undoubtedly gave away my feelings concerning this wine and therefore, I will try and keep this review short and to the point. Here is a wine that I bought simply because of the winemaker which is Ondine Chattan. In the recent past I have reviewed the 2018 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-desert-wine-guy-2018-ondine-chattan.html) which she created and ended up giving it a solid 93 points.I also reviewed a few other wines by her and found most of them to be pretty nice.
   Let's dig into this particular wine now. Today I am reviewing the 2018 Cannonball - Sauvignon Blanc that I bought from Naked Wines for $17.99 but weirdly sells for $14.99 (2019) from the actual winery (https://www.shareasplash.com/product/2019-cannonball-sauvignon-blanc) itself with $5 shipping if you buy three bottles. The grapes for this wine come from the Dry Creek Valley AVA which is located in the Northern Sonoma Valley.

Winemaker - Ondine Chattan

   Let's talk label. I get it, it's a kid doing a Cannonball into the pool. What I don't get is or understand though is the relationship between that and the wine. Once again (unfortunately), I see a white wine in a dark bottle and I think that someone is certainly missing out on visually showcasing this wine (marketing). This label would look so much better on a much lighter colored bottle that show the wines color off. To me, this appears to be more of a label and bottle better suited for a red wine. 
   Now that we have that stuff out of the way, let's check out the bouquet. The first time I brought the glass to my nose I was rather happy as it gave off the impression of being a tropical, Sauvignon Blanc which happens to be more to my liking by the way and also how I believe the varietal should be presented. A pretty nice melon is presented here on the nose and even though it is on the lighter side, it still works rather nicely. I am also getting an ever so slight note of toast as well that comes on the end of the nose. Kiwi is the final note here on the nose and it comes across rather nicely as well.
   It is now palate time folks and this is a busy palate in general. First up here I will tell you that this is a dry Sauvignon Blanc, a very dry, Sauvignon Blanc and as I said, it is not my preferred style/expression of the varietal. This is also most definitely not what I would consider to be either a tropical, a semi-tropical or even a fruity wine. Almost immediately the wine starts off the palate really offensively. Lime, yes folks, lime. That lime is a big....no, huge note here in the wine even though it comes into play just after the mid-palate, it certainly does leave its mark on the entire wine. You know what? I am going to keep this wine chilled and open in order to see it it develops at all, i'll see you in thirty minutes. Okay so it is a half hour later now and  folks.....I am very sorry but I need to put this out right here, right now. This wine still presents an enormous amount of lime harshness that try as I might, I can't push aside nor honestly, should I have to. This is a very tough review for me because not only does it mean putting down a wine from a winemaker who's wines I generally enjoy but it means me drinking a bit more of this wine and I really don't want to drink anymore of it. That stupid lime note really is a killer! As I try to move on here, i'll tell you that the wine also does manage to put out some tropical fruit such as nectarine and it is good but almost immediately killed by you guessed it, lime.

The wine also presents a toast note which could normally be really nice in the varietal but here in this wine it somehow manages to latch onto that dreaded lime note and the two become best friends working together towards what is in my opinion, the death of the wine and so it's just not good. The wine tries it's best to push aside that lime by throwing out some peach as well but that brooding lime is STILL a wine killer. I'm done folks, the wine is not good and definitely not a Sauvignon Blanc that I would ever want to deal with again. That half hour did nothing to soften or mellow this wine out but if you still insist, you might do an experiment of giving it a year to develop a bit. 
   In closing here guys, the nose of this wine is completely different than the palate. If the palate could live up to the nose, the wine might have been rated a lot higher. On The Desert wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine a very lame 87 points. I have a little over a half a bottle left and it is headed down the drain.

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

P.S. - This is not my first review of a Cannonball wine as I also rated the 2017 Cannonball Eleven - Cabernet Sauvignon (Ondine Chattan) which I found to be lacking as well.

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2019 Cloud Break - Chardonnay

 

2019 Cloud Break - Chardonnay

    What would we do without the "big box" stores? Yes, I do get that they are generally less expensive than the so called "mom & pop" stores, sometimes even much less expensive. I also understand that their selection is better on most items, way better. I only ask this question because yesterday I happened to go to one of those big box wine/liquor retailer type stores in Gainesville, Florida which is about an hour away and also, where I purchased today's wine that is up for review. While the prices were pretty good, I did notice in general that they have gone up.....quite a bit (inflation anyone). One potential problem that always seems to crop up with these types of businesses in general and I think with good reason is how effective they are in eliminating the competition, the mom & pop stores? Once the competition is gone there is a vacuum left which in turn leads to a monopoly and prices will then really have the potential to shoot up since you no longer have a choice (competition) as to where to shop. I guess these stores are here to stay but does that mean we avoid the smaller stores all together. In my opinion, I don't believe we should. As a perfect example, there is a small wine shop not far from me and they have a wine from the Napa Valley winery, Pine Ridge that I was after but they were $3 higher than the big box store I go to yet I ended up buying the wine at the smaller shop anyway. As I finish up this intro paragraph I will leave you with my original question to answer for yourself. What would we do without the big box stores?

Chardonnay Waiting To Be Enjoyed

   Alright guys, let's dig into this wine now. As I already said, I purchased this wine from a big box wine/liquor retailer. As soon as my Daughters and I walked into the store we saw a few cases of the wine on an endcap and one of my daughters said "Daddy, you should try that wine". Well folks, what else could I do but buy the wine? I paid $8.99 for this wine and it is cork sealed but not by a real cork, it is a composite of some kind. Oh well, at least it's not a screw-cap right:) One last bit of information here, the alcohol percentage of this wine comes in at 12.5%.
   Let's talk label now. I like the label guys, it is bright and seems to celebrate the varietal visually very nicely. There is nothing distracting and even though the hair on the back of my neck raises when I see the words "barrel fermented" on it, I am willing to try and put that aside. I will tell you however that as someone who is not a huge lover of MLF (Malolactic Fermentation) this does scare me more then just a bit as in my experience this normally means an over abundance of both oak and butteriness.

Chardonnay Flavor Profile

   It is nose time now folks, time to see what the wine smells like. First up here as I start off is a note of oak as well as a buttery note and I immediately appear to have my concerns (MLF) reinforced. As far as any fruit notes being present here on the nose goes, I am getting massive tropical Green Apple as well as some pineapple. I don't know how this will translate over to the palate but I am kind of concerned that all of it will translate over as the bouquet is uncharacteristically very tropical & fruity for a Chardonnay. Hopefully the palate presentation of this wine will express itself in more of a refined way because if it comes across on the palate as it does on the nose, I might be ending this review very quickly.
   As far as the palate presentation of this wine goes.....yeah, it is severely lacking in almost every area other than sugary tasting fruit and mass amounts of butteriness and oak. I'll tell you right now in the beginning of this section that this is indeed going to be a short review as the wine is not worth me spending much time on as my fears of a buttery and oakey white wine have turned into reality. The wine is indeed very tropical and has enormous fruit to it but that fruit is way too in your face in the aspect of the wine coming across as being extremely sweet. Two other notes that really help in destroying this wine are oak and butteriness. The label was not lying when it said "barrel fermented". As if the wine needed another killer, there is a sweet, brightly tropically, and in your face Green Apple here that jumps right out at you and does nothing but cause you to sit back and go "whew" only not in a good way. The pineapple that the wine exhibits is mostly subdued and simply immersed in that massive sweetness as well. Guys, I am sorry, try as I might I can't go on with tasting this wine, there is simply no point in it. If I want to drink an overly sweet drink I can open a Monster or some other junky type energy drink. Let's move now to the conclusion paragraph and put this review (and my palate) out of it's misery.

Truer Words Were Never Said

   Alright so when they said "barrel fermented" they weren't kidding. If you believe that a quality or even semi quality Chardonnay is supposed to taste like eating a ripe fruit basket, then you are in luck as this is the wine for you. If however, you know what a quality Chardonnay is supposed to taste like, I suggest that you keep walking, wait, no.....running right past the end cap in the store and head on over to the 2018 Stags Leap, Napa Valley - Chardonnay which I rated at 96 points and cost me $29.99. This 2018 Stags Leap is the best Chardonnay that I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing. As for our review wine, this wine is very rich (think sweet) and very overpowering in the way of over the top tropical fruit, it is also without (almost) any redeeming qualities to note. In this wine reviewers opinion, this is wine is a huge flop folks. If you are a new wine drinker and still exploring your palate please don't taste this wine and assume that you now know what a Chardonnay really tastes like. This is an extremely palate offensive wine but does have one saving grace to it which is that it would be great for a pool wine but nothing more. If you have friends at the party who are into wine I highly suggest that you do not try to pass this off as a quality Chardonnay because you will be laughed at. I would suggest you tell your guests that the wine in their glass is some kind of white wine blend instead. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine a sink/drain cleaning 85 points. One other thing, this wine is way overpriced and if you insist on drinking it here is a tip to save you a lot of money. I have tasted the same junk for $2.99 from Wallyworld under the label Oak leaf.

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

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2019 Matt Parish - Pilot Hill Gang, Red Blend

 

The 2019 Matt Parish - Pilot Hill Gang, Red Blend

  Normally when I start off a review, I will talk about a particular topic that eventually will transition into the wine I am reviewing that day. Today however, I am going to get right down to business as I have a lot to talk about. Ready? Here we go. The best word to describe how I feel concerning today's wine review is, "excited". The winemaker of today's wine being reviewed is actually one which I discovered while I was reviewing (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-desert-wine-guy-my-review-of-naked.html) the on-line wine company, Naked Wines (https://us.nakedwines.com//). While I was reviewing the company I was of course also reviewing (and enjoying) the wines they sent me for free in order to evaluate. As a part of these wines, I reviewed the 2018 Matt Parish - Tri-County, Cabernet Sauvignon (review not posted as of yet) which I gave 96 AWESOME points to.

Rutherford dust

There is no other way to say it, I absolutely fell in love with that wine, unfortunately as I went to order three more bottles I discovered it was sold out. The other day I actually joined the club and purchased (yes, my own money:) a case of wine from Naked Wines and I made it a point to seek out more of Matt's wines and the wine I got is the subject of today's review.
   Prior to actually getting into the wine, I want to do a couple of things though and the first thing is to remind you guys that I have no skin in the wine game, I am not beholding to anyone in the wine industry/business nor any other industry/business for that matter. I do this Desert Wine Guy stuff to educate people, because I want to help people find their next wine and because I really enjoy it. I don't care if anyone sends me stuff for free to review and while I do appreciate it, I have and will continue to call em as I see em. Having said this I would like to now talk about the second thing I want to address and that is to give a brief synopsis of the wine-making career of the winemaker for today's review wine, Mr. Matt Parish as I believe his background in the wine industry is rather impressive.
   Matt "graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Plant and Microbial Sciences from Canterbury University and a Masters Degree in Applied Sciences (Viticulture and Oenology) with Honors from Lincoln University (https://azur-associates.com/about). Aside from creating wine in America, Matt has created wines in New Zealand, Australia & France as well. Matt also worked for the highly respected Wine Network Consulting located in Melbourne, Australia. "With an enviable list of clients, including boutique producers through to large multinationals, everyday was a blast. As part of a high-profile team, he provided viticulture, wine-making, and wine business advice, established vineyards, designed wineries and introduced new wine production technologies"(https://vinture.arra.biz/index.php?page=about).

In 2003 Matt moved to America "where he spent the next 10 years in Group, Director and Chief Winemaker roles at two of the world's largest publicly listed wine companies. Constellation Wines US and Treasury Wine Estates Americas"(https://vinture.arra.biz/index.php?page=about). If you have never heard of Constellation Wines, here (https://www.cbrands.com/) is their link, I promise, you have heard of them. If you have never heard of Treasury Wine Estates Americas, here (https://www.tweglobal.com/) is their link, again, I promise, you have heard of them as well. If this wasn't enough, Matt also worked for wineries such as Beringer (Treasury Wine Estates), Stags’ Leap (Treasury Wine Estates) and Etude (Treasury Wine Estates). I could go on and on here but the bottom line is that Matt Parish is very well respected in his field and his qualifications exceed what I expected to see when I first checked out Naked Wines. If you still want more information on Matt, here (https://vinture.arra.biz/index.php?page=about) is the link that I got some of this information from. Currently not only is Matt a winemaker for Naked Wines but he is also the Managing Director, Wine-Making and Production for Azur Associates (https://azur-associates.com/) which is a marketing company for wine related businesses. If you ask me, Matt is very well qualified to be creating wines.
    Now for the wine. Today I will be reviewing the 2019 Matt Parish - Pilot Hill Gang, Red Blend . The wine as an "Angel" (member) cost me $14.99 however if I weren't a member, it would have cost me $23.99. The grapes for this wine come from the El Dorado County in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The alcohol percentage of this wine is 14.5% and the bottle was cork sealed. Folks, Have you ever e-mailed a winemaker? I can tell you from my own experience that about 99% of the time, you will never get a response.

I bring this up because in the middle of reviewing this wine I had cause to message Matt on Social Media concerning some specifics of this wine and to my surprise, he actually answered me back informing me that the wine is a small blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot & 10% Merlot. Matt also informed me that the wine was matured in Stainless Steel but did have some influence in "high-end, fire seasoned French Oak toasted" as well. If that isn't Customer Service, I don't know what is.
   Now it is label time. Keep in mind folks that this is a red wine and in my opinion a red wine wine needs to have a red wine label. With that being said, I thought that half of the label was great while the bottom half being in white, kind of threw me off and I really didn't care for it. To me the bottom half was a distraction and kind of came out of nowhere compared to the top section of the label. As a whole I guess this label worked fairly decently overall.
   Now it is time to look into this wines bouquet. As I bring the glass to my nose I get some nice and moderately juicy black cherry along with some expressive cassis. As the wine opens up a bit I get just a bit of oak but certainly nothing that can even come close to being overpowering here on the nose nor did it give off the impression that it would be overpowering on the palate. Following these particular notes up is a bit of a coffee note and as a whole and I have to tell you that the bouquet is enticing which is great as the wines nose is supposed to excite the taster and have them looking forward to tasting the wine which is something the nose of this wine certainly does for me.

Winemaker - Matt parish

   Speaking of tasting the wine, it is now time to see what this wine tastes like. Well, first up here is a semi bright yet at the same time, darkish note of black cherry. This black cherry is immediately swarmed but not dominated, by some amazing acidity. Yes folks, there certainly is wonderful and amazing acidity that also carries this wine throughout the entire palate presentation. What comes up next and what was really a bit of a surprise to me while also bringing this wine to life is a dustiness, a "Rutherford Dust" type note which is just superb and effective in a big way. Guys, while the entire palate is truly explosive it thankfully is not astringent nor did I find it in any way offensive. On top of these notes is a definite palate feel of luxuriousness and a sort of underlying yet effective silkiness or plushness which a blackberry note can help take credit for. There is also some fruit forwardness here in the wine which normally would be considered in my book to be a red wine killer and therefore I could certainly normally do without. Amazingly however, here in this wine while that fruit forwardness is not exactly shy, to my surprise it seems to work very well with everything else the wine puts out.
   Alright, so the above paragraph is where I left off yesterday as I certainly was able to discover some really nice notes right away but I wanted to give this wine a day to open up in order to see how it would develop. The only air allowed to enter the bottle was when I removed the stopper the day prior in order to pour a couple of glasses. As I come back to the wine today, I noticed that blackberry note had really developed even more and was displaying itself even better then yesterday. This note added to the complexity of the wine and had it elevate itself on my palate as well. As for any tannin's, they are present and could easily be confused for some other notes so you should pay attention. These tannin's are actually rather on the brambly side yet are certainly pleasant and above all, effective at giving the Tongue a super light coating and thereby elevating the entire wine profile as well. For those of you who steer clear from tannins, I don't think you will have to worry here. This wine most certainly gives off an upper-crust type impression and comes across as being an exclusive, expensive, bold & in many ways, a big red. There is also that impressive sense of a blackberry plushness I mentioned earlier that is a bit more than an underlying note as it is a nicely developed and well placed note as by the way, are all the wines other notes.

As I move closer to actually finishing the entire bottle (I know huh), the wine has become even more alive and even more robust in it's presentation. There is some nice Black Pepper that really pushes through and effectively assists in steering the palate. As a side note, I want to tell you that I happen to love Black Pepper and tannin's in my red wines by the way. A very slight palate note of leather is also part of that steering. Fruit, the wine is good friends with the black fruits I previously mentioned and my palate has become friends with them as well. While the original notes from day 1 fully remain, the addition of day number 2's notes really does wonders for this wine in as far as complexity and ability to excel is concerned. Guys, I do believe that I have said enough about this wine and so I will end this section of the review and see you in the final paragraph.    
   Alright everyone, let's wrap this up now. As I said earlier, This is not the first time I have reviewed a red wine by Matt and after reviewing this particular wine, it definitely won't be my last either. This is a full bodied Burgundy style red wine like to the max. Darkness is an important part of this wine and if I could relate it to an 80's music band(s) I would say it is like The Cure or Joy Division. There is no playing around here and therefore the wine stands proud to be what it is which is a very nicely crafted & most definitely serious, red wine blend. Word to the wise! Because of how the wine presents itself, I must issue a warning to those of you who are looking for an easy drinking red as this is not that wine. If you are a red wine lover who is used to what the likes of a Stags Leap, Peju or BV wineries puts out then consider this wine to have been specifically designed for you. On the other hand if you are looking for a Barefoot or Cupcake type.... red wine(?), this should not be your first, second or even last choice. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine a well deserved 94 points.

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

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P.S - While writing this review I was unable to find anything on line concerning the makeup of it as far as varietals go. As a wine reviewer I find this to be a unfortunet and it is like this with all of the wines that Naked Wines sells. As I previously said, I tried contacting Matt on Social Media with some questions and to my surprise, he actually answered me, like......right away. This is another plus for not only Matt but Naked Wines as well because this is not the first time I have contacted one of their winemakers and gotten a response and within a very reasonable time frame. Keep in mind that I am in no way getting anything from Naked wines to say these things and as I said, I am actually a member and put out the $40 each month because I really believe in the companies business model and the winemakers as well. As I went to edit this article, I actually stopped and purchased (yep, my money again) yet another case of wine from Naked Wines which includes another bottle of this particular wine (cellar time) as well as Matt's 2018 Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2019 "The 24" - Contra Costa Zinfandel as well. I will keep you updated on how these wines turned out here on my wine blog.
 

The Desert Wine Guy - Vinesse Wine Club, A Ripoff

 What is going on guys? Today I want to do a short review of a wine club named Vinesse which is a subsidiary of American Cellars Wine Club. Keep in mind that I am not a stranger to reviewing wine clubs as I have reviewed a few of them on this site. During these reviews the two that I found were good was the Wine of The Month Club (https://www.winemonthclub.com/) & Naked Wines (https://us.nakedwines.com//). Here is my review of both the Wine Of The Month Club  (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-desert-wine-guy-my-recent.html) as well as Naked Wines (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-desert-wine-guy-my-review-of-naked.html). By the way, I also happen to belong to Naked Wines and give them $40 each month. So, why am I writing this review? My answer to that question is that I am very upset, allow me to explain why and I think you might be as well. The other day....and the day before....and the day before that and two weeks prior to that I received the above offer(s) in my mailbox and I finally got tired of throwing the mail out and decided to open it up and see what it is all about, after all it did have to do with wine. As you can see from the photo above, the offer sounded really good and was for an introductory offer of 6 bottles of wine along with a "free gift worth $50" (2 additional bottles of wine) for a total of 8 bottles. The total for these 8 bottles is  $29.99 + $10 for Shipping & Handling.

Vinesse Shipping Charges

 Okay, so far, this sounds like a good deal and if you also think that it sounds like a good deal you would of course be correct. Now keep in mind that you are also agreeing to join the club and receive a shipment of wine each month which is normal for these wine clubs. Well folks, I went ahead and read a little further into what the company offers and here are the problems that I found.
   Let's begin by talking about a generic wine that Vinesse sells. Vinesse sells this generic wine for $20 and let's say for arguments sake that that is a good deal, here is where the first part of what I consider to be a ripoff, comes into play. The first part of this ripoff is the fact that Vinesse charges $21 to ship that $20 bottle of wine to you. Yes, you read that correctly, $21. If you think that Vinesse charging $21 for shipping a bottle of wine is bad, just wait because you ain't seen nothing yet. If you thought that Vinesse is done charging you for shipping for that the one bottle, you would be wrong again and this is where the second part of this ripoff comes in. Vinesse isn't done charging you shipping for that one bottle of wine because they also have a.......wait for it.....surcharge. Yes folks, a surcharge and if you need your wine shipped to one of  23 states (one of which is mine) Vinesse will hit you with a surcharge of 17% and if you need that wine sent to PA and IL, that surcharge jumps to 20%. Keep in mind that according to a big wine magazine, winery direct (which is what Vinesse claims to be) shipping is prohibited in four states so that is a lot of states that will be paying that crazy surcharge. For the remainder of the states they charge a 10% surcharge. I bet that now you think they are done charging you for delivery huh? If you thought that your wrong again because there's more, there is yet another surcharge.

Naked Wines - Shipping Charges

This surcharge is a 3% surcharge for those of us who live in a "residence", Yes folks, Vinesse charges you a surcharge because you live in a residence which is otherwise known as where you live. I guess they believe that wines from an on-line wine club are not normally sent to a residence.
   Let me tell you guys a little something. I recently ordered a bottle of Chardonnay from the Napa Valley winery, Black Stallion (https://www.blackstallionwinery.com/) and they charged me $14 to ship it. Guys, anytime a Napa Valley winery is cheaper than a retailer, in anything, something is indeed, way wrong. Now as I tell you this please remember that I actually give $40 a month (I'm a member) to the wine club I am about to mention which is Naked Wines. Naked Wines charges $9.99 to ship anything under $100. Now I didn't say that 9.99 is per bottle because that is not the case. If your order totals $99.99 or less, that order ships for a flat $9.99. If you order $100 or more, it ships for free as does Vinesse but since Vinesse doesn't believe that surcharges for delivery are actual delivery charges, you will still pay them so it's not free at all. Getting back to Naked Wines for a minute, I just today received six bottles of wine that I ordered from them and it shipped for free. Looking at their shipping charge, Vinesse would have charged me $30 + all the other surcharges..
   There you have it folks, do you see now why I am so upset? I hope that if you are in the market for a wine club that I have helped you in narrowing down your search. If you want to pay out the butt for shipping, perhaps you will like being a member of Vinesse but if you are like me and will not do business with what I consider to be a dishonest company, I would stay far away from them.

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Useless Words, Higher Prices & Deceptive Labels

 

Total Confusion

   Today, I want to talk about words or phrases that are often put on wine labels in order to try and impress customers who simply don't know any better. Now, the words or phrases that I will be talking about certainly can mean something special but there are no laws or regulations in America that says they must mean anything special. If you have ever paid attention to wine labels I am sure you have seen the words or phrases that I am about to mention and these words/phrases are mostly used in order to help create the impression or illusion that you are privileged and lucky to poses the wine you have in your hands. Wines that carry these words/phrases could be any price starting all the way from Two Buck Chuck at $3 to the Screaming Eagle, Sauvignon Blanc for $6,000, it doesn't matter. As I get deeper into this article I know that you will recognize the words/phrases that I discuss and the next time you look at a wine label, you will be much more aware of what you are actually reading so let's go ahead now and get started. By the way, this article pertains to American wines as some other countries do have laws that ensure the words/phrases used are actually relevant to the particular wine they are holding.  

"Reserve" wine

   Reserve - The first word we will look at is "reserve". I remember when I very first got into wine and I saw the word reserve on the label. Boy did I think I had something awesome in my hands and for only around $15, I had surely lucked out. So, what does the word reserve mean on a wine label? Would it surprise you to know that it legally means absolutely nothing? If you came up with that answer, count yourself in the minority because there are a lot of people who think that the word means this wine was created and put aside because it is different somehow or better than the regular wine the winery sells. Now as I said, the word can mean something special but for the most part it is just used to try and impress and/or boost the price of the wine.

   Vinted - Usually we will see that word on the back label and it will say something like "vinted by" ABC winery, Napa, Ca. To many of us that would be interpreted as saying that the grapes and even the wine itself came from a winery named ABC and that the grapes came from the Napa Valley.

"Vinted & Bottled by"

If this is what you thought you would be wrong again as vinted simply means that another company made the wine. As an example if you are drinking a Stags Leap wine and it says vinted by on the back label it means that the Stags Leap winery probably had nothing to do with the actual making of the wine, it is simply being sold under their prestigious name and therefore the price of the wine just jumped up. 

   Bottled By - This is a phrase you will also see on the back label and it very simply means that the winery on the label did not make the wine if it did it would say "produced by" instead. Bottled by simply means that the company named just put the wine in the bottle, they bottled it :)

   Old Vine - When we hear the words "old vine" we are usually enjoying a Zinfandel. When we hold that bottle in our hands we wonder if perhaps our older children were born after the vine was planted. We have visions of the grape vine(s) being ten or perhaps even twenty years old or even older. This is done because for some reason people think that the older the vine, the better the wine and that is not necessarily true.

Once again there is no law or regulation that dictates the phrase has to mean anything. The vines for your wine could very well be from an old vine but it could also be from a three year old vine just as well and neither of these reasons guarantee a good wine.

   Cellared By - This phrase means what it says, some company held the bottles and was responsible for keeping the bottles in a temperature and humidity controlled environment and away from a lot of light as well. The building that cellared (held/stored) the wine might have had nothing to do with making the wine unless of course both the winery name and the cellaring company are the same but the label will specity this.

"Cellared By"

   French Oak - Here is a phrase that you usually won't see on the label but you will see on a Tech Sheet. So you buy an inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon and you find out that the wine sat in 100% French Oak for one (1) year. That sounds really impressive for a wine you paid $10 for huh? What the winery purposefully isn't telling you on that Tech Sheet is that the French Oak is now used or, old. What a winery will say rather than use the words "old" or "used" is that the French Oak is "neutral" and they also won't tell you that since the oak is neutral it no longer imparts any of that oak flavor onto the wine. Once a French Oak wine barrel is used consistently for three to four years it no longer imparts any flavor onto the wine so basically it is useless for that purpose and the price for these barrels drop considerably as well. There are other uses such as toning down tannin's to soften a wine but not for that oak taste, it sure sounds impressive though.
  
   Well folks, I sure hope this article has enlightened you and made you a more aware wine consumer. Knowing what you are buying is pretty important to your satisfaction and that goes for any product.

"French Oak"

While the wine industry likes to confuse you or use fancy word to trick you into thinking you have something more than what you really have, you are now aware and can therefore be more selective on the wines you choose. Let the uninitiated pay more for an entry level, basic wine, you are going to be spending your money on good, mid-tier wine instead. There is a question that I know you are asking yourself, or perhaps even out loud as you read this article and that question is, "how do I know if the words mean anything on a particular bottle?" That is a great question and here is my answer. While you can't always be sure of the meanings of the above words, you have to ask yourself self, this wine cost $5 and since the winery doesn't make a less expensive wine, how can it be ar "reserve?" The obvious answer is, it can't and it isn't. I myself will research wines right there in the store in order to see if the winery is justified in using the words they use. It only really takes a minute to do the research and if you are really curious, stop taking selfies for a second and do it. 

P.S - As I finish this article I want to add that I in no way advocating for any new laws in this country as I believe we have enough laws on the books as it is.

                                                                                                                                     The Desert Wine Guy

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