Delicato Merlot 2003

Price: $16
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We’ve been tasting mostly bottled wine lately, so it was nice to get back to our first love, boxed wine, by trying Delicato Merlot 2003. We found dark berries, oak, and sweet vanilla in the nose of this merlot. On the palate, we found cherry and blueberry notes, with enough tannin structure to make the wine interesting. Overall, if you are looking for a respectable merlot that offers the convenience of a box, this Delicato offering is a fine choice.

Delicato enters their wines in numerous tasting competitions, and often bags some medals. Their 2002 Merlot won a silver at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and was scored at 86 points in the Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide. A year earlier, the 2001 Delicato Merlot was rated one of Wine Spectator’s “100 Best Wine Values” and won gold medals both San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the New World International Wine Competition.

Fish Eye Shiraz

Price: $19
Maker: Fisheye Wines, Ripon, California
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

One of the newer boxes we’ve spotted in our local market is Fish Eye Shiraz 2003 - we’ve seen their wines in the standard 750ml bottles, but it’s now available in 3-liter boxes as well. The wine has a nice aroma with leather, berry, and spice notes. The flavor is plummy with additional cherry and oak notes leading into a slightly peppery finish. We found this wine to be a bit better if it’s given a chance to breathe. That’s a bit more challenging for a boxed wine, since you can’t just leave it uncorked on the counter for a while. So, either decant some or pour your glasses early.

One minor quibble we have with this wine’s packaging is its twist-spigot pouring mechanism. This is similar to the dispensers used on some of the 5-liter ultra-cheap boxes, and has an annoying tendency to dribble. The spigot doesn’t actually leak, but shortly after one pours a glass an additional drop of wine is released. By that time, the glass is gone and the drop lands on whatever is underneath the spigot. This isn’t a huge issue, but since some makers seem to have perfected the drip-free, push-button spigot we see no reason for a winemaker to incorporate the old-style twist kind.

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz 2003

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz 2003

Price: $12
Maker: Jacob’s Creek
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Tasting Notes. The strongest note in the nose is licorice, backed up by ripe blackberries. On the palate, this wine is very smooth. Plum and chocolate cherry flavors, with oak, soft tannins, and mild spice in the finish. This is a well-structured wine that lingers impressively.

Comparing the two wines, there were definitely some similarities, notably the licorice aroma and fruit-forward nature. The regular Shiraz was a bit rougher, though, while the Reserve was smoother and more complex. There’s no doubt that given the choice between the two, we’d pick the Reserve as the better wine.

The next question is a bit different: is Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz worth twice as much as Jacob’s Creek Shiraz? That’s a question that in part relates to the economics of the buyer. For a well-heeled wine buyer, $12 is still a cheap wine… there would be no reason to consider the even cheaper regular variety. For a starving artist (do they still exist?), the extra $6 might well be significant. So, we’ll ask the question in a more provocative way - if one found oneself at the wine shop on the way to a small dinner party with just $12 in cash, should one buy a single bottle of the Reserve or two bottles of the regular Shiraz?

I’ll weasel out of that question by saying it depends on the guests. The regular Shiraz from Jacob’s Creek is good enough to please the casual wine drinker, and the extra bottle might add to their enjoyment (not to mention further dulling their palates). For guests who would appreciate a better wine, go with the Reserve; you’ll run out quickly, but they will compliment you on your selection.

Montevina Sierra Foothills Zinfandel

Price: $7
Maker: Montevina Winery, Plymouth, Amador County, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.2%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

The winery presents Montevina Sierra Foothills Zinfandel 2003 as a fun, informal wine, describing it as a “perfect complement to everyday celebrations like balanced checkbooks, successfully parked cars, and Wednesday evenings.” (Don’t forget to complete the parking job and exit the car before starting the celebration!) This Zin has a beautiful ruby red color, and a nose with raspberries and licorice. The flavor is nicely structured, with pleasant red berry notes and a long-lasting finish with chewy tannins. A bit more complexity would make this Zin even more attractive, but the structure and fruitiness make for a very pleasant experience.

You might enjoy visiting the Montevina website - it’s a bit heavy on animation and short on content, but worth a look.

This isn’t the most spectacular Zin we’ve tasted, but for under $10 we’d rate it a nice bargain.

Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat

Price: $50
Maker: Franciscan Oakville Estate, Rutherford, California
Varietal: Red Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.1 %
Our Rating: 8.9 out of 10

We opened our bottle of Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat 2003 as a Christmas dinner treat to accompany a standing rib roast. This is a more costly wine than we usually comment on here, and we looked forward to experiencing a big red - this is a Meritage blend, ostensibly the best of the best, and it weighs in at a hefty 14.1% alcohol level, higher than a typical cab. While I wasn’t able to track down the blending proportions for the 2003 Magnificat, the 2005 vintage was almost three-quarters Cabernet Sauvignon with almost all of the rest Merlot; the Malbec and Petit Verdot were only a percent or two each.

Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat 2003

Price: $50
Maker: Franciscan Oakville Estate, Rutherford, California
Varietal: Red Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.1 %
Our Rating: 8.9 out of 10

We opened our bottle of Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat 2003 as a Christmas dinner treat to accompany a standing rib roast. This is a more costly wine than we usually comment on here, and we looked forward to experiencing a big red - this is a Meritage blend, ostensibly the best of the best, and it weighs in at a hefty 14.1% alcohol level, higher than a typical cab. While I wasn’t able to track down the blending proportions for the 2003 Magnificat, the 2005 vintage was almost three-quarters Cabernet Sauvignon with almost all of the rest Merlot; the Malbec and Petit Verdot were only a percent or two each.

Grizzly Flat Shiraz - 2003

Price: $9
Maker: Grizzly Flat Cellars, San Luis Obispo, California
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz - 2003

Price: $22
Maker: Penfolds Wines, Magill, SA, Australia
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Knipser 2003 Riesling Auslese Trocken Halbstück

With a light salad on the menu..I really fancied a ripe Riesling.
This wine had pleased many times...but was corked.

Quickly down to the cellar again...hmmm..

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz - 2003

Price: $12
Maker: Jacob�s Creek
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10












Tasting Notes. The strongest note in the nose is licorice, backed up by ripe blackberries. On the palate, this wine is very smooth. Plum and chocolate cherry flavors, with oak, soft tannins, and mild spice in the finish. This is a well-structured wine that lingers impressively.

Comparing the two wines, there were definitely some similarities, notably the licorice aroma and fruit-forward nature. The regular Shiraz was a bit rougher, though, while the Reserve was smoother and more complex. There’s no doubt that given the choice between the two, we’d pick the Reserve as the better wine.

The next question is a bit different: is Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz worth twice as much as Jacob’s Creek Shiraz? That’s a question that in part relates to the economics of the buyer. For a well-heeled wine buyer, $12 is still a cheap wine… there would be no reason to consider the even cheaper regular variety. For a starving artist (do they still exist?), the extra $6 might well be significant. So, we’ll ask the question in a more provocative way - if one found oneself at the wine shop on the way to a small dinner party with just $12 in cash, should one buy a single bottle of the Reserve or two bottles of the regular Shiraz?

I’ll weasel out of that question by saying it depends on the guests. The regular Shiraz from Jacob’s Creek is good enough to please the casual wine drinker, and the extra bottle might add to their enjoyment (not to mention further dulling their palates). For guests who would appreciate a better wine, go with the Reserve; you’ll run out quickly, but they will compliment you on your selection.

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz 2003

Price: $6
Maker: Jacob�s Creek
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.8%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Tasting Notes. This wine’s nose was quite pleasant for a $6 wine, with licorice and spice mixing with ripe berry notes. The wine’s flavor mixed juicy berries with oak and pepper, with a slight tannic sharpness in the finish. This isn’t a great Shiraz, but for the price it’s reasonably balanced and complex. We tasted this wine a year ago, and it was good to see that our findings were quite consistent with the earlier tasting..

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Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2003 wine

This Grand Cru Bordeaux (Margaux) was the wine I supplied in (NW's) and my Christmas dinner surprise pairing with a nice rib roast. (See previous entry)

It is a lighter garnet color with nice fruity bouquet of berries and cedar with cherry predominating.

On opening, it is a tad watery but nice flavors of cherry and decent structure but needs to breathe.

After 4 hours of airtime, cherries and leather with a touch of wood but finishes a mite quickly. It is at its prime but will hold for another couple years I would guess.

I paid $40 for this on a trip to the mid-west a couple years ago. It is a solid wine but nothing special and for $40, you can find something special. Never-the-less, raise a glass!

Osoyoos Larose 2003

Popped into my local wine merchant....to buy a few odd bottles to try. Robert is the owner of the 'Hanglage'. I told him I was trying to wean myself off Spätburgunder...so that the Blog readers could see how I deal with 'others'. We discussed a few wines..then, as an afterthought, he produced the 3 wines from Crusius....which I bought. Hey...I did try..blame Robert!!! I also purchased 3 others..as you can see in the photo. As he packed the wines away....and as I had mentioned some Canadian readers of the blog..he produced a wine....which I almost bought..until I heard the price. Osoyoos Larose 2003 British Columbia CANADA!!!!!!
A Bordeaux blend.....tell me it is a world beater and I may go back for it.

2003 Twomey Napa Merlot wine

Nose: coffee, cherry, blackberry, tobacco
Palate: smooth berry and tannic. Fine soft balance.
Finish: green finish with warm cherry and dry tobacco emerginglate.

Overall: a very finely crafted merlot.