2004 Rain Dance Shiraz

Price: $16
Maker: Westcorp International
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 3 liter box
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Westcorp International, a South African wine firm, offers Rain Dance Shiraz as one of a series of box wines with that label. Currently shipping is the 2004 vintage. The packaging for this series is colorful, and the name alludes to an old African tradition, the dance that brings the life sustaining rains. The wine is packaged in a 3 liter box with squared-off corners. The spout is a twist-spigot, but doesn’t seem to have any of the dribble problems one finds with some of the cheap American boxes with this kind of dispenser.

It’s rare that the description of a wine on the packaging doesn’t over-promise, but the Rain Dance box says simply, “a smooth, easy drinking red wine with berry and fruit flavors.” We agree with that minimalist description. The wine has a pleasing aroma of spice and berries, and the flavor is smooth - berries and oak, with some peppery spice. The finish is slightly acidic, which plays well with the rest of the experience. This may not be a big, complex red, but it’s a crowd-pleaser that should prove enjoyable to a range of palates. This would be a nice selection for a cookout or group event where you want the practicality of a box but want to go a bit upscale. The Rain Dance Shiraz box would also be perfect for the “glass of red wine a day” drinker who doesn’t want to contend with oxidation issues in partially-consumed bottles.

2004 Trove Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $25
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3-liter box
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

At least on US shelves, Trove Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 is likely to be one of the pricier box wines on the shelf. We saw it listed for $25 for a 3-liter box, but found it on sale for $20. At its list price, it’s hardly a costly wine - a bit more than $8 per bottle - but it’s far more costly than the cheap 5-liter wines from Franzia, Almaden, and Vella… and it’s a bit higher than most of the other boxes, like Hardy’s, Wine Block, Wine Cube, etc.

So is the Trove boxed cabernet worth shelling out a few extra bucks for? Perhaps… this cab has an intriguing aroma, with a prominent butterscotch note mixing with the more expected spice and berry. The flavor is rich and complex, with jammy berry flavors, soft tannins, and good acidity. The finish lingers. This is indeed a nice wine, and people who have turned their nose up at boxed wine in the past will be pleasantly surprised, if not actually shocked.

Trove Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Price: $25
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3-liter box
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

“… this cab has an intriguing aroma, with a prominent butterscotch note mixing with the more expected spice and berry. The flavor is rich and complex, with jammy berry flavors, soft tannins, and good acidity. The finish lingers. This is indeed a nice wine, and people who have turned their nose up at boxed wine in the past will be pleasantly surprised, if not actually shocked.”

Rain Dance Shiraz 2004

Price: $16
Maker: Westcorp International
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 3 liter box
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

“It�s rare that the description of a wine on the packaging doesn�t over-promise, but the Rain Dance box says simply, �a smooth, easy drinking red wine with berry and fruit flavors.� We agree with that minimalist description. The wine has a pleasing aroma of spice and berries, and the flavor is smooth - berries and oak, with some peppery spice. The finish is slightly acidic, which plays well with the rest of the experience. This may not be a big, complex red, but it�s a crowd-pleaser that should prove enjoyable to a range of palates.”

Vendange Shiraz 2004

Price: $3.50
Maker: Vendange Wine Cellars, Lathrop, California
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 500 ml Tetra pack
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Vendange Shiraz 2004, like its sibling Vendange Merlot, comes in a cute half-liter Tetra pack. As we previously noted, this slender container seems far smaller than a half liter, and is a monument to packaging efficiency. I suppose a square pack, rather than the current mostly octagonal shape, would take up even less space, but I suspect the octagonal scoring adds some stiffness and avoids bulging of the sides that might occur in a square shape.

The Vendange Shiraz is quite drinkable considering its juice-pack container. Its nose is quite robust, with blackberry, spice, and leather notes. Its flavor is a nice balance of berry, plum, oak, and spice. The finish is acceptably long, with trailing notes of black pepper. We found that this Shiraz was helped by letting it breathe a bit - our first pour after opening the pack had some rough edges that seemed to be mellowed by a bit of air.

As with the Merlot, the major reason to choose Vendange Shiraz over other good Australian or California Shirazes is the packaging. It’s not going to be the wine you take to the boss’s Christmas party, but for tailgating, picnics, or even home consumption it’s a great choice. The multiple varietals that Vendange puts in these convenient packs means it’s easy to please multiple tastes without ending up with a bunch of partially consumed bottles. There’s no collapsing bag inside these packs, so one would have the same concern for a partially consumed tetra pack as with a bottle. Then again, at .5 liters one wouldn’t expect to have the pack hanging around for days.

Vendange Zinfandel 2004

Price: $3.50
Maker: Vendange Wine Cellars, Lathrop, California
Variety: Zinfandel
Packaging: 500 ml Tetra pack
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Our Rating: 7.0 out of 10

We were excited to find that one local merchant expanded their assortment of Vendange Tetra Packs to eight varietals. We immediately picked up a Vendange Zinfandel 2004 - we’re partial to Zins, and the Vendange packages are compact and inexpensive. Unfortunately, our excitement lasted only until we opened the wine. The nose was promising, with juicy blackberry and raspberry backed up by mild licorice and clove notes. On the palate, though, the wine was a disappointment. Weak berry and spice notes fought with an unpleasant sharpness that lingered on the back of the tongue long after the rest of the flavors had dissipated. Based on our experience with other Vendange reds, we tried letting this wine breathe for a bit; unfortunately, that didn’t help.

Black Box Merlot

Price: $18
Maker: Black Box Wines, Madera, California
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Black Box Merlot 2004 is a decent enough Merlot, though we fail to see why many people seem to hold up Black Box as the pinnacle of bag-in-box wines. The aroma is nice, with pepper, clove, and berry notes. The flavor offers some cherry and blackberry notes, with quite a bit of oak and a medium spicy finish. There’s not a lot of complexity, and the feel is a bit generic, but it’s an adequate red wine.

Trove Merlot 2004

Price: $18
Maker: Trove Wines, Madera, California
Variety: Merlot
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Trove Merlot 2004 styles itself as an upscale boxed wine. By and large, it’s not bad. This Merlot has a great, juicy aroma… all berries, with spicy overtones. The flavor is plummy, with plenty of oak and a pepper finish. The balance isn’t bad, but we’d like to see brighter fruit notes and more complexity.

The Trove web site at trove-wines.com seems to be defunct, at least at the moment. Trove is a brand of Constellation Wines - why can’t these wineries manage to keep a website operational? This is the second review I’ve worked on in the last hour or two, and the second dead website.

Lizard Flat Shiraz 2004

Price: $9
Maker: Heath Wines, Bowden, South Australia
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 1-liter Tetra Pak
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Lizard Flat Shiraz 2004 comes in one of those 1-liter Tetra Pak that seems way too small to hold a third more wine than a 750 ml bottle. It has the typical screw cap closure, making it easy to open and reseal. This Shiraz has some licorice and vanilla in the nose, and is very juicy on the palate. Cherries and blackberries are the main notes, with some oak and rather light pepper. The wine isn’t too complex, but the finish lasts suprisingly well. At 14%, this Shiraz is at the high end of alcohol content for a Shiraz. Overall, Lizard Flat Shiraz is an accessible, fun wine that is well suited to its informal and convenient packaging. It’s a nice choice for picnics, outdoor entertaining, and home consumption.

Yellow Tail Chardonnay 2004

Price: $8
Maker: Casella Wines
Variety: Chardonnay
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Most of our sampling here is in the red wine category, but after experience with a few crowd-pleasing Yellow Tail reds we decided to try Yellow Tail Chardonnay 2004. Like their reds, this Yellow Tail product is an approachable wine. The nose wasn’t particularly strong, but yielded apple and peach. The flavor included peach, apple, melon, and spice, balanced with modest acidity. Perhaps it’s not a transcendent experience, but it’s at least as good as you’d expect for a high volume wine.

Other opinions on this wine run the gamut. LogDriver gave it four stars, noting, “this affordable Chardonnay was buttery and rich. Sweeter than usual, I even got hints of chocolate and caramel if I exhaled deeply.” April said it “exhibits a golden straw colour with ripe peach and melon aromas and sweet oak nuances. The palate is fresh and approachable with balanced acidity and a lingering finish of delicious peach, melon and tropical flavours.” CorkReview was a bit more reserved, noting, “Yellow Tail, the ford or chevy of Australian wines so it is allowed to disappoint once in a while… The nose was rather weak but did display peachy vanilla an coconut aromas, as claimed on the bottle. I just would not use the phrase ‘leaps from the glass.’” April’s experience was closest to mine, though I have to agree with CorkReview on the relatively weak nose not doing much leaping.

Voga Pinot Grigio 2004

Price: $9
Maker: Voga I.C.R.F, Calmasino, Italy
Varietal: Pinot Grigio
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 12%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

The packaging of Voga Pinot Grigio 2004 caught our attention. Unlike virtually every other wine bottle on the shelf, Voga’s 2004 bottle is a perfect cylinder, with a large vertical logo imprinted on the bottle. Even the closure, which is a bottle neck that accepts a standard cork, is camouflaged by a black plastic cover that matches the diameter of the bottle to extend the cylindrical appearance. The black top on the clear, golden bottle makes a dramatic statement. In this Voga bottle, Italy once again shows why it is a leading source of product design expertise.

The Pinot Grigio itself is a pleasant enough wine. Its aroma has strong apple and melon notes, augmented by mint and citrus. The flavor is a mild mix of lemon and cantaloupe. The finish is brief and refreshing.

Meridian Chardonnay 2004

Price: $8
Maker: Meridian Vineyards, Santa Barbara County
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.4%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Meridian’s motto is that life can be complicated, and that wine doesn’t have to be. Their Meridian Chardonnay 2004 fits the motto well. It’s nose hints at pear and cantaloupe, and these same notes continue onto the palate, along with a bit of grapefruit. The texture is a bit syrupy, and the finish has a nice twinge of acidity that makes this a refreshing and pleasant wine. Like the slogan, it’s uncomplicated… but it’s also quite good.

The Meridian website suggests pairing it with “a seaside picnic lunch of turkey burgers, a Sunday brunch omelet, or a lazy afternoon sitting on the patio with friend.” We’d forego the turkey burgers (blech!), but the other two suggestions sound fine. This is indeed an accessible and fun wine that would be fine for hot weather entertaining or serving with lighter dishes at any time of the year.

Les Hauts de la Brune Coteaux du Languedoc

Price: $8
Maker: Domaine de la Brune
Varietal: 80% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

We picked up Les Hauts de la Brune Coteaux du Languedoc 2004 as an alternate choice for WBW #33 - its inexpensive price disqualified it from the $15 - $30 price range, but we thought we’d give a sub-$10 wine from the Languedoc-Roussillon region a try. At that price, and with its 80% Syrah composition, this wine would compete directly with a broad range of Shiraz/Syrah wines from Australian and California. The nose was very mild, with spicy berry aromas predominating. Our initial take on this wine was that it was rather thin and very dry. Even an hour or two of breathing didn’t alter our feelings much. Oddly, after being stored for a day (with argon) and another hour or two of air, the wine smoothed out considerably. We found mainly cherry, currant, and black pepper notes, with slightly sharp tannins. We’re not crazy about this wine, but ultimately it was fairly drinkable.

Santana Tempranillo 2004

Price: $9
Maker: Bodegas Victorianas, Spain
Varietal: Tempranillo
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We tried Santana Tempranillo 2004 as part of Wine Blogging Wednesday #35. For WBW #35, Passionate Spain, our assignment was to try a wine from Spain, preferably under $10.

We found Santana Tempranillo had a very nice licorice and raspberry nose with some spicy and woody notes. On the palate, this wine was light-to-medium-bodied. It wasn’t overly fruity, with dark berries yielding to herbal, woody flavors; mild pepper and prominent tannins dominated the slightly acidic finish. This wine was a bit less fruity than we usually find in wines in this price range, but was surprisingly accessible and well balanced. This wine grew on us, and we found it to be more sophisticated than one might expect for a $5 wine. All in all, Santana Tempranillo is a great value, particularly if you are looking for a red that’s a bit less fruity than similarly priced California or Aussie wines.

Fuente del Ritmo Tempranillo 2004

Price: $9
Maker: Bodegas Centro Espanolas, SA, Tomelloso, Spain
Varietal: Tempranillo
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Fuente del Ritmo Tempranillo 2004 has a fairly dark garnet color and an aroma of cherries, vanilla, and chalk. The flavor is fruity, with black cherry and currant notes, leading into a finish with lots of tannins and a bit of pepper. This wine should definitely be allowed to breathe - out of the bottle, even with a bit of air, the wine was somewhat harsh. Time and breathing mellowed it out into a smoother and more balanced structure. The fruit notes strengthened, while the acidity was muted.

Wyalla Cove Shiraz

Price: $5
Maker: Wyalla Cove, Adelaide, South Australia
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Wyalla Cove Shiraz 2004 has moved to near the top of my “bargain buy” list. I found it at a local supermarket, Aldi, that is otherwise known for its lack of shopping bags (you have to supply your own) and its inability to take credit cards. That’s perhaps not the most promising start for a wine shopping expedition, but the selection looked a bit like Trader Joe’s - a lot of mystery labels, all priced under $10. In any case, Wyalla Cove Shiraz is a fruity delight for its price. The nose is an enticing blend of leather, licorice, and spice. Cherry and plum dominate the fruity flavor, with some peppery spice in the finish. This Shiraz may not be the most complex wine - it’s a bit sweeter than typical, though hardly a “sweet” wine - but it’s very pleasant and drinkable.

Funky Llama Tempranillo 2004

Price: $9
Maker: Funky Llama
Variety: Tempranillo
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Tempranillo tends to be a lighter wine than many other reds, but Funky Llama Tempranillo 2004 is no wimpy wine. It has a prominent raspberry jam nose. On the palate, it’s juicy but well balanced, with red berries and cherries up front and a lengthy finish that’s a bit spicy and tart. This Tempranillo has a lot of character, and will stand up to heavier fare than most examples of this varietal.

Funky Llama has a nice marketing approach - a cute name suggestive of South America, brightly-colored neon corks, and drinkable wines. Not a bad approach in a crowded market for cheap wines.

Flat Creek Estate SuperTexan Sangiovese 2004

Price: $20
Maker: Flat Creek Estate
Variety: Sangiovese
Packaging: Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Texas isn’t the first, or even second, state that comes to mind for fine U.S. wines, but Flat Creek Estate SuperTexan Sangiovese 2004 will certainly help the Lone Star state earn a place on the wine map. This Sangiovese has a lovely garnet color that transmits a bit more light than many reds. The wine has an inviting aroma, with strawberry, spice, and light floral notes. It’s on the light side of medium-bodied, and it’s well-structured. Cherry, strawberry, and licorice notes combine with oak and a moderately acidic finish to produce a complex and pleasing wine.

Gala Rouge Pinot Noir

Price: $8
Maker: Bon Vivant Vineyards, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Gala Rouge Pinot Noir 2004 is packaged attractively with a vintage art poster label, and modestly refers to itself as “vin extraordinaire.” Its nose is quite interesting, delivering licorice and black pepper. On the palate, it’s relatively well structured - it’s not too fruity, with light cherry and plum notes mixing with oak and slightly sharp tannins. Overall, there’s quite a bit of flavor in this Pinot Noir.

Estancia Paso Robles Meritage 2004

Price: $25
Maker: Estancia Winery, Soledad, California
Variety: Meritage - blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (61%), Merlot (30%), Petit Verdot (9%)
Packaging: 750 ml Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Estancia Paso Robles Meritage 2004 is an interesting and tasty wine. First, a bit about the label. “Meritage” isn’t a varietal. Rather, it’ a controlled designation originally intended as California’s answer to Bordeaux. Meritage is actually a trademark that can be used only by members of the Meritage Association and put only on wines meeting specific criteria. The wine must be a blend of at least two grapes from a list that includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and others. In addition, the association expects that wineries will use the label only on their finest blend, and will limit the production of that blend.

Our impression of the Estancia Meritage is that the winery has indeed followed the guidance of the Meritage Association and used the label on a blend they consider superior. This is a big wine that seems almost like a Zin with its powerful nose, big flavor, and relatively high alcohol content. This wine’s aroma is full of cherries, spice, and oak. On the palate, it starts with more cherries, blackberries, and a hint of mocha, leading into a lengthy finish that’s a balance of tannins, oak, and mild pepper. This is exactly the kind of red wine that we’re partial to, and pouring the last glass from the bottle was a sad moment. Pair this with beef or other strongly flavored entrees that need a red wine that can hold its own.