The Magnificent Wine Co. “CAB” is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington Stat’s Columbia Valley. The winemaker Charles Smith has been making noise in the last few years for making some really high quality wines at great prices. Magnificent Wine Co. has two lines of wines “The Standard” and The “Originals”. The “CAB” is part of the “Originals” category as well as a Pinot noir, Syrah, and Riesling. The famous a well-known “House Wines” are part of the “Standard” series. For more info. and tech data check them out here.

The bouquet of this wine displays a classic Washington state Cabernet Sauvignon aroma of blackberry, coco, licorice, and spicy hints of oak. As I let the wine open up the aromas continue to unfold and intensify.

On the palate the wine has a sleek texture that reminds me slightly of Bordeaux, meaning it’s not overly viscous or thick. Flavors of luscious blackberry, cassis, chocolate-raspberry sticks, a touch of oak/spice lead into a medium length finish that displays only the slightest note of tannin.

This wine is a fantastic buy if you can find it at the price I paid for it ($14.99). It was on closeout at my neighborhood grocery. However, for $24 retail I would suggest searching for something from Italy or Spain that can deliver equal and perhaps superior complexity. 88 points


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Ok, so I know that these wines are considered to be what love to refer to as “swill” but I thought I would give them a go. I’ve held down a part-time job at a local hotel for a few years, and I work a weekend here and there for the extra spending money and the great room-rate benefits. It just so happens that these two beauties are the wines they serve during their happy hour.

I’m pretty sure I’ve never tasted anything made by “Barefoot” even though I’ve seen huge stacks of the stuff blocking the way of my grocery cart when I’m doing my weekly food shopping. The wines are non-vintage and I think they are blended a bit, but the label doesn’t divulge that precious information!

Ok, lets start with the Merlot……

On the nose I get aromas of sweet mixed berry, boysenberry syrup, and perhaps a hint of bark and dark chocolate. The bouquet reminds me a lot of cheap Aussie fruit-bomb type wines….Kind of like Yellow Tail Shiraz!

On the palate the wine shows some nice fruity berry notes and a touch of wood/bark. It also has a pretty insipid metallic note that is common with many inexpensive reds. The finish is dis-jointed with a bit of intruding alcohol.

All in all I’d say the Merlot is a hell of a lot better than I imagined it would be. No, it’s not a good wine, but I imagine that with a big plate of spaghetti and a few glasses it would go down easy enough. 75 points

Now for the Cabernet Sauvignon……

On the nose I get a hodge-podge mixture of dark-berry aromas and hints of herb and spice. This also has the hi-c type effect that many Aussie wines display regularly.

On the palate the wine is surprisingly more round and textured than the Merlot and even shows a touch of varietal character. Wow, not bad! Flavors of blackberry and dark chocolate seem to be wrapped around a nice big stave of oak…..The wine finishes with a slight herbal note and a touch of tannin.

To be completely honest, I have had much worse wines than the Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again, it’s by no means “fine wine” but it could definitely be a useful enough table wine and well within the budget. 80 points

A new study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say that resveratrol – a compound found in the skin of red grapes and blueberries – may prove useful in preventing the vision loss associated with diabetes and old age.

This new study was reported by CBS News and can be found here.

The study, conducted on mice, also showed that resveratrol helps block the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eye, such as that associated with macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.

Just another reason to make sure you always have a glass of red wine with your dinner.

I have mentioned many times the desire I have to build a reasonable sized wine cellar in my house. Living in Arizona it’s not as if I can just stick a few cases of wine in my garage and expect them to keep for more than a few minutes during our hot and dry summers.

I have been investigating a few cooling options for my future cellar and have come across many different cooling system units. One that seems to be among the top of the line options is called WhisperKOOL. As we have discussed in previous posts, temperature and humidity control are essential to the proper aging of your wine, and WhisperKOOL has a reputation among professionals for a high level of accuracy and control.

WhisperKOOL offers several different options and ranges that include self-contained units, split systems, and fully ducted systems.

If your thinking of searching for a cooling unit for your home cellar, it’s vital to contact a professional that can help you make the right decision as to which size and type unit will work best for your space. Remember, maintaining the proper temperature and humidity is key to aging your wines properly.

Click on the link in the second paragraph for a in-depth look at the different units available. There’s also a really educational video contained on the webpage as well. Cheers~

I first tried this single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Chile’s Ledya Valley in an amazing “blogger tasting” conducted by several amazing vintners from Chile. It was a tasting focused on Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and the many different soils and climates it is made in there. Check out the tasting notes here.

Anyways, this bottle during the tasting seemed a bit off for everyone in the group, so they graciously decided to send out another bottle for everyone to re-taste. (Pretty cool if you ask me!)

The really unique thing about this particular wine is that it’s partially aged in oak and is wild fermented. They used 500-liter French oak barrels for a total of 6 months, didn’t add any yeasts, nor did it undergo malolactic fermentation.

On the nose I get a quite distinct tone of grapefruit, that combines with a pronounced grassiness and minerality.

On the palate the wine is slightly viscous in texture but maintains it’s high acidity, which is of course  quite typical of the varietal and the cooler climate SB’s in general. The mineral characteristics translate onto the palate where the wine displays flavors of citrus, kiwi, and a touch of toast. The finish is quite long and powerful and perhaps flaunts a touch of it’s 14% by volume!

I really enjoy this wine and how they’ve taken a different approach to winemaking and crafting a unique wine. What’s great is that although the wine is fermented in oak, they didn’t overdue it or over-spice it. It’s pretty well balanced and has nice complexity. 88 points


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I wanted to pass along an invite I received to a fantastic series of events that is taking place this month in five US cities.

The Burgundy Wine Board has put together an amazing tasting event in New York that will feature the Chablis winegrowers, wine merchants, and the Chablis cooperative. This tasting which is to take place on June 14th will offer a unique opportunity to meet and exchange with the Chablisiens.

Anyone that works in the wine trade and lives in Washington, Chicago, Boston or Miami will also be able to attend, upon reserving your spot, a training seminar on the fundamentals of Chablis Wines.

I’m dying to see this new documentary about Maynard Keenan and Erik Glomski and their wine growing adventure in Arizona. The trailers look really fun and as soon as my copy shows up I’ll write a nice little review of the movie. For now check it out below and if you want to grab a copy buy it from Amazon on the link below!

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

Grab a copy here on Amazon if you’re like me and can’t wait to see this one!

This single vineyard Syrah from Chile’s Cachapoal Valley is prime example of the stunning quality available from the prime vineyard sites in this country. Casa Lapostolle has been making exceptional wines for the last decade or so and continue to impress with their Cuvée Alexandre wines.

The Las Kuras Vineyard is located only 5 kilometers from the base of the Andes Mountain, on an old river bed. The soils are made up of alluvial terraces which are areas of shallow soils, with an abundance of round river rocks and gravel, similar to the Graves of Bordeaux. The high percentage of pebbles provides excellent drainage, great aeration and low fertility. Also, the stones trap the heat during the day to deliver it by night, creating a unique microclimate.

This wine is made from 100% Syrah and was aged in French oak barrels (65% new oak, 16% second fill oak and 19% third fill) for 21 months.

The color of this wine is a deep purple that carries an opaque core and only slightly gets reddish towards the edges of the glass.

On the nose I get loads of black fruits such as currant and sour black cherry. There are also seductive aromas of cedar, spice, coco powder, tobacco, and black tea.

On the palate the huge black fruits continue to dominate with black currant, black cherry, toasted oak, semi-sweet chocolate, and subtle hints of tobacco that make up this complex flavor profile. This wine is rich and textured, finishing with notes of graphite or pencil lead and a nice dose of dry tannins.

This wine is drinking quite brilliantly right now and I anticipate that it will continue to improve over the next decade in the cellar. It possesses the richness of a California Syrah and the refinement and balance of France’s Rhone. 92 points


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My recent exploration into the world of Chilean wines is frankly a demonstration of the increased quality and overall availability of these fine wines. As Chile continues to discover their potential for making world class wines, it’s imperative to dive into the diverse selection of varietals and wine regions in order to find the hidden gems, and keep them for our own before they are unearthed world wide. For more information on this wine and other amazing Chilean wines please visit Wines of Chile.

Viña Quintay is situated in the valleys of Casablanca and Leyda, which are regarded as Chile’s quintessential cool climate regions for wines of elegance, and testament to its obvious winemaking potential. The vineyards of Quintay are significantly influenced by the cold Humbolt current, which runs down the length of Chile, where cool air is pulled in by the warmer central valley, thus providing a natural coolness throughout the growing season.

The 2008 Quintay Pinot Noir was made from grapes sourced from the central sector of the valley of Casablanca. The grapes were hand harvested and the fermentation and aging was done in both stainless steel and french oak barrels.

On the nose the wine reminds me of a cool climate Sonoma Pinot noir and shows brilliant aromas of wild raspberry, black cherry, rhubarb, and slight hints of crushed rock and soil. The bouquet perfectly exemplifies the varietal. As the wine opens up in the glass distinct soil/terroir characters start to unfold and meld together with the classic fruity notes.

On the palate I get beautiful tart and fresh fruit flavors of black cherry, red raspberry, and cranberry. This is definitely a cool climate wine, that has a touch of rusticity and subtle hints of herb and mineral. I enjoy the elegance and purity of the wine and the fact that the vintner let the grapes do the talking. That is to say that they didn’t impose any obvious winery techniques or suck the life out of the wine with too much time in new wood.

Overall I have to admit I’m really impressed with this wine. I have tasted dozens of thirty to forty dollar Pinot noir from California that probably doesn’t taste quite as good as this. 90+ points


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