2009 Rust En Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon

My local wine retailer in Tampa, Florida occasionally scores some amazing deals from their distributors and passes the savings onto their customers. One recent deal was the 2009 Rust En Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon, which was offered at an amazing price of $10.99.

I had visited this vineyard back in 2005 and was extremely impressed with their portfolio of new world red wines, so I bought two bottles, thinking unless it's cooked how bad can it be?

Not bad at all. In fact, quite exceptional for this bargain price point. I consumed both bottles over two weeks, pairing them with grilled lamb sliders and beef ribeye. In both I noted loam and dark fruit on the nose and the scent of the Stellenbosch cellar it came from. The palate was mouth coating, a bit jammy, with discernable but balanced oak. And the finish long, with hints of fig and vanilla.

Wine Spectator gave this wine a rating of 92/100. Drink Now or Hold. I concur. Don't expect to get it at this price, however, as I have bought out the stock in Tampa, FL but you can find it on-line from US $27-29. Very good at that price point too.

2005 Bargain Bordeaux

I had the privilege of tasting a barrel sample of the 2005 Mouton Rothschild when were visiting there in June of 2006. Despite its impressive showing as a young wine, I knew then that I would not be buying this wine by the bottle. The hype surrounding the 2005 vintage drove prices up quickly and even in this recession I would have difficulty finding a bottle of the 2005 Mouton Rothschild for under US$700.

Instead we stayed away from the top producers and their pricey real estate and have purchased quite reasonable 2005 Bordeaux wines for under $40. The Roanoke Fine Wine Society recently did a blind taste of eight bottles of 2005 Bordeaux wines from St. Emilion, Pessac-Leognan, and Medoc to see what these relatively bargain wines offered in the glass.

Some were in a funky stage but most were very drinkable now if you can endure the mouth-drying tannins. These are definitely food wines. We paired these wines with braised beef and potatoes and hard cheeses and we were richly rewarded. Some of the evening’s highlights included a 2005 Chateau Joanin Becot (St. Emilion), Rollan de By (Medoc), and a Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognan) all of which were rated 90 by Robert Parker and can be found for under US$40.

Of course, had we bought the 2005 Mouton Rothschild at release it would have been a very good investment but you can buy a case and a half of these less renowned Bordeaux wines for the $700 plus it would cost to buy one bottle of the Mouton today.

Which brings up the question: Are you a wine collector or a wine drinker?

A Value from South Africa

I was recently in World Market looking for wine bargains and found a featured wine from South Africa that looked interesting. First of all it was a Cabernet Sauvignon which is not commonly bottled as a single varietal in South Africa, it was labeled Coastal South Africa (which made me wonder where the grapes originated), and it was a bargain at $10 US.

The producer of this wine was MAN Vintners (an unknown to me) and it was a 2008 vintage--relatively young. However, I bought a bottle to try and shared it with my parents, pairing it with some grilled pork chops and roasted squash. We were very impressed with the wine's pleasing blueberry and cherry fruit, the impressive color, and round and sumptuous mouthfeel. A few days later I returned to the World Market to buy a few more bottles and was disappointed to find they had since sold out of this wine.

Luckily I was able to order this wine through my local Kroger supermarket and I enjoyed another bottle with grilled chutney glazed chicken and grilled corn and portobella mushrooms. Yum.

I went online to find out more about the producer and learned that their wines had been chosen as "Best Value" by both Wine Enthusiast magazine and South African Wine magazine. Their portfolio of wines also include Shiraz, Pinotage, Rosé, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc.

I also found out that the 2008 cab was a blend of 80 percent Agter-Paarl and 20 percent Stellenbosch grapes and that 2010 Platter's Wine Guide had given it 3 ½ stars out of five for its "Fleshy succulence and drinkability."

I couldn't agree more!

A Washington State Wine Bargain

I picked up a bottle of 2007 Hogue Columbia Valley Cab because it was on sale and I needed some daily drinkers for summer barbeques. I bought one bottle as a test and came back for six more.

Why?

It was lovely big cherry, unctuous, and silky on the palate and it tasted like something you would spend $20.oo or more for. With the case discount I was able to purchase this wine for under $9 at Krogers.

It's a screwtop but don't let that scare you. Maybe that will keep Uncle George from drinking all your wine at the family cookout.