Secateurs Red Blend 2011

Secateurs 2011
by A.A. Badenhorst
Red Blend $13.99
64% Shiraz
26% Cinsault
6% Grenache
2% Mourvedre
2% Pinotage
Coastal Region, South Africa
13.5% Alcohol
Charles - 3.0 stars
Melissa - 3.5 stars

Its got a big bouquet, spicy dark fruits, earthy clay and forest richness, black coffee, plums, brown sugar, molasses.  Its a big wine.  I think I'm a little out of line making this comparison, but it reminds me of an Orin Swift Wine. I don't know if they have a "Locations" wine for South Africa, but if they did, I imagine it would taste a bit like this, but be hotter overall.

Its moderately dark in color, with very little contrast, also a slight tinge of purple.

I taste dark cherries. Undertones of plum. Overall its pretty fruit forward for me, which contrasts with the earthy complex notes in the aroma. It leaves me wanting a little bit for more tannins, but it has a nice finish and finishes lighter than it begins.

I like this wine, and I'll buy it again. Actually in all truthfulness this is the second time I've purchased it, and I've enjoyed it both times.  Cheers.

Kiler Grove Trbbiano 2012

Kiler Grove 2012
Trebbiano $14.80
Paso Robles, CA
14.5% Alcohol
Charles 4.0 stars
Melissa - 3.5 stars
I did a graphic design favor for my friend's little sister and she got me a gift certificate for a winery here in Salt Lake City. It was a very thoughtful gift and quite surprising because I didn't even know we had a winery right under our noses.  I was finally able to get over there for a tasting and it turns out its not too far away.  So we loaded up on our bikes and rode down the street to this winery in the middle of an industrial district here in Utah.
To be honest, I was expecting this to be horrible.  I've been on a couple of tours in podunk Kentucky and they were beyond horrible.  Looking at the website and these wine labels I knew what I was in for, but hey, I had a gift certificate for an alcoholic product so I was gonna drink whatever they were pouring.
The facility itself was pretty well maintained and had all the looks of a winery, so we walked right and took a seat at the tasting bar.  Its not a huge surprise that we were the only people there, but we were greeted immediately by a charming knowledgable sommelier.  She introduced herself and began pouring as she talked about the winery.  Apparently this couple from Utah bought some land in Paso Robles and has been making wine for about 8 years.  They make most of it down in California, but they do make some batches here in Utah from grapes both from CA and some from Idaho.  I guess that was the first clue that these wines might actually be worth tasting, and one after another we were surprised and impressed!  The whites were made in the french style so they were dry and very tasty.  No super sweet whites here, and we were so pleased that we even bought this Trebbiano!  Actually all of the wines were more than drinkable, they were enjoyable.  We ended up purchasing the Trebbiano and the Grenache.  To be honest, I can't wait to go back!
So lets get down to business here.  The Trebbiano is a white grape and you may recognize it as Ugni blanc as its known in France (grown in the St. Emilion region). Its the most widely planted grape in the world.The wine is bright and clear with a very light canary color.  It smells very fruity, notes of citrus, melon, peach, apricot and pear. It has high acidity and you get that on the tongue but its also dryer than you would expect.  I wonder if thats from the 10% Sauv Blanc that they add.  Its bright, light and enjoyable to drink.  It makes me think of summer, and while I'm drinking it I'm already missing the summer that is quickly fading away.  Perhaps if I drink enough summer will hold on for a little bit longer. 

Sinfo Tempranillo 2011

Sinfo 2011
Tempranillo $11.99
Tinto Roble, Spain
13.5% Alcohol
Charles- 2.5 Stars
Melissa - 2.5 Stars

Its been forever since I've posted a review, and truthfully its because I was at the store last week and was looking at wines I knew that Ive had before and I couldn't remember for the life of me whether I liked them or not.  Its a shame too because some of them were on sale.  So I'm trying to get back at it, so in the future I won't miss out on any deals.  And hopefully some of you out there can enjoy some good wines I end up bumping into.

This is a tempranillo I bought, because its simply the most reliable grape for us.  Actually Granacha too, so any spanish wine seems to be a good conservative bet for us.  We've been pretty happy as a whole, and only been let down once or twice.

That being said, this wine was as you would expect when we corked it.  Its super bold and true to the tempranillo grape.  Its really dark with medium contrast, a dark earthly ruby color with quick legs and no staining on the glass.  The nose explodes with dry fruits, spices, earthiness and dark spices.  The nose comes off as hot, but its not really hot.

On the palate its dry concentrated fruits. Almost overpowering with a bold earthy taste.  Its dry and not lacking in tannins.  Ends dry and slightly bitter.  Its kind of like a bulldoser on your palate.  It has no finesse and doesn't care one bit.  If you want a super big bold wine that is unappologetic for what it is, than this is your guy.  I happened to pair it with some mussells and shrimp we were having and gee whiz that just wasnt the right pick!  I really did know better (we had already opened a Trebbiano from Paso Robles) but went ahead anyway!  Oh well.  I'm not gonna say I'm never gonna buy this again, but there are simply better spanish wines for my hard earned money.