2005 Pasodoble Bodega Poesia

Another top rated wine from Sam's...and I'm starting to lose faith in their Top 100 list. I opened this on Friday and by Sunday night and it's turned. I can't recommend a wine that can't make it three days. Unfortunately, I wasn't even able to have a glass to give a full review, but my wife says it was too sweet for her. 1 out of 10 rating for this $13 red blend from Sam's Wine.

AWineAWeek is proud to announce that Bodega Poesia wins the first "winery to avoid at all costs" award based on a 100% Fail for all wines tasted. I would have loved a glass of wine tonight; this is what happens when you go and wreck my 2nd night of boozing.

High Note "Elevated" 2007 Malbec

More purple passion from the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, Argentina. Rich blackberry and black cherry flavors with a nice spice on the finish. Slightly dry. Some advice: drink it all on the first night. As it's the third night this bottle has been opened, it's not as good as night one. A great introductory Malbec wine, very easy drinking.

This Malbec was $12 at Sam's Wine & appeared high on their 100 best wines of 2008 list. What I don't like to see is that Sam's is one of the most expensive places for this bottle - it can be found for $9 or $10 several places out there.

Cosentino 2005 "The Poet" Red Meritage

"Best wine I've had in a year" was my initial reaction. I knew this was a good bottle, so we brought it out for our 2nd to last Saturday night in Chicago while going to our favorite BYOB sushi restaurant, Cafe Furaibo. Further, two of the gals we were with were (very) pregnant, so I wanted their single glass of wine to be a good one. A winner in "the poet"

What I didn't realize was this gem from Napa was a $75 bottle. I can't even remember where I got it - I think it was from a work event. This wine even took home the Gold at the World Wine Championships. Here are some specific tasting notes from another blogger. At $75, it's off my scale to rate, but like I said "best wine I've had in a year".

2007 CMS Red Blend by Hedges

The smokey nose, along with flavors of dark fruit really stand out for this red blend. This was another selection from Sam's Wine's Top 100 wines of 2008. The Columbia Valley CMS Red is composed of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 51% Merlot and 7% Syrah. She's got a spicy kick on the finish. A good find by Sam's, 6.5 out of 10 here. A good buy at $15 - I wish I had a steak to go with it. If you search online, you can find it a few bucks cheaper.

It was tough to fit in a glass of wine during St. Patty's weekend, but I am always there for my loyal readers. In Chicago, they start drinking at 8-9am on Saturday and keep it going all day. During an afternoon walk, I saw a drunk girl without pants (40 degrees), one without shoes, and one who almost crushed my pug when toppling over trying to pet him. Cheers to the Irish!

2004 Fattorie Parri Chianti Montespertoli

Sam's Wine recently released their Top 100 Wines of 2008, so like a kid in a candy store, I visited and stocked my cart. I was pleased to see several of my top rated inexpensive wines in this year's selection, including the Mulderbosch, the $8 Penfold's Koonuga Hill, and the high ranking Relativity Cabernet. I walked away with a case of highly rated wine and paid less than $140 for it. Over the next months, I'll see if they are truely top notch or if Sam's is just trying to unload some inventory from the back room ;)


The first bottle from the shopping spree was tapped last night at an Italian BYOB restaurant in Chicago near our place called Terragusto. WAAAY overpriced ($55/pp. for food only!) for the 3-course meal we received. It was tasty, just way overpriced. The 2004 Fattorie Parri Chianti didn't help the meal, but at least we saved some coin on the meal with a $13 bottle. While Sam's may have rated this in their top 20 for '08, i'm giving it a 4/10. This was the sweetest chianti I've ever had. Blueberries were the overwhelming flavor. Very unique, but I'd have prefered a traditional dryer chianti going into this traditional Italian meal.

Torres 2005 Ribera del Duero Crianza Celeste

I was running out of backgrounds, so a picture of a picture will have to do. Good news, we signed a contract on our house, so we'll be moving from Chicago to Charlotte shortly!

The label, with all of the constellations, reminds me of my bedroom ceiling in during high school. You know, with those glow in the dark stars and planets that weren't noticeable in the daylight? I decorated it with my girlfriend at the time and she put her symbol, Cassiopeia, right above my bed. Ah, 10th grade love. Great label.

This wine was tougher to pin, maybe because I'm not use to drinking Spanish wine or the types of grapes used. The Celeste is certainly a bold, strong wine that's not for the weak of heart. The tanins are intense with the plum, blackberry, and earth flavors being that rise to the top on my palate. Dry finish. The Tinto Fino was the specific grape from the Tempranillo used for this wine, definitely a first for me.

Very enjoyable for my wife and I as we enjoy a full-bodied wine, but I would recommend trying this yourself before serving it to guests. My hunch is it's not a crowd pleaser. $15 at Costco, 6/10 rating.