Phelan Vineyard Advertised

$16 for a $75 wine? That is quite a discount, but the bottle costs several times our usual lottery ticket. It really is sold for $75 direct from the winery. Phelan Vineyard does have a special offer for 40% off on 6 bottles, so you might call it a $48 bottle. They do have one 90 point rating from Wine Spectator, but that was for the initial 2000 vintage.

So, this is a little different for Gross Out. We have to decide whether it is worth a try.

Margarita Vinyard 5 Mile Bridge Zinfandel 06

Keeping an open mind, we are trying more wines outside of our usual Cabernets and Syrahs. This one is a "$4.99 for $12.99" at Gross Out, so it doesn't promise to be a screaming deal, but it does promise a change of pace.

The bottle says it is from Paso Robles and not much else. 14.2% alcohol. This one has a natural cork with a cute 5 under the foil.

In the glass, the wine is a dark purple. The nose is grape and berry. Nice fruit on the palate smoothly transitioning to a strong tannin finish. The sulfide detector went off on this one (one sneeze). This wine seems very correct for a Zinfandel.

We like this 5 mile for 5 bucks bottle. This 5 mile bridge is better than the Woodbridge you can get for $5.

Sterling Albert Cabernet 07

This is a wine that has been in Gross Out for a few weeks. It is $6.99 for an "elsewhere" $19.99, so it doesn't have a terrific discount. We finally decided to try it out to see how it compares.

The Sterling Albert Winery is in Alexander Valley, Concord California. The bottle has very little information on it. 14.5% alcohol. This bottle has a plastic cork. (This was a bit of a let down.) Is this a big winery that we haven't heard of before?

In the glass, the wine is very dark. There is a very light nose; maybe a touch of berry. The palate is very soft and indistinct. The finish is medium tannin with some oak. Overall this is a "small" vs. "big" Cab. There is nothing objectionable, but there is also no character. After a while, the wine opened up a little and showed slightly more fruit.

At a lower price, this would rate better, but it doesn't give a great value for Gross Out.

Viansa Pierina 07

Here is another white wine from Viansa. We opened it because we made fish for dinner.

The bottle says they are the only producer of Viernaccia in the the US. Typically, it is crafted to display flinty, almost mineral flavors, but they try to produce a more multi-dimensional fruity style of wine that still stays true to its origins. So, this is another pseudo-Italian wine. Estate grown Carneros grapes. 14.1% alcohol.

This wine is a fairly colorful white wine in the glass. The nose presents sour apple and pear. On the palate, there is a peachy, chardonnay taste. Bitter Oak dominates the finish.

We would not buy this wine again, but the other wine from the same vintner was excellent.

Newell Vinyards Petite Syrah 04

This is one of the more "expensive" wines at Gross Out at $8.99. It comes from a small family owned winery with limited production.

The bottle says it is 100% estate fruit and they use 100% new American Oak barrels. They use small lot fermentation and malolactic frementation. It is unfiltered and hand harvested. The winery is located in Paso Robles a popular area for Petite Syrah. This bottle has a natural cork. 13.9% alcohol.

In the glass, this is another dark Petite Syrah. The nose is complex and opens up nicely; we smelled blackberry, spice, and strong oak. On the palate, we tasted dark cherry and chokecherry. The finish is very big and Oaky; it lingered with spice and vanilla. As the wine opened up, the oak began to dominate. This wine shows nice complexity probably due to the barrels and not being filtered.

We have had this wine for a few weeks and finally got around to trying it. Even as a more expensive bottle (for Gross Out) we will buy some more. This is a BIG wine and could be a big winner for you. WARNING: You have to like OAK to like this wine.

Viansa Arneis 07

We received some requests to review white wines as well as red, so we picked up this promising find at Gross Out. They wanted only $3.99 for this "$18 elsewhere" wine. Arneis apparently means "a little crazy or a little rascal" and is the varietal.

The bottle says the California vintners have Italian heritage. This variety is rarely grown and produced in California. "Arneis has unique, delicate flavors and aromas of pear and green apples followed by a wonderfully crisp finish. Arneis... produces a wonderful light, well balanced wine with firm acidity and elegant fruit." This bottle has a natural cork. 13.5% alcohol.

The wine has a lovely golden color in the glass. Swirling finds the wine is very dry. We detected pear and apricot on the nose. Pear also dominates the palate with a spicy finish. This wine is somewhat like a Chenin Blanc, but more robust mouthfeel. This wine was very smooth throughout and enjoyable for these red wine drinkers.

We rate this as a good value and would buy it again. The interwebs say this is the "white Borolo" which is a great compliment in our book.

Pullman Petite Syrah 06

Looking at the label, you may be able to guess what is "wrong" with this bottle that it shows up discounted at Gross Out.

This wine is from Le Vigne in Paso Robles, central California. The bottle says "this wine presents the same exterior ruggedness [as the car on the label] but reveals soft and luxurious nuances in the glass." 15.5% alcohol. Natural cork.

In the glass, the wine is very dark typical of a petite syrah. The nose is nice and fruity. On the palate, it has a smooth currant - raspberry flavor. The finish is woody and full of tannin. The wine tends toward more straightforward tannin than Syrah peppery spice. This wine is ready to drink and tastes more like a big Cab than we expected.

We would buy this again at $4.99 and consider it a good value, but not a jackpot. Look for the label designed by a high school student.