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redatom's Review:

Ever notice how your friends ask you if they should save the $10 bottle you just got them for a special occasion? What a silly people we Americans are. We think all wines are like this one-outrageously expensive and inaccessible when, in fact, there are a lot of great wines in our market that are cheaper per fl oz than a microbrew. This is not one of them.It is a great wine-subtle, soft, smooth, a touch of oak and spice, a touch of fruit-but I hesitate to recommend it for anything but the most special of occasions. Weighing in at well over $100, the law of diminishing returns applies in spades.

redatom's Review:

So many wines in store refrigerators are put there without consideration. My local wine and cheese snob shop, on the other hand, has a knack for picking the best values from their selection. Domaine Des Cassagnoles is their most recent and outstanding choice. Pairs well with summertime vegetables or chicken. At less than $10, this is a French superstar.

redatom's Review:

If not careful, two people may be induced to drink the whole bottle before stopping to observe anything more than "dry" and "tasty".

redatom's Review:

Terroir, or the sense that a good wine tastes like the place it was grown, expresses itself in the form of earthy, mineral qualities rather than fruits or tannins-like the difference between good water and bad water. In this case, the mineral taste is so much stronger than all the other flavors, it's difficult to tell whether SEPP is a sophisticated or just a little off.

redatom's Review:

Versatile in pairings, but really shines with hearty pork and vegetable dishes. With $10 wines like this, there's little reason to spend more than $25 on anything but champagne in the current market.

redatom's Review:

I have no idea why I was made to pay $30 for what appears to be a $15 wine. I liked it, but I'm too mad about the price to think clearly about what it tastes like.

redatom's Review:

I've been drinking mostly whites since the summer. Now that summer is well behind us, I decided to find an appropriately full-bodied red. The neighborhood being filled with Brazillians, the foreign selection was stacked firmly in favor of the Portuguese, so Douro it was. I was not disappointed. From the blackberry nose to the gamy, apple-ish finish, this Meandro is an entirely different sumo wrestler of a red wine. It's big and it's definitely got a sense of place with its chalky, puckering tannins and well-balanced, heavy fruits. There's a metallic aftertaste that doesn't sit well enough to make this a great wine, though. Meandro's a decent value, but there are plenty of better sub-$20 wines.

redatom's Review:

Honeydew awesomeness. Slightly effervescent.

redatom's Review:

Given that I'm giving this thing five full cups, let's start with the bad: there's no discernible vintage on this bottle. "CLASSIC" vintage. I don't know what the red symbol is, but I don't like that, either. Nevertheless, this is a damn good wine. Pleasant on the nose and medium-bodied on the palate. If you're like everyone else these days (looking for something unoaked) you've come to the wrong wine. This is definitely oaked, but not in the Napa, wood-chip style. I'm loathe to say it, but "classic" hits the nail on the head.