Varietal:  Petite Sirah; Tempranillo; Syrah; Grenache; Malbec; Mourvedre; Nebeillo; Tannat; Souzao; Aglianico; Barbera; Zinfandel; Petite Verdot; Cabernet Franc; Charbano; Nero d’Avola; Sanviovese; Sagrantino
Region:  California – USA
Cost:  $10 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes:  This Big House Red lives up to that old Fruit Bomb moniker that you’ve come to expect. It starts with a nose full of blackberries and raspberries, with hints of leather and spices. The palate is clean, exhibiting flavors of cranberries, roses, and a touch of rhubarb. This finish lingers, with flavors of vanilla and a touch of dark cherries in the finish. Pairs well with all grilled meats, lasagna Bolognese, grilled vegetables, or even sashimi grade Ahi tuna.

My Review:  The previous version of this wine was one of those that I was torn on. I liked what they were trying to do by creating a table wine with a little bit of everything that could then go with a little bit of everything, but I felt that the attempt created a wine that just fell flat. This vintage was different.

Now, to preface, I’m not saying that the 2010 Big House Red is some revolutionary wine, but I did like it better than the previous years bottles I had tried. They’ve changed the mixture some and I think it’s for the best. On the nose I got mostly raspberry with a touch of spice and in the mouth I got dark cherry and some cranberry with a juiciness that made me feel like the Zinfandel as much as anything was coming through.

With a dinner of pizza after a trip the grocery store to stock up after the Thanksgiving holiday, a simple bottle of inexpensive red was a welcome sight and I continue to be a proponent of what Big House is doing – making nice affordable wines that might not set the world on fire, but are certainly welcome after a long day at work.

Related posts:

1. Big House Red 2008
2. Big House Cardinal Zin 2009
3. Big House “The Usual Suspect” Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Varietal: Blended Red Wine (55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Malbec; 8% Cabernet Franc; 8% Petit Verdot; 7% Tannat; 5% Merlot; 3% Petite Sirah)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $22 (SRP)

Deep red color with aromas of cherry, anise, dried herbs, and tobacco.  Flavors of blackberry, caramel, and subtle notes of coffee with a lingering finish and firm tannins.  Pairs well with lamb steaks, beef carpaccio, cheddar cheese potatoes gratin.

Recommendations: When I got this wine, I was instantly interested in it thanks to the blend.  I’m a fan of most of the grapes in this wine as a single varietal, so I was hopeful that they would blend together well.  As the tasting notes for this wine recommended pairing it with lamb, it took me a few weeks to finally open this, as I had never cooked lamb before and was slowly but surely psyching myself up to do just that.  This weekend I did just that.

The wine was a beautiful deep red in the glass, and I got aromas of cherry and a hint of tobacco on the nose.  Flavors of blackberry were most prevalent to me, but what really impressed me was the smoothness of the wine.  At least in my opinion I cooked the lamb just right (we learned that my wife is not a fan of lamb this weekend), and the flavor of the wine was a nice compliment to both the flavor and the texture of the lamb.  I know that sounds weird, but the blend of the wine lent itself to a nice smooth wine that was bold and subtle all at once.  It’s confusing, but it is what it is.

As with all wines, the true test for me is whether it’s enjoyable after the food is gone, and I did like this wine after I had finished my lamb steak (and admittedly a portion of my wife’s).  The nice bold flavor of the Cabernet Sauvignon was tempered by the Petit Verdot (which is quickly becoming my favorite blending grape), Petite Sirah, and Merlot.

I know that around the holidays a lot of people will eat lamb, and if you’re one of those people this is certainly a wine worth checking out to pair with your holiday meals.  If you can’t find the Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Rubric at your local store and want to give it a try, you can click here and get it.

Related posts:

1. Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah 2007
2. Friends.Red Sonoma County Red Wine
3. Folie a Deux Merlot 2007

Varietal: Blended Red (Sangiovese, Syrah, Carignan, Barbera, Zinfandel, Mourvedre, Montepulciano, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Aglianico, Petite Sirah, Nero d’Avola, Grenache)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $7 – $10

Cherry, raspberry, blueberry, cassis, and chocolate flavors all blend together.  Pair this wine with chicken, ground beef, pizza.

Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit, my wife and I first paid attention to this wine because of the bottle.  We thought, if nothing else, it would look good over our cabinets (see my previous post if you haven’t already).  Having looked over the list of what was in the wine, we decided that the wine would go better with pizza, and so when we ordered a pizza one evening, we opened the bottle.

I wanted to like this wine, I really did.  I’m a fan of most of the varietals that they used to blend it, and I’m a firm believer in table wines that aren’t impressive, but aren’t bad.  Unfortunately, the Big House Red just left me shrugging.  It wasn’t terrible in a pour the bottle out kind of way, but it just didn’t do anything to make me pay attention – good or bad.

Big House Red threw the entire kitchen sink into their wine, and while I did pick up some fruit flavors, mostly I just tasted…wine.  With so much going on in the wine, nothing was able to stand out.  I’d seen that in previous years this wine was quite good, and that in previous years they had put fewer varietals in the wine, and maybe that’s what they need to do again.

An interesting bottle, but too much going on for any one thing to stand out.  Not worth spending money on, even for the decorative bottle.

Related posts:

1. Friends.Red Sonoma County Red Wine
2. Borra Vineyards Fusion Red
3. Middle Sister Rebel Red

A medium-bodied wine of ruby/garnet coloring offering flavors of herb and berry, most notably raspberry.  A slightly dry, tannic finish is reminscent of Chianti, but the overall smoothness of the wine allows it to be paired with a wide variety of foods.

Recommendation:  My wife and I enjoyed this wine with a pair of steaks, and it was a great compliment to them.  The wine didn’t overwhelm the meat, but the slightly dry finish was a great balance to the juiciness of the steaks.   Even after the meal had been finished, I still enjoyed finishing the bottle by itself, a quality I find desirable in any wine I drink – being able to be enjoyed without food.  What I liked best about this wine was that while the dryness on the finish worked great with juicy steaks, it wasn’t so dry as to require something like that, and would compliment a dryer meal as well.  While I won’t go so far as to say that this is a substitute for Chianti if that’s where your tastes lie, this is a great blend to serve for guests when you’re not sure where their tastes lie.  Definitely worth picking up, particularly at this price point.

Related posts:

1. Lake Anna Totally Red
2. 2006 Rockbridge Tuscarora Red
3. 2007 Vino Curioso 954 Assemblage

Very simple, straight forward table wine.  Lake Anna labels it as:  ”No red cherries.  No spicy berries.  No toasty nuances.  No suggestive notes.”  Good for enjoying by itself or with a meal.  Great value for the price.

Recommendation:  I’m a big believer in the table wine, a wine that isn’t overly complex, but nice and simple that goes well with a simple meal and doesn’t cost much, and Lake Anna has been kind enough to supply us with one.  The Totally Red table wine from Lake Anna is perfect for anybody looking for a bottle of wine that will go great with steak, pasta, chicken, pork, appetizers, chili….I think you get the point.  As red table wines go, this definitely ranks as one of my top ranked ones, and is one that I am sure to continue to keep in my wine cellar, and that I recommend you do as well.  Enjoy.

Related posts:

1. 2006 Rockbridge Tuscarora Red