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This past Friday I enjoyed tasting this Cabernet as part a small group. It started with opening the wine on Thursday and making notes and rating the wine using a 20 point scale. More on that in a minute.

The color was perfect deep dark garnet red, nice rich, bright color. The nose was not as I had hoped, a little underwhelmed with a hint of heat and slight green. There was nice tannin on the finish, not intense but could have used a bit more fruit for balance. At this point I put the bottle back in the cellar and waited for Friday.

Friday arrived and poured my first glass, it had gotten much better. I ripped a glass through my Vinturi and it changed dramatically. The tannin smoothed out, the fruit came forward better, the alcohol on the nose diminished and now I was drinking a real nice bottle of Cabernet. What does this mean? Decant this! Open it a couple hours ahead of time, just get some air into it. I think let this sit in the cellar a few years and you will be happy you did!

OK, the points my first rating out of 20 was a 15. The next day a clear 17 rating according to the UC Davis Point system.
I will describe it later on the site... Lets just say this needs air and you will enjoy it!

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This is one of those wines I like to have around. Its a lot of fruit and a lot of wine, check out whats inside 44% Merlot, 18% Tempranillo, 16% Sangiovese, 9% Cabernet, 5% Cab Franc, 6% Barbera, 2% Syrah Thats a lot of juice

Thanks to the Oakville Merlot and the Tempranillo this comes on like a dark cherry Jolly Rancher, big and fruity. The Barbera gives it a little darker fruit and the Cabernet and Cab Franc really give it a nice balance.

OK, this is a $17 to $26 dollar wine, not of the caliber of the say a Black Label Turnbull. But its not meant to be. This is a true easy daily drinker. When you dont want a giant cab or a soft floral Pinot, this sits nicely. I did use the Vinturi to put some air in it, which seemed to help it a bunch

Peopl have been asking for a rating, I love this wine. But I would give it a solid B

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This is a cool bottle of wine that I have often gone in search of. This is a second label from the folks at Miner.
This is a Meritage style wine. 36%Cabernet Franc, 17%Cabernet, 17%Merlot, 2%Malbec, 1%Sangiovese.

Nice dark blackberry comes at you first, nose and on the palate. Lots of good darker fruit in a bowl. Mixed berry its great. Not a heavy tannin wine, its soft on the palate. For me this wine is about the nice fruits that roll around in the mouth as you drink it. Great afternoon wine, sitting with friends in the afternoon, making your way off a white. Great to drink while grilling!

This is a second label from Miner, produced using Napa fruit including Oakville, hence the great fruit. Its also only $25 give or take a few bucks. I try to keep this around, if I can. I think you can get a couple years out of it, but it drinks so well young I wouldnt. The fruit will hold up, but the tannins are not there for the long haul. Buy it Drink it!

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Chapin is in the Temecula valley about an hour north of San Diego. For those outside Southern California you may not be familiar with it. 

Chapin is a small family owned winery, making the Syrah from Temecula grown grapes. The nose on the wine has a bit of spice and delicate fruit aromas. While the taste hade a cranberry and blueberry note to it. Some spice as well, Not too much but maybe for some. 
The color was sort of a cross between a ruby and garnet, medium color with light edges in the glass. It end with swoosh of spice on the upper palate and drinks real well out of the bottle.

I do suggest putting some air in it, decant or airate it. I went back now about an hour and its drinking nice Its $26 and might be something different for you and your crew.

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This is a stately Merlot, nice big, deep, ripe, dark fruits. The nose starts of with a berry, lets say strawberry with a hint of dark chocolate. There is still that slight cherry nose behind it as well.

The first wash over the palate reveals those nice dark ripe fruits, fills the mouth well with flavors of berrys and then the minerals wash in and the long smooth tannins hang nicely to the palate.

This wine may fool some, the fruit says Merlot real quick, but as you drink it, its bolder and really well structured and comes of to a few as a Cabernet. I think the tannins at the end fooled a few.

Its a $50 Merlot, its drinks great I totally liked drinking this Merlot. May be a bit stiff in price, considering the quality of great Merlot available in the area. Here is where I rating is tough, it rates high in flavor, style and structure. If this was $38 it would be a home run.

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First I want to thank Ted Henry for letting me sample this bottle. 150 cases made of the Napa gem. Tried the video in the kitchen rather than the office, not sure. Took a lot of notes when tasting, lot going on in this bottle.

The first thing that got to me was the nose, it has these nice dark berries, dark cherries and a spice. Now this is a 13.6% alcohol, not typical these days with the big fruit bombs of alcohol that we have gotten used to.

When you swirl it you can see it hang nice to the glass, the color is a bright to dark garnet with great ruby edges. Put it to you mouth and the fruit comes out. Not a bomb, but good dark cherry, blackberry, plumbs. The the earthy flavor rides in your mouth and it lingers great on the palate.

Balance, I must have said balance 100 times while tasting this. My buddy Polo tasted it with me and he guessed the price to be in the $50 plus range and up. For $36 this is a wonderfully balanced, great tasting wine. I hate to gush, but it reminds me of older school Napa wines and I miss that.

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The 2006 Migration Pinot Noir is from the people at Golden Eye in the Anderson Valley.

This wine brought on a great nose of strawberry, raspberry and thar subtle floral not that we associate with the varietal of the area. Its medium bodied wine, that is sweet, spicy and has a soft earth finish. Not full water of stones mineral power but real subtle. The finish is nice and long and lingers well a real good representation of Pinot Noir.

Now its not as bold as Sea Smoke or Rochioli as previously reviewed. Its also not nearly as expensive. This is great wine with appatizers, with an early dinner. Its easy to drink and enjoy, your not fighting any one component in the wine. Incredibly well balanced for $29