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Duchman Grape Growers

Wine Region: Hill Country, Texas
Wine Type: Red
Price: $20ish
Rating: 6 out of 10 stars / 8 out of 10 stars / 8 out of 10 stars
Notes: Dried Fruits / Balsamic Vinegar

K: Smells like prunes

B: I smelled it as soon as we opened the bottle

B: That is not a wine to drink quickly

Carrie: Yeah I thought from the color it would be a light summer red but it is not. It is full bodied but soft start and soft finish.

B: It hits the back of your tongue hard.

K: I feel like this would taste better after decanting, it will take some of the sharpness off of it.

C: There is a bit of vinegar at the front but you’re right – letting the wine breathe more should help.

K: I don’t mean this as a bad thing, but i detect notes of horse.

B: It smells like a horses butt.

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B: It would make a good mulled wine

K: Yeah, it is so aggressively dry that adding fruit to this would not be overly sugary

C: It’s dry enough that you won’t get a big headache from the sugar.

K: I think it is too dry for some people. The tannins are bitter.

B: I think it would pair well with s’mores.

C: You’re right. It needs strong flavors to pair with. Like steak with blue cheese. Or something smoked…

K: The bitterness is almost a pure dark chocolate taste, nearly green.

C: They definitely left the skins in for a looong time.

B: It is the chunky peanut butter of wines.

C: I really like this wine, but you know I love my big red wines.

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K: This is a hotly contested wine.

C: It’s a conversation starter.

K: Now I really don’t want to go to the grocery store. It is a shelter in place wine. It’s also the second bottle of wine you drink. Don’t start with this, because your taste buds won’t be coming back from the acidity.

C: It has got a strong lingering finish.

K: No aftertaste but it lingers in the mouth<./span>

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K: Dried cranberry

B: It has the density of a cranberry concentrate. An ass blasting cranberry juice.

C: I would say like prunes and plums. It’s acidic but like a balsamic vinegar.

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K: I assume bc its grape growers blend it is the best of what they have, mixed together. I think it could have been aged longer.

C: I thought they meant a wine for their workers, something complex and interesting that might not be easily marketed.

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B: A December through February wine. At night only.

C: Definitely not a summer wine.

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K: 5 of 10

B: 8 of 10

C: 8 of 10

Duchman Winery 2018 Dry Rosé

Wine Region: Hill Country, Texas
Wine Type: Rosé
Price: $20ish
Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars
Notes: Mineral

K: So they had a great deal online, three bottles and free shipping. I love the color of this wine. Its almost a cara cara color.

B: It looks like cough syrup. But that is not a bad thing

C: It looks like a Texas peach from high summer.

B: Like Big Red’s peach flavor, Big Peach.

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C: I love how dry this is.

K: This wine is very nice. It is not too dry and I’m not getting any fruit. It’s just a light mineral. It’s a perfect day drinker, definitely not sweet so you won’t get hungover. Would probably make a great hobo sangria with frozen fruit.

6 out of 10 for acidity – not to the Sauvignon Blanc level. You won’t lose taste buds.

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K: It really is a pretty wine.

C: It has some meditative qualities

K: The only thing to say that is because it is so full bodied, it forces you to slow down a smidge

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C: It would class up a backyard barbecue

K: It does belong in the rosés for red wine category. They can often be too fruity or too light and this is neither of those.

Chono Reserva Pinot Noir 2011

Chono Reserva Pinot Noir Wine Region: Casablanca Region, Chile

Wine Type: Pinot Noir

Price: $10ish

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

Notes: Grape Juice, Cherry

K: It’s good but it doesn’t have much depth. It’s totally good but its very simple.

B: It tastes like Sangria.

K: It’s about $5 more expensive than the Llano Estacado Sangria but it definitely tastes similar.

C: It’s super juicy. To the point that the nose is predominantly grape juice and it’s just too smooth.

K: It tastes like a tannin farted in it, but that’s all.

C: Gross. But apt. The first glass is surprising and tasty but it doesn’t have a lot of depth.

K: This is a not a wine that reveals itself at any point. It is what it is from the first sip.

C: Fun and simple but not capable of discussing literature or the meaning of life.

Rockbrook Pinot Grigio 2012

drunk-housekeeping-rockbrook Wine Region: California

Wine Type: Pinot Grigio

Price: $6 something

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Notes: Honeysuckle, citrus, grass, tropical fruit

K: It has a green smell to it.

C: There is a honeysuckle fruit to it’s nose.

K: It tastes pineapple-y but there’s an herbaceous fruit quality to the nose. Very much a fresh garden smell. Its a very easy drink, not too sweet or too acidic.

C: Very clean and fresh, but the acidic green flavors balance nicely with the fruity nose, so it’s easy to drink. The attack phase is also unusually smooth.

K: The initial smoothness doesn’t linger but yes, it is very smooth. There’s almost a buttery quality to the citrus.

C: It’s definitely not a lip stinger. The acidity of it is constantly curbed by the fragrance of it and by a buttery aftertaste.

K: It’s worth noting that it doesn’t look like a super discount wine. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring it to someone’s house for an event.

C: This is a really unusual Pinot Grigo. I dont think i’ve had a Pinot Grigio with this fragrant and fruity a bouquet.

K: True. It’s usually a cat pee and grass wine. This though, is a very drinkable wine. Its a very good weeknight wine. I wouldn’t feel bad finishing this wine on a Tuesday night. By myself.

C: I would say it’s the best Pinot Grigio under $10 that i’ve ever tasted. The stars aligned so this wine could have an admirable and delicate balance that is unheard of at this price range. Or the blood, sweat and tears that went into this wine taste like a delicious grassy alcoholic beverage, depends on the dedication of the team.

K: It’s not a great bottle of wine but its a fantastic value and its totally drinkable and enjoyable. Most $6 bottles of wine are nowhere near this good.

Les Domaniers 2012 Cotes de Provence

les-domaniers-cotes-du-provence Wine Region: Cotes de Provence

Wine Type: Rosé

Price: $22

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Notes: Dry like a Desert,

K: Its a beautiful wine. I wish i had a dress that was that color. Its a lovely nude color. Or a blush in that color.

C: Wow, it is cold and dry. And very simple.

K: It has an interesting taste to it. Its dry but not astringent. Its very velvety.

C: Super smooth on the ending now that you mention it.

K: This would be an 8 of 10 if it was $5 cheaper. It is a troublesome wine, very easy to drink. I imagine that people who own yachts drink this wine.

C: A classic, dry light blush wine.

B: This is very dry and refreshing.

McPherson Viognier 2013

Texas Hill Country Wine Review

Wine Region: Texas

Wine Type: Viognier

Price: $12.52

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Notes: Light, Tart, Floral, Citrus, Pineapple

K: Another magnificent hit from McPherson. One thing i have to say about the label: I dont know if i love it because its so boring that people won’t drink it or i hate that its so boring and no one would randomly grab it from the shelf.

C: Their wines are always stellar. The roses are phenomenal. This is another great example of them doing a dry light wine LIKE A BOSS.

K: It smells amazing, pineapple and jam but the taste doesn’t reflect the overly sweet and fragrant nose. Its really nicely balanced for a pleasurable drinking experience. It has those tropical fruit notes but without the astringent acidity that sometimes comes with those flavors.

B: Its great. I could easily drink another bottle.

Harbinger Winery and Dynamo Red Review

Harbinger Dynamo Red Review:

$15.99

A smooth very drinkable deep red. The rich fruit tastes of cherry and plum are balanced with refreshing tannins and a black pepper note. A medium body and mild fruit tartness appreciate the fruits involved without becoming juicy.

Pairing note: The chocolate we tasted this with didn’t do anything amazing with this wine. The lavender walnuts we tried were perfect. The sweet and herbal coating on the walnuts along with their slightly bitter skins just tasted great with this wine. The wine also tasted better.

Harbinger Winery Tasting Review:

$5 for nine wine tastes. Two of the wines listed on their tasting sheet were unavailable the day we were there.

They also do a local beer tasting of five alternating varieties.

Harbinger Winery was busy the weekend we stopped by. The tasting bar was completely full with people. The tasting room host got us situated at a table away from the bar and proceeded to bring wine after wine to the table for us to try. It would have been nice to have a bit more attention as the host seemed rushed but all in all she handled the masses well. The crowd at Harbinger was a refreshing change of pace. There was a mix of locals enjoying a post work glass of wine and retirees getting a growler to take on their mobile home.

It’s also worth noting, their little gift area was thankfully free of bedazzled junk. In addition to normal wine paraphernalia they have a selection of local snacks. I wish Texas wineries would take a note from this page and offer more local edibles and fewer baby doll tees.

They have been producing wines since 2005. As is common in most Olympic Peninsula wineries (so I learned), their grapes are grown in the desert climate of Eastern Washington.

The wines we tasted:

-2011 Viognier, Notes: Tropical Fruit, Citrus, Mild Acidity

-2012 Off-Dry Riesling, Notes: Peach, Non-Cloying, Slightly Sweet. Fun Fact for the Wine Idiots Like Me: Off-Dry means kinda dry, but not sweet.

-2012 Rhone Rose, Notes: Sweet Spice, Acidity, Tartness

-Dynamo Red (See Review Above)

-2009 El Jefe, Notes: Plums, Dried Bing Cherries, Cassis

-2009 Barbera, Notes: Spicy, Acidic nose, Fruity, not sweet taste

-2009 Merlot Reserve, Notes: Dusty, Tobacco, Fennel, Nicely balanced tartness and acidity

-2009 Cabernet Franc “The Rapture,” Notes: Blackberry, Slight Acid, Best from 2015-2018

-Blackberry Bliss, Notes: Has the tartness present in blackberries, Surprisingly not too sweet. Fun Fact: It takes 2 1/2 pounds of blackberries to make a bottle.

The beers we tasted:

-Barhop Summer Pale Ale

-Hopdiggity IPA

-Full Sail Oktoberfest (Great! Beautiful medium amber taste and look)

-Port Townsend Scotch (Notes of chocolate and caramel)

-Port Townsend Porter (Notes of espresso, dark but not heavy)

2012 La Grande Piece – Chateau La Coste en Provence

Wine Region: Provence, France

Wine Type: Rosé

Price: $15-$18 (this wine was a wildly cheap $12 back in 2006, but it’s popularity has steadily been growing. We’re betting its due to the new interest in our favorite pink wine and the organic farming techniques that Domaine du Vieux Chene uses.)

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Notes: Strawberry, Citrus, Clean, Vibrant

K: Unusually light – its a peach color

C: It’s a classic Provencal rosé, aside from the very light color. Although thats probably because the French don’t usually add anything to darken the color of the wine. *I’m talking about Mega Red, that secret compound that a lot of winemakers use to juice up the color and sweetness of their wines. Read some about it here. I’ll be tasting all dark wines now with a vague paranoia.

C: Similar to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in its strength of flavor and layering, but with strong strawberry and citrus flavors.

K: A pink wine for people that love white wine. Very fresh but not tart.

C: A great starter rosé for people who don’t understand the draw of rosés.

C: The vinegar taste that most rosés have is muted. Good balance on the acetic acid.

Bottle Notes: A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carrignan. Organic grapes, estate grown and bottled

2012 Domaine du Vieux Chene (Beatrice et Jean Claude Bouche) Cuvée des Capucines

Wine Region: Cotes du Rhone, France

Wine Type: Rosé

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Notes: Strawberry, Dry, Clean, 100% Grenache

K: A dry fruity rosé. Not too tart but very clear.

C: Fruity but not sweet. Very clean.

K: Great summer wine, no real nose but super flavorful.

C: Very strong strawberry flavors but with a pleasant acidity.

K: Like biting into an unripe strawberry. Similar to the Mulderbosch South African rosé.

C: Decent balance on the acetic acid. Not too vinegary.

B: Reminds me of communion wine.

C: Hey, at least he didn’t say it reminds him of easter egg dye.

Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay

Wine Region: California

Wine Type: Chardonnay

Price: $14.84

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Notes: Oak, Citrus

K: I really love this guy.

C: Its a solid Chardonnay. Very oaky, and reasonable acidic. With food this would be magnificent. Maybe opposite a yogurt cucumber dip or something that would give the wine more depth.

K: This wine is one classy bitch.

B: Its a wine you can take home to meet your mama.

C: As the guy at Spec’s said, it’s a Chardonnay you can take to any party and be proud of. It’s a classy drink but without any surprises.