Here marks the end of the Whole Foods Top Ten Holiday Wines review. Hope you enjoyed the write-ups and had a chance to go out and try some of these for yourself. If you did, let me know - would love to hear what you think. Below is the wrap-up of my results. At the end of the full tasting, I was more often in the "buy it" camp than not. All ten are in order of preference below, along with my "What you should do" notes for each:
2008 Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir, Valle Central
Did I mention that you should buy this wine? Well, it's worth saying again. If you like Pinot Noir and good deals, this is the one for you. It's around $6 and an incredible Pinot Noir for that price - the QPR is off the charts on this one. My rating: 89 (I give it a 90 rating for wines under $10)
2008 Pisato Montepulciano
Buy it. Well worth having some around the house. After all, you know of any other sub $15 bottles of Organic Italian wine? Yes? Good, go buy this one. No? Well, good, go buy this one. My rating: 88
2008 Paso a Paso Tempranillo
Buy this wine. It's always nice to find a good Tempranillo and the quality of this wine, especially for the price, is high. My rating: 88
2008 Los Vascos Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite) Special Selection Sauvignon Blanc
BUY IT! It's just a nice take on Sauvignon Blanc. Some good complexity, but an easy drinker at the same time. And, given that sweeter wines tend to find their way through the clutter more over the holidays, this was a nice surprise and a drier alternative. My rating: 88
2008 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Special Selection Cotes-Du-Rhone Blanc
Getting hard for the Whole Foods wines because I'm preparing to go next week and buy a bunch of these. This one's no exception. I would buy it. It's a good value, a nice wine, from a trusted producer who clearly cares about the world around them. If you had to pick up only one, I would probably err on the side of the Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir, but if there are a couple you can afford, this is also a good one to have on hand. My rating: 87
2007 Helfrich Gewurztraminer
Buy this wine in time for Thanksgiving. It will be a great one to kick off your night, especially with some good, rich cheeses, as Whole Foods suggests. The sweetness of the wine should be offset by the robust cheeses. My rating: 87
2008 Santa Julia Bonarda & 2008 El Coto Special Cuvee Rioja
Buy the Santa Julia and try it out, but if you want to get a Tempranillo, I would go for the Paso a Paso - just more bang for the buck on that one. Santa Julia rating - 87; El Coto rating - 86
2008 Marques De Riscal Rueda Seleccion Especial
Buy it. I think this is a timely wine and one that you can have with Thanksgiving dinner. A relatively light and refreshing wine, it would be a nice complement to the Helfrich Riesling, which is sweeter, but definitely a nice wine to pair with pre-dinner cheeses. Plus, between the two wines, you'll impress your guests with your international wine savvy. My rating: 86
J. P. Chenet Blanc De Blancs Frut
First off, I wouldn't take my advice on sparkling wines. If you have a keen eye for them, definitely buy it and see what you think. All the Whole Foods holiday wines are affordable. It won't be what we crack open for a special occasion, as I've had many champagnes that are better and feel more festive, but it's good. My rating: 85
2006 Red Truck Zinfandel Mendocino County
Don't buy this one. As I said, the producer used to be higher on my list and I don't know if it's just the Zinfandel that's throwing me off, but not my favorite. Plenty of other good ones on the list (like the Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir and the Paso a Paso Tempranillo) for you to choose from. My rating: 84
2008 Sutter Home Muscat of Alexandria
If you like sweet Muscat, definitely try this. If your palate is more like mine and prefer dried wines, you may want to try the 2008 Ca' del Solo Muscat from Bonny Doon - it's a beautiful, well balanced, drier Muscat that kept me going back for more when I first tried it. If you like cheese, find a way to get ahold of some Mount Tam or Rogue blue - these will certainly not disappoint. My rating: 82
Tried the Pepperwood Grove PN last night. Had an interesting nose. My wife and I couldn't put a finger on it until I mentioned that it reminded me of the foam that you get when you make a root beer float. Strange as it sounds that's exactly what I was getting.
The palate was a little disjointed, alternating back and forth between moments of candied fruit and bright acidity. It's a good food wine: it paired well with an tomato-based mild indian curry.
All together it was an enjoyable wine for the price and I'm glad I have another bottle when the mood strikes. Thanks for the recommendation.
interesting. i can imagine that smell - never really picked it up on wine, but it does make sense.
for the pepperwood grove, there's no question there are flaws - you can't get a wine at that price without some flaws imho. but, i guess there are wines that roll around now and again that completely surprise me - this one was that for me. and, i haven't paired it with anything, but i'll experiment with that - to your point, could be very interesting.
happy holidays!
It held up well the second night too, maybe even a little better as it was softer around the edges.
good to know. i just picked up 4 more bottles and plan to try it again soon.
cheers!