The Whimsical aisle of the HEB wine section.

If I were a wine maker, I’m not sure how I’d feel about seeing the fruits of my labor categorized as “Whimsical”. I do know that when shopping for wine, I tend to skip that aisle. I may have to rethink that usual route because though it is a non vintage wine, I thought the Barefoot Chardonnay offered an experience similar to that of some well made, moderately priced wines often seen on the shelves of a merchant’s Chardonnay or California section.

Now, if you’re searching for the kind of complexity that you might get from an old world Chardonnay-based white Burgundy then obviously this may not be the wine for you. Still, for the $6.99 I paid at HEB, I thought the Barefoot Cellars Chardonnay delivered plenty of value. (I also saw it for $4.97 at Walmart who btw carries another value priced California Chardonnay you may want to check out)

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While trying to come up with a useful way to capture what this wine is all about, I ran across this quote on the The Wine Buyer from Barefoot Wine Maker Jennifer Wall:

“The wines are affordable, varietally correct, soft and approachable and are immediately ready to drink off the shelf.”

That sums up the Barefoot Cellars Chardonnay pretty well.

Wine Name: Barefoot Cellars Chardonnay California
Three Nine Wine Rating: ***½~ (3.5/5)

Related link: Cork’d Wine Reviews for Non Vintage Barefoot Cellars Chardonnay

Note: Not sure if this was a permanent price reduction or a temporary sale, but after writing this I saw the price for the Barefoot Cellars Chardonnay had been reduced at HEB.

The Santa Rita 120 does indeed show some of that peppery personality, but as I was tasting it I got to thinking about a Concha y Toro Carménère I also got the chance to try recently. I found the Santa Rita to be much more subtle (though ultimately, not necessarily better) than the Concha y Toro. Still, this gentler approach of the Santa Rita 120 may be something that might appeal to someone wanting to try a Carménère but is a little concerned about all this talk about pepper.

I purchased my bottle at Gabriel’s Superstore for $6.99 but since then have seen an earlier vintage (2006) of the Santa Rita 120 Carménère priced lower online at Spec’s, another one of my favorite San Antonio wine stores.

If you want to learn more about Carménère, the Wall Street Journal article Carménère: A Great Value Facing Risks is a good place to start your journey and includes a list of best value Carménère’s to try. They selected the Terra Andina Reserva 2007 Caremenere to be their “Best of Tasting”.

If you’re interested in learning more about all kinds of wines from Chile, producers in the country have an organization called the Wines Of Chile. You can follow the Wines of Chile on Twitter and become a fan of the Wines of Chile on Facebook.

Wine Name: 2008 Santa Rita 120 Rapel Valley Carménère
Three Nine Wine Rating: ***½~ (3.5/5)

Note: I tried the Santa Rita 120 Carménère before the massive 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile and damaged some Chilean wine producers. Since then, buying wines from Chile is emerging as one way you can support the people of Chile and the Chilean wine industry.

Related links about this wine:
Wine Searcher Prices for 2008 120 Santa Rita Carménère
Santa Rita 2007 Carménère
1337 Wine Review of 2008 120 Santa Rita Carménère
Snooth Community Reviews of 120 Santa Rita Carménère
Chile earthquake hits wine industry

The 2007 Cupcake Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon could be one of the prettiest wines I’ve tried lately. Rich, dark, silky and just downright gorgeous in the glass. Kind of like a liquid version of Magic Hour.

The taste? Almost as good as it looked.

I saw the Cupcake Cab on the shelf in the little wine section of the Brookhollow HEB and purchased a bottle based on my friend’s suggestion. I tasted the wine initially paired with some gourmet turkey burgers, and then finished it off alongside a mail order prime filet mignon a relative had been nice enough to send along as a gift.

Overall, thought the Cupcake was a worthy companion to both meals, and at $8.99 a solid choice for someone looking for a value priced Cabernet Sauvignon.

One thing I noticed about this wine — for better or worse — is that it seemed as though the wine really didn’t change much as it spent time in the glass, or from the first day to the last. Consistent from start to finish. And if you like your tannins on the slightly bold side, then you might even enjoy this wine a bit more than me.

Wine Name: 2007 Cupcake Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon California
Three Nine Wine Rating: ***½~ (3.5/5)

$2.97!?!….Walmart?!?….This is not going to be good for anyone…

Well…it turns out I actually enjoyed this wine.

Now it’s possible that my generally positive reaction was merely a result of some very low expectations going in, and this wine is really not as good as I think it is. Only better than I thought it was going to be.

Either way, for $2.97 it struck me as a wonderful bargain. And not only for drinking.

I was trying this wine while preparing a pan seared Tilapia for dinner and used it to liberally deglaze the pan to create the foundation for an awesome sauce.

Chef juice, indeed. (hat tip to Heather)

Over the holidays, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to sample a variety of higher priced Chardonnays and I can’t say that I found this wine to be better than those wines costing more than 10 times as much. I didn’t — though pleasant and easy to drink, the Oak Leaf Vineyards Chardonnay did come across as a pretty simple wine. Still, I’d be interested in seeing how it held up in a blind tasting.

It wouldn’t surprise me if it performed better than a lot of people could ever imagine.

Ultimately, for the price, I think it’s tough to beat the value this wine delivers. Not to mention the added bonus of mingling with the people of Walmart when you shop.

Wine: Oak Leaf Vineyards Chardonnay
Three Nine Wine rating: ***½~ (3.5/5)