Pros And Cons Of Inexpensive Oak Leaf Wines
Karen is a wine, cocktails, and food enthusiast. She holds a California Wine Appellation Specialist certificate from the San Francisco wine school and a Bar Smarts mixology certificate and bartends for charitable events.
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Oak Leaf Vineyards wine is sold exclusively at Walmart and is quickly becoming a fast favorite for an everyday inexpensive wine. The wines are easy drinking and extremely affordable.
Chateau De Pez 2018 Saint
This delicious Bordeaux from Saint-Estephe is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It has aromas of black fruits with a lifted note of bright red cherry and secondary whiffs of tobacco leaf and purple flowers. In the mouth it has ripe fruit flavors and balanced tannins. The tannins are a bit chewy but will hold up to thick cuts of beef. The finish is long with a hint of black licorice at the very end. Drink now or hold for a few years.
Torbreck 2019 The Factor Shiraz Barossa Valley Australia
This 100 percent Shiraz stunner from Australias Barossa Valley is named for the local colloquialism for estate manager, Factor. It is inky purple in the glass with aromas of black plum, ripe dark cherry, vanilla bean and mocha. In the mouth it is big and bold with ripe fruit flavors and velvety tannins. Perfect with a steak on the barbie. Drink now or throughout the next 20 years.
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Ron Rubin Winery Extends Oak
Sebastopol, CA, Nov. 8, 2022 Pams UN-Oaked Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 from Sonoma-based Ron Rubin Winery is making its debut this fall. The new UN-oaked Cabernet joins existing fan favorite, Pams UN-Oaked Chardonnay. With an SRP of $16 SRP , Pams UN-oaked Cabernet immediately enters national distribution.
Pams UN-Oaked Cabernet Sauvignon has an unusual backstory. Happy wife, Happy life states the front label. Both the new Cab and the UN-Oaked Chardonnay are a tribute to Pam Rubin, Rons wife of 48 years, and no fan of oaky wines, red or white! The front label also features the B Corp Certified logo. In late August 2022, Ron Rubin became the latest winery to join the B Corp movement, which entails operating in accordance with rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
An unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon is a relative rarity, a modern innovation, and there is a demand for an unadorned version of Americas favorite red grape. Indeed, this wine is in response to a distributor request for a red companion to go with Pams UN-Oaked Chardonnay. Retailers can now merchandise a red and a white together, explains Ron Rubin.
Pams UN-Oaked Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 SRP $16, available nationwide
Sadie Family Wines 2018 Columella Swartland South Africa
Aficionados of South Africa have certainly heard of Eben Sadie and his highly acclaimed wines, and this blend of six grapes including Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache does not disappoint.
Eben lets this wine rest on the lees for one year in French oak barrels and then transfers it to large oval casks for an additional year of ageing. The wine is then bottled without fining nor filtration. It is big and bold in the nose with ripe fruit aromas and well balanced on the palate with smooth and silky tannins.
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Benziger Family Winery 2018 De Coelo Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
This is a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that will pair perfectly with filet mignon. After harvest the grapes were cold soaked in open top fermenters for five days to extract maximum flavor, color and tannin. It was then allowed to go through malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels for 10 months, resulting in creamy mouthfeel and voluptuous texture. There are juicy flavors of black cherry, red plum, and cranberry on the palate and a light touch of bright pomegranate in the finish. Only 470 cases were made in 2018.
White After Labor Day
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- ’11 Field Blend, Deiss, Schoenenberg Grand Cru, Alsace, FR – 210
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- ’17 Trebbiano Spoletino, Tabbarini, Padrone delle Vigne, Umbria – 33
- ’18 Vermentino, Argiolas IS, Sardegna – 45
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- ’18 Cortese, Fontananassa, Gavi Ca’Adua, Piemonte – 31
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Bodegas Arzuaga 2018 Amaya
Grapes for this alluring wine come from 100-year-old pre-phylloxera vines growing in the Arzuaga familys La Planta vineyard in Quintanilla de Onesimo. It is brilliant garnet in the glass with violet reflections in the rim. The enticing bouquet draws you in with aromas of red fruits and freshly cut herbs. In the mouth it is generous and round with rich fruit flavors and balanced tannins and a finish that goes on and on. A perfect match for a chuleton de buey cooked over an olive wood fire. Only 2,857 bottles and 180 magnums were made in 2018.
Vilafont 2013 Series M Paarl South Africa
Winemakers Zelma Long and Martin Smith crafted this delicious blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in Paarl, South Africa. It has aromas of red plum, red raspberry and red currant. In the mouth it is well balanced with supple tannins and flavors of ripe red fruits and cassis. It is aged for 20 months in French oak barrels then additional time in the bottle before release. The 2013 is the current release and it is drinking beautifully right now. Pair yours with a thick steak cooked on the grill.
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Via Sastre Regina Vides 2016 Ribera Del Duero Spain
Grapes for this stunning wine are grown on 90-year-old vines planted at an altitude of 840 meters. It is aged for 18 months in new French oak and undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel. It is bright cherry in color with aromas of black fruits, red currant and toasted hazelnuts. It is generous and round in the mouth with flavors of ripe fruits, sweet brown baking spices and vanilla. It has soft suede-like tannins and great persistence in the finish. Only 6,000 bottles were produced in this vintage.
Paul Hobbs 2018 Nathan Coombs Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
This unfined and unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon is made at his eponymous estate in Napa Valley by the well-known winemaking consultant Paul Hobbs. Thanks to moderate late summer and early fall temperatures in 2018 he was able to allow his grapes to slowly mature on the vine resulting in a wine with elegant structure and balanced acidity. There are aromas of chocolate covered cherries, cassis and black olives in the bouquet. In the mouth there are flavors of rich, ripe dark fruits and just a touch of dried thyme and oregano with a strong backbone of minerality.
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Choosing Wines From Oak Leaf Vineyards
In the end, the choice is ultimately up to you, no matter what the reviewers say. Even if you are pinching pennies, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy a decent glass of wine after a long day and not feel guilty for spending the money on it. Finally, don’t concern yourself with what wine snobs have to say about inexpensive wines like Oak Leaf.
Gran Enemigo 2017 Gualtallary Mendoza
Grapes for this Argentine red blend are grown in Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catenas Gualtallary vineyard in the Uco Valley. It is a combination of 85 percent Cabernet Franc and 15 percent Malbec and it is deep purple in the glass with aromas of brown baking spices, ripe black cherries and just a whiff of mint. In the mouth there are flavors of black raspberries and black plums with a touch of milk chocolate and a pleasant lift of peppermint in the finish.
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