Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

Price: $8
Maker: Solterra Winery, Chile
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Solterra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 starts with aromas of juicy berries, vanilla, and oak. Its flavors match the nose,with blackberry and cherry notes, a hint of cloves, and a slightly earthy, mineral character. This isn’t a wimpy Cab, and weighs in at the high end of the typical Cab alcohol range. It had some nice aspects, but somehow didn’t come together in the end. It’s not a bad wine, though.

This is definitely a stealth product. We couldn’t locate website for Solterra Winery, and the importer, Arbor Beverage Co. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has a one-page website devoid of product information. Some serious sleuthing tracked down this bit of history: “Professor and Jazz singer Marlena Studer visited Chile in 2002 and found a paradise and all the ingredients needed to produce a fine wine. Thus inspired, she partnered with a Chilean winemaker and they hand-select wines, which are bottled under the Solterra label and sent to Ann Arbor. The wines have been well received and are selling well.” They appear to have a range of varietals, including Carmenere, Chardonnay, and Merlot in addition to a number of Cabernet Sauvignons.

Solterra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 may not have been our favorite Cab, but it was promising enough that we’d try another Solterra wine if we found it.

Price: $7
Maker: Three Knights Vineyards, Sonoma, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Three Knights Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 has emerged as the new best buy of our Trader Joe’s wine shopping excursion. Sure, the $4 La Boca Cabernet Sauvignon was a steal, but for two bucks more we’d pick Three Nights Cab every time. It had a striking nose with licorice, spice, and oak. Its flavor was oaky, with pepper, currant, and cherry notes. It wasn’t overly fruity, but was nicely structured and had chewy tannins in the finish. “Aging” overnight improved the wine further, bringing plumminess into the flavor and further lengthening the finish. For a $6 wine, Three Knights Cabernet Sauvignon was unusually interesting - we’d choose it over some wines costing several times as much. We don’t score too many wines as “9″, and never for a bottled wine in this price range.

Quaffability was a bit less excited about the wine, finding it “pleasant and drinkable” but with a “faint whiff of plonkishess.” Some of the commenters on that post, though, liked it quite a bit for the price. JohnG tracked this down to Bronco Wines - not a spectacular pedigree, perhaps, but that didn’t diminish the appeal of this bargain wine. Rob & Karie at In Vino Veritas scored it a mere 6.5, but commented,”It has a nice taste, and the tannins and finish are smooth.”

See what you think - try a bottle, and be sure to give it lots of air.

Price: $4
Maker: Filus S.A., Argentina
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

La Boca Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (also labeled “Barrio”) from Argentina is yet another amazing bargain from Trader Joe’s. For a mere four bucks, it’s actually quite a drinkable Cab. Its nose is spicy berries and licorice. Flavor wise, it’s not a fruit bomb, but offers plums and currants with a rather dry finish that seems to last forever. This isn’t your typical cheap Cab - it offers better balance and richness than many wines in the sub-$10 price range, and is superior to any of the sub-$5 offerings from California that we have tasted.

Tom and Melody had remarkably similar comments, and also found that breathing was critical to bring La Boca Cabernet to its best form. Tom summarized, “I love this wine! It’s a strong, fruit-forward, New World wine, but dry and tannic enough not to be fruit-bomby… And it’s a wonderful value.”

This is definitely a good choice for red wine drinkers on a strict budget. I’ve yet to taste a bottled red in this price range that’s nearly as good.

Price: $9
Maker: Juno Wine Company, Paarl, South Africa
Varietal: Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot blend
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Juno Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2005 features another of Juno’s gorgeous labels - the call these wines their “Cape Maidens” series. The wine itself is what one might expect from a blend of these grapes. The composition is Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Shiraz (30%), and Merlot (20%). This blend has a ripe berry nose, a medium body, and a nicely rounded blackberry and plum flavor with a bit of spice in the finish. We like this wine both for its attractive package and its accessible flavor. It would be nice for entertaining or a $10-range hostess gift.

The Cape Maiden illustrations are the work of artist Tertia du Toit. According to the Juno Wine website,

She paints a picture of the atmosphere of the wine, the taste and the aroma. The girls are part of exhibitions, a collection of paintings that dance around the idea of womanhood. Her paintings focuses on the female figure, milkmaids and Madonna’s, an abundance of life’s pleasures. With the strong colours and dramatic poses she invites whoever dares, ‘to indulge’.

The aim with the labels is to create an integrated visual meeting between the predominantly male winemaking traditions and the sensual nature of the wine itself. The eventual idea with the usage of the Maidens is not to objectify them but rather to turn them into super heroines

An Art in South Africa website comments on du Toit’s work, “‘ One need not be a detective or a Freudian or Jungian analyst, to be aware of a strong element of eroticism in these works.” Well, I suppose wine has always been related to harvests, fertility, and the like… However you interpret the labels, they are indeed lush and enticing on the shelf. Juno made a good choice in signing du Toit if they want to gain a bit of extra attention as wine buyers scan rows of mostly boring bottles.

Price: $17
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.3%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was another vaguely disappointing offering from a brand that proudly proclaims its list of gold medal awards. The nose is mild but spicy. The flavor is slightly reminiscent of some of the 5-liter box wines, with a slightly sweet plumminess and chocolate and a moderately spicy finish. The wine, in our opinion, doesn’t show much varietal character - we aren’t finding what we’d like to see in a good Cab. This is one that you might have to try for yourself, as the wine isn’t entirely unpleasant and may appeal to some.

We checked out the Delicato website, and while the latest Shiraz has garnered some favorable attention, we couldn’t find any awards for Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Their notes talk about, “rich, well-developed flavors of cherry, blackberry and a hint of oak to compliment the fruit.” That seems rather unlike what we found in this particular box. Closer to our thoughts were those of Paxton at the Destination Unknown blog, who noted, “it’s missing the complexity that would be necessary to make it a good wine, though there is a dark plum flavor beneath the astringency.”

Price: $8
Maker: Sebeka Wines, Hayward, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage blend
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Sebeka Cabernet Sauvignon Pinotage 2006 comes in the same creative packaging as Sebeka Shiraz, a colorful cheetah theme; one has to love the bright yellow spotted artificial cork. The origin of the wine is listed as Western Cape, South Africa. The wine’s nose is leathery, with berry, spice, and vanilla notes. The flavor is bright, juicy cherries that lead into a finish that balances oak, spice, and acidity. In the Shiraz we thought the tannins in the finish were slightly too prominent; that’s not the case with the Cabernet Sauvignon Pinotage, which was fruit and never demanding.

Since our last post, it looks like E. J. Gallo has managed to at least get a holding page in place at the Sebeka Wines website. There’s still not a lot of information, but they promise more soon. They refer to this wine as their “Cape Blend,” due to the inclusion of the Pinotage.

This brand hasn’t received much attention yet, but WorldWineReviews declared it, “Overall, a nice tasting wine.” They found an odd cheese-like note in the nose that was fortunately absent from our bottle. We liked Sebeka Cabernet Sauvignon Pinotage 2006 quite a bit - it’s a very accessible wine that’s fruit forward but maintains complexity. At its very moderate price, it’s a great choice for upcoming summer cookouts.

Price: $14
Maker: Coopers Lane Winery, St. Helena, Napa County, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.8%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Grand Hotel Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is one of a series of summer-only products bearing the famous Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island) name and sold through Meijer stores. The wine itself hails from California, not Michigan. It has a complex aroma with dark berry, spice, leather, and vanilla notes. This cab is medium-bodied, with cherry and blackberry fruit, mild black pepper, and tannins that grab your attention, perhaps a bit too much, in the finish. The wine is reasonably well balanced, and comes across as juicy but with some bite.

According to an article in the Cincinnati Post, the products will be available only through July. The full range of products includes such diverse items as Front Porch Ale, fudge and fudge sauce, rocking chairs, pillows, and more. We like this strategy - particularly in the midwest, the Grand Hotel name should be a strong brand symbolic of high quality and relaxed summer fun; for its part, the hotel not only gains royalty income but exposure to new customers in Meijer’s high traffic stores. A win-win, to be sure.

Grand Hotel Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 could be a nice summer entertaining gift. The wine itself is nice enough, and the combination of the appealing Grand Hotel brand and the limited run will make it a welcome conversation piece.

Price: $6
Maker: Bohemian Highway Wines, St. Helena, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Bohemian Highway Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 shares many characteristics with its fellow varietal, Bohemian Highway Merlot 2004. It has the same funky label and the same fruity, juicy flavor. We found Even the slightly smoky aroma is similar. And, as with the Merlot, letting this Cab breathe took the edge off the sweetness and slightly improved the balance and complexity; in fact, tasting on the second day (saved in the bottle without argon) was actually even better. In this one, the flavor was dominated by cherry and strawberry notes, with a hint of white chocolate, and finishing with soft tannins.

Despite the very similar nature of the two wines, we rated this one a bit lower as we found it rather lacking in varietal character. Having said that, it’s an equally gulpable, highly accessible wine that will no doubt appeal to many wine drinkers. It’s definitely at the fruitier, sweeter end of the spectrum. Bohemian Highway Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 may disappoint those looking for a big, complex Cab, but may work well for those wine drinkers who gravitate toward less dry whites and want to try a red that won’t have much of a pucker factor.

Wine-o-Rama liked it, partcularly paired with Philly cheese steak pizza. 365 Corks awarded this wine four corkscrews (we think that’s good!) for its combination of value and drinkability.

Price: $10
Maker: Trinchero Winery, St. Helena, Napa County, California
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml Bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.25%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Trinchero Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 is a very nice cab and a great value. The nose is dense with dark berries, spice, and woody notes. The flavor is both fruit-forward and well balanced. Black cherry and plum notes combine with oak, cinnamon, and soft tannins to create a smooth and relatively complex wine. We paired this wine with charcoal-grilled tenderloins, and it worked out very nicely. Overall, this is a wine that’s both fruity and accessible but offers interest to the more accomplished palate.

The Trinchero website has an interesting and rather difficult wine trivia game, the Napa Wine Challenge. If you fancy yourself a wine expert give this a try. You may find it a bit humbling!

Price: $10
Maker: Vina Ventisquero, Rancagua, Chile
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 comes in a rather striking painted bottle which shows a grapevine with a long root trailing deep into the earth. The graphic and name are meant to emphasize the wine’s claim to fame, that the grapevines aren’t grafted onto different rootstock as most vines are. The wine has a rich aroma that’s not fruity- rather, it offers leather, spice, and vanilla notes. The flavor is well balanced - fruity notes of plum, cherry, and blueberry start things off, and lead into a long-lasting pepper and cinnamon finish. The tannins are smooth and not overbearing. This is a nicely structured red that would pair well with grilled meats or other fare demanding a robust wine.

Winewaves considered this wine an “outstanding value.” Purple Lips liked the packaging and low price, and rated it a B+.

Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is a stylish wine that would make a nice bottle to bring to an upscale cookout.