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

Price: $12
Maker: Eos Estate Winery (Sapphire Brands), Paso Robles, California
Varietal: Red Blend - 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Petite Sirah, 18% Sangiovese
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Lost Angel Mischief Red Wine 2006 was a real surprise. A red blend with a funky name costing a little over ten bucks didn’t create much in the way of anticipation. The first surprise was a slightly floral note in the nose, in addition to the expected berry and spice notes. The second surprise was the overall enjoyability of this wine. On the palate, this is a juicy and robust red. Raspberry and cherry predominate, but there is nice structure and complexity. The finish is dry and long-lasting, with a spicy, earthy finish.

Lost Angel Mischief is a product of Eos Estate Wines, a winery that produces significantly more costly wines. The Lost Angel series is the lowest cost line, but it clearly benefits from its pricier siblings. Eos Estate’s winemaker is Nathan Carlson, who notes, “Eos has taken a bold step to become the first large winery in Paso Robles to commit to using only solar power. This fits nicely with my personal commitment to sustainability issues in agriculture, which is an important reason why I am involved in the wine industry.”

In short, Lost Angel Mischief is a tasty red blend that offers more flavor and sophistication than one might expect at first glance. It’s a great choice if you don’t mind a fun, non-snobby label and prefer a fruitier but still interesting New World red.

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Price: $14
Maker: Concannon Vineyard, Livermore & San Luis Obispo, California
Varietal: Petite Syrah
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah 2005 (Limited Release) sets high expectations by calling itself “America’s Finest Petite Syrah.” We haven’t tasted enough Petite Syrahs to confirm their assertion, but this red wine doesn’t disappoint. It delivers a big, rounded black cherry flavor and a long, peppery finish with well-balanced tannins. This is a very pleasant wine by itself, and would pair well with a nice grilled strip steak.

Water Into Wino wasn’t a fan of the 2004 vintage, calling it “not at all my style” and suggesting that it smelled like a purple magic marker. Ouch. Tom and Melody liked it a lot more: “It was delicious: tannic with jammy, plummy fruit and a rich, full body. A great example of a wine with a lot of fruit taste that is also dry so that it�s definitely not a fruit bomb.” CheapFunWines thought it was, “Pleasant, soft and easy to drink.” Wine Centric called it “pure heaven.”

We like this wine a lot, and think it would make a nice hostess gift - the bottle is very attractive, the wine is great, and a Petite Sirah is a bit different from the more common Cab or Merlot.

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