Nicolas Perrin Syrah Viognier '14

France
Rhone, North
$17ish

Poundability: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

Medium purple color, translucent at edge, medium/light body.

Mild spices - light peppery - not the super white pepper overload that some northern Rhones can take on.  Notes of leather, red plums, earthiness and blackberries.  "Tastes like a nutragrain berry bar" said my drankin' patna' after first taste.  Not really in my taste profile so cannot confirm nor deny but definitely get a lot of dark black berry flavors.

Great tannin, classic northern Rhone in that regard.  Very acidic but just balanced enough to not be a major negative.  Long finish, easily 45 seconds, with decent complexity.  Alcohol is very present (12.5%), not a distractor but a factor.

No faults really at all, slightly different then most northern Rhones I've tried. Much better as a food wine; I think it would pair well with red meat.  Wish it were sightly less acidic, but at $17 still pretty damn good.  All in all would revisit, but not for more duckets.

Ch. Tour Bayard, St. Emilion, '10

France
Bordeaux
$23ish

Poundability: 3/5
Value: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Deep dark purple color with a nice of light cherries, medium bodied.

Super ripe, tart, dark cherries and plums meet you at first sip.  Slight notes of damp earth, graphite, fig and tiny bit of dark chocolate.

Not overly tannic or acidic but great harmony between the two.  Nice leathery mouth feel,  Good complexity, not great.  My drankan' patna' thought it wasn't very complex at all - but "not boring."  Which is always good.

Kermit Lynch imports rarely disappoint and this is no exception.  Great Bordeaux expression and to get a quality St. Emilion 2010 for under $30 is a great steal.  Would repeat as much as possible.  Have two more bottles.  Blaze.

Drank on 1/23/17.

Duff Light

USA, Springfield (via Florida)
Pilsner(?)
$8.50/pint

Poundability: 3.5/5
Value: 2/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Light golden color and light bodied.

Great body/taste for the style. Not sure, but tasted like a Pilsner and the nice bartender said she thought it was, but can't guarantee.  Little sweet, nice yeasty profile.  Very easy drinking, like a higher end Miller lite, which I am a fan of as far as cheap beer's concerned.

Again, all the Duff's were much better then I was expecting.  Would repeat even if it weren't for the iconic Duff brand.  Ohhhhh yeaaaaaaa.....Duffman voice.

Duff Light on the left, Duff on the right.

Duff 

USA, Springfield (via Florida)
(?)
$8.50/pint

Poundability: 3/5
Value: 2/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Amber color.  Fast rising head, light hops with a strong malty nose.

Light chocolate, biscuit flavors.  No alcohol detected but an ever so slight....shwaggyness.  But again, way better then anticipated.  Almost a shittier Fat Tire, not a knock, just a reference point.

Was nice to see that all the Duff beers weren't just Coors Light-esque which is what I thought they would be.  Shouldn't have doubted Homer.  On the back said they were brewed by Florida Brewing Company which I'm pretty sure I've had before although can't be certain.

Duff on the right, Duff Light on the left.

Duff Dry

USA, Springfield (via Flroida)
(?)
$7.50/bottle

Poundability: 2/5
Value: 2/5
Overall: 2.5/5

Dark black color.

Roasted brown chocolate flavors. Fairly light bodied despite the look.  Easy drinking but low poundability, due to the style of beer, not quality.

Obviously paying for the prestigious Duff name and resort prices, but still overall impressed with quality.  Not nearly as shitty as I was expecting.  No wonder Homer, Barney and the gang love it so much.

Chapoutier Bila Haut Cotes Rousillon '15

France

(?)

$15ish

Poundability: 3/5

Value: 3/5

Overall: 2.5/5

Dark purple color with a nose of crushed dark fruits with a light/medium body.

Off the jump you get flavors of plum, cassis, earth and spices.  Mild floral, mineral and bramble notes as well.

I get a slight sweetness from the wine but still dry by a long shot.  Some alcohol "heat" but not in a harsh way.  More tannic then anticipated.  Not overly complex, bringing down the overall score.  

A solid quaffer fo' sho' but for $15 wish there was slightly more going on.  Not a disappointment but for the price I wish there was a little more going on.  Just sorta....basic.  Would still revisit when looking for an easy drinking, inexpensive wine but not one I would seek out either.  Which is a slight let down as most Chapoutier wines I've tried have been quite good.

Groot Constantia Pinotage '15 (?)

South Africa
Pinotage
$20ish

Poundability: 2.5/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5

Deep dark purple color.  Earthy nose with a light/medium body.

Flavors of earth, light vegetables, red cherries and a mild menthol taste when swished in mouth.  Also got light amounts of fig/jam, tobacco, bbq/smoke.  Slightly to vegetably for my liking, but some pinotage's can be like that.

Got a little tannin and acidity but not over powering.  Solid complexity with a mildly long finish.  Very smooth.

Overall it was pretty good for the price.  It didn't have that overly gross green herbalness that a lot of inexpensive pinotages can have.  Drank like a $20 bottle, and not a complaint.  One of the oldest wineries in South Africa and one that I visited so there is a slight nostalgia to tasting this I must admit.  Overall if you're looking for a nice easy drinking pinotage you wouldn't go wrong with Groot Constantia bu you're also not going to win any one over nor wow any snobs.  But f them anyway.

Confidencial Reserve Red '12 

Portugal
Table red
$12ish

Overall: 2.5/5
PBF: 2.5/5
Value: 3/5

Very dark purple/ruby color.  Medium bodied with a nose of black fruit/violets.

Upfront jammy fruity flavors of blackberry with a little brambleness.  Slight vanilla from oak barrel aging.  Hints of earthy/dirt in good not great way.  Picked up a little bit of the violet taste but not much.

Nice tongue gripping tannins with decent acidity.  Wish that were downplayed and the acidity boosted up a notch but at $12, picking hairs.  Very easy drinking but not a whole lot going on but again, $12.  Was good with food (mediterranean chicken) but just as good by itself.

With that being said it does have some of the tell tale signs of an inexpensive wine.  Harsh alcohol burn when swallowed, not a lot of complexity, short finish, slightly thin, etc.

All in all for the price I would recommend.  Easy drinking, like a lunch wine if you will.  Really see Portugal on the come up for inexpensive easy drinking wines.  Not going to blow anyone away but a crowd pleaser fo' sho'

.

Union Rye Baby 6.5%

USA, Maryland, Baltimore
IPA
$12ish/6 pack

Poundability: 3/5
Value: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Visually copper/orange with a slight haziness and fast rising bubbles.

Aromas of pine, spruce with a touch of resin.  I find most Unions to have a similar smell/taste to them.  Not a complaint, I like the variations off the base profile.  Annnnway, also got a little biscuit/breadyness from the malts.

Not overly alcoholic tasting and at 6.5% it shouldn't be.  Got some pine flavor along with delicious chocolaty/malty/bready overtones, but not overwhelming.  Great integration of hops and malts, neither one over powering the other.  Standard IPA bitterness but not a hop bomb which has become the norm in recent years, regretfully.  I'm all for a nice bitter hop profile but not when it's at  1,000,000,000 IBU's.  Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnway found it had a nice spice character as well, due to the Rye no doubt.

Overall I found it had a nice creamy mouth feel.  High poundability despite the bitterness of the hops and the dry hopping which I find can make many beers way to......dry tasting.  Totally biased as they're from Baltimore but I hate on some Maryland beers (not naming names) FYI.  Many IPA's can lose there poundability due to the bitter nature of the style but Union balances it perfectly!  Would revisit and recommend!

Carrel Languedoc Rouge Les Darons '14

France
Cotes Du Rhone
$15ish

Poundability: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Dark purple color.  Good condition, some spice and dried red fruits on nose.  Medium-light bodied.

A nice spice at the front but not overly peppery, like some Rhones.  I got dried cranberries and dark purple fruits - plums, blackberries.  Also an ever so slight vegetable quality, but not in the gross way that sounds.  Maybe earthy?  Large percentage of Grenache (60%) with 25% Carignan and 15% Syrah, is classic Rhone.  Luckily it isn't overly fruity like some or excessively peppery like others at this price/style.

Great acidity.  Awesome food wine but just as easy to sip on its own.  Mildly complex with a moderately long finish, steal for $15.  A great representation of Languedoc wine.  Would definitely recommend to any one looking for a slightly different Rhone then the standard 'ish.

Picture Pending