I’m taking the liberty to open a new thread on the First Week of the new SDMB wine club (separate from the thread forming the wine club). Our first sommelier is kurilla.
This is kurilla’s pick (cross-posted from the other thread):
I’m so excited! It’s almost midnight and I seriously thought about running down to the grocery store to try to find the wine. 
Tomorrow’s soon enough, though, right? How early is too early?
Refresh my memory, when will we be discussing this?
And kudos to Kurilla for picking a wine that I know is available even here in the boonies!
I’m excited too. I’ll pick it up this afternoon, and try it out tonight.
Glad you posted a link to this new thread in the old thread, or I never would have seen it.
This will be fun…
**Dangerosa **and I found it at Haskell’s here in the Twin Cities. It was only $10 – yay for midwestern pricing.
Here’s our thinking on timing, at least for this first one. Since we have it, we’re going to drink it tonight and make notes, so as to be uninfluenced by others. Then, if we like it, we’ll pick up another bottle and drink it again after the posting begins, so we can try it to see if we pick up what others are tasting.
Plus, the kids are at Grandma’s for the night, so mom & dad can drink a bottle of wine or two without them asking “Are you drunk?” (which they think is oh so funny)
Good evening friends,
I found a bottle of the 2003 at my usual wineshop for $10.50. I will report back!
Awesome. I won’t even have to shop for this one.
It’s a regular on the rack, we’ve got 3 bottles ready to go. (At $6.99/bottle out here, it’s hard to beat for an everyday red.) 
I’ll post my notes on Friday.
I looked briefly yesterday, but couldn’t find it. I’ll look again this afternoon.
There were two very hot young women browsing the wine section…I passed on the golden opportunity to tell them, “I’m looking for a ménage à trois…”
I got a bottle for $8.99. Amazing!
So… when are we supposed to post our notes?
I believe we begin discussing the wine tomorrow (Jan 11).
And I’m apparently overpaying for this, given some of the amazing prices ($6.99? Really?) in this thread.
Found it at Green’s Discount Wine and Liquor for $8.89! Whoohoo!! Although I admit to being just a hair embarrassed to ask the clerk for help finding it.
I am so ready for wine night (Friday) and have high expectations for this first selection. (No pressure, kurilla. I’m sure it’ll be great.) The DH and I’ll just relax and drink some wine and watch for the Doper reviews to start pouring in, so to speak.
I bet I can remember that name until I go to the liquor store.
OK I’ll have everyone know that this wine apparently just sold out today here in the south bay/silicon valley.
Short synopsis of my saga to buy this wine yesterday/today:
Last night, Beverages and More in Mountain View:
Employee: “I thought we had a bottle left but I guess not. I do see that the store in Santa Clara has 5 bottles left so you might try there.”
Today at lunch, Beverages and More in Santa Clara:
Employee: “Someone came in this morning and bought our last bottle. I do see however that the store in San Jose has three cases left as of this morning.”
20 minutes later, Beverages and More in San Jose:
Employee: “Hold on let me check…nope it looks like we ran out today. Sorry about that.”
So I finally had to go to a higher end wine merchant and asked them to order me several bottles which will arrive tomorrow. I’m hoping that they’ll be worth the 8 bucks per. Considering its popularity I think its a safe bet.
I’m interested in participating in the wine club… could I request that the person recommending the wine also say something about its flavor? For example, I really do not like dry wines. Can’t drink them. They give me instant heartburn. I’d rather pass on wines that I won’t be able to drink, and save my money for the next one.
Bevmo was out went I stopped by yesterday, but they assure me that several cases will be arriving tomorrow morning.
kurilla, it was $15 at the place I went. So don’t feel bad.
Excellent point, and I should’ve thought of that. For the record, this is a softer, fruitier red, very low tannins.
I’ll start off the “official” discussion tomorrow.
Oh goodie it sounds like one I might like, then. Which is great because I have a hard time finding red wine I like. Will look for it tomorrow.
Wednesday night, we opened up our last bottle of this – a sure sign that we need to go wine shopping. We’d had chili for dinner, then eaten a good chunk of bread to cleanse the palate. (As a side note, if anyone has a recommendation for a wine that will go well with a not-too-spicy chili, I’d appreciate it.)
I should say up front that when it comes to red wines, the hubby and I generally prefer merlots to cabernets, and the occasional chianti or sangiovese is a nice treat. That we like this blend of cabernet, merlot, and zinfandel as much as we do surprised both of us.
I make no claims to having anything resembling an educated palate, but there are hints of blackberry and cherry in this blend, and very low tannins. It finishes cleanly, with just a hint of flavor lingering.
We’ve enjoyed it with everything from grilled chicken to pasta with red sauces (we don’t generally do white sauces for pasta). Because it’s low tannin, we’ve even enjoyed it with some fruit-based desserts as well.
Overall, it’s been a favorite and staple in our wine rack for the last year or so, and I hope you all enjoyed it.
OK here goes.
Like kurilla, this has become a staple on our wine rack. Actually someone on this board (lieu, I think) suggested it a few months back and I’ve been buying it ever since. I’ve had the 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages, and while they are all similar, I prefer the 2004. This is a review of the 2004 vintage.
I do indeed buy it for $6.99/bottle at Bottle Barn, but it’s more like $8.99 or $9.99 at the grocery stores here in town. So, I stick to Bottle Barn.
I’m also a fan of their rosé and white (Both also available for $6.99 here.)
Drank a couple of glasses of the red last night.
Nose - Fruity! Black cherry, plum, boysenberry, and a barely detectable aroma of cola.
Taste - Juicy! and smooth. Cherry, blackberry, and hints of spice and pencil.
Finish - Medium finish with flavors of wet concrete and cranberry lingering about.
I really like this wine. It’s an easy drinking red at a great price.