I had a feeling that when I came up with the idea of presenting ten wines under ten bucks it was going to be a hit. It was, as over ninety wine enthusiasts showed up to sample the choices. I new that I would have to have a personal hand in selecting the wines. Fortunately for me, Dickerson Distributing has a great catalog of wines to choose from in this price range. They also carry Cline Cellars and they were having a super good promotion on their California Collection wines. Michael Ginder, regional sales rep for Cline was more then willing to come up and show off their outstanding wines for under ten bucks which included a pinot gris, viognier, zinfandel, syrah and two blends, Oakley Red and White. Here are the wines that we tasted and my impressions...


Cline Cellars Pinot Gris
   Pinot Gris is the hot ticket right now and it seems like you can’t keep enough of it in the store, especially on a warm summer day. This pinot gris had a nice dry mouthfeel with apple and hints of toast on the palate. This wine would match up nicely with either chicken or seafood. A very versatile wine that seemed to be a favorite of many at the tasting.   86 points

Cline Cellars Viognier
   This wine had a most excellent nose of flowers and fruit salad. I swear to you that I could just sniff this wine for minutes on end. It was a delicious white with notes of banana, mango and tangerine. Viognier is having a hard time getting a grip on the market but I love this white and am working hard to get it into peoples hands. This was not the favorite of the night but I think that many were impressed with the quality of this wine.   89 points

Cline Cellars Oakley White
   This was the surprising big hit of the night. Everyone seemed to love this white. This is what makes wine so interesting. Something I do not necessarily like turns out to be the crowd favorite. This was the least favorite of the whites for me personally but I did find it very interesting. It had good fruit on the palate but the nose reminded me of brand new rubber boots. Do not get me wrong on this, that nose is not a bad thing and many people do not pick that up. A lot of the folks described it differently to me. I did not think this wine had many flaws, it was just not my favorite.     87 points

Cline Cellars Oakley Red
   This was a nice surprise! I had never had this wine before tonight and it was fantastic. Very rustic in style but smooth at the same time. A kitchen sink red that had some merlot, malbec, and a host of other red grapes. We weren’t sure about the blend until Michael finally got it online. This was a big hit and many loved this red. A perfect match for stew, grilled meats and smooth enough to go solo. Lots of brambleberry on the palate, solid tannins and a little toasty edge on the finish. An overachiever for sure.      88 points

Cline Zinfandel
   Cline is known for it’s Ancient Vines Zin. This is their California series Zin that is just a little lighter but just as delicious. Raspberries come through on the nose with hints of black licorice. Very light on the palate with sweet tannins and red raspberry on the mid-palate and finish. The finish doesn’t hang around long but is quite pleasant. For the price, this is an excellent value.   87 points

Cline Syrah
   I believe that this was one of the best values of the night. I love their Cool Climate Syrah that goes for about four bucks a bottle more, and I had a hard time believing that this was not the same juice. Silky smooth on the palate with notes of black plum and boysenberry. The only thing this was missing was that bacon fat that I love in syrah but that did not matter. This juice had the weight of a much more expensive bottle of wine and the finish to back it up. This was a winner in my book and an excellent QPR. (Quality to Price Ratio)    90 points

Acacia Red Blend
   I am a nut for this wine. A Rhone style blend that really does take you to the Rhone region. Spicy on the palate with black pepper, blackberries and currants. This wine has incredible weight on the palate and a richness that you would not expect from a wine at this price. I kept going back to this wine and continued to be impressed. I was surprised at how few took advantage of the outstanding price offered for this wine.    91 points

Arancio Nero D’Avola
   This was a hot topic at the tasting as everyone wanted to know what Nero D’Avola was. Of course by the end of the night everyone knew that this was the name of a grape grown in Sicily, Italy. Fast becoming a big hit in the wine world, this wine is dark in color and shows a lot of depth. Dark fruits dominate the nose and palate getting close to a fruit bomb but never quite getting there. Spicy cedar on the nose, sweet tannins, ripe plums and blackberry notes on the front and mid-palate. Good tannin structure and a pleasing finish.   88 points

Arancio Syrah
   This was a pleasant little syrah. Nothing offensive just clean and solid. I thought it was slightly thin but that is because it had syrah on the label and sometimes that can prejudice your mind. This wine showed some plum notes with light cherry tones. I am not sure I was a big fan of this wine but many liked it.     86 points

Sawtooth Winery Syrah
   This was a 2004 which was kind of weird and an indicator that it is hard to move. To be honest, I picked this wine because I have been a long time fan. I personally feel that this is the ugliest label on the market next to Totem Cellars... Sorry Mike’s wife. Label aside, this is a classic syrah. Very stinky on the nose (Which I like) with loads of smoke and bacon fat on the palate with underlying plum and boysenberry notes. Soft tannins that give it structure but do not get in the way. The wine lingers on the palate for over a minute. This is a wine for syrah geeks and is not a crowd pleaser. If you are looking for a country syrah and do not want to spend fifteen bucks on a good Cotes-Du-Rhone look for this wine... you know it’s under ten bucks.   90 points

Firestone Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
   I chose this wine because I wanted an “Old World” style cab in the mix. I wasn’t sure if many would like it but hey.... it was well received. Very structured with solid tannins, oak tones and cherry notes on the palate. This is a throwback to the cabs of the eighties. This baby will age over the next five years and would be a cheap investment for anyone who wants to test their patience on their cellar.  A lot of the tasters agreed with me and this was the surprise hit of the night for me.   89 points

SnapDragon Red
   I saved the best for last. People went absolutely nuts over this wine! I discovered this one about a year ago and thought it would be a real crowd pleaser.  Predominately Zinfandel this wine is big and juicy. I thought it had a load of ripe plums with hints of brown sugar on soft tannins and a finish that would not go away. I believe that this wine set a record for single wine sales at one of these events. I think that over 50% of the tasters took advantage of the price offered.         87 points

That was the line-up and you can be assured that we will again offer “Ten Wines Under Ten Bucks in October” next year. I am looking forward to the tasting in November entitled “Holiday Tasting #1" which will be wines best suited for the upcoming holiday meal. Hope to see you there!   Stan