Aaron: This is a pretty straight forward cava with not too much going on. Some green apple and pears and a slight vinager. This is easy going but very very dry. 89 points
Teri: Honey and almond on the nose but not too much flavor on the cava itself. Very dry. A hint of honey and lemon citrus. This bottle would be good for mimosas or to blend in cocktails. 88 points
Aaron: I enjoyed this bottle. A nice forests nose which was still full of berries and moss. The flavor is really full and dense with allspice and pepper coating smoked cedar. I felt this was expectedly old-world flavor and I enjoyed it. 90 points
Teri: The nose smells like you are sniffing chocolate covered raspberries out of an oak box (for me that is a positive attribute). The wine is a pleasant blend of fruit and sweet oak. The flavors cascade from clove, raspberry, cedar, leather, to finally wild berries. Surprisingly for the rich flavor the body of the wine is on the lighter side making it (dangerously) easy to drink. 91 points
Trader Joes, $6.99
Aaron: For $7, not bad. Musty green apple and toasted pear on the nose, followed by a sharp, metallic flavor with spice. This transformed into white grapes and sunflowers (what, you’ve only tasted sunflower seeds!?). 89 points
Teri: For a $7 bottle and the ease of picking this one up from your local Trader Joes, this bottle is a win. I smelled light lemon on the nose with nutty flavors, additional lemon, and a hint of red apple on the taste. This Brut is crisp with good flavor and nice mouthfeel. Great value and cheep enough to have a bottle around for any occasion. 89 points
Wine Composition: Tempranillo 70% – Syrah 30%
Purchased from Splash Wines, $14.49
Aaron: This was an easy-drinking winner for me. Ocean waves and blackberries on the nose floated alongside water-soaked tree bark. The flavor was super juicy with lots of fruit and almost overripe blueberries and blackberries. There was a hint of smoked tobacco at the end but to be fair there was pretty much no complexity to this “juice”. The end of the flavor had an aftertaste of cold-brew coffee and my points are primarily for the pleasing, drinkability of this bottle. 91 points
Teri: The woody smell on this wine is diversely different from the juicy flavors on the wine itself. Flavors of tart cranberry and raspberry flow across the palate with light tannins on the finish. Not very complex but easy to drink and still carries slight bold characteristics. 86 points
The Vino Duo 