Domaine Bousquet

Domaine Bousquet, Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina; 2018, $13

Nose was a little … earthy? But fresh flavors of lemon, lime and pear come across in this well-balanced smooth wine. Don’t expect an oak bomb. Good value.

Bonterra Vineyards, Rose, Mendocino County, California; NV, $17.99 for four-pack of 250ml cans ($4.50 per can). Equivalent of $13.50 for a regular-sized 750ml bottle.

We tried two Bonterras with different tasting experiences. The rose has definite notes of strawberry and cranberry. Leans dry, but a bit of funk on the nose turned us off.

Bonterra Vineyards, Rose, Mendocino County, California; NV, $17.99 for four-pack of 250ml cans ($4.50 per can). Equivalent of $13.50 for a regular-sized 750ml bottle.

One step up from Beaujolais. This dry wine with fresh strawberry and cranberry notes, along with some spice, was a nice surprise. Good table wine or, as the case might be, picnic fodder.

Steele Wines, Zinfandel, Lake County, California; 2017, $15

Steele Wines offers a myriad of varietals with usually decent case production. Spice and blackberry emerge here. This is definitely more of a refined Zin – not jammy at all – and much drier than you might expect.

Esporao, Touriga Nacional, Portugal, 2016, $20

The grape is one to impress novice wine friends. This is excellent – a bit creamy in mouthfeel, strawberry but very dry A couple of our tasting pals even detected chocolate and vanilla, the aroma you would smell as if “walking into an ice cream store” that served scoops.

Harken Wines, Chardonnay, California, 2018, $15

Melon, floral, honey, apricot and lemon all come out in this wine that we put at 6-7 on our unofficial oak scale – with 0 being no oak, 10 being the taste of a tree. Went well with baked chicken.

Federalist Vineyards, Bourbon-barrel-aged Zinfandel, Mendocino County, California; 2016, $22

Oak is there with barely a hint of bourbon. This style has had its day and I think it works better for beer, but the extent of how ‘Bourbony’ the aged wine is varies from winery to winery. This one sat in barrels for six months. Red raspberry and a hint of chocolate also pop through, and it is very drinkable. Barrel-aged wines like this – where Bourbon is more of a secondary flavor rather than dominant – seem to work better.

Cameron Hughes, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California; 2018, $18

Bing cherry and cranberry are dominant, so expect a fairly tart wine. Very light and clear, almost the color of a dark rose. Some notes of cocoa waft up as well. This held up – surprisingly – to spicy Mexican tacos. Note: Online seller.

Ruffino, Pinot Grigio, Italy, 2016, $10

Apricot, lime and apple all converge in this fresh-tasting wine with a floral hint. For $10 you expect an off taste or flavor, but not here. This is under-priced.

Cameron Hughes, Chardonnay, Rogue Valley, Oregon; 2017, $14

Melon and apple are predominant, with a definite hint of tangerine. Delicious, and acidic enough on the finish to go with a chicken dish. Not super oaky at all. Note: Online seller.

Robert Mondavi Winery, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California; 2017, $24

Butterscotch and buttery but with mellow oak. Citrus is nominal though we get a bit of apricot and sweet apple on the finish. A nice one, and just below our under-$25 threshold for our monthly reviews.

Debonne Vineyards, Grand River Valley, Ohio, 2016, $11.99

An Ohio wine makes a rare appearance in our column. I was more than willing to try this wine because I am always on the lookout to find a Chambourcin I actually like. I find the varietal way too tart and not complimentary to food, nor do I enjoy it as a stand-along sipper. Debonne did a very nice job with this, by far, in my limited experience with the varietal, the best Chambourcin I have ever tasted. Smoky, tart cherry and some cranberry emerge, and it went well with steak medallions. Ohio wines keep rising on the quality scale.

Best of the month: Alenera.

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com.