Tasting Notes: $3 Wine vs $20+ Wine

Recently, I tried an experiment: compare and contrast a $3 wine versus a $20+ wine. Would there be a great difference? Would I be able to tell? Here are the results!

2005 Panther Creek Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Double decanted. Nice dark garnet color, ruby red on the rim. At first, nose of deep earth, dark cherry, cassis and blackberries with hints of medium oak, smoke and bits of leather; still tight, even after almost two hours in the glass. But definitely lots and lots of earth – manure, rocks, dirt, dry haystacks. . . Flavors of mild dark fruits – still very tannic as the bitterness lingers on the finish. Dark chocolate? Medium finish, not smooth at this point, quite tart. I revisited this wine the very next night and it has evolved quite dramatically. Nose is no longer tight, rather it’s full of cherries, freshly brewed coffee, hints of cedar and vanilla; the smoke and leather remains. Earth is still overwhelmingly present. Palate is full of dark fruits and the finish is much smoother than last night; however, structure isn't strong and complexity is weak. No dark chocolate. Not terrible for $24, but not overly impressive either. 87+pts

2008 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon
My father wanted me to try this wine he picked up at Trader Joe's. I hesitated when he told me the price point ($3 aka, Three-Buck-Chuck), but I ended up doing so anyway – thought it would be a nice experiment/experience. These notes are based off of a bottle that was opened 5 days ago.

Wine exhibits a pretty ruby color all around. Candy?! For some reason, I get plenty of candy aromas, almost like strawberry Laffy Taffy. Definitely not what I was expecting! On the palate, the wine is a fruit bomb, plenty of ripe strawberries and cherries, however lacks backbone and texture. No oak whatsoever. The finish, abet smooth, is very short. All in all: didn’t like the nose at all and not much in the core juices either. Not my type of drink. But I guess, for $3, you can’t have great expectations. 75 pts