2006 Tobin James Petite Sirah Black Magic

Yet again, another Toby that was over the top, and albeit tasty, it was a little too much for me. I really hate to admit that these wines don't appeal to my palate like they once did.

This one was very "grapey" so to say. Nice grapey nose if you know what I mean, reminiscint of Concord grapes. Lots of blueberry and dark fruits on the nose, with subtle hints of oak.

On the palate, the fruit was all over the place. You name it, it was there, and it was in your face! Tons of red fruits, and it really reminded me of a ag of Skittles. "Taste the rainbow." A nice finish, with good acidity, and a pleasant finish. 85 points. Cheers!

2006 Tobin James Cabernet Sauvignon James Gang Reserve

Popped and poured tonight at Stella’s Family Restaurant in Burlington, NJ, and from the get go, this was an over oaked, alcoholic mess. I truly hate to say that as I am usually a huge fan of Tobin James wines, but this one just wasn’t doing it for us tonight. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was just the entire experience, regardless, it wasn’t one of our better Saturday nights in our little food and wine world.


Tons of oak and alcohol on the nose, with some jammy red and black berries. Nothing really stood out all that much, and the oak was overwhelming. On the palate, the vanilla from the oak was overwhelming, with some jammy/chewy blackberry and dark raspberry and plum. Secondary hints of mint round out the mid palate, with a finish of more oak and alcohol. This is the first Tobin James wine I have been disappointed with, and I am wondering if these wines just no longer appeal to us. I am going to guess no as we really love their fruit bomb zins and whites, so maybe we just weren’t in the mood for a wine of this style tonight. 80 points. Cheers!

N.V. (No Vintage) Novella Chardonnay Estate Bottled

This wine was an absolute shocker! Purchased at the Trader Joe's in Alexandria last year when I was on my way back to Fort Lee - VA for lab school, I stopped at a Trader Joe because I knew that they sold alcohol, and wanted to try the "Two Buck Chuck" so we could see if it was just as though people had said. I saw this wine there as well and picked it up as I thought it would be a good cooking wine. Since then, it has been sitting in our basement for over a year, and I grabbed it because "Zelda" needed something to put in the Indian dish she was cooking...which was delicious by the way.

After she used what she needed for cooking, she threw the bottle in the freezer to chill, and we figured we would at least try the wine with dinner "on the bistro." Needless to say, this wine did not disappoint, and it was a tasty $6 shocker!

This was a fruit salad on the nose, with hints of peaches, green apple, and lemon and lime on the nose. On the palate, the first thing you notice is the fresh churned creamy butter texture! This is delicious, and an incredible QPR to boot. Lots of kiwi, mango, grapefruit, and lemon on the plate, with a very gentle acidity, and a very smooth finish giving off more citrus tones as it mellow in your mouth. All in all, an incredible QPR, worthy of 87 points! Cheers

Tobin James - James Gang HAS ARRIVED!

Tobin James has arrived! As I said in one of my previous posts, Tobin James is the creator of some very fun, yet very over the top wines. They aren't exactly easy to find in our area, but if you find them, pick one of up and check it out. I don't think that you will be disappointed in the least!

The "James Gang" Wine Club is a great opportunity to enjoy 16 of their wines over the course of a year. For $145 per shipment, plus shipping, you will receive a fall shipment, as well as a spring shipment of 8 of their wines, as well as a free gift. The spring 2008 shipment consisted of the following wines:

2006 Tobin James Zinfandel Liquid Love, Late Harvest
2006 Tobin James Chardonnay James Gang Reserve
2005 Tobin James Petite Sirah Black Magic
2005 Tobin James Lagrein Silver Reserve
2005 Tobin James Cabernet Franc James Gang Reserve
2005 Tobin James Syrah Silver Reserve
2005 Tobin James Zinfandel French Camp
2005 Tobin James Zinfandel Fat Boy

All in all, a great group of wines that I am very excited to try! I think out of all of them, I am really looking forward to the petite sirah, and the French Camp and Fat Boy zin's! I am sure they will all be big fruit forward fruit bombs, but that is a great thing.

For the money, you really cannot beat this club! The cost of replacement to place the exact same order for these wines would be close to $300, so can you really go wrong for $145?

This years free gift was a heavy, wrough iron napkin holder in the shape of the Tobin James logo. Is it a purplish-blue color, and it will be perfect to keep napkins on the patio table as Raphael stated!

For more information on the club, check out: http://www.tobinjames.com/club.asp

James Gang Benefits:
No membership fee, Incredible discounts on James Gang shipments, 15% discount on all wine purchases, 20% discount on a case or more wine purchases, Invitations to special events, 10% discount on logo merchandise, Our newsletter with each shipment.

Each member will receive:
Eight bottles of wine, shipped Spring & Fall, Special GIFT in each shipment!! The cost of each shipment will be $145, which includes shipping and handling in California. Each shipment will be conveniently charged to your credit card. Membership is at no cost and can be cancelled with a 30 days written notice before the next shipment.

Check it out, you won't regret it! Cheers!