Wine #5 in the $100 Wine Challenge
Winery: Ca’ Momi
Vintage: 2007 Rosso Di California
Price: $7.99
Cynthia’s Review:
We selected this wine as the next wine in our challenge in response to Gerald’s answer to our review of Wine # 3 -the Reserve Del ’Aube Syrah Merlot. Our wine # 3 did not pair well with spicy food, despite the promise of the label. The Wine Sherpa suggested that this Ca’ Momi would hold up well when paired with a strong food, and he was right. I enjoyed this wine with a spicy pizza, and it was just perfect. The wine was not overpowering when sipped ahead of the meal, or with the cheese and crackers which have become our defacto appetizer course, and still stood up to the challenge of the spicy pizza flavors. I had to admit to a certain prejudice surrounding wines with screw tops instead of corks (sorry to all the Australian wine lovers out there !) but this wine was good enough to help me overcome that. I am somewhat confused about exactly what type of grape went into this wine- other than an indication that this is a California red wine, there is no hint on the label regarding what kind of grapes might have been used. Can someone enlighten me about this? Is this lack of detail because this is an American wine, or because it is just an inexpensive table wine? I did read, with interest, about the ghost of the previous owner of the winery, Momi Dea Bionda, who is said to still haunt the property. All right.. haunted wine, and right before Halloween too ! This wine receives a “yay” from me !
Jay’s Review
With the red screw top I somewhat expected to hear a “psst” when I twisted off the top. My meal was some left over pot roast with BBQ sauce and this wine paired with it very well. A very smooth wine with a full, rich flavor that stood up well to the heavier meal without overpowering the taste buds and blowing away the flavor of the main course. As Cynthia mentioned, it also stood on its own very well and also played nice with some mild cheese. In looking online I see this is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Zinfendel, 15% Petite Sirah (one of my all time faves!) and 5% Merlot aged 8 months in 75% French and 25% heavy toast oak barrels. I enjoyed this wine immensely, not only for the way it complimented the meal, but also for the rich character of the wine. It is mind boggling to me that the wine was less than $10. I give this one a hearty “yay” and ask our wine Sherpa to PLEASE hold on to a few bottles of this for when we revisit the store!
This is one of the best everyday “throwdown” reds cheap money can buy. It has just enough heft to handle just about and food, but is just as great as a TV wine. The zin and cab are in nearly perfect balance with just a little bit of pep from the petite syrah.
thanks for the great comments.While we prefer well priced instead of cheap, we can hang.
Our goal is to provide great wines at great prices from our Winery. There are enough overpriced wines coming form Napa, who needs more?
We enjoy having people surprised at the price as much as we enjoy folks loving the wines.
thanks……….jimmy
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My company worked on the package design for the Ca’ Momi wines, and we fell in love with the new Novatwist closure. It’s a big improvement from traditional screw caps, and is 100% recylable. I love the Rosso di California and its companion Bianco di California. They are our defacto house wines, and everyone that has received bottles as gifts or thank you presents asks for more. Thanks for your comments. Jennifer