More from my quest to discover what makes boxed wines work for everyday table wines. To date, I've tasted several different labels/varietals--you can read my reviews under the 'boxed wines' category.

BLACK BOX CHARDONNAY 2009:

DAY 1: I was afraid of this one at first. I just don’t like Chardonnay that much, especially overdone ones, wood chips, you know the story….. this one is clean and fruity, but not much of that woodsy quality. Nice acidity, good flavor and balance. I like it today, but I fear it will lose its initial style and become flat and boring, which is what I dislike about so many Chards.

 DAY 3: Crisp and clean. Fresh aromas and refreshing, medium-bodied mouth with just the right amount of acidity to keep it from being boring.

Hopefully the acidity remains over the next week or so; it helps give the wine a clean, orchard fruit flavor.

 DAY 5: So far, so good!

 DAY 7: I think the freshness has slipped a bit: the wine sits in my mouth a little heavier than before. Not as bright, but to be honest, I have had many other Chardonnay for more money than this one, that faded in the bottle after a day or so, and were used in sauce rather than drank. Funny about Chardonnay…..I think I critique them differently (or more seriously) than any other white wine. I look closer for faults and for things that I don’t like rather than for enjoyment….. maybe because they are so popular. Even though many of my favorite whites are white Burgundies, I find these too sometimes fade very quickly once opened…..a reason to either share them or to not leave any wine left to the whimsies of time!

 DAY 9: Much like the Zin, I will consume this one faster if I buy it again. Nothing wrong with it even now, it made a good showing for itself, but it was such a pleasant surprise last week, I feel just a little like some of it was wasted. I think many people would still enjoy it without question (referring back to my possible bias against Chardonnay in general).

BLACK BOX CABERNET SAUVIGNON:

DAY 1: Just a decent example of Cabernet, not a good one. I was a little surprised that this one wasn’t better, and the Merlot wasn’t as nice.

Simple aromas and flavors, cassis and red/blackberries. The tannins here seem separated from the wine, like they don’t exist until the wine is gone, than you feel them, alone, without the helping hand of some length in the finish to complement them. Not bad, and for the price, once again, is this really any better or worse than many of the $5-$8 cabs on the market now? I don’t think so!

 DAY 3: No real changes. I tried this Cabernet today with a slight chill, and it benefitted the wine both aromatically and flavor-atically. Decent, typical Cabernet flavors, a subtle hint of bell pepper, and still tannins lingering there after the fruit is gone. Lost interest after this. Did you ever drink a wine, and part way through, you realize it could be any wine, not a bad wine, but interchangeable with anything else. I felt that way the first time (every time) I had tried the 2-buck Chuck wines…..they were just wine, sort of for wine's sake, nothing more. I understand the logic behind why the other varietals….Zinfandel, Malbec and the like seem to show better than the mainstream ones….the overall quality of fruit available varies by varietal. Everyone wants Cabernet, so the juice available is either expensive or just so-so.

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida Wine Supervisor