A blended red that really “holds up”- Pillar Box 2006 Red Table Wine

I’m about a month into a new consulting gig, and things are going pretty well. People are good, food is good, office is good…so on and so forth. Unfortunately, the commute is not. Roundtrip, it takes about 3 hours to get from my garage to the company parking lot. Without traffic, this drive is more than cut in half. Problem is that there is ALWAYS traffic (at least when I need to be at the office). My client offers a shuttle service from

San Francisco, but during my first few weeks, I opted to drive. This was a bad decision on my part (one which I have recently corrected). After battling traffic each day, I got back to the city aggravated and annoyed.

One day, as a winter rain storm battered the Bay Area and my drive time doubled, all I could think about was how badly I wanted a glass of wine. I didn’t need it per se, I just really wanted one! So, on my way home, I stopped off at the nearest BevMo and perused the featured reds. I came across a wine called “Pillar Box.” The label looked slick, and Robert Parker had given it a score of 91. I don’t usually give these scores much weight when making my buying decisions, but I was thirsty and really wanted to get to my couch. With no other evaluation criteria available, I decided to go with Mr. Parker’s words of praise. I bought the bottle, sped home, and finally got to relax after a frustrating trip through the rain. 

A little bit about “Pillar Box.” This wine is a 2006 red table wine from Australia. It is a blend of 53% Shiraz, 37% Cabernet, and 10% Merlot. While I have disagreed with Mr. Wilfred Wong on many occasions, I found myself completely in agreement with Mr. Robert Parker. This wine was great. It was smooth, dynamic, and just plain tasty. It was a great sipping wine, and it just got better as I drank more (for reasons other than my own tipsiness). Blended wines are always a bit of a gamble, but this one is a real winner.

Recommendation: Definitely buy it.

Comments

[joel]

Haven't tried the Pillar Box 2006 yet. But I had tried and enjoyed the Rosso. When I saw it on your list, I knew I was in a good place.
So I wanted to recommend the Novella 2005 Synergy Paso Robles: 45.7% Petite Sirah, 31.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Sangiovese, 5.2% Petite Verdot, purchased at TJ's.
Label describes it as plum, blackberry, and cherry aromas with a hint of spice...". I say give it a shot.

[Dorian- Budget Vino]

I'll pick this up today and give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation joel.