Celebrity wines: The good, bad and ‘Fergilicious’

(CNN) — The market seems to be flooded these days with celebrity wines. Athletes, musicians, “a-list” movie stars — they’re all getting into the act. But are any of these wines actually any good?

We caught up with Wine Spectator Magazine’s Senior Editor James Molesworth and he singled out four that were worth the pour.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Chateau Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé 2012: “It’s maybe a little expensive for a rosé ($28) but in the rosé category, the Provence rosés are a little more expensive. But we thought the quality was there, the flavors are beautiful, it’s fresh, it’s delicious, it’s an excellent wine.”

Ernie Els’ Signature Stellenbosch 2008: “Black currant, plum, it’s dark, it’s smoky. There’s a lot of richness here. But despite all that power and depth, it’s got a nice silky feel to it. Very stylish, very long. It’s a very refined Cabernet Sauvignon. It doesn’t have that overly extracted, punch you in the mouth kind of overly drying sensation, which you can get sometimes from muscular wines – and some people like that, some people don’t. Now this is more refined, more stylish, a really suave wine.”

Molesworth also points to Sting’s Il Palagio Toscana Casino Delle Vie 2009, which the magazine describes as having “notes of cedar and sandalwood” that “accent the cherry, currant and tobacco flavors in this firm, meaty red, which is vibrant and intense, with a long, spice- and leather-tinged finish.”

The expert taster also says you’ll want to try Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook Rubicon 2009, “one of the big Napa cabs, historic estate, 92 points, 200 dollars.”

But we also talked to regular wine drinkers to get their take. At a blind tasting of celebrity wines held recently at K and L Wines in Hollywood, folks weren’t shy about telling us what they liked — and didn’t.

Andreas Bocelli’s Proseco and Dave Matthews’ The Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 were the big winners of the evening. Drew Barrymore’s Barrymore Pinot Grigio 2011 and Train’s Soul Sister Pinot Noir 2011 won some fans as well. A few found former adult actress Savanna Samson’s Sangiovese completely undrinkable. The most divisive wine of the night? Fergie’s red blend, Fergilicious. Reactions ranged from “terrific” and “lovely” to the wine tasting like “evil” and death.”

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