Chateau Musar 2004, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

01 Sunday Mar 2026

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Deep garnet colored with a copper hue, and high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of dried cranberry, desiccated black raspberry, dried spices, telltale funk, leather, Rooibos tea, and perfumed vanilla.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (-) tannins that are fully melded.  Intense flavors of dried red fruit, garigue, funky Brett-driven notes, leather, Rooibos tea and vanilla.  Stunning.  The finish is super smooth, a touch tart, yet I get a sweetness from the ripe fruit.  It lasts a good long while.   This is my daughter’s birth year wine so we are having a big Sunday Roast in her honor.  An amazing bottle that runs $140 currently and gets 95 points from me.  It will last forever, like most Musars and gets 5 stars.  Such a treat to drink this amazing wine.  It scored poorly on release but has stood the test of time.  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan.  Salut….

Chateau Musar

Santa Carolina ‘Carolina’ Reserva Carmenere 2019, Rapel Valley, Chile

27 Friday Feb 2026

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining, and a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, green pepper, black cherry, blackberry, sawdust, menthol, dried herbs, and a medicinal note.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of dark fruit, with some vegetal notes- green pepper, herbs, asparagus, and menthol along with that semidried wood chip hint.  The finish is medium in length and very soft.  Carmenere is to Chile what Malbec is to Argentina- a signature grape with very mouth-pleasing qualities, decent structure and lots of dark fruit.  This one is good, I like it.  Carmenere can be very vegetal if done incorrectly (ie. under-ripe fruit).  This one has just the right amount of green notes to make it interesting without going too far and vegetal.  90 points from me for this $13 effort makes it a 5 star wine to search for.  It has a few years of age already, but will go another 5 at least.  Salut….

Santa Carolina 'Carolina' Reserva Carmenere

Molino della Suga Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012, Tuscany, Italy

18 Wednesday Feb 2026

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Pale to medium garnet colored with medium tanning and medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of tobacco, leather, tar, ripe cherries, prunes, a medicinal note, crushed/dried rose petals,  spice, and tamarind. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium (-) body and medium tannins that are fully integrated. Medium (+) intensity flavors confirm the nose, especially that tamarind note that I got. It’s quite silky and quite high in acidity. A cherry note hits on the back end where the finish is medium in length. This is a decent Brunello. Nothing major. It gets 90 points for me. At $40 for newer vintages, it’s a 4 star effort.  Drink till 2032.

Bonacchi Podere Molino della Suga Brunello di Montalcino

Bodega Garzon Reserva Tannat 2022, Maldonado, Uruguay

18 Wednesday Feb 2026

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The WOTN for almost everyone at the 42nd virtual wine tasting.  This one keeps hitting on all cylinders.  I have opened various vintages and they are all top rated wines that please the crowds.  This one was typical- deep ruby colored, with slight staining.  Medium (+) intensity aromas of black cherry, black berry, plum, licorice, charcoal, vanilla, and a touch of alcohol peeking through.  On the palate, it was dry, with med (-) acidity, a full body, and medium tannins.  Medium intensity flavors and a medium (+) length finish made this black fruit driven wine shine.  It got 90+ point from me and on our tasting score sheet- 15/20.  We paid $18 for it, making this a 5 star wine to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Bodega Garzon Reserva Tannat

Penley Estate ‘Francis’ Cabernet Franc 2023, Coonawarra, Australia

18 Wednesday Feb 2026

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A most unique smelling and tasting Cabernet Franc that we opened at the 42nd virtual wine tasting.  Medium ruby colored with slight staining and a medium viscosity (12.5% ABV).  A medium (+) intensity nose of sweet red apples, cranberry juice, bubble gum, green pepper, and rhubarb.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity, medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins.  A dry, medium (-) finish left me bewildered at the flavor profile of this wine.  Some hated it, others were indifferent, I was intrigued.  We paid $20 per bottle and I am thinking it is an 88 point wine, making it worthy of 3 stars.  Drink soon.  Salut….


Penley Estate 'Francis' Cabernet Franc

Duorum Tinto 2020, Douro, Portugal

18 Wednesday Feb 2026

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The second wine of our virtual tasting was this Portugues blend.  Deep garnet in color with a medium (+) viscosity (14% ABV).  Medium (+) intensity aromas of blackberry, black plum, ripe blueberry, black cherry, vanilla, and a medicinal note.  Medium (-) acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins were noted.  On he plate we also got licorice in addition to the aromas already mentioned.  A pleasant, medium length finish made this an 89 point wine for me.  At $18 this wine delivered nicely and gets 4 stars.  It’s already approaching six years of age, it will last another half dozen.  Salut….

Duorum Tinto

Cantina Terlano-Kellerei Terlan Tradition Pinot Grigio 2023, Alto Adige Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

18 Wednesday Feb 2026

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This Pinot Grigio from Trento-Doc was served both chilled and at room temperature at the 42nd virtual wine tasting.  The tasters found it to be pale lemon in color with low viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Medium intensity aromas and flavors of unripe pear, lemon rind, a mineral twist and green apple.  It was dry, with medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body.  The finish was medium (-) in duration and unremarkable.  The room temperature version was just flatter, less intense and felt heavier on the body with lower acidity.  I vacillated between 87 and 89 points so the average rules here- 88 points for this $19 bottle makes it a 3 star wine.  I would drink in the short term.  Salut….

Cantina Terlano-Kellerei Terlan Tradition Pinot Grigio

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon 1884 Limited Production Cabernet Franc 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

15 Sunday Feb 2026

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining, and medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, black cherry, capsicum, charred wood, dark pomegranate, licorice, coffee, and a medicinal note.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of ripe dark-red fruit, deft oak by way of charred wood, medicinal notes, and coffee.  The telltale green pepper is not as obvious on the palate as it was on the nose.  Silky tannins make this a beautiful wine to sip, everything is in balance and delicious.  The finish is medium (+) in length and invites me to take another sip.  Really good, like 92 points worth.  I paid $29 online, making it a 4 star effort to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon 1884 Limited Production Cabernet Franc

Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Tradition 2023, Alsace, France

12 Thursday Feb 2026

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Pale gold in color, with high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lychee, rose water, papaya, caramelized ginger, spun honey, white blossom, and tangerine zest.  The palate is off-dry with medium acidity, a full body, and a hint of bitterness.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of tropical fruit center around the lychee and rose water theme.  The bitterness is intriguing me, either a touch of skin contact or that’s what the grape shows off.  Either way, the sweetness, of which there is very little of, is a nice counterbalance.  It’s a delicious, if not heavy wine that I opened to pair with Gumbo.  I think the fruitiness will do well against the dark roux, Andouille, and chicken.  I paid $27 for this wine that gets 92 points from me which makes it a 5 star effort.  I think it has some decent cellaring capacity if you have patience.  Salut….

Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer

Grifone Primitivo 2024, Puglia IGT, Italy

05 Thursday Feb 2026

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining, a bluish edge, and medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red plum, acai berry, bramble berry, vanilla pod, coffee, baking spices, and old oak.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (-) tannins.  It’s a very soft mouthfeel.  Medium intensity flavors of plum, vanilla, spice box, acai berry, and white pepper.  The finish of this Zinfandel, (Yes, it’s labeled Primitivo- same thing), is medium in length and retains the freshness of the acidity I got on the initial attack.  It’s a very smooth affair, albeit rather plain.  It defies the American Zin norms of being overripe, jammy and high in alcohol- this one is far more subtle, restrained in heat and certainly balanced.  I paid $7 or so at Trader Joes, what a bargain!  I think it’s worthy of 88 points,  therefore making it a 5 star wine.  Drink till 2029.  Salut….

Grifone Primitivo Puglia