Hacienda Urbión Reserva 2015, Rioja, Spain

19 Sunday Jul 2026

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Medium-to-deep garnet colored, with medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of steeped red cherry, vanilla, green tobacco leaf, black raspberry, blackberry, baking spice, and menthol.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are chalky.  Medium intensity flavors, a slight bitterness and some charcoal add to the mix.  The finish is quite tannic and a touch astringent- yet medium (+) in length.  It’s a decent Tempranillo that gets 89 points from me.  I paid $11 at Costco, on sale from the regular price of $16.  Not bad for a midweek wine that has a bit of age on it.  I think it will drink nicely till 2030.  4 stars.  Salut….

urbion reserva rioja tempranillo

 

Boundary Breaks ‘OLN Ovid Line North’ Medium Dry Riesling 2022, Finger Lakes, New York

10 Friday Jul 2026

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Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen (11% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of petrol, yellow apple, orange blossom, peaches, and pink grapefruit pith. The palate is off-dry, with medium acidity, and a medium (-) body. Medium (+) intensity flavors echo the nose. The finish is medium (+) in length and delicious. 91 points from me for this $17 effort makes it a 5 star wine. Drink till 2035- the acidity will hold this baby together nicely.  Salut….

Boundary Breaks 'OLN Ovid Line North' Medium Dry Riesling

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle, Rhone, France

04 Saturday Jul 2026

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The last wine in the virtual wine tasting series was this stunner.  I picked three different level Rhône wines and our tasting culminated in this legendary Hermitage.  Deep ruby colored with high viscosity (15.5% ABV).  Intense aromas of ripe blackberry pie, smoked brisket, black grape jam (jammy jam as one taster joked), leather, tobacco, etc.  The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins.  Intense flavors and a long finish is all I could write as I sat there and contemplated life, wine, happiness, perfection and richness of flavor and balance.  This is an immense wine, with a structure built to last decades, even the cork was extra long.  An amazing wine that showcases the best of Rhône Syrah.  I gave it a perfect score on our tasting sheet and reckon it’s in the top 3 wines our group has ever drunk- over 175 bottles and counting.  From a technical point of view, this $153 effort gets 95 points at the minimum, maybe higher, earning it a 5 star rating.  I realize it is expensive, but this is such a treat that’s drinking beautifully yet will evolve over time to be even better.  I wish I had a long term cellar so I could stuff a few away.  Salut….

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle

Paul Avril Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2021, Rhone, France

04 Saturday Jul 2026

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Continuing with the Rhône theme at our 44th virtual wine tasting- this Chateauneuf-du-Pape was a hit.  Medium (+) intensity garnet colored with medium (+) viscosity (15% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of chocolate covered cherries, cherry coke, funk, creme brûlée, black cherry compote, black raspberry, tobacco, hay, barnyard, bacon fat and a slightly vegetal note.  The palate was dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins.  We really enjoyed the medium intensity flavors and the medium length finish of this $85 blend of mainly grenache.  It will cellar nicely for a decade or two and scored 92 points technically with 18 points on our tasting sheet garnering 5 stars. Salut….

Paul Avril Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Michel & Stephane Ogier d’Ampuis Plan de Dieu Le Temps est Venu 2020, Cotes du Rhone Villages, France

04 Saturday Jul 2026

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The second wine of the 44th tasting was the opener in the Rhône series.  From the broader AOC, Côtes du Rhône came this little number that runs $18 and provided us all with great pleasure.  Medium ruby/garnet colored, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose had medium intensity aromas of stewed strawberry, black cherry, black pepper, funk, compost, sage and garigue.  The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins.  Medium intensity flavors of black pepper, tobacco, ashtray, black cherry and funk led to a medium length finish.  The tasting group enjoyed this entry-level grenache blend and I gave it 90 points on a technical scale, 14 on our tasting sheet.  For the price- it gets 5 stars.  Drink till 20230.   Salut….

Michel & Stephane Ogier d'Ampuis Plan de Dieu Le Temps est Venu

Marchesi Antinori Castello della Sala ‘Bramito del Cervo’ Chardonnay 2023, Umbria IGT, Italy

04 Saturday Jul 2026

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We opened the 44th virtual wine tasting with this delicious Italian Chardonnay.  I like the style- unoaked, no MLF…. purity of fruit driven.  Pale straw colored low viscosity (12.5% ABV), it had medium intensity aromas of peach, green apples, citrus, white flower, stone fruit, and pineapple.  High in acidity, it had a medium (-) body that was refreshing, versus cloying.  The palate had lanolin, stone fruit, citrus, lemon, bitter lime and concluded in a long finish.  We tasted the same wine at room temp and found the aroma to be a bit more intense.  This time around- caramel apple, less citrus driven, lower acidity with a heavier body.  Bigger flavor intensity, less citrus on the palate and hints of butter with a shorter finish.  I scored the wine 90 points on a technical scale and on our tasting sheet- 17 for the chilled and 14 for the room temp.  5 stars from me for the $18 price point.  Drink over the short term.  Salut….

Marchesi Antinori Castello della Sala 'Bramito del Cervo' Chardonnay

Kirkland Signature Côtes de Provence Rosé 2025, Provence, France

13 Saturday Jun 2026

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Pale strawberry colored, with a watery sheen (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon pith, tangerine zest, macerated cherry, white strawberry, orange blossom, and a touch of crunchy cranberry.  The palate is dry, with high acidity, and a medium (-) body.  Medium (+) intensity flavors are citrus driven, but the strawberry/cranberry notes are present.  The finish is medium (+) in length and zesty from the acidity, which keeps the wine very refreshing.  On the very back end there is a touch of bitterness, probably from the skin contact, it’s an interesting addition to this delightful wine.  A blend of Grenache (39%), Consult (26%), Syrah (18%), and Vermentino (17%).  I paid under $9 for it and will go with 88 points, making it a 4 star effort to enjoy on a hot summer’s day.  Drink now.  Salut….

Kirkland Signature Rose' Cotes du Provence

Marchesi Antinori La Braccesca Bramasole Cortona Syrah 2021, Tuscany, Italy

09 Tuesday Jun 2026

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Very deep ruby colored, bordering on iodine, with medium viscosity (14.5%ABV).   The nose has medium intensity aromas of charcoal, black plum, dried herb, very ripe cassis, açai berry, Brambleberry, a hint of spice, and some vanilla. The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity, medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins. Flavor intensity is higher than on the nose, really reaching for the dark fruit, some spice and finally a bit of game and iron. The finish is medium (+) in length. Delicious. 92 points for this $51 bottle makes it a 5 star wine to enjoy till 2032.   Salut….

Marchesi Antinori La Braccesca Bramasole Cortona Syrah

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon 1884 Gran Reserva Malbec 2022, Mendoza, Argentina

03 Wednesday Jun 2026

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Deep ruby colored, with medium viscosity (14.3% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant, smoke, licorice, vanilla, spice box, and a medicinal note.  The palate is dry, with medium (-) acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are slightly green and edgy.  Medium intensity flavors match the aromas except the medicinal note.  The fruit is ripe but not overly so, the tannins are still young and hit my gums aggressively.  The finish is medium in length.  Overall, not a bad drop, just not my favorite.  It gets 89 points from me and for the $20 fee it gets 4 stars.  Drink till 2030.   Salut….

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon 1884 Gran Reserva Malbec

Paso A Paso Verdejo 2025, Tierra de la Castilla, Spain

01 Monday Jun 2026

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Very pale lemon colored with medium (-) viscosity (12% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of saline, apricot, tangerine, and blossom.. The palate is dry with medium acidity and a light body. It’s a very charming wine that gives me apricots, tangerine, white blossom, little hints of sea salt spray- with a citrus undertone. The finish is a touch tart, which is very refreshing. It ends on a medium length. 89 points for this $16 bottle makes it a four star one. Drink in the near term.  Salut….

PASO A PASO ORGANIC VERDEJO