Author Archives: caspernick

Tenuta di Burchino ‘Il Burchino’ Toscana IGT 2010, Tuscany, Italy

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

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Pale purple in the glass.  The nose gives off violets, black currants, sweet oak and vanilla bean.  On the palate it’s just what I expected- dark fruits, woody, fresh and tart.  The acidity is delicious in this one, keeps me on my toes.  The black fruit core really pushes through the mid palate.  There are some barely discernible tannins that finally appear on the finish alongside some wintergreen.  Refreshing is the phrase that comes to mind.  The tannic bite coupled with the acidity on the finish is really a treat.  88 points, drink now till 2021 with pasta, pizza or charcuterie.  3 stars for this $14 Sangiovese/Cab/Merlot blend.  Salut….

Chateau Raymond-Lafon 2010, Sauternes, France

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

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Golden color.  Loads of legs in the glass.  The nose is delightful and consists of orange marmalade, honey, candied citrus.  On the palate I get silky orange syrup, marmalade, honey and hazelnut.  The sweetness is balanced with a brisk acidic component that gives me an unctuous mouthfeel.  The finish is long and tart with some astringent orange curd and white tea components.  Really interesting and delightful to drink.  93 points and 5 stars.  $35 for a 375ml bottle.  Drink this sweet dessert wine till 2030.  Salut….

Chateau Langoa-Barton 2008, Saint-Julien, France

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

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A stunning, deep purple in the glass that belies this wine’s age.  On the nose it’s somewhat muted but I do manage to coax some graphite,  plum reduction and anise.  On the palate it’s still young, acerbic yet relatively fruit forward.  Blueberry, sour cherry and that minerality all show up.  The mix of acid and tannins battle each other as the midpalate shows more blueberries and some rhubarb.  I have to say- it’s quite tart and lacking much wood influence.  The finish is pretty much the same with a decent 30 second tail.  I’m serving this with Sunday roast, and somewhat regret opening such a young wine.  Give it 3-5 more years.  For now, 89 points and 2 stars for this $70 offering.  Salut….

World’s End ‘If 6 were 9’ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 revisited, Napa Valley, USA

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

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I tasted this wine when it was much younger.  It was appealing then and more so now.  Very rich purple, semi opaque. The nose is very fruity with blackberry jam, blackcurrants, toasted oak.  The palate is really delightful with warm blackberry ganache, coconut, eucalyptus and iodine.  On the midpalate I start to sense some tannic buzz, nothing overpowering.  Gobs more black fruit reduction and a charcoal note.  The finish marries up some acidity, just a touch to complete the mouthfeel and balance this very fruit-forward Napa Cab.  93 points and 5 stars for this $48 bottle.  Drink till 2029.  Salut….

Maison Michel Picard Le Clos Micot 2005, Pommard Premier Cru, France

12 Sunday Apr 2020

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I’m afraid for this wine, the cork was very dry when I put the screw in and the sides were wet when I started to pull it out.  I only got halfway before the cork broke.  Luckily I have other tools to retrieve the broken half.  In the glass it looks okay, dark red, with no signs of bricking and barely any legs on the glass.  The nose is gorgeous, earthy, full of tertiary flavors- forest floor, mushrooms, bacon and a whiff of rich cherry compote.  The palate is sublime, smooth and a mix of fruit, acidity, those tertiary flavors and a warm mouthfeel.  The cherry component is backed up by rooibos tea, some nutmeg and leather.  This wine has aged nicely and thank goodness the cork held out.  The finish is long with a nice streak of acidity that delineates the fruity red berries from the secondary evolution that I get.  Nice ingrained tannins are holding it together but I feel it is peaking so drink till 2027 .  I am serving it with Baked Ham and mashed potatoes for Easter dinner.  93 points for this $100 Burgundian Pinot Noir.  4 stars.  Salut….

San Felice Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012 tasting #2, Tuscany, Italy

10 Friday Apr 2020

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I have sat on a few of these bottle of San Felice for a while now because they were not quite ready the last time I drank one in 2017.  This bottle is showing a semi opaque medium shade of purple in the glass.  Really nice legs are exhibited.  The nose has an earthy tone, pomegranate and cherry.  I also get cardamom.  Interesting.  The palate is far more evolved since the last time, really nice dark cherry, rhubarb and spice box. The wine exhibits a really nice acidity that is even and of the right amount.  The mouthfeel is really smooth, with a nice warmth that leads into a very delicate tannic frame.  The midpalate has more of the red fruits and some dusty earthiness.  The finish is very much a cherry affair, with the acidity and tannins really peaking into a dry, mouth puckering ending.  It’s a really delicious wine, but not quite there yet.  I am seeing evolution, with more to come.  The framework will hold this wine up for a long while, giving me time to re-evaluate over the next 10-15 years with the other bottles.  Overall I am sticking with my 93 point rating and 5 stars for this $45 Sangiovese.  Pairing with spaghetti and sausage meatballs.  Salut….

 

Molino di Sant’Antimo Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2014, Tuscany, Italy

06 Monday Apr 2020

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I have become more and more enamored with Brunellos and more importantly the Sangiovese grape of late.  I find it a very close parallel to Pinot Noir, which has also risen in my interest.  This particular wine is see-through and a light shade of purple.  The nose is somewhat muted but I do get some stewed cherry and not much else.The palate is quite lithe with some delicate cherry notes, a touch of cinnamon and some fruit cake.  It is very shallow on the flavor depth which makes me wonder if I have an off bottle.  The acidity is of medium strength and there are some very light tannins that appear on the mid palate.  The finish is mainly Kirsch and some mushroom, bacon and forest floor.  It gets better but I am a little surprised at the high scores from some pros versus the lower scores of others.  I am going with 88 for this particular bottle but will try another one soon to check on provenance.  Drink till 2028.  For $60 it’s a 2 star effort.  Salut….

Gioso Barolo DOCG 2015, Piedmont, Italy

06 Monday Apr 2020

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Semi opaque medium tint of purple. I get a delicious whiff of black cherry, cedar, tobacco and spice box.  On the palate the wines visual and nose bely it’s power and structure.  It has a very forward stab of fruit alongside a crescendo of tannins that present cherries, lingonberry and leather on the initial palate.  The tannins sear my gums and carry me to the midpalate of more stark red fruits and that earthy component.  The finish- dry AF, really has some juiciness to it.  The cherries are the dominant force battling the astringency.  This wine is a cherub, the tannins almost too much at this stage but I feel this wine will evolve in the next 5-10 years.  I’m going with 92 points but either decant the hell out of it or put it away for a long time.  $30 and 4 stars for this Nebbiolo.  Drink from 2024-2034.  Salut….

St. Michael-Eppan San Michele Appiano Pinot Grigio Sudtirol – Alto Adige 2018, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

06 Monday Apr 2020

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Very light shade of yellow/orange in the glass.  The nose offers spiced lemon zest, some green apples and honeysuckle.  The palate is crisp, with gobs of the green apple, some citrus and a modicum of acidity.  The mid palate softens and has a glycerin-like mouthfeel.  The green fruits are alive and well.  The tail end gives me a note of hazelnut- intriguing.  It’s rather a short finish but it is well balanced.  This wine will drink nicely till 2023 and I would pair it with salad Niçoise, herbed chicken breast or even a stir fry.  89 points and 4 stars for this $14 quaffer.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 703 Pinot Noir 2017, Alexander Valley, California

05 Sunday Apr 2020

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Nice shade of dark red, see-through.  The 14.1% alcohol evident by some nice looking legs.  On the nose it is somewhat atypical.  Violet, strawberry compote and cherry cola.  The palate is a touch sweet with some nice stewed rhubarb notes. Cherry comes along eventually as do some nice fine grained tannins.  There’s a nice acidic bite on the finish that balances it out without making me wince.  It’s a very interesting wine that has a warm mouthfeel, that nice touch of sweetness countered by the acid on the back end.  This wine will appeal to the novice and also provide tasting groups with an interesting mix of flavors.  I’m baking up some Brisket that will pair nicely.  91 points and 5 stars for this $15 bottle to drink till 2028.  Salut….

Peach Brisket, crisped to perfection