Author Archives: caspernick

Domaine Petitot Cote de Nuits-Villages Terres Burgondes 2016, Burgundy, France

08 Monday Nov 2021

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This village level Pinot Noir is 5 years old at this stage with a ruby color that is see-through (pale).  On the nose I get a heady dose of strawberry, red cherry, spice box, red currant and pomegranate.  There is a woodsy, earthy note that I am digging to go along with a hint of oak.  On the palate it is quite tart with red fruit and spice.  The tannins are very lithe and the acidity is quite overpowering.  The fruit is somewhat subdued by it.  The intensity of the flavors are less than ideal and the wine feels a bit out of balance.  It is light bodied at best.  I am pairing it with that traditional French dish of white beans, Duck Confit and white saucisson.  I was hoping for a bit more fruit, less structure and certainly more balance.  This wine gets 87 points from me, at $17 it’s a 2 star effort.  Drink now.  Salut….

Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone Les Abeilles 2017, Rhone, France

03 Wednesday Nov 2021

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This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre.  It is semi opaque with shades of ruby in the glass.  The nose is pronounced with aromas of raspberries, red licorice, red plum with floral notes of violets and honeysuckle.  The palate is juicy, tart and shows off medium tannins.  The red fruit driven flavors are very much evident as is the acidity.  Very deft use of oak and the fact that it is Grenache based make for a very easy mouthfeel without too much complexity.  It is a nice sipping wine that will drink well till 2028.  I’m pairing it with Cumberland sausages, onion gravy and mashed potatoes.  89 points from me for this $14 Rhone wine make it a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Iron Horse Vineyards Two Clones Chardonnay 2017, Russian River Valley, California

01 Monday Nov 2021

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This Chardonnay has got a bit of bottle age which shows in the glass- a deep gold color.  On the nose I get wafts of MLF, perhaps a bit of lees stirring and some relatively fresh citrus and floral notes.  Brioche, butter, lemon curd, grapefruit, chamomile and sprite (the drink).  The palate is dry with medium body and juicy acidity.  The flavors are more citrus driven but I do get some minerality and a hint of Malolactic Fermentation. Tropical fruit notes hit the mid plate and the finish is long and silky with decent acidity.  I like this wine, but it’s not everyone’s style.  The silky mouthfeel comes with butter-like flavors that may not be up everyone’s alley.  The minimalist oak usage is appreciated btw.  For $20, it’s a good weekday wine that gets 90 points from me and 5 stars.  Drink till 2026 with some hearty fish dishes or stuffed peppers.  Salut….

Tenuta di Arceno Arcanum Toscana IGT 2015, Tuscany, Italy

30 Saturday Oct 2021

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The finale for the 21st Virtual Wine Tasting was this Super Tuscan blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.  With 6 years of age it is starting to show a touch of garnet in the glass that is 75% opaque.  The group were torn on this wine, some liked the tertiary notes, others did not.  The combined flavors and aromas of the group include red twizzlers, blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, cigar, manure, barnyard, old wood, musty old oak beams, charcoal and some dried herbs.   Leather featured on the back end and I found this wine to be more complex on the nose versus the palate.  Super smooth tannins get grippy on the finish and we felt the wine had low to medium  acidity, medium body with a long finish.  It was very layered and balanced, even if the tannins started to kick off on the very tail end.  This wine will develop more tertiary notes and has the backbone to cellar for another 10 years easily.  It calls for a rustic pasta dish with truffles.  It was the big baller of the evening at $70, which makes it a 4 star wine for me at 92 points.  Salut….

Daou Vineyards ‘Pessimist’ Red 2019,Paso Robles, California

30 Saturday Oct 2021

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When shopping for the 21st Virtual Wine Tasting, I selected Durif as the keyword which is basically another name for Petite Sirah- one of my current favorites.  This wine did not disappoint.  Basking in sunny Paso Robles (California), the grapes for this elixir were harvested very ripe which makes a pretty potent 15.2%ABV wine that has rich, jammy fruit flavors.  It looks menacing, nearly fully opaque with a dark shade of purple.  The nose and palate gave the group flavors and aromas of blackberry preserves, black plum, dark chocolate covered raisins, leather, coffee, black pepper, blueberry and black tea (on the finish).  Mid grade tannins and nice, gentle acidity made for a beautiful mouthfeel that was mid weight, leading to a decent length finish.  I did not score it the highest on my scoring sheet but I believe it is worthy of 91 points.  It was a crowd pleasing $17 bottle from DAOU vineyards that gets 5 stars from me.  I would love to pair this wine with some grilled Venison.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere 2019, Peumo, Chile

30 Saturday Oct 2021

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During the 10th Virtual Wine Tasting in September of 2020 I introduced the Carmenere grape to our group.  It was met with skepticism.  Read all about the Massal 1945.  I did not care for the herbaceous nature of the bottle and was put off varietal for a while, until I saw this one from Concha Y Toro.  One of my favorite brands, they have good, consistent wines.  This grape needs to properly ripen or else it is green and disgusting.

Our group felt this bottle was very good, some thinking it was the wine of the night.  Flavors and aromas of this semi-opaque wine consisted of raspberry, chocolate, plum, capsicum and black pepper.  Medium tannins, medium body and gentle acidity made for a nice mouthfeel alongside a relatively short finish.  I scored it a 91, which is below the pros.  At $18 it’s a great way to discover Chile’s signature grape that gets 5 stars from me.  Whew, relief that it was good rather than controversial.  Drink till 2024.  Salut….

Bodega Colome Estate Torrontes 2020, Calchaqui Valley, Argentina

30 Saturday Oct 2021

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We kicked off the 21st Virtual Wine Tasting with this aromatic varietal from Argentina. We tasted it at room temperature as well as chilled.  Basically it offers up aromas and flavors of apricot, honeysuckle, lychee, rose, peach, citrus, spice and white pepper.  The group felt the wine had good acidity, medium body and a long finish.  The chilled version was a little lighter bodied and a touch muted.  90 points from me make this $10 wine a 5 star effort that should be drunk soon.  Salut….

Massaya Gold Reserve Rouge 2012, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

28 Thursday Oct 2021

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I bought this aged Lebanese blend of 50% Cab Sav, 40% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah from Quebec.  It’s starting to turn garnet but is opaque in the glass with nice legs showing off the potent 15% ABV.  The nose is quite intense with lovely aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant, charcoal, black plum, cloves, chocolate nibs and espresso bean.  The palate is young with grippy tannins and gentle acidity.  The flavors are all black fruit and oak driven.  The tannic grip is a little overpowering for the fruit on the initial attack but I do get the flavors on the mid palate.  Full bodied.  The finish is medium but quite dry from the tannins that coat my tongue and gums.  There is a depth of flavor I sense that will make this wine really shine in the future.  It may be 9 years old already but it’s an infant-  powerful and layered, it will drink nicely from 2024-2030.  92 points for this $42 bottle make it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Chateau Pegau Cotes du Rhone Cuvee Maclura 2019, Rhone, France

27 Wednesday Oct 2021

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I have a bottle of the famous Pegau from CDP in my cellar so when I saw this little brother- I had to try it.  A blend of Grenache 60%, Syrah 20%, Mourvèdre 10%, Cinsault 10% it is opaque ruby.  Nose is medium intense with raspberry, red plum, black pepper, game, black currant, vanilla and clove.  The palate has medium (+) tannins, medium acidity and medium body.  The fruit flavors are medium intensity and carry through to a decent length finish that is laced with grippy tannins.  This is a young, delicious Rhone wine that can be drunk young or cellar till 2030.  91 points gets this $15 bottle 5 stars.  Drink with rustic foods, stews or Venison.  Salut….

Coelho Paciencia Estate Pinot Noir 2014, Willamette Valley, Oregon

27 Wednesday Oct 2021

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I’ve had this one before, but a while ago so I thought with some cellaring it would be even better- no surprise.  It’s staring to turn a touch garnet but is of pale intensity.  The nose is quite pronounced with pomegranate, red cherry, cranberry, barnyard, dried sage and dried red plum.  The palate is delicious.  Smooth with low tannins, medium acidity , medium body and gobs of flavor.  In addition to the red fruits and tertiary notes I also get some rooibos tea.  The finish is medium length and chock full of fruit with some super fine tannins.  92 points, drink till 2027.  It runs $50 these days which makes it a 4 star wine in my books.  Salut….