14 Saturday May 2016
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Very light yellow with a citrus infused nose of lemons and slate. Fresh and zesty on the palate with lemon, green apple and flint. Very focused and clean. Moxie thought it was too tart but I am enjoying it’s minerality. The wine needs raw clams, steamed shrimp or some Alfredo. 90 points and for $17 it’s a 4 star wine to buy for the summer. Salut….
02 Saturday Apr 2016
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This is the second wine I have had from this South African winery. The first was similar blend but with Cabernet Franc thrown in as well. Vergelegen Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc.
Back to this wine…. Dark purple in the glass spelt out what to expect. A nose of black plums, earth and iodine. The initial taste is amazing. A hint of violets come over after the waves of black berry, plum jam and spicebox. A fine set of tannins swirls around at the finish to leave a nice mouthfeel. The mid palate is balanced and smooth with some acidity that balances the whole thing out. I am really enjoying this wine!
The judicious use of oak is apparent. A finish of coffee and a touch of vanilla make this an easy drinking red that will go great all by itself or hang in there with a juicy New York strip, even some pasta with a spicy sauce. I would guess a drinking window up to 2020 at least, with it open for business right now.
It was on sale for just over $11 and gets an easy 91 point score from me. I will be buying this in bulk, a stunner and worthy of 5 stars easily. Salut…..
27 Saturday Feb 2016
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We went out to dinner with friends and I was intrigued by this South African offering. It retails for $13 in stores but did not get great peer reviews.
Coffee. Lots of it, on the nose, palate and finish. Earth and dark mocha in the initial surge with sour cherries on the mid palate. Typical pinotage but with a gruff ending. I made brief comments about Iodine and Beef Jerky flavors. 87 points from me and 3 stars. Salut….
27 Saturday Feb 2016
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$42, 3 stars, 89 points, carneros, carneros pinot noir, Napa, pinot noir
From a friend’s cellar- Nose of raspberry and Bing cherry. Initial taste consists of a certain effervescence to go with raspberry coulis and some cherry juice. Mild tannins and slight acidity make it easy drinking. The mid palate shows off more cherries and some green vegetal hints. The finish is tart with hints of pomegranate and more effervescence. 89 points from me make this $42 offering a 3 star wine. Pairing wise, it probably could use some Venison or other game. Salut….
27 Saturday Feb 2016
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$23, 5 stars, 91 points, aussie shiraz, australia, central victoria, shiraz
This is bottle number 2. Number 1 was opened last night and I was too tired to take notes. It mellowed out tremendously after 24 hours. Meanwhile, back at the tasting table……
Full frontal assault on the nose and palate. Hints of spice, white pepper and rich plum pudding hit the nose right off the bat. The first taste is exotic, purple everything….. Plums, violets, dark blueberries and some blackberry. The spiciness is intriguing. Medium grade tannins follow through into a mid palate of red raspberry and blueberry jam. They continue all the way to the end where they balance out with the acidity. A decent length finish make this an all-around delicious wine. With shipping I paid just under $13 per bottle. 5 stars as this wine rates 91 in my books and sits on top of my 2016 best buys. WS gave this Aussie gem 90 points and it normally retails for $23, still a great deal! Salut….
27 Saturday Feb 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
After my initial tasting of Muga’s Reserva I was bound to find more of their wines. I bought six bottles on sale for $29 each and was very happy with my purchase.
Dark purple color with no legs in the glass even though there is 14% alcohol. Nose of graphite, plum jam and some earth. On the palate a beautiful intro to plums, black cherry and spicebox. Upfront tannins grip the teeth and some sharp acidity checks it back in place. This wine is somewhat awkward yet comes together nicely on the mid to back end. Powerful yet youthful, it will be better after 2018, once the Tannins meld and the acidity recedes. It will drink well if needed now with a run through the Vinturi. Otherwise hold on, let the secondary flavors evolve and enjoy till 2024 at least. 92 points from me even though some pros went as high as 96! I’m sitting on my other 5 bottles. A blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano. 5 stars for the quality to price ratio here. Salut…..
27 Saturday Feb 2016
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Pale gold color with long legs in the glass and a nose of apples, pears and honey. The first impression is of a somewhat flabby wine, mouth filling and full of charm. The mid palate comes alive with quince, gooseberries and a touch of vanilla. The acidity is restrained and the wine has a decent finish. Very Cali-styled wine that got 91 points from the pros. I’m just not that into the level of Malolactic fermentation and the weight of the oak used. Some might love this style. I am going with 90 points and for $38 retail it gets 3 stars. I think it needs some fresh fish, perhaps oysters Rockefeller. Salut…..
03 Wednesday Feb 2016
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Yes, you read the vintage correctly. I will explain- it was my friend’s bottle and we were celebrating his birthday, in Napa Valley. His is name is…. Doctor J. He is just finishing up his PHD in some abstract field of Finance to do with mortgages and some other crap I can’t understand. He has locked himself in for the past 10 months and only had a few drinks since then. He needed a nice afternoon out and a big steak. We headed up to the valley in the early afternoon and arrived at Cosentino winery in time for our 4 pm member’s private tasting. It was just the two of us and several stunning reserve wines, paired with slivers of cheese. We finished up in the main tasting room with some of the more regular offerings. I have written about this winery before. If you get to Napa, they are a must visit. Super nice people, unpretentious settings and good wine priced right. I digress…
We went to dinner after our tasting where we had the Beringer decanted. At 19 years of age I was shocked. Below are my tableside notes after numerous other tastings that afternoon.
Youthful and tannic with fruits that still pop. A nose of plum compote, blackberry torte.
Fresh and lively after 19 years in bottle. Amazing bottle. 93 points easily.
Cassis, plum and leather come out on the initial attack. Mid palate shows a slight hollowness but this is overcome by a longish finish that exhibits crushed stone, black stone fruit and a dryness that begs for a juicy steak. The tannins are still evident as is the fruit and acidity. This wine has plenty of cellaring potential yet but is delicious right now. I think you can still find it online for $100. 4 stars all day long, bordering on 5 stars. Salut….
03 Wednesday Feb 2016
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I do love me some dessert wines… I couldn’t resist this one, it got high marks and the price was right.
It started with an interesting nose of cork (not in a bad way), apricot jam and tangerine peel.
An initial taste of orange marmalade, honey and almond seeds. Golden color was intriguing. Orange peel and candied almonds hit on the middle palate and the finish gives way to the same marmalade notes I sensed on the front end. A definite botrytis tinge throughout. Best described as orange treacle. I’m going 90 points on this wine versus the pros. It’s decent, but not my favorite sticky. Pro ratings up to 93 points and costing $37, I was somewhat caught off-guard. This is a 3 star wine in my opinion and needs to be drunk before 2022. Salut….
17 Sunday Jan 2016
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Every once in a while in my profession I get to meet up with old friends. On this particular occasion, it happened to be a personal trip that allowed me to have a great evening with an old high school friend whom I have not seen in close to 30 years. He has not changed one bit, I on the other hand have grown rounder and balder. We hoisted the first glass of this delicious Rioja in honor of our fallen friend, ‘Bonange’, who recently succumbed to colon cancer. Our band of merry men were nicknamed the Hyenas for some obscure reason, but we were all close friends growing up in Africa. Many years later we are still in touch and can get together at the spur of the moment and have a great time reminiscing.
The wine itself was extraordinary. Not quite black in the glass, it was a severe shade of dark, alluring and intriguing. The nose was murky, with some dampness and funk combining with purple lavender and some black fruits. I had been given a taste of another aged Rioja prior to this bottle, it was far more earthy. This one was somewhat fresher yet retained that Rioja typicity. The blend is 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano.
On the first sip I was getting dark cherry, blackcurrant and some leather. A mid palate tinge of smoke was quite interesting and the tannins were ever present, but not obtrusive. Good mouthfeel throughout with a decent length finish made me long for yet another sip. We paired this wine with all kinds of Tapas, including ribs, braised rabbit, chicken and some beef carpaccio. It sang on every occasion. It can be had for $27 in the shops and gets an average of 91 points from the pros, I concur. I’m going 5 stars on this wine and am loading up a shopping cart with the stuff. I plan on drinking it over the next 5-7 years. Salut….
To old friends! Salut….
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