Category Archives: Wine reviews

Chateau Musar Blanc 1998, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

07 Monday Aug 2023

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I picked up this bottle at the winery late last year and was looking for the right time to open it.  My buddy invited us for dinner and I offered him a choice:  Riesling, Chardonnay or White Musar.

It showed a gorgeous medium amber in the glass with medium viscosity (12.5% ABV).  Intense aromas of honey, lanolin, sliced apricot, warm nuts, vanilla thread, bruised yellow apple and baking spices.  On the palate it had medium acidity and a medium body- silky smooth with a long finish.  The flavors were layered and complex, coating my mouth with waves of stunningly delicious wine.  It was a come-to-Jesus moment for me to taste such a unique wine that has slumbered for 25 years, waiting to unleash itself onto my palate.  We paired it with a tomato salad followed by miso glazed mushrooms.  Stunning.  It’s rare to find one, but at $100 per bottle- grab at least a bottle of this 98 point wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Its cellaring capacity is virtually unlimited, so drink it over the next 30 years.  Indigenous Lebanese grapes- Obeidah dominated with Merwah supporting.  Salut….

Chateau Larcis Ducasse 2009, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

07 Monday Aug 2023

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This stunning Bordeaux was the last wine of the 32nd virtual tasting- everyone loved it (except the lawyer, she’s funny).  Deep ruby/garnet with high viscosity legs and slight staining (14.5% ABV).  The nose blew me away- leather, tobacco, forest floor, stable yard, stewed tomato, dried blackberry and that tell-tale aroma I love…. Cassis.  The palate had medium acidity, medium tannins that were so finely integrated and a full body- it was super rich.  The flavors and aromas matched and this wine was seamless and balanced.  A real treat to drink a 14 year old wine that is at peak and delivers such ethereal sensations.  By far one of my most memorable bottles.  I gave it 20 points on our score sheet and would echo the pro’s- this is a 95-96 point wine for sure.  It will drink beautifully over the next decade.  I would pair this Merlot based blend with braised beef cheeks or another hearty dish worthy of its power.  At $130, it’s a bit pricy but hey…. you only live once.  5 stars. Salut….

Azienda Vitivinicola Tiberio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Italy

07 Monday Aug 2023

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This was the third wine in our lineup and the crowd was excited for this Montepulciano from Abruzzo on the eastern shores of Italy.  It was deep ruby with medium viscosity and slight staining on the walls (14.5% ABV).  On the nose the tasters got cherry, dust, must, cigar, damp cave- which blew away to reveal black olive tapenade, earth and a gamey hint- really red fruit driven with the earthy inflections.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) tannins and a medium (+) body.  Flavors of cherry, pepper, smoke, and a slight bitterness that led to a black tea mid-palate following through to a medium (-) finish.  Overall it was a decent drop that got 16 points and 91 technical points.  For $23 it gets 5 stars, pair with pasta (duh) and drink till 2028.  Salut….

Egervin Egri Bikaver Bulls Blood 2020, Eger, Hungary

07 Monday Aug 2023

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Next up at our tasting was this interesting red from Hungary.  I have read in numerous books about the Bull’s Blood, a blend of Blaufrankish, aka Kekfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Oporto. In the glass- medium ruby colored with low viscosity which belied the 12% ABV.  On the nose we got butterscotch, super ripe cherry, new leather, vanilla, caramel, licorice, cedar funk and a medicinal note (quite complex with lots of wood derived notes).  On the palate it had medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a light body, as was to be expected.  Sour cherry dominated the palate along with grape, licorice, funk, neutral white oak and burnt raisin. It finished medium and had several people scratching their heads.  It was way more complex than I was expecting and was a real treat- especially at $10.  I gave it a respectable 14 points and on a technical side- 90.  5 stars for sure and a must try if you’ve never had this blend.  Drink now.  Salut….

 

Cordero di Montezemolo Langhe Arneis 2021, Piedmont, Italy

07 Monday Aug 2023

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At the 32nd virtual wine tasting we started off with this Arneis, tasted chilled and at room temp.  The attendees found this wine to be pale lemon colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Aromas and flavors of almond, pineapple, apricot, marzipan, peach and pear we evident in the chilled version.  On the palate- medium acidity and a medium (-) body that led to a short finish.  I scored it 11 points on our scale and would assign an 89 point technical rating.  The room temperature version was much more floral, but fruit-wise only the peach and pear notes came across the nose along with some honey and hazelnut.  On the palate it tasted fuller bodied and had some citrus notes by way of lemon peel in addition to pear.  I did not care as much for it at room temp- 9 points and its technical rating dropped to an 88.  For $20 it gets 3 stars from me.  Drink now with grilled fish or a shrimp salad.  Salut….

Finca Bacara ‘Time Waits for No One’ 2017, Jumilla, Spain

07 Monday Aug 2023

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Deep purple with high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  Aromas of candied black cherry, blackcurrant jam, salty licorice, vanilla thread, dark chocolate mocha and blueberry ganache.  The palate is dry with gritty, medium-grained tannins and medium acidity.  Full bodied- it shows off dark berry fruit, a candied note and some oak influence.  Blackened char hits on the back end alongside ripe blueberry. 89 points for this Mourvèdre (aka Monastrell), drink till 2026.  At $13, coupled with high scores from other reviews it gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Millbrook Chardonnay Lake Placid 2021, Central Coast, California

01 Tuesday Aug 2023

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We are in Lake Placid for an ice skating competition so when I saw this branded wine I had to pick it up.  Made from Californian Central Coast Chardonnay -I was expecting what I tasted.  Medium lemon colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV). The nose shows some butter, a little cream, a touch of pear and green apple- obviously MLF derived. The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and that buttery diacetyl taste associated with malolactic fermentation. The pear and apple fruit is round and warm with some baking spices and carries through to a medium length finish. The label says that this line is exclusively available in New York.  At $18 this 88 point wine gets three stars. Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Carmen Gran Reserva El Secano Vineyard Carignan 2021, Maule Valley, Chile

25 Tuesday Jul 2023

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Deep purple colored with medium viscosity legs (13.5% ABV) and slight staining.  The nose is gamy, peppery and loaded with black fruit- dark plums, blackberry.  Cinnamon, charred oak and more game by way of smoked bacon.  The palate is dry with tingly tannins that are medium intensity to go along with medium acidity.  This wine has a medium body and the black fruit coupled with smoke and game makes for a delicious if not unique flavor profile.  I really like it and think it’s a good expression of the Carignan varietal coupled with a Chilean twist of terroir and winemaking.  91 points from me and at $18- well worth the effort to try this 5 star wine.  Drink till 2028.   Salut….

Lustau ‘Solera Reserva’ Deluxe Cream Capataz Andres Sherry, Andalucia, Spain

25 Tuesday Jul 2023

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Medium amber colored with high viscosity (20% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of yeasty bread, green almonds, warmed cashews, dates, and coffee.  The palate is sweet with medium (+) acidity and a full body.  It shows off more nuts and fruit than bread/yeast-  Dates, raisins, smoky oak, dried figs and cashew.  A luscious dessert wine to enjoy with a cheese board or some Baklava.  91 points from me and at $20- a 5 star deal.  Salut….

Massaya Cap Est 2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

25 Tuesday Jul 2023

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Medium garnet with high viscosity and staining on the walls (14.5% ABV).  I can smell the alcohol on the first whiff but it blows away to reveal- red currants, pomegranate, exotic spices, game, red peppercorn and baking spices.  Dry with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins that are well rounded and a medium-full body.  The palate echoes the nose with delicious red fruit and silky tannins.  A medium to long finish makes this Grenache/Mourvedre blend an enjoyable 91 point wine to drink till 2034.  For $40, it gets 4 stars from me.  We drank it at a traditional Lebanese feast!  Salut….