Category Archives: Wine reviews

Pica Pau Red Blend 2019, VR Lisboa, Portugal

10 Monday Oct 2022

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Inky ruby colored, this opaque wine looks nearly purple in the glass.  The nose has an interesting combination of (French?) oak derived aromas alongside red cherry, pomegranate and raspberry notes.  I smell subtle perfume along with spices and a green leaf note.  The palate of this blend of Castelão, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional wine is bone dry with medium (+) acidity and high tannins.  Flavors of black raspberry, cherry cola, pomegranate along with smoke, spice and tomato leaf.  Medium bodied it finishes medium length with some tartness and loads of tannic grip. If you like a dry wine or need something to cut through a fatty cut of Ribeye, this one is right up your alley- or else decant/aerate it for a while.  Drink till 2028.  89 points and 5 stars for this $12 effort.  Salut….

VIK ‘La Piu Belle’ 2018, Cachapoal Valley, Chile

09 Sunday Oct 2022

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Deep purple-ruby colored in the glass.  The nose has aromas of bell pepper, cassis, blackberry, black plum, spices, coffee, caramel and vanilla.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and super fine medium tannins.  Intense flavors of black fruit, especially cassis along with vanilla and spices combine with the coffee and caramel notes I got on the nose.  It’s a full-bodied delight that has a long finish that tends towards blueberry and plum and has a persistent tannic grip, albeit very fine-grained.  This is a delicious blend of 46% Carmenere, 40% Cab Sav, 13% Syrah and a touch of Merlot.  I would drink this wine till 2030 with rich meat dishes, like my slow cooked beef short ribs.  94 points for this $100 offering that gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Hermes Mavrodaphne Of Patras NV, Greece

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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I went looking for Port and this bottle popped onto my radar.  A sweet red Greek wine that has a pale garnet hue.  The nose is interesting, unlike any other wine I have smelled.  Baking spices with stewed black cherry and baked plum.  There’s also a cola component that is throwing me off!  The palate is obviously not dry- I would say off-dry but not cloying.  The first thing I notice is the heat (15%ABV).  Next up I get medium (-) acidity and low tannins.  Flavorwise- loads of stewed/baked/cooked dark fruit with spice and cherry cola.  A medium to full body on this delight leads me to a medium length finish that also shows off the alcohol.  I like the flavor profile, the mouthfeel and the structure.  I just think the alcohol is presenting itself too much.  This wine reminds me of a lightweight Tawny Port.  I might use some to bolster a stock I am making for Sunday roast, burning off the alcohol to reveal the fruit and spice better.  I might also pour some with my cheese course.  This is my first try of this style so I will not grade it- but you should try for yourself.  At $15, it’s an easy buy.  Salut….

Sandeman Fine Rich Madeira NV, Portugal

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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This is my first go at Madeira, which I bought after looking for some Port to add to my Beef Short-rib stock.  This bottling is pale to medium amber colored, it reminds me of the stone Tigers Eye.  As to be expected from a fortified wine (19%ABV), the legs are very slow moving and thick.  The nose has intense aromas of nuts, caramel, sea air and a touch of yeast.  The palate is dry tasting but very rich with nuts, treacle, stewed black fruit, brine and prune syrup.  It is mouth coating with medium tannins and medium (-) acidity.  The alcohol hits on the back end where it is tingling the sides of my tongue.  Finish-wise this wine has a long ending (30+ seconds).  Seeing as it’s my first go I can’t really pass judgement, but if you like Oloroso Sherry crossed with Tawny Port, this might be up your alley.  For $18 it’s not going to break the bank trying something new as a dessert wine or for enriching a beef stock.  I like it!  Salut….

Greek Wine Cellars – GWC Flowers Agiorgitiko 2019, Nemea, Greece

07 Friday Oct 2022

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Medium ruby colored in the glass with medium intensity aromas of cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, dill and sea air.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins.  I get tart flavors of red fruit with some zippiness alongside some green dill notes and the saline component.  This wine is medium bodied and carries through to a dry, medium length finish.  It’s crisp and refreshing and I like it.  90 points from me for this $15 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  Pasta, kebabs, kofta or cheesy casseroles would pair nicely.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

F. Stephen Millier Black Label Old Vine Zinfandel 2020, Lodi, California

07 Friday Oct 2022

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Medium ruby colored.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black cherry cobbler, black pepper, blackberry and black currant plus some spice box and creamy vanilla.  The palate is dry but has ripe fruit that would make one think there is a bit of residual sugar.  Medium (-) acidity coupled with medium tannins make for a very smooth mouthfeel.  Black fruit flavors coupled with some spice and pepper along with a touch of oak treatment make for a very delicious wine that is medium to full-bodied and has a medium length finish.  The 14.5% ABV gets noticed right at the back end but it’s to be expected from this varietal, always picked ripe and yielding big sugar numbers to convert to alcohol.  I like this 90 point wine that can be had for $14.  It gets 5 stars.  I am pairing it with chili, but it would work well with spiced BBQ or chargrilled chicken.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

KWV ‘The Mentors’ Cabernet Franc 2019, Western Cape, South Africa

05 Wednesday Oct 2022

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Deep, opaque purple colored with thick slow-moving legs (14.5% ABV).  The nose excites me- rich black cherry, pencil shavings, bell pepper, garigue and açaí berry compote.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and very smooth medium tannins.  It’s a medium to full-bodied wine that has flavors corresponding to the nose plus a bit of spice box and tobacco.  A medium length finish rounds this delicious single varietal wine up nicely.  I like it- 93 points and for $20 this is a steal of a 5-star effort to drink till 2025.  I’m pairing mine with a combo Cottage/Shepards Pie (one side with beef the other side with lamb).  Salut….

Franc Dusak Moon Mountain Viognier 2021, Sonoma County, California

04 Tuesday Oct 2022

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Pale straw colored with thick legs (13.5%ABV).  The nose has pronounced aromas of lemon curd, honeysuckle, white flower blossom, dill, fleur de sel and stone fruit.  The palate is barely dry with medium acidity and a medium (+) body.  Really nice flavors of citrus and florals with a wax and honey note alongside some briny minerality that makes this a delicious wine.  It ends with a mid length finish that is lush and waxy.  Yum.  This 91 pointer sells for $16 and gets 5 stars from me.  I’m pairing it with steamed mussels and garlic, you could try grilled mackerel or salmon.  Drink till 2023.  Salut….

Kotrotsos Erasmios Agiorgitiko 2018, Nemea, Greece

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Medium ruby colored bordering on a touch of garnet for this 4 year old wine.  The nose has aromas of black cherry, blackberry, stewed black plum, anise, cedar shake, nutmeg, hummus (earthy) and garigue.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity and medium (+) tannins.  Medium to full-bodied I get flavors of black fruit, some stewed notes indicating age, oak influence (cedar) and anise with some earthiness.  The tannins grip for a long while on the medium length finish.  I like this 90 point wine and think it is at peak.  Drink till 2025 with grilled meats or heavy baked dishes like Moussaka.  For  $18 it’s a great intro to this decidedly Greek varietal.  5 stars.  Salut….

Domaine Des Versauds 2019, Morgon, France

02 Sunday Oct 2022

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The Gamay grape is traditionally made into wine using the carbonic maceration method in the Beaujolais region of France. This wine is a deep purple color with medium intensity aromas of blueberry, blackberry, dried flowers, orange peel, cherry bubble gum and perhaps a touch of banana.  The palate is dry with crisp tannins and medium (-) acidity.  I was not expecting the tannic grip to be so forthright.  I get flavors of blackberry, blueberry and açaí berry with a faint hint of charred oak and some orange peel.  Oak influence? A full-bodied and full-throttle expression of this usually benign grape has really thrown me as I am pairing it with a slow-cooked Eye of Round Roast, which is a low fat cut of meat.  I would prefer to pair this wine in its youth with a fattier cut of meat like Ribeye, Leg of Lamb or grilled Goat.  The finish is quite decent in length, adding to the complexity and depth of this wine.  For $25 you are getting a cru-level bottle that has decent cellaring capacity and gets 91 points from me.  5 stars- drink till 2027.  Salut….