McBride Sisters Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Marlborough, New Zealand

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Pale lemon colored, with a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of cut grass, cat pee, tangerine, lemon verbena, lime zest, passion fruit, and pink grapefruit.  The palate is dry, with high acidity, and a medium (-) body.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of grapefruit, lemon, passion fruit, cut grass, and that telltale cat pee. The finish is medium (+) in length.  A consistent wine that I have really enjoyed discovering- read up on the McBride sisters sometime.  90 points from me for this $14 bottle makes it a 5 star effort to stock up on for the summer.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

McBride Sisters Collection Sauvignon Blanc

Domaine Laurent Martray Brouilly Corentin 2022, Beaujolais, France

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Deep ruby colored, with slight staining , and a medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of very ripe mulberry, sweet tobacco, vanilla, baking spice, blackcurrant reduction, and pine needles.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are powdery.  Medium (+) intensity flavors make up for the lack of intensity on the nose.  The ripeness of the fruit is amazing- the flavors of which mimic the nose but in a much more concentrated way.  The tannins are really silky smooth and lead to a nice mouthfeel.  This is not your Parisian café quaffer, it’s a pretty rich, complex, balanced and age worthy wine that is compelling me to take another sip.  It’s delicious and drinking en pointe.  The finish is medium in length and yummy.  92 points for this Gamay that I paid $30 for, getting 5 stars.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….


Domaine Laurent Martray Brouilly Corentin

Beaulieu Vineyard BV Reserve Tapestry 2016, Napa Valley, California

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If you read my blog posts regularly you will notice that my wine reviews follow a formula.  I look at the wine, I smell the wine and then I dissect the structural components before naming the flavors.  I end the review with the length of the finish, perhaps a pairing suggestion, and a cellaring window.  It’s a way for me to remain consistent, albeit boring, while still covering all the parts that make a tasting as complete as possible.  I have been to blind tastings with fellow somms and they do talk some shite, mentioning 15 or more descriptors in rapid fire succession.  Either they are far better or they are full of it.  My taste buds and nose only catch 5-10 aromas and flavors at best, but I like to concentrate on the structure of the wine more so.  It’s the one thing that everyone can agree on, versus “I get yada, yada, don’t you?”.

When I decided on this bottle of wine, I was cooking Sunday Roast, actually it had been in the slow cooker all day, so I was hovering every so often to taste the jus and make sure the veggies were not overly cooked.  I decided that watching the football and not sitting at a computer was probably a treat I should allow myself, so I opened the bottle and just enjoyed it without much thought about tannins, body, acid and flavors.

I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed in its overall structure and concentration.  I have cellared this bottle for a few years in hopes of a gentle evolution, but it was not meant to be.  Barely an 86 point wine, it’s certainly not worth the $60+ I paid for it.  Back in the day it got 91 points and a beautiful writeup.  I can only think that time was not kind.

Anyway- thanks for reading my notes!  Salut….


Beaulieu Vineyard BV Reserve Tapestry

Kakhuri Gvinis Marani KGM Saperavi 2023, Kakheti, Georgian Republic

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining, and a medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of boysenberry, elderberry, spice, a slight vegetal note, damp earth, petrichor, and mushroom.  It’s quite herbal driven.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (-) tannins. A very smooth mouthfeel.  The fruit is silky and echoes the nose, except no vegetal note, just herbal and black fruit driven.  The finish is medium (-) in length.  It’s a very easy drinker but lacks long term cellaring capacity due to the structure and fruit concentration.  It will pair well with our flank steak and mushroom spaetzle.  87 points from me for this $25 bottle makes it a 3 star effort.  Salut….

Kakhuri Gvinis Marani KGM Saperavi
Kakheti

Cigar Box Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Central Valley, Chile

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Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of – you guessed it- cigar box, along with blackberry, black plum, cassis, chocolate, coffee, and an initial green vegetal note which thankfully blew off.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are quite chalky and somewhat green.  Medium intensity flavors of black fruit and oak nuance with a focus on the tobacco note alongside black tea.  The tannins are really starting to hit under my tongue, but seem to have lost the green streak, they are just grippy and young.  The ripeness of the fruit is somewhat concerning, even though the label promotes ripeness- I feel otherwise.  The finish is driven by the tannins, it’s hard to get away from them.  The length of the fruit is quite short.  I picked up this bottle for around $13.  It gets 88 points from me making it a 4 star effort to drink till 2030, perhaps with a hunk of steak.  Salut….

Cigar Box Old Vine Hand Harvested Cabernet Sauvignon

Clos Pissarra El Riu 2011, Priorat DOCa, Spain

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Pale garnet colored, with a medium (-) viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of fig, prune, nuts, stewed strawberry, cherry reduction, leather, and vanilla thread.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium(-) tannins that are fully melded.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of dried orange peel, prune, figs, desiccated cherry, stewed strawberry, leather, and a smoky hint.  The finish is long and caressing but the alcohol is noticeable, with a burn happening on the back end.  I was a little put off by the nose, thinking it was over the hill, but I think we rescued this bottle just in time as it’s really delicious, and different.  I would have thought it to be a 92 point wine back in the day.  It needs to be drunk soon as there is virtually no structure left and the fruit is hanging on by a thread.  It’s 100% Carignan, aka Samso in the region.  I paid $35, but it lists for far more.  4 stars.  Salut….

Clos Pissarra El Riu

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon Limited Production Malbec 2021, Mendoza, Argentina

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Deep ruby-red colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (13.7% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, licorice, coffee, mint, blackberry coulis, black raspberry, chocolate, and acai berry.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins that are chalky.  Medium intensity flavors echo the nose but there’s also a black tea note.  The finish is medium in length and fruity.   I like this wine, the tannins quickly turn powdery and the balance is en pointe.  It’s not as intense as I was hoping for to pair it with Tri-tip, but it’s very delicious and worthy of 90 points.  At $32, it gets 3 stars.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon Limited Production

Betts & Scholl Hermitage Rouge 2001, Rhone Valley, France

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Medium garnet colored with definite bricking, and a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this 25 year old wine has medium (_) intensity aromas of prune, caramel, burnt coffee, dates, steamed blackberry, cracked black pepper, marzipan, and a herbal note.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (-) body, and low tannins.  Unfortunately it’s way over the hill and quite sour tbh.  There is no pleasure here, which should have been evident by the dried out cork that refused to come out.  Sucha a shame as I paid $35 on spec for this a few months ago.  Salut….

betts & Scholl Hermitage rouge

Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2014, Clare Valley, Australia


Deep inky/ruby colored with slight staining and a high viscosity (14.2% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe black plum, eucalyptus, licorice, baking spice, jammy brambleberry, vanilla, orange peel, and Turkish coffee.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins that are melding nicely.   The richness of the fruit flavors is impressive- not jammy, but decadent.  Ripe plums, bramble berry, oak nuance and that telltale eucalyptus all carry on to a long finish.  The silkiness of this wine is evident, the alcohol, not.  I love this wine, having drunk gallons of it back in the early 2000’s.  It’s on the roster for New Year’s eve dinner.  93 points from me for this $55 bottle makes it a 5 star effort to enjoy till 2033.  Salut….

Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz

Rosa dell’Olmo 2021, Barolo DOCG Piedmont, Italy

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Pale ruby-red colored, with high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black cherry, rose petal, pomegranate, smoke, a hint of licorice, and leather.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, and high tannins that are still young and gritty.  Medium (+) intensity flavors embody the fruit but really highlight the old oak aging.  The tannins grip for days yet allow for a decently long finish with fruit and secondary notes present.  The cherry and leather dominate.  It’s a young wine for sure, with loads of cellaring capacity yet it could be drunk soon if decanted/aerated.  I think it is worthy of 91 points and available for $30 which makes it a 5 star effort in my books.  Drink from 2028-2035.  Salut….

Rosa dell'Olmo Barolo