Giant Steps Pinot Noir 2021, Yarra Valley, Australia

18 Saturday Nov 2023

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Next up at the 33rd virtual tasting was this lovely Pinot.  I drank this a few months ago at a birthday dinner and loved it, hence the re-taste for our group.  It’s a pale garnet color with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Medium (+) intensity aromas of strawberry kick things off followed by barnyard funk, cranberry, strawberry, strawberry shortcake and ‘cardboard box filled with cherries’ from one of the tasters.  On the palate it is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (-) tannins.  A Medium (-) body carries the delicious cherry, strawberry, baking spice and pomegranate flavors through to a medium length finish.  I enjoyed tasting this wine again, perhaps not as much as the first time but gave it 15 points on our sheet and a 92 rating.  For $43 it gets 4 stars from me.  Drink with lighter meat dishes till 2030.  Yummy stuff.  Salut….

Ixsir Grande Reserve White 2019, Batroun, Lebanon

18 Saturday Nov 2023

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We tasted this Viognier based blend last night at the 33rd Virtual Wine Tasting event.  As per usual it was scored at room temp as well as chilled.  We normally see a preference for room temp whites but this bottle was the opposite.

Pale lemon with high viscosity (14.6% ABV).  Medium (-) aromas of minerality, honeysuckle, peach, pear and nectarine.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity and a full body.  Stone fruit dominant there were also flavors of honeysuckle and that rocky minerality.  A medium (-) length finish detracted some points for an overall rating of 10 for me on our scoring sheet.

Served chilled- the wine really took on its own with more noticeable peach, a touch of lemon and that honeysuckle.  On the palate is was slightly less acidic but fuller bodied, opposite of what I was imagining would happen.  The palate mirrored the nose with the addition of a pithy bitterness towards the mid palate.  The finish seemed to linger longer and the wine scored higher, 12 on the sheet.  Overall this is a 91 point wine for me and at $24, it gets 4 stars.  Grilled salmon or a Cornish hen would pair nicely.  Drink till 2030. Salut….

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2023, Beaujolais, France

16 Thursday Nov 2023

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It’s the third Thursday in November- time to crack the Nouveau Beaujolais which went on sale at 12:01 am.  It’s an interesting story in marketing and winemaking, look it up.  The premise is to get a wine to market quickly that is juicy and fruity without much structure, aging capacity or complexity.  It’s supposed to be a fun wine.  This one will hopefully replicate last year’s success. Pale to medium purple colored with low viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this Gamay shows off textbook aromas of grape, bubblegum, cherry, lilac, purple licorice, sweet black plum, açaí berry and banana.  This profile is due to the carbonic maceration technique used to rapidly vint this wine.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and low tannins.  Light-bodied, this beauty gives me grape bubblegum, cherry, banana, açaí berry and black plum along with a trace of wood shavings.  The finish is zesty with the acidity lingering longer than the short-medium term of the fruit.  It’s worth every cent of its $15 price and get 89 points from me, respectable for what it is.  Run out and get a bottle, drinking window is till the end of the month.  5 Stars!  Salut….

Concha y Toro Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot NV, Central Valley, Chile

15 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of plum, asparagus, chocolate powder and blackberry.  The green vegetal note is out of place.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity and low tannins.  A lightweight body produces some mediocre flavors of plum and black cherry but the green vegetable thing is still there and it’s off-putting.  The wine has a funkiness about it that I don’t care for, it’s prevalent on the mid palate and the short finish.  I much preferred the straight up Cabernet Sauvignon from Frontera.  This $8 per magnum bottle gets 78 points and a pass rec with 1 star.  It’s not worth the effort.  Salut….

Weingut Josef Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett 2018, Rheingau, Germany

15 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Pale lemon colored with lime highlights and a low viscosity (8% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of petrol, lemon zest, lime pith, peach, nectarine, orange blossom, honeysuckle and lanolin.  The palate is off-dry with high acidity and a light body.  It has cutting flavors of citrus zest, pith and blossom along with the telltale petrol notes this varietal can show.  There’s a sensation of slight pettilance but no bubbles show in the glass.  The finish is medium in length and crisp.  It’s a very pleasing wine that invites drinking, which at a low alcohol level is very easily done!  I was going to pair it with Souvlaki but the sweetness would detract.  It makes a delicious aperitif though and can certainly be drunk poolside, chilled to within an inch of freezing.  Not bad….  I give it 91 points and for $19- 5 stars.  I think it has some aging capacity and will develop more tertiary notes in the next 10 years.  Salut….

Coopers Hawk Camille Audacious NV, South Australia, Australia

13 Monday Nov 2023

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Deep ruby with some staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black plum, violets, acai berry, cassis, mint, crushed gravel, charred oak and some baking spice.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are silky.  A full body awaits with ripe black currants, black plum, mint, charred oak, a pretty floral note and some mineral tones.  The finish is long and full of ripe black fruit and some oak influence, delicious.  It goes on for quite a while.  The structure is very balanced and the wine has a generous mouthfeel.   This Shiraz based wine is going to pair well with our Roast Rib dinner but I would also throw it at some grilled lamb chops, a venison roast or even beef brisket in the smoker.  At $60, it’s not a weekday pounder but it gets high marks from me with 93 points.  Drink this 4 star effort till 2030.  Salut….

Neethlingshof Estate Pinotage 2021, Stellenbosch, South Africa

02 Thursday Nov 2023

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Deep ruby colored with some light staining and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black cherry, dark plums, dried coconut, violets and baking spice.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins.  A medium to full-body ensues with some tartness that hits me right off the bat.  The dark fruit I got on the nose are present as is the violets and baking spice, not so much the coconut though.  The finish is tart with some charcoal notes along with the cherry and plum notes.  It’s a bit disjointed for me, the tartness plays agains the ripeness of the fruit.  I am pairing this 87 point wine with grilled Tri-tip and Greek potatoes.   Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Clarendon Hills Grenache ‘Romas’ 2011, Australia

01 Wednesday Nov 2023

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A brief note- en point and at peak,. This is a delicious and full throttle Grenache that is layered with ripe fruit, great structure and a long finish. It will pair beautifully with my minted Lamb Shanks and should drink well till 2028. A stunner.  Salut….

Concha y Toro Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon NV, Central Valley, Chile

01 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Medium ruby with low viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red plum, ripe pomegranate, black raspberry, cocoa powder and bell pepper.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and low tannins.  A light body makes this a very pleasing and easy to quaff red that has flavors reminiscent of the nose that carry through to a slightly tart finish that is thin and short.  Folks- this is a sub $8 per Magnum bottle of wine.  It serves the purpose and I will be reducing it for gravy and stock to braise my lamb shanks in.  It would do the trick at a summer BBQ outdoors.   It gets 82 points from me with a drink now window.  4 stars believe it or not.  Salut….

Osborne Manzanilla Sherry NV, Spain

31 Tuesday Oct 2023

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Pale lemon with pink highlights and medium viscosity (15% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of yeasty bread, preserved lemon, dill, green almond and sea spray.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a full body.  The intensity of the flavors is medium (+) and features the bready notes I got on the nose along with bitter green almond, some citrus and herbal hints.  It finishes long and a touch astringent but it’s delightful.  A delicious aperitif that gets 90 points from me and at $16- 5 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….