Mission Estate Winery Reserve Syrah 2020, Gimblett Gravels, New Zealand

31 Thursday Aug 2023

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Deep purple with medium viscosity and slight staining (14% ABV).  The nose gives me medium intensity aromas of blueberry, açaí berries, black plum, pepper, vanilla and cardamom. The aromas are very pinpoint.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannins that are very smooth like powder, and a full body. Dark fruit with florals and sweet oak make for a very smooth and delicious palate.  The finish is quite long and reveals a core of rich, ripe blueberry wrapped with those powdery tannins- a delicious drop that gets 92 points from me.  Drink this $20 wine till 2030.  Purchased in the UK, wishing we had it over here in ‘murica cause it’s a 5 star wine.  Salut….

In Situ Reserva Pinot Noir 2020, Aconcagua Valley, Chile

31 Thursday Aug 2023

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Very pale ruby, medium viscosity (13% ABV). The nose has telltale Pinot aromas of cherry, strawberry, baking spices, pomegranate and straw.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a trace of tannic grip.  Light to medium bodied it’s a delicate affair that gives me red fruit, baking spices and some earthiness.  I like this wine.  It has a shortish finish but for $ 15 it’s not a bad drop.  I ordered it for dinner to pair with braised lamb shanks – plus a chicken liver starter.  It should work.  88 points.  Drink this 4 point wine now.  Salut….

Francois Cotat Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu 2013, Loire, France

31 Thursday Aug 2023

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I recently travelled to the UK where I had dinner with a fellow wino.  He pulled this maturing Sauvignon Blanc out for openers- it was probably the best Sancerre I have ever tasted.  My notes were crude but you get the idea.

Viscous, pale lemon- surprising with medium viscosity (13% ABV). Intense aromas of gooseberry, lime verbena, jalapeño, asparagus.  High acidity, medium (+) bodied with a very unique opening- vegetal medley with a smoky note, perhaps a bit reductive?  Burnt sulphur that should ease off once in air.  Stunning and young- till 2030. 93 points for this $100 bottle makes it a 4 star wine in my books.  Salut….

Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2010, Rioja DOCa, Spain

30 Wednesday Aug 2023

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Here’s the preamble- I fell in love with this wine when I bought a 1990’s vintage and it blew my socks off.  When I saw this newest vintage on sale (it’s not made every year), I snagged 4 bottles for my buddy and I.  The next month it garnered top spot in Wine Spectator’s Annual award and its price shot up 80% overnight.  This particular bottle travelled to the English countryside after a trip across the Atlantic and was popped that night, buyer beware.

Medium garnet with some wall staining and high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of sweet oak, ripe blackberry, coconut, dried dill, fig, walnut, brown sugar, steeped plum, vanilla cream and tobacco. Medium acidity, medium (+) tannins that are fine grained and well integrated plus a full body.  Silky smooth with melded flavors of oak nuance, ripe black fruit, nuts and some tertiary development – yet it lacked the telltale dusty notes I usually get from Rioja. A long finish upped the scores on this wine as I felt it was slightly underwhelming from my expectations-  still a spectacular wine that gets 94 points from me and at the current price of $230 it only grabs 3 stars on my scale.  A blend of Tempranillo that was aged in American oak with 15% Mazuelo (Cariñena) that has French oak aging.  Drink till 2035 but careful with pairing it too aggressively, it’s delicious all by itself.  I’m going to revisit in a few years and not subject the bottle to a bumpy airplane ride.  Salut…

Tenuta di Renieri Chianti Classico DOCG 2020, Tuscany, Italy

18 Friday Aug 2023

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Medium ruby colored with some slight staining and medium viscosity (14% ABV).  Aromas of cherry, tar, damp leaf and charred oak with loganberry and anise supporting.  The palate is dry with high viscosity and med (+) tannins that are a touch hard.  The enamel on my teeth is begging for mercy.  A rather full body will certainly fool the uninitiated- just because it’s not a dark and opaque red doesn’t mean it can’t have a kick.  The slightly tart red fruit is evident as is the oak and some searing tannins on the mid palate.  Young, this one needs a few years to mellow out and start tertiary development as well softening of the tannins.  It should age particularly well considering its towering structure with a drinking window of 2026-2033.  I will be generous and see into my crystal ball- 92 points for $20 this Sangiovese gets it 5 stars, just give it time.  Pasta is an obvious choice, as is grilled red meat with good marbling.  Salut….

El Coto de Imaz Blanco 2022, Rioja, Spain

18 Friday Aug 2023

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Pale straw colored with some effervescence and medium viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of lemon zest, grapefruit, white blossom, passion fruit, Bartlett pear and a white phenolic note.  The palate is dry, a touch bitter and has a medium (-) body.  Crisp flavors replicate the aromas but with a slight pithy divergence.  It’s an interesting wine for sure- one that is refreshing yet I feel would become tiresome after a while.  Made from Viura, this lightweight white would pair well with fresh seafood or a richly dressed salad.  Drink now.  For $12, it’s a great 88 point wine to pound all summer long.  4 stars.  Salut….

Nickel & Nickel Truchard Vineyard Chardonnay 2021, Carneros, California

15 Tuesday Aug 2023

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Pale to medium lemon colored with high viscosity (14.2% ABV).  The nose has aromas of pineapple, pear, melon, vanilla, lemon curd, white blossom, cottage cheese (sounds weird, right?), cardamom, peach and brioche.  Very complex indeed.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and a full body.  Layers of ripe pineapple, melon, pear and green apple interlaced with oak nuance that is very deft alongside pretty florals.  A medium length finish leaves a slight bit of pithy bitterness.  Delicious stuff that we are pairing with steamed lobster and baked potato.  92 points for this $50 beauty gets it 5 stars.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Real Companhia Velha Quinta das Carvalhas Late Bottle Vintage Port 2018, Portugal

14 Monday Aug 2023

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Deep ruby colored with high viscosity (20% ABV) and heavy staining on the walls.  The nose has aromas of macerated blackberry, caramel, raisins and dried fig.  The palate is  sweet with high tannins that are well integrated, and a full body.  Flavors of raisin, fig, desiccated blackberry, caramel and butterscotch.  Medium length finish on this $24 bottle that gets 91 points from me makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Kotrotsos Mavrodaphne 2018, Patras, Greece

14 Monday Aug 2023

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Pale garnet, almost like strawberry juice- with high viscosity (15% ABV).  On the nose I get stewed cherry, some warm nuts, orange peel, strawberry coulis, caramel and vanilla bean.  The palate is sweet, bordering on luscious, with low tannins and a full body.  The red fruit really comes out, but not quite so ripe as the nose.  Caramel and nuts with vanilla on the back end.  Medium length on the finish, it’s a delicious affair if you like them this sweet.  I plan on pairing this with poached pears and ice cream.  Not overly complex, it only runs $14 and get 88 points from me making it a 4 star effort to drink now.  Salut….

Chateau Destieux 2015, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

14 Monday Aug 2023

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Deep ink/ruby colored with high viscosity (14.5% ABV) and slight staining on the walls. The nose gives me aromas of blackberry compote, charcoal, black raspberry, mint, rooibos tea, blueberry jam and vanilla bean.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and high tannins.  A full body with lush flavors of ripe black fruit, oak influence and some tea- rooibos and black.  The tannins are a touch chalky and young.  There is a tartness on the mid palate that carries through to the long finish.  This wine has a good pedigree that will allow it to age gracefully, for now it is still youthful.  Drink this 92 point Merlot blend till 2032.  I’m grilling super thick Strip steaks on the charcoal and pairing some roasted King Oyster mushrooms.  We bough this bottle in St. Emilion, a beautiful town btw.  It’s not widely available but if my memory serves- $60 making it a 4 star wine.  Salut….