Williamsburg Winery Semi-dry Rosé 2023, Williamsburg, Virginia

19 Monday May 2025

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Pale strawberry colored, with a watery sheen (12% ABV). The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of red grapefruit pith, strawberry, red cherry, tangerine, fresh green herbs, and white blossom.  The palate is barely off-dry, with medium (+) acidity, and a medium (-) body.  Medium intensity flavors of red cherry, strawberry, tangerine, grapefruit pith and a lovely, airy, floral note.   The finish is medium in length- crunchy with great acidity coupled with red fruit flavors.  The residual sugar (1.5g/l) is just noticeable and really balances out the rather high acidity, making the wine taste fresh and zippy.  It’s a great aperitif and would pair nicely with a salmon salad, shrimp cocktail or a hard-cheese board.  I like it.  88 points and for $17- it gets 4 stars.  An interesting blend of 52% Tinta Cao, 32% Vidal Blanc and 16% Roussanne that will drink well until 2028.  Salut….

Williamsburg Winery Semi-dry Rose

Luis Vieira Reserva Capital 2020, Portugal

18 Sunday May 2025

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Deep ruby colored, with medium viscosity (13.5 % ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, blackberry, licorice, coffee, mint, a hint of game, and cracked pepper.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body and medium tannins.  Medium intensity flavors of blackberry, black plum, kirsch, licorice, coffee and black pepper.  The finish is medium in length.  Overall this is a well made wine that will drink nicely till 2028 and pair great with steaks, burgers, and pasta.  It gets 88 points from me and for $14- 4 stars.  An interesting blend of Trincadeira (40%), Syrah (40%), and Aragonez, aka Tempranillo making up the balance.  Salut….

Luis Vieira Reserva Capital

Vazisubani Estate 3 Qvevri 2023, Kakheti, Georgian Republic

16 Friday May 2025

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Pale to medium amber colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of apricot, spun honey, white blossom, green almond, grapefruit, tangerine, and melon.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins (yes, orange wine has tannins!).  Medium intensity flavors of bitter apricots, honey, white blossom, grapefruit pith, tangerine skin and astringent green almond.  This wine is quite bitter, by design.  The fragrance of the honey, apricot and white blossom transcends into a pith driven tannic wine that is now giving me over-steeped white tea notes.  The finish is medium in length with the acidity finally overstepping the tannic grip.  An interesting blend of Rkatsiteli, Mstvane, and Kisi that has been fermented on the skins to dryness.  It gets 88 points from me and at $20, 3 stars.  Drink till 2028.  I am going to pair it with Vietnamese rolls and spicy dipping sauces.  Salut….

Vazisubani Estate 3 Qvevri

Fram Cinsault 2021, Citrusdal Mountain, South Africa

14 Wednesday May 2025

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Pale ruby colored, with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of cranberry, rhubarb, red cherry, vanilla, coffee, singed alder, and a slightly green herb note.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of rhubarb, cranberry, red cherry, and charred wood.  The finish is medium in length, slightly tart and very delicious.  This wine started off with a muted nose, attacked with really enjoyable red fruit and has a delightful structure that is very appealing.  This varietal is normally blended or used in rosé production.  Seeing it as a stand alone was a no-brainer.   Really yummy and worthy of 90 points.  I would drink it till 2028 with lighter meat dishes, the delicacy of this wine does not need a big fatty Ribeye.  For $17 a bottle, you gotta grab a few.  5 stars.  Salut….

Fram Cinsault

Stephane Brocard Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru 2000, Cote de Nuits, France

11 Sunday May 2025

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Medium garnet colored, edging to clear with high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of Luxardo cherries, spice box, tobacco, red plum, mushroom, forest floor, desiccated cranberries, and lavender.  It’s more youthful in sight and smell than I was expecting from a 25 year old wine.  The palate is dry with high acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium tannins that are fine grained and mostly integrated.  Medium intensity flavors of mulled cherry, dried cranberry, red plum reduction, spice box, that earthy forest floor coupled with an umami mushroom note.  The tannins start to grip on the mid palate showing off this wine’s structure, which somewhat overshadows the intensity of the fruit and tertiary notes.  The finish is medium (+) in length, adding a point to this well aged wine that is still developing and will hopefully gain more intensity whilst the tannins fully soften away.  I paid $100 for it a few months ago.   It gets 93 points from me and therefore 4 stars.  Drink this Pinot Noir till 2030?  I’m pairing it with Filet for Mother’s Day dinner.  Salut….

Stephane Brocard Clos Vougeot grand cru

Tralci Hirpini Irpinia Campi Taurasini 2019, Taurasi, Italy

09 Friday May 2025

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Medium garnet colored, with a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium  intensity aromas of desiccated cherry, strawberry and rhubarb crumble, chocolate powder, fig, dates, and Maduro leaf.  It’s developing nicely, if not a touch fast.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are fully integrated.  Medium intensity flavors of mulled cherry, baked rhubarb, fig, chocolate, dates and tobacco.  The finish is super smooth, with a touch of tartness keeping things fresh while the primary fruit flavors meld with the tertiary development nicely.  It’s a tasty drop, but I feel it is at peak and needs to be drunk sooner rather than later.  91 points from me for this Aglianico.  It runs $25 and gets 4 stars.  Salut….

Tralci Hirpini Irpinia Campi Taurasini

Sin Fronteras Los Primos 2021, California

08 Thursday May 2025

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Deep purple colored with slight staining and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, black plum, vanilla thread, violets, anise, cardamom, and espresso.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins.  Fruit intensity is medium and I get the darker red fruits I mentioned on the nose alongside a bit of spice by way of anise, vanilla and espresso.  The flowery component is missing now as is the highly aromatic cardamom.  There is a slight charred oak note as well as a hint of astringency on the mid-palate but overall this wine leads nicely into a medium length finish that is fruit driven.  I like it.  89 points for this $13 effort makes it a 4 star wine to drink over the near term.  Salut….

Sin Fronteras Los Primos

Hess Collection Allomi Vineyard Chardonnay 2021, Napa Valley, California

04 Sunday May 2025

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Pale lemon colored with very narrow legs showing off a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of popcorn, lemon brioche, orange blossom, salted caramel, pineapple, vanilla, and melon.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a full body and more intense flavors.  The buttery notes that dominated the nose take second fiddle to the lemon, brioche and vanilla notes.  It’s a heavy weighted wine with plenty of mouthfeel, lots going on.  The finish has a telltale Napa chardonnay note of butter and brioche- no doubt from judicious oak and lees stirring.  It goes on for quite a long while.  It’s perfect for the baked Red Snapper and wild rice I am pairing it with.  This is a lovely bottle that has some aging capacity and will drink nicely till 2034.  It gets 92 points from me, a tad higher if the nose was more forthcoming.  At $34, it’s a 5 star wine.  Salut….

Hess Collection Allomi Vineyard Chardonnay

Arabella Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Western Cape, South Africa

02 Friday May 2025

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Medium ruby colored with slight staining, and a medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black cherry, black plum, licorice, charred oak, mint, tomato stalk, and coffee.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity, a medium body and medium tannins that are plush. Slightly more intense flavors of black cherry, black plum, licorice, coffee, and a hint of tomato leaf.  The finish is very smooth and lush, the tannins completely melded and the ripe fruit shining through.  It’s a tasty drop with a structure to age short term that will pair nicely with filet, veal or a hearty roast duck.  I enjoyed the 2019 vintage and think this one is on par at 89 points.  Still running $13, it’s a solid 4 star wine.  Salut….

Arabella Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Franck Massard Garnacha 2021, Spain

29 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Pale ruby colored, with medium viscosity (14.2% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, garrigue, strawberry, funky mushroom, violet, and rhubarb.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins.  There’s a noticeable astringency on the mid palate.  Medium intensity flavors of red raspberry, rhubarb, pomegranate, strawberry, earthy dried herbs and some barnyard funk.  The finish is a lively, tart affair that goes on medium length.  An interesting wine that I am enjoying, as I did the 2019 vintage.  It will pair well with lighter meat dishes, tapas, or even a roast hen.  Drink till 2028.  89 points for this $15 bottling makes it a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Franck Massard Garnacha