Castello di Gabbiano Cavaliere d’Oro Chianti DOCG 2021, Tuscany, Italy

27 Monday Oct 2025

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Pale ruby colored with copper highlights, and a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, red cherry, baking spices, red currant jam, lingonberry, and wild flowers.  It’s got a bit of tertiary development starting, which excites me.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are a touch coarse.  The flavors are red fruit driven with some evolution already happening. The jammy/stewed note I got on the nose is evident and there is some old oak notes coming through.  There is a flowery hint alongside some spiciness.  The tannins are certainly present and keep gripping throughout the medium (-) length finish.  I’ll be honest, this is a Magnum that was on sale for $18.74, marked down from $25 at my local grocery store.  I bought it to use in a beef shin braise and obviously had to taste it.  I think it’s a nice wine, slightly unbalanced by the roughness of the tannins, but I am willing to overlook that.  I think it’s very serviceable and it gets 89 points from me.  I will be back to buy the rest before anyone else realizes that there’s some aged Chianti going cheap.  I would drink within the next three years, hopeful that the tannins meld and pair it with pasta.  5 stars believe it or not!  Salut….

Castello di Gabbiano Cavaliere d'Oro Chianti

Heidi Schrock & Sohne Spatlese 2024, Burgenland, Austria

26 Sunday Oct 2025

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Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen that shows high viscosity (11.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of honey, tangerine peel, orange marmalade, white blossom, peach candy, lanolin, lemon verbena, and candied ginger.  The palate is  sweet, with medium (+) acidity, and a full body thanks to the residual sugar.  The flavors mirror the nose and run through to a long finish that sits nicely on the palate.  The acidity is masked on the back end but my mouth is watering!  It’s not overly heavy- the body is very nice and balanced.  It’s well made and delicious, worthy of 93 points from me.  I liked it at the winery when we tasted there, but it’s gotten better since I opened this bottle two nights ago.  I wish I had a few for the cellar to watch the evolution.  I found it online at $24 making it a 5 star effort to sip with dessert.  Salut….

Heidi Schrock & Sohne Spatlese

Purcari ‘Freedom’ Blend 2022, IGP Stefan Voda, Moldova

20 Monday Oct 2025

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Deep purple colored, with moderate staining, and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of blueberries, acai berry, a medicinal note, coffee, blackberry, black plum, dried leather, and pine wood.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are starting to meld.  Flavor intensity is medium and mirrors the nose.  The finish is medium in length and the tannins turn powdery fine and lithe.  It’s a delicious blend of 65% Saperavi (a teinturier grape), 20% Rara Neagra and 15% Bastardo.  I chose it to pair with grilled Ribeye Cap steaks, it’s gonna be perfect.  At $20, this 91 pointer gets 5 stars.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Purcari 'Freedom' Blend

Monchiero Langhe Nebbiolo 2022, Piedmont, Italy

12 Sunday Oct 2025

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Pale ruby colored with copper highlights, and medium (-) viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of red cherries, green herbs, orange peel, rose, and tobacco.  It needs coaxing.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) body, and high tannins.  The flavors are slightly more intense than the nose, yet there is a one-dimensional aspect along with some bitterness.  The tannins grip for ages, but the astringent feeling is midpalate driven and fades before the tannins.  It’s not my favorite.  The finish is medium in length and concentrates on red cherry and herbs.  I am planning on pairing it with roasted tenderloin, it should work okay as I have a Rösti on the side that might tame the tannins.  87 points from me for this $24 effort makes it a 3 star wine.  I would cellar a bottle or two and re-taste in 3-5 years.  Salut….

Monchiero Langhe Nebbiolo

Heidi Schröck & Söhne winery tour

08 Wednesday Oct 2025

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Moxie and I rented a car to get out of Munich post-Oktoberfest so we could travel around Bavaria and Austria.  Some spare time in our schedule allowed me to send a quick request to visit a winery in Rust, on Lake Neusiedl which is south of Vienna.  I chose this winery based on reviews of their wines, particularly the specialty of the region- Ruster Ausbruch.

We were greeted by Johannes, one of the twins in charge of the winery.  He was most gracious and informative, explaining all the wines, followed by a tour of the cellars.  It was a truly fun experience and we left with some treasures to enjoy at home.

My favorite was the Furmint Auslese- golden colored, it had everything I wanted in a dessert wine.  Great acidity, honeyed apricot, sweet but not sickly.  Amazing stuff and well priced.  The reds were good, but I feel this region’s strength lies in the whites and their respective stickies.  The Weissburgunder was en pointe, only being bested by the Rocks & Acid.  The barrel tasting of the Muskateller was interesting, having been racked only once and still unfiltered.  The flavors shone through, a promising wine for sure.

Well worth a visit, it’s only an hour out of Vienna.  I would imagine the town of Rust is packed in the season, there’s even a marina on the lake and quite a few wineries and restaurants.

Salut….

Domaine du Grand Montmirail Vacqueyras Mas Carré 2022, Rhone Valley, France

29 Monday Sep 2025

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining, and a medium (+) viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of smoke, bacon, black cherry, black raspberry, garigue, and wet stone.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins.  The flavors are more pronounced than the nose but the dark, brooding fruit is there as are the smoldering notes.  Licorice appears and there’s a slightly gamy profile thanks to the Syrah (45%) that is tempered by Grenache at 55%.  The finish is a bit astringent, which is actually enticing.  The length is medium (-).  It’s a fun, food centric wine that might be a touch ascerbic if drunk alone.  89 points from me, with a drink by window till 2030.  At $25, it gets 3 stars.  I am pairing it with roasted Shoulder Filet and Harissa potatoes.  Salut….

Domaine du Grand Montmirail Vacqueyras Mas Carré

Ravines Wine Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Finger Lakes, New York

25 Thursday Sep 2025

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Pale straw colored with lowish viscosity (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of cut grass, lemon/lime soda, passion fruit, papaya, and cut green herbs.  The palate is dry, with high acidity, and a medium (-) body.  The flavors are medium in intensity and mirror the nose ending with a medium length finish.  There’s nothing too exciting going on, it’s a subtle approach to Sauvignon Blanc.  I am pairing it with Lobster Scampi, I think the acidity will go nicely with the buttery garlic.  88 points from me for this $17 effort makes it a 3 star wine to enjoy in the short term.  Salut….

Ravines Wine Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Paolo Scavino Sorriso Langhe Bianco 2023, Piedmont, Italy

23 Tuesday Sep 2025

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Medium lemon colored with gold accents, and a watery sheen (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lanolin, lemon pith, lime, tangerine, white grapefruit, peach, green herbs, and wet rock.  The palate is dry, with a medium (+) body and medium acidity.  The fullness of the wine detracts initially from the flavors- of which I get grapefruit, melon, peach, lemon zest, and bouquet garni.  The finish is medium (+) in length and the acidity starts to grip at that point, the fruit lingering ever so.  Delicious and pairing beautifully with roast Cod and Brussel Sprouts.  91 points for this $18 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  A delicious un-oaked Chardonnay/SavBlanc/Viognier blend that has not gone through MLF.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Paolo Scavino Sorriso Langhe Bianco

ZD Wines Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Napa Valley, California

21 Sunday Sep 2025

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I’m a little concerned about this bottle, the cork is showing signs of seepage, but here goes.  Deep ruby colored, slight staining, and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of blackberry coulis, vanilla, baking spice, black plum reduction, a hint of eucalyptus, toasted oak, cedar lined cigar box, acai berry, a trace of toasted coconut, and a touch of cassis.  There’s obvious ripeness in this Napa Cabernet- the sun was definitely shining!  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins- but there’s also a definitive sourness to the wine.  Is it seepage from the cork?  The fruit is slightly muted, but still showing ripeness and structure.  The tannins smooth out nicely and the finish is long with dark fruit dominating, yet there’s something slightly out of balance.  For such a rich and ripe wine, the tartness is quite obvious.  I wonder if the bottle is flawed?  Tertiary development is forthcoming as the primary fruit is still the driving force, I would imagine a long lived wine if stored correctly and a cork that was intact.  I can only go 92 points on this award winning wine which runs $257 ex-chateau.  3 stars- pairing with grilled tri-tip.  Salut….

ZD Wines Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Massaya Classic – Le Colombier Rouge 2021, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

16 Tuesday Sep 2025

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Medium ruby colored, with slight staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black raspberry, cedar, blackberry coulis, menthol,  coffee bean, dark chocolate, wild herb, and ripe fig.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are pretty grippy.  The flavors hone in on black fruit with iodine, menthol and oaky wood notes.  It’s a young bottle, which is typical for Lebanese wines- they have great longevity.  The finish is pretty dry and tannin driven for the first part.  The fruit notes end medium in length, leaving me with a slightly bitter after taste.  It’s yummy, but young.  It’s a blend of 35% Grenache Noir, 35% Consult, and 30% Tempranillo.  I would give it a potential 90 points, it cost me $19 and gets 4 stars.  Drink till 2035.  Salut….

Massaya Le Colombier Rouge