Tag Archives: $12

Borgo Salcetino Chianti Classico DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy

04 Sunday Nov 2018

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Light purple, medium opacity.  The nose is generous with pencil lead, blueberry and cherry, yet somewhat atypical.  On the palate it is a little restrained but there are notes of sassafras, bing cherry, rhubarb.  The mid palate gives me lots of juiciness, acidity and the beginnings of a tannic push.  The cherry component really hits on the back end.  89 points and 4 stars for this $12 effort.  I would sit on a few bottles to let the acidity reaper and the tannins to soften slightly.  2020- 2023 Salut….

Cantina Colomba Bianca ‘Vitese’ Nero d’Avola Sicilia IGT 2016, Sicily, Italy

23 Tuesday Oct 2018

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Inky purple with medium opaque hues.  Nose is crushed blueberries with black berry jam.  The palate is lovely, blueberry with açaí berry and fig.  The tannins are so sleek, they sneak up on me at the end.  The mid palate has a nice body to it and shows off more blue fruits.  The finish is of medium length, slightly dry and more of a black fruit tint.  90 points and 5 stars for this $12 wine.  Paired with Truffled Ravioli, seared Petit Sirloin and tomato jam.  Drink till 2022.  Salut….

Pierre De Taille By L Hostellerie 2017, Coteaux D Aix Provence, Rose

25 Tuesday Sep 2018

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Really pretty peach color.  On the nose- fragrant and fruity with strawberry, apricot and orange peel.  The palate is refreshing, weightier than I imagined and true to the strawberry core with orange zest and quince being the primary flavors.  A very finely balanced acidity makes for a nice mouthfeel, not overly tart yet reminding me of its presence.  The mid palate has a glycerin feel to it .  The finish is orange peel and kumquat, decent in length.  89 points and 4 stars for this $12 Rose’.  We drank it with charcuterie.  Salut….

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, South Australia

17 Thursday May 2018

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Very dark purple.  Nose is fruit forward with plums, blueberries, chocolate.  The palate gives off boysenberry, mocha, a woodsy note and some gum drying tannins.  The mid palate is very astringent.  Plum torte features with some oak.  The finish is dry, rather short in length and has some blue fruit alongside the tannins.  87 points and 3 stars for this $12 effort.  Salut….

Spellbound Petite Sirah 2014, California, USA

06 Saturday Jan 2018

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I’ve tasted the 2010 Spellbound and liked it.  For dinner tonight I ordered it as I wasn’t in the mood for a big pricy bottle.  It was $33 on the menu, the cheapest offering at this Bay Area steak house.  Dark, inky purple in the glass as is to be expected for the varietal.  The nose offers black fruits, bramble and dusty tannins.  The palate gives me a nice, easy drinking black fruited wine with easy going acidity, smooth, lithe tannins and a nice dose of sunshine.  This basic wine offers much gratification, lots of primal flavor and a great mouthfeel.  88 points and 5 stars for this $12 effort that I enjoyed quite a bit.  Salut….

Prophecy Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, California

06 Saturday Jan 2018

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Very rich purple in the glass.  The nose has a candy note to it along with a strong smell of grape juice.  The palate is welcoming and round, with very soft tannins, hints of cola, nutmeg and black berry.  It’s a very drinkable wine, without adding complexity or depth.  It has a rather short finish and I feel it was made for the short term, easily served at a barbecue or large party.  It gets 86 points from me, and for $12- 3 stars.  Salut….

Charles Smith Wines ‘Eve’ Chardonnay 2015, Columbia Valley, USA

26 Sunday Nov 2017

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I am a fan of this winery.  They produce good quality wine that is fairly priced.  Always a go to in a pinch.  I just ordered a bunch for my folks in Florida, they loved the variety that I sent.

This Chardonnay is from Washington state.  It exhibits a bright yellow color and offers a nose of apples, pear, a hint of almond.  On the palate I get a really creamy mouthfeel with green apple, Bartlett pears and more nuttiness.  The flavor profile continues throughout the mid palate and ends up on the finish with some very faint acidity.  A very generous and inviting wine, it is really easy to drink and fits the bill when you don’t want something too steely, loaded with minerality or overly tart with acidity.  This wine will drink well with Lobster!  I think it also could pair nicely with white pizza, fettuccine Alfredo and stuffed Portabello.  Drink now as it doesn’t have the stuffing to go for cellaring.  90 points from me and for $12 this is a super amazing 5 star wine.  Buy it by the case.  Salut….

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Barossa Valley Shiraz 2015, Australia

14 Thursday Sep 2017

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After trying the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon I had to line up their Shiraz and make some comparisons.  This Shiraz displays nicely in the glass with medium opacity, purple hues and a definite show of legs.  The nose is somewhat muted even after a few big swirls.  I finally coax blackberries and eucalyptus out of it.  On the palate I get black fruits with a dose of greeness that is very prominent.  There is a touch of cedar as the wine transitions to the mid palate.  I sense very fine grained tannins approaching along with a dark cherry note.  The black fruits continue on the finish but the tannins overwhelm them in the end.  The wine has a strong acidity that I can sense on my teeth.  The green notes I talked of earlier reappear on the finish.  It’s almost like the fruit included some unripe clusters that have given this wine a certain sourness along with the over abundant acidity.  85 points from me and 2 stars for this $12 effort.  Salut….

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Coonawarra, Australia

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

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Dark blackish purple in the glass. An interesting nose of sweet dark plums, sasparilla, oak and ginger.  On the palate I get very precise flavors of plum ganache, dark chocolate, violets and the beginnings of some very fine grained tannins.  The mid palate shows a bitterness I can’t figure out.  The tannins however really kick in.  The finish is a really strange compilation of blueberry pie, oak, astringent tannins and that odd bitterness.  It detracts from the full potential of this wine and makes it an 88 point wine IMHO.  I paid $12 and give it 4 stars.  I would like to re-taste in a few years, perhaps it will mellow out and gain some balance whilst losing the bitterness.  Salut….

Jacob's Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Lionel Osmin and Cie Cahors Malbec 2012, France

22 Saturday Jul 2017

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Dark purple, neatly black- which is appropriate for the region.  Cherry, tar, blackberry and bramble notes on the nose.  The palate is a touch thin but has black fruits, creosote and hints of lavender.  It has a nice acidity with some very gentle tannins. Mid palate has some good juiciness made up of plums and blackberry.  The tail end is short and sweet, as in enjoyable.  Plums, earth and violets round it out.  88 points and for $12 this is a good value that gets 3 stars from me.  Salut….

Lionel Osmin & Cie Cahors Malbec