Tag Archives: $14

Joel Gott Wines 815 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, California, USA

16 Monday Mar 2020

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Semi opaque in the glass.  The nose is straight up Napa sunshine.  Black currants galore, like Ribena.  Licorice and cola are present to a degree.  On the palate it’s as expected- rich, warm blackcurrants, lithe tannins, juicy acidity and some star anise.  The iodine comes back alongside Maduro with blackberry jam on the midpalate.  The structure of this wine is decent, the tannins are of medium intensity and the acidity is in check.  The finish ends on a dry note of black tea, blackberry and more iodine.  Quite tasty and worthy of 90 points.  Drink till 2027 with charcuterie or a marbled steak.  $14 and 5 stars.  Salut….

Chateau Pelan Bellevue 2016, Cotes de Bordeaux Francs, France

16 Monday Mar 2020

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I did not make notes on the first night, palate fatigue…On night two- it’s a rich purple and opaque.  On the nose it’s very earthy with notes of tobacco, iodine and blackberry.  On the palate it is very interesting- the uniqueness of the secondary flavors piques my interest.  Black cherries come out along with very concise tannins.  There’s a touch of astringency on the midpalate that I’m willing to overlook- the wine is multilayered enough for me to concentrate on the other facets.  It’s interesting, of decent quality and intriguing.  The finish leaves me with a desire for another mouthful.  89 points 5 stars for this $14 Merlot/Cab/Franc blend.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Inniskillin Pinot Noir Niagara Peninsula 2018, Canada

16 Monday Mar 2020

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I drank an Inniskillin Pinot last summer that blew my socks off.  I wanted to find it again on a recent trip to Montreal.  This was the best the shop had.  See through, medium purple.  Strawberry ganache and cherry on the nose.  The palate- I get sour cherry, charcoal and earthiness.  The mid palate is focused, cherry and rhubarb.  On the finish it’s rather short but tannins emerge to round it out.  89 points and a little underwhelming considering the hype I built over the other bottle.  $14 makes it a 3 star effort to drink till 2026.  Salut….

PS. Stock photo as I forgot to take one

Cameron Hughes Lot 676 White Blend 2016, Santa Barbara, California

02 Monday Mar 2020

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Very golden in the glass, beautiful and rich.  On the nose I get peach stone, yellow apple, melon.  On the palate it’s quite different- I still get peach stone, but the focus is more pineapple, honeydew, lanolin.  The mouthfeel is quite full, a nice level of acidity and some glycerin.  The mid palate shows off stone fruit and a touch of sour apple.  The finish is medium length and continues the theme nicely.  This is a good blend of Roussane, Viognier and Marsanne that I would serve with caeser salad, smoked salmon or grilled chicken.  89 points, $14 and 4 stars.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 672 Chardonnay 2017, Rogue Valley, Oregon

02 Monday Mar 2020

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Very pale yellow in the glass, but interesting to look at. The nose has lemon zest, walnuts, .  The palate is fresh, not cutting.  I get a citrus component and pineapple.  It’s very tasty and easy to drink.  The mouthfeel is light and bright, not much acidity and no cloying oak.  It’s a wine made for easy foods, appetizers or a poolside quaff.  88 points but a real treat at $14.  3 stars.  Salut..

Fonseca Premium Reserve Bin 27 Port, Portugal

24 Friday Jan 2020

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Black.  Opaque.  Thick.  On the nose it’s very lush- burnt damson, plum extract and raisin compote.  The palate is thick, rich and exactly what I wanted/expected. It’s delicious. Midpalate -wise it gets tannic, more dark fruits and some great mouthfeel.   This is truly a delicious dessert wine.  Rich, full-on and multi-dimensional, it ticks many boxes.  The finish is a grainy, tannic event that features some nice purple fruits with walnut notes and some raisin jam.  Delicious.  90 points and for $14, its a 5 star drinker.  Salut….

Tommasi Le Prunee Merlot Venezie IGT 2017, Italy

24 Friday Jan 2020

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A lighter shade of purple and semi opaque in the glass with thick legs showing.  The nose is a bit off-putting.  I fear it may be corked as I’m getting stewed plums meet bacon fat.  The palate does not confirm any fault- maybe the nose needs to waft a bit.  On the initial I get raspberry and toffee.  It’s strange but intriguing.  There’s a warmth to it that I like.  Cinnamon and cloves mingle with those red berries on the mid palate and some fine grained tannins appear.  The finish is a little thin but offers more red fruits and some fruit cake.  There’s a lot of spices involved here, they seem to clash a bit with the primal fruits.  Acidity is decent and the finish is of medium length.  I kinda like this wine even though it’s atypical and heavily into the spice.  I don’t know offhand what to pair it with but drink till 2023.  88 points and for $14 it’s a 3 star wine.  Salut….

La Loggia ‘Toscaia’ Rosso Toscana IGT 2017, Tuscany, Italy

07 Tuesday May 2019

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It’s a pretty shade of purple in the glass with a 98 point sticker on the bottle….. hmmm.  The nose is thin but offers up strawberry coulis and cherry juice.  On the palate it has much more presence.  A rich mouthful of dark cherry, strawberry extract and cola hit me square on.  Tannins introduce themselves right away and are not holding back.  This is a hefty wine, with structure to boot.  The mid palate has more of that extracted cherry that is almost overwhelmed by the tannic grip.  Wow, this wine is built.  The finish is very astringent yet tasty.  Red fruits swirl alongside black tea and jaw drying tannins.  It’s certainly an interesting wine that I am really enjoying, yet wondering what the cellaring potential is as there is very little acidity.  The tannins and fruit are certainly present, I am just a little concerned about the long term structure.  Let’s see in a few years.  For now, enjoy this Merlot/Sangiovese blend with pasta, steaks or moussaka.  It gets a realistic 91 points from me and 5 stars for the $14 price I paid.  Drink till 2027 at the least.  Salut….

Buttercream Chardonnay 2017, California, USA

28 Sunday Apr 2019

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Medium shade of gold in the glass.  The nose has definitely got butter. Marzipan, banana and lemon peel also feature.  On the palate it is very round, tasty and full bodied.  That marzipan comes back at me with lemon, beeswax and oak staves.  The mid palate shows some citrus and floral components that move on to the finish.  I get almost a tannic bite right at the end- interesting.  Very easy to drink without a huge dose of acidity.  It’s a nice aperitif and will pair well with my grilled hens and bacon draped Brussel sprouts.  89 points and 5 stars if you like this style of oaky Chard that sells for $14.  Drink now.  Salut….$14

Poggiobello Pinot Grigio Colli Orientali del Friuli 2017, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

11 Thursday Apr 2019

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Really pale, straw yellow in the glass. On the nose it is very citrusy with melon and bartlett pear notes as well as a touch of rose water.  On the palate it is much meatier with a creaminess that I was not expecting.  Hazelnuts hit me alongside green apple and lemon zest.  The acidity is of medium intensity with a nice long finish of lemon.  89 points and 4 stars for this $14 effort.  Drink till 2022 with seafood, baked chicken or even Fettucine Alfredo.  Salut….