Tag Archives: $15

Botani Old Vines Moscatel 2022, Sierras de Malaga, Spain

02 Saturday Mar 2024

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Pale lemon colored with copper highlights and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of peach, jasmine, lemon curd, white blossom, honeysuckle, tangerine peel and a waxy lanolin. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a full body and some bitterness (skin contact perhaps?). Flavors of Jasmine tea, honeysuckle, lemon and tangerine skin, hints of peach and a salty minerality.  The finish is medium in length and the bitterness has worn off at this juncture leaving the mouthfeel a touch waxy with some saline and honey.  I am really enjoying the tropical notes of this rather aromatic wine, albeit not overly complex.  It gets 90 points from me and 5 stars, I paid just under $15 for it.  I’m gonna pair it with roast duck leg and mashed sweet potato.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Osborne Cream Sherry NV, Jerez, Spain

19 Friday Jan 2024

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Cream sherry is made by adding a sweet sherry like Pedro Ximenez to the base Oloroso sherry- itself an oxidatively aged wine made from Palomino grapes.  As such the wine has a much darker hue than a pale or medium sherry.  This one is a gorgeous pale amber with orange highlights and high viscosity (17% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of caramel, burnt sugar, walnuts, Brazil nuts and figs.  The palate is off-dry to sweet with medium (+) acidity and a full body.   Layers of burnt sugar, caramel and nuts with some ripe fig nuances lead to a medium length finish.  It’s a nice drop to enjoy as an aperitif but it would certainly hold its own postprandial.  I paid $15 but it’s available for $11 online, which makes it a steal.  88 points from me- 5 stars.  Salut….

Sam Plunkett The Halo Effect Late Harvest Viognier 2020, Strathbogie Ranges, Australia

09 Saturday Dec 2023

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Pale gold with high viscosity (10.3% ABV) due to the residual sugar.  The nose of this dessert wine has medium (+) intensity aromas of oaky vanilla, apricot, blossom, peach, and more oak.  The palate is sweet with high acidity and a full body.  There is a touch of astringency from the lengthy oak contact which is interesting.  A heavy cloak of oak hangs over the more subtle apricot, honey, peach and orange blossom flavors.  If you are a fan of Cali chards that are oak dominated then this sweet wine is right up your alley.  I’m infatuated with this bottle, it’s very interesting and will go well with our pear tart and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.  At $15 for a 500 ml bottle this 92 pointer gets 5 stars.  I would love to have more to track the evolution, which may well last till 2035.  Salut….

Torres Coronas Tempranillo 2016, Catalunya, Spain

19 Sunday Nov 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity legs in the glass (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of blackberry, dusty bramble, oaky spice, vanilla, leather, dill and desiccated plum.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are fully melded into this medium bodied wine.   I get flavors of blackberry, bramble, a dusty component, leather and well integrated oak nuance.  This is a very smooth wine with a lovely mouthfeel that lasts for a short to medium finish.  It’s at peak now and will go nicely with lighter meat dishes as the flavors are not as pronounced as the nose.  I paid $12 as it was a bin-end, available for $15 online.  It gets 88 points from me and 4 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2023, Beaujolais, France

16 Thursday Nov 2023

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It’s the third Thursday in November- time to crack the Nouveau Beaujolais which went on sale at 12:01 am.  It’s an interesting story in marketing and winemaking, look it up.  The premise is to get a wine to market quickly that is juicy and fruity without much structure, aging capacity or complexity.  It’s supposed to be a fun wine.  This one will hopefully replicate last year’s success. Pale to medium purple colored with low viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this Gamay shows off textbook aromas of grape, bubblegum, cherry, lilac, purple licorice, sweet black plum, açaí berry and banana.  This profile is due to the carbonic maceration technique used to rapidly vint this wine.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and low tannins.  Light-bodied, this beauty gives me grape bubblegum, cherry, banana, açaí berry and black plum along with a trace of wood shavings.  The finish is zesty with the acidity lingering longer than the short-medium term of the fruit.  It’s worth every cent of its $15 price and get 89 points from me, respectable for what it is.  Run out and get a bottle, drinking window is till the end of the month.  5 Stars!  Salut….

Specially Selected Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Napa Valley, California

16 Monday Oct 2023

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Deep ruby colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Aromas of candied plum, black raspberry, violets, licorice and nutmeg.  The palate is dry (?) with medium acidity and medium tannins.  I’m not sure if there is any residual sugar here, perhaps a trace.  The candied aroma I got on the nose is showing off as really ripe black currants on the palate.  I still get the black raspberry and licorice as well.  The body is medium in weight and the wine finishes with a short ending.  I like the mouthfeel of this $15 Aldi wine, it’s not overly grippy or tart, easy to drink and generally very agreeable.  I would pair this Napa Cab with grilled burgers, perhaps pizza or even lamb shanks.  It gets 89 points from me and 4 stars.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Specially Selected Vidal Icewine 2021, Niagara-on-the-lake, Canada

23 Saturday Sep 2023

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I must say I’m intrigued- a sub $15 Icewine from ALDI?  Yup, Moxie and I went shopping there yesterday and I came across this little gem from Canada.  It has a beautiful pale gold color with high viscosity (10.5% ABV, but plenty of RS).  The nose has intense aromas of honey, apricot, orange peel, candied/sugared citrus rings, white blossom and yellow apple.  The palate is sweet with high acidity and a full body.  Rich flavors of honey, desiccated apricot, orange zest and a tropical note like candied pineapple.  It’s silky smooth and unctuous with the acidity really dominant throughout the journey to a medium length finish.  It’s a real treat, something that will go well with an apple tart or almond cake.  This wine may last a while, the structure is there and for the price- you may as well buy a case and watch its evolution.  I’m off to buy more in the morning.  Delicious stuff that gets 91 points from me and an obvious 5 star rating.  Salut….

TYKU Red Flower Sake

18 Monday Sep 2023

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I honestly cannot recall the last time I drank Sake.  I do remember reading about it in one of my wine courses so when I saw this bottle at my local Costco I figured WTH.  It starts out clear, as can be expected with a watery sheen showing off a low viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose is interesting- I get some herbal notes, vegetal aromas, yellow pear and a bit of perfume like incense.  The palate is dry with some tongue twisting component- acid?  If so, it’s a different feel from wine.  Very smooth- this drink delivers pear, vegetal and floral flavors with virtually no heat on the back end that is medium in length.  I’m searing some Ahi tuna so this is the natural pairing.  Serve chilled and drink on release.  I paid $15, a great price to introduce yourself to this lighter style of Sake.  Salut….

Camille Benitah Limite Red 2020, Paso Robles, California

16 Saturday Sep 2023

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Medium ruby colored with high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red plum, pomegranate, violet, meat, blackberry jam and a creme de menthe hint.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are plush.  This blend of Cabernet, Grenache, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Mourvedre, Carignan and Primitivo is very smooth with ripe fruit and subtle nuances from each grape.  It shows the warmth of the region in the way the fruit is sweet but there is no residual sugar.  The full body is lush and coats my palate with beautiful layers- delicious stuff.  The finish is long and somewhat dry but not astringent, the tannins are en pointe.  This $15 offering gets 92 points from me and will be paired with grilled burgers tonight.  5 stars, drink till 2027.  Salut….

Clos des Fous Pour Ma Gueule 2019, Maule Valley, Central Valley, Chile

14 Thursday Sep 2023

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Pale ruby colored with a bit of haze and medium viscosity ((13% ABV).  The nose needs a bit of coaxing but once there- red and black cherry, baking spice, blueberry pie and herbs.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and low tannins.  A medium body that reveals a smooth mouthfeel with flavors of cherry, a medicinal note, coffee and herbs.  The finish is short to medium in length and ends on a bit of a sour note.  It’s a decent drop that gets 87 points from me and should drink nicely till 2027.  For $15 it gets 3 stars. This Cinsault blend has some Pais and Carignan.  It got 91 points from others, I don’t see how.  Salut….