Tag Archives: 2 stars

Georges Duboeuf Domaine des Rosiers Moulin-a-Vent 2021, Beaujolais, France

16 Sunday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Medium ruby colored, with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red grape, a green vegetal note (not loving that), pomegranate, cherry cola, and baking spice.  It’s somewhat one-dimensional.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (+) tannins that are quite grippy.  Medium intensity flavors of cherry, red grape, black tea, baking spice and pomegranate are overshadowed by a noticeable astringency.  It’s not something an aerator or decanter will fix, I think the tannins are green and hard.  The finish is medium (+) in length, but the tannic grip envelopes the whole mouth.  It gets 85 points from me, hopefully the other two bottles I have will mellow out.  Running $35 online, it’s a 2 star effort for me.  I’m going to pair it with Prime Rib, hopefully the fatty cut will sort out the tannins.  Salut….

Georges Duboeuf Domaine des Rosiers Moulin-a-Vent

Tara Bella Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Russian River Valley, California

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep purple colored with slight staining and medium viscosity (13.4% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of ripe blueberry, blackberry compote, cassis, eucalyptus, chocolate powder, oak, violets, coffee, caramel and sweet plum.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium body and medium (+) tannins that are chalky.  I am a bit unnerved by the tannins tbh, they detract from the whole package and force me to consider them before I can delve into the fruit flavors.  Once over the hurdle- it’s ripe, rich dark fruit with some interesting florals and nicely exercised oak treatment.  The finish is medium in length but quite astringent, the tannic grip is a little much methinks.  I loved the 2020 Estate Cabernet  and gave it 92 points- this one only gets 89.  For the same price point of $80, it only gets 2 stars unfortunately.  I have another bottle and will re-evaluate in the near future.  Meanwhile, this one looks to last till 2030 or so, but give it time or an aeration to try and soften the tannins.  Salut….

Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir 2018, North Coast, California

21 Wednesday Aug 2024

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


Pale garnet colored with copper highlights and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of red currant, cherry jubilee, red raspberry, baking spice and rose.  It’s a bit muted.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a light body and low tannins.  Medium (-) intensity flavors of red fruit with a touch of spice and some minimal floral hints- quite a thin wine.  The finish is where it picks up steam- more red currants and some spice with gently increasing acidity and a medium length ending.  Not a stellar wine- drink now as it has no capacity to age further.  83 points for this $14 bottle makes it a 2 star effort.  Salut….

Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand

08 Thursday Aug 2024

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


I recently tasted the 2020 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir and like it, here goes with its older sibling, the 2019.  Medium ruby colored with a watery sheen (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of red raspberry, red cherry compote, baking spice, vanilla, oak plank, peppermint and granite.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body and medium (-) tannins.  The flavors echo the nose in both intensity and descriptors, not that much going on unfortunately.  The finish is a touch tart and medium (-) in length.  Overall this is not as good as the younger bottle and I would drink it right away, there is not enough intensity or structure for development.  85 points from me for this $20 effort makes it a 2 star wine.  Salut….

Raventos I Blanc Can Sumoi Sumoll – Garnatxa 2020, Catalonia, Spain

21 Sunday Apr 2024

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep purple colored with low viscosity (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of game, black plum, black raspberry, violets and some garigue.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium (-) body and medium tannins.  Flavors of game, black cherry, black raspberry and black plum with some floral highlights.  The finish is light and medium in length, not overly complex or tantalizing.  This wine is a bit one dimensional and I can feel some alcohol yet it only rings in at a modest 12.5%.  It runs $23 and gets 86 points from me making it a 2 star effort to drink by 2025.  I am pairing mine with a smoked Beef shank.  Salud….

Los Noques Cabernet Franc 2020, Uco Valley, Argentina

24 Sunday Sep 2023

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep ruby with medium viscosity (15.1% ABV).  Aromas of menthol, green pepper, blackcurrant and black raspberry.  It’s a bit tough to overcome the high alcohol on the nose but I finally let it blow off and get some notes of dried fig and tamarind.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are quite raw and green.  The body is medium to full and has blackcurrant, raspberry, fig, dusty earth and underripe blueberry.   The finish is astringent and medium in length.  A somewhat disjointed wine that needs some time to settle and let the tannins smooth methinks.  The alcohol is noticeable and bothersome unfortunately which further lowers the score of this wine.  86 points from me and at $14, it’s a 2 star effort.  Drink from 2025-2029.  Salut….

Cooper’s Hawk Winery Lux Meritage NV, California

12 Tuesday Sep 2023

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (13.9% ABV).  The nose has that candied red fruit aroma I cannot stand- so…. Red cherry jubilee, pomegranate, vanilla and a streak of minerality.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that seem to be persistent on the tip of my tongue.  This wine is full bodied and tastes better than it smells to me.  Black cherry, pomegranate, toasty oak and some earthy loam.  The tannins are quite interesting- they started out a bit brash but they have come around and caress my gums now.  The finish is medium in length making this an 88 point wine for me.  It retails at the store for $40 making it a 2 star effort in my books.  Since it’s a non-vintage wine it’s hard to give a drinking window but this bottle was purchased in 2022 and will go till 2026.  Salut….

Luis Vieira Montaria Red 2020, Portugal

22 Thursday Jun 2023

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


Medium ruby colored and slightly hazy with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has an interesting funk, like asparagus, dill and blackberry.  Imma let it blow off a few minutes.

Nope, still there.  Greeness with some pine and black fruit- very bizarre.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins.  The flavors of this medium weight wine are more in line with what I was expecting.  Black fruit, some green notes of asparagus and a touch of oak.  The wine is rather thin and one dimensional and a major pass for me.  I would rate this blend of Tinta Roriz, Touring Nacional and Syrah at 83 points.  For $10, it gets 2 stars from me.  This might be an off bottle, or it might need lots more air.  Drink now, Salut….

Freres Couillaud Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie 2020, Loire, France

27 Saturday May 2023

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,


We kicked off the 31st virtual wine tasting with this Muscadet that has been aged Sur Lie.  It was served chilled and then at room temp- both of which failed to impress.  The nose lacked any evidence of the aging process, ie. brioche, yeast or any other clue.  The palate did reveal a slightly fuller body, but alas nada on the expected flavor profile.  Instead, we got a wine that had aromas of pear, crunchy yellow apple, lanolin, honeysuckle, Seaspray and tangerine peel.  The wine had medium acidity (another non-conformist point), was medium bodied and showed a medium lemon color with low viscosity (12% ABV).  I noted the wine had a short finish and was not complex at all.  Served at room temp it was more flabby and the fruit seemed bruised.  We finally got a hint of the aging process- King’s Hawaiian Roll plus some beeswax and lanolin in addition to the aforementioned flavors.  It also turned a touch bitter and pithy.  Really not my cup of tea- it got an average of 8 points on our scoring sheets and I would give this $14 effort 86 points making it a 2 star wine.  Drink now with seafood or a Cobb salad.  Salut….

Pardon et Fils Beaujolais Nouveau 2022, Beaujolais, France

18 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


My second Nouveau of the season, following on from the delicious Georges DuBœf on release night.  This one is medium purple, a touch less opaque that the previous.  The nose has pronounced aromas of grape bubble gum, banana, red cherry candy (red licorice) and a touch of spice.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and very low tannins.  Medium (-) bodied, I get flavors of grape bubble gum, grape jelly, cherry candy, and red licorice.  It is a bit one-dimensional compared to the previous bottle.  The finish is short but the tartness rolls on for a while.  Not my favorite.  84 points and for $12, 2 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….