15 Thursday Jun 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
Pretty dark purple in the glass. Nose of plum and blackberry, but it’s hard to coax the flavors as this particular bottle has been chilled. The initial taste is more blackberry with some spice box. The tannins are very subdued as is the acidity, which is atypical for this varietal. I get tar and creosote on the mid palate, with some blackberry. The finish is more black berries and some fig paste. 87 points for this $15 offering make it a 2 star wine. Salut….
24 Wednesday May 2017
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It’s pasta night and I need a Sangiovese. This one happens to be ready to go on my daily drinking shelf and I am excited.
In the glass, the color is a pale, see through reddish purple- reminiscent of Pinot Noir. On the nose, strawberry and cherry, just like Pinot. The palate introduces me to delicious strawberry and capsicum flavors, but I get a dose of heat right away. A quick glance reveals a 14.5% lurker here.
The wine transitions on the mid palate to more strawberries and a red raspberry jam. The alcohol still permeates though and I am not sensing much in the way of tannins, until the very end. The finish is where they appear, very well integrated but lacking a good dose of acidity, just more heat. The wine is delicious, yet unbalanced and I fear it will not hold out well in the cellar, which is a shame as I would love to revisit this one in 10 years. 88 points, the structure and excessive alcohol being detractors. I really do enjoy the flavors though. For $28 it is a 2 star wine for me. Salut….
13 Thursday Apr 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
10 Friday Mar 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
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$20, 2 stars, 86 points, cabernet sauvignon, Italy, sangiovese, Tuscan
I just saw the 95 point sticker on the label, it must be good or this particular critic is dead to me…
Dark purple color, from the 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. Lets see what the 50% Sangiovese brings. Olives, plum jam and seaweed hit the nose. On the palate I get a very intriguing flavor. I can’t quite put my finger on it…Black plums, dark, dark stone fruits and perhaps black tea leaves. I am getting a very one dimensional hit of tannins as well. The mid palate is all black tea and tannins. The finish is bitter, with faint notes of black plum and oversteeped tea. I don’t get it. This wine was hyped by a pro, written up by the seller as soft and supple, with gentle tannins. Quite the opposite for me, and bottle variation doesn’t count here. This wine is barely 86 points in my book and for $20 I think I will look elsewhere. 2 stars. Salut….
07 Tuesday Feb 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
I have never tried or even heard of the Ruche grape, so I just had to give it a go. I’m winging it here with ratings and recommendations as I am flying blind and don’t know what to expect or what is typical.
A see through lighter purple in the glass. Nose of candy, strawberry and red licorice, very reminiscent of California Syrah. The initial tastes are peppery strawberry, red currants and some rather astringent tannins. The mid palate changes it up and introduces some tar, more red fruits and a very dry mouthfeel. Interesting to say the least. The tannins keep going through to the end where they mix it up with more strawberry. Somewhat one dimensional in my opinion. I bought it for $25 and it apparently got 98 points from a critic. I cannot agree nor can I argue, I just don’t know this grape- but for my money it comes in at 89 points and 2 stars. I would pass unless you like the lighter style of California Syrah, with some perky tannins thrown in. Salut….
01 Sunday Jan 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
By far the most interesting label of the year- a metallic one on this bottle of Fitou. I was intrigued and had to try it. Fitou is a region in the Languedoc, southern France and the two main grapes are Grenache and Carignan.
The wine is a medium shade of purple and offers a nose of garrigue, funk and black cherry. This may sound horrible to the layman but in wine terms, quite legitimate descriptors and ones that are sought after by certain palates. On the initial attack I am getting a somewhat thin veil of plums but more importantly, some off-putting tannins. The wine is a bit disjointed and the balance is off. It may need some time or a trip through the vinturi (Or in my case, a travel aerator).
The travel aerator
Ok, after meeting my friend Bendy, the wine mellows a little but the tannins are still green and generally unpleasant. The fruit is struggling for acceptance here and the structure is not allowing it to happen. I am wondering if I have an off bottle. Best I can go is 85 points at this tasting and for $16 this is a 2 star wine. Happy New Year! Salut….
06 Tuesday Dec 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
I had a few colleagues in town for a meeting and took them to a local restaurant for dinner. This was the only Malbec available so we took a punt and tried it. A nose of cherry, oak and black berries. The initial tastes of dark fruits get melded into a silky vanilla blueberry compote. The mid palate passes rather quickly with a hint of black berries and licorice. The finish is nice with an easy going tannin profile and very faint hints of acidity. This is a basic wine that will suffice in a pinch but I was astounded to read later on that it is only a $9 bottle that we got hosed on ($50+), but more importantly- it only got an 80 point rating from WE. That’s rather harsh, but shouldn’t a restaurant look for any ratings before buying blindly? I am not that down on it and will go with 86 points making it a 2 star wine. Salut….
09 Wednesday Nov 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
I’m in Japan and wanted to enjoy something red in my hotel room. I found this bottle at what looked like an Import Gourmet shop. I paid 1280 Japanese Yen for it, but it can be found for $8 USD. The notes: See-through pale purple that gives away the extraction of this wine. On the nose- subdued hints of dark cherry fruit and a touch of leather. Very hard to discern from a straight glass (no wine glasses in the hotel room!). On the palate I’m getting some black fruit and telltale Sangiovese notes. The wine has a refreshing acidity and a slight dryness from the well camouflaged tannins. The finish is short but decent, leaving behind some tannic components that grip the gums. This wine is relatively light in extraction, easy to quaff and a decent sundowner. 84 points make this a 2 star wine. Would I buy it again? Negative. Salut….
17 Saturday Sep 2016
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I got this bottle as a gift and thought I would open it to pair with some hearty pasta. The wine turns out to command a lofty price in excess of $50, and got decent scores from the pros. Here’s my take:
Slight bricking on the edges with a coppery tint in the glass. A delightful nose of cherry and earth. The first taste is sour cherry and green peppers. The acidity that this wine opens with carries on through to the mid palate. Right now it is one dimensional. There are some good tannins that round the wine out but to be honest it is too young. 89 points from me and pretty much a pass unless it shapes up and gets a little bit of flab, some more fruit and a little less acidity. This may happen if it gets some bottle age and nature is kind. 2 stars from me. Salut….
14 Saturday May 2016
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I just flew across the country on United Airlines. I chose this half bottle over the smaller, more generic offerings they had for sale. 2010 Bordeaux was a great year! This entry level red was hard to critique in the plastic airline cup but it looks purply enough! The nose is somewhat subdued due to the vessel but if I get my schnozzola right in there I get faint hints of pomegranate, some black berries and a touch of the plastic. My initial taste is quite nice- perhaps a bit rustic. Blue fruits and some plum stone. There are some good tannins swirling around intertwined with blueberry cola. The wine is slightly one-dimensional but is pleasing. It drinks well with some nuts and would pair with olives, a charcuterie plate or even grilled skirt steak. It gets an 85 point rating from me. Here’s the twist…. It is $16 for a 375 ML split, which equates to the same price as buying two of the regular, small bottles on United. Same price but a better wine that needs a corkscrew! I’m not sure how much it retails in the shops so I will guess $15 and give it 2 stars. Salut….
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