Tag Archives: $20

Chateau de Landiras 2014, Graves, France

15 Friday Nov 2019

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Very dark bluish purple in the glass with very fine legs, indicative of the 12.5% alcohol.  On the nose it is purple fruit, blackberry, damson and cinnamon.  The palate is surprisingly fresh, I was expecting a more traditional attack.  This one pops with plums, black cherry and lithe tannins.  The mid palate gives me cola, black cherry and some strawberry jam.  Strange, I know.  The finale is really a nice, smooth, fruity affair with really well tamed tannins holding the blackberry and cola flavors on for a good 30 seconds.  There is a trace of acidic bite, but it is appropriate and balances the nice tannins.  This is a tasty, decent wine that gets 91 points from me.  I would drink right away until 2024 with lighter meat dishes, perhaps beer-can chicken or even roast duck breast.  Strangely enough the Decanter score of 95 was opposite to the mid 80’s score given by others.  I think this is a steal at $20 and it gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Domaine Pascal & Mireille Renaud Pouilly-Fuisse Cuvee Vieilles Vignes 2017, Maconnais, France

24 Saturday Aug 2019

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It’s a medium gold in the glass with a nose of pear, apricot and banana.  The palate is tasty, with nice flavors of that pear, some citrus by way of grapefruit and some lanolin.  The mid palate has some weight, with silky smooth popcorn notes along with the fruit.  Acidity is lithe and balanced.  It makes the wine refreshing without too much cut.  The finale’ has more of that pear fruit meets lemon with a decent length finish that has me wondering how good this is going to be with the roasted Cornish Hens I am grilling.  91 points.  I paid $20, but it lists for up to $50, this is a 4 star effort at the first price. Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz/Mataro 2017, South Australia

21 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Mataro is also known as Mourvedre apparently….  Very dark and enticing purple in the glass.  On the nose there is lush blackberry, currant, oak.  On the palate it is straight up delicious.  Loads of black fruit, entwined with cloves, bramble and very subtle tannins.  The mouthfeel of this wine is phenomenal, very balanced and not overly dry nor acidic.  The mid palate shows off some sage brush alongside iodine with the friendly tannins running as well.  On the finish it starts to dry up a touch as the grip of the tannins kicks it up just a small notch.  Blackberry, Lapsang Souchong tea and that earthy brush are the main components of the medium length finish.  This is a really nice drop to drink now or cellar till 2027. 92 points and 5 stars for this $20 wine.  Salut….

Chapel Hill Parson Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, Australia

09 Tuesday Jul 2019

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Very dark purple, nearly black in the glass.  On the nose I get fresh blackberries, cedar, vanilla and coffee bean.  On the palate this wine is delicious- chock full of black fruits, a beautiful oak integration, medium grained tannins that caress at the right time and some very gentle acidity.  Aussie wines can sometimes get too jammy, especially with Shiraz- but this Cab Sav has ripeness and body without going over the edge.  The mid palate just continues the black fruit theme and the finish is long, dry and adds cinnamon and licorice to the back end.  Delightful.  91 points and 5 stars for this $20 bottle.  Drink till 2028 with steaks.  Salut….

Bodegas y Vinedos Pujanza ‘Finca Valdepoleo’ 2014, Rioja DOCa, Spain

06 Monday May 2019

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Dark purple in the glass with decent legs showing.  On the nose I get cherry and rhubarb alongside  birch bark.  On the palate it has an interesting taste- sour cherry meets cherry cola and bramble.  It is quite sour too, not from acidity unfortunately.  The mid palate is tart, with more sour cherry notes as well as some earthiness and unripe plums.  The finish is where I sense the tannic impact, with an astringency that hits my jowls.  This wine is one dimensional, lacking in ripe fruits and certainly not worth $20 in my opinion.  2 stars for this 85 point wine.  I am at complete odds with the pros here- 94 JS, 91 RP.  I must either have a strange bottle or I really need to calibrate my buds.  Salut…

Havens Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2016, Sonoma, California

25 Thursday Apr 2019

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In the glass this wine is textbook Pinot Noir- bright red, see-through with lithe legs.  On the nose I get cherry cola, strawberry and faint wood.  On the palate it screams New World Pinot with strawberry coulis, bing cherry and delightful tannins that ease into a full blown black tea extravaganza that leave my gums puckered and my teeth thoroughly dry.  The mid palate turns a little blue on me with berries and tar.  The finish is back to the original strawberry/cherry combo that I love.  The finish is long with nice balanced acidity offsetting the tannins.  91 points for this $20 wine makes it a 5 star effort IMHO.  Drink now till 2027.  I am pairing it with roasted Cornish Hens, baked Sweet Potatoes with Feta and sautéed Zucchini.  Salut….

Glenelly ‘Glass Collection’ Syrah 2013, Stellenbosch, South Africa

21 Sunday Apr 2019

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Wow- inky, dark, thick and brooding in appearance.  The nose is focused, plum torte and blackberry extract are my first impressions.  On the palate it’s full of dark fruits, tar, mint and a meaty component.  The tannins are so mild, melded and unobtrusive- making this a great sipping wine.  It’s flavorful, easygoing, adaptable yet complex.  The finish is really smooth with nice blackberry jam and bacon notes.  Medium length.  This is not a dry nor sweet wine- just nicely balanced between the extremes.  Drink till 2022.  90 points and 4 stars for this $20 effort.  The pros went higher, perhaps I need to re-calibrate!  Salut….

Allegrini Villa Cavarena Valpolicella Ripasso 2016, Veneto, Italy

02 Tuesday Apr 2019

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Very purple/black in the glass.  Brush, black cherry, blackberries and tar on the nose.  On the palate it is round, soft and full of fruit.  Black fruits galore, cedar shake, olives and that creosote all hit me across the front.  The midpalate offers more blackberries and gentle, yet fine grained tannins.  The black cherry reappears on the finale with a touch of dryness on the gums that adds to the mouthfeel.  89 points for this $20 Corvina/Rondinella blend and 3 stars.  Pair with Pasta, Veal and grilled Tuna from now till 2023.  Salut….

Chapel Hill Parson’s Nose Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, McLaren Vale, Australia

14 Thursday Mar 2019

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A deep purple wine with medium opacity.  On the nose it is lush, full of ripe plums, graced by a deft hand of oak and blackberries.  On the palate I get a more licorice and coffee initial attack.  The dark fruits appear on the mid palate.  There is not as much plum as I had been led to believe, but the juicy acidity makes me forget quickly.  The tannins are lithe, making this a drink-now wine.  The finish is more tart blueberry than blackberry.  Somewhat short in the backend.  A tasty wine that merits 88 points from me.  For $20 it gets 3 stars.  Drink till 2021 with some burgers, pizza or lasagna.  Salut….

Domaine la Soumade Rasteau 2016, Rhone, France

22 Friday Feb 2019

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Very dark in the glass.  The nose is plummy with sweet black currant syrup hints.  The palate has black currants, espresso and nutmeg notes.  Mouth drying tannins appear on the mid-palate where I  get big doses of coffee and charcoal.  The tannins really grip on the finish.  The wine begs for aeration or a juicy ribeye.  The acidity is there, somewhere.  I just can’t sense it.  Overall- quite tasty, young and in need of cellaring or aerating.  Drink till 2026 with hearty fare.  88 points from me which is in stark contrast with the monster 92+ points the pros gave it.  I think a re-taste is in order.  For now this $20 effort gets 3 stars.  Salut….