Tag Archives: $20

Cosentino ‘The Novelist’ Meritage 2013

08 Tuesday Dec 2015

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A Napa Valley white wine blended from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  Pale yellow with a nose of lemon, asparagus and crunchy green apple. The initial attack is very soft with elegant hints of quince, yellow apple and green melon. Not as steely as a Chablis nor as buttery as a Napa chard, it sits comfortably in the middle. It possesses a longish finish than refreshes and coaxes. I’m guessing there is no malolactic fermentation and a minimal amount of new oak, but it’s just a guess. Refreshing yet hearty. 91 points.  The only drawback is the 14.5% alcohol which is well disguised.  Nicely done and for $20, this is a 4 star wine.  Salut….

cosentino novelist meritage

The Buccaneer Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

19 Tuesday May 2015

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I needed some wine for a friends evening so I stopped into Bevmo to pick some up.  I was confronted with their 5Cent sale, buy from a selection of wines at full price and the second bottle is only 5 cents- basically a BOGO offer.  This one was appealing from the shelf talker so I thought ‘what the heck’.  $10 per bottle for California Cabernet?  No brainer.

Bright damson nose with tar and plum on the first sip.   Mild tannins and gentle acidity make this very approachable.  Cinnamon and spice on the mid palate add a level of complexity and there is a longish finish of tannins and acidity that I only just noticed. 89 points with a window of 2015-2022 make this wine is a lurker. Good value from Bevmo at $20 for 2. At full price this would be a 3 star wine.  Salut….

the buccaneer cabernet sauvignon

Kirkland Signature Series Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

26 Monday Jan 2015

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We were supposed to drink this at a tasting yet ran out of time. I brought it home and opened it last week to put pen to paper. Plums and graphite on the nose made for an interesting start.  Black fruits with steely tannins were overshadowed by heat from the 14.6% alcohol. I am hoping this subsides as this wine will be good after 2 more years of cellaring.  Blackberry and plums with some cherry cola start you off.  Pencil lead and more dark fruits emerge on the mid palate and the gentle tannins finish it off. 88 points with the potential for 89 if the alcohol can meld better with some aging.  For $20 you would be hard pressed to get Stags Leap Cab of any quality, making this potentially a 4 star wine.  3 for now though.  Salut….

kirkland signature series cabernet sauvignon stags leap

Chateau Lamarsalle 2010

18 Thursday Dec 2014

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From Montagne St. Emilion comes this rather tasty wine.  Bright purple with a nose of kirsch, cassis and oak.  Crisp opening with a dried blueberry, spice box, graphite.  Mouth coating tannins are smooth and offset by some balanced acidity. This is a delicious, young wine that highlights the best of 2010 Bordeaux. Easily enjoyed now, it has the stuffing to cellar until 2020 at least. I’m willing to bet this one develops those beautiful secondary flavors that the region is famous for. Perfumed smoothness is instantly credited to the 55% Cab Franc, the balance is Merlot. Yummy and 90 points for this $20 effort.  4 stars.  Salut….

chateau lamarsalle

Edna Valley Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

22 Monday Sep 2014

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This was the first wine we opened at the Reno Air Races party last weekend.  Served with some Strip steaks on the grill it was perfect.  A dark purple glass revealed plum and meat on the nose.  Black currants and eucalyptus popped right out of the glass and jumped onto the palate of delicious tannins with a juicy acidity.  Dark plums on the mid-palate were accompanied by some slight oak which led to a nice finish.  A well balanced wine that was enjoyed by all and garnered 90 points from me.  I could not find pricing but I would imagine it to be sub $20 making it a great bargain and worthy of 3 stars from me.  Salut….

edna valley central coast cabernet sauvignon

Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes 2010

29 Friday Aug 2014

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Last weekend I had a big tasting night planned.  The Clarendon Hills Syrah was the opener.  I was then planning on doing a mini vertical of this wine with a 2011.  Problem is that I absolutely loved this bottle and ended up finishing it and saving the other one for another night.  I laid out two cheeses to go along with the sweet dessert wines.  They deserve their own blog posts- simply out of this world.The wine was poured into my Riedel dessert glass where it showed off a light golden color and had a nose of apricots, honey and almond chips. I made note of a classy smoothness with light botrytis in the initial attack. Honey and melon jam came to mind after letting the wine swirl a bit. The first sensation was of light acidity which became cutting on the mid palate. Apricot tart with a sweet minerality on the back end was a really nice way to tail it off but I was in for a surprise. I timed a rather long finish over 90 seconds which added some cloying sweetness and hazelnuts on the finale. Exquisite and worthy of 95 points from me. Here’s the bonus….. it’s only $20 and I’m buying all I can get in 375ml bottles. If you like sweet wines, this one is an absolute stunner. 5 stars for this sticky. Salut….

The original lineup, 2010 and 2011 Doisy-Vedrines

The original lineup, 2010 and 2011 Doisy-Vedrines

The cheese course, out the park with these two!

The cheese course, out the park with these two!

doisy vedrines

Shingleback The Davey Estate Shiraz 2010

11 Monday Aug 2014

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Every once in a while I come across a score that I totally disagree with.  This one is definitely in that camp.  The wine was a dark purple in the glass which was a good start.  On the nose I coaxed fruits of blue and red currants by swirling like crazy.  Once I tasted the wine I wrote ‘Picture blue plums’.  That’s all I could muster.  Bracing acidity with mild tannins made for a rather boring drink that I was trying to pair with some Hanger steak.  Two of the reviews gave this McLaren Vale Shiraz 93 points and WS gave it 88.  I’m going with 87 personally and for the $20 retail price, it gets 2 stars.  Salut….

shingleback davy estate shiraz

Yalumba The Guardian Shiraz Viognier 2010

10 Sunday Aug 2014

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One of my mates brought this little Eden Valley charmer to the party.  I found it online for about $20.  My first impression was the color- nearly black in the glass, beautiful.  Plums and cherries on the nose were an interesting combination for me as I was expecting some black currants.  On the first sip I only got blue fruits and some oak with bracing acidity but felt the wine was a little thin.  Slight tannins and mid palate pluminess gave me the impression that the wine is slightly unbalanced.  A noticeable oak touch came through on the back end with a clove hint.  88 points is a fair number for this wine although it got 90 from WS.  I am giving it 3 stars and would drink it after some cellaring with a pasta dish, perhaps some bruschetta.  Salut….
yalumba the guardian

Chateau des Jacques Morgon 2010

27 Friday Jun 2014

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When was the last time you had a Beaujolais wine, or a wine made from Gamay?  It’s been ages for me as I am not a fan of Beaujolais Nouvea and steer clear of the stuff every November on it’s annual release date.  I digress….. Last week I was on my way to Bali and drank this wine on the flight with my main course having just had the Vigneron de Buxy ‘Tete de Cuvee’ Bourgogne 2012 with the starter.  I was very impressed and glad I tried it.  It reminded me of lunches spent in Parisian restaurants, sipping chilled Brouilly on a warm summers day with Moxie.

Throwback picture of a Parisian lunch with my gal Moxie

Throwback picture of a Parisian lunch with my gal Moxie

Back to the wine… It hails from one of the 10 Cru villages in Beaujolais.  I shall just cut and paste my brief notes.

Nose of underbrush and dried cranberries.  Slightly dry tannic attack with bright acidity.  Crunchy wet fresh washed cherries.  Touch of oak with a nice spiciness.  3 to 5 years with good tannic structure and tart acidity, 90 points.  I found it on the web for about $20, which is a great price.  I would drink this all summer long with a variety of foods including chicken salad, salmon on the grill, burgers on the charcoal, even a plate of cold cuts.  4 stars for this Louis Jadot offering.  Salut….

Louis Jadot Chateau des Jacques Morgon

Brookland Valley Verse 1 2012

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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A Shiraz from the Margaret River appellation in the southwest part of Australia.  Not my favorite style unfortunately so I might seem a bit harsh.  I   initially got bright purple fruits of plum and candied cherry on the palate.  Light in tannins but very fruity, almost too much so.  The acidity was lacking ever so slightly but the overall balance was decent.  I think this wine will appeal to many as an easy drinker but for my $20, there are other wines I would look out for.  87 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

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