Tag Archives: $25

Les Vins Jean-Claude Debeaune Domaine de Grand Croix 2020, Brouilly, France

23 Thursday Mar 2023

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Deep purple with high viscosity legs (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of grape, red raspberry, lilac- it’s sorta muted right now.   The palate is dry with medium acidity and sandy tannins that are medium (-) in intensity.  The body of this Gamay is medium to full and is silky with ripe red raspberry, red licorice, orange peel and black cherry.  The finish is a touch tart but delightful and quite long.  I paid $25 for this 88 point wine making it a 3 star effort that I’m pairing with roast Duck.  Drink till 2027.  Ps. Carbonic Maceration is commonly used in Beaujolais but I don’t sense its use in this Cru level wine.  Salut….

Weingut Winzer Krems ‘Kremser Goldberg’ Kellermeister Privat Gruner Veltliner Trocken 2020, Kremstal DAC, Austria

15 Wednesday Mar 2023

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Medium lemon with a touch of petillance and medium legs (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon rind, pomelo, white flowers, crushed gravel and pith.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a touch of bitterness and medium body.  The flavors I get are citrus dominated per the nose but I also get a rounded, creamy textured note of lemon curd.  The finish is medium to long and the crispness of the acidity lingers but is not biting.  I like this $25 effort and give it 90 points and 5 stars.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Olivier Ravoire Bandol Le Pont 2019, Provence, France

12 Sunday Mar 2023

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Deep ruby colored, this 60/40 blend of Mourvèdre and Grenache has slow, gobby legs showing off its 14% ABV.  The nose is meaty and gamey right off the bat.  Black fruit galore with blackcurrants, blackberry, mulberry, wild herbs, licorice and menthol.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins.  A full bodied wine with dark fruits, herbs (aka garrigue) and some smoky game meat all meld together nicely to form a very pleasing flavor profile with nice balance and decent structure.  It’s not overly complex but has a primal sense to it.  89 points from me for this $25 bottle makes it a 3 star effort to drink till 2028.  I’m doing a Sunday roast to pair with- should work out just right!  Salut….

La Mascota Vineyards ‘Unanime’ Gran Tinto 2017, Maipu, Argentina

06 Monday Mar 2023

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Inky purple colored, this blend of 60% Cab Sav, 25% Malbec and 15% Cab Franc leaves a slight stain on the walls and has thick, slow moving legs (14% ABV).  The nose has wafting aromas of blackberry jam, black plum, violet, vanilla bean, chocolate,   some bell pepper and a medicinal note from the oak.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are fine grained but prominent.  Full bodied, this wine gives me flavors of black fruit, oak influence that is well masked/integrated (vanilla, medicinal, chocolate) and a touch of blueberry.  It hangs in there for a decent length finish and is silky smooth on the back end.  It’s delicious and will pair beautifully with our grilled lamb chops with roasted potatoes.  This is drinking beautifully now and will cellar till 2028.  I will give it 92 points which is a bit shy of the 95 it got from one pro.  At $25 it gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Cooper’s Hawk Cab/Zin NV, America

06 Monday Feb 2023

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Medium ruby colored with thin, speedy legs in the glass (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this blend shouts Zinfandel before I get Cabernet Sauvignon.  Interesting as the mix favors Cab by 60/40.  Ripe black plum with black cherry, bramble, smoke, coffee and crushed stone.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins.  Full bodied, this wine coats my mouth with dark, very ripe fruit and some interesting smoky, resinous notes.  Minerality is slight but there is a definite earthiness to this big wine.  The finish is medium in length and I get really nice black berry notes with some cocoa.  The tannins slide away nicely leaving ripe fruit.  I like it for what it is- an atypical blend of non-vintage wine that runs $25- probably one of my favorite wines from Cooper’s Hawk.  It gets 90 points from me and 5 stars.  Hard to give a drink-by window for an NV wine, but it’s ready to go now and will cellar for a year or three.  I’m pairing with burgers on the grill, but some stews or smoked meats would also do the trick.  (My guess is California Zinfandel with a mix of Cab from Washington and Cali) Salut….

Osborne Fine White Port NV, Porto, Portugal

19 Wednesday Oct 2022

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Another new one for me- white Port.  This one is medium gold colored with really slow moving legs (19.5% ABV).  Floral aromas galore followed by some saline, orange marmalade and nuts.  The palate is sweet and full bodied with medium acidity.  Marzipan, flowers, orange marmalade and nuts come to mind on the flavor profile.  The salinity is not apparent.  There is a touch of bitterness on the finish which is medium length.  It reminds me of biting into an unripe almond or the seed of an apricot.  For my first go at white port I must say I like it, it’s different yet familiar.  For $25 this is a tasty dessert wine that could be served as an aperitif if chilled.  Salut….

Chateau De La Huste 2019, Fronsac, France

13 Thursday Oct 2022

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Rich ruby colored and about 75% opaque.  The nose has enticing aromas of black plum, cassis, blackberry, menthol, vanilla, coffee, mocha.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins.  They are well integrated but still grippy.  Flavors of cassis and plum dominate but I get blackberry with oak influence and some green pepper alongside the menthol.  Full bodied it carries on to a long finish.  This is textbook Right Bank Merlot with a dash of Cabernet Franc- delicious and reasonably priced at $25.  I like it and think it is worthy of 92 points and 5 stars.  I’m searing some Hangar steaks with Gratin Potatoes to pair.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Domaine Des Versauds 2019, Morgon, France

02 Sunday Oct 2022

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The Gamay grape is traditionally made into wine using the carbonic maceration method in the Beaujolais region of France. This wine is a deep purple color with medium intensity aromas of blueberry, blackberry, dried flowers, orange peel, cherry bubble gum and perhaps a touch of banana.  The palate is dry with crisp tannins and medium (-) acidity.  I was not expecting the tannic grip to be so forthright.  I get flavors of blackberry, blueberry and açaí berry with a faint hint of charred oak and some orange peel.  Oak influence? A full-bodied and full-throttle expression of this usually benign grape has really thrown me as I am pairing it with a slow-cooked Eye of Round Roast, which is a low fat cut of meat.  I would prefer to pair this wine in its youth with a fattier cut of meat like Ribeye, Leg of Lamb or grilled Goat.  The finish is quite decent in length, adding to the complexity and depth of this wine.  For $25 you are getting a cru-level bottle that has decent cellaring capacity and gets 91 points from me.  5 stars- drink till 2027.  Salut….

Castello di Bibbione Gran Selezione 2016, Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy

14 Thursday Jul 2022

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Medium garnet colored, this 6 year old Sangiovese is showing a bit of age already.  The nose has aromas of warm cherry, leather, rose, cinnamon, pomegranate, cranberry and fresh cut pine.  The palate is dry with high acidity and mouth coating tannins.  It is a young wine in texture, but the fruit is already mingling with tertiary flavors.  Red fruit (tart) with leather, rose, cigar box and that fresh wood note.  The acidity and tannins are very powerful and opposing in this medium (+) bodied wine.  The finish is a short, sour affair with the tannins really coating my gums.  I like this rather youthful wine and think it will develop and soften with time.  If you want something zippy for a pasta dinner or grilled steaks, this is open for business.  Drink till 2030.   92 points for this $25 wine makes it a solid 5 star effort.  Salut….

Katnook Founder’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Coonawarra, Australia

13 Wednesday Apr 2022

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This was a wine we tasted at my WSET class.  I brought the dregs home for another look-see as the wine had some very powerful aromas and flavors that I wanted to get my head around.  Starting off it had some sediment in the bottle which is normal for an 8 year old bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.  In the glass it shows that age by way of a deep garnet hue.  The nose has pronounced aromas of eucalyptus, blackberry, coffee, black plum, blueberry compote, vanilla, mint, leather and tobacco.  It certainly is complex and showing some age as well as lingering youth.  The palate is dry with juicy acidity and a great tannic structure.  The rich fruit flavors are present coupled with oak nuance and tertiary notes but the coffee, mint and eucalyptus are the stars here.  Medium (+) bodied, this wine is very balanced and the mouthfeel is fabulous- a touch dry here and there with some juiciness to keep your palate alive.  The finish is quite a lengthy affair with black and blueberry fruit notes swirling with the tannin and acid- a nice way to end for this delightful wine.  I am impressed by this $25 effort that gets 92 points.  It needs to be drunk fairly soon- say by 2026 and gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….