Tag Archives: $27

Pecchenino Botti Langhe Nebbiolo 2021, Piedmont, Italy

20 Monday May 2024

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I wanted to introduce our tasting group to young Nebbiolo without the price tag of a Barolo, nor the monster structure of one that is not yet ready to drink.  The answer lay in Langhe where this grape is made in a more approachable and affordable style.  Pale garnet colored with high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of forest, messy floor (!), stinky feet (not my descriptors!), chocolate covered cherry, strawberry, flint, anise, tobacco, smoke, green and floral.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, medium body and medium (+) tannins that are starting to soften.  Cherry tart, tobacco, black tea, forest floor and mushrooms with a long finish.  At $27, it’s an excellent value bottle to showcase the wonderful tastes and structure of this alluring grape.  I gave it 18/20 points on our grading scale making it my #2 wine of the night.  Technically speaking I scored it 92 points and 4 stars.  Drink till 2030 with pasta.  Salut….

Quinta da Foz Reserva 2018, Douro, Portugal

26 Monday Jun 2023

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We just hosted a family reunion and I opened this Magnum of Portuguese wine- delicious.  My notes were brief but you get the point.

Deep purple with high viscosity and a touch of staining. Ripe blackberry, vanilla, coconut, black plum.  Dry, medium acidity, medium (+) tannins.  Full body.  Mouthcoating lush ripe black fruit with oaky sweetness. Long finish. 93 points and 5 stars for this $27 blend of Touriga Nacional…. drink till 2029.  Salut….

VIK ‘O Leão’ 2019, Cachapoal Valley, Chile

29 Monday May 2023

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We took the whole gang to Fogo de Chao for dinner last night.  It’s the same list that I discovered Vina VIK Mila Cala and fell in love with this Chilean winery.  Apparently the O Leão is produced primarily for this particular restaurant chain and is hard to find elsewhere.  If you have ever had any of their wines they follow a profile…. the most obvious being fine-grained tannins and a silky smooth mouthfeel.  This particular version is 49% Carmenere with 29% Cab Sav, 17% Syrah and the balance Cab Franc.  It has a dense ruby color bordering on garnet with medium viscosity legs (14% ABV).  Bright black fruit, baking spice, a hint of green pepper, cassis, and some red berries on the nose and palate.  It’s dry with medium acidity plus their trademark medium (+) tannins that are polished to a shine.  The finish of this medium to full-bodied wine is long and caressing.  It was delicious with our carnivorous extravaganza as the structure held up to hearty red meat yet was gentle enough for the lighter fare we gorged on.  I’m guessing a $27 retail price if you can find it.  I would drink this 92 point wine till 2027.  5 Stars.  Salut….

El Coto ‘Coto de Imaz’ Gran Reserva 2015, Rioja DOCa, Spain

13 Monday Jun 2022

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I have drunk gallons of this wine, from several vintages.  Always a great experience, especially at $27 per bottle.  This is the youngest version I have tried thus far and it looks promising with deep ruby/purple shades in the glass and really thick, slow moving legs on the rim giving away the 14.5% ABV.  Intense aromas of black and red fruit, leather, dust, coconut, vanilla, coffee bean-stunning and fresh.  The palate is dry with rich flavors of blackberry, cassis, red raspberry, leather, tobacco, vanilla, coffee and bramble.  Rioja wines are very rustic IMO.  I love that dusty, earthy character which this one delivers.  The acidity is quite high and the tannins are integrated and of medium intensity.  The body is full for sure and the finish is medium in length.  Another delicious wine that gets 93 points from me and 5 stars.  This Tempranillo will last a while in cellar and drink beautifully until 2030 at the earliest.  I would pair it with tapas, grilled beef or lamb and definitely a peppercorn steak.  Salut….

Iapetus ‘Subduction’ Red 2019, Vermont

07 Tuesday Jun 2022

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This is a curious wine, made in Vermont from 100% Marquette grapes.  In the glass it is a deep purple color with some haze that confirms the data sheet- unfined and unfiltered.  Here we go!  Medium intensity aromas of wild blackberry, baking spices, black cherry, sour cherry, leather and a minty greeness.  The palate is dry with juicy acidity, low tannins, medium body and sprite flavors of dark fruit, oak nuance and that green note I caught on the nose.  It finishes tart and dry with lithe tannins tickling my cheeks.  The sour cherry taking pole position.  I had to look up this grape’s lineage, it is a crossing of two other hybrids.  They were trying to make a cold-hardy grape that is disease resistant.  I like it.  It reminds me of Sangiovese without the searing tannins.  That sour cherry note being the key here.  I would imagine this wine will evolve a little but it should be drunk by 2026.  It can be found for $27 online and gets 90 points from me making it a 4 star effort.  Try something different!  I would pair it with pasta, grilled duck breast or peppercorn steaks.  Salut….

Monteraponi Chianti Classico DOCG 2018, Tuscany, Italy

04 Friday Jun 2021

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Clear, medium garnet in the glass, this Sangiovese has a funky nose. Sour cherry, sauerkraut and compost all come to mind. #Concerned.

The palate allays my worries- cherry, blackcurrants, straw and rhubarb are present alongside lithe tannins. Juicy acidity keeps my jaws watering for an eternity whilst the finish lasts a medium amount of time. The wine is of light to medium body and lithe. It drinks well and will go nicely with my Lamb Kofta, which are very fatty and need some acidity to curb the grease. I’m ambivalent about this wine right now- I think it has potential but the nose is very off-putting. I will give it 88 points initially. On sale for $27, it gets 3 stars from me. Drink till 2028 with meaty tapas, Duck breast or Lamb stew. Salut….

Mount Eden Vineyards ‘Domaine Eden’ Chardonnay 2016, Santa Cruz Mountains, California

31 Wednesday Mar 2021

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I’m excited to taste this wine, the little brother to the Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz mountains- one of my favorite whites. In the glass it is quite a bright shade of yellow. The nose is very lemony with Quince and yellow apple hints, perhaps a touch of butterscotch. On the palate it is very refreshing, focused and definitely citrus driven. The finish is rather curt but not overly acidic, providing a nice fruit closure. I picked this wine to pair with Shrimp Scampi- I think it will do the job beautifully. It gets 91 points for me and should be drunk before 2028. At $27, its actually a good value for the quality and gets 5 stars from me. Salut….

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Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Paso Robles, USA

20 Wednesday May 2020

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Our wine of the night at the second Virtual wine tasting.  You can’t go wrong with a Cali Cab.  The wine just oozes sunshine, rich fruit, nice oak and balance.  The nose on this wine was all black cherry.  Tons of it.  The initial palate included those dark beauties alongside some plum, blueberry and coconut.  Licorice featured on the mid palate where the tannins really started to grip.  Mouthfeel was very full, rich and nicely balanced with acid, black tea and a touch of plum jam sweetness.  The finish was really nice, long and a touch dry.  This wine was drinking beautifully and was an easy ringer at the end of the night.  92 points from me, drink till 2028.  For $27 it should feature in your cellar, 5 stars.  Salut….

Ferrari-Carano Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2014, Anderson Valley, USA

26 Monday Jun 2017

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Very pale purple and completely see-through.  Why is this important?  Pinot Noir has several unique traits- it is a seductive grape that does not need extraction.  It treats tannins completely different to other varietals in my opinion.  It’s charm and elegance come from it’s fragility on the vine, a very difficult grape to cultivate well.  It takes on one of two personalities:  Old World with funk, earthiness and mainly cherry, whereas New World styles give more strawberry, a fruit forward style that appeals to many yet doesn’t quite allow for tertiary development.  I like both styles but prefer Old World.

This one is a New World child with fresh strawberries, some bing cherry and cinnamon?  Not sure, but it is intriguing.  The initial taste confirms my New World suspicions.  Strawberry shortcake, vanilla bean and red currants.  A touch of acidity tidy the package up nicely and let the tannins introduce themselves on the mid palate.  If you have followed me for a while you will know that I had a hard time discerning tannic structure in Pinots.  I’m learning and getting better.  Thanks for asking.

This wine has a gorgeous mouthfeel, the dryness of the tannins is very gentle and the acidity is very mild, not cutting but definitely present.  The finish is mid-length and continues the strawberry theme with some acai berry notes.  The 14.5% alcohol is very well disguised but will bode well for this wine in the cellar.  I believe it has some potential and will drink well until 2025.  I would pair it with roast cornish hens, perhaps a grilled pork chop with apple stuffing.  90 points and 3 stars for this $27 bottle.  Salut….

ferrari-carano pinot noir

Arrayán Petit Verdot 2007

21 Friday Mar 2014

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You don’t often come across a 100% Petit Verdot, it is used mainly as a blend in Bordeaux style wines.  It’s a fiercely tannic, bold and dark wine used to bulk up other, less endowed wines needing a little darkening and structure.  If you do find one that is all PV, try it and you’ll see what I’m on about.

Typical for the variety this wine was a tannic monster with an earthy nose and some funk on the initial attack.  Pencil shavings of wood and graphite add to the olfactory experience and wild flowers come up on the mid palate with a blueberry component that is quite pronounced.  On the back end is where ripe plums came into the picture.  This wine was very dark in the glass, full of backbone and needing a fatty steak to mellow it out.  I am going with 89 points and 3 stars for this $27 offering from Spain.  I think anyone who is trying to expand their palates needs a good dose of 100% Petit Verdot to appreciate its power and potential to beef up other wines.  Ps.  I finished the bottle up with some new Lindt chocolate that rocked , Caramel with a touch of Sea Salt, ever so crunchy, ever so smooth.  Salut….IMG_0848

Lindt's Caramel and Sea Salt

Lindt’s Caramel and Sea Salt