17 Thursday May 2018
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Very dark purple. Nose is fruit forward with plums, blueberries, chocolate. The palate gives off boysenberry, mocha, a woodsy note and some gum drying tannins. The mid palate is very astringent. Plum torte features with some oak. The finish is dry, rather short in length and has some blue fruit alongside the tannins. 87 points and 3 stars for this $12 effort. Salut….
30 Monday Apr 2018
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Dark and murky. The nose features plums, oak, black cherry. The initial palate has blueberry, fine grained tannins, more black cherry. The finish is quite dry, with blue fruits dominating. 87 points and 3 stars for this $15 Bordeaux from a relatively weak vintage. Drink up. Salut….
30 Monday Apr 2018
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Solid, dark and brooding. On the nose it is somewhat muted in this particular glass but I managed to coax black cherry, olives, cinnamon stick. On the palate it is much more defined, albeit a bit tannic at first. Plum and black berries come out with some nuttiness to go along with the mouth drying tannins, which are rather forceful by the mid palate. Figs, a touch of oak and some more blue fruits tie it up with a mid length finish. The wine is young, the tannins are quite untamed. I would give this wine another 2 years in cellar and drink from 2020-2028. 88 points and 3 stars for this $19 effort. Salut….
22 Sunday Apr 2018
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Continuing on with the Birthday weekend celebration Moxie took us out for the most enjoyable dinner at my favorite restaurant. L’Auberge Chez Francoise has been a local fixture for over 40 years and is consistently the best dining I have ever had. Their wine list is extensive and meets all needs, but I really wanted to take two bottles from my cellar for the momentous occasion. We started out with the 2008 Brainaire-Ducru, which runs about $65 currently. I did not write notes on the wines, only a memory of the experience.
I was a little dismayed at the thinness of this wine. It should have been at peak but instead I found it lacking much fruit, secondary flavors or even much tannic structure. I enjoyed it for what it was and would give it 90 points and 3 stars. We drank it with Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks, then the salad course. Salut….
13 Friday Apr 2018
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In my worldly travels I come across great finds, unique deals and then the ones you have to say hmmm.. This bottle was picked up at the local gas station in Tokyo, for about $5. I don’t have much faith except it won Best Spanish Producer of 2014 at the Intl Wine Challenge, Vienna. That was the selling point, plus I trust Tempranillo from Spain far more than other dodgy varietals that were on offer. Here we go.
I am drinking it out of a water glass, so keep that in mind. It appears a medium opacity, with nice purple tones. On the nose- pure Tempranillo with a touch of oak. Notes of Twizzlers and cherry cola come through. On the palate it is a basic, decent drop. Primary flavors roll out with some earthiness. The lack of much tannic structure can be overlooked since this is an easy wine to drink. Cherry and cola come to mind and the wine has a decent acidic component. On the mid palate it gets a little bitter for some reason. The finish is all red fruit driven and I get a certain dryness, not tannic though. Overall a decent drop for what I was looking for and where I was looking. 86 points and for the price I have to give it 3 stars. I bought some ham and cheese sandwiches to go along, they hit the spot. Salut….
06 Tuesday Mar 2018
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$20, 3 stars, 89 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, paso robles, paso robles cabernet sauvignon
It was a birthday celebration at Texas De Brazil that put this wine on the table, it was the special offer. They were ‘giving’ it away for $56, regularly $70. It retails for $20.
Plums, cinnamon stick and blackberry on the nose. The palate is juicy with plum torte, cedar plank, rich tannins, juicy acidity. The finish is dry where the tannins are in full force but not obtrusive. Black cherry notes round it all out. 89 points and 3 stars from me. It did well with the abundance of meat served in various styles and cuts from a classic (expensive) Churascarria. Serve all day long with grilled meats. Salut…..
09 Tuesday Jan 2018
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$22, 3 stars, 89 points, bordeaux, bordeaux blend, cru bourgeois, france
Medium density purple in the glass. A nice bright nose of blackberries, cinnamon and pencil shavings. On the palate the wine is a tad thinner than I had been expecting. Blueberry, very well integrated tannins, some cassis and a modicum of acidity. The wine opens up pretty quickly and the cassis really shows up on the mid palate, transcending the medium length finish. Overall, this wine drinks nicely and will cellar for the short term. 89 points and 3 stars for this $22 effort. Salut….
15 Friday Dec 2017
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Dark purple, barely see through. The nose is somewhat candied, purple licorice, plum cake and Christmas pudding. On the palate it shows off much more pleasant notes of black currants, iodine and fruit cake. The mid palate is quite abrupt as are the mild tannins that permeate. The finish is not as smooth as the front half and lacks any acidity. Overall this is a pleasant wine that gets 87 points. The pro’s went much higher, 91 points in one case. I just did not get the same level of satisfaction unfortunately. $18 make it a 3 point wine for me. Salut….
20 Monday Nov 2017
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The Mencia grape, grown in Spain primarily, yields fresh early drinking wines. They say it is a fragrant varietal that mimics Cabernet Franc, which I love. This particular wine is indeed aromatic, but not in a very fruity way, it kinda stinks to be honest. I cannot pinpoint the aroma, but it smells like wet socks. I fear for the worst- TCA, which is a cork taint. It is harmless, theoretically. The wine itself is decent, showing off red fruits including raspberry, red currants and some slate. The wine is steely, as in no oak. It has a nice minerality and shows the red fruit streak throughout. It is easy drinking and not built for the long haul. What it lacks in tannic structure, it makes up for freshness. The acidity is but a hint. This wine will pair nicely with pizza, grilled lamb chops with mint sauce, or even Chorizo. I am going 88 points on this corked wine and hope you all get a better example. For $13, it is a potential steal but for now, 3 stars. Salut….
29 Sunday Oct 2017
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$52, 3 stars, 89 points, cabernet sauvignon, Napa, napa cabernet
Medium dark purple in the glass. Plum, cassis, blackcurrant on the nose. On the palate- great integration of dark purple fruits, oak, tannins and some cocoa dust. The midpalate is very concentrated on the plum core, relinquishing nothing to the structure and concentrating mainly on the fruit. The wine is definitely Napa in flavor, full of sunshine, fresh tannins and plum flavors. It reeks of new world boldness, extraction and does not shy away from its 14.5% alcohol (which is well hidden) The acidity is somewhat muted but present nonetheless. This wine is ready to drink now and has some cellaring potential- albeit not long term. 89 points and 3 stars for its $52 price point. Salut….
