Tag Archives: 3 stars

Denis Dubourdieu Pure Cadillac 2017, Cotes de Bordeaux, France

12 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this 85/15 Merlot/Petit Verdot blend has aromas of black plum, perfumed florals, coffee, blackberry and blackcurrant.  A hint of mint hit me later on.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are quite chalky.  Flavors of black fruit with some basic oak treatment are evident- the coffee starting to come out.  The tannins are a touch rough, perhaps some cellaring is in order.  I like this Bordeaux outlier, it’s got some spunk and has some good structure and nice flavors.  It gets 88 points from me and at $20, 3 stars.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

La Vostra Prosecco NV, Veneto, Italy

05 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Pale straw colored with very little mousse.  The nose has aromas of white flower, apricot, green almond and melon.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a light body, the effervescence finally appearing and in a not-too-subtle way.  Florals are the main driver on the palate with some melon, pear and almond backing them up.  The finish is medium in length.  87 points from me for this $12 bottle makes it a 3 star wine that I actually bought to mix with Vincenzi Rosso- like a spritz.  It was on sale for a penny, the catch being that you need to mix it with something fizzy so I had to pop for the bubbly.  The bottle I got is cherry flavored and the resulting cocktail is decent on a hot summer’s eve.  Salut….

Elio Altare Dolcetto d’Alba 2021, Piedmont, Italy

31 Thursday Aug 2023

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It’s pasta night so I dug out this Italian bottle for the occasion.  It’s a deep purple color with medium viscosity legs (14% ABV).  On the nose- medium intensity aromas of pomegranate, cherry, red licorice, red florals, a hint of coffee as well as a slight green vegetal note.  On the palate- medium bodied, dry,  medium acidity and medium (-) tannins that are overshadowed by tart red fruit.  The red pomegranate leads off with rhubarb and slightly underripe cherry.  Violets and red licorice follow on to the medium length finish where the whole package starts to make sense.  What started out as a bit disjointed, underripe and acidic opens up nicely into a  food friendly wine that gets 88 points from me.  At $20, this Dolcetto gets 3 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2010, Rioja DOCa, Spain

30 Wednesday Aug 2023

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Here’s the preamble- I fell in love with this wine when I bought a 1990’s vintage and it blew my socks off.  When I saw this newest vintage on sale (it’s not made every year), I snagged 4 bottles for my buddy and I.  The next month it garnered top spot in Wine Spectator’s Annual award and its price shot up 80% overnight.  This particular bottle travelled to the English countryside after a trip across the Atlantic and was popped that night, buyer beware.

Medium garnet with some wall staining and high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of sweet oak, ripe blackberry, coconut, dried dill, fig, walnut, brown sugar, steeped plum, vanilla cream and tobacco. Medium acidity, medium (+) tannins that are fine grained and well integrated plus a full body.  Silky smooth with melded flavors of oak nuance, ripe black fruit, nuts and some tertiary development – yet it lacked the telltale dusty notes I usually get from Rioja. A long finish upped the scores on this wine as I felt it was slightly underwhelming from my expectations-  still a spectacular wine that gets 94 points from me and at the current price of $230 it only grabs 3 stars on my scale.  A blend of Tempranillo that was aged in American oak with 15% Mazuelo (Cariñena) that has French oak aging.  Drink till 2035 but careful with pairing it too aggressively, it’s delicious all by itself.  I’m going to revisit in a few years and not subject the bottle to a bumpy airplane ride.  Salut…

Castelli del Grevepesa Panzano Gran Selezione 2017, Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy

10 Thursday Aug 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of sour cherry, pomegranate, roses and perfumed lilac.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (+) tannins.  A medium body gives me red fruit that is tart in nature along with some pretty florals and a hint of oak.  This is not a very complex Sangiovese which surprises me considering that fact that it is Gran Selezione.  I purchased it after drinking the delightful 2016 Panzano.  This vintage is of  lesser intensity and lacks power, garnering 88 points from me.  At $24 it rates 3 stars in my books.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Cordero di Montezemolo Langhe Arneis 2021, Piedmont, Italy

07 Monday Aug 2023

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At the 32nd virtual wine tasting we started off with this Arneis, tasted chilled and at room temp.  The attendees found this wine to be pale lemon colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Aromas and flavors of almond, pineapple, apricot, marzipan, peach and pear we evident in the chilled version.  On the palate- medium acidity and a medium (-) body that led to a short finish.  I scored it 11 points on our scale and would assign an 89 point technical rating.  The room temperature version was much more floral, but fruit-wise only the peach and pear notes came across the nose along with some honey and hazelnut.  On the palate it tasted fuller bodied and had some citrus notes by way of lemon peel in addition to pear.  I did not care as much for it at room temp- 9 points and its technical rating dropped to an 88.  For $20 it gets 3 stars from me.  Drink now with grilled fish or a shrimp salad.  Salut….

Millbrook Chardonnay Lake Placid 2021, Central Coast, California

01 Tuesday Aug 2023

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We are in Lake Placid for an ice skating competition so when I saw this branded wine I had to pick it up.  Made from Californian Central Coast Chardonnay -I was expecting what I tasted.  Medium lemon colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV). The nose shows some butter, a little cream, a touch of pear and green apple- obviously MLF derived. The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and that buttery diacetyl taste associated with malolactic fermentation. The pear and apple fruit is round and warm with some baking spices and carries through to a medium length finish. The label says that this line is exclusively available in New York.  At $18 this 88 point wine gets three stars. Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Milani 1985 Sangiovese Primitivo 2022, Puglia IGT, Italy

02 Sunday Jul 2023

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Deep ruby with hints of garnet- the depth of color coming from the Primitivo (Zinfandel) that is blended with the usually pale Sangiovese.  Medium viscosity legs (13.5% ABV) and very little staining on the walls.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red cherry, raspberry, dusty bramble, violets and orange peel.  The palate is  slightly off-dry with juicy acidity and lithe tannins that are well integrated.  Medium body which is supporting the red fruit and fresh florals.  There is a hint of oak usage, perhaps used French barrels with the focus on freshness and verve.  This 89 point wine is going to go really well with our sausage laden pasta and Endive salad.  For $15 this is not a bad drop that gets 3 stars from me.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

David Akiyoshi Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California

01 Saturday Jul 2023

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Deep ruby colored, this Cali Cab has medium viscosity (13.9% ABV)m and slight staining.  The nose has aromas of bright red fruit with some candied notes along with some floral and oak notes.  Cherry candy, ripe red raspberry, red plum, licorice, mocha powder and lavender.  It’s an interesting mix.  The palate is dry? Dare I say a touch of RS?   Medium acidity with medium tannins that are very smooth and integrated.  The medium body of this wine carries the red fruits forth along with some slight oak notes.  It tastes like very ripe red fruit plus I can’t get past the residual sugar thought.  The finish is short to medium in length.  From a technical standpoint- this wine gets 87 points. For $12, it’s a decent bargain that gets 3 stars from me.  I’m grilling Try-tip to pair.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Grifalco della Lucania Daginestra Superiore Aglianico del Vulture 2018, Basilicata, Italy

27 Saturday May 2023

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Deep ruby/garnet colored, this Aglianico was an interesting turn for our virtual wine tasting group as not many had ever had this varietal.  Intense aromas of tobacco with blueberry, smoke, blackberry, tomato paste, lilac and pine were noted.  The palate was dry with high tannins, medium acidity, a full body (14% ABV) and had flavors resembling the nose.  A hint of ripe strawberry was also noted in addition to the florals, oak and black fruit.  A medium finish for this wine makes it a 90 point effort that gets 3 stars due to its $40 price point.  On our tasting scale- 14 points.  Drink till 2030 with food, it really needs some pasta to balance it all out.  Salut….