Tag Archives: $35

Angela Estate Pinot Noir 2015, Yamhill-Carlton District, USA

28 Thursday May 2020

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This Pinot is quite dark, and barely see-through in the glass.  The nose gives me gobs of New World cherry, strawberry and licorice.  On the palate I get cherry, a woodsy, earthy note and some spices, cinnamon in particular.  The mid palate is quite smooth with rhubarb, cherry and crunchy acidity.  The finish is fruit driven with red berries and cherry carrying gentle tartness to a medium length ending.  It has a decent flavor profile and is typical of the region- somewhat more full bodied than say Burgundy, more red fruit, a touch of earthiness and it’s growing on me.  I would go 90 points for this $35 offer that gets 4 stars from me.  I’m pairing with rack of Lamb and grilled Zucchini.  Drink till 2025.  ps. this was the 4th bottle from my Splashwines delivery.  Salut….

Barboursville Vineyards Malvaxia 2007, Virginia, USA

26 Tuesday May 2020

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Golden brown in the glass, appropriate for a 13 year old.  On the nose it has hazelnut, honey, orange peel, quince and Marmalade.  The palate is quite tart with orange reduction, more honey, nuts, nutmeg and Cointreau.  It’s nicely balanced with acidity, fruit, unctuous mouthfeel and loads of orange Marmalade.  The thickness of the wine is really delicious, it gives warmth and body to the elixir.  The mid palate concentrates on the oranges, with the sweetness of honey and apricots.  The finish is medium in length but full on with more oranges, sweet syrup and some tart acidity that balances out the sugars.  91 points. Drink now till 2030.  Delicious, a real treat after all these years in the cellar.  Newer vintages can be had for $35 per half bottle.  5 stars.  Salut….

Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey ‘La Chapelle de Lafaurie’ 2016, Sauternes, France

14 Thursday May 2020

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Light gold in the glass.  The nose is lemony with honeyed apricot and some orange marmalade.  The palate is very orange dominated.  Marmalade and green almond are the primary flavors.  Honey and some nuttiness also feature.  There is that bitterness that’s evident in orange marmalade- it appears on the midpalate.  The finish is very seductive, light and sweet.  It’s a candied melon meets honey and citrus reduction.  Did I mention it’s long and makes my mouth pucker?  Albeit young, this wine is delicious and will evolve.  Drink till 2034.  91 points and 5 stars, $35.  Salut….

Chateau Raymond-Lafon 2010, Sauternes, France

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

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Golden color.  Loads of legs in the glass.  The nose is delightful and consists of orange marmalade, honey, candied citrus.  On the palate I get silky orange syrup, marmalade, honey and hazelnut.  The sweetness is balanced with a brisk acidic component that gives me an unctuous mouthfeel.  The finish is long and tart with some astringent orange curd and white tea components.  Really interesting and delightful to drink.  93 points and 5 stars.  $35 for a 375ml bottle.  Drink this sweet dessert wine till 2030.  Salut….

Bodegas Burgo Viejo Palacio de Primavera Reserva 2015, Rioja DOCa, Spain

01 Tuesday Oct 2019

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It’s a nice shade of purple, perhaps a bit subdued.  On the nose it reeks of Rioja earth, bramble, plum and tar.  The palate has a definitive creosote taste that I look forward to in Spanish Tempranillos.  Plum, blackcurrants and fig paste all come out on the palate.  I get a nice acidity on the mid palate alongside some earthy bramble and violets.  The finish is dusty, plummy and dry from the meek tannins that finally show up.  They are very well integrated and barely perceptible until the end, well played.  Overall this wine leaves me with a delicious aftertaste that I’m enjoying for a good 60 seconds, after having had a mouthful of delicious flavors.  I like it, a lot.  92 points from me and 5 stars for this $35 effort.  Ps. It got a whopping 97 Decanter points, that’s huge.  Drink till 2027 with slow cooked beef ribs, stuffed mushroom caps or a grilled duck breast.  Salut….

Marianot Garblet Barolo DOCG 2014, Piedmont, Italy

08 Sunday Sep 2019

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Quite see-through with a darker purple hue in the glass.  The nose has violets, cherry essence, bramble and leather.  On the palate it is fruity, lighter than expected and a touch dry.  Blueberry is the primary flavor alongside some cedar plank and those violets.  The tannins start to really grip on the mid palate to go along with the blue fruit compote and wood.  The wine finishes strong, with the tannins really getting stuck in and the gums really getting pounded.  The fruit remains for a while but is eclipsed by the 60 second plus grip of the astringency.  Very young wine, but thoroughly enjoyable if you like ‘em dry.  I would personally drink this wine now with veal chops on the grill, a heavy duty pasta dish or  perhaps Moroccon lamb in the tagine.  If you have patience, this one will mellow nicely for a few years and be presentable from 2024- 2030.  91 points, $35 and 4 stars for this Nebbiolo.  Salut….

Murrieta’s Well The Spur Red 2016, Livermore Valley, USA

20 Thursday Jun 2019

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Dark purple, opaque.  On the nose I get red fruits, mainly raspberries and dark cherry. On the palate I sense a definitive Cali sunshine component that differentiates this blend from a more traditional Medoc. It’s more fruit forward and fresher.  There’s more concentration and the wine is rich.  I start to get plums, black currants and quinine on the mid palate.  This is multidimensional and very tasty with a nice tannic structure and good acidic balance.  I would suggest a few years in cellar and then let ‘er rip till 2028.  Steaks, rich stew in the fall or osso bucco beg for this 91 point blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 22% Petite Sirah, 9% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec.  $35 and 4 stars.  Salut….

 

The Ojai Vineyard Syrah 2016, Santa Barbara County, USA

16 Sunday Sep 2018

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I have to remember that wine is very subjective, and what I like or dislike is often opposite of others.  This one is a perfect example of that.  It shows medium intensity in the glass.  The nose has that candied oak waft that I don’t like. The palate mirrored that profile so I just spilled the glass and moved on to the next wine bottle at the tasting.  A review of the web shows it available for $35.  Salut….

Carpineto Vigneto Poggio Sant’ Enrico 2001, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Italy

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

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It’s been a few years since I tasted the 2001 Poggio.  As part of my cellar-moving I decided to open this one up to pair with some seared Strip steaks, a tomato salad with Balsamic infused onion strips.

For a seventeen year old wine it shows off nicely in the glass- full purple, no sign of bricking and quite opaque.  The nose, OMG, what a nose.  This is textbook aged Sangiovese, reminiscent of old Burgundian Pinot Noir.  Leather, cedar box, tobacco, cassis and more, it just keeps coming.  On the palate I am in love with the Old Worldness of this wine.  It gushes with bramble, black berries, the tobacco, leather and cedar along with black tea and olives.  Immense and rather concentrated, this wine is amazing, can you tell I’m liking it?

This is what makes cellaring a wine so worthwhile.  The earthiness is profound, the freshness- still lively.  Fruit, tertiary flavors, integrated tannins and perfect acidity.  What more could you ask for?  It begs for lighter fare to enable the nuances to come out, I almost regret the seasoning I coated the steaks with.  This wine will shine by itself in a spectacular fashion.  The finish is long, with more of the black fruits coming out again. Amazing.  96 points from me for this apparently still young wine.  The major difference I noted between the last time is that the much lighter Cherry notes were now replaced with heavier, more brooding fruits.  I paid $35 for it awhile back, wishing I had bought more than the 2 bottles that I have now drunk.  5 stars for sure.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Domaine Sebastien Magnien Les Aigrots 2010, Beaune Premier Cru, France

19 Saturday May 2018

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Very light and see through, just as I would expect from Burgundian Pinot Noir.  The nose shows off bright renditions of strawberry and rhubarb compote.  The palate is somewhat different, cherry being the dominant player with backing from strawberry and ginger snap.  Crisp acidity forms a defined backbone and the wine has ever so slight tannins.The finish offers more rhubarb with a tangy sourness that I am enjoying.  This wine strikes me as young, needing some time to develop tertiary, earthy flavors that I love in aged Burgundy.  Thankfully it only sports 13% alcohol.  For now it gets 90 points from me.  Serving it with grilled chicken, blue cheese laced salad and sautéed onions.  $35 and 4 stars.  Salut….