Tag Archives: 4 stars

El Coto de Imaz Blanco 2022, Rioja, Spain

18 Friday Aug 2023

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Pale straw colored with some effervescence and medium viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of lemon zest, grapefruit, white blossom, passion fruit, Bartlett pear and a white phenolic note.  The palate is dry, a touch bitter and has a medium (-) body.  Crisp flavors replicate the aromas but with a slight pithy divergence.  It’s an interesting wine for sure- one that is refreshing yet I feel would become tiresome after a while.  Made from Viura, this lightweight white would pair well with fresh seafood or a richly dressed salad.  Drink now.  For $12, it’s a great 88 point wine to pound all summer long.  4 stars.  Salut….

Kotrotsos Mavrodaphne 2018, Patras, Greece

14 Monday Aug 2023

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Pale garnet, almost like strawberry juice- with high viscosity (15% ABV).  On the nose I get stewed cherry, some warm nuts, orange peel, strawberry coulis, caramel and vanilla bean.  The palate is sweet, bordering on luscious, with low tannins and a full body.  The red fruit really comes out, but not quite so ripe as the nose.  Caramel and nuts with vanilla on the back end.  Medium length on the finish, it’s a delicious affair if you like them this sweet.  I plan on pairing this with poached pears and ice cream.  Not overly complex, it only runs $14 and get 88 points from me making it a 4 star effort to drink now.  Salut….

Chateau Destieux 2015, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

14 Monday Aug 2023

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Deep ink/ruby colored with high viscosity (14.5% ABV) and slight staining on the walls. The nose gives me aromas of blackberry compote, charcoal, black raspberry, mint, rooibos tea, blueberry jam and vanilla bean.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and high tannins.  A full body with lush flavors of ripe black fruit, oak influence and some tea- rooibos and black.  The tannins are a touch chalky and young.  There is a tartness on the mid palate that carries through to the long finish.  This wine has a good pedigree that will allow it to age gracefully, for now it is still youthful.  Drink this 92 point Merlot blend till 2032.  I’m grilling super thick Strip steaks on the charcoal and pairing some roasted King Oyster mushrooms.  We bough this bottle in St. Emilion, a beautiful town btw.  It’s not widely available but if my memory serves- $60 making it a 4 star wine.  Salut….

Massaya Cap Est 2018, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

25 Tuesday Jul 2023

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Medium garnet with high viscosity and staining on the walls (14.5% ABV).  I can smell the alcohol on the first whiff but it blows away to reveal- red currants, pomegranate, exotic spices, game, red peppercorn and baking spices.  Dry with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins that are well rounded and a medium-full body.  The palate echoes the nose with delicious red fruit and silky tannins.  A medium to long finish makes this Grenache/Mourvedre blend an enjoyable 91 point wine to drink till 2034.  For $40, it gets 4 stars from me.  We drank it at a traditional Lebanese feast!  Salut….

Castellani Sangiovese Toscana IGT 2019, Tuscany, Italy

09 Sunday Jul 2023

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Medium ruby colored with a touch of staining and medium viscosity legs (13.5% ABV).  Aromas of lavender, violet, charred oak, dried plum, tar, black cherry and some bramble.  The palate is dry with high acidity and medium tannins.  Medium bodied- it has flavors that echo the nose- cherry, oak, florals and tar.  The tannins are interesting, they grip on the underside of my tongue rather that on the palate.  The finish is surprisingly long with red fruit and oak nuance.  Not overly complex- this is a great party wine that will pair nicely with pasta, burgers and stews.  It’s drinking nicely now and will cellar till 2028.  89 points for this $15 quaffer makes it a 4 star wine.  Salut….

Jean-Marc Lafont Domaine de Bel Air Brouilly Briante 2020, Beaujolais, France

26 Monday Jun 2023

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Medium purple colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV). The nose reminds me of Paris, where I drank this style of Beaujolais by the bucketful in the cafes and restaurants.  I get aromas of candied black cherry, tons of florals, strawberry and redcurrant.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are powdery and integrated.  Medium to full bodied- this Gamay based wine takes on a touch of bitterness right off the bat that is offset by ripe red fruit- strawberry, black cherry and currants.  The main floral component is lavender but there is a black tea note coming through on the mid palate.  The wine finishes a touch tart but its length is quite impressive.  The tannins very gently caressing and the acidity ever-present.  This bottle is a magnum and will last till 2028, regular bottles retail for $25.  It gets 90 points from me- 4 stars.  Salut….

O de Mer Muscadet 2021, Loire, France

15 Thursday Jun 2023

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Bright lemon colored with low viscosity (12% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon peel, white flowers, pink grapefruit zest, green melon and a hint of seaspray.  The palate is dry with a slightly oily, weighty texture.  Medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body with citrus and floral flavors along with some lanolin.  The melon hits on the mid palate that leads to a short-medium length finish that invites me to sip more.  A refreshing drink that would serve as an aperitif yet pair nicely with fresh caught seafood.  87 points for this $12 quaffer makes it a 4 star effort to stock up on and chill for this summer.  100% Melon de Bourgogne grapes with no apparent Sur lie aging that is quite common to the Pais Nantais.  Salut….

Chateau Latour-Martillac 2014, Pessac-Leognan, France

09 Friday Jun 2023

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Deep, inky-ruby colored with a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV). Classic Left Bank aromas with an intense nose of ripe cassis, pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar box, ripe blackberry and black plum.  A hint of green pepper keeps it somewhat on the rails- it’s a beautiful nose. The palate is dry with medium acidity that is a touch tart along with medium intensity tannins that are well integrated.  Medium bodied- it’s a seductive wine with good length and more cellaring capacity.  It finishes old world with slightly tart dark red fruits and tertiary notes of cedar, tobacco and pencil shavings. 91 points.  We drank this Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Magnum but you can find a standard bottle for around $50. Drink till 2028 with grilled Filet steak and au gratin potatoes.  4 Stars.  Salut….

Marchesi Antinori Santa Cristina 2014, Chianti Superiore DOCG Tuscany, Italy

31 Wednesday May 2023

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Every so often I’ll buy a bin-end wine to hopefully give it one last shot at stardom.  This Chianti is pretty old and perhaps over the hill.  In the glass it is medium garnet with high viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose shows it’s age- stewed plum, baked cherry, dried herbs, porcini mushrooms, a touch of vanilla and coconut along with some coffee.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are pretty well integrated.  The fruit notes are somewhat subdued and center around tart cherry pie with some baking spices and vanilla.  The stewed/cooked nature of the fruit is not as pronounced on the palate as the nose.  The body is medium in weight and carries through to a shortish finish.  It’s not a bad drop all things considered as I only paid $11 for it.  List was originally $22.  As for a score- 88 points from me and a drink by 2024 window, it’s getting tired and the structure won’t hold up much more.  4 stars considering what I paid.  I found this Sangiovese online for $14 for current vintages.  Salut….

Ernesto Catena Vineyards Tikal Patriota 2018, Mendoza, Argentina

27 Saturday May 2023

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A 60/40 Bonarda/Malbec blend, this was the second wine in our lineup at the 31st virtual wine tasting.  It showed deep purple with lots of staining and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  On the nose- blackberry, black cherry, black currant, pomegranate and caramel.  Others noted candied cherry, twizzlers, fig, slate and violet.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and high tannins.  The dark, ripe fruit flavors were echoed on the palate along with some oak influence- coffee, charred wood and an oaky hint.  The finish on this medium bodied wine was decent in length and really honed in on the ripe, black berries.  I gave it 13 points on our scoring sheet and would assign it 90 points.  For $20 this wine gets 4 stars with a drinking window of 2025-2030 unless you like them tannic AF.  Salut….