Tag Archives: 4 stars

Bodega Mauricio Lorca Reserve Malbec 2020, Mendoza, Argentina

09 Thursday Mar 2023

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Deep purple colored with a secondary tinge of dark brown showing a touch of turbidity.  Slow but thin legs show off the 13.6% ABV.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black currant, plum, vanilla, menthol, coffee, violets and black tea.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and tannins alongside a medium body with flavors of black plum blackberry, vanilla and coffee.  The nose is more intense and offers more complexity but the palate is very smooth and delicious.  The nose was confusing me- it has aromas that would point to Cab Sav or even Merlot but it’s the structural parts on the palate that confirm it to be a Malbec- soft and juicy with an easy to drink tannic structure coupled with lower acidity.  The finish is a touch short but there’s some charred oak notes alongside the dark fruit.  I like this $14 effort a lot and give it 89 points, making it a 4 star wine.  Tonight I am pairing it with baked Corned Beef and roasted potatoes.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Lustau Jerez Palo Cortado Peninsula Sherry, Jerez, Spain

08 Wednesday Mar 2023

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This is my first Palo Cortado style sherry.  It looks divine- pale amber in the glass.  The nose offers up nuts, yeasty notes from Flor, caramel and toffee with dried orange rind. It has quite a bitter entry with exotic flavors I have never come across.  Dry with medium (+) acidity and a full body, this wine coats my mouth with tangy yeast and nuts with a citrus twist.  It’s unique for sure and offers a glimpse into another style of winemaking that is quite different- google Palo Cortado, you’ll see what I mean.  The fortification of this wine makes it a touch hot on the back end but I am really enjoying the nutty finish with that very singular Flor component.  I paid $26 to get this bottle- it rated 90 with the pros, who am I to argue?  4 stars.  Drink upon opening, Salut….

Domaine Maillard Pere et Fils Chorey-les-Beaune 2019, Cote de Beaune, France

06 Monday Mar 2023

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We recently dined at an amazing Parisian restaurant where the entire menu, wine included was extremely reasonable yet of such a high caliber that I will include some pictures.  We drank two bottles of Burgundian Pinot Noir, the first being this Chorey Les Beaune.  I did not want to detract from dinner so very basic notes were taken.

Medium ruby, more extracted than I expected.  Aromas of strawberry, cherries jubilee, a touch of baking spices and some smoke.  Medium (-) tannins and a medium acidity lead to a medium body.  Delicious with flavors of dark cherry, strawberry coulis, baking spice and charred oak on a medium finish. 91 points and for $40 this is a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Scallops to die for

Parmesan Filet

Oh, la la

Can you say Souflé?

Perfection on a dessert plate

Laurent Fayolle Crozes-Hermitage Sens 2019, Rhone, France

01 Wednesday Mar 2023

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A quick and basic tasting note of this French Syrah- Opaque purple. Fruity nose with florals and ripe fruit.  Black plum, lavender, licorice, coffee.  Medium acidity, medium tannins, full body.  Grippy black fruits with flavors of plum, black cherry, bitter dark chocolate with a shortish finish.  88 points and for $19 it gets 4 stars.  Drink till 2025 with hearty meat stews and grilled game.  Salut….

Chateau Les Ormes-de-Pez 2006, Saint-Estephe, France

01 Wednesday Mar 2023

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Purchased at the gift shop in Bages, this Cru Bourgeois is part of the Lynch Bages portfolio.  Pardon the abrupt notes, but it is being drunk at our Parisian Air-bnb in glasses that are not optimal.   Medium garnet colored , nose of blackberry, cassis, tobacco, cedar box, classic aged Bordeaux. Delicious with medium acidity and medium tannins that are well integrated with a medium body.  Slightly tart on the back end with black fruit puree and cassis.  Secondary and tertiary flavors of tobacco, cedar lined drawers, smoke and espresso.  Long finish with tart dark fruit- 91 points.  For around $43, you too can taste this delicious and mature wine.  4 stars.  Salut….

Hamel Family Wines Isthmus 2016, Sonoma Valley, California

05 Sunday Feb 2023

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Inky and opaque with super-slow moving legs and some staining on the walls (16% ABV!).  The nose has intense aromas of blackberry jam, cassis, sweet vanilla, baking spices, menthol, briar and a dusty earth component.  The palate is dry and tannic, full bodied and delicious.  Ripe black berries meet spice and oaky vanilla with mint and earth.  This is a very extracted wine that really hits on all cylinders and offers richness and structure with a touch of heat on the back end that reminds you to be careful with this high alcohol wine.  The finish is long and tasty with fruit fading to earth and briar.  Yummy stuff that will go great with our Sunday Roast Beef.  I would also pair with Lamb and grilled Ribeyes.  Cellar-wise, this is still a young wine that is drinking nicely now as the fine-grained tannins are starting to integrate nicely.  If you have a few bottles of this Cabernet blend then cellar till 2030.  The $80 price point makes it a treat wine that gets 93 points from me and 4 stars.  Salut….

Stepp Gewurztraminer 2020, Pfalz, Germany

04 Saturday Feb 2023

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Medium lemon colored with medium legs (13.5% ABV).  The nose is very aromatic with lychees, rose, orange peel, lemon and some grapefruit.  Hints of ginger and white blossom come later.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a medium body.  The flavors are delicious- tropical fruit interlaced with citrus and floral notes, a touch of ginger snap and some slight bitterness.  The finish is medium in length and a bit one dimensional.  Not overly complex, this is a very tasty wine that I am going to pair with some spicy shrimp tacos.  I paid $16 for this bottle that gets 89 points from me and 4 stars.  Drink till 2025 as an aperitif or with Asian dishes, perhaps some charcuterie.  Salut….

Risata Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2019, Piedmont, Italy

28 Saturday Jan 2023

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Pale straw colored with some effervescence in the glass.  The nose is fruity and aromatic with orange blossom, yellow apple, rose water, quince and and lemon/lime soda.  The palate is semi-sweet with medium (-) acidity and smooth, easygoing bubbles.  The flavors include orange, lemon/lime soda and some quince.  The rose component is lost past the nose.  The bubbles make the wine seem airy, the body is definitely light and the finish is balanced and surprisingly long at medium.  Crisp and relatively fresh, if not a touch too sweet for my liking, this is a wine that needs to be drunk well chilled on a hot afternoon, basking away in the sunshine and nibbling on charcuterie.  88 points from me and for $12 it’s a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Cooper’s Hawk Old Vine Zin NV, Lodi, California

16 Monday Jan 2023

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I must say- this wine is intriguing.  Normally Zinfandel is relatively deep hued and high in alcohol.  This one is pale to medium ruby colored with thin legs that took a while to form.  It sports a more modest 13.5% ABV.  The nose is spicy with pepper, menthol, clove, dark chocolate, black plum and black raspberry.  The palate is dry with sweet, ripe fruit.  Medium acidity coupled with medium (-) tannins make for a relatively easygoing mouthfeel.  Medium bodied- I get flavors of black raspberry, plum, white and black pepper, blackberry jam and a crescendo of acidity on the back end that is starting to make my jaw water.  I did not get that level of acid at the onset but it is certainly prominent on the finish, which is medium in length.  I like this non-vintage, old vine wine, it has a smoothness and drinkability that make it hard to put down.  The spicy nature of the grape is perfect for my pairing- Middle Eastern fare including Kafta ( a spiced ground Lamb kebab) and Harissa potatoes along with olives and other sundry items.  89 points for this $21 non-vintage bottle makes it a 4 star effort to drink now.  Salut….

Jose Hernandez Torrontes 2021, Salta, Argentina

15 Sunday Jan 2023

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Pale lemon-lime colored with a watery sheen on the glass walls (12.5%ABV).  The nose of this aromatic Torrontes has intense aromas of papaya, apricot, geranium, honeysuckle, mandarin oranges, white tea and bergamot.  Intriguing!  The nose smells of ripe, sweet fruit so there is a preconception that this wine will have some sweetness- au contraire.  It is dry with medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body.  A touch bitter right off the bat, the flavors of apricot, geranium, white tea and honeysuckle carry through to a medium length finish that I am enjoying.  I’m really starting to like this varietal, it is very tasty with crisp acidity and holds many interesting flavors and aromas.  88 points from me.  I am serving it as an aperitif while I cook dinner.  It would pair with a Cobb salad, poached chicken on quinoa or even a hard cheese board.  For $13 it’s a 4 star effort.  Drink now.  Salut….