Tag Archives: 4 stars

Saxon Brown Fighting Brothers Zinfandel 2015, Sonoma Valley, California

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

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Medium ruby colored- this 14.7% ABV Zin has got thick, globby legs in the glass.  The nose has pronounced aromas of stewed blackberry, prunes, blueberry compote, walnuts, vanilla, cedar and spice box.  I like the tertiary notes of this developing wine. The palate is dry and fully bodied with well integrated tannins and juicy acidity.  The flavors are delicious and pronounced as I swirl the nectar around my mouth, sucking air in to boost the flavors.  The finish has a touch of heat on it but still shows lovely fruit flavors for a medium length finish.  The alcohol is a bit of an unbalanced distraction that will cost a point or two.  This $40 wine gets 91 points and 4 stars from me.  It is really good all by itself but may pair well with grilled Picanha steaks or roasted duck with a cherry reduction.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Brokenwood Oakey Creek Semillon 2009, Hunter Valley, Australia

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

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At my weekly WSET class we were tasked with the notes on this Semillon.  It was medium lemon colored although there may have been a tendency toward gold IMO.  The nose was of medium (+) intensity but fell off quickly.  We got aromas of beeswax, toast, flint, tangerine, grapefruit, white blossom and ripe pear.  I thought this developing wine was quite complex albeit not yet showing the big tertiary notes associated with the Hunter Valley.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity- a good thing for helping age these graceful wines.  Medium (+) body coupled with medium alcohol and medium (+) intensity flavors of the above.  The citrus stood out on the mid palate and long finish.  We though this wine was of Very Good Quality and could do with further aging.  Overall I feel this is potentially a 91 point wine and for $30 it gets 4 stars.  The pros went as high as 94 but I don’t see it.  Salut….

Negretti Barolo DOCG 2017, Piedmont, Italy

25 Monday Apr 2022

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Bordering on medium garnet- Nebbiolo typically shows this color even when but a few years old.  The nose gives off charming aromas of red cherry, dried herbs, cranberry, coffee, a touch of tar and some violet.  The palate is dry with high acidity and medium (+) tannins.  A full body and luscious flavors of red fruit, some sour cherry and the nuances of oak, tar and floral violets.  The finish is purely sour cherry, tannins and juicy acidity with some smooth yet powerful tannins.  It is medium in length and balanced.  For a young Barolo it is drinking nicely already and will mature over time to give tertiary notes hopefully.  90 points from me and for $36 it gets 4 stars.  Drink till 2029.  Salut….

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 2017, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Apr 2022

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I’ve been on a big Grenache kick lately and bought several different offerings from this producer whom I’ve tried before.  This one is medium ruby colored and has some nice red fruit and meaty aromas.  Raspberry, black cherry, bacon, lavender, red plum, red licorice and sweet cedar.  The palate is dry and tannic upfront.  Great acidity balances the well integrated tannic component and the flavors are delicious.  Red fruit, Ceylon tea, game, florals and oak nuance all mingle together.  The mid palate has a slight astringency akin to tea meets charred oak and mineral slate.  The finish is quite long for this full bodied wine that needs a bit of time to flesh out methinks.  I think it will be a great wine in a few years but right now it turned a bit angular on me.  I’m going with 90 points for now on this $32 blend that has some Mourvedre in it.  4 stars with a drink between 2024-2030 window.  Salut….

Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Sonoma County, California

15 Friday Apr 2022

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This one stumped me in a WSET blind tasting.  We were going to be discussing Spain and Portugal so I was convinced that the red wine had to be from the region but when I put this deep ruby colored wine up to my nose I was greeted by a very familiar set of smells.  Medium (+) intensity aromas of black plum, red plum, cinnamon, blackberry, cedar and vanilla made me think this complex wine was a Tempranillo.  The palate was dry with medium (+) tannins, medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, medium (+) body and medium intensity flavors of the aforementioned, albeit slightly less intense on the palate.  This gave way to a medium length finish that had me grade this wine as very good, suitable to be drunk now or aged some more.  In reality, I had just predisposed myself to thinking I was drinking one varietal when in fact it was a Sonoma Cab I was sipping!  Looking back- this wine gets 91 points and for $55 it is a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Folk and Fable Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California

08 Friday Apr 2022

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This medium purple colored wine has got a fruity, medium intensity nose.  I get aromas of black plum, blackberry, vanilla, blueberry jam and charcoal.  The palate has a sweetness from the Bourbon barrel- that delicious caramel, smoke, vanilla combo that melds nicely with the jammy black and blue fruit.  Medium tannins and medium acidity create a nice mouthfeel in this medium (+) bodied wine.  The finish has got loads of rich fruit and oak nuance and is short to medium in length.  This is not an overly complex wine, yet it adds a new dimension with the oak usage that makes it easy to enjoy and pair with many meat dishes, pasta, pizza and even burgers on the grill.  For $30 it is an elegant offering that gets 90 point from me and 4 stars.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Achaia Cellars Muscat of Patras NV, Greece

03 Sunday Apr 2022

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Medium gold in the glass, this dessert style wine from Greece has pronounced aromas of honey, orange marmalade, blossom, a hint of lychee, some rose water and soursop. On the palate it is medium sweet with medium acidity, a full body and medium (-) intensity flavors.  The mouthfeel is really pleasant, not cloying- more like a refreshing sticky.  The finish is medium length and accentuates the honey component with orange  notes.  This wine retails for $13.  That’s a steal IMO.  88 points from me makes it a 4 star effort to have laying around in case you need something sweet after dinner.  Stock up.  Salut….

Marietta Cellars Angeli Cuvee 2016, Alexander Valley, California

01 Friday Apr 2022

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Deep garnet colored, this Zinfandel is showing a touch of age.  Besides a whiff of alcohol right off the bat- the nose has aromas of stewed blueberry, vanilla, black plum, clove and purple licorice.  The palate is dry and tannic with juicy acidity and a full body.  The flavors are quite complex- there’s a touch of stewed/cooked fruit showing the wine’s age, plus some oak influence as well as primal fruit still hanging in there.  The finish is grippy and the acid really hits the tongue and jaw on the medium length finish.  This is not the usual overly extracted and jammy Zin, it has some good fruit and structure and needs a spicy meat dish like middle eastern spiced lamb kofta.  90 points for this $35 wine makes it a 4 star effort.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

 

Kirkland Signature 10 Year Old Tawny Port, Portugal

31 Thursday Mar 2022

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I love Port.  Tawny is not my top style so I am trying to broaden my palate, even if it means buying Costco’s brand (they have some excellent stuff BTW).  This one is medium garnet in color.  The nose is quite pronounced, perhaps due to the big 20% ABV evaporating off those wafts?  Nuts, caramel, singed orange, prune, raisins and a dried herb note.  The palate is off-dry, with medium acidity, medium tannins and high alcohol which is noticeable.  Medium (+) body and pronounced flavors of dried fruit, oxidative notes of caramel, dried herbs and that lovely orange component.  The finish is quite lengthy, tannic, high in residual alcohol and really yummy.  For under $20 it’s a decent drop that gets 88 points from me and 4 stars.  Salut….

Bodegas y Vinedos Valderiz ‘Valderiz’ 2017, Ribera del Duero, Spain

30 Wednesday Mar 2022

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I attended a wine tasting course last night and ended up scoring this bottle with my team- by request.  I knew I had a newer vintage of the same wine at home so I wanted to do a vertical.  I will report on both strictly by using the Systematic Approach to Tasting.

  • Deep Ruby
  • Medium (+) nose with aromas of earthy dust, bramble, dried cherry, orange peel, black cherry, dried tarragon- this wine is developing.
  • Dry, medium (-) acidity, medium (+) tannins, high alcohol, medium (+) body, medium intensity flavors of earthy dust, bramble, dried cherry, orange peel, black cherry, dried tarragon and vanilla with a medium finish.
  • Very Good quality
  • Drink now, suitable for aging or further aging

I thought this was a little thin on the palate compared to the nose, my partners agreed.  I would give it 91 points and for $35 it gets 4 stars.  Salut….