Tag Archives: 4 stars

Bodegas Caro ‘Aruma’ Malbec 2022, Mendoza, Argentina

14 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Deep purple colored, with moderate staining, and a medium viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of black plum, brambleberry, mint, eucalyptus, charred oak, coffee, iron, and grape licorice.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (-) tannins that are pretty astringent.  Medium (+) intensity flavors mirror the nose with a silky mouthfeel.  The bitterness of the tannins hits on the finish, which is medium in length, somewhat detracting from an otherwise delicious and easygoing wine.  89 points from me for this $15 effort gets it 4 stars.  Drink till 2028 with game, duck or even roast chicken.  Salut….

Bodegas Caro Aruma Malbec

Boedecker Cellars Distinction Pinot Noir 2019, Willamette Valley, Oregon

12 Wednesday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Pale ruby colored, fading to pale garnet, with medium viscosity (13.8% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black cherry, baking spices, ripe pomegranate, orange peel, black raspberry, toasty oak, and Turkish coffee.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins.  The flavors are medium in intensity and hone in on dark red fruit. The oak influence is not as evident as the nose,  with the focus being on black raspberry and black cherry.  I like it- the zesty tartness of the acidity makes for a lively mouthfeel.  The finish is medium (+) in length and juicy.  92 points from me for this $50 bottle gets it 4 stars.  Drink till 2033.  Salut….

Boedecker Cellars Distinction Pinot Noir

King Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2023, Monticello, Virginia

09 Sunday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Medium ruby colored with slight staining, and high viscosity (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of licorice, green pepper, blackberry, cassis, acai berry, fresh green herbs, a hint of oak, chocolate powder, and vanilla.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins.  Medium intensity flavors of acai berry, anise, green pepper, herbs, and some blackberry.  The finish is medium (-) in length and turns a touch tart- refreshing.  It’s a nice bottle that we picked up at the winery, which is a must-visit if in the area.  It runs $30 ex-chateau and gets 90 points from me, making it a 4 star effort to drink over the next five years.  Salut….

King Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Castelli del Grevepesa Coltifredi Riserva 2020, Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy

04 Tuesday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Medium ruby fading to a watery meniscus, with slight staining, and high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of red cherry, leather, dried herbs, pomegranate, black currant, and an iron note.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that seem to dominate the mouthful.  Flavors are medium in intensity and I get dried red cherry, leather, iron, blood, dried herbs and overly dry tobacco leaf.  The finish is medium (-) in length and a touch tart.  The tannins go on for ages, drying up the gums in the process.  It’s a serviceable Sangiovese, nothing special.  A bit youthful, it will reward cellared for a few years to tame the tannic imbalance.  89 points from me for this $25 effort making it a 4 star wine.  The obvious pairing for me is pasta tonight.  Salut…..

Castelli del Grevepesa Coltifredi Riserva Chianti Classico

Carmen Stevens Angels Reserve Shiraz 2022, Swartland, South Africa

31 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


Medium garnet colored, with slight staining and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The wine has a slightly murky look, perhaps it’s not filtered?  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of plums, pomegranate, blackberry, smoke, game, and cracked pepper.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that fade quickly.  The flavors are medium in intensity and echo the nose, but with some added astringency, perhaps over-steeped black tea.  The finish is medium (+) in length and shows off some sweetness of fruit.  It’s a decent bottle that ran me $11 and gets 88 points, making it a 4 star effort.  It has some cellaring capacity, perhaps till 2030.  I am pairing it with smoked duck breast.  Salut….

Carmen Stevens Angels Reserve Shiraz

Massaya Classic – Le Colombier Rouge 2021, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

16 Tuesday Sep 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


Medium ruby colored, with slight staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black raspberry, cedar, blackberry coulis, menthol,  coffee bean, dark chocolate, wild herb, and ripe fig.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are pretty grippy.  The flavors hone in on black fruit with iodine, menthol and oaky wood notes.  It’s a young bottle, which is typical for Lebanese wines- they have great longevity.  The finish is pretty dry and tannin driven for the first part.  The fruit notes end medium in length, leaving me with a slightly bitter after taste.  It’s yummy, but young.  It’s a blend of 35% Grenache Noir, 35% Consult, and 30% Tempranillo.  I would give it a potential 90 points, it cost me $19 and gets 4 stars.  Drink till 2035.  Salut….

Massaya Le Colombier Rouge

Patz & Hall Little Boot Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017, Russian River Valley, California

18 Friday Jul 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Medium ruby colored with charcoal highlights, and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, pomegranate, rhubarb, spice box, vanilla bean, coffee, red plum, and bramble berry.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are nicely integrated.  Red fruits dominate the flavors with a hint of oak influence- vanilla, coffee, spice box.  Red raspberry and rhubarb are the dominant players here.  The acidity kicks it up a notch on the back end where the finish is quite long and slightly tart.  I can feel a touch of heat, which is surprising for me.  I like this wine, it’s not exactly my style of Pinot, but it has the right level of extraction and has a lovely mouthfeel with layered fruit being supported by nice structure.  It should cellar nicely and drink well until 2035.  92 points from me for this $65 bottling gets it 4 stars.  I’m pairing it with Pork Tomahawk chops.  Salut….

Patz & Hall Little Boot Vineyard pinot noir

Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2000, Clare Valley, Australia

13 Sunday Jul 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Medium garnet colored with very evident bricking, and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of mulled plum, blackberry compote, raisins, prunes, walnuts, desiccated flower petals, dried coconut flakes, dried dill/herbs, a touch of eucalyptus and a hint of green almond.  That last line is interesting.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body and medium (-) tannins that are truly melded.  Medium (+) intensity flavors that mimic the nose and are interlaced with vibrant acidity that is tempered by the silky, if almost imperceptible tannins.  The wine has a gorgeous mouthfeel- akin to velvet.  The finish is medium (+) in length and very smooth.  This is a a very mature wine that is fading gracefully.  I remember drinking gallons of it in its youth and loving every drop.  It’s not cheap, but well worth the $47 entry fee for the current vintage.  It gets 89 points from me as it has very little aging capacity left.  Drink this 4 star wine sooner rather than later.  Salut….

Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz

Sebastien Dampt Cote de Lechet 2022, Chablis Premier Cru, France

09 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


We tasted this Burgundian Chardonnay at the 40th virtual wine tasting.  Per normal,  it was served chilled first followed by a room temperature glass for comparison.  The chilled version scored far better for me which is unusual.  Pale gold in color with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose gave us citrus, nectarines, honey, melon, peach and pink grapefruit.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity, and a medium (-) body.  The flavors are very terroir driven with loads of minerality and a long finish.  I scored this one a 16 on our tasting scale with a 91 point technical score.  The room temperature version was far less aromatic on the nose which surprised me.  It was more broad with lemon and grapefruit pith notes coupled with some honey and peach.  The palate was fuller in body but less powerful, not as complex and lacking focus.  The peach note remained alongside some ripe Honeycrisp apple notes and a slight bitterness.  The finish was only medium at this temperature.  I scored it a mere 10 points on our sheet.  Overall, I really enjoyed this wine well-chilled on night two.  At $30, it’s a treat bottle that gets 4 stars from me.  I believe it has some decent cellaring capacity with potential to evolve.  Salut….

Sebastien Dampt Cote de Lechet

Lachini Vineyards ‘La Contrada’ Red 2017, Walla Walla Valley, Washington

27 Tuesday May 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and high viscosity (15.4% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, blackberry, black plum, vanilla, acai berry, mint, eucalyptus, and espresso bean.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are quite grippy.  Dark fruit coupled with lavish, yet well integrated oak make for a very rich and satisfying mouthfeel.  The vanilla was very obvious on the nose but more subtle on the palate, as are the herbal notes- allowing the fruit to dominate the flavors.  The finish is medium (+) in length where it shows off the ripeness of the grapes, which are an 83/17 blend of Cab Sav/Merlot.  The tannins leave me with a dry palate after it’s all said and done, the youth and structure of this wine being quite obvious at this point.  I like it, 93 points worth and for the price of $55 it gets 4 stars.  Drink this youthful wine till 2034.  Salut….

Lachini Vineyards 'La Contrada' Red