Tag Archives: 4 stars

Los Clop Paraje Altamira Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Mendoza, Argentina

27 Wednesday Nov 2019

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Medium intensity purple in the glass with a nose of black cherries, eucalyptus and iodine.  The palate gives me a dry, tart opening of blackberry reduction coupled with balsamic and that iodine note.  The mid palate is very dry with the tannins coating my gums.  Black fruits and Ribena are prominent.  The finish is decent length with the tannins really gripping.  There’s black cherry and a hint of oak back there amongst the black tea reduction.  Well crafted and built for the long haul.  Drink now if you like em dry or cellar for 3 years, until 2029.  91 points.  For $30, this wine gets 4 stars.  Salut….

Uggiano Roccialta Chianti Riserva DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy

22 Tuesday Oct 2019

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I have really started to enjoy Sangiovese lately and seek out different variants.  This Chianti weighs in at 13.5% alcohol and is medium purple with little opacity.  Kinda what I expect from this varietal as well as Pinot.  On the nose it is fresh with strawberries, cedar plank, a green capsicum component and garigue.  The palate is refreshing with red fruits, crunchy tannins and a touch of wood.  The strawberry I initially sensed gives way to red cherry and currants.  There’s a rhubarb component on the mid palate that marries well with the acidity and tannins.  The finish is lightweight but decent in length and continues the red fruit theme very nicely.  The tannins slowly fade after leaving my gums rather dry.  It’s a young wine which is drinking nicely and will cellar for another 10 years minimum.  Drink till 2029 with eggplant parmigiana, beef stew or slow cooked chicken cacciatore.  90 points from me make this $17 wine a 4 star effort. Salut….

McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, South Eastern Australia

18 Friday Oct 2019

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Decent shade of color, medium opacity.  On the nose I get purple fruit and charcoal. With a bit of swirling it morphs into raspberry.  The initial palate has some nice black cherry and oaky char with a certain warmness to it.  Fine grained tannins immediately show up and carry me to the mid palate which turns the fruit back to that plummy, purple note I caught on the nose.  The finish is medium length, tannic and features more fruit and a dry black tea.  Overall I’m enjoying this wine for what it is- a weekday quaffer that won’t break the bank.  I would pair it with spaghetti, moussaka or even ratatouille.  87 points and 4 stars for this $8 offering, drink till 2021.  Salut….

Pagos del Rey Castillo de Albai Reserva 2014, Rioja DOCa, Spain

19 Thursday Sep 2019

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Medium intensity purple, almost seethrough.  On the nose there’s a definitive charcoal note alongside blackberries and bramble.  Licorice kicks in a little later after a good swirl.  On the palate it’s pretty tasty with black cherry, coffee and more licorice.  Tempranillo sometimes has a dusty, earthy component that I enjoy in Riojas, this wine has a hint of that.  The tannins grip on the midpalate alongside dark fruits .  There is a certain amount of oak at play here, but it’s not overdone.  The long finish is a touch dry from the decent tannic kick.  More blackberry and some vanilla carry me through to the very end.  Drink till 2026 with hearty pastas, steak or roasted chicken- this wine needs food.  90 points from me and 4 stars for its $18 price point.  Salut….

Nederburg The Winemasters Chenin Blanc 2016, Coastal Region, South Africa

12 Thursday Sep 2019

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Pale gold in the glass, it is crystal clear.  On the nose there’s lemon, melon, pear and lychee.  The palate echoes those flavors from front to the finish.  There is a unique mouthfeel, effervescence, without the bubbles.  The acidity is in check but not shy.  It adds depth and cut.  The Chenin Blanc varietal is widely found in France and South Africa.  Differing climates produce variations on the flavor profile but this grape is very enticing, versatile and delicious.  I am going with 88 points and 4 stars for this $9 offering that you should drink till 2022 with grilled chicken, sausage and mash or even smoked salmon.  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….

Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon & Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvee Pere Galland 2012, Cote de Nuits, France

08 Sunday Sep 2019

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We just had a delightful dinner at our favorite restaurant, L’Auberge Chez Francois located in the D.C suburbs.  They have a great wine list but this evening was a very special occasion so I took a bottle of the amazing 2000 Lynch Bages to start off with.  It was spectacular and did not last long.  We needed more vino and my friend wanted a Pinot.  I figured we should order something a little more stout, Gevrey being the obvious choice in a French restaurant.

 

 

 

See-through medium intensity purple.  On the nose sage brush, cherry, oregano.  On the palate it’s very smooth with cherries, cedar, asparagus and lithe tannins.  Medium intensity acidity gives the wine a cutting edge without sourness.  The mid palate shows raspberries alongside the cherry- very tasty and full bodied.  The finish is all sour cherry with acidity, medium tannins and a touch of wood. 91 points and 4 stars for this $50 Burgundy.  Drink till 2035.  Salut….

Domaine Pascal & Mireille Renaud Pouilly-Fuisse Cuvee Vieilles Vignes 2017, Maconnais, France

24 Saturday Aug 2019

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It’s a medium gold in the glass with a nose of pear, apricot and banana.  The palate is tasty, with nice flavors of that pear, some citrus by way of grapefruit and some lanolin.  The mid palate has some weight, with silky smooth popcorn notes along with the fruit.  Acidity is lithe and balanced.  It makes the wine refreshing without too much cut.  The finale’ has more of that pear fruit meets lemon with a decent length finish that has me wondering how good this is going to be with the roasted Cornish Hens I am grilling.  91 points.  I paid $20, but it lists for up to $50, this is a 4 star effort at the first price. Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Spier Rose 2018, Stellenbosch, South Africa

15 Thursday Aug 2019

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Pale straw color in the glass for this 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir blend.  On the nose, strawberry and cherry flavors mingle with nutmeg.  On the palate I get much more fruit flavor than I was expecting, it is lush and vibrant with more strawberry, a trace of rhubarb and capsicum.  The mid palate shows a touch of acidity and some minerality.  The finish is of decent length and much the same for flavors.  Refreshing and satisfying describe this 88 pointer from South Africa. Yours for  $10 makes this a 4 point wine that will pair tonight with roast pork shoulder and spiced Basmati rice.  Drink till 2020.  Salut….

Domaine Lucien Lardy Fleurie Les Roches Vieilles Vignes, Beaujolais, France

13 Tuesday Aug 2019

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Many moons ago Moxie and I went to Paris on one of several trips to that great city.  Drinking wine  in the cafe’s I noticed that sometimes they would serve a red wine slightly chilled.  Turns out, that’s how they enjoy their Beaujolais wines, which are made in a slightly different method and use the Gamay grape.  Many are designed to be drunk young, as in weeks old, while there are several Cru wines that have some aging capacity.  I bought a few bottles of this Fleurie to savor in the heat of the summer after they had a slight chill.

This one is quite dark purple and just barely see-through.  It gives off typical Gamay notes of black currants alongside oak, charcoal and violets.  On the palate I get definitive black currants and cedar shavings.  There is a surprising level of tannin alongside some black tea notes.  There is a nice level of acidity to balance and the wine leaves me wanting more.  The mid palate is really quite dry, bolstering the blackberry flavors and giving me a peak of Ribena as we go to the finish.  The wine has a long dry streak at the end but it does it with finesse and plenty of black fruits.  The pros were all over the scoring table with this one, ranging from 86-91.  I think it drinks nicely now and will cellar till 2024.  90 points and 4 stars for this $18 wine.  Pair with roasted birds, potato and leek rosti or with some soft, ripe Brie.  Salut….