Tag Archives: 5 stars

Maxville Lake Winery ‘Maxville’ Petit Sirah 2014, Napa Valley, California

27 Sunday Mar 2022

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Inky dark purple in the glass, this promises to be a big, bold wine with lots of body and flavor.  Perfect to pair with my Sunday Rib Roast.  Ripe blackberry, luscious blueberry compote, plums, coconut, purple licorice and a spice/baking component on the nose.  The palate is rich, tannic, full bodied with medium acidity and bold flavors of blackberry, oak nuance and spice.  The yeasty baking note is still there, albeit feint.  Think blackberry puree with a lashing of black tea.  Grippy with mouth searing tannins, deliciously fruity with a dry finish that lasts a decent length of time.  The tannins however, lurk on my gums for an eternity.  If you like them dry, this wine is for you.  The 14.5% ABV has not even made itself known, well disguised in this nicely balanced wine.  This $55 blockbuster is still in youth.  The tannins need some taming unless you like that level of astringency.  Personally, it’s fine as I am pairing it with a fatty cut of meat.  It gets 93 points from me and 5 stars.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

W & J Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port NV, PortoPortugal

25 Friday Mar 2022

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I opened this wine yesterday to use a few dollops in my Short Rib sauce.  I ended the evening sipping this nectar and making very basic notes.  For $24, this is a delicious Port that I will be buying again.

Opaque- period. Off-dry with cooked blackberry, sweet prunes, stewed blueberry, rich tannins, high alcohol that is well hidden, medium acidity, long finish, full bodied, very dry finish.  Delicious. 92 points and 5 stars.  Salut….

Costers del Priorat Petit Pissares 2016, Priorat, Spain

25 Friday Mar 2022

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Deep garnet in the glass with thick legs (14.5% ABV), this Garnacha/Carinena blend from Priorat has medium intensity aromas of baked plums, blackberry, raisins, black raspberry, coconut and some spice.  The baked/cooked aromas disappeared almost immediately.  The palate is dry with high acidity, medium (+) tannins, medium (+) body and medium (-) finish.  The fruit flavors are quite intense and I get the black raspberry, blackberry, some plum and spice but no oak-derived coconut.  Black and smoky Lapsang Souchong teas present on the mid palate and add to the tannic grip that has enveloped my gums.  I find this wine a bit of a conundrum- it is very primal in fruit, yet shows advances in age beyond its 6 years, I wonder if it was mishandled along the way.  Let me have a look.

I did some research, this wine should have lots of tertiary and secondary notes, instead, I get the baked and stewed fruit which is either very aged wine or heat damaged wine.  The flavors I get do not match the descriptions of where I bought this $23 bottle from.  I would love to revisit it I could get a good bottle.  For now, I would imagine it to hold up to the 90 point score the pros awarded.  It could potentially be a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Clos Badon Thunevin 2018, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

23 Wednesday Mar 2022

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I’m cooking peppercorn steaks tonight and had a hard time deciding between three wines- this Merlot/Cab Franc blend won the honors.  It is opaque AF, inky purple in the glass with glossy legs.  The nose is spectacular- pronounced aromas of black plum, cassis, blackberry, vanilla, coffee bean, spice box, leather and iodine.  The palate is dry, fiercely tannic and has medium acidity.  It runs a hefty 15% ABV and shows off a full body.  The flavors are yummy.  Pronounced black and dark blue fruit with nicely integrated oak nuance alongside a sanguine thrust of iodine and iron.  This wine is young with a great tannic structure and the mouthfeel is beautiful, decant it if you like them a little softer.  The pro’s were all over the scoring map with this $50 effort, but I have to say the higher end wins.  93 points from me and 5 stars.  Drink till 2034 with hearty stews, well marbled steaks or a bold cheese tray.  Salut….

The three contenders

 

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2018, France

23 Wednesday Mar 2022

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I was at a wine class last night and this GSM blend was one of the wines we tasted.  Having recently tried the 2016 vintage I wanted to re-visit this as a follow on.  It is deep ruby, bordering on purple.  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black raspberry, black plum, blackberry, mint? and white pepper.  The palate of this dry wine has medium tannins, medium (-) acidity, medium body, medium (+) intensity flavors of the black fruit already mentioned and a cassis-like sweetness on the mid palate.  There is very little oak influence that I can sense.  The finish is mid length and grippy.  I like this very serviceable wine that runs $15 and gets 91 points from me.  I would drink this with strip steak till 2026.  5 stars.  Salut….

 

Rust en Vrede Estate Red 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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We wound up the 26th Virtual Wine tasting event with this Cabernet blend from Afrique de Sud.  Following the blockbuster Anwilka was no easy task but as soon as I smelled this deep ruby beaut I mentioned to the group that they were going to love it.  I was not wrong.

At 7 years of age this wine is starting to show tertiary aromas of funk, barnyard, leather, cigar box and cassis alongside the primal blackberry, licorice, mint and Sarsaparilla.  I thought it was a spectacular array of aromas- very complex.  On the palate this wine was super smooth with very well integrated tannins, medium acidity, medium body and a medium length finish.  The flavors were yummy- plum, blackberry, cassis, leather, milk chocolate, lavender and smoke.  A beautifully melded package of wine components that is drinking at peak now and needs to be consumed by 2025.  I awarded it 19/20 and will go with 93 points.  $50 gets you a taste of this 5 star effort. I would pair it with braised leg of lamb or a Moroccan Tagine.  Salut….

Klein Constantia ‘Anwilka’ 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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This blend, based on Syrah, was brooding in the glass.  Deep ruby, opaque AF and sporting a 14% ABV.  Our Virtual Wine Tasting group found it to be funky with pepper, smoked meat, blackcurrant jam, prune, black licorice, Sambucca and an earthy component.  On the palate we agreed that this was a very tannic wine- still too young with aerating/decanting a must.  Medium (-) acidity, medium (+) body and a medium length finish.  Flavors of Maraschino and Luxardo cherries were evident, as was Espresso, Lapsang Souchong tea, pepper and blackcurrants.  This was not a crowd favorite but I did mention to the group that it’s a very complex wine that needs more time to open up and allow the fruit to shine through the tannic veil.  I will re-taste over the next few days.  From me this is blockbuster gets 19/20 VWTC points and technically speaking- 92 pts.  At $60 one might me hesitant to pop-n-pour but some extra cellaring will make this wine shine.  5 stars with a drinking window of 2024-2030.  It needs a juicy Ribeye or Prime Rib with horseradish.  Salut….

Siduri Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2018, California

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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Our Virtual Wine Tasting group has drunk numerous Pinot Noirs over the past 2 years. This one hails from the southerly Santa Barbara county.  I wanted to introduce a different style of Pinot to show how climactic differences and terroir can affect a single varietal wine.  I was not disappointed with my choice.  This medium-ruby wine had very defined legs in the glass and packs a 14% ABV punch.  Aromas of black cherry, root beer, cola, Dr. Pepper, ripe raspberry, cinnamon, nutmeg and a saline note.  The palate had medium tannins, medium (-) acidity, a medium weight body and brooding flavors of cranberry, mulling spices, black cherry and a tart cherry finish.  14/20 from me and 91 points for this $20 wine makes it a 5 star effort to drink over the next 5 years.  Salut….

Dominio del Plata Susana Balbo Torrontes Late Harvest 2016, Mendoza, Argentina

16 Wednesday Mar 2022

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Torrontes is a very intriguing aromatic varietal that I really enjoy, so when I saw a Late Harvest (ie. sweet ) I could not resist.  It is medium lemon in color and has a watery sheen in the glass as expected for a 12% ABV wine.  The nose is incredible- pronounced aromas of honeysuckle, jasmine, lemon curd and rosewater.  The palate is sweet- full bodied and of medium (-) acidity.  The flavors are pronounced on the palate.  Florals, ripe citrus curd, rose and honeysuckle caress the mouth with a richness.  Served chilled, this wine is actually very refreshing and dare I say- easy to drink!  As a dessert wine I am thinking it would pair with poached stone fruit and vanilla ice cream.  For $30 it’s a great intro to something unique that gets 91 points from me and 5 stars.  Ps.  I am drinking it as an aperitif.  Salut….

Xavier Vignon “SM” Côtes du Rhône NV, Rhone, France

15 Tuesday Mar 2022

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I’m having Cassoulet for dinner.  For grins I went online to see what others would pair with this rustic French dish of white beans, Duck Confit and sausage.  Well, well- they all recommended a French wine, with deference to the southern regions.  This bottle is a 50/50 blend of old vine Grenache and old vine Syrah from the North and Southern Rhone.  It is slightly cloudy and a deep shade of ruby.  The nose has pronounced aromas of black plum, black raspberry, smoke, meat, licorice, espresso, açaí and black pepper.  That’s quite complex for a $20 bottle!  The palate is tannic right off the bat.  Black fruit and red fruit combine with spice and oak nuance that are all enveloped in a mouth coating dryness from the tannins along with juicy acidity.  Full bodied, this 14.5% ABV wine is a not for the feint of heart- it is full throttle with the fruit, the tannins, the acidity and the mouthfeel.  It has a mid length finish that remains quite mouth-puckering from the relentless tannic grip.  I hope my dish mellows this 92 point wine out somewhat!  Being an NV, I am not sure when it was made but this bottle will last till 2030 at the least.  5 stars.  Salut….