Tag Archives: 5 stars

EnRoute Les Pommiers Pinot Noir 2015, Russian River Valley, USA

07 Monday May 2018

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A darker purple then expected from Pinot Noir.  Nose gives off gobs of strawberry, cherry pie and cedar plank.  The palate gives me some spicy notes of red fruits, violets and fig paste.  The finish is lengthy with very caressing, smooth tannins that are in perfect balance with the acidity.

This is a delicious wine that will reward instant gratification yet will cellar well for another 10 years.  I paired it with some of the best Lamb Chops I have had in a long time.  91 points and 5 stars for this $40 effort.   I’m buying some for the cellar.  Salut….

Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block 2015, Franschhoek Valley, South Africa

30 Monday Apr 2018

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See-through purple.  Nose is enticing with ripe blueberry, cocoa powder, mint and a touch of oak.  The palate is very interesting with plum ganache, blueberry pie, cacao and super fine grained tannins.  The mouthfeel is delightful, with some pinpoint acidity.  The mid palate is ripe and rich, layered with espresso bean, vanilla and more oak.  The finish is long, dry with tannins and mouthwatering with blueberry.  91 points and 5 stars for this $25 blend of Syrah (71%), Grenache Noir (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (8%), Cinsault (5%) and Viognier (1%).  It was a gift, but I will be buying more.  Delicious stuff for immediate drinking or cellaring till 2023.  Salut….

Marchesi Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT 2009, Tuscany, Italy

22 Sunday Apr 2018

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The second wine of the Birthday dinner at Chez Francois.  This one was stunning.  No notes were taken but I remember thinking that this is what being a wine lover is all about.  Near perfection in the bottle.  Rich, ripe, sumptuous, balanced, maturing yet showing youth and verve.  This wine blends some Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with the majority Sangiovese.  It gets 94 points from me and 5 stars, even with its $125 current price tag.  I believe I have one left in storage and will look forward to the next opportunity.  Paired beautifully with Lamb Chops.  Salut….

Chateau Lynch-Bages 2000, Pauillac, France

20 Friday Apr 2018

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It’s my birthday.  I hit the big 5-Oh and pulled this one out the cellar to mark the occasion.  I bought 8 bottles of the 2000 vintage back in ’02 for $59 each, at Costco.  They go for $ 200+ nowadays.

The wine is still a vibrant purple with no signs of age, except the cork that broke in half on extraction.  The nose is heavenly.  Pure Pauillac, with loads of fruit, tobacco, leather, kirsch.  I have wondered for 16 years if this wine would open up like the amazing ’89.  So far, so good.  On the palate- it’s all I had hoped for and more.  Blackberry, cassis, leather, maduro leaf- to name a few of the initial components that meld right in with the fine-grained tannins.  The tannins are very fresh and vibrant, caressing the gums and balancing the gentle acidity to near perfection.  The mid plate is full of cassis and more tobacco leaf.  There is also a fig component that just hit me.  The finish exudes class.  Full of fruit, but with plenty of tertiary flavors mixed in.  Simply amazing.  This wine is young, fresh, vibrant and juicy yet displays grace, a maturity and great structure.  It fulfilled every possible desire I had for a super special treat and has truly rewarded my patience.  I am going with 96 points for this stunner and 5 stars.  It’s a privilege to be able to drink such magnificence.  The family are all working the kitchen to make a special meal, with my 15 year old manning the grill for the Ribeyes.  Salut….

King Estate Pinot Gris 2015, Willamette Valley Oregon, USA

04 Wednesday Apr 2018

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I bought Moxie a few bottles of Pinot Gris at Christmas, she was making white Sangria.  As usual, I overbought.  This one broke the bank at $13.  It has a peachy yellow color to it and a nose of lemon peel, pineapple and ginger.  On the palate it is very approachable.  Refreshing citrus, not overly acidic with hints of beeswax and more of that ginger, but like ginger-ale, not the sliced and raw version.  The wine slides nicely without being tart or bitter.  It offers a nice mid palate waxiness and the finish is medium in length and packed with pineapple curd.  I am really enjoying this wine after being in the car all day.  Serving it up with some fish filets, smoky bacon Quinoa and buttered Brussel Sprouts.  It firing on all cylinders.  90 points and 5 stars, buy it by the dozen for the summer.  Drink now till 2020.  Salut….

Cosentino Winery Reserve Selection Pinot Noir 2011, Sonoma Coast, USA

10 Saturday Mar 2018

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I wrote about this wine back in 2012 (Cosentino Reserve Sonoma), with a note to re-taste in 5 years.  The wine is transparent, light purple, seductive.  The nose is fresh, with strawberry, barnyard and raspberry.  On the palate it is super smooth.  The strawberry coulis is forefront with red berry extract and a caressing tannic structure.  Acidity is perfect and the wine balances itself all the way to the rather long finish.  I would imagine this wine is approaching peak.  It has hints of tertiary flavors while maintaining the freshness of the red fruits.  It has a good backbone and the structure is there to allow for further development.  I would drink till 2026 and pair it with game, poultry and perhaps Filet Mignon.  It is a rather delicate profile, sexy and lithe- not a brooding, big and bold wine.  I am sticking with 92 points and 5 stars.  Salut….

Mollydooker Two Left Feet Shiraz – Cabernet – Merlot 2012, McLaren Vale, Australia

09 Friday Mar 2018

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I have written about the Mollydooker Two Left Feet 2012 vintage before.  I sat on this bottle for an eternity and since we are moving house, it’s time to drink up.  I have not read my old review so as not to taint this one.

I must say, all Mollydooker red wines appear dark and very purply in the glass.  This one is no exception.  Extraction is the key to their success methinks.  It has a nose of plums, sarsaparilla, fig.  I already performed the Mollydooker Shake in case you were wondering.  The palate gives up super smooth flavors of blue fruits.  Blueberry, plum, currant jam, that root beer thing again and some super ingrained tannins.  Like, so smooth and barely detectable.  The astringency hits on the finish, but the wine drinks beautifully with nice, if somewhat restrained acidity.  The mouthfeel on this wine is sublime, extracted, rich and smooth.  The finish shows a faint trace of the well hidden, monstrous 16% alcohol.  Beware…

I am pairing it with pan seared Flat-Iron steak that I coated with Santa Maria rub, plus some sautéed mushrooms, a tomato salad and edamame to boot.  91 points from me for this $25 offering.  5 stars for this blend of 69% Shiraz, 16% Cabernet, 15% Merlot.  Salut….

Sandeman Founder’s Reserve Port, Portugal

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

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I opened this bottle up last week but kept forgetting to make notes (I was really tired).  I nearly finished the dregs before realizing my faux pas, so pardon the brief outline- it was a good drop of Port that I bought for the initial Port taste test.

Rich, tannic, dry.  Nose of dry oak, blueberry syrup and red raspberry reduction.  The palate is very thick- blueberry, cedar slate, a long, dry finish. This wine is attractive, if young.  It begs for a cheese tray.  90 points for this $15 bottle.  I yet again disagree with the big boys…. oh well.  5 stars, you can’t beat the quality to price here folks, go get some if you like Port wine.  Salut….

Henschke Henry’s Seven 2015, Barossa, Australia

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

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Somewhat opaque but dark purple.  The nose gives up candies, plum, oak, cherry pie, vanilla bean.  The palate is super spicy, loaded with fruit and very smooth.  Plum ganache, mocha, cafe au lait and blackberry preserve round out the initial palate.  The transition to mid palate shows off some very integrated tannins, a red berry note and some cedar plank.  The finish is mid length and coats the mouth in plum sauce, coffee and chocolate dust.  92 points from me for this $32 effort, which contradicts the pro’s 89, oh well.  I liked it and will buy again for a juicy Sunday roast companion.  5 stars for this Shiraz/Grenache/Viognier blend.  Salut….

Two Hands Wines Bella’s Garden Shiraz 2010, Barossa Valley, Australia

20 Saturday Jan 2018

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You know you’re in for a bombastic treat when the label says Shiraz and the wine comes out inky in color and very dense.  The nose is delightful- full of plum, espresso, cedar plank, elderberry syrup and a vanilla hint.  On the palate it is more restrained than I was expecting, more silky, smoother, with much more depth.  This is indeed a powerful wine, but in a more stately fashion.  It shows the dark fruits I mentioned plus a really tight knit tannic structure that couples with the acidity to give an amazing mouthfeel.  The elderberry syrup component really kicks in on the mid palate, it is so silky smooth.  The finish is long, and full of fruit.  The tannins are perfectly in sync and do not overpower the flavors.  This is a delicious wine that has aged nicely and will continue to do so for many years.  Drink with pretty much any grilled meat or all by itself.  Beware the well hidden 15.5% alcohol, it may sneak up!  The pros went big on this wine, which was WS #3 wine of the year in 2012, I can see why.  95 points and 5 stars for this treat that comes in at $75, if you can find it.  Drink till 2024 at the least.  Ps.  I originally bought 2 bottles, and then another six afterwards.  See my other two posts on Bella’s Garden.  Salut….