Tag Archives: $50

Boedecker Cellars Distinction Pinot Noir 2019, Willamette Valley, Oregon

12 Wednesday Nov 2025

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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

Domaine de Pignan Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2019, Rhone, France

12 Monday Feb 2024

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My college buddy gave me this at Christmas, I was waiting to open it with him to enjoy.  Not exactly the right scene, but it made the pre-Superbowl party more enjoyable!

Medium garnet with slight staining and high viscosity (15.2% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of blackberry, black plums, cracked pepper, violets, purple licorice, blueberry ganache, chocolate powder, baking spices, vanilla bean, coconut and eucalyptus (?).   The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium tannins and a full body. The first thing that comes to my mind is the silky yet slightly chalky texture to the tannins. It’s beautiful. Medium (+) intensity flavors of blackberry, black plums, purple licorice, ripe/rich blueberry paste, vanilla bean, baking spices and cocoa powder- itfinishes long and sensual. Very smooth and delicious. 93 points. Drink now until 2030. Simply amazing.  At $50- it’s a treat for sure that gets 5 stars.  Salut…..

Chateau Latour-Martillac 2014, Pessac-Leognan, France

09 Friday Jun 2023

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Deep, inky-ruby colored with a medium viscosity (13.5% ABV). Classic Left Bank aromas with an intense nose of ripe cassis, pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar box, ripe blackberry and black plum.  A hint of green pepper keeps it somewhat on the rails- it’s a beautiful nose. The palate is dry with medium acidity that is a touch tart along with medium intensity tannins that are well integrated.  Medium bodied- it’s a seductive wine with good length and more cellaring capacity.  It finishes old world with slightly tart dark red fruits and tertiary notes of cedar, tobacco and pencil shavings. 91 points.  We drank this Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Magnum but you can find a standard bottle for around $50. Drink till 2028 with grilled Filet steak and au gratin potatoes.  4 Stars.  Salut….

Broadbent 10 Years Old Malmsey, Madeira, Portugal

02 Sunday Apr 2023

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Pale Amber in the glass with a very viscous sheen on the walls. The nose has pronounced aromas of walnuts, caramel, dark chocolate paste, raisins, prunes, almond skin and a touch of heat. The palate is sweet and luscious with medium acidity. Confirming the flavors on this full bodied wine that finishes long, the almond bitterness I got on the nose translates to the back end and it’s delicious. 93 points for this silky treat that runs $50 makes it a 4 star effort.  Enjoy with dessert or cheese tray.  Salut….

Maxville Lake Winery ‘Maxville’ Cabernet Franc 2015, Napa Valley, California

12 Thursday Jan 2023

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Deep ruby with rim variation to garnet plus some slow moving legs (14.5% ABV).  The nose has varietally true aromas of green pepper, blackberry, black raspberry and some menthol perfume.  Very faint notes of oak alongside some coffee, crushed rock and vanilla.  It smells gorgeous.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and delightfully fine grained tannins that caress.  Full bodied, I get flavors of black raspberry, blackberry, menthol, oak nuance, coffee, chocolate.  The green pepper aromas don’t show up on the palate btw.  The finish is a touch smoky and medium (+) in length with the tannins completely melded and the acidity softening.  A very balanced and somewhat complex wine that really coats my mouth with delicious, ripe fruit.  I like it a lot and give it 93 points.  I’m searing some Sous Vide Strip steaks, this is going to pair beautifully.  For $50 its a treat-night wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Domaine Bernard Serveau Les Sentiers 2009, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, France

23 Friday Dec 2022

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Pale garnet colored, this 13 year old Pinot Noir is starting to show some age.  The nose  is too.  Baked cherry, dried strawberry, caramel, chocolate powder, orange peel, vanilla pod, figs and raisin compote- very layered with primary, secondary and tertiary aromas.  The palate is bone dry with medium (+) acidity and low tannins.  Flavors of dried and stewed red fruit with caramel and cocoa powder dominate.  It’s not as rich or complex as the nose was indicating.  Light bodied it carries through to a short finish that is comprised of tart cherry, cranberry and some caramel.  I was hoping for more from a 1er Cru Burgundy- 88 points with a drink till 2024 window.  It would normally run $50+ and therefore gets 3 stars from me.  We are pairing it with roast Turkey and all the accompaniments.  Salut….

William Gordon Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Alexander Valley, California

02 Tuesday Aug 2022

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Opaque- deep, deep ruby which is surprising for a 10 year old wine.  Slow moving legs in the glass hint at the 14.5% ABV.  The nose has freshness- dark plum, vanilla, blackberry, cassis, menthol, tomato leaf and a green herbaceous note.  The palate is dry, tart from medium (+) acidity and balanced with medium (+) tannins which are still quite grippy.  Full bodied, this wine coats my mouth with rich flavors of blackberry, cassis, black plum.  The oak shines with vanilla whilst the menthol, tomato leaf and green notes all support.  It’s a precise wine with delineation between all the flavors and aromas.  It finishes rather short but it is balanced.  I like it, as I like most of this winery’s offering (especially their Petite Sirah).  92 points from me for this $50 bottle makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2030.  We are firing up the charcoal for some Cowboy steaks and potato wedges which is funny because the last time I drank this wine we also had beef and potatoes.  Read about my 2020 tasting here.  Salut….

Domaine Durieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Reserve Lucile Avril 2016, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Jul 2022

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I love a CDP, as does our virtual tasting group but this one was not a crowd pleaser.  Medium ruby colored it had pronounced aromas of game (road kill), tomato, sawdust, violets, herbs de Provence and baked/stewed blueberry.  The palate was dry with well integrated medium (+) tannins, low acidity and a medium body.  Flavors of game, stewed blueberry, charcoal, smoke, and a waxy component were noted.  The finish was decently long for this 91 point wine.  I scored it 15 points on our grading scale and for $50 it only gets 3 stars from me.  The pro’s went as high as 96 points for this old vine Grenache blended with Syrah and Mourvedre.  I would drink this angular wine with stews or perhaps a venison roast.  Cellar wise- it should go till 2030.  Salut…..

Remi Niero Condrieu Chery 2019, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Jul 2022

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The 28th episode of our virtual wine tasting group kicked off last night with this Viognier from the Northern Rhone appellation of Condrieu.  We tasted it at room temp first, followed by a chilled version.  Medium straw colored this 15% ABV wine had a beautiful sheen to it in the glass.  The nose was interesting- honeysuckle, pineapple, apricot, pear, nutmeg, honeycomb and a burnt smell plus the sensation it was going to be waxy.  On the palate it was dry with low acidity.  I noted it was very smooth, others remarked that it was waxy.  Full bodied the main fruit note we got was a lingering apricot note and some buttery components.  The finish was long.  I gave it 18 points on our grading scale.

The chilled version had aromas of brioche, citrus, honeydew and pear.  The palate was waxy and we got a bitter citrus pith note alongside apricot , pineapple, butter and brioche.  The finish seemed a bit shorter in length for some reason.  It thought I was going to prefer the chilled version, but alas- 15 points did not tilt me.  Once again the room temperature version of a white wine was the preferred serving for the majority.

Overall I liked this wine and would give it 92 points but at $50, it’s only a 4 star wine IMO.  We discussed pairings- white fish with perhaps a cream sauce would work well.  Drink now.  Salut….

Clarendon Hills ‘Kangarilla’ Grenache 2011, McLaren Vale, Australia

09 Saturday Jul 2022

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Deep ruby colored with pronounced aromas of black plum, coconut, blackberry, sassafras, loam, cedar and baking spices. The palate is dry with well integrated, powerful tannins. Medium to full bodied I get rich fruit cake flavors, black cherry, black plum, vanilla and spice. The acidity is medium and very balanced with the tannic structure. The finish falls off rather rapidly but it’s okay- the fruit intensity up till then was really great.  It finishes with a touch of charcoal, some tannic grip and black fruit. Very little tertiary notes at this time even though the wine is 11 years old. It should last another five or six years and drink really well with some grilled meats. 93 points, possibly higher if the finish were a little bit longer.  For $50 it is a 5 star wine.  Salut….