Tag Archives: 84 points

Milestone Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

20 Monday Oct 2014

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A very basic Cali Cab that we added to our Sunday afternoon football/wine tasting extravaganza.  This was brought by a friend. Candied plums and wood on the nose were kinda intriguing.  On my first taste I knew what I was in for-  Violets, plum and twizzlers on the initial attack with a heavy dose of oak.  I just wish they had toned down the wood, this wine just is not my style at all.  Mild tannins and a hint of acidity make up a very basic backbone to this casual drinker.  84 points and 2 stars for this $9 offering.  I think I would pass, there are many wines that suit my taste for the same price.  Salut….

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Montes Classic Series Merlot 2012

28 Monday Apr 2014

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A bargain for $9, but only if you like the style in which it is made.  Me, not so much.  It started out with sweet plums and cherry cola on the nose supported by a generous dose of oak.  Merlot makes up the majority of the blend in this Chilean wine and gives it a youthful plum profile on the palate with a high degree of acidity.  Very slight tannins give an easy to drink mouthfeel, yet the wine is over oaked with lashings of wood and vanilla.  It is a casual drinking bottle that may appeal to many as an aperitif with some nuts, olives and bruschetta.  I am going with 84 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

montes classic series merlot 2012

Castle Rock Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

09 Sunday Feb 2014

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I have previously had the Castle Rock Cabernet but from Paso Robles and the 2009 vintage.  This wine follows the same mold, but is far better.  Priced at a bargain price of $9, you will be hard pressed to get anything form Napa for less.  It starts off with a decent color in the glass and some pretty plums flavors on the nose.  This is not a complex wine, nor is it built for cellaring.  It has primal flavors of plums and violets with a candied cherry finish.  Very light on the oak and virtually no tannic backbone.  It was very easy to drink and managed to keep up with some big players at the tasting.  I gave the Paso version 82 points and 4 stars.  This one gets 84 points and 4 stars as well.  We enjoyed it with some cheese and (crackers).  It would do well with some bruschetta, perhaps some olives and cold cuts but I would hold off on pairing it with a main course of meats etc.  Good value for the money folks.  Salut….

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Villa Wolf Pinot Noir 2009

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

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This is a German Pinot Noir that we ordered on my last night in Hong Hong, dining at a  German restaurant on Roasted Pig’s Knuckle and Sauerkraut.  Notes of Kirsch and cherry were found on the nose and palate.  A very basic wine and serviceable at $12 retail, yet lacking in any depth or complexity.  Unlike Burgundy and definitely not a New World wine, it was out there on it’s own for style.  The German’s are well known for Riesling, not Pinot.  It went well with the Pork and Kraut with it’s own acidity to match and enough fruit to balance the meat that I slathered with hot mustard.  84 points and 2 stars,  Salut….

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Marrenon Classique Mediterannee 2011

26 Saturday Oct 2013

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In my quest to sample as many wines as possible I will even pay $8 for a co-op made wine served in a plastic cup onboard a United airlines flight. They used to serve a decent NV wine called Fox Grove.
This French version is not quite as decent but was certainly serviceable. I tried to research this one a little more and only came up with the fact that it’s a co-operative wine from the Luberon and Ventoux regions of France (south east from Chateauneuf du-Pape ). I’m guessing a Syrah blend with perhaps some Carignan. A basic wine that offered immediate pleasure without complexity or airs. It does what it’s supposed to do, drink easily and fade away quickly. Mainly blue fruits on the nose and palate, very little tannins but some good acidic juiciness. It’s really hard to pick out nuances in a plastic cup in a pressurized airplane, so I will leave at that. This is perhaps an $8 bottle that won’t embarrass you at a party. 84 points and 3 stars. Salut….

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Maison Champy Gevrey-Chambertin Vielle Vignes 2008

20 Sunday Oct 2013

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Gevrey-Chambertin is supposed to be a structured and bold Pinot Noir from the Burgundy region.  This is my second try at this bottle.  The first was in 2011, I hated it and decided to cellar the rest for potential improvement.  Nothing here folks.  A major dud from this producer who used ‘old vines’.  Sour cherries and pencil lead.  Some strange funk going on, but not the kind that I like.  Very sharp acid and some ingrained tannins but no real finish.  The lead component took me a while to pinpoint.  It really is unpleasant.  This was not a cheap wine, and can be found now for $40.  WS gave it 90 points.  I reckon it is an 84 pointer and a major pass.  1 star and moving on.  #dissappointed.  Salut….

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MontGras Merlot Reserva 2011

31 Saturday Aug 2013

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A very basic Merlot that won’t break the bank. Purple ink in the glass, it had a decent nose of plums and herbs. On the palate, slightly off balance for some reason and the tannins were green. Does that make any sense to you? Let me explain… The dryness in the mouth is caused by the tannins, which in this case are not quite ripe. This results in a roughness, rather than a smooth dryish sensation. Once past the tannic grip, a mellow blend of plum compote and some mintyness combine with a certain oaky component. Not delicious, but okay. This wine was only $9, but I feel it only warrants 2 stars for me. Technically speaking, I would imagine it gets 84 points. There are way better wines out there for the same price, move along. Salut….
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Finca La Solana de Luzon 2011

16 Friday Aug 2013

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This is what United Airlines is serving up on domestic First Class, but that’s not saying much….  Anyway, I mistook it for a Syrah.  I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I could taste telltale Syrah notes and a deft use of oak.  Bluish in the fruit department, it had a mid palate hollowness that bothered me at first but I got used to it.  The acid and tannins are ok, but not in balance (Much more tannic than acidic).  I then took a look at the bottle to reveal the true varietal.  Monastrell, or Mouvedre as it is known, is grown widely in the south of France and used mainly as a blend (think GSM).  Anyway, I looked up pricing and found it to be very reasonable.  Would I recommend it for a party, sure….  Would I serve it?  Not a chance.  It’s just not very good technically and I would give it 84 points tops and therefore a 2 star rating.  Cheap it might be, but not up to spec for me.   Salut….

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Zonte’s Footstep Shiraz Chocolate Factory 2010

01 Monday Jul 2013

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Next up on the flight to Bali was this Aussie Shiraz.  I will admit that between this flight and the return one I sampled this wine from 3 different bottles, all pretty much consistent.  Very muted nose that was giving me no signs of fruit, perhaps the dry environment of an aircraft cabin did it no justice.  On the palate, raw blackberry jam mixed with earth, but slightly dry.   I did notice some gripping tannins and the mouthfeel was ok, but nothing stunning.  Overall, a very atypical Shiraz that did not do much for me.  84 points and 2 stars.

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Fetzer Cabernet Sauvignon Valley Oaks 2010

08 Saturday Jun 2013

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Alas the evening was winding down, the good stuff was empty and this little Cabernet appears.  At first glimpse I was reticent.  After the first taste, not too shabby.  I have had this wine before, it is not on my list of re-buys.  However, it showed pretty well with some primal red fruits, a dose of oak and a trace of tannic backbone.  I was stunned, this wine was actually pretty good.  I am not sure if it was the level of ‘palate fatigue’ that I was being influenced by, but as an evening closer, it did the job.  I would say 84 points and for the low price of around $7-8 a 3 star wine that you need to have in reserve should the need arise!

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