Tag Archives: 86 points

Botromagno Primitivo 2021, Puglia IGT, Italy

07 Sunday Apr 2024

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Medium to deep red-ruby colored with slight staining and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of bramble, mulberry, vanilla, cracked black pepper, mint, black plum and a medicinal note.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and medium (-) tannins.  It’s quite bitter right off the bat but then I get muted black fruit, vanilla, mint, and black pepper.  There is a coffee note to go along with a touch of the medicinal hint I got on the nose- both from oak treatment.  The astringency is cloying and sticks with me to the bitter end, which is relatively short in nature.  This wine is a bit disjointed and the bitterness is out of balance with the fruit and structure.  86 points from me for this Zinfandel that I will be pairing alongside Bison steaks.  At $15 it gets 3 stars.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Mirassou Vineyards Riesling 1998, Monterey County, California

20 Tuesday Feb 2024

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Another bottle from my buddy’s garage is this 25 year-old Riesling.  It is medium gold colored, a stunning looking wine with a watery sheen (11% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of ripe pear, apricot, honey, petrol, lime curd, vanilla thread, white and orange blossom, honeysuckle and candied tangerine.  The palate is off-dry with high acidity and a medium body.  Unfortunately the flavor intensity is a little lacking compared to the nose but I do get petrol, candied apricot, honey, pear, lime, candied ginger and blossom.  There is a slight bitterness on the mid palate that carries through to the medium (+) length finish.  I must say- I’m impressed that this wine is even drinkable considering its provenance and quality level, perhaps a testament to the longevity of the varietal and the agglomerated cork.  You can purchase a current vintage for $10.  This one got 86 points and a Best Buy rec from Wine Enthusiast back in the day.  I can see why.  Speechless to say the least.  Salut….

Au Contraire Chardonnay 2019, Russian River Valley, California

28 Thursday Sep 2023

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Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen (14.2% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon pith, lemon, melon, brioche, raw almond, honeysuckle and orange blossom.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a full body.  My first impression:  this wine has seen all the treatments- MLF, Sur lie aging and loads of oak.  The citrus fruit is overpowered by the effects of such treatment- butter, brioche and vanilla are all foremost and then I get a hint of lemon, pineapple and melon.  If you like this style of Cali Chard then grab some- I paid $11 on sale at Costco.  You can find it closer to $20.  It gets 86 points from me and 3 stars.  I’m pairing with roasted Cornish hens and glazed carrots with hot honey and garlic.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Aldi ‘The Exquisite Collection’ Malbec 2023, Uco Valley, Argentina

25 Monday Sep 2023

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Deep ruby colored with staining on the walls and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of macerated blackberry, a touch of black plum, raspberry and whiff of asparagus.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that lead to a medium body.  The fresh black fruit is more evident on the palate and there is a hint of rooibos tea, some mocha and raspberry- the green note is nowhere to be tasted.  The finish is short in length but refreshingly tart.  This is not a complex wine by any stretch, but for $8 from ALDI…. I’ll drink it on a weekday with grilled burgers, pizza or pasta.  It’s funny to drink a wine that is a 2023 vintage when most of the northern hemisphere has not even begun to pick their 2023 grapes.  This 86 point wine gets 3 stars from me and should be drunk by 2027.  Salut….

Los Noques Cabernet Franc 2020, Uco Valley, Argentina

24 Sunday Sep 2023

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Deep ruby with medium viscosity (15.1% ABV).  Aromas of menthol, green pepper, blackcurrant and black raspberry.  It’s a bit tough to overcome the high alcohol on the nose but I finally let it blow off and get some notes of dried fig and tamarind.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are quite raw and green.  The body is medium to full and has blackcurrant, raspberry, fig, dusty earth and underripe blueberry.   The finish is astringent and medium in length.  A somewhat disjointed wine that needs some time to settle and let the tannins smooth methinks.  The alcohol is noticeable and bothersome unfortunately which further lowers the score of this wine.  86 points from me and at $14, it’s a 2 star effort.  Drink from 2025-2029.  Salut….

Freres Couillaud Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie 2020, Loire, France

27 Saturday May 2023

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We kicked off the 31st virtual wine tasting with this Muscadet that has been aged Sur Lie.  It was served chilled and then at room temp- both of which failed to impress.  The nose lacked any evidence of the aging process, ie. brioche, yeast or any other clue.  The palate did reveal a slightly fuller body, but alas nada on the expected flavor profile.  Instead, we got a wine that had aromas of pear, crunchy yellow apple, lanolin, honeysuckle, Seaspray and tangerine peel.  The wine had medium acidity (another non-conformist point), was medium bodied and showed a medium lemon color with low viscosity (12% ABV).  I noted the wine had a short finish and was not complex at all.  Served at room temp it was more flabby and the fruit seemed bruised.  We finally got a hint of the aging process- King’s Hawaiian Roll plus some beeswax and lanolin in addition to the aforementioned flavors.  It also turned a touch bitter and pithy.  Really not my cup of tea- it got an average of 8 points on our scoring sheets and I would give this $14 effort 86 points making it a 2 star wine.  Drink now with seafood or a Cobb salad.  Salut….

Famille Bougrier Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine 2020, Loire, France

29 Wednesday Mar 2023

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Pale lemon with a golden accent and a watery sheen.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit, white blossom and green apple.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a medium (-) body.  Citrus makes for a fresh and crisp mouthfeel alongside some floral notes.  The apple note is faint.  The wine finishes with a hint of phenolic bitterness and is medium in length.   I would enjoy this wine till 2024 with shellfish and charcuterie.  86 points for this $14 bottle makes it a 3 star wine for me.  Salut….

Marc Dupas Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie ‘Les Parcelles’ 2019, Loire, France

29 Wednesday Mar 2023

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Medium lemon colored with a watery sheen (12% ABV).  The nose gives me classic Sur-lie aromas of brioche and yeast along with bruised pear, white blossom, orange peel and chamomile.  The palate has a rounded mouthfeel of medium acidity and a medium (-) body. Flavors of citrus and brioche with pear and florals are evident.  The finish is a touch astringent but has a saline twang as well.  It carries on for a decent length.  I think this $16 wine gets 86 points and 3 stars from me.  Drink with seafood till 2024.  Salut….

Belvino Pinot Grigio 2022, delle Venezie IGT, Italy

29 Wednesday Mar 2023

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Pale platinum colored with copper highlights and low viscosity (11% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of pear, green apple and grapefruit zest.  The palate has medium (+) acidity and a light body.  Confirming the fruit flavors are the same but with slightly bruised pear and the apple is yellow in color.  Medium length finish that is crisp.  86 points from me for this $6, (yes – six dollars) bottle of refreshingly crisp and light wine makes it worthy of 5 stars.  Stock up for the  hot summer!  Drink now.  Salut….

Quinta do Crasto Superior 2016, Douro, Portugal

06 Wednesday Apr 2022

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I am a fan of Portuguese reds- I find them to offer high value for the money.  This Superior from the Douro is a blend of 50% Touriga Nacional, 25% Touriga Franca, 20%  Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and 5% Sousao.  It is deep ruby with medium intensity aromas of stewed plums (prunes), green pepper, white pepper, dried blackberry, dried sage and a nuttiness.  I felt the wine is still developing.  On the palate it is dry with medium (+) tannins, medium acidity, medium alcohol and medium body.  The medium intensity flavors of prunes, dried sage and blackberry coupled with the nutty component led to a short finish.  I was underwhelmed by this ‘acceptable’ wine that should be drunk now, with no further aging.  It runs $24 locally and gets a mere 86 points from me making it a 2 star effort.

PS. tasting from a second bottle revealed the possibility that this wine was corked and the scores and reviews were deflated from the performance expected of this wine that scored highly with the pros.

Salut….