07 Friday Aug 2015
Posted in Wine reviews
Bright purple. Oaked up nose of blue berries and green peppers. Not my style as it has a strange tinge to it. Much better on the palate with some plums, blue fruits and some mint. A slightly green mid palate with sharp acidity comes through midway. Mild tannins and a shorter finish. 86 points and 3 stars for this $8 offering. Salut….
14 Sunday Jun 2015
Posted in Wine reviews
From Spain’s Rioja came this blend of Carignan, Grenache and Tempranillo that I had a hard time with. The pro’s were all over the map with scores ranging from 90 down to 82. I paid $13 for it but found it for $10 elsewhere.
Nose of earth and blue fruits with some hint of oak. Atypical for Rioja- muted flavors of blueberry and bramble. Slightly rough tannins but good acidity seem to balance out in the end with a very muted finish overshadowed by the tannic frame. 86 points from me and 2 stars. I think one merits another look as it may be bottle variation. How is it possible to have such varied impression from others I wonder. I will look for it in the future and report back. Salut….
06 Friday Jun 2014
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Along with the pure Shiraz I just wrote about there was this blend on sale for $10. Slightly better with more ‘real’ flavors- this bottle was passable. It had a subdued nose but opened up on the palate with blueberry and cherry. Slightly oaky, it had medium tannins and a balanced finish. Very basic everyday wine and priced right. I am going with 86 points and 3 stars, far better than the last bottle. Salut….
20 Thursday Feb 2014
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My buddy ‘the Beave’ brought this little gem to the party. He paid $9 for it, which is the price of all three wines we tasted that day.
I love Spanish wines, the Tempranillo grape is delicious and flexible. Serious wines made from the varietal are long lived, complex and rewarding to cellar. Wines like the Tridente are made in an easier style, meant to be consumed without cellaring and offer tremendous value. This wine was a stunner. It was everything you could want in an everyday wine and delivered it with style for under $10. Dark cherries and judicious oak give way to some spice box and earth. The tannins are present yet not too dry. The mouthfeel is great and makes this wine equally good with or without food. I gave it 86 points and reckon it is a 4 star wine worthy of looking out for. Salut….
13 Monday Jan 2014
Posted in Wine reviews
In case you missed it, Moxie (the wife) and I are on the Paleo diet. I have had no pizza or pasta for over three months and I feel better for it. JJ, my daughter loves pasta and is a self-proclaimed 9 year old vegetarian. This makes it really hard in our short-order kitchen to cater to all the various diets and preferences. So…. last night I let her chose. Spaghetti and Marinara sauce. I could not resist her charms and gave in, immediately seizing the opportunity to crack open an uncharted Brunello. The sauce was dressed up with loads of spicy Italian sausage and I loved every guilt laden mouthfull.
The wine was just ok though. It was touted as a 90 point wine with bright berry nuances and background notes of spice, cola, tobacco and leather. I got blackberry, tar and some earth but no tobacco, no leather and very little spice. What I did get was green tannins and a touch too much of acidity making this wine slightly unbalanced and off pointe. The flavors were decent, don’t get me wrong. The balance was very off-putting and I wish it would sort itself out. I love Brunello yet know so little about it. I was hoping for something delicious and was left wondering what happened. I sadly will give this 86 points and hope for the best. It cost me $25 on sale and will get 3 stars for now. Hoping for a miracle on the other three bottles I bought. Salut….
29 Friday Nov 2013
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Product of France….. Look closer at the label. It’s generally a decent wine made in an old world style with zest, lime and apple components. Slightly more acidic than the previous wine, it had a bit of a bite that I enjoyed. Pale straw colored in the glass, it had a nose of lemon/lime and some earthy funk. I have no idea how much it was purchased for but would imagine in the $10-$15 range. I’m giving it 86 points and 3 stars. Think shellfish or grilled squid and you would have a great pairing. Salut….
20 Wednesday Nov 2013
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This is the third varietal in the Red Label series that I have tried from Wolf Blass. Cabernet and Merlot blended together are one of my go-to combos. This wine rolled in at $20 for two 1 liter bottles, do the math. It’s a very reasonably priced wine that everyone enjoyed. Easy to drink with raspberry and red currants on the palate and a red fruity nose. Built for pop-n-pour, it offers no complexity and no associated stuffiness. The tannins are slight and the acidity very gentle making it very versatile for pairing. I think this would be an awesome party wine and believe it is widely available. 86 points and 4 stars for this one. Salut….
03 Sunday Nov 2013
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A Sonoma Pinot Noir made in a New World style. And I disliked it. Sorry, but the flavor profile was not to my liking with Strawberry and Cherry Kirsch on the palate mixed with a cloying component. My first impression when I saw the dark purple wine in the glass was that it was over-extracted. Pinot Noir is supposed to be delicate, pale and complex yet this wine was extremely fruit driven and in my face. This varietal almost never shows off tannins like other reds do, but the acidity was decent. If you are a fan of this style you can certainly give it a go for $25. 86 points from me and 2 stars. I probably would not buy it for my cellar. Salut….
05 Saturday Oct 2013
Posted in Wine reviews
A charming, easy to drink red that won’t break the bank. Unpretentious, the Red Label series is made for casual drinking and I enjoyed this blend. Shiraz and Grenache were meant for each other. Bright red fruit on the nose easily translated to raspberries and strawberries on the palate. Very little tannic complexity and no biting acidity made this an easy pop-n-pour before dinner wine. You could serve this wine at large parties or with burgers and dogs. I bought two red label wines for a bargain price of $14, but alone, it was $10. 86 points and 3 stars for this South Eastern Australian blend. Salut….
10 Tuesday Sep 2013
Posted in Wine reviews
A hefty Grenache from Spain that will hide it’s 15% alcohol very well until – boom. Dark purple in the glass, it exuded blackberry and vanilla on the nose. My initial impression was the smoothness of the fruit, coupled with the drying tannins. It is likely this wine has peaked, but in doing so it has offered berry and a mint component plus some red fruits, perhaps strawberry on the palate. Good balance, but somewhat short on the fruit finish. My friend brought this over so I had to do a search- perhaps $10 per bottle. 86 points, but in its day this would have been a 4 star wine. Drink up if you have any. Salut….
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