17 Thursday May 2018
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Very dark purple. Nose is fruit forward with plums, blueberries, chocolate. The palate gives off boysenberry, mocha, a woodsy note and some gum drying tannins. The mid palate is very astringent. Plum torte features with some oak. The finish is dry, rather short in length and has some blue fruit alongside the tannins. 87 points and 3 stars for this $12 effort. Salut….
30 Monday Apr 2018
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Dark and murky. The nose features plums, oak, black cherry. The initial palate has blueberry, fine grained tannins, more black cherry. The finish is quite dry, with blue fruits dominating. 87 points and 3 stars for this $15 Bordeaux from a relatively weak vintage. Drink up. Salut….
15 Friday Dec 2017
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Dark purple, barely see through. The nose is somewhat candied, purple licorice, plum cake and Christmas pudding. On the palate it shows off much more pleasant notes of black currants, iodine and fruit cake. The mid palate is quite abrupt as are the mild tannins that permeate. The finish is not as smooth as the front half and lacks any acidity. Overall this is a pleasant wine that gets 87 points. The pro’s went much higher, 91 points in one case. I just did not get the same level of satisfaction unfortunately. $18 make it a 3 point wine for me. Salut….
04 Wednesday Oct 2017
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$7, 4 stars, 87 points, aragonez, portugal, Touriga Nacional, trincadeira
See through in the glass is this blend of 40% Aragonez, 35% Trincadeira, 20% Touriga Nacional and the balance of Syrah. On the nose it it musty- with some oak, blueberry and green pepper. Kinda funky and different if you ask me. The palate is a different story with primal flavors of blueberry, cedar, and graphite. As the wine gets to the midpalate it adds some acidity and juiciness by way of rhubarb, (which I hated as a kid BTW). Tannins are very fine grained and perceptible mainly on the finish. A dryness envelops the gums and I feel balance. The cedar I mentioned earlier comes out again on the back end and mingles with some more blue fruits. There is an astringency that hits right at the very end that detracts a bit but overall this is a decent wine for the $6.88 I paid for it. That’s right, under 7 bucks for a decent weekday quaffer that gets 87 points from me, therefore making it a 4 star wine. Salut….
25 Sunday Jun 2017
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A lighter purple color which kinda surprised me. I get fig, black cherry and dates on the nose, a strange combination but I write ’em as I see ’em. The initial taste consists of a lighter set fruits, mostly blueberry, with some currants. Gentle tannins and mild acidity give this a nice easy mouthfeel while the mid palate shows off black berries and spice. The wine stays true to form on the finish with more blackberry and some very slight tannins. Not a blockbuster, but certainly an easy going wine to pull out at parties, barbecues or just a lazy evening. It will pair with many summer dishes and I would even use it for Coq au Vin. I think it merits 87 points and for $11 will be a repeat purchase worthy of 3 stars. Salut….
15 Thursday Jun 2017
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Pretty dark purple in the glass. Nose of plum and blackberry, but it’s hard to coax the flavors as this particular bottle has been chilled. The initial taste is more blackberry with some spice box. The tannins are very subdued as is the acidity, which is atypical for this varietal. I get tar and creosote on the mid palate, with some blackberry. The finish is more black berries and some fig paste. 87 points for this $15 offering make it a 2 star wine. Salut….
06 Monday Feb 2017
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$13, 3 stars, 87 points, california, moscato, Sauvignon blanc, semicolon, viognier
This is an interesting wine, made by Adler Fels winery and sold with a cause in mind. Some of the proceeds go to the National Park Foundation. It is a blend of Viognier, Moscato, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Very rustic in the glass, it is a very dark gold in color. An interesting nose of green guava, melon and pear. On the palate, grapefruit, melon and more pear. This wine is not overly acidic and the mouthfeel is quite warm, medium bodied. It drinks nicely and will go well with the pan roasted Cod I am preparing. It runs $13 and gets 87 points from me making it a 3 star wine. Salut….
31 Saturday Dec 2016
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25 Wednesday May 2016
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I do love me some Cahors- the Black Wine of the French Southwest region made primarily from Malbec grapes. This one was not as tannic and in-your-face as other Cahors I have tried. A dark purple color in the glass with a nose of plum, blackberry and oaky vanilla. On the palate, very smooth intro to blueberry ganache, some purple plums and a certain spice that I can’t pinpoint. The tannins are integrated yet somewhat green. They show up on the back end with more force. The finish is decent with tannins hitting the gums and a purple fruit finish. I think this wine is at peak with another year or two before it’s too late. 87 points. It retails for $12 and gets 3 stars from me. Salut….
25 Wednesday May 2016
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A funny thing happened on the way home. I was on the return flight across the country, flying on United Airlines when I decided to try their other premium offering. I asked for the Pinot Noir and was given a Chardonnay. I returned it for something a little more red and ended up with a Zin. The wait was excruciating, I had already paid my $15.99 for a 375 ml and was now forced to endure the flight attendant’s attempts to open the bottle. It took a good 5 minutes longer than it should, for a good reason. See below….
The real story is the wine…which was served in a plastic cup again. The notes:
I get some “nothing” on the nose, the cup does this wine no justice. The initial taste is pleasing with black plum, some bramble and dark cherry cola. A spiciness hits the mid palate and I get some very integrated tannins on the finish. The wine is quite tasty and flows well with good mouthfeel. The 14.5% alcohol is well masked as is a touch of acidity. This wine is 4 years old and drinking at peak now. This is United’s other premium red wine offering and is worth the trade up from two smaller bottles of their regular $7.99 offerings. I’m finding Zins from Livermore are getting better and more refined. I’m glad I tried this one. 87 points and 3 stars. The average score across the web is 84-86 points and retails for $13, I guess I was enamored! It went great all by itself but would pair nicely with some Osso Bucco, perhaps a spicy sausage pasta or even some roasted chicken. Salut….
Yup, she really did try it!!!
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