Tag Archives: 89 points

Raventos I Blanc ‘Blanc de Blancs’ 2018, Catalonia, Spain

07 Saturday May 2022

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I wanted to introduce my tasting group to sparkling wines and the differences between Traditional method versus Tank method production.  We kicked off the 27th VWTC event with this Spanish sparkler made from Macabeo in the traditional way.  Apple, citrus, toast, caramel, yeast, and a wet hay component were noted by the group.  On the palate we found a dry wine with high acidity and flavors of green (crisp) apple, citrus, almond (marzipan) and the autolytic characters we smelled- toast and yeast.  A medium finish that left us somewhat refreshed yet yearning for the minerality this wine promised.  I scored it 89 points and for $17 it’s a nice 4 star introduction to this style of wine from Spain.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Jumble Sale Merlot 2018, Columbia Valley, Washington

29 Friday Apr 2022

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Deep ruby colored, this Merlot shows off its 15% ABV with thick legs in the glass.  The nose has rich aromas of ripe raspberry, black cherry, vanilla, caramel and red licorice.  The palate is dry with slightly green tannins, medium acidity and medium intensity flavors.  The body is medium (+) on this juicy wine.  The mid palate is a touch astringent that also shows some charcoal notes.  The finish is dry and somewhat tart, reminiscent of sour cherries and black tea.  It’s a decent drop that gets 89 points from me.  I would imagine this will drink till 2025 and pair well with grilled meats and charcuterie.  $22 makes this a 3 star wine in my books.  Salut….

Obscura Petite Sirah 2018, California

28 Monday Mar 2022

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The first in a series of wines from an online subscription service that sends a little info note for each bottle- kinda cool.  This Petite Sirah is deep ruby and shows off its 14.8% ABV with some globby legs in the glass.  The nose has aromas of blackberries, black plum, black raspberry, vanilla, blueberry pie and espresso.  The palate is dry with medium (+) tannins, medium (-) acidity, medium (+) body and a decent length finish.  The flavors are medium (+) intensity and closely echo the nose.  I do get slightly more blue fruit, and less baking spice on the mid palate and there is a black tea component on the back end.  It’s a nice wine, but I was hoping for a bit more jamminess to be honest- the card promised it.  I think this $22 effort gets 89 points and should be drunk with hearty meats by 2026.  4 stars.  Salut….

Corbinelli ‘Fonte dei Borghi’ Chianti DOCG 2019, Tuscany, Italy

17 Thursday Mar 2022

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If you Google what wine goes with Shepherds pie the answer is Chianti.  Seeing as today is St. Patrick’s day, that is exactly what’s going down.  This particular bottle is pale to medium ruby in the glass with watery legs denoting a lower alcohol wine at 12.5% ABV.  The nose is classic Sangiovese.  Cherry, red raspberry, violets, a hint of leather and red licorice.  No sign of any oak at this point.  The palate is dry with racy acidity and medium (+) tannins.  The flavors are shrouded in the tannic grip but I get cherry, mushroom, raspberry, red licorice and a touch of the leather component.  Dried herbs and a floral note kick in on the medium length finish- which is very astringent btw.  I feel like I am stuffing pouches of black tea bags between my gums.  It needs a good aerating or decanting to soften this wine up a touch, it will pair nicely with my ground lamb based dish, cutting the fat nicely.  The intensity of this wine’s fruit is the only detractor, the balance is a little off for me.  I like it, don’t get me wrong, it’s just a little out of sorts.  89 points for this $15 effort makes it a 3 star wine to drink from 2024-2027.  Salut….

Weingut Laurenz V. ‘Singing’ Gruner Veltliner 2018, Niederosterreich, Austria

06 Sunday Mar 2022

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Yesterday was Moxie’s birthday.  Two of our sons snuck in for the celebration- one from Montreal, the other from D.C.  In planning for #3 to return to Canada he needed a COVID test, so I booked one at 5:30 and then a table for the six of us shortly thereafter.  One glimpse at the menu told me I needed a crisp white to go with the grilled Trout mains I was about to order.  This one did not disappoint, albeit the first impression was a bit shocking.

It pours a medium lemon color with barely a shimmer in the glass due to the low 12% ABV.  The nose has interesting aromas of lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, ginger and orange blossom.  The palate is where I nearly regretted my choice- the wine is a touch sweet, as in off-dry.  I was hoping for a crisp, dry white.  Alas, I was not disappointed.  The citrus flavors were ever present, as was a spritz of lemon that I found interesting.  The (candied) ginger is probably what I sensed as a sweet component, though with such low alcohol, there could well be residual sugar present.  I found the wine to be quite refreshing thanks to the spritz and medium body.  The flavors are present but not cloying, the acidity is medium (+) and not cutting.  The finish might be short, but it is mouth puckering and makes me long for another taste.  This is a great white wine varietal to explore with fish, chicken, shellfish and vegetarian dishes laced with savory spices.  I like this $16 bottle that gets 89 points and 4 stars from me.  Drink soon.  Salut….

Anselmo Mendes Contacto Alvarinho 2020, Vinho Verde, Portugal

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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We kicked off the 25th Virtual Wine Tasting event with this Alvarinho.  The winemaker has allowed some skin contact during fermentation so I was hoping for a rounder, fuller bodied wine.  We tasted it at room temperature and then chilled.  Here is what the group thought of this wine.

Pale straw colored with citrus, pineapple, yellow apple and saline on the nose.  Someone caught a whiff of petrol and we decided that the smell of Vaseline was an appropriate moniker.  Medium acidity and light bodied this wine has medium intensity flavors of honey, tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, yellow apple and I sensed brioche.  I gave this version 11 marks on the VWTC score sheet.

The chilled version was crisper and had more prominent aromas and flavors.  Saline, honeysuckle and brioche with far less apple/citrus notes on the nose.  The palate had melon, grapefruit, pineapple and we felt the acidity was more prominent.  The wine had more body and scored 13 marks with me.  Overall this $20 gets 89 points from me, which is a far cry from the monster scores the pros gave.  I will re-taste tonight and report back if there is any significant change to my assessment of this 3 star effort.  Drink now with seafood or a chicken salad.  Salut….

Gioso Barolo DOCG 2016, Piedmont, Italy

18 Friday Feb 2022

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This Nebbiolo is rather young at 5 years old but I have a hankering for something to go with our Tenderloin tonight.  It’s bordering on garnet but is clearly a pale shade.  The nose is of medium intensity and has aromas of steeped cherry, cooked strawberry compote, leather, dried herbs, coconut and charred oak.  Classic Barolo components- I’m excited to taste.

The palate is dry and tart, as expected.  The tannins are present but you can tell they have softened from their youth and are nicely integrating.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of cherry, leather, herbs, a medicinal note (from the oak presumably) and kirsch are noted.  Medium bodied- this wine has high acidity and a nice finish, albeit rather grippy and tart.  These are all qualities to look forward to in this varietal.  The wine is obviously still young and needs time to flesh out and gain more tertiary notes but it will drink nicely with our Beef and would pair well with stews and game.  I’m not convinced that it’s a 92 point wine as awarded by one pro, more like an 89 point effort that gets 3 stars for it’s $30 price point.  I have a few more in the cellar and will spread them out over the next few years.  Salut….

Cockburn’s Fine Ruby Port NV, Portugal

11 Friday Feb 2022

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In my continued Port education I bough this Ruby to further get to grips with the various styles.  It is deep ruby colored- who would have thought.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of blackberry jam, raisins, blueberry pie, a touch of heat, prunes and a walnut-like note.  The palate is off-dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins.  The body is medium (+) but I don’t get a hint of the heat I caught on the nose- good thing.  The fruit is very fresh if you can call prunes and raisins fresh-tasting!  Anyways, the palate offers up the jammy and cooked flavors I got on the nose minus the walnuts.  The wine leaves a coating of lithe tannins on my gums at the finish which is medium length.  An interesting sensation to say the least.  It is making me purse my lips, wanting more of this elixir.  I like it and at $12 it is very easy to stock up on.  89 points from me makes this my new favorite 5-star Port.  Drink fresh.  Salut….

Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2009, Sauternes, France

22 Saturday Jan 2022

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We had a dinner party last night and finished on this sticky, which did not go down well.  I promised myself a re-taste was in order so I reserved a glass to give it a go today.

Deep gold, nearly amber in color with shimmering legs.  The nose is almost Oloroso-like with lots of green almond.  A touch of honey, some poached apple, apricot and a hint of beeswax come through.  The nuttiness is almost overpowering.  On the palate it is sweet but not unctuous, full bodied and syrupy but lacking depth of flavor.  Medium acidity on the back end is noticed and the wine has a decently long finish.  I don’t really care for the nut profile, I was hoping for more botrytis notes.  Right now 88 points for this $50 wine, garnering 2 stars.  Next bottle coming right up………

Bottle #2- same appearance.  Less nuts, more honey, more precise and focused on rich cooked fruit and other nuances of the style.  Th palate is much better on this bottle, leading me to believe I had a slightly flawed bottle.  It still has an austere nature to it and is definitely not my style of Sauternes.  Bumping my score up to 89 points still makes it a 2 star wine.  Drink with a cheese plate, especially some Blue till 2030.  Salut….

Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Gewurztraminer 2020, Finger Lakes, New York UPDATED

19 Wednesday Jan 2022

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Another Finger Lakes wine to try from our recent trip- this one is a Dry Gewürztraminer which I am pairing with Beer-Can Chicken….  but I am a little concerned.  The cork was funky, looked very wet and there was some schmutz inside the neck.  I ran the first glass through a filter and here goes nothing:

Medium lemon color in the glass.  The nose is somewhat muted, surprising for the varietal but not for this particular bottle.  I do get some citrus, hazelnuts, bread and a hint of the telltale lychee.  The palate is better.  Medium intensity flavors of tangerine, lemon, lychee, rose, geranium and no sign of the bread or nuts.  Light to medium bodied it has gentle acidity and a medium length finish.  I love the varietal, but this bottle might be suffering.  Luckily I have another one nearby.  I’ll give it a try in the near future.  For now this $25 wine gets 86 points and 2 stars.  Hopefully it will improve on the next go.  Salut….

 

UPDATE

I wrote to the the winery to let them know I had an issue and they promptly refunded me the cost of the bottle.  Tonight- I taste the second bottle.

It has evidence of being frozen, with crystalized deposits in the neck.  The appearance is fine otherwise.  The nose shows much better than the previous bottle.  Medium intensity aromas of geranium, lemon, tangerine, rose and lychee that are crisp.  The palate is dry from a residual sugar standpoint but the varietal always has a certain sweetness to it that I love.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of the aforementioned citrus and floral notes, with less emphasis on the lychee.  Shame, as I look forward to that component in Gewürztraminer.  Medium bodied it has great mouthfeel for a wine of low acidity.  The finish is decent in length and concentrates on the flowery flavors versus the citrus.  It is drinking far better than the flawed bottle and gets a respectable 89 points from me making it a 4 star effort.  Bravo for pulling it together!  Salut….