Tag Archives: 89 points

Viña Mayor Reserva 2013, Ribera del Duero, Spain

08 Tuesday Jun 2021

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I was in my local wine shop the other day and came across this aged Tempranillo in the clearance section- for $ 23. I couldn’t pass it up, a Reserva FFS. In the glass it is slightly hazy, but a deep shade of ruby that I can barely see through. The nose is classic Spain- brambly with ink, huckleberry, sweet blackberry, smoky oak and a dusty component. The palate is a touch dry right off the bat, the tannins never got the message to settle down after 8 years. It’s a full onslaught, drying the gums and overpowering the fruit initially. I finally work my way through the astringent quagmire and start to enjoy the black and blue fruits. The tertiary notes are starting to appear with some leather, charcoal and black tea developing on the mid palate. The finish is a really dry affair with the tannic grip almost too much. I pity the fool who doesn’t like ’em dry. There is a decent acidic component but it is overcome by the tannic structure, a little out of balance methinks. This medium weight wine will pair (begs for) a fatty cut of meat, think Ribeye or Lamb chops. I would consider cellaring some for a while to allow the wine to mature even more, say till 2028. Right now the balance concerns me a bit and it will detract from the scoring, I would hope it softens over time. 89 points and 3 stars. Salut….

Gemtree Vineyards ‘Uncut’ Shiraz 2018, McLaren Vale, Australia

07 Monday Jun 2021

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I was reading about Biodynamic farming today in my wine course so naturally I was tempted to try one. This particular wine is an Aussie Shiraz from McLaren Vale that runs 14.5% ABV, typical. They like to wring the heck out of the juice downunda. It shows in the glass- deep purple with big tears. The nose has rich plum, bakers spice, blackcurrant and a whiff of the heat. On the palate it reverberates the dark fruit theme with spiciness alongside chocolate powder hints. It is opulent yet not overly jammy, as can be the case too often in Shiraz. The mouthfeel is very round and warm, the alcohol noticeable on the mid-palate. There are some lithe tannins and a modicum of acidity – very balanced in my opinion, even if on a smaller scale. The finish is short to medium and certainly fruit forward, it’s nice. This wine will drink nicely till 2026 and pair well with roasted meats. 89 points from me and at $18 per bottle, its gets 3 stars. Salut….

Marques de Casa Concha Merlot 2015, Peumo, Chile

04 Friday Jun 2021

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I am a huge fan of this winery, their Don Melchor being my introduction to good wine. The Marques de Casa Concha line of wines offers great value for everyday drinking, the Cabernet used to be my house wine back in the day. I drank gallons of the stuff. When I saw this Merlot, with a bit of bottle age, I had to rekindle my love affair.

It shows medium garnet in the glass, a hint of the aging process. The nose has a gamy scent alongside figs, ripe plum, leather and bark. The palate is still youthful and juicy. A nice tart welcome with blackberry, plum and leather greet me alongside very integrated tannins. The acidity is definitely present yet very balanced between the fruit and tannic structure. This wine runs 14.5% ABV, which I got a whiff of on the nose. I am now also getting a hint of it on the mid palate. It does give the wine some body and heft, alongside the generous fruit. The finish is short to medium but it carries the structural components for a while, the dryness lasting a good long while on my teeth. I wanted a Merlot to try and pair with some Duck breasts I am rendering and then roasting, this may do the trick as there are ample tannins and acidity to help cut through the fat, plus I am whipping up an orange sauce to drizzle. This wine has a few years of age already but will drink nicely till 2025 methinks. I paid $18 and consider it an 89 point wine worthy of 4 stars. Salut….

Beronia Reserva 2015, Rioja DOCa, Spain

29 Saturday May 2021

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Last up at the virtual wine tasting #18 was this Tempranillo. In the glass it is mostly opaque and a dark claret in color. The nose was a bit of a shocker to us…. figs, dried fruit, mulberry. It was port-like and not very fresh and inviting. On the palate it was gamy with vanilla, dried sage, cedar, bramble, dried fruit and ‘Plummy potpourri’ from one of the group. The wine has slight tannins and low acidity. It was a bit of a disappointment to me and I gave it a scant 13 points on our 20 point scoring sheet. Technically speaking, it got 89 points from me, and at $17 it is worthy of 3 stars. But wait…… I re-tasted it after a while and upped my score to 15+. It grew on me and the funkiness dissipated somewhat, allowing more fruit to come out versus tertiary notes. It is fully mature at this stage and needs to be drunk asap, but I’m not sure of pairings. The flavor profile is very advanced and not what I would want to drink with dinner. An interesting wine for sure compared to the ’04 Beronia I loved. Salut….

Pecchenino San Luigi 2019, Dolcetto di Dogliani DOCG, Italy

29 Saturday May 2021

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I wanted to introduce the Dolcetto grape to my group of virtual tasters. This bottle was only $15 and got decent reviews and a 90 point rating. Unfortunately it was not a huge hit with the crowd. I noted it was 75% opaque and had a nice shade of purple in the glass. The nose came with cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, blackberry and pepper. The group got flavors of cherry, almond, strawberry, a touch of smoke and some meatiness on the palate. I wrote down- medium tannins and very juicy acidity. I think the acid component and somewhat lighter body was the detractor for most. We have been tasting some pretty heavy duty bottles in our group and the finesse and lighter style of the Dolcetto may have been overlooked in expectation of another big, brooding wine that is so imposing in the glass- quite the opposite of a young Brunello. I am close to the pros on the rating, giving it an 89 points. For the price- this s a decent Tuesday night drop that won’t break the bank, just pair it with some pasta and you’ll be fine. 3 stars for me. Drink now. Salut….

Sharon Weeks Cattoo Zinfandel 2019, Paso Robles, California

25 Tuesday May 2021

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This Paso Zin is a lovely shade of purple but only 50% opaque. The legs give a hint of what to expect, 14.8% ABV is pretty hefty kick, beware. On the nose I get wafts of the alcohol but it subsides and the flavors of dark plum, white pepper, cloves and creamy blackberry ganache. On the palate it is rich and powerful. The fruit profile is more toward the blackberry side but I do get the peppery notes I would expect from this varietal. There is a slightly astringent hit from black tea notes as well as some decent acidity. The tannins kick in very gently on the back end. A lovely, full mouthfeel for this wine that carries it to a medium length finish. The dark fruit flavors ever present. I sense a touch of oak overall, but it is not over done. The heat is the only concern as this wine drinks very easily, one can get caught up in the moment if one is not careful!. A decent drop that will go well with a lean cut of beef on the grill. 89 points from me and at $14, it’s a 4 star effort worthy of a try! Salut….

Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port 2015, Portugal

12 Wednesday May 2021

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The fourth wine to taste this week for my course is this fortified Portuguese. I love Port btw so this was not a hard task. It is a deep shade of purple and opaque, as can be expected. The nose is of medium intensity with notes of raisins and stewed plum.  Secondary notes of dark chocolate, and tertiary notes of walnut were present. On the palate there were pronounced flavors of raisin and prune. Secondary notes of dark chocolate and espresso with tertiary hints of walnut in a tannic cloak with medium acidity. This wine was off-dry to me and had a decent mid length finish. Moxie tasted as well and we both caught on to the 20% alcohol right on the first whiff yet I did not sense it on the palate except to say this wine is full bodied as a result. I am looking forward to some blue cheese and crackers to go with this beauty. Like I said, I love me some Port and this one is good. It gets 89 points from me. At $24, it’s a decent bottle to have around if you like the style- 4 stars. Salut….

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Jules Taylor Pinot Noir 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand

11 Tuesday May 2021

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In our wine tasting group (virtual), there are many of us who enjoy Pinot. I ventured to New Zealand for this tasting of the varietal. New World without a doubt, this wine was 70% opaque and dark purple in the glass. On the nose, the tasters got rich strawberry, deli meat, tobacco, black tea, straw and some subtle barnyard notes. On the palate we tasted cherry, oak, funk, black pepper and Macha Green tea. Overall I thought it was a little too extracted for my taste but others really enjoyed it. 89 points from me and at $20 it gets 4 stars. The pros went 92 on this steal for Pinot. If you like the style, go for it! Drink till 2030 as this baby packs some well integrated tannins, balanced by some decent acidity. Salut….

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Chateau Puech-Haut Argali Rosè 2019, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

11 Tuesday May 2021

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We kicked off the next Virtual Wine Tasting with a Rosè. As usual, we tasted it both chilled and at room temperature. The wine is a Grenache from Languedoc that is a clear, light orange/pink. On the nose, the room temperature version had group notes of pear, melon, apricot and strawberry. I noted that it was off-dry. On the palate we got strawberry, melon, green apple and my taste buds caught some papaya. A short finish was timed and it was a touch bitter. I did not care for it very much at this temperature but things got better once I tried the chilled stuff. It was peachier on the nose and had cotton candy, honeysuckle, strawberry, apricot and canned pineapple. The palate gave us apricot and orange pith (there was a bitterness we all got). I noted it as more dry when chilled. The finish was longer and this wine garnered 89 points from me. At $16, it is a 3 star effort that will serve you well in the hot summer months. Drink now. Salut….

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Frog’s Leap Heritage Blend 2017, Napa Valley, California

01 Saturday May 2021

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This is a very interesting blend of 48% Charbono, 27% Petite Sirah, 9% Carignan, 7% Gamay, 4% Mourvedre, 4% Mondeuse and 1% Riesling! Wow…. BTW- Charbono is also known as Bonarda. The wine itself is deep purple and nearly opaque. The lack of legs made me search the label- 12.8% ABV- shocking in these modern times where super ripe fruit (high sugar=high alcohol) is the norm.

The nose has candied plum, blueberry and a herbaceous note. On the palate it is refreshingly tart with nice flavors of white plum, blueberries and charred wood. The green notes not showing up. Medium tannins accompany the fruit and I get a dry back-end from the tart acidity and tannin components. It’s a lighter weight wine that will pair nicely with duck or grilled stuffed mushrooms. It’s certainly an interesting combination of grapes and for $42, you too can try this 89 point wine! 3 stars from me, drink till 2026. Salut….

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