Tag Archives: 89 points

Nederburg The Winemasters Pinotage 2016, Western Cape, South Africa

04 Monday Mar 2019

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Opaque, murky and dark purple in the glass.  I always think of Pinotage as a very black grape, with medicinal notes, herbs, creosote and violets. Let’s see what this $12 offering gives

On the nose I get telltale tar, kerosene and purple fruits.  On the initial it is textbook- charcoal, violets, that earthy creosote and plums.  Loads of plums.  Spices add to the tannins in the mid-palate, namely cinnamon.  This is a tasty wine folks.  The finale is very restrained, tannins are present but not overpowering.  Acidity is lithe and the plummy notes are in force.  89 points and 5 stars.  Drink till 2022 with wild game, roasted chicken or moussaka.  Salut….

Michael Pozzan Annabella Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Napa Valley, USA

04 Monday Mar 2019

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Cherry nose.  Iodine, plum and cigar box on the initial. Nice gentle tannins introduce themselves on the midpalate alongside bramble.  The plums are really juicy in this wine.  The finish gives me prune, black cherries and tobacco.  Really tasty and easy to drink.  Till 2024.  89 points and 3 stars for this $14 wine.  Salut….

Vineyard at Hershey Gewurtztraminer NV, Pennsylvannia

23 Saturday Feb 2019

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Super light yellow in the glass, made me look twice.  The nose is floral with lemon and pineapple notes.  On the palate I get peach right off the bat.  Apricot and citrus hit me on the midpalate where the acidity starts to kick in.  The wine is really light and bouncy with nice crisp mouthfeel.  The tail end is more subdued on the flavors, mainly a pear component.  This wine is intriguing in its multitude of flavors, definitely worth looking out for.  I’m pairing it with salmon Alfredo.  It begs for a hot summers evening outside with some oysters and chorizo.  89 points and 3 stars for this $18 bottle. Salut….

Cellar Vall Llach Embruix 2015, Priorat DOCa, Spain

20 Wednesday Feb 2019

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Moxie and I met up with an old high-school friend at a Tapas bar in Massachusetts.  This wine was recommended by our waiter so we dove in.  I did not write too many notes so bear with me:

Nose of smoky plum.  Lithe and fruity with some complexity but not overpowering.  Dark fruits galore and lithe tannins make it an easy drinker with 5-10 years of cellaring potential.  We obviously ate it with Tapas, which was a great pairing.  Strangely enough, the pros vary between 88 and 92 points.  I would go with 89 personally.  $25 makes it a 3 star wine for me. Blend of 30% Garnatxa, 27% Merlot, 20% Samso, 18% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Salut….

Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2017, California, USA

26 Saturday Jan 2019

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I wrote about the 2016 Failla recently so it was interesting to sample the younger version.  Strawberry coulis nose from this darker red Pinot Noir  On the palate I get raspberry, strawberry and crunchy tannins.  The mid palate has a pepper component alongside bing cherry.  The finish is medium in length with that strawberry core flavor returning.  The acidity is decent and the mouthfeel is good.  A touch young- it could benefit from some cellaring.  Drink till 2029.  89 points $39 make this a solid 3 star wine.  Consistent with the previous vintage.  Salut….

Koyle Royale Syrah 2016, Colchagua Valley, Chile

07 Monday Jan 2019

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I have enjoyed numerous bottles of the 2015 Koyle Syrah, so when I saw the ’16- it had to be done.  Very dark and opaque in the glass.  Brooding , almost.  The nose is fruity, with a touch too much of that jam I dislike.  Black berries, raspberry reduction and a touch of wood also hit.  On the palate I get sour cherry sauce with very astringent tannins- the wine is somewhat astray.  It appears someway disjointed, not quite ready to come out.  There is a nice core of dark fruits under that tannic veil, perhaps I will aerate.

Yeah, that’s much better.  The nose is still not to my personal tastes but the wine smooths out, the tannins are more in order and the flavors of fruit take front row.  More black fruits than red and a touch of oak are now the order of the day.  This wine is very young and needs time to meld in order to settle down but should be decent in a year or so…. unless you are like me and have access to an aerator at all times.  I am going with 89 points for now but plan to re-visit in a while.  If you drink one, pair it with a hearty meal, something fatty.  3 stars for an initial impression of this $23 wine.  Salut….

Louis Latour Cote de Beaune Villages 2015, Burgundy, France

01 Tuesday Jan 2019

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The wine is see-through, medium purple with nice legs. On the nose it lacks immediate scents- I am swirling like crazy to finally get strawberry and capsicum. On the palate I taste kirsch, strawberry and rhubarb.  A nice crunchy acidity accompanied the fruit from the get go.  On the mid palate it is more red currants with some berry hints.  The tannins kick in on the very end where the finish is red fruits and a touch of oak. 89 points and 4 stars for this entry level Burgundy that ran $23.  Drink till 2024 with skirt steak, Cornish hen or cheese and crackers.  Salut….

Santa Ema Reserve Merlot 2015, Maipo Valley, Chile

08 Saturday Dec 2018

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Nice purple in the glass.  The nose is blackberry, oak and cocoa dust.  The initial palate is of ripe plums, more blackberries and vanilla.  The wine has gentle tannins, lithe acidity and drinks easily.  It has a nice midpalate transition.  Coffee notes hit me as well as more berries.  89 points from me for this $12 effort.  It drinks well and should be held in the daily drinker cellar for a quick go-to wine.  4 stars, drink now.  Salut….

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Eagles Trace Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Napa Valley, USA

08 Saturday Dec 2018

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I have previously had the Eagle’s Trace Cabernet, in Magnum.  Dark purple with a touch of brick.  On the nose it has a bit of funk- hoping it blows off. Black cherry, cola, eucalyptus hit me after a hard swirl.  On the palate it shows red fruits- a rich acidity and fine grained tannins.  Raspberry, cherries jubilee and an oak influence all hit.  The mid palate gets me back to cola.  Sassafras appears on the tail end where the tannins start to grip and the mouthfeel turns astringent.  Enjoyable if you like a dry finish.  89 points and not a bad choice for Thanksgiving that included a smoked turkey as well as a deep fried one.  It did not hold up as well as I had hoped.  For $55 it gets 2 stars from me.  Salut….

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Borgo Salcetino Chianti Classico DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy

04 Sunday Nov 2018

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Light purple, medium opacity.  The nose is generous with pencil lead, blueberry and cherry, yet somewhat atypical.  On the palate it is a little restrained but there are notes of sassafras, bing cherry, rhubarb.  The mid palate gives me lots of juiciness, acidity and the beginnings of a tannic push.  The cherry component really hits on the back end.  89 points and 4 stars for this $12 effort.  I would sit on a few bottles to let the acidity reaper and the tannins to soften slightly.  2020- 2023 Salut….