Tag Archives: 89 points

Four Vines Skeptic Petite Sirah 2013

14 Sunday Jun 2015

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From Paso Robles comes this dark, extracted purple Petite Sirah.  I am always on the hunt for decent wine from this varietal and this one happened to be on special at the BevMo.  Normally priced at $25, it was basically BOGO- $12.5 making it a steal.
Purple fruits and bramble on the nose woke me right up to the fact that this was a rich and powerful wine, just how I like them.  On the palate a thick pasting of Asian plum, ginger and rawhide with mild tannins and a background of acidity. Nice mid palate of jam and rhubarb that gave way to a nice mid length finish.  I’m going with 89 points and 3 stars.  It’s well worth a visit if you can get it on sale.  Salut….

four vines skeptic petite sirah

The Buccaneer Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

19 Tuesday May 2015

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I needed some wine for a friends evening so I stopped into Bevmo to pick some up.  I was confronted with their 5Cent sale, buy from a selection of wines at full price and the second bottle is only 5 cents- basically a BOGO offer.  This one was appealing from the shelf talker so I thought ‘what the heck’.  $10 per bottle for California Cabernet?  No brainer.

Bright damson nose with tar and plum on the first sip.   Mild tannins and gentle acidity make this very approachable.  Cinnamon and spice on the mid palate add a level of complexity and there is a longish finish of tannins and acidity that I only just noticed. 89 points with a window of 2015-2022 make this wine is a lurker. Good value from Bevmo at $20 for 2. At full price this would be a 3 star wine.  Salut….

the buccaneer cabernet sauvignon

Alexander Valley Vineyard Wine Club Reserve 2012

19 Tuesday May 2015

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Next in my tasting series from Alexander Valley Vineyard is this gem.  45% Cab Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot makes this a Meritage in anyone’s books.  How I love Cab Franc and more importantly how it melds into the Bordeaux style blend !  This was one bottle I was looking forward to.

Dark purple with a nose of black currant, eucalyptus, wood shavings and pencil lead. On the palate is a vibrant, somewhat tannic attack of currants, black berries and more  graphite. Very young wine with a good cellaring potential. 89 points with a drinking window of 2016-2022. (Or you could run it through a Vinturi and pair it with a ribeye!)  I paid $24 at the winery and give it 3 stars.  Salut….

alexander valley vineyards wine club reserve

Cosentino The Chard 2013

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

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On my recent trip to Napa I ended up the Cosentino winery where Moxie and I visited two years ago.  Funny thing is she had a broken foot on that trip and I had one on this.  I digress.  I ended up tasting everything I could get my hands onto and ordering a case of wine to be shipped home- I also joined their mailing list, a first for me.

I was thinking of my parents when I ordered a few bottles of the Chard, which is made from Lodi fruit.  They like it crisp, not buttery and certainly not sweet.  This one filled all the requirements.  Medium gold in color with a nose of fresh citrus, green apples and quince. The first impression is of a medium weight wine with pear, apple and lemon. Not overly worked- this wine has a slight hint of malolactic fermentation and a deft use of oak. Very crafty. Generous mouthfeel and a touch of acidity make it easy to drink.  My member pricing was $16.  I’m going with 88 points and 4 stars.  Time to order more methinks, summer is coming and one needs a constant supply of chilled whites to pop at a moments notice!  It will go awesomely with some grilled shrimp, perhaps salmon mousse and cucumbers on melba toast- you get the drift.  Salut….

causation the chard

Jettlynn Winery Mon Couer Masters Blend

05 Sunday Apr 2015

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I forgot to not the vintage and the picture does not show it so I am going with NV.  I bought it at Costco for $17, but the winery advertises it at $70.  Wow.

Anyway, I have tried the Jettlynn Cabernet Sauvignon before and was happy with it.  I was looking forward to this bottle as it blends together many of my favorites, Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah amongst the staples of Cab Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  Purple hued with a nose of violets, blackberry jam and eucalyptus.  A fresh and tannic intro of black berries, cinnamon, plum and orange peel. Young tannins are still integrating but it won’t stop you from popping it with some grilled lamb. Not much acidity, which makes me curious about its cellaring potential. 5 years?? 89 points and very tasty.  For the $17 its a no-brainer 3 star wine.  Get some if you see it for that price.  Salut….

jettlynn mon couer

Erath Pinot Gris 2013

04 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Wow, it’s been a busy month around here with broken water pipes, a busted 15 year old dishwasher, kids getting surgeries (yes multiple), I broke my foot and Moxie got a spike in the sidewall of a new tire (Why did I decline the insurance two months ago when I bought the damned thing?).  Oh, son number 3 hit his head ice skating today (quick trip to the urgent care).  So, I decided to heat up some leftovers, pour myself a big glass of this bad boy and try to relax.

My first impression was that the wine had a beautiful yellow/golden color but with a pinkish tinge, very unique.  On the nose- Pear/quince, very pinpoint…A crispy entrance of green pears, kumquat and ginger kept me on the edge.  The mid palate offered up some sweet plantain and lime, mesmerizing.  This wine is fresh with an acidic sting and a balanced mouthfeel. 89 points from me and at $17 this is a great wine to pair with oysters, chicken salad or even a tuna sandwich.  3 stars and definitely a repeat purchase for me.  Salut….

erath pinot gris

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort California Pinot Noir

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

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I snapped a picture of the back of this bottle, it had the winery’s name that actually produce this wine for the resort.  Of course I deleted it prematurely (been happening a lot lately).  So, we’ll go without that info.  This bottle was a present, price unknown and there is nothing on the web about it.  I shall proceed….

Pretty with see-through purple hues and nice looking legs.  The nose of cherry, ginger and orange peel was quite exciting.  Cherry torte, orange marmalade and a touch of oak on the initial attack but a slight acidic bite on the first taste was a little offsetting.  Tasty mid palate with some cherry and clove notes left me with a good overall impression.  This is a decently made wine that gets 89 points from me.  I’m sure if you go to the resort they will have plenty around to sell, worth bringing home a case or two if it’s in the $15-20 range.  Salut….

Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

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Yes 2003, it’s not a typo.  It was brought over by friends for a party, I was not sure how to embrace this wine.  At $8 back in the day it was a serviceable red from Chile that got hammered by WS with 77 points, ouch.  I decided to open it and prayed for the best.  The cork crumbled halfway through the extraction, not a good start.  I coaxed the rest out and sorted the debris from the glass after I poured.  My initial impression- Cherry and blackberry nose, still fresh (surprisingly).  This wine was probably not stored in pristine conditions, yet I was about to discover a vibrancy I was not expecting.
Bright purple in the glass it showed no signs of aging, remarkable.  Lovely black cherry and black berry notes with great acidity and some nice tannins still lurking around.  Thoroughly enjoyable and quite young with a nice finish.  The bottle did show slight sediment, but then again this wine is 11 years old and not built for the long haul.  89 points and drinking till 2017 perhaps?  5 stars for such a valiant effort to age gracefully.  Wish I could find more!  Salut….

Ps. I accidentally deleted the photo of this yummy Chilean Cabernet.  However, I just read the latest Wine Spectator and they featured the same wine, 2013 vintage.  Priced at $12 it got 89 points.  I may take a punt and stock up on some of dat!  Cheers.

 

Jettlynn Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

18 Thursday Dec 2014

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I bought several variations of this winery’s offerings at my local Costco.  $17 for a Paso Cabernet, I had to try it!  I was a little concerned at first, the cork was very stained almost to the top.  My fears were later put to rest.  Bright purple color in the glass.  Blackberry and iodine nose which was very unique.  Interesting mix of raspberry and oregano with black fruits on my first sip.  Good acidity gives this wine structure while the tannins are subdued. It finishes with raspberry and cherry cola flavors.  Tasty and fun Cabernet that gets 89 points and 3 stars from me.  Check them out some time.  Salut….

The offending cork, turned out to be okay after all.

The offending cork, turned out to be okay after all.

jettlynn cabernet sauvignon

Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle 1999

15 Monday Dec 2014

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An iconic wine from a crappy year.  Yup, I bought a wine that I knew was not very good.  The pro’s originally gave it high 80’s scores.  It was priced at $120 per but I picked up a case at $70 a bottle, probably because nobody was buying this vintage.  La Chapelle is a huge name in the wine world, some vintages are worth thousands, yes $1000’s of US dollars.  It is a world class Syrah, from the famed Hermitage appellation in the Rhone Valley. Buying this wine was a once in a lifetime look into something amazing, with a storied and solid history- albeit in a mediocre year.  I cellared the case for a decade before I tried the first bottle.  I was hugely disappointed, it was crap.  I couldn’t believe it, I had wasted nearly $850 on a whim.  I tried several bottles and gave one away.  The rest just sat there, forlorn in their OWC (Original Wood Case).  Until Thanksgiving, when I cellar-dove to pull out some gems for the holiday season.  I found the case of Hermitage and decided to empty it out and get ready to either drink or pour the last 5 bottles.

Glad I resisted the urge to dump, this wine has turned around and offers a modest drinking experience and may even be on an upswing.  Vintages of this wine have been known to age gracefully for nearly a century.  It is a huge wine.

Inky purple glass which is a good sign.  The bottle had large deposits of sediment on the sides but there were none in the glass.  Nose of garigue, violets, game and dark fruits.  Mellow and smooth opening with bright fruit flavors of ripe plum, blueberry and cassis, not what I was expecting considering my previous experiences with this wine.  An earthy component on the mid palate which melded well with some acidity. The tannins are fully integrated and this wine is at peak. 88/89 points were my initial and final impressions.  The pro’s have since upgraded their scores to reflect the wine’s true personality.  It is drinking at its best now and will go for another 5 years.  If you like finesse this is a wine for you, but at this price point I think there are far better wines to search out.  2 Stars unfortunately for this rather expensive yet average drinking wine.  Salut…

paul jaboulet aine hermitage la chapelle