Tag Archives: 90 points

Anton Bauer Rosenberg Gruner Veltliner 2021, Wagram, Austria

13 Wednesday Sep 2023

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Pale lemon colored with a hint of petillance and medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose gives me lemon zest, peach, white pepper, orange blossom and pear drops.  The palate has high acidity and a medium to full body.  I’m getting lemon pith and zest now, there’s a slight bitterness.  The florals are there and the telltale white pepper is too.  The peach has mellowed and it’s more of a citrus affair now.  The finish is tangy, slightly salty and quite long in length.  I chose this wine as I am grilling Turkey breasts on the charcoal, I think the pairing will work as they are quite heavily spiced and need something sharp to oppose.  90 points for this $17 effort makes it a 5 star wine to drink till 2027.  Salut….

 

Spier Seaward Pinotage 2020, Coastal Region, South Africa

02 Saturday Sep 2023

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Bright ruby that is nearly deep in opacity and has high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose reminds me of Pinotage wines I drank early on in my wine career, they had a bit of a medicinal aroma along with tar-meets-the-road.  Additionally I get dark berries, black plum, brambleberry, mocha, spice box and vanilla.  The palate is a dry affair with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins.  The full body shows off flavors of dark fruit, black cherry and nicely integrated oak.   The fruit is quite ripe and passes itself off as a touch sweet on the initial attack but I doubt there’s any RS.  The finish is where it turns a touch tart, but I am loving the interesting wave of flavors that have come across.  Medium length- it leaves me wanting to sip again.  90 points for this $20 bottling makes it a 5 star wine to drink till 2028.  I’m pairing with chargrilled chuk, fries and a side salad.  Salut….

Egervin Egri Bikaver Bulls Blood 2020, Eger, Hungary

07 Monday Aug 2023

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Next up at our tasting was this interesting red from Hungary.  I have read in numerous books about the Bull’s Blood, a blend of Blaufrankish, aka Kekfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Oporto. In the glass- medium ruby colored with low viscosity which belied the 12% ABV.  On the nose we got butterscotch, super ripe cherry, new leather, vanilla, caramel, licorice, cedar funk and a medicinal note (quite complex with lots of wood derived notes).  On the palate it had medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a light body, as was to be expected.  Sour cherry dominated the palate along with grape, licorice, funk, neutral white oak and burnt raisin. It finished medium and had several people scratching their heads.  It was way more complex than I was expecting and was a real treat- especially at $10.  I gave it a respectable 14 points and on a technical side- 90.  5 stars for sure and a must try if you’ve never had this blend.  Drink now.  Salut….

 

Jean-Marc Lafont Domaine de Bel Air Brouilly Briante 2020, Beaujolais, France

26 Monday Jun 2023

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Medium purple colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV). The nose reminds me of Paris, where I drank this style of Beaujolais by the bucketful in the cafes and restaurants.  I get aromas of candied black cherry, tons of florals, strawberry and redcurrant.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are powdery and integrated.  Medium to full bodied- this Gamay based wine takes on a touch of bitterness right off the bat that is offset by ripe red fruit- strawberry, black cherry and currants.  The main floral component is lavender but there is a black tea note coming through on the mid palate.  The wine finishes a touch tart but its length is quite impressive.  The tannins very gently caressing and the acidity ever-present.  This bottle is a magnum and will last till 2028, regular bottles retail for $25.  It gets 90 points from me- 4 stars.  Salut….

Lustau Los Arcos Dry Amontillado Sherry NV, Andalucia, Spain

16 Friday Jun 2023

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Pale amber colored with high viscosity (18.5% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of yeast, lemon peel, hazelnuts, saline and dried orange.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a full body.  A combination of Biological and Oxidative aging gives this wine a unique flavor profile- nutty, it features desiccated fruit with saltiness and a citrus twist.  It’s a real treat to drink this aperitif wine that finishes long with a yeasty note on the back end.  90 points for this $18 effort makes it a 5 star wine to sip with charcuterie.  Salut….

Clos St. Thomas Les Emirs Rouge 2016, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

12 Monday Jun 2023

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Deep ruby with garnet highlights and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  On the nose I get medium intensity aromas of baking spice, ripe plum, vanilla bean, desiccated red raspberry, cedar plank, a touch of mint, lavender and yet more spice at the end.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and fine grained tannins that are well integrated.  The body of this wine is medium and somewhat more tart than the ripe fruit I got on the nose.  The baking spice, cedar and lavender are present as is the red plum, raspberry and mint.  There’s a unique flavor and aroma I cannot pinpoint but it reminds me of the old country- garrigue du Liban perhaps?  The flavors carry on for a while and the finish is medium-long in length with spice and earth notes resonating.  I love this winery and have enjoyed numerous vintages of their Chateau cuvee, this is an earlier drinking delight that is at peak now and will cellar until 2028.  I am pairing this blend of Cab Sav, Syrah and Grenache with grilled pork chops and roasted veggies.  90 points for this $15 bottle makes it a 5 star wine to stock up on.  Salut….

Sam Plunkett The Butterfly Effect Shiraz 2020, Victoria, Australia

11 Sunday Jun 2023

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Medium to deep ruby colored with high viscosity (14.6% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black raspberry, mint, eucalyptus, a hint of vanilla, red plum, blackcurrants and baking spice. The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins. Confirming dark red fruits with definite oak influence plus the eucalyptus and mint notes. The wine is full bodied with very caressing tannins towards the mid palate. Finishing medium in length with a touch of red fruit-driven tartness. 90 points and for $13- 5 stars.  I am pairing this smooth Aussie Shiraz with grilled Strip steak. This one will cellar till 2028.  Salut….

Grifalco della Lucania Daginestra Superiore Aglianico del Vulture 2018, Basilicata, Italy

27 Saturday May 2023

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Deep ruby/garnet colored, this Aglianico was an interesting turn for our virtual wine tasting group as not many had ever had this varietal.  Intense aromas of tobacco with blueberry, smoke, blackberry, tomato paste, lilac and pine were noted.  The palate was dry with high tannins, medium acidity, a full body (14% ABV) and had flavors resembling the nose.  A hint of ripe strawberry was also noted in addition to the florals, oak and black fruit.  A medium finish for this wine makes it a 90 point effort that gets 3 stars due to its $40 price point.  On our tasting scale- 14 points.  Drink till 2030 with food, it really needs some pasta to balance it all out.  Salut….

Ernesto Catena Vineyards Tikal Patriota 2018, Mendoza, Argentina

27 Saturday May 2023

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A 60/40 Bonarda/Malbec blend, this was the second wine in our lineup at the 31st virtual wine tasting.  It showed deep purple with lots of staining and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  On the nose- blackberry, black cherry, black currant, pomegranate and caramel.  Others noted candied cherry, twizzlers, fig, slate and violet.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and high tannins.  The dark, ripe fruit flavors were echoed on the palate along with some oak influence- coffee, charred wood and an oaky hint.  The finish on this medium bodied wine was decent in length and really honed in on the ripe, black berries.  I gave it 13 points on our scoring sheet and would assign it 90 points.  For $20 this wine gets 4 stars with a drinking window of 2025-2030 unless you like them tannic AF.  Salut….

Prelude a Grand-Puy Ducasse 2015, Pauillac, France

22 Monday May 2023

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Last night Moxie and I celebrated our 30th anniversary.  We dined at our favorite restaurant, L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls, Virginia.  They have a decent wine list with emphasis on their French, more specifically, Alsatian heritage.  I was to dine on Wagyu Beef cheeks for appetizer and Rack of Lamb for mains, with a few extras in between.  Choosing a hearty Bordeaux was a no-brainer.  This wine is the Second label of the Classed Growth Grand-Puy Ducasse of Pauillac and comes from a fine vintage.  At 7 years of age it is showing primary, secondary and some tertiary flavors.  Dark brambly fruit, plums, integrated oak, medium acidity and chalky tannins greeted us.  The wine has a medium body and good length.  I was hoping for more cassis but alas, it turned out just fine.  The wine runs $40 at retail and gets 90 points from me.  Drink till 2028.  4 stars for this 60/40 blend of Cab Sav and Merlot..  Salut….