Tag Archives: 91 points

Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2020, Rhone, France

28 Friday Nov 2025

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Deep ruby colored that is slightly cloudy, with high viscosity (15% ABV). Medium intensity aromas of black and red raspberry, licorice, green herbs.  The palate has medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of charcoal, ripe raspberry, licorice, lavender, stone and iron.  The long finish makes this a delicious wine which is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, hence the deep color. 91 points from me for this $30 effort makes it a 5 star wine to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas 'Vieilles Vignes'

Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Sparkling NV, Sussex, England

28 Friday Nov 2025

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Pale lemon colored with gold highlights and large bubbles (12% ABV).  The nose has subtle hints of yellow apple, brioche, lemon pith, green almond, lanolin and then some bruised red apple. The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a nice mousse, and light bodied. Refreshing and zesty with some brioche notes and yellow apple. The lemon notes are very faint, it’s more driven towards the apple flavor. The finish is medium (-) in length. It gets better with air, and I revised my score from 89 to 91 points.  Albeit non-vintage, I have sat on this bottle for over two years and think it has rewarded me nicely.  Bought at the London Duty Free, it runs about $55 now, making it a 4 star wine.  A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.  Salut….

Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Sparkling

Chateau Musar ‘Musar Jeune’ Red 2021, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

22 Saturday Nov 2025

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Deep ruby colored with an inky core, and high viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, game, bacon, garigue, a medicinal note, brambleberry, black currant, and acai berry.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are fresh and grippy.  Medium (+) intensity flavors mimic the nose, except that medicinal note, which was quite pronounced when smelling the glass.  It’s a young wine, yet it delivers solid fruit flavors and shows off nice structure.  The finish is a little shorter than I had hoped but the tannins tickle my gums for quite a while.  It’s totally different than an aged bottle of the Grand Vin, but it’s very enjoyable and will pair nicely with my pasta and meatballs.  It’s a blend of Cinsault (35%), Syrah (35%), and Cab Sav (15%).  I’m a fan, going with 91 points for this $22 wine makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2035.  Salut….

Chateau Musar 'Musar Jeune' Red

Purcari ‘Freedom’ Blend 2022, IGP Stefan Voda, Moldova

20 Monday Oct 2025

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Deep purple colored, with moderate staining, and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of blueberries, acai berry, a medicinal note, coffee, blackberry, black plum, dried leather, and pine wood.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are starting to meld.  Flavor intensity is medium and mirrors the nose.  The finish is medium in length and the tannins turn powdery fine and lithe.  It’s a delicious blend of 65% Saperavi (a teinturier grape), 20% Rara Neagra and 15% Bastardo.  I chose it to pair with grilled Ribeye Cap steaks, it’s gonna be perfect.  At $20, this 91 pointer gets 5 stars.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Purcari 'Freedom' Blend

Paolo Scavino Sorriso Langhe Bianco 2023, Piedmont, Italy

23 Tuesday Sep 2025

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Medium lemon colored with gold accents, and a watery sheen (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lanolin, lemon pith, lime, tangerine, white grapefruit, peach, green herbs, and wet rock.  The palate is dry, with a medium (+) body and medium acidity.  The fullness of the wine detracts initially from the flavors- of which I get grapefruit, melon, peach, lemon zest, and bouquet garni.  The finish is medium (+) in length and the acidity starts to grip at that point, the fruit lingering ever so.  Delicious and pairing beautifully with roast Cod and Brussel Sprouts.  91 points for this $18 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  A delicious un-oaked Chardonnay/SavBlanc/Viognier blend that has not gone through MLF.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Paolo Scavino Sorriso Langhe Bianco

Shumi Winery ‘Iberiuli’ Mukuzani 2022, Georgian Republic

15 Monday Sep 2025

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Deep ruby colored, with moderate staining, and medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red and black plum, vanilla bean, blackberry, acai berry, a medicinal note, and dried green herbs.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are chalky.  The flavors are of medium intensity but get sidelined by the really seductive tannins.  Black fruit, oak influence by way of vanilla and a medicinal note, coupled with some dried herbs.  The finish is pretty decent in length and adds a bit of charred oak to the mix.  The Saperavi variety is one of two main teinturier grapes that are produced- the flesh is not clear, but pink colored which makes the wine very dark when fermented on the skins.  I paid $18 for this delicious wine that will be paired with Oxtail stew.  It gets 91 points from me and therefore- 5 stars!  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Shumi Winery 'Iberiuli' Mukuzani

Castello di Monsanto ‘Fabrizio Bianchi’ Chardonnay Toscana IGT 2022, Tuscany, Italy

30 Saturday Aug 2025

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Pale gold in color, with medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lanolin, lemon pith, pink grapefruit, a touch of vanilla, melon, and straw.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a full body, and a hint of phenolic bitterness.  The medium (+) intensity flavors mimic the nose with the exception of the melon and straw.  I like the acidity, it’s not cutting but it builds towards the back end and leaves the palate refreshed, the weight of the body initially dragging this wine down.  I don’t sense MLF, but there is a very deft hand at play in the oak department- it’s very nicely done and not overwhelming.  The finish is medium in length and moving more toward the tart side of things.  I like this wine.  It ran me $28 and gets 91 points.  I think it has decent cellaring capacity with a drink-by date of 2035.  Five stars from me!  Pairing it with Shrimp Scampi.  Salut….

Castello di Monsanto 'Fabrizio Bianchi' Chardonnay

Anselmo Mendes Contacto Alvarinho 2023, Vinho Verde, Portugal

25 Monday Aug 2025

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Pale gold with copper highlights, and a watery sheen (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of peach, orange blossom, Brazil nut skin, lanolin, sea spray, iodine, and white grapefruit pith.  The palate is dry, with high acidity, and a full body.  There’s a waxiness to the texture- it’s an interesting dichotomy of high acidity that normally pierces, against the full bodied, waxy mouth coating sensation I am getting.  It’s a touch bitter from the skin contact but I get the grapefruit pith and fruit, saline, peach, orange blossom, and a hint of nutty skin.  The finish is quite tart and refreshing, easing up on the heaviness I initially got.  It lasts a medium length.  Overall this is a delightful wine that I paid $23 for.  It gets 91 points and 5 stars.  We are baking Salmon with a lemon caper butter and rice to pair.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Anselmo Mendes Contacto Alvarinho

Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022, Santa Maria Valley, California

09 Monday Jun 2025

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We drank this stunning Pinot bargain at our 40th virtual wine tasting.  I noted a pale ruby color with medium (-) viscosity (13.2% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of strawberry, blackberry, black cherry, cherry cola, sweet licorice, red currants, tomato stalk and an evergreen hint. (these are combined descriptors from the group btw).  The palate was dry with a light body, medium (-) acidity, and low tannins- a very enjoyable mouthfeel.  Strawberry, mature black cherry, cola, smoky charcoal and sweet licorice flavors were noted.  The wine had a medium (+) finish and was enjoyed by all.  I scored it 18 points out of 20 on our tasting sheet and assigned it 91 points on a technical merit.  At $20 I am most definitely ordering a case of this to throw back at every opportunity.  A stunning 5 star effort to drink until 2030. Salut….

Cambria Estate Winery Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir

Sebastien Dampt Cote de Lechet 2022, Chablis Premier Cru, France

09 Monday Jun 2025

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We tasted this Burgundian Chardonnay at the 40th virtual wine tasting.  Per normal,  it was served chilled first followed by a room temperature glass for comparison.  The chilled version scored far better for me which is unusual.  Pale gold in color with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose gave us citrus, nectarines, honey, melon, peach and pink grapefruit.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity, and a medium (-) body.  The flavors are very terroir driven with loads of minerality and a long finish.  I scored this one a 16 on our tasting scale with a 91 point technical score.  The room temperature version was far less aromatic on the nose which surprised me.  It was more broad with lemon and grapefruit pith notes coupled with some honey and peach.  The palate was fuller in body but less powerful, not as complex and lacking focus.  The peach note remained alongside some ripe Honeycrisp apple notes and a slight bitterness.  The finish was only medium at this temperature.  I scored it a mere 10 points on our sheet.  Overall, I really enjoyed this wine well-chilled on night two.  At $30, it’s a treat bottle that gets 4 stars from me.  I believe it has some decent cellaring capacity with potential to evolve.  Salut….

Sebastien Dampt Cote de Lechet