10 Friday Jul 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen (11% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of petrol, yellow apple, orange blossom, peaches, and pink grapefruit pith. The palate is off-dry, with medium acidity, and a medium (-) body. Medium (+) intensity flavors echo the nose. The finish is medium (+) in length and delicious. 91 points from me for this $17 effort makes it a 5 star wine. Drink till 2035- the acidity will hold this baby together nicely. Salut….
11 Monday May 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
Napa, california, cabernet sauvignon, 4 stars, 91 points, $65, coombsville
Deep ruby, inky, opaque… with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.9% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis, black plum, mint, oak, smoke, licorice, acai berry, and alcohol. It’s quite potent. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are melding into a powdery texture. Medium (+) intensity flavors of dark berries, blackcurrant jam, mint, oak nuance and licorice. The heat is noticeable on the back end. The finish, whilst a bit hot, is medium in length and laced with dark fruit and silky tannins. I like this wine’s flavor but the alcohol is out of balance, it takes over the nose and the palate and costs the score a point or two. It retails for around $65. I give it 91 points, which makes it a 4 star effort in my books. Drink till 2035 with a hearty steak or braised beef dish. Salut….
03 Sunday May 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
$21, 5 stars, 91 points, chardonnay, Italy, trentino-alto Adige
Pale lemon colored, with a green tinge, and a watery sheen (13% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lemon, tangerine, lanolin, garden herbs, white grapefruit, a hint of peach, and white blossom. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, and a medium body. Medium intensity flavors with a medium length finish. Delicious, making me grab the glass for another sip. It is youthful and shows some cellaring potential. I like this style of Chardonnay- unoaked, with minimal interference and no MLF. 91 points from me for this $21 effort makes it a 5 star wine. Salut….
01 Friday May 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
$52, 4 stars, 91 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, mendocino
Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, charred cedar plank, eucalyptus, mint, powdery dirt/dust, acai berry, blueberry, black plum, and baking spice. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins that are melding nicely. Medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit, with some charred wood notes, and a herbal twist. No sign of eucalyptus or mint, but there is a green note. The finish is medium (+) in length and very pleasing. A nice Cabernet from Mendocino County that gets 91 points from me and for the $52 price point, 4 stars. Drink till 2030 with Beef and Lamb dishes. Salut….
13 Monday Apr 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium ruby colored, with medium viscosity (12% ABV). The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of green pepper, black raspberry, a medicinal note, charcoal, red plum, baking spice, and lingonberry. The palate is dry, with medium (-) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium tannins. Medium intensity flavors overshadow the somewhat light nose. I get red fruit, spice nuances but less of the pyrazine driven capsicum. It’s got a very soft mouthfeel and I am enjoying the slight tartness balancing out the fine grained tannins. It’s not a heavy wine, delicate is the key, so I would pair it with lighter fare- chicken, duck, veal and maybe a filet. It’s drinking nicely now and will cellar until 2030. 91 points, and for the $25 price point- 5 stars. Salut….
05 Sunday Apr 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
$22, 5 stars, 91 points, Cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, South Africa, stellenbosch, syrah, VWTC
The closer at our 43rd virtual wine tasting was this banger from Stellenbosch. A lovely wine that I have drunk older vintages of and it did not disappoint. The tasting group noted how opaque it was with a deep garnet color, slight staining, and medium viscosity (14.5% ABV). The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of floral perfume, thrift shop, mangrove, ocean spray, leather, licorice, coffee, and vanilla. That’s quite an interesting set of descriptors, but then again, there was a decent sized crowd at this tasting. The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a full body, and high tannins. Medium (+) intensity flavors echoed the nose but we also got some blackberry, black cherry, and green pepper- consistent with the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Delicious but young- this wine will cellar nicely till 2037 if it’s at all like it’s older siblings. 91 points from me and 17/20 on our tasting sheet. We paid $22 last August, making this an amazing deal and worthy of 5 stars. Salut….
05 Sunday Apr 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
The third wine of our virtual tasting was this delicious Carmenère with a bit of age on it. We noted a deep ruby color flexing to garnet, with high viscosity (14% ABV). Medium (-) intensity aromas of blackberry, vanilla, baking spice, and green pepper for days. On the palate it was dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that were well integrated. One of the tasters said- “It tastes like salad”. I guess the green pepper component was obviously driving the bus. Otherwise- we noted plum, coffee, blackberry, vanilla, and baking spice. It came alive on the palate and showed off a medium (+) length finish which earned it 91 points. On our tasting sheet I gave this $22 effort 15/20 points and would drink it over the next 4 years with a juicy steak. 5 stars. Salut….
05 Sunday Apr 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
$22, 4 stars, 91 points, austria, grüner veltliner, Traisental, VWTC
We tasted this wine chilled and then at room temperature at the 43rd virtual wine tasting, held over Zoom. It was pale lemon colored, with low viscosity, (12.5% ABV). The nose had medium intensity aromas of pear, lemon, green apple, nectarine, lanolin, lemon pith, and a hint of the telltale white pepper. The palate was dry, with high acidity, and a medium (-) body. Medium (-) intensity flavors included pineapple, semi-ripe pear, apricot, green apple and the pepper note. A medium length finish was noted. I enjoyed the chilled version, giving it 91 points and on our tasting sheet- 14 points.
The room temperature version was less intense on the nose, with slightly different aromas and flavors. Honeydew melon, green apple, honeysuckle, white pepper, more pith than when chilled, persimmon, and apricot. The wine felt less acidic, rounder and more full bodied- waxy. The finish was slightly longer, yet I did not enjoy it as much. It garnered 89 points and only 12 /20 on the sheet. I would drink this $22 wine chilled over the next few years with fresh seafood, perhaps a chicken salad. 4 stars. Salut….
03 Friday Apr 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium garnet, fading to copper with bricking on the edges. Medium viscosity (13% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of prune, sweet dried cherry, blackberry jam, walnuts, and leather- becoming intense. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a light body, and medium tannins that are fully melded. I get the same flavors as the nose, but a touch sour. As it evolves I find it balanced with a hint of stewed rhubarb and dried cranberry giving it some zip. The finish is medium in length and classically Old World. 91 points- drink till 2028. No pricing information. Salut….
31 Tuesday Mar 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Pale lemon colored, with a watery sheen (13.5% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lychee, rose water, lemon and lime pith, guava, gooseberry, orange blossom, and a stony note. The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, and a medium (+) body. Medium (+) intensity flavors echo the nose and finish medium in length. Delicious, refreshing, yet serious. I love this variety and really enjoy a good bottle of it. 91 points from me for this $16 effort makes it a 5 star wine. I’m pairing it with chicken and rice, but you could throw pretty much any fish dish at it for a great match. Drink till 2030. Salut….
Wine reviews 