Tag Archives: 91 points

Stonehedge Reserve Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah 2010

23 Monday Sep 2013

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Well, it’s Sunday night and we did things backwards this weekend.  Sunday Roast happened on Saturday and Ribeye steaks on Sunday.  I added the ‘make your own salad’ to our menu as I have some picky peeps.

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SO- I picked a Petite Sirah to go with the steaks. When choosing wine for a fatty cut, I look for tannic wines or really fruity ones with plenty of acidity. Petite Sirah, of which I am a closet fan, gives both. This particular bottle showed off some of the prettiest purple hues in the glass, a beautiful sight. On the nose, tremendous waves of blueberry fruit and a somewhat exciting alcohol component. I was ready to pair the wine with our dinner. Crescendoes of blueberry and blackberry came rushing over my palate with an extremely fine grained set of tannins. I was looking forward to some slightly more edgy tannins to cut the fat, but instead I was treated to a healthy dose of acidity. The combination was magical. Instead of the mouth-puckering tannins sorting the beef out, I was treated to a more austere approach with the acidity making up for the backbone. Secondary flavors of stone and bell peppers added to the treat. Petite Sirah is an amazing varietal, not everyones cuppah. It is bracing, tannic, acidic and needs to made well. It offers black and blue fruit, big tannins and an a bright acidity. It does not resemble Syrah at the least. Give it a try, you may love it….. For $30, this is a great effort for a nice steak dinner and worthy of 91 points and 4 star in my book. Salut….

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Domaine du Grand Tinel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

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In 1999 we moved to England, where I started to ‘collect’ wines, and had my first CDP.  I always think of this region as unique, rich, rewarding and expensive.  Inflation has not been kind to the consumers of Châteauneuf, it’s prices going higher and higher by the vintage as the region gains accolades from ‘The Big Man’ which adds dollars to the entry fee, (mind you the quality is also coming up).  The region was named after the Pope’s New Castle, and allows seven grapes to be blended with the main Grenache varietal.  Think Cinsault, Mourvedre, Syrah and more.  Makes my mouth water just listing them.

Back to the wine at hand.  Dark purple in the glass and a nose of blackberry meets rock.  Yup, rock.  This wine has a minerality that took a while to pick up.  The palate comes across as young, yet ready to play… with Blackcurrants, stone and a green pepper component.  Very smooth tannins are built for aging yet are allowing drinkability right now if you decant/aerate (which I did).  The structure of this wine is really good, with acidity balancing the alcohol, which alarmed me initially.  This particular wine is running at 15%.  It’s main backbone coming from 80% Grenache with 18% Syrah smoothing it out and 2% Mourvedre which no doubt adds the tannic and alcohol components.  The minerality and stone notes no doubt coming from the terroir, which consists of galettes or round stones.  These galettes help maintain the day’s heat and help mold the flavors of the wines and give them that uniqueness.

For about $32, you are getting a lower priced CDP that drinks well, has good cellaring potential and is a good introduction into the region if you have never forayed there.  91 points and 4 stars.  Salut….

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Cavalier Bartolomeo Barolo Vigneti Solanotto Altinasso 2007

08 Sunday Sep 2013

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Now that’s a long name! Tasty wine, perhaps a little young and definitely built for the long term. I am relatively new to Barolo’s, they present themselves as big brooding monsters that cost an arm and leg, need years of cellaring and present a minefield when trying to pick one. This one is no exception, at 6 years of age, still a pup. Bing Cherries on the nose, it presented itself as a deep purple offering. I sensed some spices, perhaps cloves and lavender. Intricate tannins, very fine grained were the first impression on the palate. The cherry component came through with some Cola and Kirsch. It is very possible that this wine will come out of its youth and present itself with some great secondary flavors, I’d give it 5 more years to find out. Presently, it is a good wine, with the structure to pair with Ribeyes or a Spaghetti and Meatballs dinner. The price is decent at about $37, which for a Barolo is a steal. Going forward, I think it is a 91 pointer with perhaps 4 stars after you give it some cellaring time. Salut….

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Virginie Thunevin 2009

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

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I’m starting to sound like a broken record….. 2009 Bordeaux has got to be one of the finest vintages ever made, anywhere. This bottle is no exception. For $16, you get a good dose of red berry and spice on the nose. It caresses the mouth with great ripe tannins, berry, spice and cedar. A tad young as the tannic component is still in the forefront, but not obtrusive. Good balance and a long finish. This wine reminds me a lot of the Carpe Diem I just drank. Very juicy, bold and mouthwatering. Based mainly on Merlot, Cab Sav and Cab Franc are in the blend a’ la Right Bank. I forgot to mention this Domaine’s heritage: Jean Luc Thunevin of Bordeaux fame created this wine alongside his much pricier “Garagiste” wines and his talents really show. I found out that WS gave it 89, I’m going 91 and for the money—-5 stars baby. You can’t go wrong with this wine, it should last at least until 2018. Salut….

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Ty Caton Upper Bench Merlot 2011

01 Sunday Sep 2013

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Great fruitiness on the nose with hints of Cherry and Plums. The plum component gets a dose of dark currants and perhaps a vegetal thingy… Very smooth and rounded, this wine is balanced and the tannins are fine. This wine drinks beautifully by itself and will do so for another 6 years minimum. 91 points and at $27 it’s a 4 star offering.

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Clos du Bois Chardonnay Calcaire 2010

11 Sunday Aug 2013

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A friendly bartender gave me a sample of this stunner.  Straight up one of the best Chardonnays I have had in a long time.  Classic California Chard, but not over the top.  Buttery, without being flabby.  Citrusy, without being sour.  Oaked, deftly.  This is multi-dimensional and offers apricot and pineapple to go with the green apples.  Crisp acidity, but not too sharp left me feeling refreshed, not flabby.  I reckon this may need to be bought by the case and will be the champion at the next Salmon dinner I serve, or the next Chicken I grill, or I might just drink it for the hell of it….  5 stars, 91 points (no brainer!).  Salut….

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Carpe Diem Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

11 Sunday Aug 2013

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A younger, more primal version of the Carpe Diem 2009 I tasted several months ago.  Much more Blueberry and less plums than the older brother.  Strong aromas of the berry and a hint of oak came through for me.  On the initial attack, the fruit was somewhat sidelined by the young tannins.  Almost mouth-puckering, these will have to meld over the next two years for this wine to really shine.  It is too young to really appreciate, yet I believe it will fill out, mellow out and really soar to a potential 91 point finish.  I bought this bottle for $25, and think it would be a 4 star wine after being cellared for 2+ years.  It should last well into 2020.

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Clos Du Marquis 2005

05 Monday Aug 2013

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The second wine of a Second Growth from an amazing vintage in Bordeaux.  I usually cellar Claret for 10 years, and 5 for their little brother ‘Second’ wines.   The wine may be a second, but it fires up like a baller.  This thing is way too young, tannic and in the dumb phase of its maturation.  I could have decanted, aerated and maybe even stuck it in the blender- but I doubt it was ready to play.  Drinking window starts in 2015 at the earliest, and should last another 10 years after that.

What I did get, besides the gripping tannins was dark, brooding blackberry and cassis.  Tobacco and leather were very faint, being secondary flavors and all.  A long finish, helped by the puckering tannins tell me this is going to be awesome when it comes around.  It’s a shame I wasted such a bottle, but we drank it with Jerk Lamb and thick Ribeye steaks.  The components of the food were very much complemented by the structure of the wine.  In the future, when the real drinking window opens up, I am going to pair the next bottle with filet or some other less fatty cut.  Can’t wait…91+points and perhaps  4 stars if it comes out of the shell.  Salut…

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Viña Cobos ‘Bramare’ Malbec 2007

03 Saturday Aug 2013

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I’m not sure why my buddy opened this $70+ wine at the end of the evening, it should have been opened at 6 pm and decanted for an hour.  It was inky purple in the glass, with dark, piercing fruit on the nose.  Relatively young, it had a good structured tannic frame that hovered around the blackberries and licorice.  Very smooth and balanced, it drank easily, yet offered some complexity.  Unfortunately, at this price point, I am expecting much more in the layers and secondary flavors.  Technically speaking, a 91 pointer, but only 2 stars in my opinion.

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Carpe Diem Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

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I ordered this bottle on our recent Napa trip to pair up with Duck Confit.  Three words come to mind when I think of this Napa Cabernet Sauvignon…….  Atypical, amazing and obvious.

Atypical because this wine does not follow the Napa Cab profile.  It offers delicious Napa fruit, but in a Bordeaux style, with cassis, tobacco and a hefty plum flavor.  On the nose there is a huge amount of blue fruit.  Fine grained tannins and a balanced acidity make this easy to drink, very smooth.

Amazing, because value for money this one is a home run.  At $25 or less you are getting at least 91 points IMHO of excellence.  This wine paired up to the duck with no effort, it would easily handle a juicy New York strip and I would even serve roasted chicken with it.  Talk about versatile.

Obvious, well that stems from the fact that I was so impressed with this wine that I had to research it some more- the winemaking team behind Dominus make this as a second-second label.  Now that I know the pedigree and the lineage, it resembles it’s big brother Dominus, but in a softer, more approachable way.

5 Stars for its value and flavors, 91 points as mentioned on its technical merit.  I am on my way to the local store, hoping for a case or two….

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