Tag Archives: 91 points

Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2019, Barossa Valley, Australia

07 Sunday Jan 2024

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Inky colored and opaque with some wall staining and high viscosity (14.7% ABV).  The nose of this Shiraz has aromas of ripe blackberry, vanilla, black cherry, baking spice, eucalyptus, violets and bramble berry.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (+) tannins plus a full body.  Ripe dark fruit dominates with some eucalyptus and baking spices supporting.  Vanilla makes its entrance on the mid palate as well as some rooibos tea.  The finish is long with bramble featuring plus some spice.  The tannins- they are well integrated and I just realized they are so well balanced.  This is a lovely drop that will drink nicely till 2030 and pair with grilled meat, Sunday roast or hearty stews.  91 points and for $20 it’s a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Remhoogte Vantage Pinotage 2019, Stellenbosch, South Africa

01 Monday Jan 2024

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Deep purple colored with medium staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black currants, black plum, vanilla, mint, baking spices, blackberry coulis and cocoa powder.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (+) tannins that are slightly green.  Full bodied- this wine has flavors of ripe black fruit with oak integration by way of vanilla, baking spices, cocoa powder alongside a charred note.  Some anise pops up on the mid palate but the mint never showed.  There’s a mineral streak that I am enjoying, almost granitic.  The finish is a touch tart and medium in length.  I’m going to enjoy pairing this bottle with a roast Pork shoulder and lemon potatoes.  It gets 91 points from me with a drinking window till 2029.  At $22 it gets 5 stars.  Salut….

Tinazzi No 3 Vinum Italicum Opera Rosso 2021, Italy

16 Saturday Dec 2023

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Deep ruby colored with high viscosity (15% ABV).  The nose of this blend has medium intensity aromas of blackberry, mulberry, plum, coffee, baking spices, violets and cedar.  The palate is slightly off-dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are quite fine and powdery.  Full bodied with flavors of ripe blackberry, plum and juicy mulberry along with cedar, coffee and baking spices.  It’s quite a rich and ripe wine with lots of weight and heft (think the 15% alcohol).  The finish is medium (+) in length and smooth.  This $20 bottle overdelivers in my opinion and gets 91 points from me making it a 5 star effort.  Drink till 2027 with hearty meat dishes or thick stews.  Salut….

Carmen Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon – Cabernet Franc 2021, Maipo Valley, Chile

06 Wednesday Dec 2023

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Deep purple colored with slight staining and high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has  medium intensity aromas of candied black cherry, blackberry, coffee, violets, vanilla and eucalyptus- it’s quite perfumed.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are silky.  A full body on this wine brings flavors of toasty oak interlaced with blackberry, black cherry, violets, vanilla and coffee.  The finish is satiny and medium in length.  I picked this bottle to pair with Steak au Poivre- it’s the perfect choice.  I think this is a 91 point wine even thought the label clearly boasts a 93 point award.  For $17, it’s a 5 star bottle to drink till 2028.  Salut….

Delectus Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California

26 Sunday Nov 2023

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Deep purple colored with high viscosity (13.8% ABV).  The nose of this Cab has medium (+) intensity aromas of black plum, pencil lead, black currant, licorice and coffee.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are very ripe and silky.  A full body meets me with flavors of blackberry, cassis, black plum, licorice and a hint of coconut.  The coffee shows up later.  The finish is super smooth and medium in length, delicious.  This is a 91 point wine that gets 5 stars for its $25 price point.  I’m pairing it with Eye of Round roast.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Precision Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Napa Valley, California

21 Tuesday Nov 2023

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Deep purple colored with staining on the walls and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).   The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of candied cherry, ripe black raspberry, baking spices, vanilla, dill, açaí berry, blackberry and coconut shavings.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are lush and silky.  Coupled with a full body, this wine has a luxurious mouthfeel.  The fruit turns to black but the oak influence is present with baking spice, vanilla, coconut and dill all present for me.  The candied cherry I got on the nose (which I hate) has departed, replaced with black luxardo-like cherries and blackberry compote.  It’s a delicious wine with a long finish, better on the palate than the nose for sure.  I like it and think it’s worthy of 91 points.  It sells for $25, but my local Costco had it for $10 off making it a screamingly good deal.  Napa Cabernet of this level for $15!  It could go nicely with Filet of beef or a batch of Moussaka.  5 stars.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Ixsir Grande Reserve White 2019, Batroun, Lebanon

18 Saturday Nov 2023

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We tasted this Viognier based blend last night at the 33rd Virtual Wine Tasting event.  As per usual it was scored at room temp as well as chilled.  We normally see a preference for room temp whites but this bottle was the opposite.

Pale lemon with high viscosity (14.6% ABV).  Medium (-) aromas of minerality, honeysuckle, peach, pear and nectarine.  The palate was dry with medium (+) acidity and a full body.  Stone fruit dominant there were also flavors of honeysuckle and that rocky minerality.  A medium (-) length finish detracted some points for an overall rating of 10 for me on our scoring sheet.

Served chilled- the wine really took on its own with more noticeable peach, a touch of lemon and that honeysuckle.  On the palate is was slightly less acidic but fuller bodied, opposite of what I was imagining would happen.  The palate mirrored the nose with the addition of a pithy bitterness towards the mid palate.  The finish seemed to linger longer and the wine scored higher, 12 on the sheet.  Overall this is a 91 point wine for me and at $24, it gets 4 stars.  Grilled salmon or a Cornish hen would pair nicely.  Drink till 2030. Salut….

Weingut Josef Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett 2018, Rheingau, Germany

15 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Pale lemon colored with lime highlights and a low viscosity (8% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of petrol, lemon zest, lime pith, peach, nectarine, orange blossom, honeysuckle and lanolin.  The palate is off-dry with high acidity and a light body.  It has cutting flavors of citrus zest, pith and blossom along with the telltale petrol notes this varietal can show.  There’s a sensation of slight pettilance but no bubbles show in the glass.  The finish is medium in length and crisp.  It’s a very pleasing wine that invites drinking, which at a low alcohol level is very easily done!  I was going to pair it with Souvlaki but the sweetness would detract.  It makes a delicious aperitif though and can certainly be drunk poolside, chilled to within an inch of freezing.  Not bad….  I give it 91 points and for $19- 5 stars.  I think it has some aging capacity and will develop more tertiary notes in the next 10 years.  Salut….

Winzer Krems ‘Kremser Wachtberg’ Gruner Veltliner 2020, Kremstal DAC Reserve, Austria

27 Friday Oct 2023

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Pale straw/lemon with a watery sheen (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of Meyer lemon, white pepper, grapefruit, orange pith, white blossom, passion fruit and peach.  The palate is dry with high acidity and a medium body.  The flavors mirror the aromas but the white pepper is turned up a notch and the lemon is downplayed.  There is a phenolic bitterness on the mid palate that leads to a medium (+) length finish that is spicy and slightly bitter.  This bottle runs $29 and gets 91 points from me and 5 stars.  Drink till 2029.  I’m pairing it with Langoustine pasta with lemon butter alongside a Squid salad.  Salut….

Chateau Marjosse 2018, Bordeaux, France

26 Thursday Oct 2023

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Medium garnet colored with high viscosity and very slight staining (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, charcoal, mint, cassis, hedgerow, blackberry pie and rose petals.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are chalky and bristle a touch.  The wine is full bodied with rich flavors of black fruit and oak coupled with some pretty florals.  A nicely balanced and maturing blend of Merlot, Cab Sav and Cab Franc with a touch of old-school Malbec that makes this Right Bank blend a pleasure to drink.  I am pairing it with Ox tail stew and rice with pees.  It will develop further and cellar nicely till 2029.  For $28 this 91 point bottle gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….