Tag Archives: 93 points

Terravino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2001, Tuscany, Italy

18 Thursday Dec 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


 

Deep garnet colored with definite bricking and slight traces of sediment.  A medium viscosity with some staining evident (13.5% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of prune, nuts, tobacco, stewed cassis, acai berry jam, cloves, and dried rose petals. The palate is dry with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are fully melded. Silky smooth- it leads to a medium (+) length finish and gets 93 points.  My buddy brought this over to pair with braised Beef shins, amazing.  I would drink this over the next few years, but no rush as it has some structure and fruit left.  Salut….

Terravino Brunello di Montalcino

Reputation Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Napa Valley, California

15 Saturday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep ruby colored with an inky core, moderate staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of cassis, blackberry jam, black plum, mint, eucalyptus, coffee, blueberry, and a hint of oak.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and high tannins.  The fruit is ripe indeed, with cassis running the show.  Blackberry coulis, blueberry pie, some herbal notes and a trace of oak.  The tannins really grip on the mid palate and stay there for a prolonged period, the finish itself is medium in length and delicious.  This wine is a bit young, but could be decanted or aerated for immediate pleasure or cellared for a few years. Drink by 2035, with a juicy steak or lamb chops.  93 points from me for this $30 bottle that’s on sale at Costco for $15 makes it a no brainer 5 star effort.  Salut….

reputation cabernet sauvignon

 

Heidi Schrock & Sohne Spatlese 2024, Burgenland, Austria

26 Sunday Oct 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen that shows high viscosity (11.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of honey, tangerine peel, orange marmalade, white blossom, peach candy, lanolin, lemon verbena, and candied ginger.  The palate is  sweet, with medium (+) acidity, and a full body thanks to the residual sugar.  The flavors mirror the nose and run through to a long finish that sits nicely on the palate.  The acidity is masked on the back end but my mouth is watering!  It’s not overly heavy- the body is very nice and balanced.  It’s well made and delicious, worthy of 93 points from me.  I liked it at the winery when we tasted there, but it’s gotten better since I opened this bottle two nights ago.  I wish I had a few for the cellar to watch the evolution.  I found it online at $24 making it a 5 star effort to sip with dessert.  Salut….

Heidi Schrock & Sohne Spatlese

Lachini Vineyards ‘La Contrada’ Red 2018, Walla Valley, Washington

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


Deep, inky purple colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.6% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, blackberry compote, coffee, vanilla bean, dried herbs, sweet pomegranate syrup, milk chocolate, and acai berry.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins.  The flavors are quite pronounced and delicious.  They mimic the nose and really show off the Bordeaux-style blend of 75% Cab Sav and 25% Merlot.  It’s got length and breadth with a long finish.  This is a youthful wine that has great cellaring potential but is drinkable right away.  Lovely stuff to pair with game meats, grilled steaks or a lamb chop.  93 points for this $55 bottle makes it a 5 star effort in my opinion. Drink till 2035.  Salut….

Lachini Vineyards ‘La Contrada’ Red

Chateau Belle-Vue La Renaissance Red 2009, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon

08 Tuesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep ruby colored bordering on garnet with copper highlights.  Slight staining on the wall, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV) are getting me ready for a heavy hitter with some age.  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, tar, tobacco, vanilla thread, mulled blackberry, stewed cranberry, pomegranate molasses, chocolate and spice box.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a full body and medium (+) tannins that are chalky yet fine grained.  The intensity is pretty high and the flavors mimic the nose.  The acidity slides in on the mid palate and turns the whole experience slightly tart, yet refreshing.  The tannins are very polished and velvety.  The age of this wine is evident by the color and the mature state of the fruit, yet the structure is very solid and holding this wine up nicely, yet another testament to the power of Lebanese wines.  This beauty ran me $35 plus shipping (I hate that). and will last for another 10 years.  This blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon gets 93 points from me and 5 stars.  Well worth the effort to look out for it.  Delicious by itself, it would pair beautifully with roast Duck, Filet or Shish Kebabs.  Salut….

chateau Belle-Vue La Renaissance

Lachini Vineyards ‘La Contrada’ Red 2017, Walla Walla Valley, Washington

27 Tuesday May 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and high viscosity (15.4% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, blackberry, black plum, vanilla, acai berry, mint, eucalyptus, and espresso bean.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are quite grippy.  Dark fruit coupled with lavish, yet well integrated oak make for a very rich and satisfying mouthfeel.  The vanilla was very obvious on the nose but more subtle on the palate, as are the herbal notes- allowing the fruit to dominate the flavors.  The finish is medium (+) in length where it shows off the ripeness of the grapes, which are an 83/17 blend of Cab Sav/Merlot.  The tannins leave me with a dry palate after it’s all said and done, the youth and structure of this wine being quite obvious at this point.  I like it, 93 points worth and for the price of $55 it gets 4 stars.  Drink this youthful wine till 2034.  Salut….

Lachini Vineyards 'La Contrada' Red

Stephane Brocard Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru 2000, Cote de Nuits, France

11 Sunday May 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Medium garnet colored, edging to clear with high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of Luxardo cherries, spice box, tobacco, red plum, mushroom, forest floor, desiccated cranberries, and lavender.  It’s more youthful in sight and smell than I was expecting from a 25 year old wine.  The palate is dry with high acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium tannins that are fine grained and mostly integrated.  Medium intensity flavors of mulled cherry, dried cranberry, red plum reduction, spice box, that earthy forest floor coupled with an umami mushroom note.  The tannins start to grip on the mid palate showing off this wine’s structure, which somewhat overshadows the intensity of the fruit and tertiary notes.  The finish is medium (+) in length, adding a point to this well aged wine that is still developing and will hopefully gain more intensity whilst the tannins fully soften away.  I paid $100 for it a few months ago.   It gets 93 points from me and therefore 4 stars.  Drink this Pinot Noir till 2030?  I’m pairing it with Filet for Mother’s Day dinner.  Salut….

Stephane Brocard Clos Vougeot grand cru

Chateau Guiraud 2004, Sauternes, France

21 Monday Apr 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,


Medium gold colored with high viscosity (13.5% ABV). Medium (+) intensity aromas of honey, apricot, orange marmalade, white flowers, and green almond. The palate is sweet, with medium (+) acidity, and a full body. Medium (+) intensity flavors of spun honey, apricot, orange marmalade, white tea, spicy chai, white blossom, and preserved lemons.  The finish is medium (+) in length,  unctuous, and delicious.  It is evolving nicely and will continue to do so for a few more years. It begs for blue cheese, or a cherry tart.   It’s not as intense as the 2003, scoring a point less as a result.  93 points for this $26 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

chateau girded sauternes

Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir 2021, Martinborough, New Zealand

16 Sunday Mar 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Medium ruby colored, slightly hazy (Unfined/unfiltered?), with a medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of ripe cranberry, red cherry compote, vanilla bean, baking spice, rhubarb pie, and lingonberry preserves.  It’s quite dense and ripe.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium body and medium tannins.  The red fruit flavors are quite pronounced, the vanilla and accompanying oak influence is very subtle and well integrated.  The tannins melt away beautifully and give this wine a lovely mouthfeel.  The finish has a touch of charred oak alongside some ever so slight tart and bitter notes.  It’s a really nice rendition of Kiwi Pinot- extracted a bit more than Burgundy, not as jammy as a Cali and showing off its own unique terror.   Nicely done- 93 points worth for this $100 offering which makes it a 4 star effort in my books.  I’m pairing it with roast duck breast, sugar snap peas and some boiled potatoes.  Drink till 2036.  Salut….

Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir

Gramercy Cellars ‘Lower East’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Columbia Valley, Washington

16 Sunday Feb 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Deep ruby colored with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black cherry, black plum, blackberry, vanilla, baking spice, acacia, and a slight green note (tomato stem?).  The palate is dry with medium  acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are silky.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruits, some oak integration by way of a lovely medicinal note coupled with vanilla and baking spice.  There’s a really nice finish that is medium (+) in length but super smooth, the tannins are polished and balanced nicely with the acidity.  The ripeness of the fruit is evident without being jammy- a really enjoyable bottle that gets 93 points from me and for $35- it’s a 5 star wine to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Gramercy Cellars 'Lower East' Cabernet Sauvignon