Tag Archives: california

Cosentino Winery Reserve Selection Pinot Noir 2011, Sonoma Coast, California

07 Tuesday Feb 2023

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Pale garnet colored with a watery sheen in the glass, to be expected from an 11 year old wine.  The nose is surprisingly youthful with red cherry, strawberry and red currants that eventually blow off to reveal tertiary aromas of dank forest floor, mushroom, caramel, chocolate and wet wood.  The palate is dry with low tannins- barely perceptible in fact and medium acidity.  Super sleek mouthfeel with a medium body and flavors of chocolate covered strawberry with baked red cherry pie followed by some earthy forest with wild mushrooms and dank wood.  It’s very peculiar and exciting.  The soft finish runs for a while and I get flat cherry cola with earth on the back end.  I wrote about this wine nearly five years ago, it’s interesting to read that post.  

I will have to agree with my original assessment- the wine was at peak a few years ago, but here’s the rub.  It has matured beyond my wildest dreams and has really plateaud as a mature wine and has withstood time to allow tertiary development without losing balance.  It is super smooth, delicious and has rewarded my cellaring.  I paid $15 per bottle back in the day.  I am sticking with 92 points and 5 stars.  Excellent effort.  Salut….

Hamel Family Wines Isthmus 2016, Sonoma Valley, California

05 Sunday Feb 2023

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Inky and opaque with super-slow moving legs and some staining on the walls (16% ABV!).  The nose has intense aromas of blackberry jam, cassis, sweet vanilla, baking spices, menthol, briar and a dusty earth component.  The palate is dry and tannic, full bodied and delicious.  Ripe black berries meet spice and oaky vanilla with mint and earth.  This is a very extracted wine that really hits on all cylinders and offers richness and structure with a touch of heat on the back end that reminds you to be careful with this high alcohol wine.  The finish is long and tasty with fruit fading to earth and briar.  Yummy stuff that will go great with our Sunday Roast Beef.  I would also pair with Lamb and grilled Ribeyes.  Cellar-wise, this is still a young wine that is drinking nicely now as the fine-grained tannins are starting to integrate nicely.  If you have a few bottles of this Cabernet blend then cellar till 2030.  The $80 price point makes it a treat wine that gets 93 points from me and 4 stars.  Salut….

Cooper’s Hawk Old Vine Zin NV, Lodi, California

16 Monday Jan 2023

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I must say- this wine is intriguing.  Normally Zinfandel is relatively deep hued and high in alcohol.  This one is pale to medium ruby colored with thin legs that took a while to form.  It sports a more modest 13.5% ABV.  The nose is spicy with pepper, menthol, clove, dark chocolate, black plum and black raspberry.  The palate is dry with sweet, ripe fruit.  Medium acidity coupled with medium (-) tannins make for a relatively easygoing mouthfeel.  Medium bodied- I get flavors of black raspberry, plum, white and black pepper, blackberry jam and a crescendo of acidity on the back end that is starting to make my jaw water.  I did not get that level of acid at the onset but it is certainly prominent on the finish, which is medium in length.  I like this non-vintage, old vine wine, it has a smoothness and drinkability that make it hard to put down.  The spicy nature of the grape is perfect for my pairing- Middle Eastern fare including Kafta ( a spiced ground Lamb kebab) and Harissa potatoes along with olives and other sundry items.  89 points for this $21 non-vintage bottle makes it a 4 star effort to drink now.  Salut….

Maxville Lake Winery ‘Maxville’ Cabernet Franc 2015, Napa Valley, California

12 Thursday Jan 2023

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Deep ruby with rim variation to garnet plus some slow moving legs (14.5% ABV).  The nose has varietally true aromas of green pepper, blackberry, black raspberry and some menthol perfume.  Very faint notes of oak alongside some coffee, crushed rock and vanilla.  It smells gorgeous.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and delightfully fine grained tannins that caress.  Full bodied, I get flavors of black raspberry, blackberry, menthol, oak nuance, coffee, chocolate.  The green pepper aromas don’t show up on the palate btw.  The finish is a touch smoky and medium (+) in length with the tannins completely melded and the acidity softening.  A very balanced and somewhat complex wine that really coats my mouth with delicious, ripe fruit.  I like it a lot and give it 93 points.  I’m searing some Sous Vide Strip steaks, this is going to pair beautifully.  For $50 its a treat-night wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Ondine Chattan Gewurztraminer 2021, Mendocino, California

07 Saturday Jan 2023

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Pale lemon colored this aromatic varietal has a pretty intense nose.  Aromas of pineapple, rose petals, white flowers, marshmallows and orange peel.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and a boatload of flavors.  I get exotic pineapple, orange pith, white flowers, rose water and that marshmallow note, which I have never encountered in wine.  There is a touch of bitterness that I think contributed to the orange pith note that sits on the roof of my mouth.  The acidity is very balanced with the level of fruit ripeness and this 13% ABV wine is medium to full bodied.  It’s certainly delicious and the finish carries for a decent length.  I love this varietal, hence the purchase.  This one would pair beautifully with some Thai food of medium spice or even Indian fare.  It’s rare to think of a wine harmoniously working with spicy foods but this one has the ripeness and acidity to go the distance.  I would drink this sooner rather than later and chill it slightly for maximum enjoyment.  89 points for this $14 effort making it a 4 star wine in my books.  Salut….

Cooper’s Hawk Winery Barbera NV, California

05 Thursday Jan 2023

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Pale ruby colored with some lightening on the edges and medium legs on the wall.  This Barbera is nicely aromatic with black raspberry, bilberry, perfume, mint and vanilla.  The palate is dry but I sense a tiny bit of residual sugar, but under the threshold of making it an off-dry wine.  Medium acidity and lithe tannins lead me to medium intensity flavors of black berries, mint, baking spice and vanilla.  There is a touch of bitterness (not from the tannins), on the mid-palate that sits on the roof of my mouth.  The body is medium (-) and the finish is medium in length.  I picked this $24 effort to go with Duck in Orange sauce, I think it will work well.  This is slightly atypical of the Italian Barberas I have tasted in that the tannins are very mild and the acidity is lower than expected, perhaps from a warmer climate than usual.  It gets 87 points from me and 3 stars.  Drink soon.  Salut….

St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, California

31 Saturday Dec 2022

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For an eight year old wine, there is still plenty of opaque purple color, albeit with some garnet showing on the rim of this Napa Cabernet which ws served from a Double Magnum, aka a Jeroboam of wine.  Slow moving legs and a bit of staining on the walls give me clues of what to expect.  The nose has ample primary fruit aromas of black plum, blackberry, cassis, menthol, eucalyptus, black raspberry and cherry cola.  Baked black fruit hints are starting to emerge as this wine starts its evolution.  It’s still youthful with lots of cellaring ahead.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are super smooth and fine grained.  Very rich black fruit flavors with some oak treatment caress my mouth, the spices and vanilla very faint.  It’s very balanced and smooth with a medium body and medium length finish.  I really like the fact that it is still rather primal yet the structure has really mellowed out and is a seamless play of acidity, balance and alcohol on a medium weight wine.  Delicious and worthy of 93 points from me.  A regular bottle will run you $45 making this a 5 star effort that has rewarded medium-term cellaring and will drink beautifully till 2028.  Salut….

Prophecy Pinot Noir 2018, California

19 Monday Dec 2022

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I have just returned from Lebanon and the UK, so Moxie decided to cook a meal for me and Beef Bourguignon it is!  She did not venture into the cellar for a bottle of Pinot, opting to remain clear and go directly to the wine shop where she picked up this $11 California offering.  It shows medium opacity and a somewhat dull ruby color with medium looking legs (13.8% ABV).  The nose is interesting for a New World Pinot- there’s quite a bit of earthiness to alongside the cherry, pomegranate and raspberry aromas.  I also get some baking spices and a touch of funky red licorice.  The palate is dry with very lithe tannins and low acidity.  It’s a fruit forward wine that bursts with cherry and strawberry, pomegranate and black raspberry.  The spices are present but very subdued.  Medium bodied with a short finish- quite tasty.  This is a not an age worthy wine, but it rocks as a pop-n-pour and doesn’t break the bank.  It gets 87 points from me and 4 stars.  Very smooth and appealing.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Buehler Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Napa Valley, California

27 Sunday Nov 2022

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The second wine at Virtual Tasting #29 was this Napa Cabernet.  It has a deep ruby color and smells ‘yummy’ according to the group!  Menthol was the first thing I noticed on the nose followed by dark chocolate, tobacco, green pepper, black cherry, blackcurrant and Kirsch.  Medicinal notes along with a dusty component were commented on.  Dry with medium acidity and medium intensity tannins that were very well melded made for a really nice mouthfeel.  Medium to full bodied this Cabernet had flavors of black pepper, green pepper, tart cherry, tobacco, cranberry, pencil shavings and graphite.  The group really felt it was red-fruit dominant and had started developing tertiary flavors.  The finish was short-medium in length.  This $28 wine gets 91 points from me making it a 5 star effort to drink till 2028.  I would pair it with braised beef cheeks or a plate full of Osso Bucco.  Salut….

Beringer Vineyards Distinction Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Napa Valley, California

15 Tuesday Nov 2022

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Inky purple in the glass it has slow moving, thick legs (15.1% ABV) and leaves a purple stain on the wall.  The nose has dusty earth, ripe blackcurrants, blackberry, menthol, cedar, pencil shavings and blueberry pie.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are very smooth yet powerful.  Pronounced flavors of blackberry, cassis, blueberry compote, baking spices, pencil shavings, mint and cedar along with that earthy dust make for a delicious wine that has a full body and a medium length finish.  This wine has ripe fruit, great structure and just the right amount of oak treatment.  It is really yummy stuff that gets 94 points from me and at $40- it’s a no brainer Napa Cabernet that will cellar nicely till 2030 at the least and pair beautifully with all types of grilled meats, stews and hearty pasta dishes.  5 stars. Salut….