Tag Archives: california

Cameron Hughes Lot 691 Barbera 2016, Amador County, California

21 Thursday May 2020

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Red wine with fish is a tough one but since I am grilling it, I feel there might be something to work with.  This Barbera is from California and has a nice shade of purple in the glass.  The nose is very cherry like, with some blue fruits lingering as well.  I also get a leafy component, like parsley.  Intriguing.  On the palate it is somewhat sweet with ripe cherry, cola and cedar.  It is juicy but not overly acidic, nor is it very tannic.  The mid palate has a nice warm feeling to the red fruit compote.  There is a definitive cedar note that runs the length of the wine.  It is very fruity and certainly tasty.  The finish is medium length and concentrates on those sweet cherries alongside some blackberry jam.  Lip smacking stuff.  Easy to drink and very approachable for the next 5 years.  I hope the pairing works for me!  89 points and 5 stars for this $13 steal.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 690 Petite Sirah 2017, Amador County, California

20 Wednesday May 2020

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It’s got a beautiful shade of purple in the glass and I can almost see through.  The nose is lush and rich with blackberry jam, fig paste, blueberries.  On the palate it is very dark fruit heavy.  Black berries, currants and chocolate. There’s a gripping set of tannins that get to work on my gums immediately.  This is to be expected with this varietal, also known as Durif.  On the mid palate there is more plum than blackberry, but it’s still black fruit dominant.  There’s a juiciness to this wine that begs for hearty steaks.  The finish reverts back to blackberry jam and some charcoal.  It is shockingly dry and delicious.  I am really enjoying this wine and it will pair beautifully with the grilled Skirt and Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus I am cooking.  If you like a dry wine, or want to cellar something long term, this is it.  92 points, and 5 stars for this $13 steal  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

David Arthur Estate Meritaggio 2015, Napa Valley, USA

20 Wednesday May 2020

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This wine was over-hyped by a retailer that I use so I had to jump in on a case.  Glad I did…

Bright purple- semi opaque.  The nose is sublime…. purple plums, blackberry, a hint of oak.  On the palate it’s very fruity and a touch tannic.  Full on with blackberry reduction, plums and tobacco.  The tannic bite is very gentle and balanced.  The mid palate is a touch more dry, but very manageable.  Oolong tea and spices mingle with the plums and blackberry, delicious.  The finish is fab.  This wine screams Napa sunshine, it lacks the telltale eucalyptus but shines in the plums and black berries.  The tannic structure is impressive- starting out gentle, ending up in a crescendo of tea and charred oak notes.  92 points and 4 stars- $60. Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Paso Robles, USA

20 Wednesday May 2020

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Our wine of the night at the second Virtual wine tasting.  You can’t go wrong with a Cali Cab.  The wine just oozes sunshine, rich fruit, nice oak and balance.  The nose on this wine was all black cherry.  Tons of it.  The initial palate included those dark beauties alongside some plum, blueberry and coconut.  Licorice featured on the mid palate where the tannins really started to grip.  Mouthfeel was very full, rich and nicely balanced with acid, black tea and a touch of plum jam sweetness.  The finish was really nice, long and a touch dry.  This wine was drinking beautifully and was an easy ringer at the end of the night.  92 points from me, drink till 2028.  For $27 it should feature in your cellar, 5 stars.  Salut….

Schug Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2018, California, USA

20 Wednesday May 2020

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This was the first wine of my Second Lockdown Virtual Tasting.  It was the only white in the lineup, so it had to be a Chardonnay from California.  I instructed everyone to chill half the bottle and reserve the other half at room temperature.  We were going to do an experiment.

The wine is a nice golden color in the glass.  The nose of the chilled wine had pear, apple and citrus notes.  On the palate it followed the theme with some nice acidity.  The finish was decent in length and showed off that Apple/pear combo nicely.  I had researched whether this wine had undergone Malolactic fermentation but could not find proof from any literature, except to assume it had as the winery mentioned one other Chard in their portfolio that specifically did not go through Malo.  The wine was quite sharp and lacked the telltale butter notes of the secondary fermentation, I’m baffled.

Anyways- we then tried the same wine at room temp.  Huge differences with flavors and mouthfeel.  The experiment worked, the point being that most pros taste whites at room temperature and we needed to see the differences.  Besides the fuller body it included less citrus, more pear and apple, alongside a touch of baking spices.  The wine drank beautifully for me and I gave it 91 points.  I would pair it with summer salad, prawn cocktail or blackened Salmon and drink till 2026.  $20 gets it 5 stars.  Salut….

J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Diamond Mountain District, USA

14 Thursday May 2020

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The nose is all-singing and dancing Napa Cab.  You can smell the sunshine.  Wow….. Ripe, lush blackberries.  Vanilla, coconut and several other oaky traits are evident without being obnoxious.  On the palate there’s a ton of vanilla alongside black fruits, jammy currants and a dose of the wood.  The mid palate is very smooth, full bodied.  Juicy and jammy with gobs of black fruit, lithe tannins and some deft oak.  The finish is very smooth, loaded with those wood nuances and providing me with a beautiful mouthfeel.  93 points.  For $100 it’s quite pricy, but then again Napa Cabs are not cheap.  5 stars.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 725 Zinfandel 2018, Russian River Valley, California

11 Monday May 2020

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I was looking for a spicy wine for tonights dinner- Chicken and Rice, Middle Eastern style.  This Zin was up next on the tasting rack.  In the glass it is a semi opaque purple with globby legs.  The nose presents rich purple fruit.  Plums, licorice, black cherry and a noticeable dose of sassafras.  The palate is what I had hoped for.  Luscious ripe fruit- blackberries, plums, that sassafras note and some nice, charred oak.  The wine has a nice acidity, not piercing but just enough to liven things up.  Tannins become evident on the back end and the wine finishes with a nice dry note, akin to leather.  Blackcurrant jam and spice box round out the finish that lasts a good 30 seconds.  Tasty wine with some cellaring potential.  Drink till 2027.  90 points and 5 stars for this $17 effort.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 682 Pinot Grigio 2018, Russian River Valley, California

03 Sunday May 2020

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Very pale yellow in the glass.  The nose is very citrusy- lemon peel, tangerine and …green almond?.  The palate is somewhat sweeter than expected, with that citrus component meeting up with green apples and melon.  The mid palate is really interesting to me, tamarind comes to mind as I taste sweet and sour at the same time.  There is a juicy acidity that keeps this wine from becoming cloying.  The green apple takes over on the finish and it is a tart affair.  Refreshing to say the least.  This wine has played tricks on me, starting out as an overly sweet, flabby beast to this razor sharp finish that leaves me wanting more.  I couldn’t have picked a better pairing to the Pork belly burnt ends that I have been cooking all day.  90 points and 5 stars for this amazing deal- $13.  Drink now.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 633 Riesling 2017, Napa Valley, California

30 Thursday Apr 2020

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It’s a very pale shade of gold.  On the nose I get quince, green apple and cardamom seed.  The palate is quite a lot sweeter than I was expecting, but it has some nice acidity to bring me back down.  The flavors are more apples, a citrus note and that spice.  The mid palate softens up a little and the sweetness subsides.  It’s more of a yellow apple meets baking spices.  The finish is where this wine shines- long, slightly tart and filled with more fruit.  The mouthfeel on the finish is very round and lush.  This is a very tasty wine that will pair well with seafood and tapas.  Drink till 2023.  90 points and 5 stars for this $13 steal.  Buy it by the case!  Salut….

David Noyes Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2007, Sonoma County, USA

30 Thursday Apr 2020

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This wine is 13 years old and I just found it in my cellar. The cork did not look good and I feared for the worst.  In the glass it’s very dark, almost fully opaque but it shows nice legs.  The nose is mature- earthy, with mushrooms, forest floor, game and a hint of black cherry reduction.  On the palate this is stunning- fully developed with a boatload of tertiary flavors.  Umami, dried shiitake, garigue and stewed cherry.  This wine is at peak.  The midpalate is super smooth- rich fruitcake, secondary flavors and a lithe dose of acidity.  The tannins are fully melded and give me a great mouthfeel.  The finish is lovely if somewhat curt.  Rich fruit reduction, trace tannins and those delicious secondary players we hope for after extended cellaring.  20 plus seconds. I love this wine and am stoked it turned out so nicely.  Drink till 2022.  93 points.  I paid under $20 back into the day, I doubt you can find any of this 5 star wine these days.  Salut….