Tag Archives: california

The Cleaver Red Blend 2017, Amador County, California

30 Saturday May 2020

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This is the 5th wine in the SplashWines lineup.  A blend from Amador County, which has been showing some real quality of late.  This one is a nice purple hue in the glass and is semi-opaque.  On the nose I get pepper, plum, mocha and blackberries.  The initial palate is interesting, a touch sweet from cassis and spice.  It has some zest to it, I like that.  The mid palate has some tar, more dark fruits and a charcoal note.  Very lithe tannins appear and there is a nice acidity to the wine.  The tar and spice components carry through to the finish, but there is an astringency that hits me, some greenness.  It’s not all bad, as the sweet cassis nullifies it.  The finish is quite tart, with good length.  Overall this is a decent bottle that gets 89 points from me.  Drink with summer BBQ, perhaps pizza and definitely a red pasta.  For $15 it’s a 3 star Zinfandel blend that includes some Petite Sirah and Syrah.  Drink now.  Salut….

Baywood Cellars Classic Red NV, California

26 Tuesday May 2020

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Number 2 from SplashWines is this non-vintage blend that rings the bells at 13.5%.  Semi opaque with a reddish tint in the glass.  The nose is intriguing- strawberries, by the bucketful.  Red currants and sweet pomegranate to boot.  Oh…. and Apricots.  Yup- Apricots.  The palate is very unique, a touch sweet but very red fruit forward.  It’s a very interesting flavor profile. The mid palate is very easy going, red Twizzlers and a touch of cherry cola.  The acidity is very gentle which makes up for the lack of much tannin.  The finish is more cherry and rhubarb with that crispy acidity adding zest.  It’s decent in length and tasty.  I must say I was a bit biased when I unscrewed this bottle, but I reckon it’s very easy going, fun to drink and will appeal to the novice as well as anyone coming over for a barbecue.  This is a $13 party wine and it gets 86 points from me. 3 stars. Drink now.  Salut….

Cameron Hughes Lot 713 Merlot 2017, Carneros, California

23 Saturday May 2020

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This Merlot has a really deep purple hue in the glass with very nice thin legs.  The nose is plummy with anise and blueberry notes.  On the initial palate I get inky dark berries, some iodine, black tea and really nice gentle tannins.  The mid palate is a bit more gripping with the fine grained tannins, they start to cling to the gums.  Black cherry and more plum are hitting me up with some slight oak notes.  The finish is a touch dusty with some spice box and leather.  Plums are my main theme with this wine and the tannic structure is really good.  Juicy, dry and built for the medium haul.  I like this wine- it’s easy going yet has some depth and structure to it.  Drink till 2027.  91 points from me and at $18 a pop- 5 stars.  Cellar some for later.  Salut….

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….