Tag Archives: california

Melville Estate Pinot Noir 2021, Sta Rita Hills, California

27 Saturday Jul 2024

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We tasted this $40 Pinot at our virtual wine tasting.  Stunningly delicious- it is pale garnet with high viscosity (14% ABV).  On the nose the tasters found it a touch jammy with barnyard, cherry, (pickles), leather, pomegranate, stewed strawberry and a touch of oak by way of vanilla and baking spice.  On the palate it has medium acidity, a medium (-) body and medium (-) tannins.  Plum jam, cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, stewed strawberry all lead up to a long finish.  I gave it 92 points and on our group scale- 16/20.  Drink this 5 star bottle till 2030.  Salut….

Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir 2015, North Coast, California

25 Thursday Jul 2024

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Medium garnet colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of bruised strawberry, ripe yet desiccated cherry, dusty earth, cinnamon, vanilla, crushed pomegranate and musty leather.  The palate is a hint off-dry with medium (+) acidity, medium (-) body and low tannins.  The fruit is somewhat tart which defies the bruised and desiccated state I noticed on the nose.  Red fruit driven with a touch of oak nuance and some tertiary development.  It’s very smooth with very little structure left yet it is seductive and alluring.  A delicious yet delicate wine that pleads for time alone without a food pairing.  It’s not expensive and this bottle was a bin end that had sat on a supermarket shelf for years yet still delivers for me and gets 90 points.  I would drink it soon if you have any.  List price is under $15 making this a 5 star wine.  Salut….

Groth Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Napa Valley, California

14 Sunday Jul 2024

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Pale lime colored with platinum highlights and a watery sheen (14% ABV). The nose has intense aromas of cut grass, passion fruit, guava, papaya, lemon, jalapeno, lemon verbena and white blossom. The palate is dry with high acidity and a medium body. Medium (+) intensity flavors echo the scents. A medium (+) length finish makes me reach for more. 91 points from me for this $34 bottle makes it a 4 star effort to drink till 2029.  Salut….

Muirwood Unoaked Chardonnay 2022, Arroyo Seco, California

02 Tuesday Jul 2024

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Pale lemon with some green highlights and a watery sheen (13.5% ABV). The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lemon, peach, pineapple, white grapefruit and orange blossom. The palate is dry with medium acidity and a medium body. Flavors of white pear, pineapple, white grapefruit, orange blossom with a hint of lemon/lime. The finish has a touch of bitterness- perhaps a little bit of phenolics. It’s medium (+) in length and sits nicely on the palate. There are times when I feel like enjoying an un-oaked Chardonnay that hasn’t gone through any MLF or Sur Lie treatment, like today. We are pairing it with Chicken Divan after a hot day in the sun. 89 points.  This bottle ran me $15 and therefore it gets 4 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Ballatore Cellars Gran Spumante NV, California

22 Saturday Jun 2024

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Pale to medium lemon/golden colored with big bubbles and low viscosity (8% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of yellow apple, melon, grapefruit pith, honeysuckle, apricot and peach. On the palate it is semi sweet with medium acidity, a nice mousse and light bodied. Flavors of pineapple, peach, melon, apple, grapefruit, and honeysuckle. The finish is delightful with some sweet notes and good vibrancy from the acidity and the mousse. It lasts short to medium and begs for another sip. The provenance of this particular bottle is actually quite poor yet it has survived years of abuse and neglect in somebody’s garage. I’m quite impressed and give it 86 points.  At $10 a go, this cheery sparkler gets 5 stars- we are pairing it with Vietnamese rolls tonight.  Salut….

Stokes’ Ghost Petite Sirah 2020, Monterey, California

16 Thursday May 2024

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Deep purple color with medium staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of blackberry jam, eucalyptus, smoke, vanilla, espresso and iodine.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity, medium to full body and high tannins that are a touch green.  Medium intensity flavors of blackberry, blackcurrant, smoke, coffee and eucalyptus.  Medium (+) length finish with some lingering astringency.  89 points and for $30m 3 stars.  Drink till 2028 with grilled steaks and a blue cheese sauce.  Salut….

Opolo Vineyards Petite Sirah 2019, Paso Robles, California

09 Tuesday Apr 2024

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Deep purple colored with medium staining and a high viscosity (14.4% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of vanilla, black cherry, spices, black plum, ripe mulberry, black licorice, toasty oak and hint of alcohol.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body and medium (+) tannins that are silky.  Powerful, mouth coating black fruit- mulberry, black plum, black cherry and blackberry kick things off followed by a hefty dose of vanilla, some spices and black licorice finishing long with some toasty oak notes.  This is a powerful and thick wine- perfect for my Lamb dish.  It is youthful yet shows structure for the long haul, it is heady yet graceful.  I love it.  93 points from me for this $25 bottle makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon NV, California

12 Friday Jan 2024

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I bought this 3 Liter box wine to use for a red wine gravy base- it was $16.   I have hopes/faith it will perform decently.

Bright purple and opaque but when I poured the first glass, it foamed up considerably.

After 5 minutes it subsided into a regular looking glass of wine with deep hues and medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this ‘California’ Cabernet Sauvignon has medium intensity aromas of candied cherry (not my fave), red twizzlers, cherry cola, black raspberry and black pepper.  The palate is off-dry (surprise, surprise) with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a medium body.  The flavors echo the nose on this wine that has a slightly tart finish which is short in length. I know it only runs the equivalent of $4 per regular sized bottle but I had hopes, which were dashed as soon as I smelled the candy.  It’s not good.  75 points at best, the rest gets made into gravy.  1 star and a major pass.  Salut….

Precision Wine Company Method Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, California

03 Sunday Dec 2023

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Medium ruby colored with heavy staining and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, mint, eucalyptus, coconut, cocoa and cedar.  On the palate I get medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are fine grained to go along with a full body.  The ripeness of the dark berries is coupled with oak influence, licorice, mint and eucalyptus along with some dusty mocha.  It’s a really rich and fulfilling mouth feel that makes me reach for the glass.  The finish is medium in length and shows off this wine’s great balance.  Delicious stuff that gets 93 points from me.  I’m smoking a leg of lamb to pair with this 85/15 Cab Sav/Petite Sirah blend.  Cellar-wise drink this $25 wine till 2030.  It gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Cheap Bastard Basement Red NV, Lodi, California

28 Tuesday Nov 2023

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A friend of mine brought this over as a Thanksgiving gag wine.  Turned out, he was right on the money….

Deep purple colored with medium viscosity (14% ABV). The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of candied red cherry, raspberry and pomegranate. Dry with medium (+) acidity and low tannins this wine has a medium (-) body.  The label says to expect spicy ripe dark fruit- instead I’m getting some tart notes of underripe red fruit and perhaps some manipulation in the cellar.  This wine has no finish and is a major pass at 75 points.  I ended up using it in a braise with Oxtails, it did okay in that role.  $6 still makes it a 1 star effort.  Salut….