Tag Archives: california

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….

 

Delectus Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California

26 Sunday Nov 2023

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Deep purple colored with high viscosity (13.8% ABV).  The nose of this Cab has medium (+) intensity aromas of black plum, pencil lead, black currant, licorice and coffee.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are very ripe and silky.  A full body meets me with flavors of blackberry, cassis, black plum, licorice and a hint of coconut.  The coffee shows up later.  The finish is super smooth and medium in length, delicious.  This is a 91 point wine that gets 5 stars for its $25 price point.  I’m pairing it with Eye of Round roast.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Belle Glos ‘Balade’ Pinot Noir 2022, Arroyo Seco, California

23 Thursday Nov 2023

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It’s a tradition in our house to go out for Asian food the night before Thanksgiving.  Lord knows we will be busy the next day and who wants to cook big for two days in a row?  So, it was a Thai restaurant for us last night and when I saw this $30 bottle on sale for $46 – I had to give it a try.  I realize this winery’s style is to deeply extract and wrench every last drop of goodness from their Pinot grapes so I was ready for the onslaught.  Medium ruby colored with high viscosity (14.8% ABV).  Medium intensity aromas of black cherry, ripe pomegranate, dust, earthy cinnamon and sassafras.   The palate has medium acidity and medium tannins but a full body. Like I said- this is a thick wine.  The concept of Pinot Noir being a light and seductive wine is not apparent in this full-throttle offering.  Layers of ripe red fruit interspersed with loads of oak influence by way of cinnamon and clove that leads to a medium finish. It’s a 90 point wine in my books which makes it a 4 star effort to drink till 2030.  Marketing-wise, the big dip into molten wax is a nice effect but it makes opening the cork a challenge (good for making sure it stays sealed though).  If you like ’em big, this is one for the cellar.  Ideally this wine would pair well with Filet or Venison but it went a treat with the crispy Duck dishes I enjoyed.  Salut….

Precision Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Napa Valley, California

21 Tuesday Nov 2023

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Deep purple colored with staining on the walls and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).   The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of candied cherry, ripe black raspberry, baking spices, vanilla, dill, açaí berry, blackberry and coconut shavings.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are lush and silky.  Coupled with a full body, this wine has a luxurious mouthfeel.  The fruit turns to black but the oak influence is present with baking spice, vanilla, coconut and dill all present for me.  The candied cherry I got on the nose (which I hate) has departed, replaced with black luxardo-like cherries and blackberry compote.  It’s a delicious wine with a long finish, better on the palate than the nose for sure.  I like it and think it’s worthy of 91 points.  It sells for $25, but my local Costco had it for $10 off making it a screamingly good deal.  Napa Cabernet of this level for $15!  It could go nicely with Filet of beef or a batch of Moussaka.  5 stars.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Cooper’s Hawk Winery Lux Cabernet Sauvignon NV, California

30 Monday Oct 2023

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Medium ruby colored with high viscosity (13.9% ABV) and very slight staining.  The nose gives me aromas of dark red fruit- raspberry, black cherry, red plum, star anise, evergreen, toasty oak and baking spices.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins.  A relatively full body is rich with ripe dark red fruits long with blackberry and a definitive charcoal note.  I also get some baking spice and a herbal green note.  The finish is short to medium in length.  This is a nicely balanced wine that has acidity and tannins tipping each other whilst the fruit takes center stage.  It gets 90 points from me and for $36- 4 stars.  Since this is an NV wine I would drink within 5 years of purchase.  Salut….

Raymond Vineyard Reserve Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Napa Valley, California,

29 Sunday Oct 2023

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Medium to deep ruby with high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black cherry, blackberry, charred oak, sweet cassis, chocolate powder, baking spices and a hint of vanilla bean.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are silky.  The full body of this wine is layered with ripe black fruit, chocolate, vanilla, some coffee and baking spices.  The blackberry and cassis notes carry the finish to a long length and allow the gentle acidity and delightful tannins to caress my palate.  It’s a really delicious wine with a very nice mouthfeel.  92 points from me for this $37 effort makes it a 5 star wine to drink with hearty meat dishes till 2030.  Salut….

Camillle Benitah Volute 2020, Napa Valley, California

19 Thursday Oct 2023

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Deep ruby colored with staining on the walls and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose of this Bordeaux blend has medium intensity aromas of black plum, blackberry, black currants, a hint of eucalyptus, baking spices, vanilla, cedar and mint.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are polished.  The intensity on the palate is greater than the nose.  I get lots more black fruit which which is ripe along with mint, vanilla and baking spice.  The tannins turn a bit chalky on the back end of this full bodied wine and the finish is medium in length.  I love this style of wine  and when done with ripe fruit it can be very delicious, but this bottle seems to lack a certain depth for me.  It’s good, but not great (I’m a big fan of the winemaker btw).   90 points from me and for $25- it gets 4 stars.  I’m pairing with marinated grilled steaks and Lemon roasted potatoes.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….