19 Monday Oct 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
Gorgeous pale orange color. Nose of strawberries, lemon peel and some clementine. On the palate it is bright with those same flavors, a touch of acidity and a long finish. It’s got a great mouthfeel and just the right amount cut to keep it refreshing, light and flavorful. A delicious way to start the evening. Drink this blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault now with appetizers. 88 points and 4 stars, $12. Salut….
18 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
The fourth wine of the #10 Virtual tasting was a home run for me. This $60 Grenache was silky smooth, layered with flavors, complex and had an amazing mouthfeel.
It was semi opaque and had a lighter purple shade in the glass. The nose was very fruity with notes of Cedar, prunes, black cherry, smoky meat, pepper and cinnamon. One taster also threw in ‘bug spray’. On the palate it was very smooth and tasted ‘cold’- in a sense that this wine was very focused and had a concentration of flavors. It was Moxie’s favorite wine of the night and she’s not a huge fan of the reds. The tannins are what I think she liked- very fine grained and well integrated leading to a not-so-dry mouthfeel that was complex, balanced and chock full of red fruits and spice. Prunes showed up on the medium length finish. This wine was astounding to me, my first truly remarkable CDP in forever. I think the 5 years of cellaring was the key to softening this wine and allowing the tertiary notes to begin their emergence. I rated this wine 19 points on my tasting scale, a monster effort that translates into 95 points in the real world. The pro’s went 94, not far off. I know sixty bones is a big step in the wallet but well worth it for an exceptional wine that I award 5 stars to. Drink till 2030. No pairing needed, delicious all by itself. Salut….
08 Thursday Oct 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
This is one dark, opaque wine in the glass. On the nose I get some red currants, violets, crushed stone minerality and blueberry. The palate is delicious- ripe blueberry, licorice, rooibos tea and cranberry flavors are all intermingled with very fine grained tannins. The mid palate introduces a touch of acidity and the finish is where this wine really shines. It has a lovely mouthfeel, good balance and the fruit flavors go on for 30 seconds. Those lithe tannins slowly ramp up to give me a touch of dryness on the gums and teeth. Just what I needed for a Fall evening with some hearty foods to include Veal Shnitzel and mashed potatoes. I am really enjoying this wine and would suggest a drinking window until 2025. This Syrah/Grenache blend gets 91 points from me. At $11- six stars if I could. Salut….
14 Friday Aug 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
Darker shade of straw/pink. On the nose it’s very fruity with hints of cranberry, strawberry and pink grapefruit. On the palate it is bright, fresh and medium bodied with the light red fruit theme continuing. There is a trace of acidity to keep it fresh and it drinks very light and bouncy. A perfect summer sipper. I like the whole package for what it is. Drink till 2023 with appetizers, perhaps a charcuterie tray or light, white meats. 88 points and 5 stars for this $13 quaffer. Salut….
24 Sunday May 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
$12, 3 stars, 86 points, grenache, spain, splash wines, syrah, tempranillo
It looks very dark and brooding in the glass, the legs barely evident- 13.5% alcohol will do that. On the nose it is spicy with dark cherry, cola and a touch of oak. I also notice a spice box component. On the palate it is a bit abrupt- black cherry, green pepper, iodine and anise all greet me. There’s a frontal wave of tannins that also hit right off the bat, quite dry and relentless. The mid palate is more red cherry meets blackberry, with a nice acidic touch to refresh the palate. The tannins are certainly players here, enveloping my gums and making me pucker. The brooding nature of this wine is evident on the palate now as it finishes with crunchy black berries, that tannic grip and some toasty oak nuances. The finish is quite long. I was not sure what to expect from this wine, it was part of a SplashWine shipment. I did see it for sale at $12 online and it got 83 points from one reviewer. I would guess it’s got some Syrah, Grenache and maybe a touch of Tempranillo. Who knows…. For me it’s decent for everyday, gets 86 points and 3 stars. Drink till 2024 with some Jamon, a steak or pasta. Salut….
20 Wednesday May 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
The second wine of our tasting lineup showed bright purple in the glass with nice legs giving caution to the 14.5% alcohol. I listened to all the inputs from our group and concurred that this wine had loads of pepper, game, plum and garrigue. The longer the wine sat out, the smoother it got and the terroir really shone. Mass produced yet very good at 91 points from me. Drink this blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre till 2027 with stews, leg of lamb or a hearty pasta. 5 stars for this sub $15 ringer. Salut….
14 Thursday May 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
A touch murky in the glass with medium dark purple. Semi opaque. On the nose I get plum, bramble, white pepper. The initial palate is very pleasing, if not a touch sweet. Lush, ripe plums alongside blackberry and violets. The mid palate has a nice tangy acidic bite alongside very ingrained, lithe tannins. More purple fruit flavors and a spiciness comprise the profile I get on the back end with a nice, dry finish that is quite long. This is a very drinkable pop-n-pour wine that gets 89 points from me. I like it a lot for short term enjoyment. Drink till 2024. It’s a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. For $15 it gets 4 stars. Salut….
05 Thursday Dec 2019
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium opacity with good purple color and very fine-stranded legs. The nose is dark. Blackberry, hoisin, raisins and cinnamon. On the palate it’s slightly lighter- sweet black cherries, violets and creosote. Very lithe tannins sneak up on me and the mid palate becomes a mouth puckering event that allows waves of black cherry to mingle with rooibos tea and tar. The tannic grip is further highlighted on the finish. Evergreen, black tea and blackberries surrounded by that astringency take me to a medium length ending that has my mouth watering. Delicious, youthful and cellarworthy. This wine is versatile in its power and flavor profile. Really yummy and worthy of 92 points from me. One pro went as high as 94! Great stuff for $11, a steal really. Drink till 2026. 5 stars for sure for this 85% Grenache/15% Syrah blend. Salut….
02 Monday Sep 2019
Posted in Wine reviews
This rose’ is quite dark, almost orange in the glass. On the nose I get Lychee, rose water and strawberry. The palate is crisp, with red berries, strawberry and honey. There is a vibrant acidity which is in check that gives the wine a freshness. The honey component carries through the mid palate where I get more red berries. The finish is decent with a lingering tartness alongside that strawberry component. Overall a very charming and easy drinking summer rose’ that begs for burgers, some salami and olives or just by itself poolside. 88 points and 3 stars for this $12 Grenache from France. Drink till 2020. Salut….
22 Friday Feb 2019
Posted in Wine reviews
Very dark in the glass. The nose is plummy with sweet black currant syrup hints. The palate has black currants, espresso and nutmeg notes. Mouth drying tannins appear on the mid-palate where I get big doses of coffee and charcoal. The tannins really grip on the finish. The wine begs for aeration or a juicy ribeye. The acidity is there, somewhere. I just can’t sense it. Overall- quite tasty, young and in need of cellaring or aerating. Drink till 2026 with hearty fare. 88 points from me which is in stark contrast with the monster 92+ points the pros gave it. I think a re-taste is in order. For now this $20 effort gets 3 stars. Salut….
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