26 Sunday Jul 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium salmon colored, with low viscosity (13% ABV). The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of strawberry, lemon zest, orange blossom, lanolin, and hint of white cherry. The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity and a medium (-) body. Medium intensity flavors lead to a somewhat short finish. I was hoping for a bit more out of this $22 offering, akin to the 2022 vintage I recently tasted. This one gets 87 points and 2 stars from me. Drink soon. Salut….
04 Saturday Jul 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
The last wine in the virtual wine tasting series was this stunner. I picked three different level Rhône wines and our tasting culminated in this legendary Hermitage. Deep ruby colored with high viscosity (15.5% ABV). Intense aromas of ripe blackberry pie, smoked brisket, black grape jam (jammy jam as one taster joked), leather, tobacco, etc. The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins. Intense flavors and a long finish is all I could write as I sat there and contemplated life, wine, happiness, perfection and richness of flavor and balance. This is an immense wine, with a structure built to last decades, even the cork was extra long. An amazing wine that showcases the best of Rhône Syrah. I gave it a perfect score on our tasting sheet and reckon it’s in the top 3 wines our group has ever drunk- over 175 bottles and counting. From a technical point of view, this $153 effort gets 95 points at the minimum, maybe higher, earning it a 5 star rating. I realize it is expensive, but this is such a treat that’s drinking beautifully yet will evolve over time to be even better. I wish I had a long term cellar so I could stuff a few away. Salut….
04 Saturday Jul 2026
Posted in Wine reviews
Continuing with the Rhône theme at our 44th virtual wine tasting- this Chateauneuf-du-Pape was a hit. Medium (+) intensity garnet colored with medium (+) viscosity (15% ABV). The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of chocolate covered cherries, cherry coke, funk, creme brûlée, black cherry compote, black raspberry, tobacco, hay, barnyard, bacon fat and a slightly vegetal note. The palate was dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins. We really enjoyed the medium intensity flavors and the medium length finish of this $85 blend of mainly grenache. It will cellar nicely for a decade or two and scored 92 points technically with 18 points on our tasting sheet garnering 5 stars. Salut….
28 Friday Nov 2025
Posted in Wine reviews
Deep ruby colored that is slightly cloudy, with high viscosity (15% ABV). Medium intensity aromas of black and red raspberry, licorice, green herbs. The palate has medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins. Medium (+) intensity flavors of charcoal, ripe raspberry, licorice, lavender, stone and iron. The long finish makes this a delicious wine which is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, hence the deep color. 91 points from me for this $30 effort makes it a 5 star wine to drink till 2030. Salut….
06 Sunday Apr 2025
Posted in Wine reviews
Deep purple colored with copper highlights, slight staining, and a high viscosity (15% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of red and black raspberry, black cherry, violets, game, blackberry, black licorice, and saline. The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are youthful and frontal. The intensity of the palate is slightly less than the nose but echoes the varied red and black fruit, spice nuance and gamy note. It’s a touch astringent, the tannins feel a bit green and persistent. The alcohol is noticeable, not only on the nose, but on the mid palate and finish. It eventually blows off. The finish is medium (+) in length and concentrates on the black raspberry and game notes. I picked this wine to pair with rack of lamb, I think it will work out nicely, the tannins should resolve with the fat of the dish. 89 points from me for this Southern Rhone blend of Grenache (70%), Syrah (20%), and Mourvèdre (10%). At $17, it gets 3 stars from me. Drink till 2030. Salut….
14 Friday Mar 2025
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium ruby colored, with medium viscosity (14.5% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, rhubarb, cranberry, acai berry, violet, orange peel, dusty oak (reminiscent of sawdust), licorice, and some spice box. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins. Medium (+) intensity flavors with a touch of bitterness lead to a red-fruit dominated finish that is medium in length with some obvious heat coming through. It’s quite nicely balanced except for the alcohol hit at the end. A blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre- typical for the region. 89 points from me and for $35, it gets 3 stars. It will cellar nicely till 2028 and pair with lighter game, filet mignon or a hearty stew. Salut….
09 Tuesday Jul 2024
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium strawberry in color with high viscosity (14% ABV). Medium intensity aromas of strawberry, tangerine, cranberry, pomegranate and orange blossom. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium body and hint of tannic grip due to the slightly longer skin contact this region is known for (hence the darker color). Strawberry, cranberry, pomegranate and a touch of orange/tangerine are the flavors I get that lead to a medium (-) length finish. Rosé is a summer wine but the structure of the Tavel wines makes them more versatile with seasons and food. Our pairing tonight is Tacos, should work nicely. 89 points from me for this $25 bottle makes it a 3 star effort to drink till 2027. Salut….
21 Wednesday Feb 2024
Posted in Wine reviews
Deep purple colored with slight staining and high viscosity (15% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of black raspberry, black olives, licorice, blackberry ganache, black cherry, granite and petrichor. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, full body and medium tannins. The flavors are quite pronounced- black raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, licorice, charred cedar, olives and that mineral granite note. The finish is long and silky with the tannins slinking away to reveal loads of dark raspberry and cherry notes. The slight oak nuance is nice, as is the earthy minerality. I like this $26 wine- 93 points worth, making it a 5 star effort. I would pair it with hearty stews, game meat or meatloaf. It’s drinking beautifully now and will do so for quite a few years. Mostly Grenache, there’s other Rhone varietals from different vintages thrown in for good measure. Look out for this wine. It’s yummy. Salut….
12 Monday Feb 2024
Posted in Wine reviews
My college buddy gave me this at Christmas, I was waiting to open it with him to enjoy. Not exactly the right scene, but it made the pre-Superbowl party more enjoyable!
Medium garnet with slight staining and high viscosity (15.2% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of blackberry, black plums, cracked pepper, violets, purple licorice, blueberry ganache, chocolate powder, baking spices, vanilla bean, coconut and eucalyptus (?). The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium tannins and a full body. The first thing that comes to my mind is the silky yet slightly chalky texture to the tannins. It’s beautiful. Medium (+) intensity flavors of blackberry, black plums, purple licorice, ripe/rich blueberry paste, vanilla bean, baking spices and cocoa powder- itfinishes long and sensual. Very smooth and delicious. 93 points. Drink now until 2030. Simply amazing. At $50- it’s a treat for sure that gets 5 stars. Salut…..
12 Thursday Oct 2023
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium ruby with high viscosity (14.5% ABV). The nose of this Grenache/Syrah blend has intense aromas of raspberry, both black and red, violets, hints of vanilla, walnuts, red plum and a touch of game. The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that caress. A full body with flavors of raspberries, vanilla and spice from oak, violets and that telltale game note from the varietal. It’s more Syrah driven imho but the blend is 75/25 the other way. The finish is lengthy and delicious. It’s a lovely drop that gets 91 points from me and at $18- 5 stars. I am grilling Hangar steak to pair alongside Miso glazed King Oyster mushrooms. Drink till 2030. Salut….
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