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….
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….
23 Sunday Aug 2020
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$26, 5 stars, 91 points, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, spain, syrah, tempranillo
This blend shows up as very dark purple in the glass. On the nose I get blackberry reduction, charred oak, black tea and blueberries. The palate is sublime- dark fruits intertwined with lush oak, bramble, black tea and fine grained tannins. The mid palate is very satisfying. Gobs of blackberry, lashings of wood, crunchy tannins and juicy acidity all come together. The wine finishes semi dry with good mouthfeel and a medium length serving of those delicious, ripe fruits. Figs also come into play right at the end with the last vestige of gum searing tannins. This is a young wine that can be enjoyed now if you like them very dry. I would drink till 2030 with all sorts of roasted meat, venison in particular. Yummy stuff. 91 points from me and at $26, it get 5 stars. Buy a few for the cellar, it will reward you. Tempranillo 75%, Cab Sav 12%, Shiraz 9%, Merlot 3% and Petit Verdot at 1%.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….
12 Sunday Jul 2020
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My friends and I ordered this Syrah to be tasted at our virtual event- 6 bottles in total sent to various places in the Northeast and Texas. When I opened mine, I was mortified, it smelled like a fish market. I let everyone open theirs and one by one the reaction was similar. I don’t know if we had a bad batch, but all were shipped independently to different addresses and have been sitting for 5 to 6 weeks. I hope this is not indicative of the wine, perhaps a bad barrel. Anyway, for now I would not order this wine. Shame as it was going to round out our 10th wine from CH, I was hoping to finish with a bang. 0 stars. No points allotted. Salut….
18 Thursday Jun 2020
Posted in Wine reviews
I love this winery, they make very Old World style Syrah in Australia that is very rich, extracted but not jammy. This one happens to be a younger version of the 2006 Syrah.
It’s very inky and opaque in the glass. The nose is brooding, and the 14.5% alcohol is evident. Black plums, dark fruit melange and spicy oak are all present. With a good deal more swirling I get violets, Boysenberry and a charred note. On the palate it is very juicy right off the bat. Figs, blackberry and espresso hit my palate alongside some slightly green tannins and a nice acidic cut. The mid palate is quite focused on that tartness alongside a blueberry meets plum note. Tannins take a step back while the acidity plays lead. The finish is long, mouthwatering and modestly dry. Black fruits dominate the back end with some Mocha, licorice and that burnt wood note. I think I preferred the 2006, but this is a very tasty wine that I feel is acid dominated and slightly off balance. Drink till 2026. For $100, it’s quite pricy which gets 92 points and 4 stars from me. Salut….
24 Sunday May 2020
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$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….
04 Tuesday Feb 2020
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$13, 4 stars, 89 points, california, mendocino, petite sirah, syrah
Rich purple. Opaque. The nose offers up blackberries, violets, spice box. On the palate it’s primal- black fruit, cedar shake, very nice, gentle tannins with a touch of acidity. The midpalate turns into a more fruity wine with a tannic thrust. The fruits tend toward blackberry, black cherry and a slathering of breakfast tea. The finish is driven by the Petite Sirah- dark, brooding and enveloped in mouth puckering tannins. 89 points and 4 stars for this $13 steal. Salut….
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