04 Monday Mar 2019
Posted in Wine reviews
Bright purple, semi opaque. Bramble, earthiness and blackberry on the nose. On the palate I get more black fruits, delicious integrated oak, lithe tannins and good acidity. There is a juicy fruit preserve component on the midpalate that I’m really enjoying. Licorice hits me on the back end alongside chocolate powder, interesting. This wine is not overly built, it drinks well and has some cellaring potential . 90 points and 4 stars for this $14 value. Salut….
01 Friday Mar 2019
Posted in Wine reviews
Medium color and opacity. Nose of plum, earth and licorice. The initial palate is quite sour, acidic but refreshing with blueberry, plums and creosote. The mid palate is more sour cherry-like with that bracing acidity really taking over. The finish has more cherry than blue fruits and is where the tannins finally appear. Slightly unbalanced but tasty nonetheless. 88 points and 3 stars- $22. Drink now. Salut….
03 Saturday Nov 2018
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$17, 5 stars, 94 points, Cabernet, Ribera del duero, spain, tempranillo
Really bright, rich purple in the glass. The nose offers up sweet cherry concentrate, with blackberries and dare I say- banana? On the palate the wine is super smooth, polished and oozing blackberry coulis, sage and creosote. The mid palate shows off some delightful dryness from the juicy tannins. The overall mouthfeel is really nice, starting out very smooth, building on a dryness and finishing with a tannic yet acidic bite. Tasty. The dark fruits carry on throughout. You could pair this wine with many dishes or just drink it alone, but the back end grip really calls for Ribeye. Plain and simple. 94 is what it gets from me and the pros. This is a big wine folks. 5 stars only because I can’t give 6 for this amazing $17 bottle. Drink till 2028. Salut….
17 Friday Aug 2018
Posted in Wine reviews
I have a long history with Marques de Riscal. I enjoy the wines and appreciate them for what they are. This one is nearly black in the glass. The nose is huge- lots of black berries, blue fruits and a wallop of charcoaled oak. Violets and spice round it out. On the palate it shows off black fruits, sassafras, vanilla and an oaky component. Delicious but a touch of bitterness on the midpalate detracts. Violets and blueberry really take over on the finish alongside medium tannins. The bitterness is the only detractor that unbalances this otherwise delicious wine. 89 points and 4 stars for this $15 effort which is solidly produced and made from Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. Salut….
26 Tuesday Jun 2018
Posted in Wine reviews
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$40, 5 stars, 93 points, Ribera del duero, spain, tempranillo
As you may know, we are moving. Our last dinner gathering included two magnums that were still at the house. I did not want to move them, so the opportunity to enjoy was present. I did not take notes of the second bottle, the Perbrun- as I was hoping to do so the following day with what was left over. Unfortunately, it was not as good as I had hoped and the leftovers had a ton of sediment. It was originally $57 my price for the 2010 vintage. Glad we started with the Spaniard!
Nearly black in the glass. Nose is earthy, with tons of plums, black berry and violets. The initial palate is very upfront with black, tarry fruit, ripe tannins, earth and a floral component. The mid palate is quite dry, the tannins ruling the roost. Eventually it transitions to a Ribena like finish with loads of rich black fruit. Oak is present, but not overpowering. It adds a vanilla dimension to the finish and smooths it out some. This wine is still in youth, 17 years after vintage. It will last another 10 at least, mellowing out along the way. 93 points is what the pro’s gave this Tempranillo and I agree. For the $40 entry fee it is a solid 4 star wine, but I am going to up it to 5 as I think this wine will evolve some more as it mellows. I roasted two Beef Tri-tips for the pairing with an endive and frissee salad laced with Balsamic infused Shallots. It was a grand last evening of fun in my beloved home. Salut….
Delicious and young
Not quite as good
11 Monday Jun 2018
Posted in Wine reviews
I have only tasted two other Kirkland branded wines. They were both just okay. This is a shot at redemption. I have purchased this bottle and a Cabernet that I will get to next week. Here’s hoping for the best!
In the glass it is of medium opacity, with a lighter shade of purple. The nose offers up plums, star anise and vanilla bean. On the palate, I am surprised and happy. Smooth, balanced and very tasty. The plums give way to blue fruits, juicy acidity and tannins that are present but not impeding. The anise flavor really hits me on the mid palate. Earthy Tempranillo hints peek out every so often and the tar component that I like in Rioja finally emerges. Decent length finish of black cherry and oak. The wine has backbone and good balance. It offers immediate pleasure with some cellaring potential. Drink with hard cheeses, a lamb stew or even some kebabs and rice. 88 points and 5 stars for this relative bargain at $7, yup, $7. Salut….
30 Wednesday May 2018
Posted in Wine reviews
Very deep purple color. The nose is voluptuous with tons of plums, bramble, some tar and an earthiness. On the palate I get upfront dryness with lots of tannins leading up to the plum core, with blueberry and creosote adding to the mix. The tannins really dry up my gums and are going to go swimmingly well with the Lamb shanks that are braising. The mid palate is mostly blue fruits and more gum dryness. The finish has that earthiness that I love about Riojas. It’s a dusty, tarry, brambly thing that I really enjoy. Even though I am sure this wine has had lashings of Oak, it is not overly evident. What wood is present is very integrated. Reservas are only made in certain years, this one is pretty decent IMHO. 90 points and 5 stars for this relatively modest $15 Tempranillo. I would say buy a case and drink for the foreseeable future! Salut….
23 Wednesday May 2018
Posted in Wine reviews
Very dark purple. Nose is loaded with plum, violets, vanillin and some earthiness. On the palate- black fruits, a sour cherry component and leather. Classic Rioja with the earthiness. The wine has some really juicy acidity but the well integrated tannins are a little green for me. The label claims a 92 RP rating, I’m going with 90 points as I feel the acidity overpowers the tannins and the balance is a little off. I like the fruit profile though and encourage you to drink now. I paired it with grilled blackened Pork chops and sautéed Spinach. $20 and 3 stars. Salut….
13 Friday Apr 2018
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In my worldly travels I come across great finds, unique deals and then the ones you have to say hmmm.. This bottle was picked up at the local gas station in Tokyo, for about $5. I don’t have much faith except it won Best Spanish Producer of 2014 at the Intl Wine Challenge, Vienna. That was the selling point, plus I trust Tempranillo from Spain far more than other dodgy varietals that were on offer. Here we go.
I am drinking it out of a water glass, so keep that in mind. It appears a medium opacity, with nice purple tones. On the nose- pure Tempranillo with a touch of oak. Notes of Twizzlers and cherry cola come through. On the palate it is a basic, decent drop. Primary flavors roll out with some earthiness. The lack of much tannic structure can be overlooked since this is an easy wine to drink. Cherry and cola come to mind and the wine has a decent acidic component. On the mid palate it gets a little bitter for some reason. The finish is all red fruit driven and I get a certain dryness, not tannic though. Overall a decent drop for what I was looking for and where I was looking. 86 points and for the price I have to give it 3 stars. I bought some ham and cheese sandwiches to go along, they hit the spot. Salut….
26 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
I have a history with this wine. It was introduced to me by friends, one of whose father was Chairman of the Board way back in the day. I have drunk many vintages over the past 20 years and look forward to each bottle. Quality can be a little inconsistent over the years but generally speaking this is a very good staple for the cellar. This particular vintage is dark and brooding in the glass It offers up notes of lush blackberry with lashings of black cherry pie and vanilla. On the palate I get some raisin, blackberry, tar and almond. Very Tempranillo-like. The tannins are quite polished and unobtrusive. They join the party midpalate and carry through to the medium length finish. The flavors are mostly primal right now but I sense that development is forthcoming and this wine will evolve nicely. The predominance of that earthy tar component really excites me as this is my favorite Tempranillo trait. This wine will drink well till 2025 at the least and begs for roasted meats, a hearty game stew or some heavy duty cheese. I’m going 90 points, and for $16 this is a 4 star effort. Salut….
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