21 Tuesday Feb 2023
Posted in Wine reviews
This Mencia was a medium magenta/ruby color in the glass. An earthy nose of crushed gravel and licorice with blackberry and lilac aromas. The palate had medium (+) acidity, medium (-) tannins and a hefty body. Blackberry, gravel, licorice all featured and the finish was medium in length. Pairings for this wine would include lamb chops, beef stew or even roast duck. Drink this 90 point wine till 2026. I paid $20 but it can found for a few bucks cheaper, not bad and worthy of 5 stars. Salut….
21 Tuesday Feb 2023
Posted in Wine reviews
Intense and brooding, this Alicante Bouschet (a teinturier grape) was spectacular. Licorice hit me on the nose from a mile away, closer in I got aromas of smoke, vanilla, ripe blackberry, blueberry, leather, earth and baking spices. The palate had gentle acidity, robust tannins and a full body. The fruit flavors were very ripe and almost jammy- blackberry and blackcurrant with dark chocolate, licorice and baking spice. A long finish made me give this wine 93 points- not far off from the pros. For $15 you better believe I am stocking up on this 5 star stunner. Drink till 2027. Salut….
21 Tuesday Feb 2023
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When I think of Rioja I imagine dusty, leathery Tempranillo. This bottle was different- Grenache based it was lighter colored in the glass and had aromas of blackcurrant, cherry and pepper with earthy notes. Medium acid, body and tannins led into a slightly jammy palate of blackcurrant, dark raspberry, black cherry. A medium finish to this semi-complex wine makes it a 91 pointer that gets 5 stars ’cause it only runs $15. I would pair it with Filet Mignon or perhaps Veal on the charcoal. Drink till 2026. Salut….
21 Tuesday Feb 2023
Posted in Wine reviews
I’ve been rather busy lately, studying for exams, attending blind tastings and conducting classes- so when the opportunity came up to drink a few bottles with friends I did just that. We started out with this Catarratto from Sicily, which we tasted chilled and then at room temperature. Pale gold colored it had awesome aromas of apricot, peach, yellow apple and citrus. Crisp acidity and a medium (-) body made for a refreshing mouthfeel that was laced with grapefruit, lemon pith, melon, honeysuckle and stone fruit. A decent finish made me award it 91 points.
The room temperature version had less citrus on the nose and more stone fruit. We still got the apple, honeysuckle and some waxy notes. The palate felt a bit heavier with less acidity and it was less complex overall. 90 points from me on this one. It’s interesting how a wine morphs with temperature. For $15 this many be on my short-list for summer patio pounders. It is delicious, refreshing and will pair well with many lighter dishes. I would drink it on purchase. 5 stars. Salut….
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27 Sunday Nov 2022
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$72, 5 stars, 94 points, bekaa valley, cabernet sauvignon, carignan, Cinsault, lebanon, VWTC
When I select wines for our Virtual Wine Tasting Company I save one for the last bottle in the series. We have drunk various vintages of Chateau Musar but this closer was the most controversial of them all and also my wine of the night/series/case etc. I loved it. Others hated it.
Pale to medium garnet it is textbook Musar in appearance with that gorgeous orange tint in the glass. Also textbook- sweaty horse aromas with stewed cherry, strawberry compote, tobacco, leather and Brett. Right up my alley. The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity, medium (-) tannins and pronounced flavors of baked cherry, pomegranate syrup, tobacco, leather, earth and a touch of that funk. Extremely well balanced, this medium bodied wine showed off a long finish- very impressive for a bottle with 22 years of age. A spectacular wine that I awarded 94 points to and will look for again. An equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan runs $72 a bottle it gets 5 stars from me. Pairing-wise it is difficult to imaging drinking this wine with any food. It has such unique, amazing flavors that need to be savored in isolation. Salut….
27 Sunday Nov 2022
Posted in Wine reviews
Our 29th Virtual Wine tasting concentrated on Cabernet Sauvignon and blends thereof so it made sense to include a Bordeaux wine. I selected this well aged bottle which is the ‘second wine’ of the famed Second Growth- Chateau Cos d’Estournel. It runs $80 and gets high scores from the pros (92-94).
Deep garnet colored, this wine is showing off its 12 years of age. Aromas of soy sauce, leather, cedar, cassis, stewed blackberry, forest floor and umami were noted. On the palate it was dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are well integrated. Medium bodied, this wine had flavors of black pepper, strong black tea, loam, funk and leather with some dried blackberry notes. Someone mentioned a Bourbon-like taste and there was some concern over the bitterness. It is a touch disjointed which lowers the rating imo. The medium to long finish shows off the pedigree of this chateau. I enjoyed drinking this 90 point wine but for $80 I can find far more enjoyable wines to drink. 3 stars for the QPR. I would pair this with a simple Filet steak and gratin potatoes with a side of green beans. Drink till 2026. Salut….
27 Sunday Nov 2022
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$28, 5 stars, 91 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, napa valley, VWTC
The second wine at Virtual Tasting #29 was this Napa Cabernet. It has a deep ruby color and smells ‘yummy’ according to the group! Menthol was the first thing I noticed on the nose followed by dark chocolate, tobacco, green pepper, black cherry, blackcurrant and Kirsch. Medicinal notes along with a dusty component were commented on. Dry with medium acidity and medium intensity tannins that were very well melded made for a really nice mouthfeel. Medium to full bodied this Cabernet had flavors of black pepper, green pepper, tart cherry, tobacco, cranberry, pencil shavings and graphite. The group really felt it was red-fruit dominant and had started developing tertiary flavors. The finish was short-medium in length. This $28 wine gets 91 points from me making it a 5 star effort to drink till 2028. I would pair it with braised beef cheeks or a plate full of Osso Bucco. Salut….
27 Sunday Nov 2022
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$45, 4 stars, 91 points, bordeaux, france, pessac leognan, Sauvignon blanc, semillon, VWTC
Last night we drank four wines at the 29th Virtual Wine tasting. Opening up with both a chilled and room temp serving of this Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon the group found the wine to be a pale lemon color with the textbook aromas of cut grass, citrus and dare I say- cat pee. Other aromas and flavors included peaches, algae (?), pineapple, grapefruit and lemon curd. The wine was dry with high acidity and a medium (-) body leading to a short finish. I think this $45 bottle is worthy of 91 points, slightly shy of the pros who went as high as 94. It’s delicious now and will keep for a few more years but why wait on this 4 star effort. Seafood or poached chicken would pair nicely. Salut….
17 Sunday Jul 2022
Posted in Wine reviews
Closing out the 28th virtual tasting session was this stunning Syrah from the Northern Rhone. Opaque- deep purple in color it revealed a rich nose of game, licorice, iodine, anise, blood/iron, boysenberry, very dark fruit compote with a medicinal note as well as an image of really black blackberries. The palate was smooth. Dry with low acidity and fine-grained medium (+) tannins that led to flavors of meat, cinnamon, caramel, blackberry coulis, iodine, charred oak and iron. This full bodied wine finished with a medium length burst of delicious, complex flavors. It tied at 19 points on our scale as my WOTN and garners 94 points. For $60 this stunner is a 5 star treat wine to be drunk till 2039. I would pair it with grilled Hangar steak slathered in a Roquefort sauce. Salut….
17 Sunday Jul 2022
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$50, 3 stars, 91 points, Chateauneuf-du-pape, france, grenache, Mourvèdre, southern rhone, syrah, VWTC
I love a CDP, as does our virtual tasting group but this one was not a crowd pleaser. Medium ruby colored it had pronounced aromas of game (road kill), tomato, sawdust, violets, herbs de Provence and baked/stewed blueberry. The palate was dry with well integrated medium (+) tannins, low acidity and a medium body. Flavors of game, stewed blueberry, charcoal, smoke, and a waxy component were noted. The finish was decently long for this 91 point wine. I scored it 15 points on our grading scale and for $50 it only gets 3 stars from me. The pro’s went as high as 96 points for this old vine Grenache blended with Syrah and Mourvedre. I would drink this angular wine with stews or perhaps a venison roast. Cellar wise- it should go till 2030. Salut…..
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