Tag Archives: VWTC

Klein Constantia ‘Anwilka’ 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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This blend, based on Syrah, was brooding in the glass.  Deep ruby, opaque AF and sporting a 14% ABV.  Our Virtual Wine Tasting group found it to be funky with pepper, smoked meat, blackcurrant jam, prune, black licorice, Sambucca and an earthy component.  On the palate we agreed that this was a very tannic wine- still too young with aerating/decanting a must.  Medium (-) acidity, medium (+) body and a medium length finish.  Flavors of Maraschino and Luxardo cherries were evident, as was Espresso, Lapsang Souchong tea, pepper and blackcurrants.  This was not a crowd favorite but I did mention to the group that it’s a very complex wine that needs more time to open up and allow the fruit to shine through the tannic veil.  I will re-taste over the next few days.  From me this is blockbuster gets 19/20 VWTC points and technically speaking- 92 pts.  At $60 one might me hesitant to pop-n-pour but some extra cellaring will make this wine shine.  5 stars with a drinking window of 2024-2030.  It needs a juicy Ribeye or Prime Rib with horseradish.  Salut….

Siduri Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2018, California

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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Our Virtual Wine Tasting group has drunk numerous Pinot Noirs over the past 2 years. This one hails from the southerly Santa Barbara county.  I wanted to introduce a different style of Pinot to show how climactic differences and terroir can affect a single varietal wine.  I was not disappointed with my choice.  This medium-ruby wine had very defined legs in the glass and packs a 14% ABV punch.  Aromas of black cherry, root beer, cola, Dr. Pepper, ripe raspberry, cinnamon, nutmeg and a saline note.  The palate had medium tannins, medium (-) acidity, a medium weight body and brooding flavors of cranberry, mulling spices, black cherry and a tart cherry finish.  14/20 from me and 91 points for this $20 wine makes it a 5 star effort to drink over the next 5 years.  Salut….

Bodega Garzon Reserva Albarino 2020, Maldonado, Uruguay

20 Sunday Mar 2022

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The 101st bottle tasted at our Virtual Wine tasting was this Albariño from Uruguay. As always- we tasted it at room temperature first and then chilled.  The wine is a pretty, pale gold color.   The room temp version had aromas and flavors of honeysuckle, peach, apricot, yellow pear, lemon zest and evidence of MLF and Sur Lie aging by way of yeast, bread and buttered popcorn.  We agreed that the wine had high acidity, medium (+) body and a medium finish.  I gave it 12/20 on the VWTC scale and 90 points.

The chilled version was a touch flabby- the flavors were muted but we did get buttered popcorn, green apple, tangerine, pear and honeysuckle.   Quite a marked difference in flavor profiles.  One thing that we noticed was a cotton candy flavor, albeit very faint.  Someone mentioned a touch of residual sugar was noticed but at 3.2 g/l, it is considered a Dry wine.  Chilled- this wine had a lower weight body and seemed less acidic.  It scored 8/20 and I gave it 87 points.

To be fair, this is a decent wine that deserves the 90 points I originally assigned and for $17, it gets 4 stars.  Drink now with seafood cocktails or a crisp salad.  Salut….

 

Tinto Pesquera Reserva Especial 2010, Ribera del Duero, Spain

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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Bottle #100 in the Virtual WIne Tasting group!  We concluded the 25th tasting with this Spanish Tempranillo.  The underlying lesson of the session was the use of oak.  Our first red was made using old oak, the second bottle seeing a mix of new and old whilst this bottle would hopefully show off lots of new oak being a Reserva.

In the glass this wine is deep ruby- opaque AF.  On the nose the lesson was quite obvious- Tar, smoky, coconut, chocolate, leather, charred oak barrel, dark berries, bramble, dust and a touch of heat from the alcohol (it blew away eventually).

On the palate this wine was a touch tart at the beginning with black cherry akin to Luxardos, dried black fruit compote, spice, clove, vanilla, cinnamon and a new one- ‘Nummy”.  High tannins, medium acidity, full body and a long finish made this my WOTN that scored 18 marks.  At $50 and 92 points it get 5 stars from me- delicious stuff that worked beautifully in my oak lesson.  This wine needs a juicy leg of lamb, grilled and served with au gratin and a side of asparagus.  At 12 years of age it is just now reaching maturity and will drink nicely till 2030.  Salut….

Carmelo Patti Gran Assemblage 2013, Mendoza, Argentina

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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The second red wine at the 25th Virtual tasting was from the same producer as the first bottle.  This one is a year younger and has been blended with Malbec, Merlot and Cab Franc.  A mix of new and used oak in the winemaking allowed us to compare flavors and aromas with a wine that relied mostly on used oak.

In the glass this blend is medium garnet, slightly less opaque than the Cab Sav we tasted previously.  Leather, tobacco, black currant, black cherry, blackberry and cassis aromas were quite evident on the nose.  The palate was dry, slightly tart with medium tannins, medium (-) acidity and light bodied.  Flavors of black currant, spice, leather, tobacco, blood/iron and orange marmalade but I did make a note that this wine was a touch ‘thin’.  Scoring it 91 points was a little off from the pros.  This $50 bottle gets 3 stars from me and only 14 marks on the tasting scale.  Drink now with lighter meat dishes.  Salut….

Carmelo Patti Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Mendoza, Argentina

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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The red wine portion of the 25th Virtual Wine Tasting was focussed on oak and it’s influence on wine.  I purchased this Cab Sav that the winemaker ages is used barrels as a baseline.  The single varietal coupled with old oak would give us a starting point to build from.  Here is what the group had to say:

Deep garnet with a touch of bricking on this 10 year old wine that was showing fine legs in the glass.  The nose had very obvious aromas of cherry Coke/Pepsi.  Black cherry, black raspberry, dark chocolate, leather, smoky, woodsy spice and bramble.  On the palate this wine was smooth with medium (-) acidity, medium body, very fine and well-integrated tannins with a decently long finish.  On the palate we got black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice, bramble, leather and what can only be described as ‘BandAid’ by one of the group.  I scored this wine 15 marks, and then later upped it to 17 once it had had a chance to breathe.  No further reports of that plastic component!  91 points for this very svelte $35 bottle gets it 4 stars in my book.  I would drink this wine all by itself- it’s at peak now.  Salut….

Anselmo Mendes Contacto Alvarinho 2020, Vinho Verde, Portugal

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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We kicked off the 25th Virtual Wine Tasting event with this Alvarinho.  The winemaker has allowed some skin contact during fermentation so I was hoping for a rounder, fuller bodied wine.  We tasted it at room temperature and then chilled.  Here is what the group thought of this wine.

Pale straw colored with citrus, pineapple, yellow apple and saline on the nose.  Someone caught a whiff of petrol and we decided that the smell of Vaseline was an appropriate moniker.  Medium acidity and light bodied this wine has medium intensity flavors of honey, tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, yellow apple and I sensed brioche.  I gave this version 11 marks on the VWTC score sheet.

The chilled version was crisper and had more prominent aromas and flavors.  Saline, honeysuckle and brioche with far less apple/citrus notes on the nose.  The palate had melon, grapefruit, pineapple and we felt the acidity was more prominent.  The wine had more body and scored 13 marks with me.  Overall this $20 gets 89 points from me, which is a far cry from the monster scores the pros gave.  I will re-taste tonight and report back if there is any significant change to my assessment of this 3 star effort.  Drink now with seafood or a chicken salad.  Salut….

R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia ‘Vina Bosconia’ Reserva 2009, Rioja DOCa, Spain

06 Sunday Feb 2022

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Our last wine for the 24th Virtual Wine Tasting was this Tempranillo Reserva.  At 12 years of age it was starting to show some garnet hues in the glass with a touch of bricking.  The nose was very earthy and jammy with stewed fruit and other aromas of age- musty root cellar, dust, game, leather and cigar box.  The vestiges of primary notes were ripe plum and dill.  The palate was not as exciting to me as the nose although I did note the wine was dry with well integrated tannins, medium acidity and had flavors of stewed plum, tart cherry, vanilla, citrus (from the oak), and cedar.  Full bodied, this wine had a long finish and is drinking at peak now.  For $30 this is a good intro to aged Spanish wines, but don’t delay!  I gave it 91 points and 5 stars.  It’s quite complex and needs to be drunk by itself to enjoy the nuances that older wines can present.  Nice stuff.  Salut….

Alpha Estate Hedgehog Vineyard Xinomavro 2018, Amyndeo, Greece

06 Sunday Feb 2022

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Our third wine of the evening (virtual wine tasting) was this Xinomavro from Greece.  Having never tried this varietal everyone was on an even keel starting out with some loving it and others hating it.

Reminiscent of Pinot or Nebbiolo this wine is see-through and has a beautiful shade of ruby in the glass.  It’s a vegetal wine with earthy tones on the nose alongside syrupy anise, white pepper, rhubarb, tomato and BBQ sauce (I know…..just go with it).

The palate is dry with high levels of tannin, medium acidity, medium body and a medium length finish.  Tart cherries are the flavor of the day- this wine was loaded with sourness which was off-putting to some.  Rhubarb, another tart component, was present as was cranberry.  See where I’m going here?  A touch earthy there was perhaps a bit of licorice as well.  This wine was revered by the New Jersey peeps, and poo-pooed by the Maryland crowd.  Technically speaking I gave it 90 points and feel it is worthy of a re-taste tonight after it has had some air.  For $23 you too can explore this Greek varietal and let us know your thoughts.  4 stars, with a drinking window till 2027.  Salut….

Julio Bastos Dona Maria Gran Reserva 2015, Alentejo, Portugal

06 Sunday Feb 2022

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Second wine up at the 24th Virtual tasting was a Portuguese blend that had 50% Alicante Bouschet- a new varietal to the group.  A deep garnet color, this wine was showing a touch of age.  On the nose we got blueberry, tobacco, licorice, loads of black cherry, some funk and oak influence by way of smoke, creosote, vanilla, charcoal, chocolate and cedar- our tasting group is that sensitive!

The palate was super smooth with silky tannins, loads of oak, spice box, rich blueberry, black cherry and tar with a tart finish.  Low to medium acidity this mid-weight bodied wine has a long finish and is very balanced- 93 points and my WOTN.  At $45 it’s not a daily drinker but value for cash it is a super nice treat wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Drink till 2028 with richer meats and stews.  Salut….