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Tag Archives: VWTC

Skouras Moscofilero 2019, Peloponnese, Greece

06 Sunday Feb 2022

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$15, 5 stars, 91 points, greece, moschofilero, Peloponnese, VWTC


We kicked off the next series in our Virtual Wine Tasting Company with a varietal I had never tried before- Moschofilero.  We first tasted it chilled and then at room temperature.  Keep in mind that the tasting notes you read are from a dozen voices!

The wine is pale gold (which was debated back and forth btw) and has pronounced aromas of melon, orange blossom, apricot, almond, peach and had a crispy effervescent hint to boot.  The palate was dry (also debated back and fro) with medium (+) acidity.  It was crisp and refreshing with flavors of honeydew, orange, lemon, pink grapefruit and nutty almonds.  Medium bodied it had a relatively short finish.

Tasted at room temperature the wine had much more floral aromas.  Honeysuckle, almonds, grapefruit and raw honey featured on the somewhat tart nose.  The palate had more pronounced flavors that consisted of grapefruit, almonds and more florality- there was a sense of sweetness to some…. yet tartness to others (me).  The wine felt creamier in the mouthfeel for some and crisper and lighter bodied for others- talk about a see-saw of opinions!

Overall this semi-aromatic grape was enjoyed by all I believe and will feature well at a pool or lake this summer- chilled and enjoyed with a cool, crisp salad with steamed prawns.  I would go 91 points for this $15 effort making it a 5 star wine that you need to try.  Drink now.  Salut….

Note- I discovered post-tasting that it does have some residual sugar, 4 gr/Ltr, which technically makes it Dry, yet there was a hint of sweetness as was noted!

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Clos Apalta ‘Le Petit Clos’ 2017, Apalta Valley, Chile

11 Tuesday Jan 2022

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$40, 5 stars, 93 points, Apalta valley, cabernet sauvignon, chile, VWTC


I cheated for the fourth wine at our 23rd virtual wine tasting night.  I have had this stunning Bordeaux blend before and knew it would get accolades.  Why not close out a tasting session on a proven winner?  You can read my original notes on the Petite Clos here.

It is a deep claret color with rich blackberry, coconut, sarsaparilla, anise, toast and black cherry on the nose.  Rich fruit is what I noted for the palate- we got black plum, black cherry, cherry coke, coconut and anise on the palate which has great tannic structure, medium (+) acidity, medium finish and is full bodied.  The mouthfeel on this wine is going to be spectacular with a bit of cellaring.  Drink this 93 point beauty till 2030 at the least with hearty grilled meat, heavy duty stews or rich dishes.  Great job on this $40 wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Slam-dunk if you are looking for a surefire winner for a tasting.  Salut….

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Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Trois Sources 2015, Rhone, France

11 Tuesday Jan 2022

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$50, 3 stars, 91 points, Chateauneuf-du-pape, france, grenache, rhone, VWTC


This Grenache blend was third up at our virtual tasting.  It showed well but was not my favorite.  Deep garnet, it was more opaque than I was expecting.  Pomegranate, raspberry, pepper, anise, kirsch, bramble and strawberry jam notes on the nose were echoed on the palate.  We also got a green olive aftertaste with cedar and charcoal on the mid palate.  Very integrated tannins, low acidity, medium bodied and a long finish made this a 91 pointer.  At $50 I was hoping it filled the 93 point hype the pros gave it, alas it was just decent.  3 stars from me.  Drink till 2025.  Salut…

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Chateau de Belcier 2010, Cotes de Castillon, France

11 Tuesday Jan 2022

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$20, 5 stars, 91 points, bordeaux blend, cotes de castillon, france, merlot, VWTC


Number two wine at our 23rd virtual tasting was this mature Merlot-based Bordeaux blend from the great 2010 vintage. Deep garnet with evidence of bricking in the glass.  Nose of black cherry, tobacco, graphite, musty and earthy with leather, pencil shavings, cassis and stewed strawberry.  The palate is very smooth with integrated tannins that are fully resolved.  The tertiary notes are all present alongside smoke, blackberry, blackcurrant and cedar.  The wine has a milder taste and is quite dry.  Medium bodied it has a medium length finish.  I’m going with 91 points and a drinking window up till 2025.  At $20- it’s a great intro to an aged Right Bank wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

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Oremus ‘Mandolas’ Tokaji Dry 2018, Tokaj, Hungary

11 Tuesday Jan 2022

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$28, 3 stars, 89 points, Furmint, hungary, tokaji, VWTC


We started our 23rd Virtual Wine Tasting with this Furmint, a varietal I have never had before. Tasted chilled and then at room temperature, it was a completely different wine.  Medium lemon color the chilled version had pear, apple, apricot, lemon and a brie-like note.  The palate also included honeysuckle and lemon pith.  Medium body and medium acidity led to a decent finish.

The room temperature serving was skunky on the nose- that Brie note really taking the pole position.  Spices, honeysuckle, nuts, brioche and a greenness with hints of Malolactic fermentation.  The palate was ‘yucky’ and flabby for me.  Buttery, pithy and bitter- the lemon was evident to a degree but the wine was just too funky.  I scored it a 7.5 on my VWTC scoresheet. Overall this $25 bottle got 89 points making it a 3 star wine. Drink well chilled until 2025 with seafood, Alfredo or even a grilled chilled salad. Salut….

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Talenti Pian di Conte Riserva 2013, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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$70, 2 stars, 90 points, brunello, Italy, sangiovese, VWTC


Our final wine at the 22nd Virtual Wine Tasting event was the capstone of our Italian themed night.  We had tried three new-to-the-group varietals so I wanted to circle back to familiar roots with a Sangiovese from Brunello.  The tasters got the usual cherry and tar that we expected plus black and white pepper, iron, brine and (unfortunately) stewed prune and stewed apricot which told me the wine was already fading fast.  On the palate this fear was confirmed by the light-bodied nature of the wine that had low to medium tannins, medium acidity and a short finish.  The flavors we got were cherry, briny salt and iron.  I was hoping for some leather, tobacco, dried herbs- alas it was not to be.  A massive disappointment for me personally as I always hope for 1 home run wine per tasting.  At $70 this 90 pointer only gets 2 stars from me.  Drink now if you have any.  Salut….

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Salvatore Molettieri Vigna Cinque Querce 2012, Taurasi DOCG, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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$40, 4 stars, 92 points, aglianico, campania, Italy, taurasi, VWTC


Third up in the line at our 22nd virtual wine tasting even twas this Aglianico.  Opaque with thick legs that showed off the 15% ABV.  On the nose the panel got blueberry, violets, tar, charcoal, black raspberry, tarry smoke, forest floor, black licorice and pencil lead.  One person noted it to be Port-like.  On the palate it was a tannic beast.  Almost searing even with 9 years of bottle age.  It’s difficult to discern flavors when all you can sense is the astringency covering even square inch of you gums and teeth but we did manage to coax anise, blackberry, cherry, smoky tar  (or tarry smoke!) out of the glass.  As mentioned- super tannic, it had medium acidity, medium body and a medium finish which made it a 92 point wine in my book.  After some decanting time it softened up quite considerably and came into its own.  At $40 it is an interesting way to discover the varietal from Campania, which is due east of Naples.  4 stars with a drink by 2030 window.  Salut….

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Cordero di Montezemolo ‘Funtani’ Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2017, Piedmont, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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$40, 3 stars, 90 points, barbera, barbera d'alba, Italy, Piedmont, VWTC


I wanted to introduce our virtual tasting group to this varietal- Barbera.  Unfortunately it was quite tart and that threw people off.  It is an opaque wine which conjured up ideas of a brooding, tannic wine when quite the opposite was discovered.  The group noted aromas of tar, cherry, cherry coke, luxardo cherries, coffee, tobacco and cola.  The flavors we encountered were sour cherry, Dr. Pepper, tobacco, red currant and raspberry.  Medium bodied, it had a short finish and was tart the whole time.  90 points for this $40 wine made it a 3 star effort.  I subsequently drank it two nights later and it was far better, perhaps worthy of a bump in score.  Drink till 2028 with something like breaded veal cutlets or an Alfredo dish, staying away from high acid foods with red pasta sauce.  Salut….

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Mario Schiopetto Friulano Collio 2019, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

22 Monday Nov 2021

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$24, 4 stars, 91 points, friulano, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, VWTC


Kicking off the 22nd Virtual Wine Tasting was this Friulano.  Gold in color it had a beautiful look in the glass.  We tasted it at room temp and chilled.  Here are the notes I cobbled from all the input.

Room Temp- Nice nose of green pear, lime, florals, green apple, grapefruit and peach.  On the palate the group got peach, florals, green apple but no varietal bitter almond.  I was disappointed about that.  Light to medium bodied, this relatively low acid wine had a short finish, getting 90 points from me.

The chilled version had florals including honeysuckle, some vanilla, almond and a salinity like sea air.  No one got grapefruit on this nose.  The palate did however get grapefruit from someone in the group.  Green apple, almonds, tart fruit and a saline minerality showed.  I thought the chilled version was better and gave it 91 points.  For $24 this is a good intro to the varietal.  4 stars from me!  Salut….

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Tenuta di Arceno Arcanum Toscana IGT 2015, Tuscany, Italy

30 Saturday Oct 2021

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$70, 4 stars, 92 points, bordeaux blend, Italy, super tuscan, tuscany, VWTC


The finale for the 21st Virtual Wine Tasting was this Super Tuscan blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.  With 6 years of age it is starting to show a touch of garnet in the glass that is 75% opaque.  The group were torn on this wine, some liked the tertiary notes, others did not.  The combined flavors and aromas of the group include red twizzlers, blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, cigar, manure, barnyard, old wood, musty old oak beams, charcoal and some dried herbs.   Leather featured on the back end and I found this wine to be more complex on the nose versus the palate.  Super smooth tannins get grippy on the finish and we felt the wine had low to medium  acidity, medium body with a long finish.  It was very layered and balanced, even if the tannins started to kick off on the very tail end.  This wine will develop more tertiary notes and has the backbone to cellar for another 10 years easily.  It calls for a rustic pasta dish with truffles.  It was the big baller of the evening at $70, which makes it a 4 star wine for me at 92 points.  Salut….

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