FRIDAY’S THIRTEEN…

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I lot of my friends think I’m lucky. Well, they’re right, and I wouldn’t give this job up for the world. The only thing that makes my job hard, is my feeling of responsibility to taste the samples given to me as quickly as possible and to put my reviews either in my Moleskine, on my Youtube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), or right here on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are thirteen wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2015 Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County, CA)… $50.

Aromas of dark cherries and currants mingled with toasted marshmallow and earth. Black currants with a red cherry edge on the palate, backed by structured tannins. Very savory on the mid-palate leading into a tobacco and earth driven finish with a kiss of red licorice. (B+/A-)

2015 Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Pinot Noir (Sonoma County, CA)… $40.

Earth and dark cherries on the nose with a touch of Asian spice and Root Beer. Smooth and polished on the palate with notes of dark cherries backed by Root Beer and spices. Licorice and spice notes sneak in on the back-end with spice notes lingering. A sexy Pinot Noir for sure. (A-/A)

2016 Domaine Saint Marie Des Crozes Cuvee` Hector & Juliette (Corbieres, France)… $19.

Aromas of baking spices, chocolate, currants, boysenberries and vanilla with a touch of tobacco. Smooth tannins support notes of chocolate, boysenberry, tobacco and spices. There’s a toasty element that rides underneath with a kiss of minerality and spice on the lingering finish. Good structure and balance. 90% Syrah, 10% Grenache (A-/A)

2015 Le Clos d’Augustine Pinot Noir (Burgundy, France)… $18.

Mushroom, cherries, cinnamon and Asian spice on the nose with a kiss of toast. Smooth, almost polished up front on the palate but then kicks into old world in high gear. Racy acidity backed by a fare dose of minerality. Notes of cherries and a big hit of bark, earth and a hit of cola. Acidity lingers with a hit of cranberries on the back-end. Give this 3-5 years to find itself. (B-)

2015 Lab Rouge (Lisboa, Portugal)… $9.

Aromas of plums and blackberries with a toasty edge. Hits of red flowers and licorice sneak in. Blackberries and cranberries on the palate front to finish on sweet tannins with a rustic edge to them. A touch of toast and earth lie underneath with a little orange peel element coming through front to finish where rust notes join the party. (C+)

2016 Bodegas Arzabro “Luzia De Ripa” (Arabako Txakolina, Spain)… $18.

Aromas of fig, melon and wet stone with hits of peach, apricot and beeswax. Bright and zesty on the palate with notes of citrus, peach, apricot and earth. Very steel-like cutting across the palate with citrus notes dominating going near tart but holding back. Made with the grape Hondarrabi Zuri (B+/A-)

Non-Vintage J. Laurens Cremant De Limoux Brut Rose` (Languedoc-Roussillon, France)… $17.

Aromas of bread dough, strawberries and oranges. Good acidity keeps it fresh on the palate with notes of strawberries and oranges. Solid bubbles and a clean, citrus driven finish that lingers. (B)

2017 Trere Lona Bona Sangiovese (Romagna, Italy)… $10.

Rusty cherries and currants on the nose with a little earth and toast thrown in. Cherries and raspberries on a bed of earth and rocks on soft tannins. A solid mid-palate leads into a clean, delicious, pleasing finish. Simple yet interesting. (C+/B-)

2014 Gota Bergamota Red (Dao, Portugal)… $12.

Dirt, currants and licorice on the nose with a kiss of tobacco, red flowers and raspberries. Currants, raspberries and tobacco on the palate supported by structured but easy tannins. Tobacco notes sneak in underneath on the mid-palate into the finish. 80% Touriga Nacional, 5% Tinta Roriz, 5% Jean, 5% Alfrocheiro (B/B+)

2016 Four Vines “The Biker” Zinfandel (Paso Robles, CA)… $20.

Aromas of black tea, dark currants and black raspberries. Jammy but not flabby on the palate. Ripe currant notes penetrate the palate with a spine of black tea and raspberries. Solid acidity keeps it fresh and structured. (B)

2017 Lab Rose` (Liboa, Portugal)… $9.

Strawberries, cherries and wet stone on the nose. Ripe strawberries and cherries on the palate with a good dose of granulated sugar notes coming through that lingers on the finish with a kiss of citrus. (C-/C)

2015 Dr. Burklin-Wolf Riesling (Pfalz, Germany)… $17.

Diesel notes all day on the nose mixed with white flowers, wet stone and melon. Laser sharp on the palate with notes of tart apple and wet stone with tangerine notes lying underneath. Diesel notes sneak in here and there with a lively bone dry, citrus driven finish. A Riesling geek’s Riesling. (A-)

2017 Domaine Preignes Le Vieux Grenache Rose` (Pays D’Oc, France)… $13.

Dried herbs, melon and watermelon on the nose. Very dry on the palate with watermelon notes dominating, backed by pink flower and crushed rock notes. Light and dusty. (C+)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man