Stan The Wine Man

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I lot of my friends think that 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.

2012 Browne Family Vineyards Tribute Red (Columbia Valley, WA)…$30.

Very intense on the nose with big-time currants backed by a touch of tobacco, red flowers and licorice. Currants come through on the palate with a serious dose of tar and tobacco. Expands on the mid-palate with some white pepper notes sneaking in and a touch of spices. Finishes long with some tobacco and licorice notes joining the party. This wine has nice balance and is seamless across the palate. Good fruit with an old world edge that should appeal to a nice cross-section of wine drinkers. 48% Cab, 16% Malbec, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot. (B+)

2013 Canoe Ridge “The Expedition” Red (Horse Heaven Hills, WA)… $16.

Aromas of cherries and blackberries all day with a pinch of tobacco. Ripe cherries and currants on the palate with a bright backbone. Good fruit intensity without going fruit-bomb on you. Sturdy, approachable tannins support the fruit with a little spice action on the mid-palate and a touch of tomato stem coming through on the finish. This red has excellent balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable tucking a few of these away for 3-5 years. 34.5% Merlot, 26.6% Syrah, 24.5% Cab, 14.4% Grenache. (B+)

2011 Canoe Ridge “The Expedition” Chardonnay (Horse Heaven Hills, WA)…$16.

Bright pineapple and apple notes on the nose with a splash of pear. Butterscotch in abundance on the palate. You could pour this baby on your vanilla ice cream. Apple notes sneak in on the mid-palate but can’t compete with the butterscotch. A little thin on the finish and a touch flabby. This chard is a little one-dimensional and boring. But, if you love butterscotch, you will love this juice. (C-)

2013 Coopers Creek Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)… $15.

Very bright and mouth-watering on the nose with notes of gooseberries, grapefruit and pine needles coming through. Bright and vibrant on the palate…It literally punches you in the face with loads of gooseberry and underlying grapefruit. Bright and solid front to back and very mouth-watering, finishing long with gooseberry and white grapefruit notes lingering. This is intense, rich and acid driven, lending it well to shellfish. My mouth is watering just thinking about tasting this baby. (B)

2012 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel (Lodi, CA)… $17.

Joel Peterson loves to make zin, and he has been doing it for a long time. I felt the quality of his product went down a little when he sold to Franciscan, but he has rebounded in the past 5 years coming close to what he used to put out there.
This zin displays notes of black raspberries and currants on the nose with a little strawberry pie coming through and a little black licorice. Full and plush on the palate, with currant and black cherry notes coming through joined by underlying tobacco. Smooth tannins back the fruit with a touch of grip on the back-end. This zin is slightly hot, but not too bad with white pepper notes front to back. Black raspberry notes linger on the long finish. If you are a into big zins, you are going to love this one. (B-/B)

2011 Columbia Crest H3 “Les Chevaux” Red (Horse Heaven Hills, WA)…$16.

Aromas of black and red currants joined by notes of licorice, boysenberries and tobacco with just a hint of raisin on the back-end. Black currants hit right up front on the palate followed immediately by tar and tobacco. The wine gets real smokey on the mid-palate leading into the tobacco, currant driven finish with just a touch of white pepper and minerals. The alcohol shows itself a little more than I would like, but it still has balance. 75% Syrah, 25% Merlot (C+/B-)

2014 JL Giguiere Matchbook Rose of Sangiovese (Dunnigan Hills, CA)… $11.

My first rose of the year, from a winery that I really like. Almost every wine that I have tried from this producer has been very good at more than reasonable prices.

Aromas of dried herbs, strawberries, and a hint of watermelon and watermelon rind. Strawberries and dried herbs in spades on the palate with just a touch of watermelon bubblegum coming through. Nice flow across the palate with aggressive flavors. The only flaw in this wine is that the alcohol really comes through. (C+)

2011 Araldica Barbera d’Asti (Piedmont, Italy)… $11.

A little stinky leather action on the nose joined by notes of rose petal, violets, wet stone and bark (funny that I have no fruit in my notes as far as the aroma goes). Violets all day on the palate, supported by notes of currants and blueberries. Underlying mineral and rust notes come through in the middle leading into a finish of blueberries and cassis along with interesting black and green olive notes. This wine has a nice bright edge of acidity to it, making it a perfect match with grilled meats, pizza or hamburgers. For those in Piedmont, Barbera is a top choice to have with food. (B-)

2013 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese (Molise, Italy)… $11.

Aromas of cherries, raspberries and wet rocks with a dash of violets and licorice. Ramped up acidity on the palate with cherries riding the wave leading into a mineral driven finish with a touch of tobacco and licorice joining the party. Nice balance and structure, but very bright on the palate. The region of Molise on the Adriatic coast is just North of Puglia. Di Majo Norante is a well-respected organic producer from this little known region. (B-)

2008 Joao Brito Quinta De S. Jose (Douro, Portugal)… $26.

Aromas of black cherries and currants joined by underlying tobacco, crushed rose petal and black olive. Black olive and currant notes coat the palate with just a hint of tobacco and chocolate. Smooth and polished front to back with an edge of minerality and dark chocolate notes coming through on the finish. Good balance of acidity and fruit. This baby hails from the old world, but it has a lot of new world love in it. 45% Touriga Nacional, 35% Touriga Franca and 20% Tinta Roriz. (B+)

2011 Vinha Paz Dao Red (Dao, Portugal)… $27.

Tobacco, black raspberries, dark cherries, violets and crushed rock notes come through on the nose. Black raspberries, pepper, currants and tobacco all day on the palate front to back. A little leather action sneaks in on the finish joined by hits of green tobacco, with leather, violets and tobacco notes lingering (now this is old world action). Excellent structure and complexity, striking a nice balance of acidity, fruit and tannins. 50% Touriga Nacional, 15% Alfrocheiro, 30 % Tinta Roriz and 5% Jaen. (A-)

2013 Los Dos Red (Campo De Borja, Spain)… $9.

Notes of plums, strawberries and blackberries pop out of the glass with hints of red flowers. Very fruit-forward on the front of the palate with notes of plums and strawberries and hints of blackberry. It switches big time on the mid-palate into the finish, showing notes of crushed rock, red flowers, a pinch of tobacco, and ramped up acidity. Talk about a tale of two wines in one bottle. A little confusing in the mouth. (C+/B-)

2012 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel (Lodi, CA)… $20.

Aromas of black tea and currants with a hint of wood and dark cherries with a little nose burn from the alcohol. Solid fruit notes with a core of currants and red cherries. Black tea and pepper notes join the fruit on the back of the mid-palate into a lingering finish with just a touch of grip to it. The alcohol doesn’t come through heavily on the palate due to the nice backbone of acidity that keeps it fresh and lively. I you like big zins, but don’t want them heavy, this would be the one for you. (B+/A-)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

First off, hats off to Jason for working so hard to find the wine that might make the “Pick of The Month”. His tenacity and confidence is inspiring. He came to my office a couple of times in December with some very good wines, and one of them stood out to me in a special way. You see, a wine has to have a number of things to qualify as a pick for the month. Generally it has to be under fifteen bucks… (check). The wine has to show excellent qpr (quality-to-price ratio)… (check). It should appeal to at least 80% of my customers… (check). Finally, I have to feel it will stand out compared to other wines I have featured around the store…(check). My pick for this month shines in all these categories.

2011 Fincas de Landaluce Crianza (Rioja, Spain)… $13.

There are three sub-regions in Rioja, located in North Central Spain. Rioja Baja, Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa. Each of these regions display different characteristics in the wines that come from them. This crianza from Landaluce hails from Rioja Alavesa. This region is maritime-influenced with the highest rainfall of the three. The Tempranillo grape dominates and the soils are chalky, producing wines with a lot of finesse. This wine might break the mold from this area.

100% Tempranillo from vines that are 20-40 years old and aged for 12 months in French oak, in an area where American oak dominates. The results of this treatment are outstanding. Aromas of rose petals, violets, old leather, cherries and hits of cranberries. Plush on the palate yet restrained at the same time. Creamy tannins support notes of ripe currants and a boat-load of baking spices. Leather and mineral notes show up on the mid-palate leading into a finish of cinnamon and ripe currants with a hit of tobacco and tar. There is just a touch of grip on the back-end. This is pretty powerful Tempranillo from an area known to produce wines with finesse. It reminds me a lot of a Napa cab with some old world attitude. I think this baby might hit the 90% customer appeal bracket. The price is stupid for what you get. (A-)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man