FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

When I review wines, I strive to be as honest as possible. I also try to describe the wine as I think people will experience it. Wine is tough because it is subjective. If you’ve never had a Kiwi, you are not going to get Kiwi notes out of a white wine, it’s that simple. However, crafting tasting notes in a way that people can relate to is what I have tried to achieve over the years. I hope you enjoy the notes I take and here for your reading pleasure are five wines I have reviewed recently.

2016 Cana’s Feast Two Rivers Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $18.

Aromas of tobacco, currants, bark and rose petals. Rust and currant notes on the palate are nicely integrated front to finish where bark and tobacco notes join in on the clean finish. Good balance of acidity and fruit with a good dose of rust and minerality. Old world style from the new world. 35% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec (B/B+)

2019 Domaine Amido “Los Galets” Cotes du Rhone Villages (Rhone, France)… $13.

Meat and meat marinade on the nose with a big hit of red flowers with a splash of tobacco, pomegranate, cherries and plums. Pomegranate and cherry notes on meaty tannins with a kiss of plums, while red flower notes ride underneath, front to finish. The red flower notes come out large on the finish, joined by white pepper and spices that linger. (B/B+)

2017 Lapostolle Grand Selection Carmenere (Central Valley, Chile)… $16.

Tobacco and currants on the nose with a touch of wilted rose petal and dried twigs. Deep currant notes on the palate, supported by edgy, approachable tannins. There is a spine of tobacco and forest floor notes, joined by rose petal notes on the mid-palate into the long, fresh finish. (B+)

2018 Kind Stranger Alter Red (Washington State)… $15.

Aromas of blackberries and cherries, with a touch of licorice, chocolate and black plum. Blackberry notes big-time on the front of the palate, joined by cherry and black plum notes with chocolate hiding underneath. Licorice notes sneak in on the mid-palate. Acidity comes out and dominates on the finish where bark and black pepper join the palate party. The tannins are very approachable but not soft. This wine is fruit-driven on the front and earthy on the finish. Good complexity for the money. (B/B+)

2019 Domaine de la Janasse Viognier (Vaucluse Principaute’ D’Orange France)… $20.

Banana, orange, peach and melon on the nose. Creamy in the mouth with notes of banana, white peach and melon front to finish where a kiss of fig comes through joined by hints of veggie and orange citrus. Balanced acidity keeps it fresh on the palate. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

Once again I will share my note-taking with you. I admit that I’ve been a bit lazy over the past month when it comes to writing descriptors in my Moleskine. As the busy season at the store approaches rapidly, I will need to discipline myself, because the notes I take now, will start to form my “Top Twenty-Five” list I put out at the end of the year. That list will be the best twenty-five wines I tasted during 2021 under twenty-five bucks. I will also be in search of a new winery to become my “Winery Of The Year.” This year it is Barnard Griffin, which I have been writing about, YouTubing about and reviewing. For your reading pleasure, here are the notes on five wines I have recently tasted.

2018 Ridge “Geyserville (Alexander Valley, CA)… $43.

Orange citrus and currants on the nose with a little raisin action underneath. Ripe currants on the palate that is balanced by nicely integrated acidity. Good structure and balance. Seamless across the palate into the finish where notes of candied blackberries join up with the currant notes and a big kiss of white pepper that lingers. It wants to go big fruit but stays fresh because of the acidity. 68% Zinfandel, 20% Carignan, 10 % Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouschet (A-)

2019 Portillo By Salentein Wines Sauvignon Blanc Valle De Uco (Mendoza, Argentina)… $11.

Aromas of grapefruit pith, grape seeds, passion fruit and starfruit with hits of apple. Grapefruit notes hit on the front of the palate with solid, bright acidity. Apple, kiwi and starfruit notes sneak in on the mid-palate and then morphs into a dry, citrus-driven finish with a kiss of lime and fresh-cut grass. (B+)

2020 Yealands Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)… $13.

Rosemary, thyme and grapefruit on the nose with hints of Bazooka and passion fruit. Notes of grapefruit pith, passion fruit and lime are well-integrated and flow seamlessly across the palate with passion fruit notes expanding on the mid-palate into the finish where lime and grapefruit notes dominate. Mouthwatering laser-sharp acidity cuts through the palate front to finish. A zippy, delicious white. (B+/A-)

2019 Portillo By Salentein Malbec Valle De Uco (Mendoza, Argentina)… $11.

Ripe cherries, blackberries and black raspberries on the nose. Ripe cherry and blackberry with a kiss of cherry on soft, structured tannins. Cherry notes expand on the mid-palate into the finish where they linger with blackberry notes joining and a kiss of veggie. Good balance and integration. (B+)

2019 High Heaven Vintners “Star shower” Riesling (Columbia Valley, WA)… $11.

A touch of petrol on the nose blended with apple, tangerine and apricot with a pinch of mango. Notes of mango, apple and apricot on the palate supported by medium acidity, front to finish. Mango notes hit stronger on the mid-palate. Starts of sweeter and finishes drier and fresh where the fruit notes linger. (B/B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

Susie and I are going to a spot we have never visited here in Washington State. We are headed to the Gorge and staying in a town called Carson. What used to be a tiny wine region, is now a going concern. Syncline, Savage Grace, Cor Cellars, Cave B, Cascade Cliffs, Idiots Grace and Maryhill are just a few of the many wineries that have discovered this rugged, hilly grape-growing region of Washington State. We are both excited to take this small adventure and plan on visiting a few of the wineries in that area. You will be hearing more about it when we get back. Of course, we are both anxious to get out and travel to Europe again…Masks will have to be a thing of the past.

I have dedicated my YouTube channel to Washington Wine Month. All my episodes in March feature different varietals from our great wine-producing state. I’ve reviewed Merlot, GSM Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Rose’. I am in the process of loading up an episode on Syrah and plan on reviewing red blends and some not-so-familiar wines that are produced in Washington, including an orange wine. It’s been a fun project and I have discovered some great wines. In both the Malbec episode and the GSM episode I found some gems. The really cool part is after I shoot the episode. In most cases, there is three wines leftover after filming. Over the next few days, I try each of the wines after they have been opened. Many of them vastly improved after a couple of days. This of course motivates me to talk about the need for decanting in a future episode on my YouTube Channel.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

My wife suggested I change up my intro to this piece, so I’m taking her advice and tweaking it. Each week I taste dozens of wines. I take notes on most, but not all. At times, I watch my YouTube channel and write down the descriptors I use during each episode. As a result of all this note-taking, I have filled up many Moleskines in my career. I use the notes to make signs in the store I work at when I display the wines I buy. A disclaimer for my local friends who read this piece… Not all wines I write about will be found in my wine department. It’s not to say they won’t make it to the store in the future. Here for your reading pleasure, are five wines I have tasted recently.

2015 Chateau Dutruch Grand Poujeaux (Medoc, France)… $38.

Aromas of perfumed red flowers, currants, bark and licorice with a kiss of tobacco. Tight and acid-driven on the palate. Earth, tobacco and wood notes on the palate, with red flower notes joining up on the mid=palate into the finish. Currant notes hide underneath. The finish is tight from the acidity, but with a little more time in the bottle, this has potential. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc (B-/B)

2017 Foppiano Vineyards Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, CA)… ?

Cinnamon, cherries and a kiss of Root Beer on the nose with a hint of earth. Earth notes come through big-time on the palate on solid acidity and light cherry notes. Root Beer and Asian spice notes hide underneath and sneak out on the finish with a hit of bark coming through. The acidity is slightly out of balance with the fruit. (C+/B-)

2015 Borsao Berola (Campo de Borja, Spain)… $20.

Currants and dark cherries on the nose, with a kiss of rust, pomegranate and red flowers. Tight tannins support notes of pomegranate and citrus. This baby is seamless and bright giving the tannins a crunchy feel on the palate. There is a touch of grit on the back-end where citrus notes linger with a hint of red flowers. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. (B-/B)

2017 Zuccardi “Zuccardi Q” Malbec Valle De Uco (Mendoza, Argentina)… $20.

Dried twig notes on the nose, joined by notes of tobacco, blackberries, vanilla and red flowers. This baby is bright and mouth-puckering. Notes of red flowers and under-ripe blackberries rest on gritty, approachable tannins. The finish is on the tart side with notes of green blackberries that almost seem citrus-like. Note worth the twenty bucks, just saying. (C-)

2017 Ringbolt Cabernet Sauvignon (Margaret River, Western Australia)… $19.

Perfumed cherry notes on the nose with hints of tomato stem, dried branches and vanilla. Ripe cherry notes on the palate, balanced by tomato stem and green bell pepper notes on structured, approachable tannins. Dried branch notes lie underneath front to finish where the tomato stem notes come on strong with a serious hit of white pepper. Nice integration of acidity, tannins and fruit, with a generous share of veggie. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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