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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BITS & BOBS

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

My wine group had a great time with James & Poppie Mantone, owners of Syncline Cellars. James is their winemaker and he has a wealth of knowledge that he shared with us. Syncline is located near Lyle in southern Washington State. The wines were amazing, and by the time he was finished speaking via Zoom, I think most of us left knowing a lot more about some of the vineyards in Washington State, winemaking techniques and why James and Poppie chose the Gorge as a spot to grow grapes and make wine. James makes an amazing sparkling Rose’ and they were kind enough to release some to our group. They usually sell it only from the winery. The biggest surprise for me was the Gamay Noir. It has amazing complexity and flavor. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the price. If you’re not familiar with this winery, here is a link to their very cool website.

I am continuing my celebration of the original Washington Wine Month (March) on my YouTube Channel. Malbec was the subject of last Thursday’s episode, and today (Monday) I will delve into Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s very interesting for me, to focus on specific varietals from Washington. As I’ve pointed out, Washington is able to grow and produce many different varietals very well. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is obvious. A lot of great wine comes out of this state. The curse? Washington has an identity crisis. For instance, Napa is known for Cab, Lodi for Zin, Oregon for Pinot Noir… You get the point. What is Washington Known for? Just about everything. At one time, Merlot was going to be Washington’s signature grape. Well, Merlot took a nose-dive after the movie Sideways. Then Syrah became the focus of many Washington State wineries and it took a nose-dive in sales as well. I feel both Syrah and Merlot are still some of the best wines out of our state. As both varietals strengthen in the market once again, wine buyers will appreciate what Washington can do with both Syrah and Merlot. Either way, I feel that there will always be an identity crisis because winemakers from Washington will continue to experiment and produce many different varietals very well because they simply can.

Once again, I will rave about my sales reps, rather than a rant. Some reps work on commission, some on both a base salary and commission and some (although rare) work on salary only. The commission sales rep is hungry (not literally) and works hard to get new products in my department, including things like my “Pick Of The Month” and featured items in my display areas. This is their paycheck. A salary-only rep might be content just writing orders and moving on to the next store. I have a young lady that sells wine to me who is salary only with some incentives thrown in. This doesn’t stop her from being an aggressive, zealous salesperson. I can count on her to present wines to me, especially new items weekly. I appreciate her hard work and passion for what she does. I have no problem with the aggressive type because they are the ones who get new wines in front of me and I appreciate that. This young lady has helped me on numerous occasions with material for my YouTube channel. Anytime there is a new canned wine in her portfolio, I get a text from her. She gets a kick out of my consistent reaction to wines in a can. I will explain that statement in next week’s article. Hat’s off to her for helping me find new wines and her interest in what I do in the wine world.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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