FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

In a week’s time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). A 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 on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are five wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2017 Bodega Catena Zapata “Catena Historico Tinto” (Mendoza, Argentina)

Aromas of boysenberries, plums and currants with a hit of bacon fat, coconut and red flowers. Currant notes hit on the palate up front, blended with notes of boysenberries on edgy, approachable sweet tannins. Brooding in the mouth with a fleshy edge to it, front to finish where bacon fat notes sneak in with a hit of white pepper that lingers. Good balance. A blend of Malbec, Bonarda and Petit Verdot (B+)

2019 Chateau De Costis Bordeaux Blanc (France)… $11.

Grape seeds, melon and a kiss of lemon on the nose. Bright acidity in the mouth, supports notes of lemon and melon front to finish with a kiss of cut grass. Clean and simple and cheap! (C+)

NV De Saint-Gall Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blanc Champagne (France)… $55.

Aromas of yeast, almond, pear and apple. Laser-sharp acidity cuts through the palate, carrying notes of citrus, almonds and green apple. Dry and clean with elegant bubbles. (A-)

2016 Chateau Reindent Bordeaux Superieur (France)… $15.

Licorice on the nose, joined by notes of perfumed red berries, cherries and underlying currants. Soft, structured tannins support notes of currants and dusty rocks. There are slight sour cherry notes that sneak in on the mid-palate into the finish where there is a big hit of leather that lingers with the sour cherry notes. Another solid, inexpensive Bordeaux from a great vintage. 100% Merlot. (C+)

2018 Tenuta Di Sesta Rosso Di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy)… $20.

Rusty and musty (not corked) on the nose with notes of ripe cranberry, red flowers and a kiss of worn leather. Soft tannins support notes of rust and black olives with earth notes riding underneath. Sour cherry notes sneak in on the back end. A classic expression of Sangiovese from Montalcino. Not complex, just old world. (C+/B-)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time really. How many of us, including myself, feel inspired to accomplish things we have failed to accomplish in the past at the start of a new year. We declare loudly to everyone we know, that this year we are going to do this or that. Instead of making resolutions, I’ve decided to just go for it and do the things that I want to get done without making any sort of proclamation. That way, if my intentions don’t come to fruition, I won’t feel like a failure. For those of you who made some sort of New Year’s resolution at the start of 2020, I think it is safe to say you are off the hook. What a shit-show 2020 ended up being. Now, here we are in 2021 with the hope that things will turn for the better. Being positive is never a bad thing. I have things to do, Susie and I have things to do and we will do them.

Social media has certainly exacerbated the things going on in the world today. Can you imagine what the Spanish Flu would have been like if Twitter, Instagram and Facebook had existed? Many folks in the world at that time had no idea the extent of that flu and the lives it took. Today, rumors fly on social media. Everyone’s an expert and propagates untruths with the absolute confidence that what they are saying is the truth. My worry is, that many people buy into what others are saying without doing any proper research. I use social media a lot myself, but only for the things I know. You won’t find me Tweeting about Covid-19 or re-posting something on Facebook about it from a source that has no validity. I’m a wine guy and therefore most of my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook content has to do with the subject of wine. I stick to what I know and if everyone else in this world did the same, we wouldn’t have the panic we see around us. Denzel Washington, a well known celebrity said something that has stuck with me. “If you don’t read the paper you are uninformed, if you read the paper you are misinformed.” Don’t let yourself be brought down by the media or social media. Do your best to be positive and that positivity will rub off on those around you. One day, this will all be behind us.

What do you know, I have not mentioned a word about wine in this column. I guess it was time for me to blow off a bit of steam. I promise to write on the subject of wine next week. I hope your new year is awesome!

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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STAN’S PICK FOR JANUARY 2021

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Stan The Wine Man

It makes me feel good when I find good wine at a great price and there is a cause behind the label. The wine is Colby Red which is named after Colby Groom who at a young age, was diagnosed with a defective aortic valve and underwent two open-heart surgeries. Colby fully recovered but did not sit still. He approached his father who is a winemaker and presented the idea to create a wine and use the proceeds to support heart health charities. Colby Red has now raised over $1.5 million for the American Heart Association and other heart health research organizations. What a cool story! And, the wine is good. It’s a nice way to kick off the new year.

2017 Colby Red

2017 Colby Red Blend (California)… $10.

Aromas of dark cherries and raspberries with hints of licorice and chocolate. Rich dark cherry notes hit on the front of the palate, balanced by a nicely integrated acidity front to finish. Black raspberry notes join up on the mid-palate into the finish where hits of chocolate, tobacco and blueberry join the palate party. This is a nicely balanced wine with juicy fruit notes that are kept in check by soft, structured tannins and that nice beam of acidity that gives the wine a lift in the mouth. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petite Sirah, 10% Zinfandel, 5% Syrah, 4% Merlot. (B)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Stan The Wine Man

I hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed some time with your families. Susie and I had a very quiet Christmas with each other and my brother came over for dinner. As I have mentioned, prime rib is our choice for dinner on Christmas and it is the only day of the year that it finds its way into our oven. The great thing about this noble roast is choosing the wines that will accompany the meal. I go big on this day and so I chose a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Zinfandel and a red blend from Kukkula, a winery that is in Paso Robles that I am a huge fan of. To be honest, the Kukkula stole the show, even though the CDP got a big score from Robert Parker back in the day.

Barnard Griffin is my “Winery of the Year” in 2020. Check out my article in the Seattle P.I. I think it’s interesting how a winery that has been around as long as B.G. can sometimes disappear in the sea of wineries that are from Washington State. I know that there are a lot of fans of B.G. in Friday Harbor, simply because Rob Griffin has been a part of my wine tasting events several times. In fact, he was my second guest on Zoom back in May of this year. Rob Griffin, winemaker and owner at Barnard Griffin has been making great, affordable wines for many years. His Rose’ of Sangiovese wins gold medal after gold medal. Along with his Signature wines, he has a line of Reserves that are mostly from Red Mountain fruit. The Reserve line although more expensive, is still very reasonable compared to other wineries that produce an upper tier. I will be shooting a couple of episodes on my YouTube channel that will feature the wines from Barnard Griffin. Keep an eye out for them. I recently interviewed Rob at his winery, check that out as well.

I am so looking forward to 2021 and someday being able to see faces without masks. Bring on the New Year!

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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