STAN’S PICK FOR APRIL 2020

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Stan The Wine Man

Keith, owner of Elevens Imports has a great palate and tons of energy! He works hard to find awesome deals from Europe and does an outstanding job. Not too long ago one of his wines landed as a pick of the month. I went crazy for that wine and still have a few bottles at the store. Once again, Keith has rooted out a fantastic value, this time from Italy (the prior pick was from Spain).

2017 Torre Zambra Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy)… $12.

Plums and red flowers on the nose with a touch of earth and funk. Plum and blackberry notes dominate the palate with a solid backbone of red flowers and balanced acidity. Tobacco notes join up on the mid-palate into the pleasing, long finish. The tannins are structured and soft. This is a balanced, complex wine and over delivers for the money. Light and powerful at the same time. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on April 3, 2020 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 Garzon Tannat Reserva (Uruguay)… $18.

Aromas of oranges, toast, bark and a background of brambleberries. Currant notes all day on the palate with a whole lot of brambleberry and tobacco thrown in, front to finish. A hit of citrus sneaks in on the back-end, joined by leathery almost gritty tannins. Tobacco and currant notes linger. Nice complexity and balance. (B+)

Marietta Old Vine Red Lot 69 (California)… $15.

Interesting nose of currants, licorice, oregano and boysenberry. Currants and boysenberries on the palate with a kiss of licorice. A slight hit of tobacco sneaks in on the fresh, currant driven finish where the tannins have a little grip to them. Thin on the mid-palate but the fruit expands on the finish and lingers. A “10” in the delicious category. (B)

2018 Lavis Chardonnay (Trentino, Italy)… $14.

Pears and lemon on the nose with a hit of wet stone and dust. Asian pears on the palate with dusty rocks in the background. Medium acidity is nicely integrated, giving it a stainless steel feeling in the mouth. Dusty rocks and Asian pear on the finish with pear notes lingering. (B)

2018 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Freedom Hills Vineyard (Willamette Valley, OR)… $35.

Dark cherries and earth on the nose with a kiss of Asian spices and black tea. Solid dark cherry notes on the palate with a little cherry skin action thrown in. Earth notes lie underneath front to finish with a hint of Root Beer coming through. The tannins are more prominent than most Pinot Noirs. Solid complexity and integration. (B/B+)

2017 Oddero Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy)… ?

A touch of funk on the nose, joined by notes of black olive, rust and raspberries, with a kiss of strawberries and red flowers. Black raspberry and strawberry notes are buried in a heap of rust and red flowers on the palate with a backbone of cherries. Orange citrus notes sneak in on the back-end with a touch of sweet fruit coming through. Good balance and structure with nicely integrated acidity. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Stan The Wine Man

Coronavirus is the word of 2020. Who would have ever imagined such a scenario to develop in our world? It is a reality now and all we can do is wait it out. I have come to appreciate as Dr. Fauci said, the virus will determine the timeline, not us. It most certainly will change the world in a way that we will not be able to ascertain until much later. One thing is for certain, this will pass.

Something has caught my attention at the store during this crisis. Champagne sales have dropped dramatically. Why? Champagne or sparkling wine is considered a celebratory beverage. I of course just consider it a good wine with bubbles. However, that is not how most perceive it and as a result, sales are down. Think about it. Is there anything to celebrate right now? People are stuck at home, many are on unemployment living on a thread. Kids are at home because school is shut down and parents have little time to themselves. Why the hell would anyone want to pop bubbles now! This is something I would have never thought of until now. That being said, why not celebrate each day you are healthy and alive. Celebrate your family and the time you have with them. Yes, this is a terrible situation, but dwelling on the negative is not healthy. Think positive, stay healthy, be diligent about your hygiene and one day, things will get better. Buy a cheap bottle of Cava and celebrate the positive things in life!

I especially feel a need right now to keep up on my YouTube channel and give my friends something to watch during this world situation. I just posted an episode on aging inexpensive wines. I finished up my celebration of Washington Wine Month with an episode featuring the wines of Columbia Winery. I am getting ready to shoot an episode on Crozes-Hermitage that should be quite interesting. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to entertain and educate my wine enthusiast friends not only during this time of isolation but for a long time to come.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on March 27, 2020 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.

2019 Lu & Oly Flowerhead Rose’ (Columbia Valley, WA)… $18.

Watermelon all day on the nose with a touch of peach and orange citrus. Fresh and zesty on the palate with notes of watermelon and citrus, driven by a healthy dose of balanced acidity. It dances in the mouth with a slight tartness into a long, lemon and orange finish with watermelon notes underneath. This baby makes the palate sing. (B)

2017 Mark Ryan Winery Water Witch Red (Red Mountain, WA)… $55.

Aromas of dark currants, licorice and tobacco. Balanced and fresh on the palate with notes of currants and a backbone of tobacco. The tobacco notes dominate the finish. Structured, approachable tannins and a clean finish. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot (B)

2017 Mark Ryan Winery “Crazy Mary” Mourvedre (Red Mountain, WA)… $60.

Plums, currants, tobacco and smoke on the nose. Plum and currant notes meld nicely in good balance on edgy, approachable tannins, Ripe fruit notes expand on the mid-palate into a tobacco, currant driven finish. Red flower and smoke notes linger in the background front to finish. (B+/A-)

2018 Time & Direction “Fretboard” Viognier Corfu Crossing Vineyard (Columbia Valley, WA)… $30.

Peach and popcorn kernel action on the nose with a kiss of quince and apple. Good texture on the palate. Notes of quince, peach and apple flow seamlessly across the palate expanding on the mid-palate into a quince and apple dominate finish. This wine has a slick edge to it in the mouth. (B-/B)

2017 Time & Direction “Diamond Cutter” Red (Columbia Valley, WA)

Boysenberries and plums on the nose with a backdrop of Worcheshire and bacon fat. Red flower notes all day on the palate, joined by notes of raspberries and cherries with a kiss of citrus on the back-end. Bright and delicious with a mouth-watering finish where the citrus and red flower notes linger. Good intensity and balance. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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