BITS & BOBS

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Stan The Wine Man

I think I may be one of the most inconsistent writers out there. I started this piece to help with my consistency. It is a fun, easy to write article that I intended to spur me on to greater heights in writing volume. So far, I have not let it perform the magic it was intended to create. Writing is like exercise, the more you do it, the easier it gets. I am a morning person, so I need to give myself enough time in the a.m. to accomplish my goals. Let’s hope that today starts a new trend for me. My word for 2020 is determination and so, I move ahead determined to be more consistent.

I have been consistent with my YouTube channel and I have some interesting and fun episodes out there for your enjoyment. I just put out an episode on my #1 wine in 2019 under twenty bucks. The point of the episode is to show all of you the process I go through to determine which wine gets the honor. I wasn’t intending to sell the wine at the store through this episode. For one thing, it is sold out, at least at Kings Market. I can’t get any more from my supplier. However, I felt bad when a good friend of mine watched the episode and came into the store to buy more. You know who you are, so if you read this article, come back and I will fix you up with a bottle or two from my own stash. My YouTube channel is not a selling platform, but I understand that if I get excited about a certain wine, someone is going to come looking for it. I try to cover my bases when I can and apologize when I can’t.

I just purchased the textbook for becoming a Certified Wine Specialist (CWS) and I am studying diligently. I’m not big on certifications, but it will do more good than harm for me to stay up on my wine knowledge. There is so much to learn in this field of study. I am passionate about wine and the wine world. I love to share that knowledge and make it easily digestible for those that are new to wine and want to learn. Wine is such a cool thing and I love to find the gems that are buried in the catalogs of my suppliers. Especially if they are reasonably priced. If you ever want to chat about the wine world, stop by and see me. I will be more than happy to share what I know and learn from you.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on March 6, 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 right here on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are five wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2018 Dunham Cellars Three Legged Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $18.

Black tea, currants and licorice on the nose with a hit of wilted red rose petal. Ripe currants hit the front of the palate joined by a kiss of licorice and slight bark and earth elements. Nicely integrated acidity gives it good balance front to finish which is long and earthy. Currant notes linger with a little grip action on the back-end. (B)

2016 J. Bookwalter “Readers” Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $20.

Light currant notes on the nose with a kiss of baking spices, earth and red flowers. Solid currant notes front to finish with underlying veggie notes sneaking through. Soft tannins that have a slight edge to them. Red flower notes hit big on the mid-palate leading into a currant and red flower finish. Good balance and nicely integrated acidity that gives the wine a lift on the palate. (B/B+)

2016 J. Bookwalter “Readers” Merlot (Columbia Valley, WA)… $20.

Red flowers and currants on the nose with a little beet and earth action. This baby has a creamy texture in the mouth with notes of currants and red flowers shining through and a hit of veggie that barely creeps out. Soft tannins, good balance and nice integration of all the elements. (B)

2018 J. Bookwalter “Readers” Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, WA)… $15.

Prominent pears on the nose with a slight hit of apple. Sweet creamy pear notes on the palate that expand on the mid-palate into the finish where acidity sneaks out and keeps it fresh in the mouth. Apple notes join up on the back-end. Good balance and integration, just a touch fruit-foward. (B-/B)

2017 Time & Direction Syrah (Columbia Valley, WA)… $46.

Aromas of bacon fat, earth and currants. Meaty currant notes on the palate with a splash of plums and black pepper. Violet notes are the backbone of this baby with a good dose of balanced acidity that gives the wine a lift in the mouth. A kiss of blueberries and licorice come through on the long finish. This is what Washington State Syrah is all about. (B+/A-)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on February 28, 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 right here 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 Richard Bocking “Bocking” Riesling (Mosel, Germany)… $13.

Walnuts and rubber boot on the nose with a kiss of citrus. Cutting and laser-like on the palate with sharp, balanced acidity and a sweet edge. Sweet lemon and orange notes come through with a boat-load of bright, cutting acidity. Mouth-watering and delicious would be the best way to describe this well-made Riesling. (B+/A-)

2018 La LouVetrie Muscadet (Loire Valley, France)… $18.

Aromas of melon, pears and a kiss of apple. Apples and melon on the palate, balanced by solid acidity and a kiss of earth and mushroom that comes through on the finish with a pinch of cut grass and a little slate action. (B-/B)

2013 Angel Vine Primitivo (Columbia Valley, WA)… $17.

Strawberries and currants on the nose, with a slight hit of plums, licorice and earth. Currants, strawberries and plums on the palate with a solid undertow of licorice and green tobacco leaf. Ripe currant notes expand on the mid-palate into the finish where tobacco leaf and white pepper notes linger with Earl Grey tea. (B+)

2018 Domaine Sainte Marie De Crozes L’Outsider Cabernet Franc (Vin De Pays, France)… $13.

Dark cherries on the nose with a hit of green branch, licorice and earth. Concentrated licorice and currants on the palate, balanced by green bell pepper that keeps it fresh. Red flower notes hit on the mid-palate into the finish where green bell pepper notes linger with a kiss of tobacco. Good complexity and balance. (B/B+)

2017 Grand Bateau Bordeaux Blanc (Bordeaux, France)… $10.

Grape seeds and melon on the nose with just a slight hit of cut grass. Grape seed and melon notes hit on the front of the palate with lemon citrus notes joining up on the mid-palate into the finish where hits of cut grass come through. Wet stone and grape seed notes linger on the finish. Good balance of acidity, fruit and minerals. (B-/B)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Stan The Wine Man

It looks like Susie and I have finally decided to go to the Rhone Valley in France this September. We have been struggling to make a decision on where to go. South Africa always calls to us, we both love Cape Town and the experiences we had there two years ago. We’ve both decided that we will go back there sooner rather than later. For now, we are planning our trip to England and France. We will have to spend some time in Paris of course and then off to the Rhone region including Lyon. Susie is the best planner ever, I don’t know if I would want to attempt this without her. My job is to contact my suppliers and arrange visits to some of the wineries in the Rhone Valley. I am really looking forward to meeting some of the winemakers and touring one of my favorite wine regions of the world. My wine cellar (if you can call it that), has a fair amount of wines from this region. Cotes-du-Rhone, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and more are found in my wine racks, wood boxes and shelves. I am so excited, I hope it all works out.

The interview with Tim Clark is up on my YouTube channel and I am very happy with how it turned out. You get some nice insights into the world of selling wine to wine guys like myself and also my perspectives on how to approach wine buyers. We review a few wines that Tim brought for the episode and analyze them together. I’ve watched it a couple of times and thoroughly enjoy it. I can’t say that about all my episodes. Check it out, I know you will find it interesting.

We recently had a tasting event featuring fifteen wines under fifteen bucks. It was a modest group, but I have to say that they all loved the wines presented. A blend called Tenacious Red seemed to garner the most attention. This surprised me a bit, but I think the group consisted of a lot of palates that favored new world wines over the old world. My favorite of the event was a Susumaniello from Italy. Yes, there is a grape with that name, and it is only grown in the Salento region of southern Italy. It is deep and rich with that old-world edge that I love so much in wine. Don’t get me wrong, I love new world wines and drink my fair share of them. However, the old-world speaks to me in a way that no other wines can.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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