BITS & BOBS

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

Well, well, well, its “National Merlot Month” and I’m getting behind it big time. I know there is a national month for just about anything, including almost all the grape varietals. I feel a need to focus on Merlot this month, because a lot of folks out there are still influenced by that silly Hollywood movie Sideways. I loved that movie myself and have watched it a few times since its release. However, I was in no way going to take Miles dissing of Merlot seriously. Sad to say, many people did, and Merlot sales dropped dramatically. Of course there are other reasons why Merlot sales started to slide.

In the late seventies and early eighties of the twentieth century, Merlot was a hot item. Everyone drank Merlot. As a result many producers jumped in the fray to take advantage of Merlot’s popularity. This led to many producing less than desirable product. With all those insipid Merlot out there, it wasn’t hard to put it down like Miles did in the movie. Ironically, at the end of that movie, Miles is at a burger joint pouring Cheval Blanc in a paper cup and enjoying it immensely. Cheval Blanc from the right bank of Bordeaux is Merlot based. My point is, when Merlot is produced in the right places it can be some of the best red wine you will ever try.

In my humble opinion, Merlot does its magic when it comes from the right bank of Bordeaux (Pomerol, Fronsac, St-Emilion), Washington State, Napa Valley and parts of Italy. For the month of October, I plan on shooting a number of episodes on my YouTube channel featuring Merlot and writing a few articles about its virtues both here and on my P.I. blog with the hashtag #merlotme. Follow me on this one and if you are not a big Merlot fan, I hope I can change your mind.

I was tasting wine with one of my sales reps last week and he presented me with a few whites. I gave him a hard time about the timing, with the weather getting cooler. I jokingly accused his company of pushing whites because they overbought and now they are trying to clear their inventory. The sales rep made a very good point that I think is worthy of sharing. He disagreed with me on the warehouse clearing statement. He is on a mission to get folks to drink whites year-round. Why do people slow down on white consumption in the Fall and Winter? They don’t give up on beer just because it is colder outside, so why give up on whites? I gave that some serious thought and he is right. As a wine drinker, I myself enjoy having a glass of white wine at any time of the year. My wife loves white wine any time of the year herself. I will join my colleague in his effort to make white wine a choice no matter what time of the year.

On a completely different note, my wife Susie and I just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. I have never been happier in my life! She is an amazing person and very supportive of my career. We are both so glad that we met and things worked out the way they have. I am looking forward to many more years of sharing our lives together and traveling the world. Life is good and it has a lot to do with my lovely little Brit.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man


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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

In a weeks 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 Sierra Salinas “Mo” Monastrell (Alicante, Spain)… $10.

Aromas of violets, tobacco, plums, cherries and dusty minerals. Plums and violets on the palate and a splash of cherries that are supported by a beam of acidity and an underbelly of crushed rock. Sweet tannins that appear dry because of the minerality and acidity. A little warm on the finish. An old world wine that a lot of new world palates will appreicate. (B-)

2018 Firriato Feudi Branciforti Nero d’Avola (Sicily, Italy)… $10.

Chocolate, rocks and cherries on the nose with a kiss of rose petal and mint. Chocolate notes hit on the front of the palate, joined by currant notes that morph into a boat-load of crushed rocks into the finish that has a touch of grip to it. Currant notes linger on the back-end with a kiss of rose petal. finishes savory, mineral driven and bone dry. (B/B+)

2015 Shannon Ridge “Vigilance” Cimarron GSM Red Blend (Lake County, CA)… $13.

Note super-expressive on the nose, with slight strawberry, tobacco, blueberry and earth. Ripe strawberries on the palate, joined by notes of plums and tobacco on soft, structured tannins. Earth notes hit on the back of the mid-palate into the finish. Nice expansion of the fruit on the mid-palate, balanced by earthy notes. There is a hit of white pepper and minerals on the back of the fresh finish. (B/B+)

2018 Jacques Bourguignon Chardonnay (Vin de France)… $10.

Aromas of wet stone, apple, white pepper and slight pear. Creamy on the palate with notes of wet stone, light apple and a touch of apple sauce, leading into a dry, minerally finish. Apple notes linger. Simple and clean with not much in the complexity department. (C+)

2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Vermentino (Paso Robles, CA)… $32.

Aromas of nuts, banana bread, nutmeg and hints of apple. Dry on the palate with a bed of minerals supporting notes of banana bread and baking spices. Good balance and integration. Fresh on the mid-palate leading into an apple, citrus finish with a kiss of crushed rock and white pepper. (B+/A-)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

In a weeks 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.

2016 A to Z Pinot Noir by A to Z Wine Works (Oregon)… $21.

Bright cherries and cranberries on the nose with a hit of black raspberry. Very earthy and savory aromas. Cherries and Asian spices up front on the palate and into the finish. There is a nice beam of acidity underneath that is well integrated. A hit of black raspberry joins up on the mid-palate. Light in body, but solid flavors. A touch of tobacco hits on the back of the finish. Good balance of acidity and fruit. (B-)

2015 Reininger Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $30.

Very challenged on the nose with slight cinnamon, currant and earth notes. Currant and citrus notes collide with each other on the palate. Clean and fresh with acidity dominating the fruit . Currant notes come in stronger on the mid-palate with a kiss of earth, leading into an earthy, savory finish with a hit of tobacco on the back-end. Good structure. This will benefit from decanting. (B/B+)

2017 Aia Vecchia Toscana “Lagone” (Tuscany, Italy)… $15.

Aromas of candied blackberries and cherries with a touch of mint and sawdust. Loads of acidity surround citrus and candied blackberry notes front to finish. A little thin front to mid, than it gains strength into the finish. This is true to old world in style with good balance. This red screams for food. A Blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (C/C+)

2016 Januik Petit Verdot Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (Red Mountain, WA)…. $34.

Dirty boysenberry on the nose with a kiss of licorice. Intense on the palate yet restrained at the same time. Blueberries and tar on an underbelly of acidity. Earth and tobacco notes in the background with a kiss of citrus on the back of the finish. (B/B+)

2016 Tamarack Cellars Cabernet Franc (Columbia Valley, WA)… $25.

Expressive on the nose with notes of red flowers, cherries and plums, joined by a slight hit of twigs and earth. Plums, mocha and dark cherry notes up front on the palate on soft well integrated tannins. There is a slight hit of blueberry and raspberry on the mid-palate, joined by white and black pepper leading into a long, savory finish. (B/B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

I heard a couple of interesting conversations on the wine aisle as I was working product and cleaning up around my department. The first was a couple of ladies looking for a certain kind of wine and one suggested that perhaps they buy a box of wine. The other lady nearly shuddered and said she would never buy wine in a box! She also made it clear that wine in a jug was also out of the question. A couple of hours later there was almost an identical conversation between two younger girls (young to me, but old enough to buy wine). One of the girls was jacked up about the savings you get with a box of wine. Four bottles for only twenty bucks. “That’s five bucks a bottle!” She declared with glee in her voice. Her friend dismissed the idea immediately. Neither group bought a box of wine or a jug for that matter, but it was most interesting to listen to something I haven’t heard in a while.

I have to admit that boxed wine has come a long way since Franzia. I can remember when Black Box came on the market and ramped up the quality level of boxed wine. Bota Box was not far behind soon to be joined by some European wineries that decided to join the fray of wine in a box. I have a rather small boxed wine section in my department, merely because of the amount of space I am able to devote to it. Yes, it certainly is a value. If someone wants to buy a box of wine, I want to be able to give them that option. There is nothing wrong with buying boxed wine and if someone looks down there nose at you because you buy it, I suggest you completely ignore them. Being in a bottle doesn’t necessarily make it better. I could pick on several producers who make wine of lesser quality than wine in a box but choose to bottle and cork it. However, I will not go down that road today, or any day for that matter. I look at boxed wine in a couple of ways. First, it leaves a smaller carbon footprint which is good for the earth. It is convenient and easily recyclable. Second, it is a good way to get folks into wine. Tannins are not an issue, they are smooth and easy to drink. Very little if any oak is used on these wines, or they wouldn’t be as affordable. If it takes a box to get people to try wine, then power to the box.

However, it’s nice to see folks jump from the box and try something new. As the two groups mentioned earlier. They may have started with boxed or jug wine and jumped to something different. I don’t believe we should become snobs about it. One of the ladies in the earlier group actually kidded her friend about being a wine snob. Box and jug wine have a place in the wine world, as does the new phenomenon of canned wine. I have a couple of canned wine episodes on my YouTube channel that you might want to check out.

I will admit that I am a bit picky when it comes to canned wine. A lot of younger wine drinkers are very interested in this category and I hope to make that a pleasant experience when they purchase this product from my department. Canned wine may be their first time drinking wine as they sit around the campfire with their friends. I want that to be a good experience, perhaps spring-boarding them into trying other wines in a bottle. It brings me great joy to watch younger people develop their palates and start enjoying the amazing world of wine. Contrary to what many people think, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy good wine. Whether it be in a box, can or bottle, there are a lot of options out there for wine drinkers who just want to enjoy a glass of wine with friends.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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