FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on September 13, 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.

2017 Domaine le Clos des Lumieres Cotes-Du-Rhone (Rhone Valley, France)… $10.

Aromas of candied cherries and blackberries with a backdrop of spices and red flowers. Blackberries and cherries all day on the palate, underscored by nicely integrated acidity. Tobacco notes hit big on the mid-palate into the finish where spice notes join the party. There is a touch of grip from the tannins on the back-end with a kiss of minerality. 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah (B-/B)

2016 Lyrarakis Red (Crete, Greece)… $15.

A little smokey wood on the nose, along with cooked meat, currants and candied blackberries. Solid acidity supports a meaty texture in the mouth. Notes of currants and citrus with a spine of minerality front to a citrus driven finish. Good balance. 75% Syrah, 25% Kotsifali (C+/B-)

2017 Passi Mento White (Veneto, Italy)… $17.

Lemon, wet stone and green apple notes hit on the nose with a slight nutty element coming through. Lemon and apple notes front to finish, where a flinty minerality lingers with the apple notes. A touch on the simple side and slightly over-priced for what you get. 100% Garganega (C/C+)

2016 Domaine Jerome Gradassi Chateauneuf du Pape (Rhone, France)… $48.

Aromas of bloody meat, french toast (sans the syrup), rust, ripe strawberries, red flowers and crushed brick. Fleshy on the palate with notes of roasted meats, white and black pepper and rust. A boatload of minerality hits on the spice-driven finish, joined by dark cherry, strawberry and wilted red flower notes. This is old school CDP that is fairly priced. (B+/A-)

Roco Gravel Road Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR)… $26.

Aromas of strawberries, cherries and red flowers with a kiss of black tea and Root Beer. Medium to light in body with notes of Root Beer and cherries front to finish where a kiss of minerality and Asian spices join up. Nice balance of acidity, fruit and minerals. A touch Burgundian with the new world holding its own. (B-/B)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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STAN’S PICK FOR SEPTEMBER 2019

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

It’s not often that I get as excited about a wine as I did this one. Not surprisingly, it’s another great value from Spain. I know it’s nearly the middle of the month, and I meant to finish this earlier. Time has a way of slipping away on us. That being said, I need to make you aware of this great value and interesting red wine from Spain.

2017 Can’ Leandro La Lloma Bonicaire-Monastrell (Valencia, Spain)… $13.

The first time I put my lips to this baby, I was hooked. Powerful and structured. Aromas of blackberries, cherries, tobacco and black plums. Blackberry and dark cherry notes smack your palate up front, kept in balance by an undertow of rusty minerals. Nicely integrated acidity with tobacco notes sneaking in on the long finish. This little jewel needs to be decanted and will go nicely with red meats or stews. I would also pair it with lamb. I believe this will age nicely for up to five years. Made from 60% of a very unusual grape called Bonicaire along with 40% Monastrell. (B/B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on September 6, 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 Prodigo Nero D’Avola (Terre Siciliane, Italy)… $10.

Ripe currants with a touch of raisin on the nose and a kiss of ripe plums. Plush ripe currants on the palate with an undertow of acidity. There is a touch of citrus on the back of the mid-palate, leading into a ripe currant driven finish on soft, structured tannins and a kiss of white pepper. (C+/B-)

2016 Ancarani Sangiovese “Oriolo” (Romagna, Italy)… $19.

Aromas of red flowers, cherries and raspberries with a touch of hard candy coming through. Solid cherry and raspberry notes on the palate resting on a bed of minerals front to finish. Tobacco notes join up on the mid-palate with a little funky leather sneaking in underneath. Good balance of acidity, minerals and fruit. (B/B+)

2018 Badenhorst Family Secateurs Rose’ (Swartland, South Africa)… $17.

Earthy on the nose with notes of Strawberries and rose petal with a touch of mushroom. Sweet strawberry notes on the front of the palate that morph into citrus notes of lime and lemon with a hit of tangerine. Good balance of acidity and fruit with a dry, tangy finish. (B)

2017 Solar Fortun Red (Valle De Guadalupe, Mexico)… $30.

Aromas of bacon fat, ham hocks and tobacco, with a little dirt thrown in. Notes of boysenberries, dark cherries and bacon fat on a spine of fresh acidity with a splash of white and black pepper thrown in. Char, earth and tobacco notes join up on the finish and linger. Fresh and balanced. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Syrah (B+/A-)

2017 Finca La Carrodilla “Canto De Luna” Red (Valle De Guadalupe, Mexico)… $21.

Smokey cherries and bark on the nose with a pinch of plums and tobacco. Dark cherry and plum notes on the palate with underlying boysenberry and white pepper. Tobacco notes hit on the mid-palate into the finish where they hang with boysenberries, white and black pepper on structured, smooth tannins. There is just a hint of blueberry that comes through on the back of the finish. Excellent balance and complexity. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 10% Tempranillo (B+/A-)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

Rose’ is a year-round staple for me. It is versatile with food and a very nice evening beverage to enjoy all by itself. However, most wine drinkers give up on Rose’ as soon as fall arrives. The weather is a bit cooler and reds become the focus. I can’t make people drink pink when the weather turns, even though I do. That’s not to say that I don’t keep a few Rose’ on the shelf for those who are like me and drink it all year. I have a few available, but you will not find a stack of it on the sales floor. Even though it is one of the strongest categories in my department from May to September, reality strikes and sales slow way down in the Fall and Winter. I would love to change that, but I have other things to go to the mat for that are much more important to me.

However, this will not stop the sales reps from presenting Rose’ for me to purchase for the next two months. Why you ask? The companies they work for purchased a ton of Rose’ in the Spring, and now they find themselves with excess to off-load, so they send their troops out to pedal Rose’ to the retail buyers to see if they can get them to bite. It happens every year, and every year I give them a try and remind the reps that I can no longer sell Rose’ in any quantities because as I’ve stated, people just quit buying it. The funny thing is, I will get more Rose’ presented to me in September than I did in April when the Rose’ season is just about to go into full bore. I used to get frustrated by this, but now it just humors me. It doesn’t stop with Rose’ either. In the dead of winter, along comes a sales rep with a bag of samples which happen to be all whites! Once again, the distributors are looking at all the whites they bought in the summer and send their crews out to try and get rid of the excess. I’m sure they have some success, but not at my place.

I have a couple of wineries in sight for my winery of the year. This is the time when I start focusing on certain wineries to find one that will get the honor. I will start asking to taste more of their wines looking for consistency in quality and fair pricing. I am very stoked about my pick for 2018. Longship Cellars continues to put out quality juice at a fair price. Since I picked them for winery of the year, they have introduced a stellar Merlot and Grenache to their portfolio along with a Petite Sirah. All three have lived up to the quality that I have come to expect from Kyle Welch, winemaker and owner. I am very excited to see their continued success and growth in the future. Kyle and Cassie Welch are two of the nicest people you will meet. If you are headed over to Eastern Washington to check out wineries, don’t forget to put Longship Cellars down as a destination stop. Here is their website, check them out.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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