FRIDAY’S THIRTEEN

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

A boatload of wine

A boatload of wine

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I 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 thirteen wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2016 Twin Islands Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)… $12.

Gooseberry and grapefruit with a touch of pine needles on the nose. A big dose of grapefruit on the palate (surprise!) with a hint of lime and orange underneath. Solid, balanced acidity with grapefruit and orange notes lingering. (B-/B)

2017 Terranoble Sauvignon Blanc (Central Valley, Chile)… $10.

Slight aromas of wet stone, banana and cut grass. Round on the palate, especially the mid-palate. Notes of apples and pears with pears taking over on the fresh finish with a little cut grass sneaking in on the back-end. (B-/B)

2017 Yalumba “Y” Series Viognier (South Australia)… $11.

Just a bit of stink action on the nose with hits of butterscotch and apricots. Lightweight in the mouth but not shy with flavors. Notes of butterscotch, apricots and pears shine through. Fresh, clean and delicious with the acidity in good balance, keeping if from getting too fruity. Butterscotch notes are the backbone but not candied, just the flavor that lingers with the fruit. (B)

2017 Domaine Preignes Le Vieux Paradis Grenache Rose` (Pays d’Oc, France)… $13.

Watermelon Jolly Rancher on the nose. Very light on the palate with notes of watermelon rind and a pinch of white pepper. White peach notes sneak in underneath and on the finish. Dry, but not bone dry. (B/B+)

2015 Turasan “Selda” White (Cappadocian, Turkey)… $8.

Aromas of tangerine, apricot and wet stone, with a touch of banana, walnuts and filberts. Viognier like on the palate with a load of wet stone and a solid core of fresh acidity. Hits of grass, lemon and tangerine join the palate experience. 35% Emir, 30% Narince, 30% Misket, 5% Chardonnay (B+)

2015 Domaine La Croix Belle Caringole Rouge (Cotes De Thongue, France)… $10.

Aromas of black olive, red flowers, toast and plums with a touch of red licorice. Grippy on the palate with notes of plums, crushed rock and black pepper front to finish. Red flower notes lie underneath with a kiss of worn leather. (C/C+)

2016 Andrew Rich “Rich Table” Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $20.

Currants and blackberries on the nose with a touch of candied violets. Some veggie action under notes of currants and tobacco on the palate with a kiss of violets. Tightly wound up with a solid hit of leather on the mid-palate into the finish. Fresh acidity gives it a lift on the palate. Very old school in style. You might want to let this sit in your cellar for five years…I think you will be rewarded. (B+)

2017 Vian Haras De Pirque Chardonnay (Casablanca Valley, Chile)… $11.

Fresh cut grass on the nose joined by apple and hits of pears. Smooth and balanced on the palate with a nice freshness. Apple and pear notes come through, with a little white pepper action. A little awkward at first on the finish with oak notes hitting hard. It comes around nicely with a chalky minerality on the back-end. (C+/B-)

2017 Miguel Torres Las Mulas Sauvignon Blanc (Central Valley, Chile)… $11.

A touch stinky on the nose with notes of grapefruit and lemon. Grapefruit and mineral notes front to finish on the palate with a kiss of lemon. Grass notes sneak in on the back-end. Good balance of acidity, minerals and fruit. (B-)

2015 Merf Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, WA)… $12.

A touch candied on the nose with toasty butter and pear notes. Light on its feet with notes of butter, pears and baking spices. Good balance with the oak coming through but stays in check with a nice, spicy finish. Some make-up comes in but not obvious. (B-/B)

2017 14 Hands Rose` (Washington State)… $12.

Aromas of rhubarb, strawberries, cherries and apples. Strawberry and cherry fruit on the palate with a little watermelon sneaking in. Solid fruit front to mid-palate finishing dry with hits of dried herbs, minerals and a kiss of citrus. A blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cinsault and Grenache (B+)

2014 Seven Falls Cellars Rapids Red (Wahluke Slope, WA)… $17.

Aromas of licorice, currants, chocolate and cinnamon Graham Crackers. This baby is spicy on the palate! Currant notes all day with a kiss of chocolate and licorice. There is a nice freshness underneath, supporting the spice action. Chocolate notes linger with the spice on the finish. Sixteen months in barrel…30% French oak and 70% American oak. (B/B+)

2013 Paxis Red (Lisboa, Portugal)… $8.

Licorice, tobacco, cherries and black raspberry on the nose with a pinch of mint and dirt. Smooth, sturdy tannins support notes of cherries and black raspberries. It intensifies and lifts a bit on the mid-palate leading into the finish where mint and tobacco notes join the party. Nice balance and a “10” in the delicious category. (B/B+)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS…

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

October is here, the first full month of Fall and I’m reasonably sure I’ll hear more about what a wet winter we are having even though winter will not be here until December. Unless you are in grade school where you are reminded regularly that Fall is here, and you are making pictures or cut-outs of brown maple leaves and the like, most people start thinking winter in October. Fall is the forgotten season and it’s too bad. Spring by far is my favorite season, but Fall is pretty cool (no pun intended) as well. The leaves change to brilliant hues of red, orange and gold. The rains come back after a dry summer bringing the vibrant green back to the grass and shrubs. Fall is also a transition time for most wine drinkers. Instead of a Rose`, they start shopping for Pinot Noir, Cabs, Zinfandel and other reds. Instead of lighter whites, a lot of wine drinkers start hunting for a full-bodied Chardonnay. It’s fun to watch, especially when I see Italian wines start to take off in full force along with French and Spanish wines. The main reason for this, of course, is what’s on the menu. Comfort foods appear on the table more often and certainly, the aforementioned wines are a perfect match. One thing I ask as a wine guy is, please do not give up on Rose`.

Rose` is such a versatile food wine and I believe that unless there is a sun ball in the sky and warm temperatures, most give up on this wine. Tavel is a classic example of Rose` that goes with comfort foods. A little darker in color with a meaty texture on the palate that gives it more substance than most of its siblings. Tavel is an appellation in the southern Rhone Valley of France that is dedicated almost entirely to Rose`. Grenache and Cinsault are the main grapes used along with Syrah and Mourvedre. Because of its longer contact with the skins giving it a darker color, more tannins and structure, it can be matched with heavier fare such as roast, baked chicken, ham or pork. Personally, I’ve enjoyed a couple of glasses of Tavel Rose` with grilled steak. You can find some very good examples of this wine in the fifteen dollar range, making it a very affordable alternative. So, do me a favor and add Tavel to your list of wines for the Fall, you will not be disappointed.

Susie and I are getting married Friday and we are both very excited. My talented daughter is making the cake and my talented son is putting together the food for the reception. I really appreciate their efforts and willingness to contribute such important parts of the celebration. Shyla is a great baker and as everyone on the island knows, Micah can put together a mean spread of food. He is highly respected for his talents. Susie and I are lucky to have both of them in our camp. It seems like yesterday that Susie and I had our first date and here it is over two and a half years later. We have traveled the globe together and we are very much in love. It is a fantastic way to start Fall and this could become our favorite season of the year.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S THIRTEEN

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

A boatload of wine

A boatload of wine

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I 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 thirteen wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2017 Tenuta Santa Maria “Lepia” Soave (Veneto, Italy)… $17.

Wet stone, white flowers, melon and a touch of peach on the nose. Crushed rock backs fennel, Root Beer and citrus notes on the palate (yes I wrote Root Beer). Excellent acidity keeps it fresh in the mouth, front to finish. Good balance of acidity, minerality and fruit. (A)

2015 Golden Eagle “Julia James Chardonnay (California)… $13.

Fig, spice and banana bread on the nose. Round on the palate with solid fig notes and slight baking spice. Very smooth and almost slick with good balance. Green apple notes and minerals sneak in on the back-end. (B+)

2016 Walnut Block Wines Sauvignon BLanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)… ?

Big time gooseberry on the nose, joined by notes of grapefruit and a hit of fresh-cut grass. A little sugarfied on the palate with notes of grapefruit, peach, apples and gooseberry. Somewhat round on the front leading into fresh, but not cutting on the palate like a lot of N.Z. Sauvignon Blancs can be. There is a pinch of grapefruit pith on the back of the finish. (C/C+)

2016 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvee`(Willamette Valley, OR)… $35.

Subtle dark cherry notes on the nose with a hint of Asian spice and cinnamon. Perfect weight in the mouth (that is for my palate of course), with notes of cherries and underlying cranberry. Asian spices shadow the fruit notes front to finish where black tea joins the palate party and hangs around. Nice balance. (A-)

2016 Viberti “La Gemella” Barbera D’Alba (Piedmont, Italy)… $17.

Aromas of dirt, crushed red brick, red flowers, licorice and cherries with a kiss of hay. Bright on the palate with notes of under-ripe blueberries and cranberries with a slight kiss of rust. Red flower and crushed brick notes lie underneath. Cranberry notes morph into red raspberry on the back-end. This baby is mouth-watering and puckers you up a bit. Just what you would expect from the old world of Northern Italy. Bring on the food. (B+/A-)

2013 Idilico Tempranillo Reserva (Yakima Valley, WA)… $30.

Ripe currants and sweet tobacco on the nose with a touch of licorice. Currant and bark notes on the palate with a hint of BBQ spices lying underneath. There is a sweet hit on the mid-palate that disappears on the fresh finish where notes of leather, tea and orange peel sneak in. (A-)

2017 Alberto Nanclaros Ocio Dandelion Albarino (Rias Baixas, Spain)… $19.

Ripe pears all day on the nose with slight apricots underneath. Sweet fruit on the palate with a nice racy backbone. A fruit medley with notes of tangerine, orange and apricots that go to the dry side on the bracing finish. (B/B+)

2016 Domaine Costal Chablis “Les Truffieres” (Burgundy, France)… $36.

Aromas of fig, wet stone, mushroom and banana with slight soap element that comes through. Vibrant citrus notes on the palate. Orange and lemon with just a touch of viscosity on the mid-palate. Minerals are well-integrated and the finish goes on and on with mushroom notes hanging in the background. (A)

2016 Georges Vigouroux “Gouleyant” Malbec (Cahors, France)… ?

Meat marinade with a splash of violet juice on the nose joined by crushed red brick, toast and graham cracker. High-toned on the palate (acidity baby!). Notes of red flowers, cranberry and red brick. Tart and tight so it really needs to be paired with food (spaghetti, meatballs, steak). Acidity takes over on the savory finish with notes of white pepper and red flowers lingering. (C/C+)


2013 The Leader Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $16

Aromas of chocolate, licorice and currants. Ripe currants on the front of the palate with underlying chocolate notes coming through. There is a nice core of acidity that gives the wine a lift in the mouth. Almost meat-like on the palate with a little mint action rearing its head as the fruit notes expand on the mid-palate leading into the fresh finish with a little tobacco hit. (B-/B)

2016 Contrade White (90% Malvasia, 10% Chardonnay) Puglia, Italy… $9.

Wet stone, melon, white and orange flowers with a slight hit of white peaches on the nose. Creamy and fresh on the palate with notes of white pepper, banana, fig and minerals front to finish. Fig notes linger with a splash of white pepper and a kiss of citrus. Creamy on the mid-palate, fresh on the finish. Nice balance. (C-/C)

2016 Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages (Burgundy, France)… $14.

Aromas of apple, banana, lemon, fig and bread dough. Notes of apples and pears on a clean, balanced mouthfeel. Light on its feet and somewhat simple with the finish losing strength quickly. An easy to quaff Chardonnay that could be matched by quite a few versions in the ten-dollar or under range. (C-)

2016 Twin Islands Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)… $12.

Gooseberry and grapefruit on the nose with a touch of pine needles. Mostly grapefruit on the palate with a hint of lime and oranges underneath. Solid, balanced acidity with grapefruit and orange notes lingering on the medium to long finish. (B-/B)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

Hello, I am back and I don’t intend on backing away from blogging again. I’ve said that before of course, but I feel a certain commitment that has been alluding me thus far. It takes a lot to get a blog going and to come up with ideas to keep my readers interested. I’ve come up with a few that I thought were interesting. Words of Winedom is one that I need to fire up again.

Every Wednesday, I would discuss a word or term used in the wine world or by wine people I run across regularly. One of my favorites was my definition of the word “fun” to describe wine. I’ve never embraced that descriptor for a wine, but it seems to be prevalent. From my standpoint, it seems to be a cop-out. Another words, calling a wine “fun” takes the pressure off to come up with something better to describe the wine. It reminds me of the word delicious. This is a word I do use from time to time, but I try to surround it with other descriptors to help define what I mean by delicious. This word is about as subjective as you can get. Some people think liver is delicious, something that I don’t understand at all! The only one that liked liver in my family when I was growing up was my mom and dog. My dog liked it because he got all of mine under the table that I would sneak to him while I was pretending to chew. I can’t remember if my siblings liked it, but I am sure that none of them make it for themselves for dinner. If a wine is fun, tell me why it is. To be fair, when someone says a wine is fun, the first thing that comes to my mind is a wine that you don’t have to think about, but it is good in a simple way. One of the guys who used the word fun all the time took exception to that reasoning. He tried to explain why he used it, and to some degree he made some sense. However, I will go to my grave thinking that the word fun to describe a wine is a lazy way to try to relay what the wine is about.

Susie and I are getting married in just over a week and we are both very excited! Susie loves bubbles and while we were in South Africa we discovered Graham Beck Brut sparkling wine. Both of us fell in love with this sparkler so you know that will be at the reception. As far as picking out the other wines, I fell back on some of the popular whites at my tasting events and at the store. The reds will come from my cellar, so I am picking carefully since many of the wines are not for everyone’s taste. I do have some eighty percent wines, I just have to comb my cellar to find them. What I mean by that is at least eighty percent of the folks who try them will more than likely like them. This is a formula I use at the store for my pick of the month and I have been quite successful. So far I have about eight bottles selected. As many times as I’ve helped picking wines for wedding receptions and the amounts they will need, I find myself struggling with this one. The old adage that it is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it applies. All said, we will have a great time, and I will have Susie as my wife. Does it get any better than that?

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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