Stan The Wine Man

It’s kind of strange how time can slip away and before you know it it’s already April. As I sit here typing, I realized that I never posted my pick for March. I apologize in so much as that particular wine from Kiona is absolutely stellar. To make up for it, I will make it my Pick Of The Week on The Blue Collar Wine Guy. Hopefully you get a chance to check out that review.

For the month of April, I once again look to Washington State, and once again I found an absolutely stellar wine for a prayer. To be fair, I had my sights set on a gem from Italy for the same price, but it is sold out. I understand why. The wine I discovered from Washington State truly deserves to be a “pick” and would have made it next month for sure.

Non-Vintage Townshend Cellars Purple Table Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $10.

Aromas of candied plums, perfumed violet soap and tobacco. Complex on the palate with notes of cola, cinnamon, blackberries and tobacco. Chocolate notes sneak in on the back-end. The mid-palate features notes of cinnamon sprinkled on candied blackberries with a pinch of tobacco. We are not talking sweet here, just the flavors, with a nice lift from the acidity. Good integration of fruit and acidity with excellent balance across the palate into a lingering, delicious finish with a hint of char. This has enough guts to match up with grilled meats, pizza or burgers. I wouldn’t be shy about having it with BBQ chicken either. The cool thing is, this wine can be enjoyed all by itself… No problem. All that for a mere ten bucks! (B+)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

I’m not a techie by any stretch of the imagination, so it amazes me when I get tech related projects accomplished with some sort of regularity and success. Have you ever heard the saying; a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while? I am proof of that! I am slowly catching on to my Videopad program, an editing tool for my You Tube videos. There is a ton of room for improvement, but at least I am able to make my videos somewhat enjoyable to watch.

Speaking of watching videos, I am starting to get some traction on You Tube. I want to thank all you for your support. Hopefully you are enjoying them, learning a little about the wine world and finding some great wines. Right now, I am trying to figure out how to get a larger audience. A You Tuber recently commented on one of my episodes and said that he subscribed to my channel. As a fellow wine Tuber, he said that it is important to support others doing the same thing. I agreed with that and returned the favor. I’ve watched a few of his You Tube episodes and found them to be, let’s say, unusual. Although I wouldn’t fancy myself an entertainer, this guy makes me look like a second-hand Jimmy Kimmel. Here is the catch. He garners several views of his episodes some even reaching into the hundreds, something I’ve only accomplished a few times. His episodes are shorter for sure, which is something I am working on with measured success. However, I have trouble believing that just because they are under ten minutes, that is the key to his success. One of my sales reps suggested that perhaps I make one of my two episodes I put out each week a brief review of one or two wines. I am going to test the waters on this thought starting this week. I realize that the attention span in our modern age of high-tech, is quite short. With the plethora of information that floods our world, people don’t take the time to watch something longer than fifteen minutes or less. There is just too much out there that is demanding our attention. Get ready for some shorter videos in the future.

I often donate my services as a wine professional to certain non-profit organizations and they auction me off at their events. Recently, I conducted a private wine tasting for one of the auction winners from last summer. It is something that I really enjoy doing and the group had a great time as I guided them through a single blind tasting. What is a single blind tasting you ask? I line up six wines and pour each one for them. They can see what they are drinking as I guide them through each wine. We talk about the need to look at the wines color, take time to smell the wine and what to look for as they taste each one. I encourage them to take brief notes on key elements of each wine, whether it’s a certain aroma or flavor that stands out. After they taste each wine and take notes, I again serve up the wines in a blind format but in a different order. It’s always fun to watch as each individual goes into this with the greatest confidence. By the sixth wine, their once firm confidence is rattled as they question their choices. I was quite impressed when the hostess of the event got four out of six correct. That is amazing really, since blind tasting of any kind is difficult at best. Two got three out of six correct, which is also impressive. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a good time. Needless to say, the wines were stellar.

One of the stand outs of that evening was the Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a second label Cab from Drew Bledsoe who also produces a much acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon called Doubleback. The Flying B is half the price of Doubleback, and I feel it is a bargain for what you get. Very balanced and structured, with nice integration of fruit, tannins and oak. This was the first time I have had the chance to taste this wine. Although I also poured one of my favorite Merlot from Charles Smith’s Wines of Substance line, the Flying B stole my heart and palate. At least for the evening. The cool part, this Cab will age nicely over the next 10-15 years. At sixty bucks a bottle, that is a worthwhile investment. I know I will tuck a couple away in my cellar.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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 Milbrandt Vineyards Rose` (Columbia Valley, WA)… $12.

Peaches all day on the nose with a backdrop of strawberries and cherries. Fresh and balanced on the palate with notes of peaches and strawberries joined by a generous dose of cherries. Solid, long fresh finish. (B-/B)

2015 Skyfall Red Blend (Columbia Valley, WA)… $16.

Slightly challenged on the nose with hits of red berries, tobacco and a candied element that comes through. Surprisingly rich on the palate with notes of currants and blackberries up front and into the finish joined by a kiss of tobacco. The tannins are slick and there is a nice bright lift on the mid-palate. White pepper notes show up on the back-end while tobacco lingers on the finish. Nice structure and balance. 48% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Syrah, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Sangiovese (B+)

2015 Skyfall Vineyard Merlot (Columbia Valley, WA)… $16.

Aromas of tobacco and currants with a dash of brown sugar and candied violets underneath. Cherries and currants blended together on the palate supported by slick tannins. A hit of tobacco creeps in on the finish and lingers with the currant notes. Starts off on the palate solid, but goes slightly thin on the finish. 83% Merlot, 17% Syrah (B)

2012 Dunham Cellars Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon Lewis Vineyard (Columbia Valley, WA)… $75.

Restrained aromas of currants, bark and earth with hits of chocolate and wilted red flowers. Intense and structured on the palate with notes of currants that dominate, underscored by a solid bed of acidity that lifts the wine in the mouth and stays away from the crunchy side. There is a little red raspberry component that hides underneath front to finish where it is fresh and a little dirty mingled with chocolate that lingers. (B/B+)

2013 Dunham Cellars Syrah (Columbia Valley, WA)… $35.

Aromas of black plums, currants, boysenberries and black raspberries with a hit of chocolate and vanilla mocha underneath. Smooth boysenberry and currant notes with an undertow of chocolate and tobacco. A hit of diesel on the mid-palate which is quite interesting. Tobacco and mocha notes hit on the finish with a little white pepper added. Long finish, good structure and balance with well-integrated acidity. (B+/A-)

2010 Beresan “The Buzz” Red Yellow Jacket Vineyard (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $21.

Blackberry and licorice notes on the nose with hits of red flowers and crushed red brick. Smooth tannins with a little edge support notes of blackberries and currants with a good dose of minerality. Tobacco notes hit hard on the back-end with a little dirt action joining up. A touch grippy on the finish. Good integration of all the elements and good structure. Very old world in style. (B/B+)

2014 Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington State)…$19.

Aromas of cherries and black raspberries with hits of licorice, chocolate and strawberries. Tar and dark cherry notes come through on soft, structured tannins with chocolate notes as an underbelly. A touch thin on the mid-palate and finish. (C+/B-)

2013 Soos Creek “Terrible Beauty” Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $30.

Solid Currant and licorice notes on the nose with a pinch of dark cherries. Dark cherry and currant notes penetrate the palate front to finish with a trace of minerals. Chocolate and licorice notes linger underneath. Solid, smooth tannins support the fruit notes with red flower notes as a spine. Nice, fresh acidity front to a long finish that tightens up a bit on the back-end. (B+)

2013 Cavatappi “Maddalena” Nebbilo (Columbia Valley, WA)… $18.

Strawberries all day on the nose with a kiss of red flowers and earth. Soft, structured tannins support strawberry and tobacco notes front to finish with mineral and leather notes joining up. Tannins get a bit grippy on the finish. Nice balance with a little kick on the mid-palate. (B+)

2013 Cavatappi “San Pietro” Tuscan Style Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $18.

Aromas of sweet dark cherries and tobacco with a hit of violets and licorice. Round cherry, currant and tobacco notes on sweet tannins front to finish where a little spice and chocolate join the palate party. Sturdy tannins and good structure. Tobacco notes linger on the finish. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. (B+)

2014 J. Bookwalter “Readers” Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)…$25.

Aromas of Currants and wilted red flowers with a sweet edge and a touch of licorice. Powerful currant notes front to finish with a backbone of chocolate and tobacco on smooth tannins that show a little attitude on the finish. Red flower notes sneak in on the back-end. (B+/A-)

2014 J. Bookwalter Conflict Red Conner Lee Vineyards (Columbia Valley, WA)… $50.

A touch muted on the nose with hits of chocolate, cherries and tobacco. Smooth and polished on the palate. Notes of currants, tobacco and chocolate front to finish. A nice cinnamon hit on the finish where tobacco and white pepper notes linger. Good structure and balance. (A-)

2013 Brian Carter Cellars “Corrida” Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $30.

Aroma of currants, red flowers and vanilla with a slight hit of chocolate, tobacco and bark. Currants and black raspberry notes hit on the front of the palate with an underscore of tobacco and minerals. Nice flow across the palate with a solid core of fruit. A dry, mineral-tobacco finish with a hint of chocolate on the back-end. 63% Tempranillo, 26% Graciano, 11% Grenache (B)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man