I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For April 22, 2019 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-april-22-2019/
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Just a quick-hit today to let you know that I’m the latest You can read my little TtT feature at the WIN Advisor website, if you’re so inclined (and so foolish) as to actually want to get inside of my head for a few minutes. We tackle topics such as recommendations to wineries when working with journalists, my most memorable recent wine tasting experience, whether or not I consider myself an “influencer,” why my postmodern writing style is sometimes the publishing equivalent of (bad) experimental jazz, and how to effectively de-feather a live chicken while driving at high speed in a Ferrari (I might be lying about that last one). You know, the usual stuff. Cheers!
Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!
Copyright © 2016. Originally at Getting The Tables Turned On Me For WIN Advisor from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com Source: http://www.1winedude.com/getting-the-tables-turned-on-me-for-win-advisor/ Vinessens is a small family-owned winery located in Spain’s Valencia wine region. This particular bottle comes from the sub-region of Alicante and is sourced largely from a vineyard of 80-year-old Monastrell vines. This is the type of Spanish wine that is so undervalued that it is criminal. Locally, this currently available for less than $11, and drinks like a wine twice it’s price. The nose has a sauvage element, studded with cinnamon and smoke. The palate is medium bodied and lush, with a thread of acidity turning the dark fruit into a hit of Meyer lemon on the finish. A funky note of wet earth shows a nod to natural winemaking. Monastrell loves oak, and there is plenty here, but it’s well-balanced and plays well the other elements in this wine. Serve this with smoked pork butt or some duck confit. The post Vinessens 2016 “La Casica del Abuelo” Alicante appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Source: https://www.vinology.com/vinessens-2016-la-casica-del-abuelo-alicante/ I recently had the honor of judging at the 2019 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge (now in its 37th year!), the results of which have been published, allowing me to share some of my thoughts on a few surprises that my panel had the good fortune of tasting during the competition. When I wasn’t feeding errant seagulls who begged at my hotel room window, that is. It’s a long story. Anyway, seasoned 1WD readers will recall that I’ve been infecting the Stay-Classy-San-Diego-based Critics Challenge competition for the last few years, but this was my first time joining much of the same well-heeled, finely-tuned crew for the SD Challenge. I’m happy to report that the SD incarnation is every bit as fun and professionally-executed as CC, and I’m already crossing my fingers that I’ll be back next year. [ By the way, if you’re curious about how the details on these competitions go down, listen to head honcho Robert Whitley dish on it over at the Wine Biz 360 podcast. ] One of the most interesting – and fun… and humbling – things about judging wines blind is that occasionally some items surprise you, busting up your preconceived notions and turning you on to things you might otherwise overlook. The 2019 SD Challenge proved particularly generous in that regard. Here are a handful of vinous items that impressed my panel (Platinum medal winners all), the majority of which are over-achieving budget lovelies, tailor-made for Spring sipping by the San Diego seaside in a manner that would make Ron Burgundy himself beam with pride. Okay, before we start, let’s go over the ground-rules… No touching of the hair or face… And that’s it. Now FIGHT!… 2018 Cavit Rosé (Trevenezie, $12) Technically, this one was filed under the Rosé – Medium Sweet category, which I suspect was a snafu on the part of the whoever submitted this wine for the producer. Doesn’t matter, because this little number would have shined in almost any category at its price-point. Wild raspberry, roses, lemon peel, a zesty flair, and loveliness throughout; enough of this might have you saying things like “that’s the smell of desire, my lady…” Or maybe that’s just me. 2018 SeaGlass Rosé (Monterey County, $13) Mostly Pinot Noir, with a bit of Syrah, this is as complete a rosé experience as one would hope to get without the word “Provence” on the label. Watermelon, strawberry, flower petals, citrus zest, with a finish that just won’t quit, and a life-affirmative aroma that jumps out of the glass with gusto. “It’s quite pungent. It’s a formidable scent. It stings the nostrils. In a good way.” 2018 Imagery Estate Winery Silva Vineyard Albariño (Sonoma Valley, $29) One of the better examples of this white grape outside of the Iberian Peninsula, Imagery has crafted a stellar, balanced white here. Sporting verve and amazing length, you get lemon zest, exotic fruits, and playing and trombones and flowers and garlands of fresh herbs…” Cheers!
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Copyright © 2016. Originally at “Sweet Lincoln’s Mullet!” (2019 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge Highlights) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com Source: http://www.1winedude.com/sweet-lincolns-mullet-2019-san-diego-international-wine-spirits-challenge-highlights/ Long before the movie Sideways, Santa Barbara County has been a hot spot for Pinot Noir. In particular, Sanat Maria Valley is home to some of California’s top vineyards for the grape. That list of top spots includes Garey, Rancho Real, Rancho Sisquoc, and Bien Nacido vineyards. All four of them found their way into this remarkable bottle. Steeped plums, earl grey tea, and molten licorice make for an exhilarating aroma. Hedonistic flavors and lush texture amplify the pleasure here. Then comes a rich chocolate flavor that is complex but also simple: it is the holy trinity of movie theatre candy, blended together: Milk Duds, Sno-Caps, and Raisinets. That moment disappears. You are left with flavors that can only be described as eating steak tartare from a rusty can. And somehow that feels just right. This is a wine is full of impossible contradictions and is immensely better for it. As of this writing, this bottle was selling for under $20 in and around Philadelphia. Considering this sells for $65 at the winery, I’d say this is one of the greatest values for Pinot Noir in some time. The post Wild Horse 2015 “Cheval Sauvage” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Source: https://www.vinology.com/wild-horse-2015-cheval-sauvage-pinot-noir-santa-maria-valley/ I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!
Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For April 15, 2019 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-april-15-2019/ Don’t judge this wine by its bottle. This is the type of packaging I’d expect for a White Zinfandel geared towards functional alcoholics that sell bedazzled dog leashes on Esty. This is not such a wine: it’s a project by winemaker Gilles Nicaul of Long Shadows winery in Washington State’s Columbia Valley. This is a seriously good rosé, a skin-fermented pinot grigio from a single vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills. This is a beautiful wine that is this closer to an orange wine in technique than the fermented sadness that is white zinfandel. Every spring and summer I pack my fridge with delicious rosés. I expect bottles of this wine will be gracing my top shelf from now to August. Sage and apple-skin aromas are followed by rich textures and freshness. Flavors of wild strawberry and tangerine are complicated with a hint of herbs and spiced coconut.
The post Julia’s Dazzle 2017 Pinot Gris Rose, Columbia Valley appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Source: https://www.vinology.com/julias-dazzle-2017-pinot-gris-rose-columbia-valley/ Lately, I’ve been reserving this virtual space for featuring producers I have recently (ok, ok, more like not-so-recently) visited in-person, with my feet in tasting rooms, cellars, vineyards, dilapidated vineyard trucks, etc. Today, however, I’m taking a short break from that feature run to turn your attention towards three items from the ever-expanding sample pool, all of which are exemplary examples of exquisite vinous fare, and all of which are perfectly capable of pulverizing your wine-guzzling ass in the best ways possible. Be forewarned, shiz is about to get very expensive. 2013 Herdade do Mouchão Tinto (Alentejo, $40) One could make a very serious argument that this red is the finest produced in all of Alentejo, and maybe the world’s finest expression of the sometimes-maligned and almost-always-misunderstood Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira grape varieties. I was converted to the chrch of Mouchão a couple of years ago, and happily have never looked back. Texture, tension, bramble, herbs, berries, graphite, and barely-tamed wildness are the names of the game (ok, that’s a long name but whatever). In terms of aging, this is a red that can easily go a decade without breaking a sweat… 2013 Tamarack Cellars 20th Anniversary “Emerald Release” Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, $100) How ironic… from a producer whose wines I sometimes have found to be a tad paunchy when it comes to their prices comes a guilty pleasure of a red that I cannot help but love and find well-worth the price-tag despite it being their most expensive offering. This release, celebrating Tamarack’s emerald anniversary, is a blend of fruit from all of the vineyards that go into their various reserve wines (Seven Hills Vineyard Reserve, Sagemoor Vineyards Reserve, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Reserve, and Tapteil Reserve), blended after 24 months (it also contains 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot). You’d better like them big, rich, and full of savory meat, cedar, leather, and ripe cassis and blueberry. But if you do, you will find a steakhouse dinner match that is nigh impossible to beat. Extra props for the elegant etched label design. NV Osborne ‘Sibarita’ 30 Year Old V.O.R.S Oloroso Sherry (Andalucia, $99) Osborne’s pickup of this, as well as the almost equally as kick-ass “Capuchino” Palo Cortado VORS Sherry, has been a coup for diehard Sherry lovers. This is the type of Oloroso that you can sniff and contemplate for hours before realizing that you have yet to even take a sip. The notes of toasted almonds, pecan, dried fig, and caramel are pure enough that if your eyes were closed you’d be forgiven for thinking that someone had just brought you a plate of some kind of amazing dessert. In terms of it being hedonistic in its generosity… well, its name translates to sybarite, after all. I might still be tasting the finish from this after a few days; or, perhaps, I’m just wishing the reliving of that experience back into existence. Cheers!
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Copyright © 2016. Originally at We Now Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Features To Kick Your Ass from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com Source: http://www.1winedude.com/we-now-interrupt-our-regularly-scheduled-features-to-kick-your-ass/ This tale starts with our protagonist leaving their sylvan homestead in search of their destiny. With an eye to making their mark in the world, they make their way to a sprawlingly romantic city on a hill. After trials and tribulations, they succeed, but not in a way that people will resent their good fortune. This particular story is about Gualtiero Nunzi, who founded his namesake winery in the 19th century in Tuscany and retired to the great city of Florence. His family kept the tradition alive for two centuries. His great-grandson Gualtiero Armando Nunzi then founded the local winery cooperative in 1965, Castelli del Grevepesa, which has been a Wine School favorite for several vintages now. The 2015 Chianti Classico tops that list. Sangiovese has several personalities. At times, it can be aggressivo e tannico, but other times it can offer up fiori delicati e profumo. In this incarnation, it is delicate and complex; the perfect partner for Pici Cacio e Pepe, or any other fresh-and-simple Tuscan pasta. Don’t mistake its lightness for simplicity. Darkly aromatic, it’s crisp red fruit is buttressed with cloves and cigar smoke. Wet earth and thinly boned tannins make for a dramatic finish. The post Castelli del Grevepesa 2015 “Clemente VII” Chianti Classico appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Source: https://www.vinology.com/castelli-del-grevepesa-2015-clemente-vii-chianti-classico/ I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!
Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For April 8, 2019 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-april-8-2019/ |
Linda JohnsonGifted in analyzing carp in Naples, FL. Had a brief career developing strategies for fatback in Washington, DC. Prior to my current job I was deploying clip-on ties in Nigeria. Have a strong interest in lecturing about pogo sticks in the financial sector. Crossed the country building cod in Atlantic City, NJ. Spent 2002-2008 lecturing about shaving cream in Fort Walton Beach, FL. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |