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.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), so you can get right to the point and decide if they’re for you (or not). Cheers!
- 2018 Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio (Friuli-Venezia Giulia): Making a compelling, authentic case for FZG being your go-to spot for refined SB. $29 B+
- 2017 Schloss Johannisberg Gelblack Riesling Feinherb (Rheingau): The kind of ginger-tinged awesomeness that you should – and very well could – drink all day long. $NA B+
- 2018 Chateau Roubine Cotes de Provence La Vie en Rose (Cotes de Provence): Basically, as cute and as lovely as its eye-catching packaging. $23 B+
- NV Weingut Fred Loimer Brut Rose Reserve (Niederosterreich): A duality in waves and bubbly particles of peachy loveliness. $24 B+
- 2017 Troon Vineyard Vermentino (Applegate Valley, $16): The whole predictably over-achieving package, from vibrant to nutty, from a not-very-predictable place. $17 B+
- 2016 Le Cadeau Vineyard ‘Merci’ Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Ahhhhhhh, merci, mercy, me, this is how bigger WV PN is supposed to beeeeeeee…. $80 A
- 2017 Beckmen Vineyards Cuvee Le Bec (Santa Ynez Valley): Sweet oak, big plums, and even bigger flavor. $25 B+
- 2017 Beckmen Vineyards Estate Grenache (Santa Ynez Valley): It’s hard to resist a bold mover with violets in hand. $32 B+
- 2014 Mount Peak Winery Sentinel Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County/Napa County): Big, black, gritty, sporting dried herbs and a very austere, stern attitude. $62 A-
- 2017 Eberle Cotes-du-Robles Red (Paso Robles): All yumminess, mostly juciness, and absolutely no reservations. $34 B+
I just started reading you. You bill yourself “for the not so serious wine drinker.” Yet when I read one of your reviews, it was filled with wine geek speak. “And absolutely no reservations” and “a very austere, stern attitude.” What does that mean? I’ve taken a number of UC enology and wine sensory evaluation courses. The first rule of thumb they taught us was be very specific in your descriptions. For example, say it “smells like stale gym socks.” Absolutely no reservations? Talk about nebulous. Maybe it was a “natural wine” about which you wrote 😃
Well, it’s damned if you do/don’t, really; if you get too specific, you risk alienating people, and if you are not specific enough, you risk alienating others. Fortunately, there is no shortage of options for you when it comes to online wine reviews, so the odds are in your favor with respect to finding someone who will review in a way that speaks to you.