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!
- NV Exigeante Brut (France): France’s [late] response to Prosecco. Kudos for adding reserve wine for the yeastiness. $22 B
- 2019 Mack & Schuhle ‘Art of Earth’ Organic Red (Montepulciano d’Abruzzo): Delightful stuff, and even kind of grippy; Neighborhood BBQ, here we come! $12 B
- 2016 Reva Dolcetto d’Alba (Piedmont): Tangy, gritty, earthy, and rustic… and then perfumed and fun. It’s a good kind of head-fake. $18 B
- 2016 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico (Tuscany): Supple, fruity, and sporty, with a length that will go the distance at the dinner table. $23 B+
- NV Mancan Red (California): Simple, & probably tastier than the stuff they’re serving at the next wedding you attend. $5 B-
- 2017 Baileyana Winery Grand Firepeak Cuvee Pinot Noir (Edna Valley): Light of shade, rich of body, & bright of fruit. $25 B+
- 2014 Renwood Special Reserve Grandpere Zinfandel (Amador County): Still brash, bold, and livin’ large despite having some wrinkles around the temples. $50 A-
- 2010 Paoletti Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Oak Knoll District): Still alive and basically proving the haters wrong, with some sweet personality aspects, but leathery skin and a grumpy streak. $69 A-
- 2015 Mira Winery Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Still one for the hedonists out there; toasty, honeyed, with sweet dried apricot and peach suppleness. $85 A-
- 2020 Domaine Bousquet ‘Virgen’ Organic Red Blend (Tupungato): Balanced, friendly, and a downright dangerous kind of delicious. $14 B