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 Le Grand Courtage Grande Cuvee Blanc de Blancs Brut (France): Fragrant, floral, fruity and greater than the sum of its parts. $25 B+
- NV Lucien Albrecht Rose Brut (Cremant d’Alsace): That’s brisk, baby. And tangy. Ohhhhhhh so tangy. $23 B+
- 2017 Karl Haidle Bunter Mergel Lemberger Trocken (Wurttemberg): Here we perk up ’round the mulberry bush! $29 B+
- 2019 Cantine Ermes ‘Vento di Mare’ Nero d’Avola (Sicily): Easy like Sunday morning’ (ahhhh ahhhhh ahhhhhhh-aaahhhhhhhhh)… $10 B-
- 2020 Familia Traversa ‘Traversa’ Sauvignon Blanc (Montevideo): Melon, nettle, and white grapefruit are all excited to be here. $15 B
- 2020 Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc (Sonoma County): Almost a NZ impersonation here… a bit different, but still a crowd-pleasing good buy. $15 B
- 2018 Newton Vineyard Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Sultry, dark, with impressive length and excellent structure… Score another point for tossing the filter! $65 A-
- 2018 Mt. Brave Merlot (Mount Veeder): For those times when only a fantastic balance between sturdy structure and plummy hedonism will do. $100 A
- 2017 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration (Napa Valley): Sketching a busy, technically complex picture of dark tobacco spices, tangy plum fruits, graphite, and ample structure. $135 A-
- 2017 Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian (Napa Valley): A solid ‘A’ for effort in a difficult harvest – tanginess doesn’t get much deeper than this. $135 A