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2001 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2001
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$150.00USD

Another blend of 92% Syrah, 5% Grenache and 3% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.  15.6%abv.  This is still showing youthfully and its hard to believe this is 22 years from vintage.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, white pepper, slight bacon fat and a bit of char.  Full bodied.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  No sign of alcohol on the palate.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some white pepper and a bit of char.  Based on this bottle, bought on release and cellared, this has another decade of life at least.  Great on its own, thi

2019 Saxum White James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$160.00USD

This is a blend of 46% Grenache Blanc, 31% Roussanne, and 23% Chenin Blanc from the great James Berry vineyard in Paso Robles.  What a delicious wine!  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with honey, orange peel, minerals, quince and slight wild thyme note.  Full bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this is nuanced and complex.  Great balance.  Orange citrus, quince with slight honey and lots of minerality.  Long finish.  This is still young but could probably go another ten years and gain in complexity what it loses in vibrancy.  Still, if you just have o

Unánime 2017 Gran Vino Tinto

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$25.99USD

A lovely blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, and 15% Cabernet Franc, the grapes were grown in selected old vineyards from the Uco Valley. The 2017 offers black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry notes, with back notes of pomegranate, tea leaf and rhubarb. The expressive fruit is mitigated by mellow acidity and tannic structure. Aged in French oak for 20 months, this wine is a reminder of the value and quality that Argentina as a whole delivers. ORIGIN: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. ALCOHOL: 14%

Migration 2021 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$44.00USD

Made in a more classic California Chardonnay style, this Migration offers traditional lemon-lime, apricot, white peach, resin and guava notes along with honeysuckle, pear and a pleasant mouth feel. There is a good balance of oak and non-oak, excellent acidity and a subversive viscosity. Aged 10 months in just 34% new French oak allows the fruit and acidity to shine through. Made of all Chardonnay, the grapes came from five different vineyard sites within the AVA, which helps to provide a more well rounded Chardonnay. ORIGIN: Sonoma Coast. ALCOHOL: 14.2%.

2020 Gallica Albariño Rorick Heritage Vineyard, USA, California, Calaveras County, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$29.00USD

An excellent take on Albarino from California.  The grape is normally found on the northwest coast of Spain where it makes crisp youthful white wines.  This one is a bit rounder.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has limes with a good bit of salinity.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, the limes come thru along with a nice minerality.  Crisp acidity.  Long finish.  The wine drinks well on its own but would be better with some salty and/or fried appetizers.  Drink over the next couple of years.  This is a bit pricier than its Spanish counterparts but this is as good or

2019 Michael Angelo's Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

The label on this lists Santa Ynez Valley which is in Santa Barbara County, California.  The grapes were grown there and then shipped to Ohio where the wine was produced.  Interestingly, the label also indicates that this is only sold in Ohio. Garnet in color, purple at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is tight but shows boysenberries, cherries, and a bit of cedar on the nose.  Medium bodied.  Strong backbone of acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and slight boysenberries.  This will work better with food.  Cassoulet would be a good choice.

2021 Michael Angelo's Cabernet Sauvignon Wildflour, American, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$49.00USD

This is made with grapes grown on the West Coast and shipped to Ohio.  Purple in color with garnet hues, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, black cherries, and a slight herbal (chervil?) note.  Full bodied.  Gripping tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and cassis with some char and slight reductive (burnt rubber) notes.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This needs a few years of cellaring to integrate and then should drink well for another eight to twelve years.  It would work well with Lamb Stew or a Cassoulet. 

2020 Michael Angelo's Cabernet Sauvignon Sagebrush, American, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$49.00USD

Apparently made from Washington state (Red Mountain) fruit that is then shipped to Ohio.  Packaged in a Burgundy shaped bottle.  This was very good and really made me take notice upon trying.  Garnet in color with purple hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose needs some air to get going, but then shows nice black cherries, figs, roasted vegetables, and slight coffee grounds.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, lots of black cherry fruit along with a slight coffee and spice.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This could use a few more years in a good cellar to get where it is going bu

2021 Michael Angelo's Pinot Noir, American, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$46.00USD

This is made from grapes grown on the west coast and shipped to Ohio.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has rhubarb, cherries and slight spice notes.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the rhubarb and cherry notes come thru along with a slight milk chocolate note.  Moderate finish.  This is a lighter style of Pinot Noir that works better with food than on its own.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

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