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2022 Rumor Côtes de Provence Rosé, France, Provence, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

Impressive Rosé from Provence.  It is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Tibouren.  Medium Salmon Pink with some orange swirls in color, clear and bright.  The nose is powerful with cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, and slight thyme notes.  It has a very nice texture.  Plush but firm with a slightly viscous feel.  On the palate, the wine is dry.  Flavors of cherries, strawberries, and slight blood orange.  There is also a minerality to this wine that is very nice.  Good finish.  This is a wine that flaunts its serious side.  It is nice on its own but also will work well

2021 François Chidaine Sauvignon Touraine, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

Another great consistent value wine.  This is Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.  Light golden in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose has nice minerality with a bit of peach.  Light to medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, mineral, and lemon with some peach coming out later especially on the finish.  This is tasty and easy drinking on its own but also very food friendly.  It would work nicely with Salade Niçoise.  Drink over the next three to five years.

2016 Château Fonbadet, France, Bordeaux, Pauillac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$28.00USD

This is a go to house for value in Bordeaux while still getting quality and terroir.  This vintage is a 70/30 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dust, cigar box, black cherries, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, cassis, tobacco, black cherries, slight dark chocolate and char.  Long finish.  This is still youthful but drinking well.  Some complexity now and more as it ages.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own but evenbetter with food.  Slow cooke

2018 Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon Moulds Family Vineyard, USA, California, Napa,

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+

Having tasted this as a barrel sample, it was nice to get to taste this from bottle.  Of course, it is young, but at age six, it is showing very well.  Purple  in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is concentrated but big with cassis, slight graphite, char, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good energy.  On the palate, cassis, graphite, chocolate, spice and char.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This is drinking well but it will easily go another ten to fifteen more years.  Great on its own, this will work well with big meat or roasted vegetables.  

2021 David & Nadia Chenin Blanc, South Africa, Swartland, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$39.00USD

This is Chenin Blanc from South Africa.  it is excellent and a great value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with oranges, orange rind and minerality.  Also, some salinity.  Medium bodied.  Good balance and acidity.  On the palate, the minerality dominates but the citrus gives it some lift and energy.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but also great with food.  This would go very well with grilled Tuna Steaks.  Drink over the next ten years.  

2021 Carlisle Grüner Veltliner Steiner Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Mountain, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

Another great GV from Carlisle.  This bears some resemblance to its Austrian counterparts, but is certainly from California.  Light gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with limes, granny smith apples and minerals.  Light to medium bodied.  Well balance.  Good acidity.  On the palate, limes, some apples and slight vanilla note.  Tasty.  This drink great on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  It would be a nice with with Quiche.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

2003 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage, Portugal, Douro, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2003
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

From one of the top producers of vintage Port, this was an extremely hot vintage across Europe.  Taylor handled it beautifully creating a VP that really needed twenty plus years to be ready to start drinking.  Purple in color, ruby rim, opaque and bright.  This still looks youthful.  The nose is great with chocolate covered raspberries, char, and a slight espresso bean note.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is sweet, not cloying.  Delicious.  Flavors of chocolate, raspberries, slight dark chocolate, and char.  Long finish.  This is complex if still

2022 J. K. Carriere Pinot Noir Vespidae, USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

This is the flagship wine, 100% Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon.    Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and night.  The  nose is dusty with black cherries.  Light tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, black cherries and cherries with a musky quality that is interesting.  Good finish.  This is an earthy, musky Pinot that Burgundy lovers might really enjoy.  It is nice on its own but would be better with food.  It would work well with some soft, stinky cheese.  Drink over the next ten years.  

2019 François Pinon Vouvray Les Trois Argiles, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$33.00USD

This is Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  The name represents the "Three Clays" or three clay dominant parcels of land.  It is not labelled as such but is essentially a Demi-Sec or Half-dry wine.  Light golden in color with green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with an apple sauce quality.  Slight, slight tannins.  Good acidity.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly (or perhaps a bit more) sweet.  Flavors of apples with a bit of wild herbs and a chalky minerality.  Good finish.  This is drinking well on its own and will work with some lighter foods.  Fried

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