2019 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Laurelwood District, USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  Black cherries, some cassis, a bit of black pepper, and a dried floral note.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins. Nice mouthfeel.  On the palate, black cherries and cherries with spice and a slight earthiness.  Moderate acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well and should continue for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own, this also works well with food.  Chicken paprikash would be a good match.  

2021 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Gris, USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$14.00USD

Nice to revisit this wine, it has been a long time since trying any vintage.  Light golden in color with just a touch of green and also copper hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose has peach, honeydew melon and slight spice.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, the honey dew comes out with just a bit of sweetness and some underlying tea leaves.  Good acidity. Nice finish.  This is drinking well and should continue to do so for another three to five years.  It will work with lighter foods and also worked nicely with assorted Chinese foods.  

2021 North Coast Wine Club Pinot Noir, USA, Ohio, Grand River, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$24.00USD

This is made from grapes grown near the Lake Erie shore in northeastern Ohio.  It is cooler climate in style.  Of course, Pinot Noir is difficult to make anywhere, and this one is not only varietally correct, it is good.  Ruby in color with a few daker swirls, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, rhubarb, slight herbal note, and a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.

2020 North Coast Wine Club Super Tuscan, American Red Blend, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$26.00USD

This is a blend of primarily Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and a bit of Merlot.  It seemed a step or two up from the varietally labelled Sangiovese.  Purple in color with some garnet hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, spice, black cherries, slight chocolate and slight forest floor.  Full bodied.  On the palate, there is some varietal complexity and depth.  Light tannins.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries and spice.  Some acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy but has some depth, too.  It is nice on its own and would be a nice wine with a steak.  Drink over the

2019 North Coast Wine Club Syrah, USA, Washington, Yakima Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$25.00USD

This is made from Syrah grown in Washington state, shipped cold to northeast Ohio where it is vinified.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight black raspberries, cloves, spice, slight burnt rubber (not a bad thing), and some chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is cooler climate in style.  Boysenberries, char and slight chocolate.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This is nice on its own but really begging for food.  It would work very well with Turkish food (for the adventurous).  Drink over the

2019 North Coast Wine Club Appassimento, USA, Ohio, Grand River, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$31.00USD

It northeast Ohio, it can be difficult to grow Cabernet Sauvignon and get it ripe.  The spring often limits when budbreak occurs, and cold autumns don't often allow sufficient hang time.  In an experiment to deal with this, the North Coast Wine Club, utilized the Appassimento method from northeast Italy, in an attempt to get a bit more volume and alcohol.  This means the grapes are allowed to partially air-dry out which reduces volume while raising the sugar levels.  it is the way Amarone is made, but in this case, instead of Italian grapes, this wine is made in that method but using Bordea

2021 North Coast Wine Club Carménère, American, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$26.00USD

These grapes for this wine come from California, shipped cold to northeast Ohio where they are made into wine.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight rhubarb, slight herbal notes and a bit of coffee grounds.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has nice red fruits (cherries, pomegranate) along with a peppery note.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own and would be a nice wine with pasta or pizza.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

2019 North Coast Wine Club Riesling, Washington, Yakima Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$17.00USD

The grapes are grown in Washington and shipped (34F) to northeast Ohio where the wines are made.  12% abv. Light golden in color.  The nose is interesting with nice minerality along with a slight chamomile note and peaches.  Medium bodied.  Dry.  On the palate, the minerality comes thru along with a bit of lemon peel.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now on its own and should be quite food friendly.  A nice match would be Thai food.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

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. 

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