2018 Realm Cellars The Bard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
99
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$146.00USD

Realm is one of our favorite wineries and The Bard may be our favorite (so hard to choose) especially considering price.  This is an expensive wine, but for the quality, this is a great wine.  It is a Cabernet based blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 2% Petite Sirah .  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, tobacco, chocolate, coffee and baking spices.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is young and tight but also showing complexity and depth.  Flavo

2018 Arnaldo-Caprai Grechetto Colli Martani Grecante, Italy, Umbria, Wine review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
85
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$16.00USD

Interesting to taste this after recently trying the 2021 (https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2021-arnaldo-caprai-grechetto-colli-mar...).  Light golden in color,  clear and bright.  The nose has a nice minerality but the fruit seems faded.  Some chalk and earthiness.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, lots of minerality with a slight peach note.  Good acidity.  Bitter almond note on the finish.

2019 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Old and Mature Vines Scherrer Vineyard Alexander Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$42.00USD

A lovely, old school Zinfandel.  Whether one thinks this is young or ready or old is a matter of preference.  For my tastes, this is drinking youthfully but ready.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has bramble, raspberries, slight black cherries and spice.  Light but present tannins.  On the palate, bramble and black cherries with spice and slight char.  Drinks well.  Not over the top.  Very nice on its own but better with food.  A great wine with pizza.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

2022 Saracina Rosé of Grenache

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$19.99USD

From Mendocino County, Saracina’s Rosé of Grenache is grown on sustainably farmed vineyards that are home to 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife. This offers black cherry, strawberry, blood orange and rhubarb notes, with both red and green apple in the mix. Interestingly there is a light sweetness that is counterbalanced by a light tartness. The bright acidity allows this to work well with a variety of different foods. ORIGIN: Mendocino County. ALCOHOL: 12.5%

2019 Sandlands Chenin Blanc Lodi, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Sandlands makes some of the best Chenin Blancs in America.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with minerality/crushed shells, some lemon and lanolin.  Light to medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this young.  Vibrant.  The minerality continues thru but the lemon is more persistent.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is nice on its own and should work well with all but the heaviest meat dishes.  It worked very well with Hunan food.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

2020 Montinore Estate Borealis The Northern Whites, USA, Oregon, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$12.00USD

This unique blend comes from Oregon.  It is 38% Muller-Thurgau, 28% Gewurztraminer, 22% Riesling and 14% Pinot Gris.  Best guess, this is a blend of wine available after bottling various grapes and vineyards.  This was purchased at a restaurant.  Green gold in color.  Light bodied.  The palate has a varietal complexity.  Easy drinking.  Nice value.  A good choice with lighter foods and it went well with vegetarian pizza options.  

Flora Springs 2019 Holiday Blend – Two Turtle Doves

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$95.00USD

Every year Flora Springs produces holiday wines, this year with a beautiful etched bottle (and a three pack of three different holiday etchings and blends) featuring turtle doves. A cabernet dominate blend, this offers soft, bright fruit of black cherry, blackberry, huckleberry, boysenberry, with back notes of green tea leaf, sandalwood, Asian pear, vanilla, camp fire and light dusty mocha. 18 months of aging in French and American oak barrels rounds out the fruit. They don’t make much but it makes a unique gift. 230 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.2

2020 Halter Ranch Libelle Sparkling Picpoul Blanc, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Revieew

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$85.00USD

This is a really interesting wine.  It is made from 100% Picpoul Blanc in the Methode Champenoise style.  Picpoul Blanc isn't all that common but is usually found in the Rhone Valley or the Languedoc in Southeastern France.  This is (to the best of my memory), the only time I have seen a sparkling Picpoul.  The grapes are grown using organic and sustainable methods in California's Central Coast.  The wine is silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  There is a nice mousse of tiny sized bubbles that are persistent in the glass.  Very pretty.  The nose starts out showing some tropica

2019 E. Guigal Hermitage, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

The best wines from Guigal are generally considered his Cote Rotie's but the Hermitage doesn't lag far behind.  On the other hand, their Hermitage is much more affordable and is certainly worth looking at.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, clay, spice, some oak, violets and smoke.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Well balanced.  On the palate, there is plenty of black raspberry fruit but overall this wine needs time.  Plenty of impenetrable depth.  Great texture.  Long finish.  Ideally hold this for another seven to ten years and drink over the ne

2014 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Farconnet, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A

It was nice to revisit this wine (See https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2014-jl-chave-s%C3%A9lection-hermitage-...) as it gets closer to full maturity.  This wine has really exceeded all of my expectations.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, slight dried floral note and a fresh earthiness.  Full bodied.  great texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with some underlying funk and hints of va

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