2005 Château Fleur Cardinale, France, Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$100.00USD

Gorgeous showing for this wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is wonderful with black cherries, chocolate, spice, cherries and slight funk.  Full bodied.  Lush texture.  On the palate, this is just about at maturity.  Plenty of vibrant fruit; cherries and black cherries but also starting to show some depth and complexity.  No hurry though.  This should drink well for another ten to twenty years.  Nice on its own, but better with food. Lamb would be a good match.

2016 Aeris Wines Etna Bianco Superiore, Italy, Sicily, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

This is Carricante from Sicily but made by California winery owner Kevin Harvery (Rhys).  Light golden in color, some darker gold swirls, clear and bright.  The nose is intriguing with minerality, some char, lemons, almonds and salinity.  Lovely, slightly viscous texture.  Light tannins.  On the palate, loads of minerality, some lemons and slight smoke.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own, but would be better with food such as a Lemon Pasta.  Drink over the next ten years.  

2019 Carlisle Zinfandel Piner Olivet Ranches Russian River Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$36.00USD

Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, spice and slight bramble.  Light to medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has cherries with some underlying char.  Moderate finish. Nice to have something a bit different every now and then.  Drink over the next five years. A nice wine with pizza.  

2016 Kavaklıdere Selection Cappadocia, Narince Emir, Turkey, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Made from Emir and Narince grapes grown in Turkey.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons, slight grapefruit and minerals.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, lemons, bitters and slight grapefruit.  Some depth.  Though probably past its prime, it is still enjoyable.  Drink soon.  This works better with food and would be nice with some grilled appetizers.  

2020 Kirkland Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
85
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

There are at least four other Kirkland wines reviewed on this site quite positively.  There is nothing to complain about for the money, but I had hoped for better.  $15.  No sign of smoke taint (that was a year with fires).  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there is some black cherry fruit.  Not much in the way of nuance, but certainly drinkable.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  This would be a nice mid-week wine with a burger or meatloaf.  

2016 Alban Vineyards Syrah Lorraine, USA, California, Edna Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$340.00USD

Alban wines typically take some time to come around, but at age 7, this was drinking quite well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats and roasted herbs, slight dark chocolate and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It is on the bigger side but not a monster.  Black raspberry fruit with some black  pepper and a bit of roasted herbs.  Long finish.

2020 Andremily White Cuvée, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$200.00USD

My first time trying the white from this top producer of Rhone varietals based in Ventura.   This is a blend of 41% Roussanne, 36% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier, and 8% Marsanne.  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lots of smoke/char along with wax, oranges, peaches and minerals.  Full bodied.  Slight tannins.  On the palate, the smoke notes are a bit more like gun powder.  Plenty of peach and slight citrus with a bit of "bitter wax" on the finish.  This is young and in need of time.  Consumed over two days, it really didn't change much at all.  Perhaps on day 2, a bit less Ch

2006 Azienda Agricola Sant'Elena Pignolo Quantum (L’Autoctono), Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2006
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$58.00USD

Pop and pour, this is drinking great. Made from the Pignolo grape. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is concentrated with black cherries, cherries, anise and tobacco.  Medium bodied.  Nice balanced acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and cherries with slight underlying forest floor.  Good finish.  This is a wine made to be consumed with food.  It worked well with Mushroom Gnocchi.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Calera 2019 Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir, Mills Vineyard

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$85.00USD

One of the beautiful things about Pinot Noir is its delicate nature. Sure, some Pinot has bold, even aggressive fruit. But Calera’s 2019 offering is as delicate, feminine and subtle as you can probably get. An overwhelming earthy quality is in this wine along with quiet black cherry, blackberry, light huckleberry, light pomegranate and Bing cherry. There are back notes suggesting jasmine and ginger, a delightful acidity and an elegance to this wine which suggests a deft touch in the winemaking process.

2017 Abreu Madrona Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$530.00USD

This is a Bordeaux blend from Napa.  What a great wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, tobacco, spice and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis, black cherries, cigar tobacco, just a hint of bell pepper and spice.  Complex if tight.  It unwinds in the glass.  It may yet improve with some cellaring but delicious now.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own, this would work great with brisket.  

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