2010 Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée, USA, California, Napa, Oakville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$159.00USD

Expectations and hopes.  Its hard not to have them but they do affect ones enjoyment of wine.  This was an excellent wine but for whatever reason, vintage, cork, etc., was not up to expectations.  A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spice and some cherries.  On the palate, this is amazingly integrated and smooth.  Cassis with some underlying spice.  Not as deep nor complex as this wine can get in other vintages.  That said, it drinks so easily, the bottle is drained quickly.  I

2005 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, Germany, Nahe, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$180.00USD

Brilliant showing for this wine.  Showing a hint of age at 16 years from vintage.  Golden in color.  The nose is clean with Crème brûlée, minerality and slight red fruits.  Medium to full bodied.  Viscous.  On the palate, this is sweet and rich but enough acidity to cut through it.  The Crème brûlée comes thru to the palate but very concentrated.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is great on its own or with some cheeses.  Should have no problem going another fifteen to twenty years.  

NV Trezvoh Kagor, Bulgaria, Wine Review

Score: 
87
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$12.00USD

Kagor is a fortified dessert wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes.  It  originated as a sacramental wine for use in the Russian Orthodox Church.  Peter the Great had developed a taste for Cahors wines and started importing them in bulk. The Russian clergy was so impressed with its blood-red color (reminiscent of Christ's blood) that the Holy Synod adopted Cahors as a preferred wine for sacraments in 1733. Kagor is a modern type of "Cahors" developed for Prince Lev Golitsyn in the late 19th century.

2013 Castra Rubra Syrah Nimbus Premium, Bulgaria, Thracian Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$25.00USD

This was the wine of the tasting at a recent tasting of Bulgarian wines (though they all showed well).  Globetrotting enologist Michel Rolland is the consulting winemaker at this winery.  Like many of his wines, this bold and fruit forward is going strong at age eight.  This is inky purple  in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black olives, roasted meats and roasted veggies.  Full bodied.  Intense.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is complex.  Layers of black raspberry fruit, char and slight earthiness.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This drinks well o

2015 Bessa Valley Winery Enira, Bulgaria, Thracian Lowlands, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$16.00USD

This is a blend of Merlot 52%, Syrah 26%, Petit Verdot 14%, and Cabernet Sauvignon: 8%.  It works quite well.  Garnet/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose smells like a great Bordeaux blend; cassis, cherries, cigar box and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has some depth and complexity. Cherries, black raspberries with some char and spice.  Light tannins.  This drinks great on its own and would work with roasted meats (or veggies).  This should drink well for the next seven to ten years.  A really good value.  

2016 Rumelia Wine Cellar Mavrud Reserve, Bulgaria, Thracian Valley, Plovdiv, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This is made from the Mavrud grape, an ancient grape indigenous to Bulgaria.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, boysenberries, smoke, and slight forest floor.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is more of an elegant wine with black cherry fruit, tart cherries and underlying forest floor.  Complex.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  A really interesting experience.  This will work better with food than on its own.  Roasted fowl or even pasta Bolognaise would work well.  Drink over the next four to seven years.  

2015 Manastira Wine Cellar Mavrud Riverside, Bulgaria, Thracian Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

Mavrud is a grape that dates back to the Greek times.  The name comes from a Greek word meaning blacks the  skin is bluish-black.  It is one of the prized indigenous grapes in Bulgaria.  The winery is built on the site of an ancient Monastery that was destroyed by the Turns in the fifteenth century.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, some raspberries, plums and strawberries.  Some spice as well.  On the palate, this is medium bodied with good acidity.  Black cherry fruit.  Light tannins.  Some depth and complexity.  This is a really nice value.  Somewhat Pinot-like bu

2015 Valley Vintners Parallel 43 Trianguli Bouquet, Bulgaria, Danubian Plain, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$14.00USD

Bouquet is grape variety that is cross between the Mavrud and Pinot Noir grapes created in 1951 at the Pleven viticulture and oenology institute in northern Bulgaria.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and cranberries.  Medium bodied.  Silky tannins.  On the palate, this has a cherry sweet tart quality.  Sort of Pinot-like but a bit heavier.  An intriguing wine that certainly has some potential.  It drinks fine on its own but really needs some food to work with the acidity.  Roasted fowl would be a nice choice but a burger would work too.  Its hard to say, but

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