100% Agiorgitiko. Ruby in color. The nose has nice cherries with some pepper. On the palate, this is tart cherries. Quite tannic. Good acid. With some air, it drinks pretty easy. Not too dissimilar from Barbera. It retails for $9 which is a nice value.
Not to be confused with the wine of the same name from the Valley floor in Oak Knoll, this is from Atlas Peak and is mountain fruit. This is a step up in quality and price. Inky purple in color. Very concentrated. The nose has cassis, dark chocolate graphite and char. On the palate, this is tannic. Concentrated cassis flavors. Fine tannins. It opens in the glass but could use some time/decanting. Nice balance. Good finish. A polished wine that should improve for the next five years. Will work on the dinner table or on its own. $85 retail.
From the Valley floor in Oak Knoll. Purple in color. The nose is nice with cassis, cherries and baking spices. The palate has medium tannins. Ripe cassis fruit and a bit of pepperyness. Drinks great on its own but would work with heavier foods. Drinks easy but there is some depth and should improve with some short term ageing. Retails for $65.
Deep ruby in color with brown tinges to it. On the nose, this has nice cherries with a bit of tar/anise. It has strong tannins on the palate. Cherry fruit but a pretty strong green streak. There is plenty of depth. Good acidity. This begs for food, both to calm the tannins and the green streak. It is very good though and at $18, this is fairly priced. It will be interesting to try the 2015 to compare.
50% Corvina / 20% Rondinella, 25% Molinara / 5% indigenous varietals. Deep ruby in color. The nose is nice with cherries and baking spice. On the palate, this has deep cherry fruit. Good acidity. Slight tannins. This wine is correct and everything expected for a nice Valpolicella including the price - $18. Will work with medium and heartier foods and if needed, on its own too.
Made from the Rossese grap in Liguria Italy near the town of Cervo. Light ruby in color. The nose has dusty cherries. On the palate, good acidity. Fresh cherry fruit. Slight salinity. Long finish. This will work with a wide variety of foods and is probably better at the table than as a cocktail. It retails for $24. An unusual wine that is a bit different and worth trying.
This is 100% Mencia from the Bierzo region in Northwest Spain. It is a young wine and meant to be consumed in the first few years. Ruby in color. The nose has black cherries and some raspberries. On the palate, there are some tannins. Black cherry and cherry fruit. Some underlying earthiness. Good acidity. This wine is really all about the fresh fruit though. Easy to drink and delicious. Some depth. Good finish. This will work on its own or with a wide variety of foods.
This is a Garnacha from near the city of Toledo in Spain. Ruby in color. The nose has some cherries with an herbal quality and some anise. On the palate, this is light bodied with good acidity. Some tannins though give it a bit of extra weight. Cherries and slight bitter cherries on the nose with just a bit of earthiness. Good finish. This should be very food friendly for a wide range of foods. Drinking well now and should be for 5 years.
Ruby in color. The nose is dusty with cherries. On the palate, this has cherries turning to bitter cherry on the finish. No tannins. Easy to drink. Nothing complex here, but for 12 bucks, this is a food friendly wine that will work for a variety of foods that are not too light or heavy. Great for parties or cookouts. Drink over the next couple of years.
Light green/gold in color. The nose has a fair amount of oak still showing but the fruit is a bit faded. The palate is consistent with the nose. It seems like this was probably a bit better a few years ago and probably needs to be drunk sooner than later. For those who like oak drive California Chardonnay, this retails for $30.
