NV CLE Urban Winery Murray Hill Pinot Grigio

Score: 
87
Grade: 
B

CLE Urban Winery is located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  They are essentially a wine bar that gets juice from California and other places and makes their own wine which is sold at the bar.  The labels feature different scenes of Cleveland.  This one features the brick street that is the heart of Cleveland's Italian community.  The wine is light golden in color.  The nose has tangerine and orange with a slight minerality.  On the palate, this is big and fruity.  Tangerine with some sweetness.  It is not deep but it has enough acidity to be refreshing.  While it does not have the minerality n

2017 Bonterra Young Red, USA, California, Mendocino, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is an interesting wine.  Apparently, they hard press the must from their Grenache based Rose wine to get more juice.  Typically, this is a tannic, more colorful juice but lacking some of the stuffing and nuances.  Then Malbec is added back to the wine presumably to give it more freshness and character.  In any event, the resulting wine is quite interesting and at $16, a very nice value.  It is made from organically grown grapes.  It has a very deep ruby color to it almost, but not quite opaque.  On the nose, this has dark cherries, a slight bubble gum note, and cherry juice.  A bit lig

2013 Hobel Wine Works Cabernet Sauvignon Engelhard Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

This is a Cabernet made by Thomas Rivers Brown, one of Napa's top winemakers.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, some pencil lead and a bit of chocolate and spice.  Very tight on the palate, give this time or air.  Cassis fruit and spice.  Very deep.  As it opens up over a couple of hours, it is delicious.  Precise.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Worked well with food.  This has some upside to it and really shouldn't be opened for a few years.  Should last twenty years though so no hurry.  

2015 Domaine de la Côte Sainte-Epine St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Great showing for this.  Tasted over two nights with little change.  Of course, 2015 is young and a great vintage in the northern Rhone.  Purple in color.  The nose is pretty classic if a bit riper than typical.  Black raspberry fruit with spice along side some bacon fat, slight grilled meats and black pepper.  On the palate, this has a lovely rich texture.  Good acidity to balance that out.  Black raspberry fruit with an underlying crushed rock and slight roasted herbs.  Primary now but it unwinds in the glass.  A step up from a recent 2012 of this wine I had.  Not yet at peak, this needs

2013 Epoch Estate Wines Veracity, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

This is a GSM blend.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black cherries, cherries, black raspberries, floral notes, slight earthiness, black pepper and spice.  On the palate, this is lush and deep.  Almost but not quite jammy.  Medium tannins.  This is still young and in need of time to delineate its complexity.  Right now it is fun and delicious.  Depends on how you like them.  Probably another 10 years to get to peak.  

2010 Château Boutisse, France, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

From an excellent vintage whose wines are slow to come around, this one is drinking well.  Seems to be shy of peak but getting close.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, slight tobacco and spice.  On the palate, this has medium body.  Cherries with some intertwines tobacco.  Some depth if not a lot.  Good acidity.  Worked well with food.  Nice finish.  I believe this was under $30 on release which is a fair price.  

2009 Bodegas El Nido Jumilla Clio, Spain, Jumilla, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell (Mourvedre).  In its youth, this was a big, sweet, oak drive and tannic wine.  At age 9 it has come together nicely.  It is still drinking youthfully but no longer dominated by oak, there is still plenty of fruit.  It is ripe and there are still medium tannins left.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, coffee grounds and spice.  On the palate, this has a lush texture.  Juicy black cherry and some cassis fruit.  There is a nice depth here if not (yet) delineated.  An underlying coffee note.  It worked with mildly spiced

2010 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Sec, France, Loire Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

This is Chenin Blanc from one of the top producers in Vouvray.  While not to the same extent, Vouvray has dealt with premature oxidation in their wines much like Burgundy.  This wine has been one of those which has had issues.  Luckily, there were no such issues for this bottle.  Still a light gold in color.  The nose is nice with minerals, slight burnt orange and quince paste.  On the palate, this is dry.  Minerals and burnt orange peel (like in some cocktails).  There is a bit of bitterness on the finish.  It is a very good wine that really begs for food to shine.  Good bottles of this ha

2016 Bevan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Dry Stack, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Light golden in color.  The nose is quiet at first but opens to nice grapefruit notes.  Very fresh on the nose.  The grapefruit continues to the palate which is both wide and deep.  Good acidity.  Worked well with food and on its own.  Very tasty.  Long finish.  No green or grass here.  At around $35, this is very fairly priced.  

2014 Donelan Syrah Obsidian Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma, Knights Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Sadly, this vineyard was burned in 2017 in the fires of Sonoma and Napa.  It is being replanted which is good news as this was the star of the Donelan line-up.  This was tasted from Magnum.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, and some grilled meats.  With air a nice floral note emerges.  On the palate, this has a softer accessible side which is nice, but don't mistake that for a lack of structure.  Black raspberry fruit with underlying char.  It is classic Sonoma Syrah that should last a couple of decades more and continue to improve along the w

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