Light pink/orange in color. The nose has some slight watermelon and a bit of grapefruits. This is an easy, light rose on the palate. Refreshing notes of cherries and some cinnamon. Around $16, this is nice for a party.
Kendall Jackson makes a lot of wine at all price levels. One of the more remarkable things is how consistent they are on their value wines. To make wine in that kind of quantity and be that consistent shows a great attention to detail. This wine retails for around $16. 75% Pinot Noir, 23% Syrah, 2% Grenache. Light salmon in color. The nose is really nice. Expressive and enjoyable notes of watermelon with slight strawberries. With air a slight minty scent is there. On the palate, this is more about cherries and "red berries". Not as pronounced as the nose. It does have good acidit
Salmon pink in color. The nose is very nice with watermelon, slight celery note and with air, a bit or rhubarb. Not under ripe though. On the palate, there are some slight cherry notes on the attack. Watermelon on the mid-palate and finishing with some strawberry notes. Not a ton of acidity but some. Works fine with lighter foods but make a great refreshing drink on the patio. There is some complexity here as well. This is an equal blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Shiraz and Mourvedre. It is dry. Retails for under $20 making this well priced. Probably should be drunk by 2020.
This is a project from former baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. I was a bit skeptical about it but this is good. It retails for around $20 which makes this a great bargain in the world of California Chardonnay as well. Pop and pour, it drank well although did improve for the first 30 minutes or so before plateauing until the bottle was emptied. Light gold/green in color. The nose is nice with grapefruit and slight vanilla. Neutral oak barrels were used but there are some very pleasant oak remnants if light. With air some green apples pop out as well. On the palate, this has nice acid
This bottle was opened and decanted for a few hours. Still young but really blossoming. Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is gorgeous with cherries, roses, slight tar and slight dried cherries. On the palate, this has great cherry fruit. Light tannins. Layers of fruit, earth and dry forest floor. Complex. Long finish. Good acidity. Better with food. This continued to improve for the 2 hours or so it was opened. Still some upside but a great Barolo.
Pink grapefruit in color. The nose is nice with some strawberries, watery cherry juice, slight rhubarb and herbal notes. On the palate, this is refreshing. While it is open, it did continue to improve for the few hours it was open. Perhaps that is a function of the serving temp or maybe the air. Still, I would tend to drink these up in the first couple of years. Flavors of strawberries and light cherries. Nice mouthfeel. Works well on its own or with food. At around $25 all in, this is fairly priced.
This is a dessert wine/sherry. Made from the Pedro Ximénez grape. Brown in color. The nose smells like a tootsie-roll which is nice. Chocolate, confectionery sugar. This pours like motor oil; thick and viscous. On the palate, the tootsie-roll quality continues thru. Slightly sweet. Good acidity. No need for food, this is a dessert on its own. It is a tough food match. This wine is made from a Solera method with theoretically some portion of the wine dating to 1927. It is unclear how much and this tastes young. That said, for $25, this is a stellar dessert wine that is fun and d
Realm is at the top of their game, making some of the best wines in the world. This is one of my favorites though expensive, it is doable unlike so many of the top luxury wines. Purple in color. The nose is great with cassis, pencil lead, cedar and spice. On the palate a wonderful juicy almost seamless texture. Deep, if tightly packed. It drinks deliciously now but really won't peak for ten or fifteen years (depending on how you like them). Juicy black raspberries, char and slight earth open in the glass. Long finish. Gorgeous wine. Can a wine be worth $125? It depends, but this
This is excellent. From a winery who will undoubtedly raise their prices once the critics start scoring their wines. This is a GSM blend. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cherries, black raspberries, char, leather and spice. On the palate, this has a great texture. Firm yet sinewy. Great black raspberry and cherry fruit with some spice. Deep and will undoubtedly age well. Good finish. Works great on its own or with food. A winery to follow.
Purple in color. The nose is dusty with cherries. On the palate, this has some medium tannins. cherries and slight forest floor. Good acidity. This is food friendly and reminds me of a Sangiovese (Chianti) with more tannic structure. $23 is fair.
