An excellent vintage for this wine, it is in a great place right now. The wine is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. Light golden in color with a fine bead of tiny bubbles.
Made from Tinta del Pais, this offers a lovely combination of huckleberry, green tea, blueberry, plum, light vanilla and charred wood notes. It was aged for a year in both French and some American oak. There is a lovely integration with the oak (vanilla) and the black fruit compote. The tannins support the structure of the wine and the acidity, though mild, reinforces the overall harmony. This is a very lovely wine, nothing dominates, but is seamlessly balanced. ORIGIN: Ribera del Duero, Spain. ALCOHOL: 14.5%
Earthy tannins leads to blackberry, blueberry, plum, and violets. Made from mainly Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon, there are small amounts of Syrah, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc in the mix. This has always been a solid wine for a very reasonable price. It deviates from much oak treatment and instead promotes the raw, earthy flavors of its organic vineyards. The aging consisted of 66% of the wine placed in French oak for 18 months, therefore the oak is supporting and not dominate. Nicely balanced this is a great go-to everyday drinking wine. ORIGIN: Apalta, Chile. ALCOHOL: 13.5%
Not quite as good as the 2007, but still excellent. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, char, black pepper and roasted meats. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, juicy acidity. Black raspberries, black pepper and char. Long finish. This seems about at peak. Drinking great on its own, it would also work well with roasted vegetables or meats. Drink over the next five to ten years.
This is the basic Cabernet in Myriad's lineup. A stunning wine if not at the level of the single vineyard offerings. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, slight tobacco, leather, spice and char. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, great balance. Lots of cassis with black pepper and underlying char. Long finish. This is not a fruit monster but it is a bigger wine. At age 5, it is barely showing much development, but is still enjoyable. Ideally, cellar for five more and then drink for fifteen to twenty after that.
James Berry Vineyard is one of the great Syrah vineyards in the world. It is the home vineyard for Saxum. Carlisle's version is a bit less blousy perhaps but really a wonderful wine. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, slight bacon fat, slight gamey meat with some white pepper. Wonderful, almost seamless, texture. Great energy and balance. On the palate, this is delicious. Complex and just about at maturity. Notes of black raspberries, black pepper and char. Long finish. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.
Another classic Chardonnay from this producer. Santa Cruz is south of San Francisco. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is great with lemons, slight vanilla and spice. Crisp texture. Great acidity. This is just starting to open and has a long life left. Lemons and green apples with some underlying spice. Long finish. Drink over the next ten years.
Graham's is one of the top Port houses and 1994 was an excellent vintage for them. Inky purple in color with some ruby swirls, opaque and bright. The nose has chocolate covered raisins with black raspberries and slight dusty notes. Full bodied. On the palate, black raspberries, milk chocolate, raisins and alcohol notes. Long finish with some alcohol showing. This is in a great place but not showing a lot of age. Complex. This should easily go another ten to twenty years. Great on its own, this will work well with chocolate desserts.
My first time trying this. It seems to be associated with Ghost Block wines. This is a blend of 56% Malbec and 44% Petite Verdot. Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has plums, cedar, clay and spice. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, plums with a bit of black raspberries. More one dimensional with out a lot going on. It drinks very easy. Nice on its own, this would be a nice mid week burger wine. drink over the next five years.
Bought on release and well stored. On release, this was a very modern take on Tempranillo. At age 22, it still drinks that way although it has calmed down and matured quite a bit since then. Still drinking youthfully. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries with an earthy notes. With air, more barnyard emerges (Brettanomyces) although not strong. Full bodied. Tannins are resolved. On the palate, raspberries with black cherries and some kirsch. A bit of char as well. Long, slightly drying finish. Complex and deep, this won't get better but shou
