2017 E. Guigal Gigondas, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This is a blend of 70% Grenache, 20 % Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre.  In many ways, Gigondas has been thought of as Chateauneuf du Pape's little brother and for Guigal, that is an apt comparison.  Drunk side by side, this seemed lighter and easier although similar.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and spice and a hint of anise.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and cherry fruit with a bit of spice on the finish.  Nice finish.  This will work better with food that on its own.  Cassoulet is a classic match.  Drink over t

2018 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône, France, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$12.00USD

The Guigal Cotes du Rhone is consistently one of the best values in wine.  This is the red, but they also make white and rose.  It is  a blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 10% Mourvèdre.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty, slight earthiness with black cherries and black raspberries.  Medium to full bodied.  Very tasty.  Nice texture.  This drinks easy but it also has some stuffing.  On the palate, light tannins with black raspberries and black cherries.  Well balanced.  Amazingly, they make 4.5 million bottles of this wine and keep the quality

2020 Domaine de Grangeneuve L'Initiale H, France, Rhone, Grignan-les-Adhémar, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is from the northernmost AOC in the southern Rhone Valley in France.  It is a blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and black raspberries with spice and slight floral note.  Full bodied.  Nice balance.  On the palate, lots of deep black cherry fruit.  A bit chunky in a rustic sort of way.  Good finish.  This is a nice value wine that will work well with a pizza or or burger.  Drink over the next few years.  

2020 Domaine de Châteaumar Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Vincent, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$19.00USD

One of my go value wines.  Just about every vintage in the southern Rhone is good these days, so this is usually good, too.  Certainly 2020 fits right in with prior vintages.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with black cherries, char, spice and slight floral notes.  Medium to full bodied.  Nice texture.  This drinks easily with lots of black cherry fruit and underlying char.  Nice finish.  I suppose it will age for five to seven years, but I usually just drink mine right away.  Nice on its own, this is great with chili, or stew.  

2013 Saxum James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$165.00USD

This is a blend of 45% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah and 8% Counoise.  15.7% abv.  Just a beautiful wine, albeit a bit young at age 9.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, plums and char.  Full bodied with a lush, rich texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Loads of black cherries and black raspberries with some pepper and spice.  Light to medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this will work well with meats or veggies off the grill

2016 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$140.00USD

One of the top producers in Chateaneuf and one with out a luxury cuvee.  This is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah.  Served pop and pour, this took about 30 minutes to really open and then drank beautifully.  We shared the bottle with friends while listening to Latin jazz at an outdoor café.

2018 Faethm / Fingers Crossed Grenache Off The Record, USA, California, California

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+

This is a blend  of 75% Grenache, 11% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah, and  3% Roussanne.  One of the best Grenache wines from California.  This is concentrated and intense, but not over the top.  Deep garnet in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, spice, game meats and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black cherries, some black raspberries, roasted herbs  and slight beef notes.  Long finish.  Almost seamless texture.  This is drinking well but will no doubt improve over the next couple of years.  It should drink well for an

2019 689 Cellars Killer Drop Red, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$25.00USD

This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah from various vineyards across California.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The e nose has black cherries, black raspberries and some smoke.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Nice texture.  On the palate, this is ripe but short of cloying.  It has a balance to it that makes it easy to drink and very tasty.  Black raspberries with underlying char.  Alcohol is noticeable on the finish.  This probably drinks better on its own than with food but would work with a burger.  Drink over the next five years.  

2020 Fête des Fleurs Rosé, France, Cotes de Provence, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$19.00USD

This an attractively packaged Rose from the South of France (Provence).  It is a blend of 40% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, 10% Carignan, 10% Syrah, 3% Mourvèdre, and 2% Rolle (Vermentino).  Pale pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight cranberries, cherries, thyme and slight salinity.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  Well balance, this drinks easily.  Cranberries and light cherry fruit.  Clean.  Slight bitter cherry notes on the finish.  This is nice on its own and will work well with salmon or tuna.  Drink over the next few years.  

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