This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright. The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, cedar, spice and char. Lush, velvety texture but lots of vibrancy. On the palate, cassis and blueberry fruit with underlying tobacco and char. Long finish. This is still developing and will be for a decade. That said it is delicious now and will continue to drink well for another fifteen to twenty years. It drinks very well on its own and will work with bigger, fattier foods such as prime rib or a roasted veggie pizza.
This is a wine from the right bank of Bordeaux appellation Pomerol that was new to me. It is 100% Merlot. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, plums, black raspberries, cedar and spice. Medium bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, lots of red and some purple fruits with layers of cedar and slight earthiness. This should continue to mature and improve over the next decade and drink well for ten to twelve more after that. This would go well with roasted eggplant dishes.
This is the second wine of Château Tour Baladoz. It is produced made from the youngest vines and consists of 90% Merlot. Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cherries, slight milk chocolate and spice. Full bodied. On the palate, there are light tannins. The cherries and chocolate come thru with slight earthiness. Nice finish. Not profound but tasty and easy drinking. Drink over the next five to ten years. This drinks well on its own and would be a nice match with stuffed peppers.
Very impressive showing and while just a bit tight, this opened nice with air. Purple in color, opaque and bright. Black currants, plums, baking spices, graphite and char on the nose. Full bodied with a lush texture. On the palate, this unwinds in the glass to show depth and layers of fruit (plums and black currants), spice, slight forest floor, and smoke. Great balance. Delicious. Long finish. This is not yet at peak but well worth opening now and letting it breathe. Drink over the next twenty years. It drinks great on its own but will work better with food. Roasted duck or eggp
This is a blend of 47% Merlot, 33% Syrah, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc from Turkey. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black cherries, pine and salinity. Nice texture. Medium tannins. On the palate, this has tight layering. Notes of black cherries, milk chocolate, black pepper and slight bell pepper. Reasonably good balance although a bit more acidity would be nice. Seems to be at peak or slightly past. Drink now. This would work better with food. Eggplant such as Imam Bayildi might be a nice choice.
Lovely Rosé blend. This is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from Farella and Moonracer vineyards. Due to the fires in 2020, Realm decided that they could not make all of their reds so this was harvested early and turned into a Rose which is less susceptible to smoke taint (due to less time on the skins). The results are excellent. This is the second time I have been lucky enough to taste this. Some say this is made in a Provence style, but rather, this seems to have fresh vibrant fruit albeit on the softer side (likely due to the Merlot), but certainly of Napa. Very pale pink/ora
This is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc that sees 100% new oak. . Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, spice and slight cigar. Medium bodied. On the palate, cherries, some black cherries and underlying earthy tobacco notes. Moderate finish. This will work better with food than on its own. Slow cooked, braised beef or lamb would work well. Drink over the next five to seven years.
This is a rose made from Cabernet Franc and Merlot in Virginia. Light pink in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with strawberries and some watermelon. Light to medium bodied. On the palate, this is crisp and clean. It drinks quite easily and there is nice watermelon fruit. Moderate finish. This drinks well on its own but should work with all but the heaviest of meat dishes. Drink over the next year.
