Wines of December, 2018
The Holiday Special
I hope you had a good Holiday Season. Let's talk about some wines!
2017 Tussock
Jumper Chenin Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa
Ripe peach and pineapple aromas that follow through to
the palate. Excellent example of a rich and ripe style of Chenin Blanc. Fresh,
flinty flavors and a long, clean, crisp aftertaste.
WS – 88 Pts "Bright, with makrut lime, green apple
and honeysuckle notes breezing through. The fresh finish offers a mouthwatering
edge. Drink now. 25,000 cases made." –JM
Pleasant, light
style South African Chenin Blanc (Steen).
Floral and fruit carry through the palate, moderate aftertaste. Well
worth the $10 price point, better in the spring summer, as a sipper and dinner
wine.
2010 Terra Bianco
Campaccio Toscana, Tuscany, Italy
Deep, lively ruby; ample, intense, elegant of berry
fruit, chocolate, leather & roasted almond; full &concentrated on
palate, with perfectly balanced freshness and fruit. Superb structure, harmony
and depth, silky tannins.
Blend: 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Very nice Super
Tuscan – in its prime drinking. Tannins are mostly gone, but good fruit up
front and on the nose carry to the palate, with a good acidity to make it excellent
with food. Unable to price, was a gift.
2009 Grgich Hills
Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville Selection, Napa Valley, California
This ambitious effort stars flavors so ripe and fantastic,
they defy description. The wine, with a few drops of Cabernet Franc and Petit
Verdot, explodes in blackberries, black cherries, currants, mocha, sweet
licorice, plum and new oak flavors. The tannins are magnificent, the oak
integration beautiful. The chief criticism is that the alcohol level is high,
and gives the wine a burn of heat.
Full-bodied and well balanced, this Cabernet Sauvignon is
packed with black cherries, cassis and mocha with a whiff of cardamom. Its
supple and smooth mouthfeel lingers with a long, elegant finish. Having the
patience to cellar this wine will reward you in the glass years from now. Serve
with simply roasted meat dishes or all by itself to fully enjoy the wine’s
complex flavors.
Don’t ask the price –
my brother got half bottles of this and sent me one for Thanksgiving. The wine
was excellent – in a good drinking window. The tannins were smooth; the
mouthfeel was very elegant and the finish was lingering. Wonderful bottle of
Cabernet from Napa.
2009 Franciscan
Clos Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA
A rich and elegant presentation with vibrant dark cherry
and plum fruit flavors, followed by notes of tobacco, mocha, rosemary and
vanilla. This wine has a balanced and supple palate with a generous finish of
berries and spice. Cassis, blackberry, and spice give this wine layers of
complexity with subtle notes of cardamom, and cocoa. Over time, notes of
coffee, clove, and anise arise with a hint of vanilla and tobacco.
No doubt in its prime drinking window, this wine had a good nose of
dark fruits and followed with the same on the palate. Good long aftertaste with
no or little tannins; very impressive bottle.Not 100% Cab, tasted like some
other blending grapes to smooth out the flavors. Not sure of the price, another
gift from my Brother.
2014 Masi
Campofiorin Ripasso, Veneto, Italy
Ripe
blackberry and earthy aromas lead into a black cherry palate with a lush
mouthfeel and silken texture, thanks to the super-soft tannins. It's lacking a
touch of definition to the black fruit, but it persists admirably long into the
finish.
Drinking
Window 2017 – 2019
70%
Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara
One of my favorite affordable Italians –
this was actually a magnum bottle. Found out the Amarone for 2014 was
de-classified and added to this bottling. A wine to savor or serve with hearty
meals – the Magnum was only around $45.
2016 Sette Ponti Crognolo Red, Toscana,
Italy
Critical
Acclaim 95 James Suckling
Aromas
of rosewood, cherries and blueberries follow through to a full body, tight and
focused tannins and a long and flavorful finish. This is linear and bright. The
tannins are wonderfully polished and poised. Hard not to drink now, but it will
improve beautifully in the bottle. A blend of mostly sangiovese with a touch of
merlot. Drink or hold.
92 Wine Spectator
Bright,
bursting with black cherry, plum, leather, menthol and spice flavors. Smooth
and harmonious, with fine grip on the earth- and mineral-tinged finish.
Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2028.
Intense
ruby red in color, the wine has a fruity, spicy bouquet and ripe cherry and berries
on the palate. It has the vivid acidity typical of Sangiovese, with
well-integrated tannins and an earthy finish.
The reviews claim a touch of Merlot but the
Kobrand rep indicated they left it out of the 2016. Really nice wine, open nose
and wonderful red and black fruits. The acidity made it a natural with many
types of food. Priced around $35 – a good
bottle to enjoy.
2013 Masi Cosasera Amerone Classico,
Veneto, Italy
Since
the 1960s, Masi experts have confirmed the superiority of west-facing sites. Masi
combines ancient varieties (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara) and winemaking
methods (vinifying grapes semi-dried on racks for 3-4 months) with modern
techniques. Traditional 600-liter Veronese barrels have been re-introduced, the
best to age this wine.
By end of January, grapes lose 35% of their weight and
develop highly concentrated sugars. Only Corvina develops botrytis. After
gentle pressing; partially de-stemmed grapes undergo fermentation for 45 days
in large Slavonian oak or stainless steel vats at low temperature. The wine is
transferred to 30-40 hl barrels; alcoholic fermentation continues 35 days with
alcohol-resistant yeasts, before malolactic.
Aged 24 months; 80% in Slavonian
oak botti, 40-80 hl, and 20% in small Allier and Slavonian oak barrels (40%
new, 30% one year, and 30% two years old), and at least 4 months in bottle. Can
age 30-35 years.
Deep
ruby red with brilliant reflections. Intense and elegant aromas of cherry and
plum jam with spicy hints of cinnamon and cloves. Firm structure but very soft
on the palate with velvety tannins and a marked acidity that balances the
alcohol level well. Full flavoured with a fruity finish and soft spiciness.
The big daddy, compared to the earlier
ripasso, this is an outstanding wine. The nose is very nice, but the mouthfeel
is just gigantic. Wonderful aftertaste, tannins woven into the finish. This is
a great wine. Priced in the mid $50’s, really worth having on hand for guests –
enough acidity to go with a range of food.
2012 Oakville Winery Cabernet Sauvignon,
Napa Valley, CA
90 POINTS Wine Enthusiast
Soft
and juicy, this is a classically crafted wine, medium bodied with savory notes
of cedar, dried herb and black olive. Structured and balanced, it finishes rich
and refreshing, with a memory of red currant and cherry.
RP 91 POINTS Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The
succulent, lush, flamboyant, and somewhat exhibitionist 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
from Oakville Winery has plenty of smoky barbecue notes, black cherry and
blackcurrant fruit, some vanilla and toast. It is medium to full-bodied, with
wonderful lushness, low acidity and loads of fruit in a hedonistic, fruit-bomb
style of Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.
A wonderful, big bodied Cab from Napa Valley.
Almost hedonistic, but a great joy to savor. Works with heavy meals, like a
slab of meat. Priced in the mid $40’s,
per the internet – I got this as a gift a while back. With the tannins and
fruit, it would hold another 10 years easy.
Another Month and the
Holidays have flown by. Happy New Year and hopes of many more great wines and wonderful experiences. Keep
popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevine. Salut!
