The Wines of January 2021

Another month of Wines ! Hope everyone stayed warm and out of snow drifts.

2015 Easton Zinfandel , Amador County, CA

A velvety texture and extremely concentrated black-fruit flavors make this full-bodied wine delicious to savor. It has beautiful big tannins that are well integrated, luxurious blackberry, sage and cedar flavors, plus great length on the finish.                91 Pts Wine Enthuisiast

92 Points & #42 100 Wines of 2018 - Wine Spectator Magazine:

"Epitomizes fine Sierra Foothills Zinfandel, offering vibrant, briary raspberry, smoked pepper and wild sweet anise flavors that stretch out on the zesty finish. Drink now through 2023. 6,200 cases made."

This isn’t a fruit bomb zinfandel – its flavors are fresh but balanced with the tannins and acidity. Drinking very well right now, this wine goes with red meat well. Really nicely made and priced around $20. A real value for this wine.

2012 Casa Castillo Las Gravas,  Jumilla, Spain

94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 A cuvée that has been changing over the years (and getting more focused and Mediterranean, I'd say) the 2012 Las Gravas is a blend of Monastrell with 15% Syrah and 15% Garnacha; the Garnacha vineyards in the state come into production so the winery has more grapes to use. This wine saw a big change with the 2008 vintage, when Cabernet Sauvignon disappeared from the blend and got more focused and true to its birthplace. 2012 could be the finest vintage to date, as there was no 2012 Pie Franco, as quantities were really short and those grapes are in this blend. It starts off with some notes of smoke, toffee, fresh fruit and orange peel in harmony with well-integrated oak and a stony profile that develops more and more notes of esparto grass with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with some polished, very fine tannins and a good mid-palate that is very balanced and fresh (I saw a note of pomegranate, is it the Garnacha?). It is a serious, very young wine with ripe flavors that make it very tasty. This is clearly riper than the 2013s and shows the character of the vintage quite transparently. The price is a dream come true.

A yummy, dark wine that has serious flavors. Drinking great right now, tannins are mostly gone, but the fruit comes through on the palate with flavors that are hard to pin down. Pleasant finish, this wine is another great value, priced around $25. Grab some and drink it!

Bouvet Brut Rose Excellence NV, Loire, France

Winemaker Notes

Bouvet Rosé Brut exhibits a brilliant, delicate salmon-pink color punctuated by fine, pinpoint bubbles which suggest the wines fresh, raspberry and cassis fragrance. On the palate it is very dry and crisp, with plump, succulent red fruit flavors offset by subtle earthy notes and a lovely generosity on the clean, persistent finish.

TP92Tasting Panel

Cherry skins and figs scent this 100% Cabernet Franc rosé. An energetic effervescence releases sweet cherry and tart cranberry. Minerality plays a key role on the long finish.

A very good Rose sparkling wine that never misses. Great bubbles, wonderful fruit on the palate and a crisp finish – acidity to complement different foods. Keep some on hand, chilled for friends. Price in the $15 range, and they won’t know it isn’t “Champagne”.

2018 Montesco Cabernet Franc, Tupungato, Argentina

Early reduction results in gaseous aromas of olive and rubber, but once this breathes and expands you get meaty, earthy berry scents. A solid palate offers spicy dark plum and berry flavors, while on the finish this Cab Franc is firm and balanced.

You need to let this wine rest in your glass with some swirling before you smell it. The funky nose blows off and it becomes nice; red berry fruits. Good palate, plum and red berry with a moderate finish.  Tasty little Cab Franc for under $20.

2015 Domaine de Pallus Chinon, Loire, France

Since the debut 2004 vintage, Les Pensées has grown in stature with each passing vinage. It is assembled from parcels on several different soil types, with the aim to define “Chinon” in a glass. It reveals classic Loire Valley Cabernet Franc aromas and flavors, but with remarkable precision and the kind of textural depth that is rarely seen in Chinon.

Pallus    Made only in exceptional years and in tiny quantities, Pallus aims to test the upper limits of what Chinon can be.

90pts (2016 Vintage) Vinous 7/16/2020

"Lovely big herbal aromas with notes of sage and oregano, plus some rose and olive. On the palate, attractively austere, displaying lively acidity, flavors of cranberry and black tea and graphite notes throughout. Very refreshing finish. Classic Chinon and good value."

A good nose, followed by a hint of green herb and red fruits. Follows on the finish, which is moderate. Good alone but much better with food – a real dinner wine. Priced in the mid-$20’s.

2018 Somos Cabernet Franc, McLaren Vale, Australia

Dark berry meets light mocha red of easy drinking. The gist of the wine is casual drinking with some spicy personality amongst slurpiness and sweetish fruit. Shows some of the green herb and pepper detail expected, indeed, the finish is relatively green and leafy but in a lip-smacking, freshening kind of way. Saline licks, licorice and smudged tannins complete this picture. Cool and frisky but with enough meat on its bones to satisfy. Fresher than a sea breeze. Herbs and grasses but bitumen and licorice-strap too. Floral elements. The more you look the more you find. Huge yes for drinkability and interest.

Not too much Cab Franc down under, but these young winemakers make the best of these grapes. The wine is balanced, with red berry fruit and green herb overlays. Nice finish, with limited tannins. I was surprised how good it was. Little bit more in price – around $35, but a good wine to see Cab Franc from another locale.

2016 Canard Vineyard ‘Adam’s Blend’, Napa Valley, CA

Varietals:             91% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon

This Cabernet Franc dominate blend “bridges” the two main varietals from Bordeaux, the Left Bank which favors Cabernet Sauvignon and the Right Bank which favors Merlot and completes the series of proprietary blends from Canard. This wine is rich and medium bodied with long soft tannins. Perfumed nose with hints of strawberry jam, red plums and violets. A smooth delicate entry yields to great structure and a long finish of ground rose buds, cocoa, rhubarb, sweet cranberries and cherries. Aged in French oak to create a long-term, ageworthy blend, this will easily cellar well for 10+ years.

 

This is a big wine, seemingly more like Cab Sauv than Cab Franc. The nose is pleasant but still a little closed. The palate is similar, still a little tight but very broad. Good framework and balance – the wine initially seemed “hot”, but it mellowed in the glass in a short time. Long finish – this wine could use a few years cellaring to make it shine. Priced at around $70, not a bargain Cab Franc like the others.

Another month has flown by – hope everyone is staying safe and 6 feet apart. Until next time, Keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.