The Wines of April 2021

A little slow posting this, I had a birthday occur and I'm older and slower. 

Here are the Wines from April

2017 Elk Cove Vineyard Estate Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR

An intense wine that shows floral aromas of candied apricot, orange-blossom, and honey. The palate evokes lively green apple and bosc pear, finishing with shortbread cookie and a touch of lavender and slate.

RP 89  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2017 Riesling Estate has a spicy nose of honeysuckle, musk and white pepper over a core of white peach and apricot. Light-bodied with stone fruits in the mouth, it has very juicy acidity and touches of white flowers and pebbles coming through on the long textural finish.

This is a well made wine – the fruits are clean, almost like stones, but very fragrant with good acidity for food. Dry but not puckering, great wine with lighter fare or appetizers. Really nice bottle of wine. Priced at $15 – 18.

2018 Erath Resplendent Pinot Noir, Dundee OR

TASTING NOTES

This ruby beauty offers beguiling aromas of raspberry jam, strawberries, cherry turnover with

vanilla icing and a fragrant hint of orange blossom. The palate is round and gratifying with

flavors of plum, loganberry, pomegranate and a dash of sage. Pretty, fruit-forward and perfectly delicious.

Really nice Pinot from this winery. A step above the regular bottle but not as pricey as the reserve. Good fruits with some herbal tones, decent acidity to match foods. Another really good bottle. Priced at $15 – 18.

2017 Pedroncelli Merlot Bench Vineyard, Dry Creek, CA

Aromas are rich and enticing with hints of strawberry, sage, and baking spices. Flavors of red cherry, plum, and notes of freshly ground black pepper are showcased along with a touch of vanilla and toasty oak. Medium-bodied with rounded tannins follow through to a spiced finish. A beautifully balanced wine.

90 pts Wine Spectator

Well-structured, with a firm backbone of acidity to the dried dark currant, dark cherry and dried berry flavors. Cedary accents show mid palate, featuring notes of graphite and slate on the tannic finish. Drink now through 2023.

$20

This is what Merlot should be like – good red and black fruits, hints of herbal flavors and a nice moderate finish with some tannin interwoven. You get some oak, but not overpowering. Great bottle for some red meat, will hold for a couple of years if you get a couple bottles. Priced around $20.

2019 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Whole Cluster’ Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR

Electric pink color, this wine opens with vibrant aromatics of tropical peaches, strawberries and cream and candied pineapple. The palate is juicy and displays fresh raspberry, kiwi and honeysuckle flavors while remaining bright and balanced with refreshing acidity. The finish carries lush watermelon flavors well beyond the sip.

Pair with complex, spicy and herbal dishes that highlight fresh spring and summer ingredients. Also enjoy with seafood like seared ahi tuna, shellfish and ceviche, curry dishes and other pairings with harissa sauce, sweet potato fries and antipasto platters.

WE90     Wine Enthusiast

Bright and spicy, this does not shy away from herbal scents and flavors, notably thyme and chervil. The crunchy fruit conjures up freshly picked mountain strawberries. It’s clean, crisp and most refreshing.

Not a bad little bottle, not my top pick of “pinkies”. Drawn off the whole cluster Pinot Noir and then made into this Rose. Fairly deep palate, some berry and floral hints, but gets a little lost near the end. Not much of a finish. Pleasant on a hot day or before more serious wines. Priced around $16.

2017 Domaine Bel-Air ‘Briante’ Brouilly, Beaujolais, FRA

Ripe red fruits dominate this broad wine. Rose-petal aromas are followed through with perfumed tannins that back up that fruit. Aged for eight months before bottling, the wine should be ready from late 2019.

100% Gamay from Brouilly which is the most southerly of the ten Beaujolais Crus. This famous cuvée “Briante” is an aromatic wine, full of plum, cherry, and kirsch notes. The palate is long, the tannins are refined and there is great freshness on the finish.

Think “light style pinot” with more dark fruits. The finish is average, tannins not noticeable by this time. Available at around $15, not a bad wine, but nothing I would seek out.

2018 Tenuta Sette Ponti ‘Crognolo, Tuscany, IT

RP93Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Tenuta Sette Ponti 2018 Crognolo is mostly Sangiovese blended in with about 10% Merlot. This is a nicely balanced wine that offers the tangy freshness and acidity of the first grape ironed out and softened by that smaller percentage of the second. The wine is redolent of cherry, blackberry and plum. Its primary intensity is bright and cheerful. The finish shows pretty thickness, extraction and nicely integrated tannins.

Clay and sand soils as well as Tuscany’s special stony galestro limestone, combined with ideal sun exposure and a climate tempered by the Mediterranean, provide an ideal climate for the Sangiovese grape. Low yields of excellent-quality hand harvested fruit ensure a rich and concentrated result. Following hand sorting and destemming, grapes are fermented in a combination of temperature controlled and lined open-top tanks. Crognolo is aged in French Allier barriques and in bottle.

This is a knock-out style Super Tuscan at a reasonable price. Sangiovese with a little Merlot – a dark, tasty wine with dark fruit flavers, integrated tannins and a touch of oak. Nice broad finish, this wine could be held for several years and still be great. Available from $35 to 40, worth the money.

2019 Stolpman Vineyards Crunchy Roastie, Ballard Canyon, CA

Deep, luscious blue, purple, and black fruit welcomes one into the smooth, supple, billowy mouthfeel.  Classic Syrah notes of olives, olive tapenade, and “roast” meats compliment the fruit purity from the nose all the way through to the seamless, soft finish.  Deep enough to pair with summertime grilling yet so smooth it gets yummier and crunchier – almost refreshing - drinking it with a chill.  As the bottle opens up with air, red-fruit appears above the blue-black and a nice spicy framing of freshness begins to lift the palate.

The giving “come-to-mama” yumminess seems weightier than its light 12.5% alcohol would suggest.

95% Syrah, 5 % Viognier

WE92Wine Enthusiast

Crumpled rose and violet aromas meet with Dr Pepper spices and grape bubblegum on the nose of this bottling, which includes 5% Viognier. It’s very zippy on the sip, blending purplefruit and flower flavors with white-pepper spice and a lightly toasted finish.

This is a big French style Syrah, as opposed to the overly fruity Aussie style of Shiraz. Very nice, with broad flavors and nice acidity to make it pleasant sipping and matching food. The finish is moderate with hints of spice. Very nice style of Syrah, priced around $24 - 29

2015 Toricoda Primitivo, Salento, Italy

Red cherry and blackberry aromas meld with snippets of baking spice and menthol on the nose. The medium-bodied palate is firm, with structured tannins and crisp acidity, housing juicy berry flavors dotted with red floral tones. Dark plum rounds out the finish.  88 Points WE

The 2015 Torcicoda is an intense ruby red in color. The wine expresses rich and complex aromas of raspberry and black cherry, followed by delicate notes of licorice and vanilla. The wine is supple and ample with a complex, long-lasting finish.

JS91James Suckling

This is a gorgeous young wine with dried strawberry and cherry character. Hints of cream. Medium body, light tannins and plenty of luscious fruit at the end.

This is different than a Cali zinfandel; yet it has good red fruits and a deeper flavor profile of spices. Dark and almost brooding, it has enough acidity for food or just sipping. Moderate to long finish with mild tannins interwoven. Great buy – Available under $20 – try this one for sure.

2019 Chacabuco Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

   Best Buy              85 Pts WE

Cassis and plum aromas come with a sweet dash of cinnamon that seems a bit fake but not off-putting. A rubbing palate is slightly tannic, while this tastes of foxy berry fruit and metal. A lightly herbal finish with mild green notes is the close. 

Crafted from high elevation vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina by former Wine of the Month Bodega Los Haroldos, Chacauco represent three generations of the Falasco's family immigration from Italy to Argentina to pursue their dreams of creating a winery. In 1939 Octavio Rufino Falasco sold his family wine from a basket on the front of his bike. With time and hard work he bought more land and established a winery in San Martin. The label is to honor these humble roots in creating one of the most successful wineries in Argentina.

James Suckling: 90 Points

"This has plenty of violets and cassis on the nose with attractively fresh, primary style. The palate has a succulent, juicy feel. Light, smooth and fresh. Cassis to close. Drink now." James Suckling, 90 Points

A pleasant little Malbec with fruit forward berries and hints of spice. At a $10 price point, drink everyday – enough umph to go with meals and a pleasant little sipper.

Another month has flown by. Hope you are well and staying safe. Get the vaccination when you can. Until next time, keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.