The Wines of June 2021

June has been an unusual month - Hot, then cool and rainy, then hot again. Can't make up is mind

How about some wine talk?

2016 Lioco Carignane ‘Sativa’, Mendicino, Ca

Fresh asphalt, blackberry, and tuberose aromas. The palate has flavors of cassis, umeboshi, and violet pastille. This wine pairs well with shepherds pie, bistro burger, and carne asada tacos.

From a historic Mendocino vineyard pitched on the lofty slopes of Cloverdale’s Pine Mountain. Jim McCutchen boasts 70-year old, head-pruned, dry-farmed vines planted on south-facing exposures at 2200-2400 feet. The soil is a mix of hard shale & clay. This rapidly vanishing California grape variety—made in this ‘old-timey’ way—harkens back to the Golden State’s earliest winemaking efforts.

WW91Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

COMMENTARY: To many of us (myself included), top-quality Carignan belongs in the "geek" part of the business. The 2016 Lioco Sativa is an excellent wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is beautiful, pristine, and alive. Its refreshing aromas and flavors of ripe red fruit, earth, and dust make a lovely dinner wine. Pair it with herb-crusted lamb chops. (Tasted: August 19, 2019, San Francisco, CA)

I agree that this grape is ignored, considered old school and a generic grape for blending. This bottle will change your mind. Moderate color, upfront nose of red fruits and full flavors of red fruits and hints of herbs and earthiness. Pleasant as a stand-alone sipper, but really nice with a meal. I got it on close out, under $15, but well worth $20-25.

2017 Cerro Anon Crianza, Rioja, Spain

Berry and plum aromas are lightly spiced and show a touch of baby powder. On the palate, this is bright and juicy, with chalky tannins. Spicy berry and plum flavors are aided by a touch of charred oak, while this is toasty, dark and chocolaty tasting on the finish. Drink through 2023.

RATING 90 WE

A blend of 80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 10% Mazuelo and Graciano. Matured for 14 months in oak and at least 8 months in bottle.

A fine example of Crianza Rioja. An intensely dark cherry red with sparks of ruby. Initial fruity aromas are followed by spicy notes and aromas from the oak cask ageing. On the palate it is very structured and smooth. The tannins are ripe and mellow and the finish long and refined.

Nicely structured wine with those red fruits with some spice notes. Not a long finish, but not short. Some tannin, but not heavy. Really nice wine for $10 – stock up on several, it goes well with food off the grill.

2020 Cotes du Rhone Reserve de L’abbe Rose, France

Red wines may be the first thing that comes to mind about the Cotes du Rhone, but rose should also be on your radar. The youthful 2020 Foncalieu Reserve de l'Abbe features the region's top two grapes, Syrah and Grenache, in a fragrant blend where wild strawberry, stone fruit, spice, and mineral notes refresh the senses. For under $10 a bottle, it's worth keeping a case of this enchanting French beauty around!

Somewhat light in color, a decent pink wine that has some red berries with some minerality. OK with food but more of a porch pounder on hot days. Around $10.

2017 Grand Horse Old vine Zinfandel, Lodi, Ca

This Grand Horse 2017 Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel is beautifully balanced with notes of red cherry, currant and sugar plum. Medium weight, smooth tannins and crisp acidity keep the bright fruit lifted and focused.  American oak barrel fermented.

Another weekday wine – pleasant fruit, decent acidity and a light finish. No tannins, not much spice, but decent with food. Another $10 bottle.

2020 Domaine Bousquet Rose, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

Domaine Bousquet’s premium varietal series comprises a blend of estate and purchased fruit from the Uco Valley. The grapes benefit from major diurnal temperature swings, achieving exuberant ripeness while retaining the juiciness that invites a second glass. The wines are vinified with a French sensibility. The wines are un-oaked – an on-trend sensibility of little or no oak to let the fruit shine through and make the wines extremely food-friendly.

It has an elegant pale salmon color. The nose shows aromas of red fruits, with hints of fresh cherries and orange peel. In the mouth, it`s Lively with fresh acidity and fruity palate

It goes well with seafood, fish, and Asian food.

This wine is a darker pink, but not too dark. Flavors of red berries and some citric flavor – nice acidity to match with food. Good body weight and good as a sipper. Around $10, worth drinking this summer.

2018 Ver Sacrum Monastrell, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

This wine is 100% hand harvested Monastrell(Mouverdre) from a single vineyard in the Los Chacayes IG within the Uco Valley. The nose is bright with notes of sweet black cherry and cocoa that lead into a soft, round mid palate with hints of tobacco and dried leaves.

In a range of wines this quirky and intriguing, it's quite something to be the quirkiest of all. We think this wine gets that accolade. A little darker than the GSM and Garnacha, the nose is delicate, fruity and floral. It's also a tad denser and more compact in the mouth with hints of black fruits accompanying the red, and lovely savoury hints. Again, amazing length. 100% of the wine is aged on the lees in eggs for 6 months followed by 8 months in bottle prior to release.

“Bright, medium cherry-red… Juicy, tactile, high-pitched red berry, white pepper and spice flavours convey an impression of savoury dryness. A penetrating, lively wine without any oaky impingements.”

Aged in Concrete eggs, yet there was hint of coffee in the nose. Usually that comes from the barrel, but this came from where the grapes where grown. Dry, slightly lighter in color, but flavors of red berry and hints of spice. Short finish, but decent acidity to go with food. Around $16.

2010 Cuvee Del Maule Red Blend, Cauquenes, Chile

Jammy, juicy, earthy, spicy, with notes of “green pepper” and “black peppercorns.” Fruit-forward in the manner of a New World wine yet not quite full-bodied. The fruit? Ripe-sweet blackberry and cassis. Has good structure (round tannins, bright acidity) but not a lot of depth. Minerals and herbs (tobacco? mint?) come out on the finish. Very drinkable though not a keeper. Probably a great match with red meat on the barbecue. A natural wine made from the Earthquake Harvest: 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Carignan, 16% Carmenere, 10% Pais, 7% Merlot, and 3% Zinfandel.

A unique blend, this wine had deep flavors and nice balance. Red berries and some earthiness comes though – nice acidity for food. Not a long finish, very little tannins, so drink soon. Great with food off the grill – around $16. (Another French family that came to Chile to make wines)

2017 Proemio ‘Terrior’ Red Blend, Mendoza, Argentina

Cherry aromas are punchy and high-toned. On the palate, this blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot is rugged but with soft pockets that allow it to expand. Flavors of dark berry fruits, cocoa and coffee finish quickly, leaving light notes of chocolate and toast.

RATING 87 WE

Fruit dominates on the expressive nose of this wine - think warm berry compote, ripe plums, and cherries. Underneath, there's an appealing spicy-savoury backdrop reminiscent of Chinese Five Spice with a hint of campfire smoke.

This wine is a berry bonanza on the palate! All the red fruit from the nose comes through loud and clear with flavours of wild strawberry, tart raspberry, and ripe cherry. It's fully dry though, so don't be fooled by all the juicy fruit flavours. Medium-bodied and with fine, moderate tannins to provide structure and a pleasant, dry finish with echoes of warm spice.

The red fruit shines through on the nose and on the palate – a little lighter in weight than I expected. This also had a coffee note – although they used staves in the concrete vats to add some oaky flavors to the wine. Good with food, moderate tannins and a moderate finish – around $20.

2020 Laurent Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

A bold, aromatic blackberry pie from the 'Napa of Chile.' Packed with telltale Cabernet flavors of cassis and wild blackberries and rounded out by a New World polish, this is a right-down-the-middle Cabernet for weeknight steak or pot roast.

Dark, ripe fruits with notes of leather and minerality; a little active on the tongue at first, giving a fresh pop of interest. Organic, unoaked and using indigenous yeasts, this is a natural value!

Taste: Bold and aromatic bright cherry, blueberry and brambly raspberry. Low tannin

This is a wine for beef – Cabernet from Chile without too much funky earthiness. Comes across fairly soft, being unoaked, but fills the palate with dark fruits and a touch of minerals.  Matches well with food, heavier fare, and is a nice change for Cabernet. Priced under $20 from a French family making wines in Chile.

Well, that's another month. Stay Safe and keep popping those corks - I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.