Wines of January 2022

Times fun while you're having flies. Another month and a few more wines.

2018 P.S. Garcia Bravado Old Vine, Itata Valley, Chile

Varietal Composition:

40% Syrah, 36% Carignan, 14% Grenache, 1% Mourvedre, 9% Petit Verdot

The deeply colored and formidable sounding 2018 Bravado lives up to its name. Big, beautiful, and full of life, this field blend of Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, Petit Verdot, and Mourvèdre has garnered 93 points from Tim Atkin. P.S. Garcia’s 2018 Bravado Old Vine Red Blend offers up heady aromatics, a boatload of flavors, and plenty of punch, which include a cache of ripe fruits: fresh blackberries, blueberries, and plums along with a dash of delectable spices. Although big and bold in the mouth, the 2018 Bravado never loses its equilibrium. Bravado’s lush old vine fruit is incredibly balanced by mature ripe tannins and a pleasant core of acidity from the Carignan that provides energy and lift as well as a long lip smacking finish. Reminiscent of some of the finest old vine California field blends, P.S. Garcia’s 2018 Bravado makes a great statement and one fine-drinking wine.

A very nice wine, the blend brining in a best of each grape. Fruits – mostly black and some red, dominate the palate but the subtle undertones add a pleasant dimension. Enough acidity to make it good with food and a moderate aftertaste. Available for under $20, this is a great wine to start a new year.

2016 Benanti Etna Rosso, Italy

Ruby red color. On the nose are intense aromas with hints of vanilla and ripe fruit. On the palate are elegant, harmonic and remarkably persistent flavors.

The 2016 Etna Rosso—crafted from 40-year-old, free-standing Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines planted in sandy, volcanic soils at 2,300 feet above sea level—represents a new height for Benanti. If you’re not familiar with these two great indigenous grapes of Sicily, you’re in for a treat: Think of Nerello Mascalese as the Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo of Etna, but with more spice. In that sense, every sip of this wine transmits the deeply energetic volcanic character of its origins, and will thrill fans of Burgundy, Barbaresco, and Beaujolais Cru. In this season of flame-grilled meats and hearty flavors, it’s absolutely perfect.

I liked to call this an Italian Pinot Noir – light red color but good flavors and acidity. There was an undertone of herbs that made the wine good as a sipper but also a food wine. Got it for under $20 – this is a great wine to have on hand at all times.

2017 Podere Castorani Cadetto, Montepulciano D’Abrezzo, Italy

Earthy aromas of clay, wet thyme and mentholated tobacco ride over a ripe brambleberry core in this red. It's rounded and juicy in feel, filled out by plenty of dark-berry flavors on the palate, with soft tannins giving this an accessible feel.  RATING 88 Wine Enthusiast

 Rated 91 by James Suckling

Lots of clean, fresh black-fruit character to this. Medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannins but the fruit persists through the finish. Drink or hold.

This was a pretty good wine, although there was something in the aftertaste that was different. Not really bad, but different. Went well with a meal, sufficient acidity, no real tannins, enough black fruits to tide over the palate feel. Priced under $15, worth it as a school nite wine.

2013 Benanti Serra Della Contessa  Etna Rosso, Italy

Serra della Contessa has been the name of Benati's family estate since 1474. This wine was first produced in 1998 and comes from old vines of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, trained as bushes on the volcanic soil of Monte Serra, an extinct crater located on the South-Eastern slope of Mount Etna at almost 1,640 feet. The grapes are hand picked in late September. Fermentation occurs in steel vats with indigenous yeasts selected after a long patient study. The wine is aged for a long time in large oak casks and in steel and possesses remarkable typicity, elegance and longevity.

Blend: 80% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Nerello Cappuccio

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark The 2013 Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa is a unique wine from a unique vineyard site located 500 meters above sea level on the southern Viagrande flank of the volcano. It does not fit squarely into the Etna Rosso mold. It flaunts those differences with pride. This wine is based on Nerello Mascalese, with a smaller part Nerello Cappuccio. There is a pronounced balsam element with some spice and dark herb that add an almost savory or meaty quality that you don't get from wines made on the north side of the volcano.

This is the “Big Brother” of the earlier Etna Rosso, from the same producer. It still is a light red, but this wine is deeper, still red fruits but undercurrents of herbs and spice. Longer finish, though not heavily tannic. Good acidity to match foods, this is a real nice wine. Available from $25 -30, it’s a good one to have in your cellar.

2012 Castello Banfi Belnero Toscano,  Montalcino, Italy

Deep and intense mauve red. Bouquet: Gentle aromas of vanilla, tobacco and coffee, with hints of cherry jam and prunes. Taste: Harmonious with soft, well-balanced tannins. Persistent finish and a great potential for aging.

JS91James Suckling

Aromas of blueberries and lemon rind with some blackcurrant skin, too. Full body, firm and chewy tannins and a long finish. Needs two or three years to soften.

Predominantly Sangiovese with small percentage of noble French varietals.

Characteristics:

Color: Deep and intense mauve red.

Bouquet: Gentle aromas of vanilla, tobacco and coffee, with hints of cherry jam and prunes.

Taste: Harmonious with soft, well-balanced tannins. Persistent finish and a great potential for aging

I call this a big boy wine – very dark and deep with black fruit and hints of herbs. Still carries some tannins and acidity for having with a heavy meal. Could sit in the cellar for a couple years and still be good. Really.  I got it on closeout at $20, great find.

2019 Alexander Valley Vineyard Merlot, Sonoma, California

Merlot from the Wetzel Family Estate has a reputation for being a big, complex wine. First produced in 1984, this has been a classically structured wine each year, often showing as much tannin as our Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2018 growing season began a bit cooler than the past few vintages, but we had a near- perfect fruit set with moderate summer temperatures and relatively few heat spikes. The mild weather led to a longer maturation period, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly. Harvest began on September 12 and the fruit had excellent flavors and balanced natural acidity.

This wine always impresses red wine lovers, and we refer to it as a Merlot for Cabernet lovers. There are spicy aromas of cassis, black cherry, plum, vanilla, oak and mild chocolate in the glass. This wine has broad mouth-feel with flavors of juicy red cherry, cassis, blackberry, plum and chocolate. This is a nicely balanced wine with a long, juicy finish.

This is a very balance Merlot from Sonoma – good red and black fruits on the palate and a moderate finish, with decent acidity to go with food. Still a little tannic backbone, as well, could age a few years. Available around $16, nice bottle for a good meal. I’ve always enjoyed the products from the Wetzl family.

2018 Luke Merlot, Wahluke Slope, Coulumbia Valley, WA

92 POINTS - WINE ENTHUSIAST

LUKE Merlot reveals the hallmarks of great Washington Merlot – dark red fruits, rounded tannins and an opulent, smooth finish.  Fresh flavors of plum, cherry and blackberry dominate the mid-palate while earthy flavors of tobacco, cedar and clove marry the spices of vanilla and mocha to extend the wine’s long lingering finish.

Wahluke Slope AVA, Columbia Valley. Vineyards: Stone Tree, Weinbau, Ravenscliff, King Fuji & Southwind  Varietals: 96% Merlot 4% Cabernet Franc

Very deep flavored Merlot – almost Cab-like, with dark fruits on the palate and a long finish. Nice but maybe better when it tames down in two years? Excellent blend, acidity for food – a real winner fo a wine. Priced right – around $20 or just over.

2016 Keermont Merlot, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The Keermont Merlot 2018 has a deep royal red colour. Beautiful dusty, ripe strawberry fruit nose with notes of dried herbs, cigar box and cinnamon. The palate is soft, but clean and elegant. The wine exudes flavours of ripe red fruit with undertones of orange rind and dried herbs. Soft chalky tannins and good natural acidity help to maintain a fresh elegance and a long, succulent dry finish. Best drinking: 2022-2032.

Merlot, which in French means The Little Blackbird (Merle), is the second most popular red grape in America (after Cabernet Sauvignon). Known for being soft, ripe and elegant, most Merlots are easy drinking reds that go well both with food as well as on their own. This is an approachable grape varietal and is often recommended as the first red wine someone new to red wine should drink.

Another blockbuster Merlot – deep red and black fruit flavors, good structure with acidity and some tannins. Lon finish – could sit in a cellar a couple years, easily. These last 3 Merlots would make a Cab Sauvignon drinker very happy. Should make any wine drinker happy! This is a bit pricier, generally around $38, but sometimes on sale/closeout. Don’t let the vintage (2016) scare you off of this one. It is a great wine.

That’s it for another month. Hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Until next time, Kepp popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.