The Wines of May 2022

May is pretty much a memory now, some hot and some cool days. Mother Nature still trying to make up her mind what season it really is. Memorial Day - the "unofficial" start of summer.

How about some wines?

2018 Ancient Peaks Renegade Paso Robles, Ca

Renegade comes from Ancient Peaks' estate Margarita Vineyard on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch. From missionaries to gunslingers, rough riders to outlaws, a colorful cast of characters has traversed the ranch’s rugged terrain since the 18th century. In that spirit, Ancient Peaks has made an intensely flavored blend that pushes the envelope and resists conformity, adding an adventurous twist to the family of wines. Defiantly bold and daringly elegant—this is Renegade.

Blend: 38% Syrah, 36% Petit Verdot, 26% Malbec

WE91Wine Enthusiast

Earthy aromas of dewy thyme, oregano, juniper and pine needle are sprinkled with cracked pepper and laid across dark berry on the nose of this blend of 38% Syrah, 36% Petit Verdot and 26% Malbec. A eucalyptus spice hits the palate alongside the pepper, with dark fruit lingering long.

WW90Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

COMMENTARY: The 2018 Ancient Peaks Renegade is a fully-built yet smooth red blend. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings aromas and flavors of black fruits, violets, and licorice front and center. Pair it with a mild curry lamb stew. (Tasted: October 9, 2021, San Francisco, CA)

This is an easy-going blend with nice upfront aromas and nice black fruit mouthfeel. Nice acidity for meals, this is a good wine to have on hand. Priced just under $20, well worth the money

2018 Matchbook The Arsonist Red blend, Zamora, CA

The 2018 Arsonist Red Blend is our left of center take on the classic Bordeaux blend. Anchored by Petit Verdot the grace of the wine shows in an elegant bouquet of plum, raspberry and mocha. The blend of three powerhouse reds delivers full flavors of blackberry, cherry, chocolate and pepper spice; barrel aging adds a nice dose of vanilla oak. The finish lingers with dark fruit flavors, herbs and old-fashioned saddle leather.

The 2018 Arsonist Red Blend is Matchbook's left of center take on the classic Bordeaux blend. Anchored by Petit Verdot the grace of the wine shows in an elegant bouquet of plum, raspberry and mocha. The blend of three powerhouse reds delivers full flavors of blackberry, cherry, chocolate and pepper spice; barrel aging adds a nice dose of vanilla oak. The finish lingers with dark fruit flavors, herbs and old-fashioned saddle leather.

This is a big-flavored wine that pairs well with the richness of grilled lamb chops or a well-marbled rib-eye steak.

Blend: 52% Petit Verdot, 26% Malbec, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon

TP93Tasting Panel

Opaque garnet color and rich aromas of plum. Chewy, velvety, and intense, with notes of chocolate, mocha, and spice; dense and balanced. Mostly Petit Verdot with Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine is a tasty treat – a blend I wasn’t expecting. Nice nose with dark fruits dominating the flavor profile. A bit a sharpness from the Petite Verdot made a good acidity balance for food. Very nice wine and priced under $20 – a keeper.

2018 Tabali Pedregoso Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo, Chile

Tasting Notes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Intense ruby in color, this Cabernet Sauvignon is notable for its good body and structure. It has upfront aromas of cherries, violets, cassis, and smoke, complemented by hints of toast. Well-rounded on the palate, with balanced, silky tannins and great structure, it achieves a good balance between fresh acidity and abundant fruit.

I got this for under $10 – it was a pretty good wine. Decent body and fruit, but not something I would rave about. Worth the money, maybe just as a “School-nite” wine.

2019 Escudo Rojo Carmenere Reserva, Colchagua, Chile

Purplish-red with violet highlights. Very intense and fruity, with notes of forest fruit, combined with spicy notes such as pink peppercorn, bay leaf, rosemary, black truffle, and subtle aromas of roasted coffee bean imparted by ageing in French oak. Starts off very delicate, refreshing and juicy with well-balanced acidity. The tannins are refined and velvety. Wild fruit aromas follow through to the aftertaste, culminating in a long finish.

Pair this wine alongside spicy beef and vegetable stir-fry, paprika chicken, partridge with mushrooms, vegetable curry.

JS93James Suckling

Extremely aromatic with dried flowers, as well as black-fruit and wet-earth character. Full-bodied and chewy, yet finely textured. Extremely characterful with cloves and other spices. Dry finish. Reserva this year.

WW92Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

COMMENTARY: The 2019 Escudo Rojo Reserva Carmenère highlights the richness and elegance of this stylish grape variety. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers attractive aromas and flavors of ripe plum, spices, black fruit, licorice, and a hint of wood. Enjoy it with BBQ baby back ribs.

Very nice Carmenere – drinks bigger than expected. A pleasant nose is followed by some dark fruit, some wood and some baking spices. Follows through with a moderate finish. Priced just under $20, this is a wine well worth the price.

2020 Chateau Fage Blanc, Graves de Vayres, Bordeaux, France

This delicious white wine has a beautiful bouquet, nuanced between the citrus fruit touches coming from the Sauvignon Blanc and with an expressive style brought by the Semillon. Very well balanced on the palate, this crisp wine offers freshness and fruitiness. Perfect to drink in its youth and very food friendly.

The white wines of the Bordeaux region are often overlooked when considering a richer, more textured white wine from around the world. The wine is driven by flavors of ripe and dried citrus fruits, baked apples, spiced peaches, honey, and field flowers. This classic Bordeaux blend is ideal for more savory flavors and richer menu items including pork, veal, and roasted vegetables.

SOIL: Gravelly soil. Graves carry along by the Dordogne

HARVEST AND VINIFICATION: Vineyard: Double Guyot cut / De-budding /

Wine Making: Cold pre fermentative maceration. Controlled fermentation

AGEING: 3 months in new French oak barrels

This Bordeaux white tends to be 60% Semillon and only 40% Sauvignon Blanc – being slighty more “perky” to the tongue. The nose is nice, followed by the citrus fruit, honey and crisp floral flavors.  Well built body – works for lighter fair as well as sipping. Priced around $15, a great wine for summer or opening courses.

2018 Chateau De Cranne, Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

A deep purplish red color with flashes of plum, revealing an impressive density and depth. The nose is finely textured with aromas of jammy wild fruit, blackcurrant, whortleberry and blackberry, with a Mediterranean density. The amplitude of the tannins are simply astonishing. Their softness offset by a slight tang, giving the wine an impression of freshness. The finish is seemingly endless with the hints of laural, black pepper and camphor. After a few minutes, the tasting gains in warmth highlighting the notes of moorland and smokey Provence herbs.

60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, Organic Farming

This wine was a bit earthy, reminding me of hummus. Mostly dark fruit with some tannins, the wine was better with a meal, but not my favorite. Priced around $20, worth a try at that cost.

2019 Les Tetes Bordeaux Superieur AOC, Bordeaux, France

100% Merlot from a 35 year old biodynamic single vineyard, wild fermented and aged all in concrete, then bottled unfiltered with almost no sulfur added. Still medium bodied with darker red and blue fruit and an earthy note of black olive and wild herbs.

Grapes: Merlot

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: organic grapes and yeast, hand-picked, spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks, no fining, lightly filtered (vegan), minimal So2 at bottling only; 12.5% ABV

All Merlot from France. Biodynamic, wild fermented and aged in concrete. Not a bad little wine, very light tannins, decent red and black fruits with an earthy follow-through. Costs between $20 and $25, better at the bottom end for me, though it might be better in a year or so.

2019 Trefethen ‘Eschol’ Red, Oak knoll, Napa, California

Sourced entirely from their Main Ranch vineyard, winemaker Bryan Kays crafts a unique blend each year. This 2019 is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels 13% new.

The wine opens with bold fruit-forward aromas of blackberry and dried cherry. On the palate, bright red fruit flavors give way to modest tannins and balanced acidity, making it very food-friendly and ready to pair with casual dinners at home.

This is a very nice blend with a pleasing nose of red fruits. The red fruit flavors are matched with baking spices, cocoa and cherry cola. Moderate tannins and a good acidic backbone, the wine was good with food and on its own. Family owned Napa Valley winery, this bottle is only $25 – well worth that price. Could hold this for a couple years and it would be better.

2017 Chateau Teyssier Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France

Blend: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc

JS92James Suckling

A balanced and pretty red with walnut and berry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body.

WS91Wine Spectator

This has a very friendly, juicy, rounded core of plum, blackberry and raspberry fruit, backed by silky tannins and carrying through the generous finish.

90 Wine Enthusiast

"Firmly tannic, this wine shows dark-coffee flavors as well as solid black fruits. It has the richness of the vintage, although that is muted for the moment by the solid structure. Wait for this powerful wine to develop & drink from 2021".

The nose was very berry, while the wine had a big body of red and dark fruits with hints of herbs and tannins weaving through it.  Long finish, good now but could be better with 2-3 years of cellaring. Available around $40 nice wine to cellar and pop out with some lamb or beef.

Another month gone by – hope you are all hale and healthy. Until next time, keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.

 The Wines of April 2022

So we try to begin Springtime - although the weather doesn't always agree. Had a major tornado in are area, so it is Spring for sure. BTW, it wasn't near my side of town. Let's talk some wines!

2014 Prunotto Fiulot Barbera d’Asti, Alba, Italy

The wine is a vivid and intense ruby red in color with a grapey and fruity (plum and cherry) aroma. Grapes grown on light and loose-textured soils and modern oenological techniques which enable producers to obtain and conserve fruit and freshness combine to make this a wine which is very pleasurable in its youth. For this reason it goes well with simple dishes such as hors d’oeuvres, soups, risotto, and pasta.

I just have never had a great experience with Barbera – I’ve had a number of them and they just don’t do it for me. This had nice balace and decent aroma, but the flavor just was an average quaff. Got it for about $12, nice if you like this type of wine.

2019 Irmana Frappato Terre Sicilianne IGT, Sicily, Italy

Tasting Note: A lively Frappato with attractive aromatics that will lull your nose deep into your glass.

Deep-intensity ruby in color, this wine has an aromatic, medium-plus-intensity nose of raspberry, blueberry, raisin, rhubarb, dried cranberry, strawberry, blackberry and blossom.

On the palate the dry, medium-bodied Frappato has medium-plus-intensity, red-and-black-fruit flavors suggested on the nose supported by medium-plus acidity and medium tannin ultimately completing with a floral, medium-plus finish.

The midpalate is filled with ripe-and-just-ripened red fruit.

The sort of red wine that wine lovers and wine novices would both enjoy.

Bottle Note: Produced from hand-picked grapes, Irmana Frappato is a red wine with a refreshing fruit palate and soft finish. The rich aromas of red fruits and floral notes are balanced by a pleasant finish, making it the perfect wine to sip with charcuterie, sauces with seafood, or meat dishes. From our native grapes, a wine that is an authentic expression of the island. Hand harvested and cultivated with deep respect for nature.

This was a little different, but in a good way. Never had this grape but it made a nice food wine. It didn’t seem to be very tannic, but had some nice red and blue fruits on the palate. Modest finish, but pleasant and well structured with food. Ran about $14, well worth trying.

2018 Punta Final Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Punto Final shows deep violet colors with red hues. Strong floral tones of violet and rose combined with red fruits such as blackcurrant and raspberry. In the palate , the wine is smooth and silky with round tannins and a long and persistent finish. Pair with all types of meats and light pasta.

"Aromas of ripe blueberries and plums flow freely to the mouth, where the tannins are smoothly arranged and really balanced at the finish.  Pure and upbeat."

I remember earlier vintages of this wine. It still is an enjoyable bottle, with nice red fruits and a moderate finish. Nice body to be a food wine – found this under $10 most places, well worth getting a few as school nite wines.

2018 Coster Dels Olivers Red Wine, Priorat, Spain

A new custom cuvée for Eric Solomon. Coster dels Olivers is a blend of 60% Carinyena, 30% Garnatxa, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon grown on slate soils by the Sangenis family of Porrera. A combination of younger vine fruit, a relatively cooler northwestern exposure of the vineyards, a high percentage of Carinyena, and 12 months of aging in well-seasoned French and Hungarian oak barrels, ensures a brighter and juicier style of Priorat made for immediate enjoyment.

JD92       Jeb Dunnuck

Based largely on Carignan, with 30% Garnacha and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Priorat has a big, smoky nose of mulled red and black fruits, graphite, flowers, and new leather. This carries to a medium to full-bodied wine with terrific tannins (especially for Carignan), a balanced, elegant texture, no hard edges, and a great finish.

This is a great find – the blend, although a little unusual, drinks superbly. There are red and black fruits with hints of smoke in the flavors and a nice finish with hints of tannins. Really did not expect this to be as good as it is! I got it around $20, this is an affordable Priorat that you can share with friends.

NV Montinore Estate Vivace Sparkling wine, Willamette Valley, OR

Vivacé is Italian for “in a brisk, spirited manner,” which is the perfect descriptor for this aromatic sparkling white wine blend. Estate-grown Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Gris and Riesling are artfully blended to highlight the best qualities of each varietal. The beautiful plants adorning the label depict biodynamic preparations we lovingly apply to our vineyard. The result is a fragrant nose of orange blossom, lemon, lime, honey and a hint of ginger while the exuberant palate features juicy green apple, ripe melon, lime zest and citrus confectionary. A wine that still has nice structure and a lasting finish. Vivacé is bubbly and easy drinking. It’s a delightful and refreshing sipper for any occasion.

An unusual blend for a sparkling wine but they really pull it off. Vibrant with citrus aromas and green apple – really well done sparkler. Priced under $20 – a great wine for openers or light food.

2021 Kokomo Grenache Rose, North Coast, California

Rosé is not a second thought for us. We dedicate blocks of fruit for our rosé program and pick when the acid is high and the sugar is low. The delicate hue of this rosé is a direct result of harvesting the fruit at 20 brix and our gentle whole berry press. Delightful flavors of pink grapefruit, orange peel, and wild strawberry fill the palate.

This Rose had some fruit flavors but they didn’t really stand out – seemed like a pleasant quaff or salad wine but nothing really notable. Priced around $20 – I’ve had better for that price and less.

2021 Stolpman ‘Love you Bunches’ Sangiovese, Santa Barbara, California

Serve cold! 2021 strikes a wonderful balance between the fleshier, warmer 2020 vintage and the more angular, high-toned 2018 and 2019 versions.  Riper red berry fruit sings over the tart finish resulting in a pleasurable, quenching crunch.  A perfected adult version of Sour Patch Kids candy.  A floaty fleshiness develops by the second glass – which, btw, arrives quickly – with some mellowing watermelon notes on the mid-palate.

A bit different – you wouldn’t know for sure it is Sangiovese – but a quaffable drink to enjoy with lighter fare. The fruit is there but there are some other flavors that mix in the palate. Not bad, but at $25, a little pricey for an experiment.

Another month has flown by and I salute you for surviving the last few years. Stay healthy, try to be happy and keep popping those corks – I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.