Wines of June 2022

We're into the Summer - hot time in the old town tonight! Drank a wine from a country I've never had and an old favorite from Spain. Here are the wines.

2015 Chateau Marjosse, Bordeaux, France

Chateau Marjosse is typically a beautiful bright purple color and intense violet reflections. The nose expresses candied fruits, cherry and blackberry with elegant toasted oak notes. The mouth is supple and round and reveals pretty fruity with good round and tasty tannins and a pleasantly persistent finish.

JS91James Suckling

Aromas of spices, currants and milk chocolate with fresh-basil undertones. Full-bodied, layered and rich with lots of fruit and character on the finish. Tannins are velvety and dusty in texture. Excellent for this chateau. Needs two or three years to soften. Try in 2020.

This juicy, wood-aged Pierre Lurton wine has very ripe fruit. That gives it richness with black-plum fruits and a dense texture. A bitter coffee flavor shows through the fruit. It needs time, so drink from 2018. WE 86 points

This is a well made inexpensive red from Bordeaux. Priced at under $20, the wine had a nice layered fruit and light tannins with a decent finish. The 2018 is drinking great also, the 2015 had more depth of flavor. Pick either up, you won’t regret it.

2019 Ramon Bilbao Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain

Bright yellow with pale lemon and greenish hues . Elegant mineral and delicate white pear aroma. Nice acidity on the palate with eucalyptus and ripe granny smith apples. It is very fresh and juicy with a nice and subtle complexity of white flowers aromas and some tea flavors linger out to a pretty pleasant aftertaste. Great with lobster salads and cheese appetizers.

Briny aromas of citrus fruits include a pop of green pyrazines, while this is lean and lemony on a slightly dilute palate. White pineapple and chive flavors finish tangy and lemony. RATING 87 WE

Albarino can be just OK or like this example. Wonderful fruit flavors with a good acid balance that lingers on the tongue. A bit tangy – good by itself but good backbone to go with lighter fare. Priced around $15, this is a great summer wine.

NV Chateau Moncontour Vouvray sparkling Wine, Tourane, France

Nut and toast aromas lead to a smooth palate, with creamed apple and delicate orange zest flavors. Behind the crisp acidity, there is a mature feel, giving roundness to the delicious aftertaste.  RATING 90 WE – Chenin Blanc

A very old estate, this was purchased by the Feray Family in the 1990s and it has never looked back. Again 100% Chenin Blanc, this is a Cuvée (blend) made from the best fruit and aged for around 18 months on the yeast – although it tastes like it was aged longer.

Yeast autolysis dominates this wine, it even smells of toast – yeast / lees can give a good impression of oak sometimes. Rich pear, cooked lemon, quince, honey, apple compote are all here as well as some frangipane / bakewell pudding sort of character making it feel pretty rich and flavourful, although the brisk acidity certainly cleanses the palate making it balanced. An intriguing wine that I enjoyed very much – 90/100 points.

I enjoy sparklers from Tourane – this one did not disappoint. Smooth palate with apple and citrus fruit in a good acid level for sipping. Hints of baking spice on the finish, this is a really nice sparkling wine that is affordable. Priced around $20, this is a good wine.

2017 Milbrandt Merlot, Wahluke Slope, Washington

Plush red fruit, herb and eucalyptus aromas lead to scrumptious fruit flavors. It possesses a compelling sense of balance—a superb value that brings a sense of purity not always seen at this price.

Aromas of vanilla, shaved coconut and baking spice are at the fore, with the oak taking over. Dark fruit and barrel intermingle on the palate. The oak completely steals the show.  RATING 87 WE

Merlot from the Pacific Northwest was one of the early red wines I drank and enjoyed. This is a great example of the style – great red fruits with herb and spices in the mouth. Great balance with light integrated tannins. Moderate aftertaste, this is good alone or even better with a meal. Priced around $30 – I was able to get it under $20. This is a wine to buy several – holding it for a few years will enhance it.

2021 Excelsior Chardonnay, Robertson, South Africa

Elegant and approachable, this Chardonnay has zesty lemon and lime flavors, while this rich palate is balanced by a crisp acidity. This wine is perfect with grilled seafood or lightly spiced Thai chicken.

W&S 88 Wine & Spirits

This chardonnay bursts with floral aromas, which cede ground to bright white fruit girded by a matchsticky leesiness. It’s precise and persistent, and a steal at $10. Best Buy

The De Wet family have farmed the Excelsior Estate in the Robertson wine valley since 1859 when Koos de Wet first settled there. The family’s history in winemaking actually goes back even further. Koos was a direct descendant of Jacobus de Wet, an official in the Dutch East India Company, who landed in Cape Town in 1697! Jacobus became one of the first winemakers in Cape Town and the entire Southern Hemisphere when he bought a farm and began planted vines back in the late 17th century. Sorry for the history lesson, but I think that’s pretty cool!

Usually cheap Chards are like water – one dimensional and lacking flavors. This little $10 Chard is one of the better I’ve had. You won’t mistake it for a big oak bomb, but it is bright with white fruits and some citrus. Wonderful for a summertime sipper or with light fare. Really – ten bucks, try it.

2021 Garzon Albarino Reserva, Maldonado-Garzon, Uruguay

"Minerally, with a crisp structure to the dried apple and gooseberry flavors. Floral accents midpalate, with a lightly spiced finish, offering green herbal accents. Drink now through 2024. 6,000 cases imported."

First wine I’ve had from Uruguay – you would find the red from there would probably be Tannat. The best whites are from Albarino, the Spanish grape from Green Spain – the part above Portugal.  Tasty little wine, white grapes and apple dominating the mouth with hints of floral tones. Pretty good, though it looks to be about $20. Worth a try.

2020 Petalos Mencia, Bierzo, Spain

The wine is aged in large oak vats for 10 months to give it immediate appeal, while still retaining the estate's signature finesse and restraint.

RP93Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The regional red 2020 Pétalos comes from 90 hectares of vineyards, mainly from Corullón and Villafranca del Bierzo and the districts of Viariz, Hornija, Valtuille de Abajo and Otero. It mixes expositions, altitudes and soils and wants to paint a picture of Bierzo in the warm 2020 vintage. They reckon it's 92% Mencía with 5% other red grapes (Alicante Bouschet, Gran Negro, Pan y Carne and Negreda) and 3% whites (Valenciana, Jerez and Godello) with an average yield of 26 hectoliters per hectare. The fruit is darker than in the 2019. This is still young, and, as it happens with even the most approachable wines from the region, it should be even better in a couple of years. I tasted it again in mid-December, and the wine is showing better and better; time in bottle has done it some good, and the wine has settled and is getting more balanced. I don't feel the sun now; it's harmonious and more serious, juicy and tasty. A little better than anticipated.

Just saying” Mencia from Bierzo” is fun. Mencia was a local grape that wasn’t exported for years because it was made into plonk to be drank in the area. When treated correctly, the grape can produce very nice wines – this is an example from one the pioneers in this area.  Juicy red fruits with hints of spices; short aftertaste but pleasant to sip or match with grilled food. Priced around $20, buy some and tell people your having Mencia from Bierzo!

2018 Artadi Vinas de Gain Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain

JS94James Suckling

Very pure fruit to this with blackberries and blueberries and some dried flowers. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a linear, refined finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

RP93Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The young red 2018 Viñas de Gaín follows the same philosophy as the white, grapes from a variety of vineyards in Laguardia and Elvillar ferment in oak and stainless steel vats followed by malolactic in barrel and an élevage in oak of nine months. It showcases the serious and fresh style of the best wines from the year. It has cold fruit and a very fine thread in the palate, fine tannins, long and balanced, very fresh. It has depth and complexity. A very good wine, it transcends its price point, like an upgraded version of the 2016.

This was a good Rioja wine – good upfront red fruits with stone and herbs and fine tannins embracing the palate. Worked well with food, overall a very nice wine. Priced around $25, worth the price.

Another month and were heading into the hot summer months. Stay cool. Keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.