The Wines of July 2022

We are in Summer - Heat waves, then rain and then more heat. Makes the weatherpeoples

lives easy - same forcast for a week!.

How about some vino I enjoyed this month.

2015 Numanthia Tinta de Toro, Toro, Spain

Bright cherry red with ruby highlights. Numanthia 2015 is a fresh, yet expressive wine. It first reveals a fruity nose with cranberries, blackcurrant and violet notes, then hints of cinnamon, cloves and black pepper followed by delicate and balsamic aromas with mint, eucalyptus and sandalwood. Firm on the palate with a harmonious, wide and balanced evolution. The wine's freshness offers length and vivacity, while it coats the palate with supple tannins. It first develops ripe red fruit, cocoa, cinnamon, mineral and spicy notes such as graphite, nutmeg or cloves, giving complexity and elegance. This finish is gentle and long, with minty, minerals and red berry notes.

JS96James Suckling

Astonishing fragrance for a Toro red, married to a huge body and a massive tannin structure in a way that’s without comparison in Spain and the world. Very long, plush finish that gets more and more delicate as it extends in the direction of the horizon. Drink or hold. This should have decades ahead of it.

WS94Wine Spectator

This powerful red is reserved, but has depth and intensity. Anise, mineral and tar notes give this an austere character, but there's a core of ripe fruit detail, supported by well-integrated tannins and enough acidity to keep this balanced.

    A gift to me, this wine is an outstanding Spanish wine. Good body, fragrant nose and a tannic backbone. The flavors give some tar and spice with the fruit but it is balanced and very nice. Great with a chunk of meat.

2019 Trentadue La Storia Cuvee 32, Alexander Valley, California

The 2019 Cuvee 32 is the 22nd vintage of this blend for Trentadue Winery. Every vintage has uniquely different blend determined by the best expression of its components and how they work together. The young Montepulciano has become an important player in the blend as well as their Brunello Clone Sangiovese. The 2019 had a moderate yields therefore produced wines with dark red color, bright fruit and firm acidity and well-structured tannins destined to age well. The 2019 Cuvee 32 has intense cherry/cassis aromas contributed by the Sangiovese followed by deeper red fruit aromas of plums, blueberry, and a hint of pomegranate. Typical for the blend is an enticing mixture of herbs and spices making the wine particularly enjoyable with Italian style food. With more air the wine shows more complex yet still in developing stage aromas and flavors of cocoa, cinnamon, leather, and black licorice. The mouth feel is medium to full with relatively high, food friendly acidity and a long and fresh finish. Drink now through 2029. Cheers!

41% Sangiovese                                32% Merlot         18% Montepulciano        9% Malbec

    Known as “Cal-Ital” because of the Italian varietals grown in California and mixed with grapes expected in Cali. A real food wine, pleasant acidity with the black fruits and a nice moderate finish.  Just sings with pasta or Italian style foods (yes, even pizza!). Got this on a close out for $20, well worth every cent.

2016 Sterling Merlot, Napa Valley, Ca

Wine Spectator

"Plush and well-spiced, with sinewy power to the dried red currant, plum and raspberry flavors. Notes of slate and hot stone show on the chiseled finish. Drink now through 2022."

The Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot is a vivid ruby-red color in the glass with aromas of blackberry fruit, plum and ripe black cherry. The appealing bouquet leads to a mouthcoating, rich palate where additional red and black fruit flavors mingle with notes of graphite and dried spice. The viscous mouthfeel of the wine is plush and the ripe tannins are refined and polished. The Napa Valley Merlot is well-balanced and elegant, offering true varietal characteristics and a sleek, flavorful finish.

    A very nice drinking Merlot, with red and black fruits dominating the palate with some earthiness and herbs. Moderate finish, enough backbone to go with food. Got this on close-out at 16, great price for this wine.

2019 Felciaio Badia di Morrona Vermantino, Pisa, Italy

Vermentino is one of the few local white grape varieties which is typically Tuscan. Regularly the major grape of the better blends produced on the region’s coast, perhaps for this reason it goes particularly well with fìsh.

A straw yellow with greenish highlights of good intensity, the wine is fresh and elegant in aroma with floral and citric notes. The flavors are soft and attractively crisp, perceptibly savory.

An excellent aperitif and with fìsh.

This wine has some floral and citrus notes with a strong minerality. Nice sipping, would be great with fish and shellfish, nothing too heavy. Appealing on hot summer days, for sure. Priced around $15, a good buy.

2017 Borsao Zarihs Shiraz, Campo de Borja, Spain

The color is opaque red-black. Crimson-purple rim. Powerful impression of blackberries, with a hint of wood smoke and sweet vanilla. The nose begins to open up and develops notes of dark chocolate. The initial impact is very full bodied, with a plush, soft structure. Flavors of dark berries dominate; wild blackberries and dried plums, with notes of espresso coffee.

Pair with rice based dishes like paella, beef, pork, pasta, or grilled vegetables.

WS92Wine Spectator

An elegant, medium- to full-bodied red, with an underpinning of smoky mineral and flavors of baked blackberry, herbed olive and toast. Well-spiced, with creamy tannins and a lasting, fresh finish.

JS91James Suckling

Berries on the nose with some cloves and peppercorns that follow through to a medium body with ripe fruit and creamy tannins. Flavorful finish. Just the right amount of wood to make it interesting. Drink now.

V91Vinous

Saturated violet. Dark berries, candied licorice, vanilla and a spicy black pepper accent on the oak-spiced nose. Supple and appealingly sweet, offering ripe blackberry and cherry liqueur flavors complicated by suggestions of vanilla and floral pastilles. Broad, fleshy and appealingly jammy, finishing very long and smooth, with a repeating vanilla note and slow-building tannins.

    Bodega Borsao makes some really good Spanish wines. Couldn’t pass this up when I saw it – Shiraz spelled backwards. Nice bright fruits but not overboard in an Australian fashion. Nice body with hints of flavors in the red fruits. Moderate aftertaste, enough backbone for grilled meats.  Priced under $15, well worth having in your cellar. Pop it open for the weekend.

2019 Gerard Bertrand ‘An 825’ Brut, Limoux, France

WW90Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

COMMENTARY: The 2019 Gérard Bertrand Héritage Crémant de Limoux Brut is pleasing and true-to-type. TASTING NOTES: This wine deftly combines aromas and flavors of dried earth, sandalwood, and ripe fruit. Enjoy it with grilled chicken thighs.

    This wine was made before Dom Perignon made his Champagne. He actually came to study where this is made. Very nice bubbly, with the addition of Chenin Blanc adds a bit extra to the body and enhances the baked bread dough and floral components. Priced around $25, hard to beat on a hot day.

2019 Massimo Rivetti Barbera D’Alba Froi, Piedmonte, Italy

The Massimo Rivetti Barbera d 'Alba Superiore Froi impresses with its elegantly dry taste. It was bottled with exceptionally little residual sugar. This is a real quality wine that stands out clearly from simpler qualities and so this Italian naturally enchants with the finest balance in all dryness. Taste does not necessarily require sugar. On the tongue, this powerful red wine is characterized by an incredibly velvety and melty texture. Thanks to its succinct fruit acidity, the Barbera d 'Alba Superiore Froi is wonderfully fresh and lively on the palate. In the finish, this red wine from the Piedmont wine-growing region finally inspires with considerable length. There are again hints of black cherry and mulberry

This wine is made in the traditional style, which requires aging in cement and stainless steel casks. A good wine that is fresh, fragrant and easy to drink. 89 Suckling

I have not been a fan of Barbera – never really found any that did it for me. This one comes really close. This wine is fresh, with bright berry flavors and a decent backbone that encourages food.  Worth a try for Italian wine fans, priced around $20.

 

2017 Dharma Reserva Red, Mendoza, Argentina

“The 2017 Dharma is a 50/50 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc from a single vineyard in La Consulta that is organic and biodynamically farmed. – I think the two varieties work very well together (it used to have Petit Verdot instead of Cabernet Franc), and it feels compact, integrated and serious. It has good ripeness without excess and fine-grained, elegant tannins. Serious, with potential to improve in bottle. Very good value too. 12,000 bottles produced.” – Wine Advocate

Often Malbec from Argentina comes out so fruit forward that it misses the flavor boat. While the fruits are expressive here, the Cab Franc keeps it from being excessive and adds a component that adds tannins and earthiness to the flavor. “Restrained”  is a good word to use on this one – and at about $20, a really good buy. Worth keeping a few on hand.

Another month and we’ve muddled through. Heat waves keep coming and going, stay cool.

Keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.