The Wines of October 2022

It hasn't really been fall weather, except for a few days this month. Got through Halloween and through to the other side. Had some guests this month, so a few extra wines for the month. Here they are:

2018 Betz Besoleil Columbia, Valley, WA

Vintage: 2018

Varietal: 46% Grenache, 24% Counoise, 24% Mourvèdre, and 6% Syrah

Appellation: Columbia Valley      Aging: 40% Whole Cluster Inclusion

Bottling date: June 2020                Alcohol: 13.8%

Region: Washington       Tasting Notes

The 2018 Bésoleil shows what it’s made of from the moment it hits the glass, displaying a brilliant, bright ruby color. The aromas are intense and complex: strawberry preserves, orange zest, and raspberry, tellicherry pepper, fresh rose petals, and herbs de Provence. The texture is silky and the palate expansive, adding layers of fresh spice and cedar. Freshness and delicacy are the name of the game here as it moves into a focused, lengthy, and saline finish that’s supported by a fine tannic structure. Delicious. The 2018 Bésoleil will continue to gain nuance over the next 8-12 years.

Acclaim                 93-95 Barrel Rating - Robert Parker

 This is an excellent wine from the Pacific Northwest.  A blend with a fruity nose followed on the palate by red fruits and some spices. Good balance, very good with food – this is a knock out. Got it reduced at $30, a definite buy.

2013 Finca Collado Crianza, Alicante, Spain

Winery : Bodegas Finca Collado                 Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

Aging: 14 months             Oak type : French

Tasting note       Cherry red colour, complex and elegant on the nose. Notes of ripe red fruits and spices, chocolate, licorice, caramel predominate. On the palate it is intense, tasty and persistent. Positive bottle evolution.

 Vineyard Plants 25 years old. Planting density: 2,800 plants per hectare. Double cordon pruning system.

 Winemaking      50hl and 20hl stainless steel tanks. Macerations adjusted according to the type of variety. Gentle vertical pressing. Fermentation and maceration with the skins for 3 weeks.

Got this at a close out price – getting a little long in the tooth. Touch of funk but not overpowering. Still pretty good fruit and acidity to go with grilled food.  Pretty nice for a $5 bottle (close-out).

2015 Senorio de Irati Crianza  Navarra, Spain

"Spicy berry aromas come with welcome side notes of desert brush, while this feels juicy and bright throughout. Spiced black cherry aromas are pure and fruity, with a bold and tasty finish providing back up.

TASTING NOTES:  View: dark cherry red.

Nose: aroma of red fruits, vanilla background, roasted and balsamic notes.

Mouth: good fruity on the palate with balanced acidity and good run.

APPELLATION: Navarra.

GRAPES: Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Graciano.

ALCOHOL: 13%

 

Another bargain, still drinking pretty well. Nice fruit, almost past its prime. Went with food, so great for another $5 bottle (close-out).

2019 Treana Chardonnay Central Coast , CA

A medium bodied Chardonnay which displays our signature rich toasted notes of caramel and stone fruit on the nose and through the pallet. Hints of orange blossom and honey and citrus on the pallet. The mineral finish lingers with a touch of mandarin creating a wine that is powerful and refined.

Very nice “old-style” Cali Chard. Priced around $20, I think – I bought it a while ago.

2018 Borrigiano Il Borro Valdarno di Sopra Italy

This is the first wine from Il Borro to be made under the Valdarno di Sopra appellation designation (the first vintage made was 2015), and the wine's name Borrigiano means inhabitants of the Il Borro hamlet. The 2018 Valdarno di Sopra Borrigiano is a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah that sees a brief period of cold maceration followed by ten months of aging in large oak casks. The aim here is to keep the freshness of the fruit intact, and this goal has been readily achieved. The bouquet opens to forest berry aromas with raw plum and fresh prune. This is a terrific wine with a confident, pure and easy-drinking appeal that is nothing short of charming.

This is an easy drinking Italian that also holds up to food. Nice fruitiness in the nose and palate, no heavy tannins or acid, yet balance for various foods. Priced around $20, this is a good buy.

2013 Pian Della Vigne Brunello di Montalcino, Firenze, Italy

The 2013 Pian della Vigne shows a brilliant ruby red color. The nose is delicate and complex with notes of ripe fruit, cherries, and plums, perfectly balanced with sensations of dried and candied fruit and spices. The palate is ample with supple tannins and is enlivened by a note of vibrant acidity with fully brings out the intense persistence and pleasure of its aromas. The finish offers hints of tobacco, dark chocolate, and berry fruit. An extremely elegant and bracingly savory wine of great finesse.

WE94     Wine Enthusiast

Alluring scents of sweet pipe tobacco, baking spice, violet and baked plum abound in this fragrant red. Elegantly structured, the bright, polished palate offers Marasca cherry, raspberry compote and licorice framed by well-knit, silky tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. It's already tempting but the best is yet to come. Drink 2021–2028.

A wonderfully complex wine with a modest nose, but a palate of red fruits and spices. Good body, though the tannins do not leap out; the wine has excellent body and pairs with food. Still youthful enough to last a few more years in the cellar, an outstanding wine from Antinori. Current price is about $50 and worth every penny.

2020 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Tualatin Estate, Oregon

Tualatin Estate Vineyard rests in the foothills of the Oregon Coast range and is one of the oldest plantings in Oregon, planted in 1973 by Oregon wine pioneer Bill Fuller, and now in the newly approved Tualatin Hills AVA. The unique Laurelwood soil profile at the Tualatin Estate Vineyard contributes to the complex nature of the wines.

A special bottling for Auburn Spirits in Wichita, this is a pinot noir that holds its own with other wines.  A fruity nose is followed by a palate of cherry and red raspberry. Nice body in the wine, would pair with food. Under $30, another great buy.

2020 G.D. Vajra Dolcetto d’Alba, Barolo, Italy

 

Deep violet in color, the nose is of red and wild berries leaning to cherries w some herbal notes. The gentle tannins are a perfect match for the moderate, but very fresh acidity.

Dolcetto is the flagship grape of Piemonte because the beguiling sweetness of its fruit is perfectly balanced by its ripe tannins, which make for a magical food wine that just comes alive at the table and brings everything else along with it.

WS90Wine Spectator

Black cherry, rose and juniper aromas and flavors mark this pliable red. Picks up a touch of earth on the finish, yet this is overall pure and full of finesse.

Dolcetto is the all-purpose wine that can be found on every lunch and dinner table in Piedmont. Even though they possess different flavor profiles, in terms of functionality at the table, Dolcetto is to Piedmont what Beaujolais is to France.

There are so many Italian grape varietals and wines! This is a tasty red with a touch of earth but bright red fruit. Nice body weight to go with foods, especially pasta and antipasto. Since it was a gift, I’m guessing the price was around $20-22.

2021 Thistledown Gorgeous Grenache, South Australia

 

Thistledown taste extensively and pick on the way up to ensure that the fruit is balanced and energetic on arrival at the winery. Multiple ferments combine traditional techniques with open, spontaneous, 100% whole bunch cuvees, partial whole bunch ferments and a gentle extraction regime throughout

to encourage the more “pinot” side of Grenache to emerge. As with all Thistledown wines, the approach is detailed, sensitive to each site, with winemaking

James Suckling

I like the mix of fresh-pear and lemon aromas and flavors that this delivers. The palate has some freshness and cut with a soft, fleshy core. Easygoing. A blend of Riverland and McLaren Vale.

A lighter style wine, yet the palate has nice red fruits and some weight to carry it through lighter fare.  Tasty for about $20 price tag.

2017 Bodega Calle ‘El Necio’ Syrah, Mendoza, Argentina

Vintage: 2017 | Wine Type: Red Wine     Varietal: Syrah

Origin: Argentina | Appellation: Single Vineyard, Altamira, Uco Valley

Elaboration: Hand picked fruit. Fermented in wide top concrete tanks, and aged 12 months with French oak.  

TASTING NOTES

“Garnet color.  Peppery aromas and flavors of overripe strawberries and pink peppercorn with a lively, dry-yet-fruity medium-full body and a long blackberry pie and tar finish with chewy, grippy tannins and light oak.  A peppery Syrah with ample fruit.” 

100% Syrah from Altamira, this wine has notes of bacon, spice, black cherries, and a touch of floral and smoke. The medium-bodied palate finishes with round tannins.

This wine was heavier in body than many syrah – the red fruit flavors powered through on the palate, but hint of tannin and earth crept into the mouthfeel. Needed food to balance the wine, just different than most Syrah. Priced reasonably just over $20, worth trying for a change.

Another month - hope all is well. Until next time, keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.