The Wines of December 2022

You realize your old (or getting there) when you talk about how wacky the weather has been - you know, bitter cold, then springlike. At least we made it through the Holidays. How about some wine talk?

2017 Brancaia Tre Toscana Rosso, Tuscany, Italy

Plenty of density and richness, but a fine line of acidity and freshness. Structured and quite long on the finish. Aromas of black berries, licorice, dried herbs and black pepper. This elegant, well-structured cuvée offers plenty of drinking pleasure now or later and goes well with every kitchen.

Blend: 80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is ideal with pasta and rice dishes, light roasted or sautéed meat, poultry, fried or grilled fish. Our favorite: with Vitello Tonnato with fresh capers.

JS93James Suckling

Good focus and intensity to the nose here, folding in licorice, dried herbs, black pepper and Chinese spices. Full body, plenty of density and richness, but a fine line of acidity and freshness. Structured and quite long on the finish.

Very nice Italian wine – modest nose of red fruits but a nice mouth feel with red and black fruits and some herbs. Nice acidity to go with many foods, although some thing Italian really went great. Usually around$ 22, I got it for under $18, well worth the price

2018 Chateau Des Demoiselles Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux, France

This rich, fruity and wood-aged wine promises balance from the blackberry fruits and generous tannins. At the moment, a dry core shows strongly, but this will soften. Drink from 2021. RATING88

Dusty ruby color. Aromas and flavors of dried berries, apricot tart a la mode, starched linen, and licorice with a satiny, vibrant, dryish medium body and a charming, medium-long finish that exhibits accents of cocoa-dusted dried berries and olives with crunchy, drying tannins. A round and rewarding Red that will complement a fine meal.

A fairly young but tasty red from France – nose was ref fruits and hints of floral. In the mouth, darker fruits with some spice mixed with moderate tannins. Pleasant aftertaste and good balance to fit a meal. Got it at $12, worth buying several for the cellar and drinking over a few years.

2015 Vilosell Red wine Costers del Segre, Spain

TASTING NOTES OF 2015 Vilosell : View: cherry color, violet hues. Nose: red berries, blackberries, blueberries, spices like pepper and clove, toasted aromas of good wood. Mouth: Intense, voluminous, friendly, fine sweet tannins and ripe forest fruits. Long and persistent, a sweet explosion of red fruits. APPELLATION: Costers del Segre. VINES: Tomás Cusiné GRAPES: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot and Syrah. AGEING: 9 months in French oak barrels. PREPARATION: malolactic fermentation in. ALCOHOL CONTENT: 14.5%

Very closed nose, this wine took a few minutes to open up. When it did, it had a good bunch of red fruits, herbs and spices. Pleasing aftertaste, no real tannins but good body as a food wine. Close out price $10, a nice wine for everyday.

2018 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras

A worthy comparison between the Vacqueyras and Cuvée Romaine can be made. Whereas the Romaine trades on a fruitier, more easy-going structure, the Vacqueyras is altogether different. Seeing an additional 6 months in tank it possesses a notable meaty quality with firmer tannins and a seriously dense core of black fruit and iron.

Should you find yourself with a fairly large piece of beef or lamb on your hands you’d be hard–pressed for a more suitable assistant at the table.

WE93Wine Enthusiast

Sun-kissed raspberries and rose petals perfume this bright, penetrating blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. It's a surprising contrast to this producer's equally delicious but significantly brawnier 2017 bottling. Full bodied but freshly composed, it highlights crisp red-plum and cherry flavors lifted by a mineral undertow and brisk acidity. This lovely wine is ready now

JD91Jeb Dunnuck

More rounded and fleshy than the 2017, yet also tannic, the 2018 Vacqueyras has classic notes of red and black fruits, garrigue, and pepper. Based on 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault and Mourvèdre, brought up all in tank, it’s going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age yet keep for upwards of a decade.

Southern Rhone, one of my favorite wine areas. This wine does have a bit of a meaty quality, but in a good way. Heavy body with red and black fruits, spices and some herbaceousness with some tannic backbone. A wine that cries out for food, this heavyweight could take a few years of aging in the cellar. Priced normally around $30, I got it for $23 on an email special from Matt at Auburn. Great wine.

2016 Chateau St. Jean Reserve 8555 Cuvee, Sonoma, Ca

This aged cuvée is likably smooth, rich and well integrated, with a velvety plushness that appeals. Red and black cherry, mocha and traces of vanilla mingle around a soft core of full-bodied ripeness and moderate structure. VIRGINIE BOONE   RATING91

This is a wine club special, I believe, the 8555 being the wineries street address.  This cuvee is made with the 5 Bordeaux grapes in an unspecified number. I would guess mostly merlot with cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot to make the structure. Wine was very smooth, with nice balance – mostly red fruits with hints of herbs. Went well with a meal and had a moderate aftertaste. Bottle was a gift, but Wine-searcher has it for $75 – 125. I had it with Christmas dinner and is was very good.

2021 Thistledown ‘Thorny Devil Grenache, McLaren Vale, Aus

RP 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Aromas of savory spice, hung deli meat and blood fill the senses, but it is in the mouth where the purity and succulence of the fruit is revealed. This 2021 Thorny Devil Grenache is long and savory, sweet and fine, built into a framework of pliable tannin and exotic spice. Balanced and exciting.

JS93James Suckling

Dense aromas of baked red cherry, strawberry, black tea and rosemary. Full-bodied with succulent red fruit and spice. The silky tannins are well structured and guide the palate through an even-keeled finish. White pepper spice. Nicely composed. Vegan. Drink or hold.

 

An unusually heavy weight Grenache from Australia – surprising how well this wine showed. Red fruits, some meatiness and herbs fill the mouth, supported by light tannins.  A bit of a surprise, but a really nice wine priced under $30. Awesome label, too.

2020 Domaine Chateaumar ‘Cuvee Vincent’ Cotes-du-Rhone 2020, Southern Rhone, FRA

 

Blend: 100% Syrah           Aging: 8 to 10 months in concrete tanks

Cuvée Vincent is made from 50+ year-old vines growing on two parcels bordering Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Its unusual composition of 100% Syrah imbues it with the smoky aromas and meaty, savory flavors more associated with the legendary wines of Hermitage and Côte-Rotie in the Northern Rhône, but with the generosity of tart cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and dark spices one expects from the more lush Southern Rhône. A rich and complex wine unlike any other Côtes-du-Rhône you’ll find, and one that will elevate a wood-grilled ribeye, roast duck, braised lamb shanks, game, or any hearty dish to sublimity.

Most Cote-du-Rhones (CDR) are a blend of grapes – this one was all syrah. Normally, the Northern Rhone wines are all Syrah, but this is a southern Rhone wine.  A hearty and heady wine, very enjoyable with the smoky French style Syrah (ain’t no Aussie Shiraz) with red and blue fruits and that spice blend that you can’t name. Balanced and a food ready wine, a steal at $24, on special for $20.

2013 Emilio Moro ‘Malleolus’ Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero, Spain

Of a deep mature cherry color, this wine stands out for the intensity and quality of the sensations it offers. From black fruit aromas to strong and mature tannins that fill our mouth. The integration of fruit and wood offers an exquisite balance.

JS92James Suckling

Elegant and deep nose of candied red fruit and petal character. Full body, soft tannins and a caressing, long and flavorful finish. Drink now.

This is a ready to drink wine from Ribera del Douro.  Mouthful of red and black fruits with a touch of sagebrush and herbs, this wine has a good balance for its weight.  Good finish that lingers, excellent with red meats – close out priced at $34; hard to beat a wine from that region at that price.

2019 Royal Prince Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA

A plush, opulent, densely textured, full-bodied wine that shows loads of black raspberry fruits, violets, shaved cocoa with polished, sweet tannins. The 2019 Royal Prince Cab is dark and almost opaque in color. It shows aromas of truffle, black cherry, and licorice.

The 2019 takes over where its predecessor left off – a massive over-achiever. The NDA on the sources for this wine is long and littered with iconic names. At once powerful and richly textured, it also shows flashy acidity and great persistence in the finish.

JD93Jeb Dunnuck

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is rock star stuff and delivers a classic Napa level of richness and depth while staying pure, clean, and beautifully balanced. Lots of blackcurrants, dark chocolate, spice, and hints of tobacco all emerge from the glass, and it's full-bodied, with a rich, fleshy, opulent mouthfeel, good tannins, and a great finish. Don't miss this sexy, concentrated, impeccably made Cabernet!

Very much a Napa Cabernet with dark fruits, a little graphite, spices and a touch of chocolate. Moderate tannins (could cellar for a few years) and a nice clean finish. Sufficent body for food, a well made Cab from overpriced land.  Original price $50 – which is a good deal, Matt has it on close-out at $30.

 

Another Month gone by and now a New Year. Stay well and safe. Keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines.