The Wines of November 2023

Hope you made it through another Thanksgiving and all the shopping hoopla. I don't partake of the shopping part, mind you, but I did have a good Thursday meal of ham and fixings with friends.

Let's talk about some wines.

2019 Voix de Vigne Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain, Washington             

 

Wild strawberry, dusty earth, mixed spices and dried cumin and chili. Some menthol, very dark cocoa, slight hint of coffee and a touch of almond. The palate starts out subtle then hits you with flavors of strawberry, raspberry, chili, crushed rock and a touch of almond. A very pleasant Cabernet Franc with a lengthy, smooth finish.

Decanter D94

Nice dark, late summer strawberry, cocoa, dried thyme and basil, with a touch of graphite. There is a colorful mix of dried, savory herbs in this wine that pairs beautifully with the fruit. Undertones of cocoa, just a hint of coffee and earthiness really create a lovely blend of aromatics in the classic, yet somewhat bold Cabernet Franc. The bright entry mixes well with the slightly creamy berry mid-palate. The finish is lengthy with fine tannin and flavors of thyme, mocha and just a touch of spice and earth. 100% Cabernet Franc.

This is an excellent bottle – deep, rich with dark fruit flavors and then some earth-like overtones. This was on sale under $20 – a great buy.

2016 Finca Collado Fet a Ma Hecho A Mano, Salinas, Alicante, Spain

GRAPE: 85% Monastrell 15% Cabernet Sauvignon

VINEYARD: Monastrell vines of over 40 years of age, located throughout the municipal area of Salinas, intermingled with Garnacha, Bobal and Forcallat. On honest, sandy and slightly saline soils low-goblet vines with a production limited to 2 kg per vine naturally.  30-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon strains located in Finca Collado on sandy soil.

Fet a mà is a very expressive and tasty wine, where the Monastrell, the degree of maturity and the breeding are fused in a perfect balance.

VISUAL: High-intensity color, without reaching saturation.

NOSE: In the nose it is very intense, with a very well-combined aromas of fruits, balsamics, licorice and coffee, very complex.

MOUTH: In the mouth, it has a good entry, silky, and tasty entry on the palate, with a little ripe tannin. In the finish, a slight acidity and balsamic aftertaste brings the perfect balance to the wine.

I got this on close out for under $10; of the three Finca Collado wines, this was showing the best. Not much in the way of tannins left, but the fruit was still expressive of dark fruits and hints of earth. Really nice everyday wine.

2019 Boomtown Syrah, Columbia Valley, WA

The 2019 Boomtown red wines hail from McNary Vineyard, perched right along the mighty Columbia River in the Southeast corner of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Beautiful fruit and balance are the hallmarks of these wines, and with the addition of roughly 10-15% of our Dusted Valley estate fruit, the result yields wines with polish, concentration and varietal typicity that over deliver time and again.

Blend: 96% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah

92  Wine & Spirits

Dark and plummy, with a youthful vibrancy and modest peppery bite, this wine isn’t so much powerful as focused with deep juicy flavors, good concentration and light tannins. It’s not complex, but it’s thoroughly satisfying—nothing fancy here—well-made, well-priced juice, delicious and straight-ahead for ribs.

A good Syrah – hints of pepper with red fruits with a moderate weight. Not one to store away, but drinking nice right now – priced around $20.

2016 Guardian  ‘The Wanted’, Columbia Valley, WA      

 

This Bordeaux style wine was aged 22 months on 50% new French oak, leading to a wine that is deep and bold, yet approachable. This vintage prominently features the beauty of Washington state Cab Franc with notes of juicy red berries and pie cherries, violet, tobacco, and thyme. A hint of leather and pepper round out the palate and lead to a clean, lingering finish.

A classic French red blend with red fruits and herbaceous overtones. Long finish – somne light tannins still hanging around. Could hold for a year or two and not hurt it. Got it at $25 – a really good bottle at a great price.

2020 Stoke’s Ghost Petite Sirah, Monterey, Ca

Inky and dark, this Petite Sirah is brimming with black cherries, blackberries and cassis flavors.  Violet notes and hints of white pepper enchant, while intense jammy fruit stains the front teeth.  Stokes' Ghost is full-bodied with balanced tannins and a finish that lingers on the palate.  This rich, deep wine is just what the doctor ordered.

This ghost makes itself easily approachable! Aged in American, French, and Hungarian oak for 12 months, the wine is an earthbound and extracted extrovert, concentrated in a well-structured frame. Teeth-grabbing slate and plum-skin tannins are enveloped in blackberry, bramble, and dark chocolate.

This is an intense Petite Sirah – nothing about it is petite! Dark red wine that has a berry nose that follows with a big jammy mouthfeel of red and black fruits with nuances of spice.  Just a blockbuster wine that has some tannic backbone to last several years in a cellar. Closed out at around $20 – it’s about$35 on the internet. Well worth it, even at the higher price.

2020 Antinori Il Bruciato Tenuta Guado Al Tasso, Italy

Il Bruciato 2020 is an intense ruby red color. Its nose is intense and enticing with notes of currants, blackberries, delicate hints of vanilla and sweet spices. Excellent harmony on the palate where a fruity finish dominates and imparts good persistence and easy drinkability.

This is the wine I had for Thanksgiving – very food friendly wine with nice fruit, good acidity and overall balance. This is not the real expensive one, more like the intro wine, but it is well worth drinking at around $25.

NV Domaine du Priuere Cremant de Bougogne, Burgundy, France

Chardonnay (60%), Pinot Noir (30%) and Aligoté (10%)

Lovely Cremant made in the style of Champagne from a solid family producer in Burgundy. Apple and cream notes with mild toast and an elegant bubble. Fresh and lovely with cheeses, baguettes and olives for entertaining.

A Cremant from Burgundy that drinks like Champagne. Bright acidity, wonderful fruits – green apple, and pear, with excellent bubbles. Priced around $27 (under $30), this bottle could replace those more expensive bubbles from the pricier region.

2022 Domaine de Couron CDR Viognier, South Rhone, France

It's rare to find a GREAT viognier at such a low price.  Like all of our most affordable wines, they overdeliver with a LOT of wine for the money.  Stonefruits, mandarins, honeysuckle, this aromatic grape delivers a textbook version in this wine, with one thing a lot of the Condrieu and new word wines lack, ACIDTY!  It has the oily texture with a nice beam of acidity, just enough for perfect integration.

A good French Viognier at an affordable price – stop the presses. Wonderful acidity with those stone fruits filling your mouth. Priced at $15 or under, this wine is tremendous.

2019 Pira Giogio Nebbiolo, Langhe, Italy                             

 

“Deep rose colored. Scents of roses and subtle red fruit.  Subtle red fruit, earth with soft silky and seductive. Firm mouthful of spice and tannin on a lightly medium frame.  Finishes with a classic kiss of earth and roses.”

I wrote this is a pleasant wine; red fruits with herb overtones. Needs food to really make the wine best. Priced just over $30, probably won’t seek this one out.

 

2019 Domaine du Grangeon Chatus, Ardeche, France

 “Ample, violet-laced blackberry fruits, scorched earth, tar, graphite and licorice to go with a medium-bodied, structured, yet elegant profile on the palate. The texture is liquid granite and it flows over the tongue as if woven from the finest silk. Yet this medium-bodied wine is light and graceful, with notable, savory tannin and integrated acidity with cherry, spice and pepper.”

This is an ancient grape variety – grown only in a few places in France. Somewhat like a Cab/Syrah kind of wine, very pleasant with red fruits and some earthy overtones. Always fun to try something that is not common – priced around $30, it is worth that price.

 

2018 Poggio Mori ‘Sertorius’ , Tuscany, Italy      

Cabernet Franc (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (50%) and Petit Verdot (5%)

“The 2018 Sertorius is sweetly seductive with a mix of cinnamon and clove, embellishing vivid black cherry. This sweeps across the palate, cool-toned yet potent, with bright acidity motivating its tart wild berry fruits. While lightly structured, the 2018 maintains a pleasantly fresh persona, finishing spicy with a medium length.”

90 Points, Vinous Oct 2022 Eric Giudo from 2023-2026

 “Cherries, cloves, lemons, bark and plum stones on the nose. Supple and juicy with a medium body, fine tannins and bright acidity. Bright finish. From Organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”

90 Points.  JamesSuckling.com.  Jan 2023

This is a Big Boy wine – a real Super Tuscan. This wine fills your mouth with red and black fruits and overtones of spices. Still a little tannic, the finish was a bit short. A very tasty wine – priced around $38 – not bad for this style of wine.

 

2019 Poggio Mori IGT Toscano, Tuscany, Italy    

 
 

Merlot (90%), Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot

The 2019 Poggio Mori, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc lifts from the glass with a spicy and inviting mix of wild berries, cinnamon sticks and pine shavings. It’s silky-smooth with tart cherry and blueberry notes complicated by savory herbs and clove hints. This leaves a sour citrus tinge while finishing lightly structured yet long. The 2019 does a lovely job coming across as classically dry and poised yet packed full of immediate pleasure.

91 Points.  Vinous. Eric Guido. 2024-2028

This would be the little brother of the ‘Sertorius’ above. This wine was less open than the other one, felt still a bit closed. Still a little tannic, the finish is modest. Not as much balance or acidity as the previous Italian wine. Priced around $55, I would seek out the other bottling.

Another month, a few more wines. Hope all is well and remember to keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.