The Wines of June 2024

    It is starting to get hot - Summertime waits for nothing! How about some wines to look at?

2015 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington

This wine offers red and black fruit, notes of gravel. It is deep, elegant and complex -- almost like old skool CA Cabernet. Mineral, with medium+ acid and firm tannin. Chocolate, pencil shavings, red flowers, forest floor, mushroom, cedar.

Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

Wine Enthusiast  91

Phinny Hill (60%) and Bacchus (20%) fruit make up the backbone of this wine. Aromas of plum, black licorice, baking spice and black fruit are followed by a full-bodied, well-balanced, layered palate that shows depth and intensity but with a fine sense of balance. There’s no question about the warmth of the year, but it delivers and will have a very long life in front of it.

This wine is just hitting its peak –tannins are minor but the fruit still shines through. Nice acidity left to make a food match – really nice wine. Closed-out at around $55, well worth the money.

 

2015 Senorio de Irati Crianza Grenache, Navarra, Spain

Senorio De Irati Garnacha has the 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.

Garnacha from Spain is a favorite of mine. This one is a touch long on the tooth, but still shows nice fruit with a touch of herbs on the palate. Tasty with food, more that a sipper, but a steal at the retail of $8.99.

2023 Tapi Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

93 Decanter

Quince and melon with restrained citrus notes and flinty tones. Lovely intensity with lifting oak and a sprinkle of stone fruit. Lovely intensity on the palate. The fruit shows a nice concentration with a supple texture. Very classic in style with great typicity. Juicy acidity with a long finish.

Sustainable and organic with passionfruit, gooseberry, and green capsicum on the nose and passionfruit, lemon, grapefruit, and zingy acid on the palate.

I will admit, Sauvignon Blanc kind of bores me. This is a big exception – the red grapefruit, hints of lime and quince make it a great sipper and it will do well with lighter fare. Priced at about $16, this is the wine to have this summer, if you don’t have a Rose handy.

2020 Chateau Haut Prieur La Croix, Blayes, Cote de Bordeaux, France

With dense raspberry, red currant and plum fruit, this is well-packed with firm yet ripe tannins and just the right hints of earth and spice throughout the palate. This is a solid young Bordeaux red at a fantastic price!

Soft, ripe and fruity, this is an immediately attractive wine. Its tannins, nicely ensconced in the wine's black fruits, are supportive. The wine will be ready from 2024.    WE 91 Points

I describe this as a touch of a fruit bomb. Not sure about aging potential, but it goes with red meat very  well. Priced at $15, this is a great buy.

2020 Domaine de L’Arnesque Cotes, du Rhone, France

A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. A deep ruby colour in the glass. An expressive nose of red fruits leads to a fleshy midpalate with spice and sweet tannins complimenting the red fruit notes.

Deep red color with purple flecks. The nose is lively with notes of red fruits, sage and dried herbs. In the mouth it is fleshy, with red fruit flavors, hints of spice and gentle tannins.

FOOD PAIRING Pair with charcuterie, roast duck and pizza topped with sausage.

Another great buy – priced at around $15, the body on this wine is good, with red fruits and a enough acid to make food pairing easy. Could hold a couple of years, so buy a couple and enjoy.

2022 Uggiano Governo All’uso Toscano, Firenze, Italy

A supple and mellow Tuscan red with fresh red berry fruit and a full, spicy flavour. The ‘Governo’ method, a traditional Tuscan technique involving a slow refermentation of the freshly produced wine with the addition of semi-dried grapes, gives vivacity, concentration and roundness to the wine.

This was a gift, but it is priced under $20. The ‘Governo’ method is like Ripasso on valapocello wines. Great body and texture with dark red berry fruit. Uggiano is a producer that I can highly recommend. Their inexpensive Chianti is a delight as well.

2023 Domaine Chantepierre Tavel, Southern Rhone, France

This Tavel rosé from France is made with a blend of 5 grapes and is sure to be your new favorite.  Complex but fun - wines from this region are made more similarly to red wines than a typical rosé, giving them more body, intensity, and often higher alcohol levels (14% in this one!).

With notes of candied red fruits, spices, and minerality on the palate, Tavel wines are known for their ability to pair well with food - from seafood such as salmon or swordfish, to pasta, to gamier or other meat dishes, this bold wine will hold its own!

60% Grenache noir  20% Cinsault  10% Grenache blanc  5% Syrah  5% Clairette

Basically, a red wine in rosé form - absolutely perfect for the spring and summer months. If you're looking to up your rosé game, give this bold wine a shot!

A good pink wine – darker than most, it has good fruit and a great minerality. Match with light fare or an evening on the porch watching the sunset. Generally, about $20, can be found for $15. Get several for the summer.

2022 Slouch Hat Parade Rest GSM, Central Coast, CA

Here is a GSM that is really an “SMG" because the final blend is 40% Syrah, 37% Mourvedre and 23% Grenache.  Sourcing grapes from three local vineyards,  winemaker Matt Fowler fermented each variety separately and then aged each in neutral 225 liter barrels for 10 months.  He is an ex-Marine to explain the “Parade Rest” subtitle.  Though surprisingly not as dark in color as I expected, it does initially offer a ripe Mourvedre-driven aroma with some baking spice and berry background notes.  At the outset it shows a medium-bodied profile with generous ripe dark plum and leathery flavors, but with time, it softens and shows delicious juicy red fruit flavors.  It became more harmonious and smoother 24 hours after being open and decanted.  120 cases made.         91 Norm Roby Jun 4, 2024

This was a substitute in our WWWC wine dinner. Somewhat soft in nature but still had nice red berry flavors with fine tannins. Moderate finish, this is a good wine for things of the grill. Priced around $30, if you can find it – small production from this vintner  at this time.

2021 Pierre Amadieu Gigondas, Southern Rhone, France

91 pts Wine Spectator

“Elegant and high-toned, with expressive blackberry, blueberry and smoked plum flavors laced with violet and white pepper. Delivers dusty earth, sweet tobacco and charred mesquite, which add savory dimension to the pretty profile. The persistent finish is lined with snappy acidity and fine-grained tannins. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2030. 7,800 cases made, 1,400 cases imported.”

I like Gigondas, but this one seemed a little out of kilter. Maybe it needs some tie in the bottle to settle down. Big flavors of dark fruits and a tannic base – either wait a while or serve it with a bloody steak.  Priced around $25, still cheaper than most CDP.

 

2021 Ridge Three Valleys, Sonoma, California

65% Zinfandel, 26% Petite Sirah, 5% Syrah, 4% Alicante Bouschet

92 Wine Spectator

A broad-shouldered red, with a potent structure but expressive blackberry, savory dill and white pepper flavors that speed toward medium-grained tannins. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet. Drink now through 2033.

Terrific balance in this Zinfandel-dominant blend from the benchmark producer. Fresh herbs, ripe blackberry, plum, and a touch of earth on the nose. Supple raspberry and cherry fruit with elegant tannins on the palate. Great restraint and balance. Aged for 11 months in American oak (5% new). Crafted with minimal intervention. Minimal added sulfur and vegan friendly.

A Ridge field blend, what can be finer for a Bar-b-Que?  Nice red fruits with a nice balance on the acidity. I wouldn’t keep it longer than 5 – 6 years, but a really nice wine. Priced around $21, you can’t go wrong.

2016 Wm Grassie Syrah Reserve, Columbia Valley, Washington

Rich blackberry and espresso aromas are matched by scents of dried maple leaves and lemon-scented French laundry powder. With a soft, round mouthfeel, restrained alcohol and silky tannins, this wine's black cherry, vanilla, dark chocolate and almond flavors go down easy. It spent 46 months in 100% neutral French oak.

Aromas of stewed plums,maraschino cherries, licorice andmocha. Rich and flavorful with a full body and broad, integrated tannins. Excellent balance and freshness. Drink now or hold.

A shame that we used all we had of this Washington Syrah. It is right at its peak – full mouthfeel of red and black fruits, a moderate finish and an overall good effect. Good with food but pretty good as a sipper.  Originally about $60, we closed it out at $30 and it was worth every penny.

Another month has ticked by and we're not getting any younger. Stay well and keep popping those corks. I'll meet you out behind the grape vines.