The wines of December 2024
Just a note - I don't always have an entire bottle of what I am reporting. I am the speaker at a monthly wine dinner with a gathering wine and four wines at the table. Since I started part-time at Auburn Spirits in West Wichita, I also get partial bottles from tastings that I add to this list. So, my liver is just fine... Now for those December wines
2022 Tolentino Single
Vineyard Malbec, Mendoza Argentina
The Tolentino single vineyard Malbec has a dark violet color with dense black fruit aromatics and some mocha character in the nose. It also has very soft and silky tannins, a natural balance, nice concentration and a distinctive smooth lengthy finish.
91 Pts James Suckling
Wild herbs and stems to the nose with a hint of white pepper to the black cherries. Juicy, dry and pretty silky on the palate with a fluid, fruity finish.
An amazing bottle of
Malbec – good nose with fruit and spices, followed by full red and black fruits
with hints of spices. Runs under $20, a real bargain of a Malbec.
2017 Marques de Casa
Concho Carmenere, Puemo, Chile
Marques de Casa Concha's 2017 Carmenere is 90% Carmenere and
10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit is from Peumo Vineyard in Cachapoal Valley,
Chile, and the vines were planted from 1994 through 1996 on alluvial silty-clay
soil. The wine spent 14 months in French oak barrels and has an ABV of 14.3%.
The color of the wine is a deep cherry red and on the nose there's aromas of plums, red cherries, black pepper, and mint chocolate. It's medium bodied with a rich mouthfeel, grainy tannin, and mellow acidity. For flavors the red cherries on the nose turn to black cherries, and the plums, black pepper, and mint chocolate return with a new friend of belly-warming Ancho chile. Then it finishes with black cherries and caramel.
Getting a bit on in
age, this Carmenere still held up with red fruits and some herbs and spices in
the mouth. Can’t say there was much Ancho pepper, but did still have a nice medium
finish. Only $20, bought on close-out under $10. A real steal.
2021 Bela Red wine,
Ribera del Douro, Spain
"Ripe without excess, with very integrated oak and a velvety palate with silky tannins. It reminds me of the historical wines from the early 1990s. With time in the glass, it develops a precise note of licorice intermixed with berry fruit and some spices and herbs. They feel this is the wine they wanted to produce from the beginning; they consider it their best vintage to date." The Wine Advocate, 92 Points
No 79 on the Wine spectator
2023 Top 100 wines, this Tempranillo based wine is a very good example of
modern style wines from Ribera del Douro. Good red fruits with some baking
spices, very nice wine. Priced around $20, well worth it.
2018 Bodkin The Victors
Spoils Sauvginon Blanc, Sonoma County, CA
This is a delightfully bright, light and refreshing wine, grassy and herbal within a context of textured grapefruit and lime. It's lovely and complex with a persistence of acidity. 90 Pts Wine Enthusiast
This bottle was a
touch past its prime, but was decent. Used it mostly for cooking – the newer
vintages are better. Runs about $18. Really enjoy this brands Sparkling Sauv Blanc.
2015 Saint Cosme
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
SAINT COSME Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015 – 94 points
“A focused, slightly taut style, with a good dose of singed cedar and alder framing the core of red currant, plum and bitter cherry paste flavors. Lots of bay leaf, rosemary and sanguine accents fill in on the finish, which keeps a cedary edge. For fans of the old-school style.
A special treat, an aged
CDP from a good producer. Lovely red fruits with herbs on the enge of the
palate. Just right to enjoy now – priced at $30, super buy.
2020 Paul Dolan Zinfandel,
Mendocino, CA
Deep and concentrated fruit flavors give this full-bodied wine plenty to savor, while light vanilla and cinnamon notes from oak aging dress it up nicely. Moderate tannins maintain good balance despite the wine's richness. 91 Pts WE
Fairly nice zinfandel
with red fruits and some underlying spices. Tannins blend into the background
but leave a moderate finish. Pretty good for an organic Zin priced around $20.
2016 Robert Biale
Founding Fathers Zinfandel, Napa Valley, CA
Earthy and brimming in crisp red fruit, this is a floral, somewhat ethereal wine that's powerfully built in ripe plum and licorice that finishes in grippy tannin. 88 Pts WE
The old argument –
does zinfandel age and how old is too old. This is about near the end of its
life, yet the fruit was still grippy and there was a little spice in the aftertaste.
A wine that should be consumed if you have it (2016), but a nice display of
good Napa Zin. Priced around $30 – 24 on close-out.
2022 The Prisoner Red
Bland, California
The Prisoner Red Blend was inspired by the wines first made by the Italian immigrants who originally settled in Napa Valley. The Prisoner is now the most recognized red blend, leading the resurgence of interesting blends by incorporating Zinfandel with the unlikely mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Charbono. Bright aromas of ripe raspberry, vanilla, and coconut give way to flavors of fresh and dried blackberry, pomegranate, and vanilla, which linger harmoniously for a smooth and luscious finish.
The 2022 is bursting at the seams – a brooding, powerful Red Blend with raspberry, blackberry, vanilla and cranberry flavors on the attack that mesh with a hint of vanilla, and some well integrated sweet oak notes. It’s so silky smooth and inviting with pristine fruit – a mass appeal wine that is sure to be the talk of any table.
The darling of the wine
world – The Prisoner – and I got about half a bottle. It does have goos red and
black fruits, with a hint of oak and some herbs on a moderate finish. Can’t really complain about it – tasty and
would appeal to any red wine drinker’s palate. Priced right around $50.
2013 Bella Union
Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA
The 2013 Bella Union presents a luscious nose of ripe black cherry, plum, strawberry, opulent berry compote and cassis. The entry is rich and inviting with succulent flavors reminiscent of cherry pie. The palate builds to trademark Rutherford dust mingled with chewy tannins, offering a mouth-filling, integrated texture, as hints of baking spices linger on a beautiful finish.
A product from the
folks at Far Niente – from a vineyard near Bella Oaks. This aged red is at its
prime right now – tannins are not showing much, but the black and red fruits
are very rich and alluring. Lengthy finish and hints of baking spices do come
through. Great bottle – current vintages
run about $55 – 60. Great for a special occasion.
2016 Hafner Cabernet
Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, CA
At our Annual Vertical Tasting in January 2024, we tasted the 2016 and here are our notes: Blackberries, raspberries, Mirabelle plums, boysenberries, coppa and fresh mint aromas. Rich, complex, velvety. Niçoise olives, anise, toasted bread and dark chocolate notes.
A small family owned
winery in Sonoma, they make some very tasty wines. The 2016 is in a perfect
drinking mode – full of fruit – mostly dark fruit flavor with some baking
spices undertones. Nice moderate finish,
very good bottle of wine. Estimated price is around $55.
NV Segura Viudas Brut
Cava, Spain
"This sparkling shows aromas of white fruits, citrus,
tropical fruits, and light floral notes. The palate is exquisite, complex and full
of flavor, with good acidity and notes of lime and pineapple. It is dry and
long on the finish.
Segura Viudas Brut Cava, created from a blend of reserve and non-vintage wines, is clean and delicate, yet rich in flavor. Brut is a cuvée of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes grown in the renowned Penedès region of Spain. The wine is vinified according to méthode champenoise technique and is aged in the bottle for up to 2 years."
I usually drink the
Reserve from this company, but this is what I got. It is a dry cava, high
acidity and some notes of tropical fruits. Nice, but nothing to get too excited
about. Priced at $12- 14, you get what you pay for.
2019 Roger Goulart
Gran Reserva Cava, Spain
Pale yellow with golden highlights. Aroma with good intensity, ripe white fruit such us apple and peach. Aniseed, fennel notes. Reminiscences of patisserie, yeast and dry flowers notes. Dried nuts. One experiences the work of more than five years of aging on the lees. On the palate, wide on entry, full and creamy on the palate. Thick and velvet. The dry white flowers and fruit aromas come back on the palate. Its good acidity provides a refreshing and lasting finish.
There is a difference
in Reserve cava over regular. This wine had a fuller mouthfeel, with acidity, but
not overwhelming. Creamy feeling, with hints of green apple and peach – very good
bottle to enjoy with friends. Priced around the mid-$20’s – very nice.
2021 Hearst Ranch Bunkhouse
Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA
Dried cherry, cola and baking-spice aromas make for a clean and well-integrated nose on this bottling. Ample tannins frame the ripe fruit, dried meat and graphite flavors, as acidity lingers into the finish.
93 Pts WE
Violets, lavender and rum-soaked black cherries form an inviting bouquet as the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bunkhouse opens in the glass. Round and creamy in feel, yet lifted throughout, this impresses further with its sleek red and black fruits, as fine tannins build toward the close. This leaves a peppery flourish to linger through the structured finale, as hints of tart raspberry linger.
A well made Cabernet
from Paso Robles – with mostly red fruits and some graphite in a well
integrated wine with little tannins. Probably not one to age too long, but it
is drinking so well right now, don’t wait. Priced around $21, it is a good
bottle to pick up and drink.
2019 Penfolds Bin 407
Cabernet Sauvignon, Southeastern Australia
93 Wine Spectator
Polished from top to bottom, this red boasts fine-grained tannins, offering a generous core of blackberry and cassis flavors that show accents of cured black olive, sandalwood and vanilla-laced cedar, with a whiff of peppermint and dried sage, all harmonious on the long finish. Drink now through 2035.
93 James Suckling
An amalgam of redcurrant and blackcurrant aromas with cedary and leafy tones, dark berries and pepper and plenty of oak strut. The palate has a deep vein of black-fruit flavors, as well as plum and chocolate. Bold extract. A blend of Padthaway, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley. Drink now.
This is a classic
Cabernet that comes from Australia. More dark fruits but nuances of spice and herbs
with a nice finish. Original price is $80, you can find this vintage for about
$50. It has the body to age for a number of years, despite Suckling’s comment
above. Very good for a special occasion.
2022 Vino Cabos
Felino Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, Argentina
Red ruby color with dark tones. Aromas of red pepper, fresh red fruit, incense, white pepper hints. It's medium body, with chewy tannins, textured and balanced, nice finish.
93 James Suckling
Well-concentrated with velvety tannins, this full-bodied wine boasts pure blackberry and black cherry flavors and a hearty drinkability. Black pepper and tobacco accents show up first on the nose and interlace on the palate with rather full tannins.
A nice Cabernet from
Argentina – this doesn’t have the “funk” that you get from some Chilean
Cabernets. Full mouthfeel, black fruits with undertones of spice and oak with
some tannic flavors. Moderate finish, would age well for several years. Priced
at around $20, nice bottle to have whenever.
